Moderation for an All or Nothing Person??

[Kathytnt]

I didn't which section to choose for this post so I went to the Lounge. As many of you know I have been kind of down lately. The reason is that I am having to look at my business from a different perspective. I am one of the All or nothing type of people. I am the same way with weight loss, exercise, tennis and PC. I either go all out or I drop out. I can't go all out with PC but I just can't drop out. The scaling back has been tough. My hubby wants and needs more time with me and I want and need to spend more time with him.
I got started in PC to do fundraisers to give money to cancer research. My competitiveness kicked in and I started to try to build a business. The things is though is that I have trouble focusing in one direction - recruiting, sales, wedding registry, craft fairs for more leads etc. Fingers in to many pies. Then my office is a mess, my hubby is feeling neglected, and I am feeling frustrated. My husband is also a much neater person than I am so the house is a mess in his eyes. LOL!
I put money in a conference club account plus I earned some PC dollars I was allocating for conference. I am just not sure about going to conference since I don't consider myself a business builder anymore. Still a consultant and a recruiter but at the rate I am doing business I can't see that I could ever become a director.
My hubby is supportive and has been helpful but he feels that PC is taking away from the US time and causing him additional work arong the house. He does help me with labeling items, organizing where to put all the products etc. He is a great guy. I never have to tell him to take out the trash or create a honeydo list. He is always working on projects around the house to improve things and save money. I sometimes wish he would chill out more. I am about to start demanding that he HAS to use his golf clubs at least once a month. I bought them for him Christmas 2005 and he still has not used them. I think for his birthday I am gonig to get him a gift certificate for the locatl driving range and require that he schedule a visit there at least once a month. I am sooooo demanding!
Anyway - Hope this explains a bit of the depression and being down. My Director and I are going to miss our weekly call again tomorrow because I have to work during that time period. Hope everyone is doing well

Kat

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Kathy, the great thing about this opportunity is that you can make it into anything you want it to be. I understand the competitive nature that might want you to strive for national director, but at the same time, it doesn't sound like that is a real, or practical, goal for you. So, scale your goals downwards. You don't need to be a director to gain the admiration and respect of your peers or clients. In fact, your clients probably don't care.The answer? Decide to make it your hobby. What is it about being a Cheffer that you really like? Doing shows in front of a crowd? Offering a top-notch product line to people who have a need for them? Customer service? Fund raising? Find the part you really like and concentrate on that aspect of it. You can do anywhere from one to four shows a month and still have a very successful business. Be an all-or-nothing part timer.Not to mention, make enough money to pay some green fees. Make a deal with your husband - you'll do shows and he plays golf. In the overall scheme of things, a little dust or an extra pile of papers in the living room is meaningless.Whatever you decide, it will be right for you.

 

[Kathytnt]

Why can't I get this guy to chill out - I have the opposite problem of so many wives LOL! I got him a set of golf clubs and a card for $250 worth of lessons and he hasn't used - Said he loved the gift. Now understand that right around Christmas, a few weeks after our wedding my mom was diagnosed with cancer but she passed in June and he still hasn't used his gift yet.

 

[Kathytnt]

Thanks for the advise KG - I enjoy the products and the people. I do find recruiting a bit frustrating at times. Kind of like fishing when you keep getting nibbles but no bites. The girl that put yes on the drawing slip last night might be more interested in the kit than the business - We will ahve to see.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Why can't I get this guy to chill out - I have the opposite problem of so many wives LOL! I got him a set of golf clubs and a card for $250 worth of lessons and he hasn't used - Said he loved the gift. Now understand that right around Christmas, a few weeks after our wedding my mom was diagnosed with cancer but she passed in June and he still hasn't used his gift yet.

Not sure what to tell you about that. I haven't touched my clubs in a long time myself, probably because my best friend and golf buddy moved to Florida. I suspect that if someone said, "C'mon, we're going golfing this afternoon!" I'd be likely to go.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Thanks for the advise KG - I enjoy the products and the people. I do find recruiting a bit frustrating at times. Kind of like fishing when you keep getting nibbles but no bites. The girl that put yes on the drawing slip last night might be more interested in the kit than the business - We will ahve to see.

