While it may be somewhat true that if you have the plan and the skills, you could make any business profitable – the old “selling Ice to an Eskimo” idea…. but the truth is, not all business opportunities (and I’m talking about the network marketing industry here) are created equal – and we all know that.

So with the “net” constantly swirling and turning out a new “biz op” every 15 minutes or so… what does one use to filter these? Let’s look at some at some key indicators here and then have you, my reader and or group member, contribute your own criteria!

1. One of the BIG deals that has come up recently is Company Ownership – this happened because some of the newer “ops” out there have had very questionable ownership – so there has been a trend on “who owns the company” kind of questions. I think disclosure of the ownership and corporate officers is a reasonable thing to expect if you are buying into a company and so, if that information doesn’t exist, that should be a red -flag. If it DOES exist, do your due diligence (and NOT just a GOOGLE search because anyone can write anything).

2. Business Model – does the company have a business model and business plan that makes sense and that can be reviewed before you buy in? The home-based business industry generally revolves around the direct sales of products, services or both. The questions then become, does the product line offer real value to an end customer that is either on par with or cannot otherwise be found in the regular consumer modality? One thing that kills me is when I see folks trying to make a living with a company that is competing directly against them in their own marketplace by offering direct to the consumer channels (I hate to name names but there is an AVON store at my local shopping gallery). Or how about “me too” products like in the health/nutrition genre – look there’s nothing wrong with that and every company has their own proprietary “blends or delivery mechanisms” – the general challenge here is getting people to buy into the new products – think about how hard an established company like Kraft or Coca-Cola have to work to introduce new products in an effort to increase market-share. They test market before they roll out and even then, it sometimes doesn’t work – anyone remember “New Coke”? The moral is, the public is fickle but also loyal and getting people to change, even for their own good, can be a losing battle and a big hit to the wallet in the meantime.

3. Compensation Plan – Okay.. this is a big one. How do you get paid AND where does that Money Come From? The “rule” is that compensation must be derived in whole or in a majority part, from product sales and not from business kits or marketing tools. But the one thing that is not stipulated is WHO is buying the products – if your customers ARE your distributors… well that pretty much becomes a problem because it’s really hard to make money on product sales if you are more likely to get another distributor than you are to convert an actual retail customer. I worked for Gap, Inc after college for a while and the employees, at that time, got a HUGE discount on EVERYTHING even sale items (I could buy a $70 sweater off the sale rack for like $3.00 – NOT even kidding) but Gap did not make it’s money from sales to employees or even on sale items – it made it’s money on the retail customer buying first run fashions at generous mark-ups. Those folks were actual customers, even the sale shoppers were still revenue generators – but not the employees buying deep discounts on everything in the store. Okay.. so… if your compensation is REALLY dependent only on new distributors, and those same people are your customers… well… what happens when your distributors start to quit or become inactive? Your PAYCHECK goes away! And this discussion doesn’t even go into the many actual compensation plans, qualification requirements and pin levels …. suffice it to say… KNOW your PLAN and UNDERSTAND where your $$ comes from.

4. Who Shows Up For Dinner? – A lot of companies have “celebrity” endorsers – the question is who and why? Are the endorsements from Paid Endorsers or from folks actually wanting to be associated with the company? There’s nothing wrong with paid endorsements of course and they can do a LOT for sales – look at Nike or Gatorade! But in the home-based business there is a culture of trust that is slightly different than in the “regular world” and that has to do with the idea that “regular” folks can make “extraordinary” financial returns by really caring about each other an helping each other to succeed. So… an endorsement that is come by “organically” because the company is really offering something of value to the global community is a great thing to be able to point to. Hey I’m not naive here, I know that everyone get’s something out of it – it’s not just pure altruism – but corporate giving is something that “regular” businesses take great pride in and that should not be any different here.

5. The Balance Sheet – This may be one of the most elusive areas to research and many companies out there will state they are solvent or debt free but that may or may not be true and since most are NOT publicly traded, they don’t have to “show” their books. The trouble these are, for the most part, expensive endeavors to start up and keep running. Remember, in the U.S. more than 70% of small businesses fail in the first 3 to 5 years. Imagine now, all the moving parts required to keep a business that has to manage people, products, and down-lines all moving in the same, profitable, direction. This business is really BIG business, wearing a robe and slippers and pretending to be “grass roots”. If you are looking at a more established company this issue will be easier to ferret out but with so many start-ups out there and the propensity for OP-HOPPING, it’s worth it to consider if your money is going directly to “start up capital” and therefore if your ability to get paid will be questionable.

