A Cup of Tea With Gail
Grab a cup of tea or coffee. Light your favorite Mia Bella Candle,
and visit with me for a few moments.
When we have finished chatting,
I hope you will feel more informed,
but most of all, refreshed!
June
2006
Food For
Thought......
MANAGING A FAMILY AND A HOME BASED BUSINESS
Phew! We made it through May. I only have two boys, each in one sport, and in the month of May we rarely found ourselves at home. We actually had some friends show concern because they kept trying to call us and we were never home. I hadn’t been able to call them back to tell them we were fine……just extremely busy with Baseball, Soccer, year end programs, projects, field trips, graduations, work, etc.
I am sure that many of you can identify with this madness. Spring arrives, flowers bloom and so do our schedules. As our lives went into overdrive this Spring, I became more appreciative of the home based business I have had for the last 17 months. It truly has become a job that caters to the schedule of my family; not my family catering to it..
I will be honest, however, it hasn’t always been like this. I worked VERY intensely my first year. I spent many late nights and early mornings developing a business that now allows me to live life while the systems I have in place do a lot of the work for me. On the days where I do little work, the snowball keeps rolling. This is what I call a successful business.
My business involves retailing and/or team building. To promote longevity of my business I believe I need to keep a good focus on both of these areas. Retailing keeps the finances going and team building is what keeps the snow ball moving.
One of the most valuable retailing venues I have pursued is my local BNI (Business Network International). You can probably find this group or one like it in your area as well. This organization’s purpose is to provide a sales force of other small businesses (the other members) that are out there promoting your business/products. I have generated a great deal of repeatable and new retail through this organization.
To generate a team there are a few components that I have found invaluable:
A personal website. A personal website draws the potential team member to me first, and then my business. They find something in which they can relate with me on and this builds trust and credibility.
An Autoresponder System. An Autoresponder System allows a potential team member the ability to contact me even when I am not available. It also allows me to contact them when I am not even home. A series of emails are set up and scheduled to be mailed on an established time schedule. I generate the emails and they are personal and from me, but they are part of a system that works for me while I am away or busy doing something else.
Another feature of the Autoresponder is that I can give my email campaigns to my new team members to use. This prevents them from having to reinvent the wheel and which allows them to get up and running much faster.
Team Yahoo Group. A team specific Yahoo Group allows me to be able to communicate with my team as a whole and my team to communicate with each other. Since my team is located all across the U.S., this brings us in closer and creates a more intimate environment.
All of these tools/systems are what allow me to manage both my family and business in a way that promotes family time and business success.
Phew! We made it through May. I only have two boys, each in one sport, and in the month of May we rarely found ourselves at home. We actually had some friends show concern because they kept trying to call us and we were never home. I hadn’t been able to call them back to tell them we were fine……just extremely busy with Baseball, Soccer, year end programs, projects, field trips, graduations, work, etc.
I am sure that many of you can identify with this madness. Spring arrives, flowers bloom and so do our schedules. As our lives went into overdrive this Spring, I became more appreciative of the home based business I have had for the last 17 months. It truly has become a job that caters to the schedule of my family; not my family catering to it..
I will be honest, however, it hasn’t always been like this. I worked VERY intensely my first year. I spent many late nights and early mornings developing a business that now allows me to live life while the systems I have in place do a lot of the work for me. On the days where I do little work, the snowball keeps rolling. This is what I call a successful business.
My business involves retailing and/or team building. To promote longevity of my business I believe I need to keep a good focus on both of these areas. Retailing keeps the finances going and team building is what keeps the snow ball moving.
One of the most valuable retailing venues I have pursued is my local BNI (Business Network International). You can probably find this group or one like it in your area as well. This organization’s purpose is to provide a sales force of other small businesses (the other members) that are out there promoting your business/products. I have generated a great deal of repeatable and new retail through this organization.
To generate a team there are a few components that I have found invaluable:
A personal website. A personal website draws the potential team member to me first, and then my business. They find something in which they can relate with me on and this builds trust and credibility.
An Autoresponder System. An Autoresponder System allows a potential team member the ability to contact me even when I am not available. It also allows me to contact them when I am not even home. A series of emails are set up and scheduled to be mailed on an established time schedule. I generate the emails and they are personal and from me, but they are part of a system that works for me while I am away or busy doing something else.
Another feature of the Autoresponder is that I can give my email campaigns to my new team members to use. This prevents them from having to reinvent the wheel and which allows them to get up and running much faster.
Team Yahoo Group. A team specific Yahoo Group allows me to be able to communicate with my team as a whole and my team to communicate with each other. Since my team is located all across the U.S., this brings us in closer and creates a more intimate environment.
All of these tools/systems are what allow me to manage both my family and business in a way that promotes family time and business success.