A recruiter need not be a director.

 

[DebbieJ]

Kathy, forgive me if this is out of line, but have you considered seeing a therapist? You are often talking about "being down" and it can be very helpful to talk to someone about it--someone who can help you come up with a game plan so you can do all the things you want to do with success.

 

[Kathytnt]

I understand and appreciate your Debbie - I do actually have mostly good days. I don't have a lot of close friends and I guess I do have a tendency to let you guys know more when I am down then when I am up. I have just been overwhelmed with a lot of shows plus a lot of hours at work and feeling like I am not doing things to the level of quality that I would like.

I actually have a lot of good things in my life - PC is going well, I love my new job. Just became an Herbal Information Specialist (I work in the vitamin dept at a Natural Foods store) I have a wonderful hubby. Three great dogs

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Also....you were wondering if conference was worth doing if you weren't thinking of directorship? Well, conference is definitely worth it!! Even if you are just a hobbiest - you get so many great ideas for your business, and just hearing everybody elses stories etc....is so uplifting and encouraging! I don't think you would regret for a minute going to conference!

 

[janetupnorth]

Kathy - understand the competitiveness and the dogs (I have two Samoyed/Border Collie mix )

Like KG said, make YOUR own goals so you feel good when you meet them, and make them realistic. If it is a hobby, make your goal 1-2 shows a month. Not 6-8. Make your goal having a fun show where you get everyone to laugh once instead of "I need to recruit 1 person and get 2 bookings".

Rather than chasing leads, maybe only take what actually comes to you for awhile...

Don't know if any of that helps...I was just gung ho to start but had to work hard to separate "my goals" from that of my recruiter, director, etc. Fortunately, my recruiter asks me my PERSONAL goals and wants me to meet those. My director made a comment today that if I qualified a few days earlier I would have gotten $25 more PC dollars, then said, oh wait, you said you wanted to focus on earning mid-season products instead. I'm glad they realize MY goals and this isn't my FT job. That helps a lot!

 

[janetupnorth]

P.S. I am working on going to conference - I think it is useful to understand the business for any level. It is better to have too much information and pick what you want to use than not enough.

 

[Kathytnt]

Janet I have two Eskies - Although I think one has a little chow in her and we also have a ****er spaniel You can see their one of the eskies and the spaniel in the photo files under friends and family

 

[Kathytnt]

I will have to figure out a way to convince my hubby about going to conference - I have the conference club part taken care of but there is still airfare, hotel, incidentals. meals etc. I hate that I missed it last year but my mom died in June and my former employers wouldn't allow vacation due to a special project (with no end in sight)

 

[janetupnorth]

Hopefully you can this year! Find something in Chicago DH would like to see!

P.S. Cute dogs!

 

[Kathytnt]

Hubby will probably only some if I am going across stage - It costs us a lot for dog care. We are very particular about who takes care of our furkids

 

[lisacb77]

Kathy, I've been going through some of the same myself. Signed in July, had 3 big SS months (earned all bonuses & 2 plus). But I was burning myself and DH out on what I told him would be for fun and a little side cash. DH was hating PC, wanting me to quit.

Fortunately, my day job gets busy from Nov-Jan, so I only did one show and one open house in Nov, and one other open house in Dec, nothing in Jan. That allowed me time to rethink my comeback to the business. Also, my situation changed a little at work...was really unhappy when I started my biz. Now there is an opportunity to reduce my workload but I'm going to have to work hard the next 6-9 months on a project to make the overall reduction happen.

So I decided for the sake of my marriage and my day job I needed to cut back. My new goals would be enough sales to stay active (really bare minimum), which meant maybe 1-2 cooking shows a month tops. I also dedicated myself to focusing more on catalog shows, registries, etc...things where I could grow my biz with less time out of the house and so on.

I came up with 2 new incentives to help this along. For cooking shows, I now offer to buy ingredients for a host getting $150 in sales or 2 bookings prior to the show. That way I walk in knowing it's worth it For catalog hosts, if they get to $500 or over I submit as cooking so they can get the extra FPV.

