Adventures

Hi! Just thought a cute baby might be a good intro!

I thought it might be worthwhile to do a little (ha, if you know me you know that "little" and my blog post lengths are not synonymous) post about my new adventure I have taken on and how/why I reached the decision to join ItWorks. 

Check. Check. and there will be a GIANT check on the last one!

Let's go back to about this time last year...I started seeing posts pop up in my newsfeed of people's mid sections and a ton of before & after photos. These posts were coming from old high school friends I had lost touch with for the most part (with the exception of social media) and I just scrolled on by. But, the posts kept coming, they kept telling the world about different products, and the money they were starting to make. 

Many posts like these!

I'll be honest. There were plenty of not-so-nice sentences to come out of my mouth:

"These posts are so annoying!!" (it took me .1 seconds to scroll past...not really such an inconvenience)

"Oh, wow, diamond, ruby, emerald, seriously?!"(is it so different than assistant, manager, VP? why did I let this bother me?!)

"They know this is water weight, right?" (wrong. it isn't. you are encouraged to drink extra water while wrapping.)

"How tacky to talk about money online?" (maybe it is, but it sure is motivating. it made me want to join in!)

We swear by our greens at our house!

"These people are clearly tied up in a pyramid scheme" (I should have googled what a pyramid scheme actually is. This is a multi level marketing company that allows you to make money through a very legitimate and smart business model)

BUT, I was buying the product! I was actually using and loving the products they were selling but still being catty about it. Maybe it was because I wanted to join in but was too nervous? I don't know, but I kept watching. I watched as my acquaintances took this business by storm. I felt envious of their bonuses! I thought about taking the leap and joining in, but then I chickened out. I had a million excuses:

"I am not a sales person" (I did PR and advertising for 7 years. I also simply talk to people in my day to day life! No need to be a sales person, just a need to believe in the products and be willing to tell others.)

"My circle of friends is so spread out, I won't be successful" (Even better! New markets are amazing. And I have friends who are very influential in their circles. I wasn't looking at the bigger picture.)

"No one will want to do this with me" (Why not, do people not like money?!) 

"I don't want to annoy people" (Again, they can scroll on by...but guess what, they are watching, just like I was for a YEAR!!!)

"I am trying to spend less time on social media, not more" (I really don't spend any more time than before. I do it when my kids are napping or asleep. It is my schedule!)

"I don't need the money" (See below. But, really?!?!?!)

Some of the above are comical! Who doesn't "need" money? I mean, really, extra money isn't something anyone ever declines, right?! But, I added that to my list and kept watching.

And watching...

Yep, these numbers are legit!

And watching...

Finally, Scott gave me the push I needed. He made the statement, "what do we have to lose?". And he was right. I could keep piling up the excuses, but why not just try? If it didn't work out, we quit. No big deal. Except, it could be a really big deal if we succeed. 

So, we made the call to Lauren. I expressed a lot of my concerns that I listed above. And she helped me feel so much more at ease. She reminded me that people post stuff on Facebook all the time that I don't care about (i.e.-What Saved by the Bell character would you be?!). She educated me on the products, payment structure, company history, and opportunity at hand. By the end of that call I was excited. Nervous, but excited. So we dove in. 

This was a pretty good motivator to join! And you can get in on this action too!

And that brings us to now. I am still navigating how I want to run my business. Because, at the end of the day, that is what I have learned. This is my business. I have a wonderful support team and so many wonderful tools at my disposal to make this successful, but I get to choose how I want to run it. I don't have to post anything on social media if I don't want. So I am making my own goals, rules, and game plan. A few things on my list:

Double my investment this year. This should be something I can do in my sleep. But, it is a goal nonetheless. There is so much opportunity and I intend to seize it! And let's be honest, I hope this is a goal I am laughing at in a year! 

No posts on Instagram. As I said, I get to run this my way. I like sharing pictures of my family and links to my blog on Facebook. And I also think it is a fantastic tool for building my business. BUT, Instagram is a very personal thing to me. I post a lot more pictures of my family, keep my account private, and feel very protective over it. Everyone I am friends with on Instagram, I am friends with on Facebook, or wouldn't mind sending a quick email to about ItWorks! So I have decided that my Instagram feed will remain my "personal" space...separate from my business. This is my personal choice...many of my team members utilize Instagram for their business and I know they see success there...but, again, we get to make our own rules!

Educate. This is what I failed to do for myself and something I want to offer to my friends and family. I want them to understand this business. Know that we use, love and believe in the products. Know that they could be successful in this too! I want to be transparent about what I'm doing and how it works. The company wants me to do this, too. So I am trying to take my message away from just status updates and make sure that I am reaching out to people to help them understand the life changer this can be from a health and financial standpoint. 

I know, it sounds like I have been "drinking the kool-aid". But, as soon as I dove in, I got what all the "hoo-rah" was about. There is a lot to be excited about here. I didn't think I would like having a "job" again. But, I actually feel empowered. It is nice to feel like I am contributing to the family. It will be amazing when we hop on a plane for a family vacation we weren't expecting to take because of something I did...on my own time, with my own schedule, in my own home, on my terms. I haven't had to sacrifice time with my kids, and in fact, I have found myself more on top of everything on my to-do list since joining the company. I feel motivated to sit down and tackle my personal list and my business. 

Ok, this is not short...it never is with me. I have a lot to say about this company and I haven't even really started in on the products. But, I'll save that for another time. Rest assured, this space will first and foremost remain a place for me to chronicle my kids and family life. It won't turn into my personal business page. But, this is a part of our life now so it will be shared as well! 

I mean, sign me up! Our Hair, Skin, & Nails arrives this week and I can't wait to get started growing my hair back out!

If you want to learn more, feel free to email me or check out my page www.stephrwraps.com!