Recommended
Reading
Candle Of The
Month
May - Black Cherry
Projected Future COTM Scents (Subject to change)
JULY Japanese Pear; Sweet Juicy Pear Scent
AUGUST Mango Tea
*****************************
Don't forget to sign up for the company drawing on a daily basis.*****************************
Awarded Scent-Sation's
"Rising Star" at Spring Fling
Read about it here.
*****************************
May - Black Cherry
Projected Future COTM Scents (Subject to change)
JULY Japanese Pear; Sweet Juicy Pear Scent
AUGUST Mango Tea
Monthly
Special
MOVING SALE!
My family is planning on moving soon so I'd like to deplete my stock before we move. Therefore I am offering a 10% discount on all product I have in stock. That includes:
Jar candles
Votives
Mia Melts (6 in a bag)
Scent Warmers (2 left)
Get them now before I run out.
Don't forget to sign up for the company drawing on a daily basis.
ENTER OUR WEEKLY DRAWING FOR A FREE 16 OZ MIA BELLA CANDLE.
SIGN UP HERE!!!
"Rising Star" at Spring Fling
Read about it here.
Product Updates
Mia Melts
More melts to a bag!
This brand new product has already had an upate. Our Mia Melt bags now hold 8 instead of 6 melts. AND, they have added Coconut Lime to the Mia Melt scent list
Mia scents available:
Angel Wings
Creme' Brule'
Cucumber Melon
French Vanilla
Peach & Papya
Sweet Orange & Chili Pepper
Sex On The Beach
Fresh Linen
Green Tea
Lilac
Hot Apple Pie
*****************************
Product Tips
Create your own "MIA MELT MIXERS" -- you know, the kind of recipes like Jelly Belly Jelly Beans use for their candies. Here are some favorites (so far):
1 Angel Wings + 1 Creme Brulee = CHERRY PIE SUPREME
1 Green Tea + 1 Lilac = SUMMERTIME BOUQUET
1 Sweet Orange & Chili Pepper + 1 French Vanilla - CHILLI VANILLA
Order your Mia Melts and Simmer Pots NOW at
www.IWantAMiaBella.com.
Ask for our New Catalog and view all the new products!
Contact me for a FREE catalog of all of our wonderful products.
Put FREE CATALOG in the Subject line and send me your name and mailing address.
Request it now.
*****************************
ARCHIVED NEWSLETTERS
More melts to a bag!
This brand new product has already had an upate. Our Mia Melt bags now hold 8 instead of 6 melts. AND, they have added Coconut Lime to the Mia Melt scent list
Mia scents available:
Angel Wings
Creme' Brule'
Cucumber Melon
French Vanilla
Peach & Papya
Sweet Orange & Chili Pepper
Sex On The Beach
Fresh Linen
Green Tea
Lilac
Hot Apple Pie
Product Tips
1 Angel Wings + 1 Creme Brulee = CHERRY PIE SUPREME
1 Green Tea + 1 Lilac = SUMMERTIME BOUQUET
1 Sweet Orange & Chili Pepper + 1 French Vanilla - CHILLI VANILLA
Order your Mia Melts and Simmer Pots NOW at
www.IWantAMiaBella.com.
Ask for our New Catalog and view all the new products!
Contact me for a FREE catalog of all of our wonderful products.
Put FREE CATALOG in the Subject line and send me your name and mailing address.
Request it now.
ARCHIVED NEWSLETTERS
GOT A LONELY WEBSITE THAT IS STARVING FOR TRAFFIC?
FREE Truth about Traffic Course
Authored by Alice Seba & Kelly McCausey
WANT TO INCREASE SALES OR A TEAM?
An autoresponder that does the work for you!
30 Day Free TRIAL
AWEBER
Recipe Of The Month
8 oz of half and half
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1 vanilla bean
8 egg yolks
5 oz sugar
1 cup sugar as needed
8 ramekins or custard cups
Heat half and half with vanilla bean extract until warm. Whisk together yolks, eggs, and sugar. Pour a small amount of the hot milk liquid into the egg mixture to temper it so the eggs won't scramble. Add remaining half and half. When cooled, add in cream. Cool completely. Remove vanilla bean. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Fill ramekins with mixture and place in baking dish. Fill the baking dish with hot water halfway up the side of the ramekins, cover with foil tightly and bake 35 minutes. Cool well. Sprinkle sugar over surface of creme. Place under broiler and broil until nicely browned and caramelized. Yield 8 portions.
Don't throw your vanilla bean away. Wash it off and dry it, put it in with a jar of sugar. Use it on cereal or coffee...or anywhere you use sugar and want to add the flavor of vanilla!
You can make your own vanilla extract by splitting four vanilla beans and scraping the seeds. Add the seeds and beans to 2 cups of brandy or vodka. Let stand in a cool place for at least two months.
http://www.herbcorner.net
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Do you have a recipe you would like me to share with our readers? Forward it to me and I'd love to share it.
