How I was a single mom, held a job AND built a 7 figure income…all in 3 years.
Well, wow, that was some work but if I had to do it all over again…I WOULD. Would there be some changes, sure, but not a whole lot. I would have put some fears aside, I would have done other things sooner than I did, but that’s about it.
How I did it…I got BUSY. See, I didn’t have a whole lot of a choice. When my ex-husband and I separated, neither of us had money. I didn’t even HAVE a job. My girls went to a school that was outside of the bus service zone so it was my responsibility to get them to school and home again. I needed flexible work. That’s HARD to find! When I was presented the business opportunity I’m currently in, I had ZERO DOLLARS. I was overdrawn, that’s how broke I was. I had late notices, shut off notices, even foreclosure notices for our home. How was I possibly going to make enough of an income with a network marketing opportunity to get me out of the mess I was in?
I found a job working a 5 hour lunch shift and weekends at a local sports bar. It was perfect. I worked my ass off, at BOTH of those opportunities. Was the sports job an opportunity? HELL YES IT WAS. If you don’t see your job as an opportunity, you need to change the way you see it. You are working with potential clients, customers and promoters!
The network marketing opportunity was almost accidental and was a blessing in so many ways. I knew I needed it, not only the opportunity, that was secondary. I needed the PRODUCT. My friend had sent me a few days of it and I felt AMAZING. Then others noticed the changes and there lay the opportunity. I was already a product of the product and people wanted to be part of it.
I would get up about an hour before my girls, and I would jump online, send out some emails, some PM’s on Facebook and then get ready for my day. I set goals, and I set boundaries. My girls were #1. I communicated with them what my goals were, I communicated to them what my schedule was and we celebrated all of the wins. The wins weren’t just my wins, they were OUR wins and I wanted them to be part of it.
I had to spend a lot of time on the phone with customers, team members and their customers, but I always communicated my schedule with my girls so they knew when they had to be quiet or be on their own for a few minutes while I took a call. Was it difficult, yes. At times it made me sad. These girls were experiencing a HUGE life change very early on in their little lives. They were only 5 and 7 at the time. When I heard the words “But you’re ALWAYS on the phone.”, it hurt. We sat down and had a conversation or two. I had to explain to them that mommy had to do this so that we could live in the house. Those phone calls paid the bills. My youngest just required a little more attention at the time, but when we started really celebrating the wins together, it made it fun. Eventually, they realized that if I didn’t do those phone calls, I would have to have another job that I would have to go to at night and they wouldn’t even be able to see me in the evenings. Those phone calls were my job and they could “work with me.” Now when I tell them I have a phone call or a video call, they wish me “good luck”. I love them!
I was grinding EVERY. DAMN. DAY. I took calls on my way to work, I took calls on my way home from work. I helped my girls with their homework and the phone was off during dinner. The dinner table is a “No Phone Zone” and we take turns every night talking about at least 3 good things that happened each day. We still do this. It’s still a no phone zone.
You see, I run my business, my business doesn’t run me. I block out my time for my business and I block out my time for my girls. In the beginning, while I was working at the sports bar, I had the time during those work hours that obviously I could NOT conduct business but you can bet your ass that as soon as I walked out that door, I was working for my dreams. I was grinding toward my goals. I DIDN’T STOP. I was on a mission. I knew my why…I had 2 reasons why, and they are beautiful. They are still my reasons why and even more beautiful.
You know how I know I have done things the right way? I see my girls and what they are becoming. They listen to everything I say, watch everything I do. They are mimicking me and becoming leaders in their circles of friends. Their teachers tell me that they are leaders. It’s not my bank account, it’s not the car I drive, not the purse I carry…it’s who I’m raising. It’s what they are becoming.
Most people don’t achieve this level of success in network marketing. I get it. Most people don’t have the “stick-with-it-ness” that it takes. A lot get into network marketing so they can stay home with their babies. THAT’S FANTASTIC! That is the reason you SHOULD! Be diligent with your time, even more diligent with your time BLOCKING so you don’t get burned out. Trust me, you don’t get the time back so be smart from the beginning.
Give your business the time it deserves and give your family time that they deserve. COMMUNICATION is key when it comes to building a business and having a family. Tell them what your goals are and WHY. Tell them about your WINS! When you are winning, they are winning and it makes it GREAT and they become supportive! Just trust me on this.
And whatever you do, don’t ever ever every give up. You AND YOUR FAMILY are worth every bit of success you will have.