Success Training #3 - Thought to Action...

Okay, so now let's do a double check on how you are doing. Our goal is keep our thoughts, feelings, and actions moving in the same direction.

In Success Training Step #1 we worked on the action of looking the part of your job.

In Success Training Step #2 we focused on our thoughts and knowing why we want to work from home.

Each step had an action. Like a staircase, each step is built on the foundation of the previous step. Before you proceed to step #3, review and do steps # 1 and #2.

On to step #3...

Scott Cook of QuickBooks gives a brief testimony on the back cover of his Help and Support Resources packet. Here is what he says,

Dear QuickBooks User,

I'm a big believer in small business and in the rewards that come from dreaming big and giving it your all. I'm a believer because I lived it.

I started Intuit in my den, struggling through tough times and using cardboard boxes for furniture. But I never lost sight of my dream to improve the way people manage their finances...

For your information, Intuit is now b-i-g! They publish QuickBooks, Quicken, and TurboTax and it was all started sitting on cardboard in Scott's den. Big things can happen when you add actions to your dreams. Another way of saying it is to "put feet to your prayers."

Donald Trump said it this way, "Find something you love and never give up."

So how do you never give up? Well, first of all, do you have a focused dream? That's the importance of step #2. Step #2 is designed to help you find your focused "dream". You can also think of it as finding your "prayer". The main reason for module #2's writing assignment was to get deep down inside your heart and find out what your inner most desire and purpose of why you want to work from home is. Maybe it's to prove to yourself that you can do it. Or, maybe it's to save for your kid's college education or pay off credit card debt which never seems to go away. Maybe you would like to stay home with your kids, make extra spending money to take the kids places during the day or to take the family on family vacations without touching household money.

ACTION #1: So now it's time to for you to take action or to, "put feet to your prayers,"... but, how exactly do you do that? Well, one step at a time! Step one, decide to ingrain in your mind exactly why you want to make a living from home. Write it in your best writing on a pretty piece of paper and post it at your desk. Start every morning and end every night encouraging yourself of your goal. When you get discouraged, remember your goal. Make your "dream" a part of your being; Make your "dream" your purpose!


ACTION #2: Get a Datebook. Business requires step-by-step organization. If you've been living off "dreams" you may be thinking you don't need a datebook. You do! So, your first step toward accountability and responsibility for your business is obtaining a datebook. Get one today and use it. Write down doctor appointments, people to call,things to buy, etc. Each of these actions are opportunities to grow your business.

Now, remember you are now a business owner. Hang onto your datebook receipt. It's potentially a write-off. Keep records of your office supply purchases, such as your datebook, any pens or paper you buy, or other general supplies you purchase for your business. While you are at the store, you'll also want to pick up a mileage book. From now on you are going to record the number of miles you drive for business. This trip to the store to purchase office supplies will be your first business entry! Go to Walmart and pick up some acrylic brochure display holders and that will be your next mileage entry. Stop at a Mexican restaurant and leave some Mexican Vacation brochures and that will be your next mileage entry. :)

The government now allows you to legally write off somewhere around 45 cents for every mile you drive for business. Every mile you drive could potentially be a write-off. Talk to your tax man and get Ron Mueller's book to learn how to reduce your taxes to the legal minimum.

Thought to Action: Make every time you leave the house a part of your Work Schedule. You represent your business. Represent your business well.

Success Training #2 - Know Why...

My Testimony: I've had an entrepreneurial mind ever since I was in grade school, but it was a serious situation in my life which directed me in the right direction. It was the last Sunday in August 2004. My husband was playing with our kids and their friends. They were having a great time. It all happened in a matter of a split second. It was my 6 year old son's turn to ride the zipline. The zipline is a cable run from tree to tree down a hill. My husband was at the top of the hill and wanted to be on the receiving end to catch our little guy. My 13 year old son had just made an adjustment to the zipline. For the first time ever, Michael my husband, did not double check and confirm the adjustment. So, Michael, grabbed the hand set and began his descent down the hill. About half way down the hill he decided he was going too slow and wanted to go faster. He raised his legs to pick up speed. The motion and torque on the line was enough to jar the adjustment loose. It looked like the cable had snapped with all the momentum of the weight shift. There was this big "snap" and the hand set adjustment came unhooked. The cable flung all around in the air as if had snapped, too. We all looked on helplessly as my husband was falling out of the air, rotating in continuation with his original attempt to raise his legs. His feet continued rotating upward as his shoulders and neck area were rotating toward the ground. I was almost sure that I would become a widow that day. My kids stood by and watched their father's fall. It was horrible. I write this letter with tears in my eyes. Anyway, God's hand was upon Michael that day. Praise God, Michael survived the fall. The Sheriff helicopter arrived to fly him into the trauma center in Los Angeles.

