I'm not going to lie, I've been struggling a little bit. I am almost done with the marketing course I'm creating and for some reason I keep on not getting it done. I'm letting myself shy away from it and get distracted by other things. Yes, sometimes it's getting distracted by my phone or social media, which is why I try to always leave my phone in a different room than where I am working. But what was really taking my time were things that don't really matter, or at least just aren't the most important thing right now. An analogy I've heard before and can't remember where is that having a business is like building a building. Before anything is built you have to do a lot of work. You have to clear the area, and level it and then you can lay for foundation. So far nothing looks pretty, you don't have anything exciting to show people. But now you get to build the house brick by brick. One small action at a time. Still you can look around and think you have nothing exciting to show for all your hard work, so you want to start putting in fancy details, maybe you want to stop laying bricks and plan out all the interior decor, or even build a window. But how helpful is it to have any of those things if you don't have a building? Are they important to the finished product? SURE they are. But they do nothing to help you get to your finished goal until you are in the right part of the process.

It's the same with our businesses. SO stinking often we spend our time doing things that we see other people doing, they look cool, but our business isn't actually really needing or ready for it just yet. I know I've done that. I've been doing it for the last few days! But what's funny is we are all in this business and have a common goal: to make money. I know you might really belief in your product, feel passionate about your companies message, all those good things and motivations to have your own business. But at the end of the day if you aren't making money it's not a business, it's a hobby. And my guess is you don't really want to be spending a lot of time on something that doesn't give you a return. That really doesn't make a lot of sense right? And yet people in mlm, especially woman who don't have a ton of business experience, like I didn't when I first started, we spend so much time on things that actually don't matter. Because the end goal is always sales. One of my favorite examples of this is business cards. And I'll admit it, I made business cards when I first started. I did a few events in my first 6 months and so I felt like "I have to have business cards because then I'll look more professional and people need a way to contact me and I can write the name of the products they wanted". But can I tell you a secret? Business cards are the most useless thing ever! I'm serious! I'm not just being dramatic. I think in our parent's or grandparents generation they were important and valued but now they are useless. No one hangs onto business cards and then actually does something with them. I handed out at least a hundred business cards in those first 6 months. Do you know how many people reached out to me? ZERO. ZERO! Business cards are really just a crap shoot into the dark hoping that 1. They will hold onto and wont just toss it into the trash in a few days and 2. They will someday see it, remember how awesome the product was and then reach out and buy. That's a whole lotta wishing and hoping and in my opinion, doesn't sound like a good business practice to be spending my time and money on. Does it to you? Now, I don't carry around business cards. I don't waist my time on them. I'll maybe take them with me when I go to a networking type event, but even then most the time I don't because I know if someone is actually really interested in working with me than they will remember my name. They'll pop online for a quick second and find me. Business cards are not sales generating and yet I cannot even tell you how many times I see women in the company I work with talking online about where to get them made, what design is best, glossy or matte, ya de da de da so much time and energy spent on something that DOESNT MATTER. So last night I took a hard look at my to do list and put a star next to things that actually generate sales, short and long term, and then just drew a line through everything else. Some of it I'm sure I'll do eventually, but I have to build my actual building first. I especially need to do this because I was traded spending my time doing something amazing for mediocre things. And I know a lot of that is because part of me is scared. I'm scared to put myself out there. I'm scared of spending time doing it and it not working. I'm honestly scared of lookin like an idiot. I'm scared people will think I'm a fraud even though I just genuinely want to help people. It's a lot more comfortable for me to do the other things, but a whole lot less beneficial. I've been sacrificing my big dream and picture for something so much smaller. I've been limited who I can serve. So today I'm going to do it. I have two more videos to make and I'm going to make at least 1 today. Then tomorrow I'll make the rest. Then everything, editing, workbook, the whole she-bang can be done by Friday night. It's going to happen. It won't be comfortable, but it just doesn't make any sense to spend time and energy on other things.

I think you guys need to do this too. Take an honest look at what you are spending your time doing, what you qualify as "working". One good way to do this is to write everything you did last week done and then if it is a sales generating to do put a star by it, if it's not then put a line through it. Now do the same thing with your to do list for this week. I know it might seem a little hard because you see other people doing those non sales things, but guys, it really just isn't worth your time 90% of the time. You are a business woman now, and you need to treat your time with respect and put a price tag on it. Be serious about what you choose to do or not do, and the bank account will start reflecting that.

Well, I have to go finish one of my sales generating projects before my kiddos wake up and the mountain of laundry calls my name. Until next time, bye for now!