Go Cowgirl RN Blog

Sleepless nights, irritability, stomach ulcers, depression. All these symptoms are common to those suffering from financial stress. Over due bills, debt, lack of savings, unexpected repair bills, high college tuition are typical triggers for physical stress related maladies, but,

What about the less obvious damage that occurs from financial stress:

Disappointment in your kid’s eyes when you missed his birthday party because you had to work overtime.

Regular frustration from working at a job you hate because it pays the bills.

Less robust health from eating only conventionally grown food because organic is more expensive.

Weight gain from skipping regular exercise because you are too tired.

Chronic health challenges that could have been avoided with buying good nutritional supplements and better eating habits.

So even if you can pay your bills, don’t have debt, ulcers or clinical depression you may still suffer from financial stress that is less obvious. An extra $500 of cash flow monthly could shift you into financial peace. Helping a few other people have financial peace can bring you financial freedom.

A home based business that can be built along side your current source of income is what many Americans are choosing to relieve financial stress. A home based business can be started with a minimum investment and can grow as big as you are willing to grow it. Think about it. Madalyn

Can you see the power of a home based business?

Guest Post: Madalyn Ward

When you first hear about it, network marketing with a residual income business  sounds easy, right?

You sign up and then you begin to wonder what it’s really all about.  My online MLM business partner has a great post this week talking all about this, and she says it better than I can.

Guest post:  Madalyn Ward DVM

I remember when I was first introduced to network marketing. I had no frame of reference for what was being presented to me. I was working 60 to 70 hours a week, and barely paying my bills despite having a thriving veterinary practice. I can recall the moment like it happened yesterday (which is amazing since these days I can’t remember what actually happened yesterday). I was sitting across the table from my friend, Alan Joel, and he was attempting to explain to me how I was going to be able to work fewer hours and still have extra money coming in every month.

I distinctly remember thinking Alan had lost his mind. He was saying how my income would grow exponentially as I brought in new customers and taught them to bring in customers, but I heard how I might only make $50 or so in the first month and I never got past that.

Alan said I would invest 10 to 15 extra hours and a few hundred dollars a month now, and in the future my income would grow to the point that I would be able to work many fewer hours in my veterinary practice, but still have the same or more income. I only heard the additional time and money part and the investment concept went right over my head.

Alan talked about inviting people to look at the possibilities the products and business offered, and I heard that I needed to sell lots of product. He suggested I bring people to him for him to explain how the process worked, and I figured I could study the products and explain them to people perfectly well myself.

The reason I could not hear what Alan was saying was because I had never had any kind of financial training outside of being taught to work harder and put in more hours. I had never been introduced to the concept of leveraging money or the efforts of others. I had never been taught to invest or even save, for that matter, although I knew successful people did these things. I thought that if I worked harder I would make more money and then I could invest or save, but that never happened.

I did not understand the process of working with a mentor in learning network marketing despite the fact that I understood the mentor concept when it came to my veterinary practice. I did not want to start my own veterinary practice right out of school so I worked with another vet for at 5 years before I felt I was ready to venture out on my own.

Even though I did not get what Alan was saying to me I still knew in my heart that what I was doing was not working, and I was desperate to change something in my life. I did join his network marketing company and spent the next 10 years being frustrated and demoralized. I could not for the life of me convince people to work as hard as I was working selling products. I heard people in my company speaking about duplication and exponential growth, but it was not working for me.

The reason it was not working was pretty simple. I wasn’t doing what the successful people were doing, or thinking the way they thought. Through listening to these people I learned about a book called Rich Dad Poor Dad, by Robert Kiyosaki and when I read it my whole life turned upside down. Without going into detail about the book, suffice to say it helped me understand that I thought only from a “time for money” model, and until I learned to understand and embrace leverage I would continue to work hard and have little free time. Suddenly, all the things I had been hearing for years clicked into my awareness and I understood. When I made this shift my business changed dramatically. I began to have the things working for me that I had only heard others talk about.