Now, for phase #2 of the trauma - the financial dilemma. We have 6 kids and my husband had been the only income provider up to that point. Michael's ribs were cracked and bones were bruised. His skin was one huge raised welt / bruise about 18" high from the tops of his thighs to the bottom if his shoulder blades. The doctors gave us the news that he would never fully recover.

Our Action: There we were suddenly had no apparent means of support. We really had no savings to speak of. It was time to brainstorm. We took a huge leap in faith and invested a major chunk of what we had left in our checking account and invested it into 6 months of advertising a business which I had started a year prior, but had done very little with. It was "do or die."

So what was my why?... At first it was basic survival mode. My husband says that the kids have developed a funny little habit called "eating." I wanted to keep the family eating. Now, my goal is to provide the family luxury memories together, help others improve their life, and to do whatever God calls me to do with each waking moment of my existence.

Your Active Role: Now, here is the key,... write down in detail what end results you are working toward. Imagine it in great detail. Write down each fact and quality of life you want and need to attain. In the next few days, we are going to use this to plan out your business strategy. Don't go on to Success Training #3 until you have fully completed this step. Think it through, plan it out, imagine and absorb the reality of it. God wants you to be successful with what He has given you!

Blessings,
Liza

FamilyTravelBusiness.com
Direct (661) 261-1962
Toll-free (866) 824-6509

Making Memories One Vacation at a Time

Scripture says, "As a man thinketh, so is he." You'll be "working" out in public in just a few short days. Right now we are working on your thought life, emotional dreams, and visionary actions.

CST 2065045-40

Success Training #1 - Preparing for Your New Business

Welcome to our Train 4 Success blog. You'll want to bookmark this page and come back often. This blog is just for you!

Okay, so let's get started on Day 1. Welcome to the team! Your job today is going to be recognizing your new role as travel agent. Hire yourself for the position. Commit to being your own best employee. Remember the last time you were hired for a new job in corporate America? How did you prepare for your first day on the job? Did you buy a new outfit or uniform? Did you get a hair cut? You wanted to look your best for your new position, right? You made sure you were dressed appropriately. Realize you have a "job" to do. You are a travel agent. Your job is to develop your business. Scripture says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." If your "vision" is to grow a genuine, successful home based travel business then do it. You have an opportunity before you, it is a valuable, respectable, and professional position. Okay, so here is where we are going to start. Today is going to be a day of preparation. Your "job"today is to go through your closet and look for your best outfits. Casual is fine, just make sure they are up-to-date and appropriate. If pieces are at the bottom of the laundry bin, pull them out. Take the time to clean out your closet and match your outfits in your closet so they can be easily found in the morning. You don't want to have to hunt for clothes to wear when it's time to get to work. Throw away your ol' "frumpy dumpy" clothes. You know which ones I mean. That ugly dress, your comfy hole-y pair of sweats. You are not going to need them for your new life. You are not going to be caught dead in them anymore! Let go of the old and make room for the new. Most people tend to get the new, but then also want to hold onto the old ways "just in case." Settle in your mind that "just in case" is not an option. Can't find anything in your closet that sings "success!"? Then, invest in a new top, or better yet an outfit or two. Make it up-to-date and stylish.

Now, for your grooming. Remember when you used to style your hair? Brush your hair, style it, or get a trim. Pamper your nails like you used to, pamper your skin with lotion, rediscover your makeup, brush AND floss your teeth, find a perfume and commit to putting on a dab everyday. You are going to feel so different. You have decided a professional home based career in travel. Every time you leave the house or answer the door, you are working. Look casually successful. Remember, dress the part, think the part, act the part, and you'll start feeling the part. As you assume the role of your new "position" as travel agent, others will start treating you as a travel agent.

Your Active Role: I saw a company which offers Travel Agent pins. I've been thinking for a while about making a button which reads, "Ask me about Travel". These ladies offer a pretty little pin for only $14.95. You can find their site at Travel Agent Bling. Order it today and start wearing it right away. Make it a part of your daily routine. Get dressed, brush your teeth, comb your hair, and pin your ID on your lapel.

Blessings,
Liza

FamilyTravelBusiness.com
Direct (661) 261-1962
Toll-free (866) 824-6509

Making Memories One Vacation at a Time

P.S. (psst! shh!...) important success tip... you must, must floss! People are too polite to tell you, but if you are not flossing as a habit, your breath may not be as fresh as it should be. I personally like Plaquers - it's floss on a stick and it takes the chore out of flossing. TRY THIS... Go ahead, do it - floss your teeth. Then, smell the floss. Does it smell fresh or does it have an odor? Remember, clean or smelly that's what others smell.