6. Income Potential – How many times have you seen the chart with your “perfect world” scenario and then that gets knocked back to “real world” of just 10% production and you think ‘Yeah, I can do that much’… but those boards are always built on the idea of “sponsoring”. Do you know that 97% of people in business opportunities fail to sponsor more than 2.7 people, ever. And have you ever considered that the “$10,000/mo” benchmark is $120,000 /yr and the average annual income, nationwide in the United States in 2008 was: $50,303 (US Census Report INCOME, POVERTY AND HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE IN THE UNITED STATES: 2008). That includes skilled, unskilled and professional labor. So if the entire country cannot average more than $50K how likely is the average distributor to earn $120K per year? I’m not saying that it is impossible, in fact, it’s more possible in the network marketing industry than in any other, however, it is improbable since we do know that barely 3% make a living (not make 6 or 7 figures, just make a living) in the industry at any given time. So when you look, be wary of income claims, know HOW you get paid and for what activities and be sure you can plug in an income figure that is realistic and then that the pay plan allows for that – anything over a “living” is bonus!

7. Training and Support – Okay… here is where there is a BUNCH of concern. When you change jobs or change careers, you have to get trained to do the new job or career right? I mean, unless you are the Dos Equis Guy, you just don’t innately know what to do. That being said, the old saying in Network Marketing is that we have all been doing it all our lives whenever we tell people about a movie or a mechanic… we are using word of mouth or network marketing. However, that does not mean that we instantly know how to employ this skill in our new career as a home based business owner. In fact, most of us don’t and most of us fail, not because we don’t have a “WHY” or our “WHY” isn’t big enough. Not because we don’t believe in our product or our company. Not because we aren’t putting in the hours. But because we either don’t have the right training and right skills OR we are not actually following what works. For some reason, unlike pretty much any other part of life, we think that when it comes to network marketing, we can build a better mousetrap than our up-line who has had years of success, even though we have never earned a dime in network marketing. Another old saying is – if you want to be wealthy, hang out with wealthy people – but it’s not Osmosis, folks.. it’s skills, vitalized by people that teach those skills and then perform them with you – in other words, learn what they do, do what they do and don’t think you can suddenly do it your way and get the results they did.

I think I will leave it here… I am sure there are many other criteria and I hope you will add to the discussion by posting your comments. As always, until next time…
Peace~
Leanne

I have probably heard it 1000 times if I have heard it once. Heck I have even paraphrased it myself. But it wasn’t until literally the other day when I had an ‘ah-ha’ moment that made this quotation take on new meaning for me!

You see, I have heard it used so many times by people I thought of as leaders involved in one business opportunity or another and so the meaning always seemed to be that if I helped others get into that opportunity that it would somehow BE what they wanted – it would therefore solve their problems and, by extension, solve my own!

Then, somehow, like a light from the clouds, it dawned on me…. that was NOT what it means. Actually, I can tell you how it came to me. I was talking with my friend and Mentor, Luc Despres. We were discussing our Free program which is open to anyone in any business… and that’s when it hit me… I’m not supposed to help people get into my business to solve their problems and there by solve my own… I’m supposed to help people make the business they are already in work for them. If, through the process of helping them, they then CHOOSE to go into a sponsorship with me – that’s just icing on the cake!

Remember when you are about to do something that feels uncomfortable – like calling someone to talk to them about business – this is NOT about YOU! You want to focus on them – not with the idea that you will then use their own words to somehow ‘manipulate’ them into doing business with you – but rather with the idea that you really want to know what they do, where they are struggling and how or IF you can bring them something to help them!

If you are already in our free mentoring program, then you know you do have something that will help them. If you are not but would like to know more, please contact me directly and I will be happy to help YOU!

Peace,
Leanne
leannelasky@gmail.com
623-2347-9100

Well… I don’t have a speech writer or a copy editor but I have some things to say – no.. not about the politics of the US – about home based businesses in 2010…

This is a very interesting time for those of us who are network marketers, small business owners, and entrepreneurs. One in Ten people in the US (alone) are out of work and are desperate for a way to make income for their families… this presents a certain set of issues for us as professionals in our industry.

In addition, unlike any other time, our industry is open in a global market faster and more connected than ever before.

First you might think – yah! Loads of prospects flooding the market everyday – nice problem to have! But let’s really consider what kinds of prospects these people are.

Never before has our industry had more opportunity to change lives but with that comes a tremendous responsibility. The new prospects coming to us are from all walks of life and now, more than ever, they are displaced laborers as well as white collar and executive level employees. There are more and more men in a traditionally women dominated industry.There are more and more young adults, not just stay at home Moms. There are more and more retirees. There is a diversity of educational levels, basic skill sets, ethnicity, and economic means.

The speed of our business has changed dramatically even in the last year. Internet Marketing was still more or less a “buzz” at the beginning of 2008 and now it is part of our everyday language. Business and Product Launches are practically a business in themselves. An explosion of “mentors”, “coaches”, “leaders”, “gurus” at every turn, in every niche it is truly the industry of opportunity and opportunists… it is this later group that we, as professionals, MUST be aware of and help to guide the new flood of prospects away from.

