Don't Knock It 'Til You Try It

There isn't a place on this earth that hasn't been impacted
by COVID-19

We're in the middle of a pandemic. I don't see it ending any time soon. Just assume that everything will remain closed for the rest of 2020. As an eCommerce business owner, I have experienced an increase in sales as more people are shopping online. However, not everyone is experiencing an increase. Millions have lost their jobs or had to shut down their businesses. Some shut downs were temporary, but as the death toll from the pandemic rises and prolongs the estimated date for "re-opening", these temporary shut downs are becoming permanent. How are people shifting? I've noticed that more people are becoming open to the idea of starting a multi-level marketing business. It's interesting to see the shift, especially for influencers and celebrities.

Nobody:

Me: You know that starting a direct sales business is what opened my eyes to living as an entrepreneur.

Award received at a
5Linx Convention

I started a direct sales business in 2013. I had success with it too. I made money, built and maintained a team. It wasn't about the money for me. I was doing well with my healthcare professional salary but I quickly realized that there were limits to where my career path could take me. Essentially, I had mastered my job and was getting bored. LOL! The biggest thing I gained from building a multi-level marketing team was a change in perspective. At the time, I was a youngin'. I was a "boss", or so I thought. I had a title. I was earning a decent salary. But at what cost? Direct sales put me at the same table with people who were earning my annual salary on a monthly basis, from their couches and by their backyard pool, no less. It definitely had me re-evaluating my life choices. I stopped caring about my title at work and took a good assessment of the way I was living.

Imagine sacrificing a lot of "wants" and being broke for 4 years after buying a house with a pool to only realize that you don't get to actually enjoy the pool because you're AT work earning money to pay for the house with a pool that you don't use. No one ever posed the question to me before direct sales. It was just a way of life that people had succumbed to. I decided that I did not want this to be my life for the rest of my life. 

I really had to "observe" nurses
administering transfusions, only
for nothing to be done if I wrote
incident reports for mistakes made

Being a Transfusion Medicine Specialist was really gratifying work. I really enjoyed it. HOWEVER,  the bureaucracy, red tape, politics and lack of REAL concern for process improvement was weighing me down. Who was I really helping? Was I making an positive impact on the people who mattered the most to me? I couldn't really say that I was. A lot of those high earners in my direct sales company do amazing work in the community. They have a very flexible schedule with more free time than most as well as more income than most. I wanted to eventually be able to have the kind of impact they had. So I set out to "Fire My Boss", as they say in direct sales trainings.

I knew that I wanted to retire by 35 but I wasn't sure how I was going to be able to do it. I thought my direct sales business was going to be the path but Jehovah had something else in store for me. Even in 2014, I would have never thought that whipping shea would become my main gig. But here we are.

What Direct Sales Taught Me

1. Humble yourself and be coachable.
2. Monthly earnings can be as much as an average annual salary. People do it. Average people with no degrees, just a work effort.
3. You don't need a job, you just need money.
4. Have systems and automation in place so you can duplicate yourself without having to be there.
5. You're going to be rejected and laughed at, it's inevitable, keep working.
6. Build a re pore. Find out how what you can help relieve a potential customer's pain point. Sometimes you have the answer for sale, sometimes you give a referral that doesn't involved them buying from you....at that time. People respect that and usually come back to buy at some point.
7. Don't take it personally if your closest friends and family do not support you. Everyone is fighting their own battles. It's not about you.
8. There are reasons and then there are excuses. Be able to recognize when you are making excuses.
9. Move on. Just keep moving forward.
10. The Law Of Attraction is a thing but you still have to actively market your products. If no one knows about your great product, it's still trash. 

While Fancy Free Hair & Skin started "accidentally", I will say that I wasn't completely new to running a business. I honed my technical laboratory skills while running a medical laboratory, but building a business...I got dat from direct sales. Team building, team engagement, professional/personal development, all from direct sales. I learned that entrepreneurship is a mind game and direct sales trained me to continuously adjust to "get my mind right".

Most people who have success with a direct sales company will be successful with almost any other business venture they touch. If you are NOT a business person but want to start a business, start a multi-level marketing business that sells something you like or are interested in. Make sure the team you're on has a good leader that hosts trainings and encourages personal development. If you're coachable, the training will have a lasting impact on your business life no matter where it takes you. 