Now my network marketing income is easily one-third or more of my total income and I work a very reasonable 30 to 40 hours a week between my network marketing efforts and veterinary practice activities. Although my total income has not increased dramatically yet, my quality of life sure has. I talk to many people who are where I was 10 years ago and suggest that they check out books and other learning tools to help them shift their thinking. Without the understanding of leverage and other business concepts it is hard to see the incredible power of network marketing. I am so glad my stubborn nature kept me in the game long enough to get it.

If you would like to hear additional testimonials on how building a XanGo network has enhanced the lives of others let me know.  I have so many stories to share.

Photo Credit:  http://www.americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=1791

Guest Post: Madalyn Ward

My business partner, John David Mann summed up the three things which have to be in place for a person to realize the significant cash flow monthly available from a network marketing business. You have to See it, Want it and Do it. I think most people can understand the need to want it and do it but what does See it really mean?

When he says See it, he means see the big business model of network marketing. Most people have only been exposed to the small business, product selling model of network marketing so even when the big business model of building a network of customers is presented they can’t really See it. I have come to understand that, like me when I first heard about network marketing, most people do not have a frame of reference in their minds to fit the big business model of network marketing. Selling products is the small business model for network marketing and what most people can relate to.

Both the small and big business models of network marketing are legitimate but they are very different. Much of the misunderstanding of the network marketing industry involves confusing the two models. People want the passive cash flow monthly of the big business model but because they don’t really understand it they end up doing the small business model.

These new network marketers are expecting to get the significant, passive cash flow monthly they heard about in the presentation of the big business model and when they don’t see these results, with their small business model efforts, many get frustrated and quit. This misunderstanding is rampant in network marketing and creates a disconnect that is bad for the industry so I would like to clarify the differences.

The small business, self employment model for network marketing is a time for money model that can bring nice returns to a person looking to build a storefront type business without actually having to stock products. The income from this model can be significant but will be limited by the time a person has to find, educate and communicate with customers. The better you become at these skills the higher your check will get but the less time freedom you will have.

Small business or self employment network marketing model:
Focus on product sales
Focus on large personal base of customers
Focus on commissions generated from personal customer base
Focus on educating customers about products
Focus on communicating with customers about product discounts to generate sales
Income limited by time available to spend with finding and keeping customers

Big business or leverage model of network marketing:
Focus on a simple, duplicable, effective, profitable system
Focus on building a network of customers by leveraging the networks of others
Focus on commissions generated from sales all through your network
Focus on educating partners on personal growth and business skills
Focus on communicating with partners how to maximize their checks
Income not limited by time because you leverage other people’s  time

In my post, raise your cash flow monthly by $500, I describe the small business model. Why do I do this when I think more from the big business model? I do this because this is where I started in network marketing. The small business model is where most people can relate and through working the small business model a person can bring in some income even as he or she develops the skills needed to work the big business model.

To become a big business thinker you have to change who you are fundamentally and change your habits to match who you are becoming. This is a process and a journey.

For those reading this blog who feel you see the big business model of network marketing, want it and are ready to do it, I am looking for 3 new partners who are ready to move quickly forward over the next 30 days. Contact me. Once I have my 3 big business partners I will not be looking again for at least 6 months. Small business partners are always welcome to work with me at your own pace.  Brenda

Guest post: Stephanie Valentine

You gotta love social media.

Why?

Cause anyone with a computer and an internet connection can “do” social media.

Whoopee! Or not.

It’s true that anyone can do social media, including MLMers who want to market online, but can anyone and everyone do social media well?

Uh-uh. Nope. Not happening.

Online MLM and Social Media: Three Things You Might Wanna Know
MLM already has a bad name, and at the rate some people are going, online MLM is going to have just as bad a name. Why? Because the people who approach MLM in an aggressive, over-the-top sales-pitch way are the same people who are likely to approach online MLM in a spammy, yellow-highlighter, hype-driven way.

Yuck.

So here’s the deal. Online MLM using social media is a great way to work your MLM business, as long as you do it tastefully and with integrity. How do you do that? Well, here are three things you want to keep in mind.