We, as professionals, MUST protect our beloved industry from those that WILL “set up shop” and woo the desperate into thinly veiled money laundering schemes and scams – these kinds of things have always been around the edges of the home business industry but the “BOOM” here will have the same effect the real estate boom did – anyone that could fog a mirror could get a real estate license but they were not professionals and would not survive the bust… the same is true for us. Anyone creative enough to put up a flash site can draw in paying customers, take their money and be gone before anyone knows what happened.

But let’s also consider our own responsibility to the people we speak to each day. There are going to be many people that probably really NEED income and there are no jobs for them… but that may not mean that they are really suited to being in business for themselves. Yes, we are supposed to focus on duplication, and yes, there are always people that get started and do nothing, but I think it is our responsibility to say “NO” to prospects that really have no business putting up money for an opportunity they are never likely to succeed with – and you can tell who these folks are – these are folks that really need a job – not a business.

So… treat your business like a business – you wouldn’t let just anyone represent your business, your story, your name – there are a lot of people in need of what we have but, as one of my early mentors was fond of saying: “Life rewards for deserve, not need – if you do the do, good will come to you”.

Go Forth and Build and Remember… Enrich Yourself And The World Around You,

Peace,
Leanne

And so it is with Success. Especially in online business or network marketing business.  The precepts are simple – build a list, build a relationship with the list so that the people on the list come to Know, Like, and Trust you, bring them something they want and ask them to buy – bingo! Success.  Simple, repeatable, lucrative.  Yes.  Easy??? NO.  If it were EASY then EVERYONE would be doing it!  If it were EASY there would not be so many products, programs and gurus “out there” trying to make is even EASIER for you.  The truth is, it IS Simple… BUT… it AIN’T EASY! It’s WORK, it’s time invested, it’s money invested, it’s consistency, it’s persistence, it’s adaption, it’s making mis-steps and starting all over again, is testing, it’s constant learning and implementation. And JUST when you think you have done all you can do, you need to do more!

I wrote a blog not that long ago about Opportunity. In that blog I discussed the meaning of the word as not JUST the “good chance of advancement or progress” but also as the “favorable juncture of circumstances” (www.Merriam-Webster.com).  The point of my Blog at that time was that we are bombarded daily with “Once In a Lifetime Opportunities” to get in on the latest and greatest money making event be it a real estate deal, a huge launch of an affiliate product, or a network marketing business.  But what most of us (myself included) often fail to do is examine this thing offered to us to see if there actually IS a Favorable Juncture Of Circumstance.  In other words, just because this thing is available, are we really in a position where we can take FULL advantage of it to actually REALIZE the opportunity as it is presented?  I suggest that we do not and that we FAIL to do this more often than we would even care to admit.

Here’s why I say this.  Most of us are drawn in by sales copy because it addresses our pain – we identify with it and we want to make the pain go away. And wouldn’t you know it – this guy has the answer – but only if I act RIGHT NOW because I will only see this page ONCE and then it will be gone FOREVER!!! EEKS!!! I can’t let that happen!! I KNOW I have at least $77 on one of these cards!  I mean, how pathetic would it be if I didn’t have a measly $77???  Okay… I’m gonna do it… what’s the worst that can happen? I have  blown more than $77 on dumber stuff and THIS is tax deductible, even, because it’s for my “business’ RIGHT!!!???? WHEW!!! MAN! I sure am glad I got that… could have been a missed opportunity!!!

And then it happens.  You gear up to read, watch or listen to what was just sold to you.  And you realize that – you have to build a list, you have to develop a relationship with that list so that they know, like and trust you, and then you bring them what they WANT and ask them to buy… just that SIMPLE!!! AAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!

Guess what?  It’s never NOT going to be that simple.  But guess what else? It’s never gonna be any Easier either! The challenges we all face is that we buy in desperation, UN-prepared to do what is necessary to make the “thing” work in the first place.  Why? Because we have not even identified a favorable juncture of circumstance – instead we have been surfing the net, looking for an answer to our pain and then leaping as soon as we scrounge up a credit card with some money left on it and yet we have not done the WORK to capitalize fully on the so-called  opportunity, when it showed up on our door step.
In real estate we are trained to find BUYERS first.  Why? Because it is MUCH easier to find a house for a BUYER than to find a BUYER for a house.  Same thing in any other business.  Don’t create or buy a product to sell until you know who you are going to sell it to! – Go BUILD YOUR LIST FIRST.  Create a relationship with them, get them to know, like and trust you, then bring Them what THEY want and ask them to buy.. bet they will! Bet they’ll buy more than once!  Bet you can build a list for any number of products or market segments but it won’t be easy… you’ll need to actually TALK to these people, you’ll need to offer value, you’ll need to give stuff away first… you’ll need to create in them a favorable juncture of circumstance so they’ll jump on the opportunity when you bring it to them!
So… what are you waiting for!!!??? It’s SIMPLE!!!