Don't knock it until you try it. If you don't want to join a team, support someone close to you who is building. You have no idea how gratifying it is to get one "yes" when all you've been getting is "no". LOL!

Shameless Plug Alert:

Fancy Free Hair & Skin manufactures quality products for hair and skin, as well as provides natural hair consults for women who would like assistance on their natural hair journey. Our motto is "Keeping you fancy and free of chemicals." Visit our website, www.fancyfreehairandskin.com, to see a full range of our products and services. Sign up for our mailing list to receive natural hair tips and stay up to date on sales and the latest happenings with Fancy Free.

Visit www.fancyfreehairandskin.com to subscribe to our mailing list. Become Fancy's Friend to receive a code for 10% off your next purchase.

12 Months An Entrepreneur

Standard
"This Meeting
Could've Been an Email"
Face

Today marks one full year since I said my goodbyes to everything I had known as a career from 2004-2017. When I graduate from University of Maryland's Department of Medical and Research Technology in 2004, I was set on my career path. I would work in a blood bank, become a Specialist in Blood Bank, manage a blood bank and then, eventually, become a director of a laboratory. Boy, was I wrong. You see, about 2 years in to my Blood Bank management position, my director went on vacation and left me in charge of the entire lab. That changed my entire perspective on what I wanted to do with my life and it was not that. Endless meetings, constant phone calls, 750 emails/day, deescalating trivial personnel issues. No. Absolutely not. I decided to focus on being the best blood bank manager and teach future medical laboratory science. That was good for me.

The 5Linx Gang Sign

Then in 2013, something happened. I got bored. A friend of mine had been asking me to come look at his "business opportunity". (Y'all know what that's code for. LOL!) He had always been pretty business savvy and appeared to be financially successful, so I looked at it, it made sense to me at the time, so I got involved. That one decision to participate in one of those "Pyramid Schemes" changed my perspective on life. $100,000 annual salary was no longer enough if I could make that in a month from home. ( Yes. I know. That is extreme but I saw people doing it.) I began immersing myself in personal development and learning beginner marketing skills. I was changing for the better. My eyes had been opened and I wanted a better quality of life. I did not want to spend my summer days in my corner office with no windows staring at a computer screen, only to come home as the sun was setting so I couldn't enjoy our unheated pool like I wanted to. I no longer wanted to be obligated to take phone calls at all times of the night. I no longer wanted to deal with mediocrity for the sake of status quo only to have to write a thesis to justify why I deserve a 2.5% salary increase when cost of living is increasing 3%, easy.

We were a dynamic duo
in direct sales.

I set out to build my direct sales business, at first, as something to do but then to change my quality of life. But, things happened. My husband and I started having arguments over it and then some major changes in the company's compensation plan left the opportunity less profitable than it had been in the past. The beauty in the situation was that I had grown as a person and I had also learned that I could, in fact, run a successful business.

While building my network marketing team, I had started selling a product that I had been making for myself and family for about two years. I never thought of selling my own products as a business until someone close to me put it plain and simple,"This is good. Sell this." So I started selling it. Hahahahahhaha!!!

I started small. My packaging was deli cold food storage containers. I printed on surplus paper labels I could find in my office supply cabinet. I designed the labels myself. I did not have a website. After about a month, I graduated to an Etsy page and 4 months later I had a real website. That first year was funny. I made so many improvements and spent most of my money on getting things in order. I think I did alright for myself because the second year in business, my profits increase by 500%. That means, I made 5 times what I made in the first year.

The FIRST Fancy Free Samples. TRASH! 🤣

To put that into perspective for you, in the first year, I became pregnant. While pregnant, working full time and building a network marketing business, I was selling my product, Fancy Free Shea Pomade for Hair & Skin. The second year, I was working full time, had a baby and was selling my products. When I looked at the numbers with my husband, I thought to myself "If I accomplished this with all that I had going on, imagine if I gave Fancy Free Hair & Skin my full attention." At that point, I had negotiated a half time situation at work but working half time was becoming more of a hassle than anything. So, I learned more about money, by listening to financial experts like Suze Orman and Tony Robbins, and figured out a way for us to be able to live off of one income, my husband's income. This way, I could quit my job and not worry about losing the house and having food. LOL!