February I had one cooking show. She ended around $700 with $200 of it before the show. I also had a registry and a virtual open house (no one could commit to come but got lots of orders) so ended up just over $1k in sales.

March I've had just one catalog show, but she went in at $640. I may have another close but haven't heard from her in a while so she may move to April or May.

April I have one cooking show. It's out of town but DH and I are making a weekend of it to see old friends. May I also only have 1, but just had another weekend free up so I may make an exception and try to do 2-3, and possibly even some weeknight ones for HWC since we'll be in Hawaii 1/2 of June so my June could be a $0 month like Jan.

I know this was long, but my point is you can do it girl! Set small goals, and you will feel great when you achieve them, instead of setting super high ones that cause you too much stress to reach. No, I'm not growing my business right now to the pt where it can be my job, but I'm still enjoying my discount and the other perks. And if I ever want to kick it up again, so be it.

Good luck and please let us know what you decide and how it goes {{HUGS}}

 

[tlennhoff]

Lisa, good for you for looking at things and actually making the changes you wanted.

 

[tlennhoff]

Kathy, I used to be an all or nothing and always over-extending myself. Eventually I wore my body down and now have a chronic fatigue problem that has forced me to learn to find those grey places in the middle. Think about why you feel the need to do "all or nothing" and see if you can change your thinking, its hard work but you may find yourslef much happier afterwards.

 

[amy07]

Kathy, my cousin and I joke that we don't have type A personality, its AAA! I TOTALLY understanding how you feel. Unfortunately I'm in that mode right now too!

 

[lisacb77]

Thanks Tasha. It wasn't easy but I am much less stressed. I didn't mean to hijack but I hope Kathy and anyone else struggling like I did finds it helpful!

 

[Momma23boys]

You sound like you've got a keeper! If HE needs to chill, you probably do too! What would he think is reasonable for the biz ? Make plans so while he is golfing and whatever else he should do to relax, you can choose to book those days for your shows or just you time.
Good luck with everything

 

[Kathytnt]

I sent an e-mail to my director but haven't really heard back from her - Guess she might be busy due to spring break

 

[pcchris]

Kathy, is there a way that you could possibly INVOLVE your hubby with your PC business? Just a thought...at least you'd have some ime together. Make your shows "couples shows" ?!?!

 

[Kathytnt]

This moderation thing is actually working - I am happier and more relaxed at my shows and I have a host getting a kit credit and a friend of her's that wants to sign too So my new recruit might have a recruit also THey are both planning on going to our cluster meeting on Monday

 

[mommyhugz1978]

The one thing that I love about this business... is that I make my scheudle and decide when i want to do shows, right now my show nights are on Thursday nights, and I dont' work Sundays (that's the lord's day) I have school on Mon & Wed, nights so that leaves, Tues,Thurs, and Fri, and Saturday. You sound like you have a keeper of a DH..he does need to chil out a little bit however... a suggestion would be to sit down together and decide what would work foryour PC business and make those goals.. Like one of my PC goals and this is an incentive that my DH and I came up with , my commish checks are paying for a trip to Disneyland... So we have a photo of Disneyland above my desk and each month we have met the goal then another little arrow moves up the board...just like for the differnt level inccentive trips PC offers.... IT's fliexable business, but becareful not to flex yourself out of business. Do what's best for you Kathy.... and remeber we are all rooting for you. You asked is Conference worth it? OH My gosh girl it's absoulty worth it you will learn so many things. I have been selling PC for a year now, and I went to confernce in my Third SS month last year... HOLY COW I thought I died!!

 

[Kathytnt]

Sounds like you started around the same time as me - I signed at the end of Feb and did my first show on April 1. I really can't do the Monday I am going to do this Friday I am going to do this My hours at myjob change every week. I was originally told my schedule would be available on Wednesdays but sometimes I don't get in until Friday - I like a little more time so I can make appts for recruits, hosts and other things for the following week.