Tip #1: Lurk, Listen, and Learn
If you don’t know the first thing about social media or how to promote your online MLM business through social media, go with the three L’s: Lurk, Listen, and Learn. Learn from the best online marketers out there. Check out Seth Godin, Chris Brogan, John Jantsch and others like them. Notice how they aren’t MLM folks, but they are the best online marketers.

Once you see how they do what they do, adapt their methods to your own personality, schedule, and MLM business. Notice how they don’t spam people, send out the same tweet 18 million times, or offer only hype. Notice how they do interact with real people in real ways, connect people together even when there is no evident self-benefit, and offer genuine useful information.

Tip #2: Start with Product First
Doing online MLM by promoting the business first IS a harder proposition, no matter what people tell you. Products are, by nature, easier to promote online because they usually target very specific and immediate needs, such as health goals.

If you are new to online MLM, try promoting your company’s products first. Start with a goal of earning at least $500 a month from your online MLM sales, then look at promoting the business. This way, you can “prove” that your online MLM model works, which attracts people to your business.

Tip #3: Start Small, Do It Right
Social media is fun, interactive, and entertaining. It can also eat up a whole work day if you don’t clock yourself. If you plan on pursuing social media, start small. Choose a single home base (like a blog or custom website) and a single social media platform. Then work both of these with a plan.

For instance, if you use a blog as an online “home base,” then plan the number of times you will post to your blog weekly. If you decide to post twice weekly, stick to that schedule religiously. Create an editorial calendar to ensure that your topics are fresh, interesting, and information. Decide which topics will help you offer your readers good information and, at the same time, promote your products. Then follow your plan.

For your chosen social media platform, decide how often you will visit that platform. Decide what you will do each time you go there. For example, if you choose Twitter, decide:

• how many times a week you will get on Twitter
• which kinds of direct messages you will respond to
• whether Twitter is a one-way output stream or an interactive space for you
• which kinds of people you want to follow and retweet
• what kinds of people you want to attract and how you will find them
• how many times approximately you want to retweet others
• how much personal versus business information you are going to put forth
• how long you will spend each visit

The above list gives you a bare-bones plan that will allow you to spend productive time on Twitter. Remember, it’s fine to do social media as a form of entertainment, but if you want it to become a true asset for your online MLM business, then work it like a business. Do social media with a plan … otherwise you’ll find yourself wandering around in the wilderness wondering where your whole day went!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader. Or contact me if you want to join our MLM team. We are teaching people to dive into online MLM head first … successfully! I’m holding out for a few good people.  Really.

Photo credit:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/richardwhitaker/ / CC BY 2.0

What do you do when you’re a 50-something woman and your retirement portfolio doesn’t look as solid as it used to?

You start looking outside the 9-5 workday box and look at starting your own business.  When I grew up you went to school, got a degree and then a good job.  Your company had a good retirement plan and at 65 you retired with a gold watch and enough money to live on.  You had 2 sources of income in retirement, social security and your pension, but neither of these are viable options in this recession economy.

30 years ago no one taught me anything about balancing my checkbook, much less about a passive residual income opportunity or how to become a home entrepreneur.  I recently got into network marketing or MLM.   At first I thought it was a way to buy goods at wholesale, but I have discovered it’s a great way to make money, and develop a passive residual income.  Passive residual income is where you continue to have money coming in even if you don’t work for a couple of months.  I’m thinking this is the way to fund my retirement, and enable me continue to enjoy my passion – horses.  My passion is definitely a money pit at times, but one that keeps me sane.

This is not a get- rich- quick or pyramid scheme, neither is it door- to- door selling.  It is a legitimate small business opportunity that has to be worked at just like any other business.   The cool thing about it is the low cost of getting the small business opportunity started.  It’s truly networking with people, and helping them realize their dreams and passions along with yours.  It can be worked part-time until the passive residual income supersedes your regular income, and the key is finding a few people that share your dream of financial independence.  With the advent of social media you can even work from home online.   Unlike the traditional small business opportunities, an online home based business is in its infancy, but now is the time to get into it.

I’m looking for 4-5 people who want to develop a sound passive residual income and become financially independent.  Please contact me for more information, and take a look at Stephanie’s website, www.gomlmonline.com.   She is the genius behind me learning to blog and take this business online.