March 30, 2017. Last day of work.

And on March 30, 2017, I left healthcare for good.

Here we are, one year later and I'm still standing. Fancy Free Hair & Skin grew an additional 300% in it's third year, with most of the growth occurring when I dived in head first as a full time entrepreneur. Since leaving my job, I was able to:

• Develop and successfully launch 6 completely new products
• Improve my website
• Raise $8,110 through iFundWomen crowdfunding fundraiser
• Revamp my brand and market position strategy
• Hire support staff and contracted staff
• Write a business plan
• Apply for endless competitions and grants
• Network and collaborate with some amazing women in the business world

But my personal life is also so much better. Let me count the ways....

1. I am happier
   Yes, entrepreneurship is an emotional roller coaster. BUT I now have control over my destiny and my income. It's like controlled chaos, if that makes sense. I can choose who is in my space. Being able to protect your energy is a huge source of power and happiness.
2. I am a better wife because I'm happier
   I no longer come home with lingering stress and irritations from dealing with the woahs of a stagnant work environment. I actually listen to my husband when he's talking instead of waiting for my turn to vent. And, most importantly, I am not as tired at "night".😜
3. I have can spend more focused time with my son
   No stressing when daycare is closed or he needs to stay home when he's sick. While I am more productive when he's not here, I have the ability to shuffle my workload so that I can give him the undivided attention he needs, deserves...and demands. He don't play that multitasking stuff and has been known to smack phones out of hands.
4. I am healthier
   My days are no longer at the mercy of meetings and anticipated start times. While, keeping myself on a schedule is a work in progress, I do not have to forego my morning self care routine (fitness, meditation and personal development) if I oversleep, I just simple get started a little later than normal. Because of that, my mental and physical health has improved.
5. I have lost weight
   I no longer sit at a desk for the majority of my 8 hour work day. I am moving around. I drink more water. I eat healthier because there is no vending machine or random candy jar (I know everyone has a colleague at the office with the candy jar). I have been able to lose my baby fat and keep it off.

Retiring from what I knew to venture into the unknown has been more of a blessing than I could ever have imagined. If your side business is growing and quitting your job has been in the back of your mind, make a plan and do it! JUST DO IT! The timing will never be right. Your situation will never be perfect. You have to just take the leap when your spirit says "It's time." This road is a rough one but if you have the mental stamina and a BOMB support team, like I do, you and your business will be better for it.

The Fancy Free Team
Supportive parents, in-laws, aunties, uncles, friends, family and framily not shown.
Photographer: Kyle Pompey
Janky Editing: Yours Truly

Shameless Plug Alert:

Fancy Free Hair & Skin manufactures quality products for hair and skin, as well as provides natural hair consults for women who would like assistance on their natural hair journey. Our motto is "Keeping you chemical free." Visit our website, www.fancyfreehairandskin.com, to see a full range of our products and services. Sign up for our mailing list to receive natural hair tips and stay up to date on sales and the latest happenings with Fancy Free.

Subscribe and become Fancy's Friend to receive a code for 10% off your next purchase. 

Stop Being A "Punk A$$ Chauncey": Business Edition

Now, I'm being frank. I am only speaking for myself. Talking to my old self when I knew I wasn't fulfilled with work anymore. If you can relate, this is for you. Here goes.....

As my business grows, I get more and more questions about taking the leap from people who have

been watching my progress and are seeking advice for how to start a business of their own. They want to know the steps I took to be able to quit my job and go for Fancy Free full time. When did I know? My advice is standard.

1. Build your business while you are working.
This will require late nights and early mornings. You will be tired. You will get overwhelmed. You will shed tears. You will need weekly therapy to get through it without going crazy. Do it anyway.  
2. Get out of debt.
We all have debt. Create a budget. Make a plan. Pay it off. That's the only real way to get out of debt. There is no magic bullet. There are no secrets. Pay the debt. Do not create more debt.
3. Stick to your budget.
You've created a budget to get out of debt, now it's time to crunch the numbers. If you're married, set your budget up so your household can function on your spouse's income. If you're not married, make sure your business income can carry your bare bones necessities before you quit.
4. Time to jump!
When all of that is pretty much lined up, jump. Do it! Quit! Take the plunge. I say pretty much lined up because the timing will never look right in your eyes. You just have to do it. Close your eyes and let go.
However, I see the same people 6, 9, 12 months later and they haven't even STARTED THEIR BUSINESS!!! GURL! Do not be wasting my unlimited wifi data asking me questions if you aren't going to act on it.