Leanne

1. I always wanted to be an entertainer and I have done the following things: Danced the Part of Jelly Lorum in CATS (off, off Broadway), played the part of the March Hare in Alice in Wonderland, Danced on a Fundraiser Telethon, Backup Singer for a Country Band, Lead Singer in a Rock Band, Karaoke Host! LOL! And other such things… I had a lot of fun doing all of it and would do it all again in a heartbeat!

2.  I was a competitive equestrian as a pre-teen riding English Hunter/Jumper and Cross Country.

3.  My very FIRST job was developing film in a family owned photography business. (not my family, just a mom and pop shop).

4. I have one sibling, an older brother, who is the funniest, smartest and most talented person I have ever known.

5. My two favorite movies of all time are Blade Runner and Mary Poppins – I know it’s weird… like me!

6. When I was little, back in Toledo, we had a big brick house with gas fireplaces and a laundry shoot and a player piano – this was my favorite house I have ever lived in.  I found it on Google Maps – here it is:

7. My favorite newscaster was and always will be Walter Cronkite.  Also, he used to narrate a school program called “And You Were There…” We used to watch them in grade school.

8. I have a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and a Master’s in Public Health.

9. We have three cats.  Two are litter mates that we got from a breeder. They are American Curls. Their names are Joliet Jake BluesCurl and and Elwood BluesCurl   The third is a little girl named Zoe – she’s a gray shorthair that was rescued from a drain pipe. In fact, Elwood is sleeping right on my shoulder right now!

10. I got married at the Little White Chapel Drive Thru in Las Vegas!  We both wore all BLACK!!! LOL!  It was GREAT! (this is a photo of the drivethru, not our wedding though)

11. I was named after the women in my dad’s family – My Grandmother Lee, Aunt Annette, and Aunt Susan (Leanne Sue)

12. Thanksgiving is my ALL TIME FAVORITE HOLIDAY!!!  I love the parade, the food, the football and the family… there’s nothing better and no better time of year! Autumn is the BEST!

13.  I took a flying less once in a Cessna (single engine, top wing)… it was the most fun thing I have ever done – I would have loved to continue lessons but it was very expensive – maybe I can pick that up again when my business get’s more successful!

14.  I sold Apple Macintosh Computers when the Macintosh SE was the first portable Mac!  I also Zenith Lap Tops – they were HORRIBLE! LOL!  My first cell phone was a carphone – the block went in the trunk of the car… oy! Am I dating myself eh?

15.  I have never needed braces – my teeth aren’t perfect but I have had people tell me that there is no way I didn’t have braces!  Sorry – naturally straight teeth do happen! LOL!

16.  I have NEVER been a Bridesmaid!

17.  Birds fly into my car at higher rate of probability than for other people! I am not kidding – In fact, I got hit by a bird the other day – just flew right into my windshield! I’m so used to it that it doesn’t even freak me out anymore!

18. I drove from Oswego, NY to Tucson, AZ with my Mom in 1992… that was the most fun road trip I have ever been on! And the longest!  It took us a week.

19.  I was in my mid-20′s before I had meatloaf for the first time!  My friends were amazed!  I was older than that before I ever tried tarter sauce!

20.  I have held 23 different jobs at 23 different places in the last 26 years (some simultaneously). I have also started 4 businesses.  Never be “content”. Always keep learning, keep growing, never give up.

21. Our 7yo daughter is the best thing we have ever done – she is a joy and the light of our life – I’m not sure if this really counts but it counts to me! My dream for her is that she realizes that she doesn’t have to follow a set path in life – there is so much to see and do and try and I hope I will be more open-minded than my parents were in terms of letting her explore her world.

22. I have a very hard time getting rid of books.  I have tons of them, some of which I have never read!  I never say “no” when Sarah wants to buy a book, go to the library or the bookstore.

23. Music is one of the most important parts of our lives.  We listen to all kinds of music. We watch music based movies, we sing, we dance we play a LOT of Rockband!  We can’t get enough of it – Music, Music, Music!

24.  My favorite song is Solsbury Hill by Peter Gabriel – we saw him in 2006 – this is exactly what it looked like!

25.  My goal in life is to make a legacy, a mark, a small impression on the world and to leave behind something of merit and meaning for my Daughter.  I want the “dash” on my marker to be filled with stuff that people remember fondly because something I did or said made their part of the world just a little more interesting or fun or meaningful.

BOY! this was a challenge – 25 things really take some thinking!  I hope you enjoyed my list and if you read this and have not done one yet, I challenge YOU to put up your own!

Cheers~
Leanne