> Lessons
“It’s funny (now), but before we succeeded, we failed miserably.”
Lessons Learned from the Home Based Business School of Hard Knocks
Flashback 1992.
Our first venture in a home based business **sucked**.
We signed up with a brand new company and did everything we were told to do, religiously. Yet after 8 months the only person we signed up was my husband -Dave’s, Dad.
I think he felt sorry for us.
Then, the MLM Company went bankrupt.
It seems we weren’t the only ones struggling with selling the products. We didn’t even get a chance to “fail” out like the 97% of people in this industry do.
IT failed us.
After that, even Goodwill wouldn’t even accept the products as a donation.
Home Based Business Lesson #1.
Don’t blaze trails.
Partner with an established, stable company with a proven track record.
Fast-forward, one decade.
I found a skin care product that I LOVED. Turns out it’s distributed through MLM consultants.
I signed up immediately.
Religiously, I did everything I was told, again. I paid for a coach. Attended an expensive National conference. Bought lots of products and shipped samples daily to everyone I knew.
I actually made some sales. But, my commission checks were tiny and I was spending a fortune on samples and shipping.
Daily trips to the Post Office were a HUGE hassle.
“Build a team,” my sponsor told me.
So, I began calling everyone I knew. Selling the product was easy but whenever I mentioned those three letters, M – L– M, they practically hung up on me.
Sound familiar?
This time, my Mom stepped forward. After also falling in love with the products she said, “I might be interested in the business.”
It was a real dilemma for me. I still felt guilty about Dave’s Dad.
Worse yet, my mom was just coming out of a divorce. She was filled with hope and excited about being in control of her life but she was also very fragile.
This could help her, right? I wasn’t exactly convinced that she fully understood what she was getting herself into. But, she was excited and wanted to do it so, who was I to squelch her dream.
Together we spent months working like crazy. Home parties for her, home parties for me. We managed to attract a few people to join our business, but they generally would quit within months.
It must be us, I thought.
One day, my sponsor gave me some advice and I shared that with Mom.
“We need MASSIVE activity.”
The look on my mom’s face said it all. We’d been working day and night, even on weekends, how much more “massive” could we get?
She never actually said “I quit.” But, she did.
I was devastated to think that I actually recruited my mother into my business at a time when she was very vulnerable. It still haunts me.
Home Based Business Lesson #2:
No approaching friends and family.
The business model should have a customer delivery platform.
Mom never even made enough to recoup the charges on her credit card.
I actually heard that 97 percent of people in this industry end up spending more than they make. 97 percent!
Home Based Business Lesson #3:
Must be able to recoup initial investment within the 90 day this-is-really-exciting period.
I couldn’t sleep at night.
Why couldn’t I do this? I have an MBA. I know business. I had been a successful businesswoman several times over with traditional business models.
I was disciplined. If I could run marathons - for crimeny sake, I could certainly do this.
And then it struck me. This wasn’t just about "me" any more.
The reason it was difficult to convince others they could be successful in this industry is because they’d already witnessed so many others fail miserably - the 97%.
People get pumped up and buy into the excitement and the dreams and the hype. Just like Mom. Just like Dave’s dad.
The truth is… Even with great products, most MLM business models suck. They require that you approach your friends and family, people who may not even really want your products or your business.
Plus, they don’t provide the proper training so that people can really obtain the necessary skills to succeed. And, let’s face it, most sponsors, while they themselves may be great sales people, they’re not teachers or coaches.
There’s a 97% newbies parade going on everyday in the home based business industry. Those are the guys that need the help!
Home Based Business Lesson #4:
Must be able to plug into a community of support, 24/7, all over the world. A true system of success.
Regardless of sponsor.
In the meantime, people enter this business daily, thinking this is their ticket to financial security. They max out their credit cards in exchange for dreams of wealth. Then, they quit before the first payment is due because they were sold something bigger than life.
I suppose I should be thankful that I failed fast and had very few casualties among my friends and family.
Moms and Dads tend to love you no matter what.
Dave and I have owned several REAL brick and mortar businesses. The kind that have office hours and employees. And at the end of the day, we’ve witnessed that REAL businesses prevail when their products, distribution method and people win too.
REAL businesses would never survive if their employee turnover was anywhere near the rate of MLM casualties. People ARE the bottom line. When a business takes care of its people, its people take care of the business.
Which brings me to the final lesson. Now, this is one I didn’t fully understand at first.
Home Based Business Lesson #5:
Paid application required. If not, RUN!
Let’s face it. Money makes everything more serious. A company that takes anyone with a heartbeat – is only interested in one thing: getting YOUR money.
They take you straight to the product with very little care whether or not you’ll succeed in the business.
Think about it. If you want to rent a house – you pay for an app, to buy a franchise, or go to college, there’s a paid app. Just plopping down that application fee says, “please spend your time with me – I’m serious about this.”
Without an application process, how could you tell which ones are really serious?
Frankly, it would be impossible, because there’s always going to be the 97% who “say” they want wealth but aren’t willing to do what it takes to get it.
Leave that for the other companies.
You really only want to work with the people who are serious. Period.
Lessons learned.
Footnote:
These are the experiences that led us to build our home based business with Carbon Copy Pro. What’s that saying? Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.
Respectfully,
Your friends on the "inside"...
Steph and Dave Robey
Earning A Multiple Six-Figure Income From Home
With CarbonCopyPRO ...