But I know why. The reason you haven't started your business is because you're being a punk ass Chauncey. (If you ever watched "The Game" sitcom, you know what that means. If you haven't, you should watch it. It's very funny) You are scared! Ok. Your business doesn't start making money right away. But did you die? No. Your friends and family aren't supporting you the way you expected them to. But did you die? No. You're scared of what other's might say. Ummm...WHO CARES?!?!?

http://www.andralemarie.com/images/114955/Suzanne%20Shank%2001.png

We've become a society where "What do you do?" is an ice breaker and a job description or title is the standard answer. Come on now. You are not your job. You are you. You are good at your job because of who you are but, again, you are not your job description. However, your ego won't allow you to let go of that idea. Your six figure salary and big wig title could be gone tomorrow, without warning. You're afraid to start "from the bottom" when you've spent years in a corner office with a view, delegating and being "important". We only get one life. Are you REALLY ok with living your life wondering "what if"? You're going to hold on to the six figure salary and not explore the possibilities of being able to generate seven and eight figures on your own terms? YOU are the only thing holding you back. Seriously.

Yes. You're going to have to make some lifestyle changes in the beginning. You're going to have to change the way you operate. An entrepreneur operates totally different than a director of a human resources department. You're going to have to read and develop a habit of personal growth. Becoming the best you is crucial to your business. Your job will send you to leadership programs to become a better leader to build their business. As an entrepreneur, you have to manage yourself before you even build a team to lead.

I will be honest. The first few years are humbling as HEYALL but it's fun to track your progress and see the breakthroughs. I left a stable income in healthcare, a pretty stable industry, to getting excited about the possibility of making $30,000. But it's MY $30,000! If I grind it out. Fix the kinks. Make tweaks. Hire the right marketing team. Bring a good sales team on board. That $30,000 can be $60,000-$75,000 within one year. ONE YEAR!!! Not that measley 2.5% yearly increase. Not that sales commision check. Imagine what your company is profiting off of your efforts if they're GIVING you a check. Think about it. Now, take that effort and apply it to growing your own business.

Alls I'm saying is deez jobs ain't loyal. My experience was that I had asked for an abbreviated work
week, my job told me no. Only to come back to me a few years later saying "We think your work can be done in 20 hours, you can go part time or you can take on more responsibility and stay on full time." Uh no. The part time position was perfect timing but I realized that it really wasn't an efficient use of my time, so I decided to leave. But I was in a position to do that because I had a plan.

You can leave on your own terms, like me, or get terminated but sooner or later, THEY decide your destiny, not you. I am almost certain my position would have eventually been eliminated or outsourced to the "mother" institution like a lot of other positions at my job. If it's in the back of your mind, stop being a punk a$$ Chauncey and start working toward leaving all of that stuff behind. Sure. It will be an adjustment, a big adjustment but you and your family will be better for it.

Shameless Plug Alert:

Fancy Free, LLC. is the manufacturer of quality products for hair and skin. Our motto is "Keeping you chemical free." Visit our website, www.fancyfreellc.com, to see a full range of our products and services. Sign up for our mailing list to receive natural hair tips and stay up to date on sales and the latest happenings with Fancy Free.

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How to Start a Business - The First Steps in Starting a Business

https://creativecommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/4427310974_04ea7a9448_o-1.png

The internet has made starting a business from the comfort of your own home more possible than ever before. Although there is nothing easy about the life of an entrepreneur, the reward of a successful venture is immeasurable. The most difficult part of starting a business is actually getting started. Some people have business ideas that never leave their notebook. Others just want to own a business but don't know where to start. Here are some questions to ask yourself when you're early in the planning stages.

1. What are you good at? Not referring to what you would like to do but what are you good at now. Do people like your pumpkin pie? Are you a really great accountant? Do you have team building skills that are out of this world? Sometimes we take our own talents for granted because we use them everyday. However, talents can turn into marketable resources that people will pay for.

2. How do you intend to fund your business?
Nothing in the world is free. It takes money to make money. Starting a business will need investing. Don't let having a small amount of capital or not having any capital at all stop you from moving forward. You will invest lots of time when there is not that much money. Having large amount of money to invest still requires time in due diligence to make sure you are hiring the right team to get the job done.

3. Dead set on becoming an entrepreneur but don't think you're good enough at anything?
Everyone has a skill set, you just haven't identified yours yet. Think about things that you like and consider start a home based business that offers a product that you like. Home based businesses, also known as direct sales or network marketing, link personal growth directly with success. Meaning, the only way to be successful in a direct sales company is to actually grow as a person and help others do the same. The same is required of all entrepreneurs. With a small investment, usually less than $500, you can have a ready-made business and become profitable in days. The hugely successful in direct sales usually venture off and start other businesses after discovering their hidden talents, learned how to run a business, and now have earned enough money to invest in themselves. Direct sales is a great place to start.

Becoming an entrepreneur is not a journey for the faint of heart. It all starts with an idea, just like anything else. Figure out what your skill set is and focus on turning something that talent into a business. Decide how you can invest. Be it time or money, you will have to invest something. If you do not think you have any business ideas, start with a network marketing company to jump-start your business juices.

I specialize in wealth building techniques with personal development coaching through direct sales. Call me at (410) 929-0302 or complete the form below to schedule your complimentary consultation.

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5 Things You Should Know Before You Start Your Own Business

The US economy is very fickle. That proved very relevant in 2008 in the crash of the housing market, which had a domino effect on the entire job and stock market. Yes, the economy is cyclical and periodically corrects itself, which sometimes means that your job is at risk. What is the solution? Work for yourself or become an entrepreneur. While entrepreneurship is not an easy course of action, it may prove more rewarding than anything you've ever pursued.

Here are some things to keep in mind before you start your business:

1. Develop a relationship with a mentor.

Just like anything in life, if you have never done it before you should listen to your mentor's advice. The insight that an experienced entrepreneur can offer you can save you time and money by helping you avoid mistakes early in your journey.

2. Be ready for the long haul.

No success story happens overnight. An entrepreneur is able to learn from mistakes and not get discouraged. Remember why you got started on your journey and never give up. While it may seem easier to go back to your job, nothing worth having is ever easy. Your mentor will be there to push you when times get tough. A business owner's commitment to success is the distinguishing factor between businesses that stand the test of time and those that do not.

3. Consider building a home based business before starting a traditional business.

One of the deterring factors of most is lack of start-up cash. A home based business, also known as direct sales or network marketing, gives you the opportunity to start a business for less than $1000. The great thing about a home based business is that there are no caps or limits on the income you can earn. Eliminating the need for a small business loan. You can invest in yourself. Direct sales allows you to learn marketing techniques and other business strategies that you can apply to traditional business as well. Often referred to as "personal growth programs with a compensation plan", some of the greatest business masterminds in America, like Donald Trump, Robert Kiyosaki, and Bill Gates, endorse direct sales. Network marketing also gives you a network of mentors that want to see you succeed while generating income.

4. You have to invest in your business.

Be it a traditional brick and mortar business or a home based business, you must invest before you see a profit. Your business is not a job where you get paid to show up. In entrepreneurship, you get paid when you produce results. You must invest time and money. Look at your business like one of your children. Much time, energy, and money goes into raising productive children. While raising your children, you believe in them and their potential even when they stumble. You keep encouraging and investing in them. You never give up on your children or consider them a lost cause. Do the same with your business.

5. There are no short cuts.

Fitness fanatics say that the results you want only come from discipline and hard work. Taking short cuts might get you results but they will not last. Listen to your mentor's advice, then roll up your sleeves and get to work. Hard work will always beat talent, no matter the industry.

Entrepreneurship is an incredible journey. Before you get started, develop a relationship with a mentor. Be ready to go the distance to see success. If you have never started a business or feel like you don't have access to the money required to start one, consider building a home based business first and using that income to invest in your business idea. You will have to invest in your business before you see rewards. Hard work and discipline is the only way to see success.

Fancy Free LLC. is a home based business that helps people reach their financial and personal goals, daily. Contact us at (410) 929-0302 to schedule your complimentary consultation.

Are you serious about making getting started in business? Let us help you.

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Last Name:
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