I'm very flattered

Well, it has been well over a year since I posted anything on this blog, made a video on Youtube, tweeted much, etc. Yet oddly enough, I still have people reading this blog. I even get emails, comments on my blog and a phone call or two from people interested. I'm very flattered that I have a following of some kind. My sole purpose is to assist those who have questions. Feel free to ask any questions. I'll do my best to answer them as quickly as I can.

So, it's a new year and some changes have happened in my life. Mostly, I plan on building my Mary Kay business. I want the things I talk about in this blog. I want to be able to drive a free car from Mary Kay (yes! I will drive around in a pink Cadillac if I earn one--why not? it's free!). I've never owned a brand new car before. Even though I won't technically own this car from Mary Kay, it's still brand new and I get to drive it. And I love that I get a new one every two years, so long as I meet the requirements to earn one. Where else can you go where they'll take your "old" car back and give you a new one every two years? I don't know of many places. Feel free to let me know where these places are. I'm sure others wouldn't mind working for such companies.

I want the trips around the world, the jewelry, the cash bonuses, etc. I am looking for people who want that as well. I want to be a Director, where I can inspire many people to achieve their dreams by teaching, coaching and guiding. I know many ladies who I think would be incredible Directors, if they would just give Mary Kay a chance. I can see them as powerful business women who mentor other ladies. I also know there are men out there who understand the opportunity. I want to inspire them to know that men can sell skin care and make-up just as well as ladies--and the ladies don't mind at all.

I want to find people who want free products from me just for being my customer. I want to spoil those who introduce me to new customers. The only way I am successful at Mary Kay is if I have customers who enjoy the product. I am not a pushy salesperson. I am a CONSULTANT. I consult with you on your skin care needs and help you find the products and tools that help you achieve those needs. And if you can't afford some of the products I have, I am willing to help you earn them for free. What would you buy from Mary Kay if you could get $100 worth of product for free? Contact me and I'll let you know what we can do together so you can earn this $100 shopping spree. I love to give away product (see, I'm not a pushy salesman or I'd not give you anything for free).

In short, I am going to be more dedicated to social media. I am actively interviewing people who want a job. For now, I can only interview those in the United States and its territories. International will come, but one step at a time. I am looking for hosts who want $100 in free product and I am looking for customers who want top customer service and expert consultation.

Feel free to share this with your friends.

Take care!

Mary Kay is Too Complicated

From time to time, I've heard people tell me that Mary Kay is too complicated as a business. You have to know your products, find people who will meet with you, market yourself and "compete" against other Mary Kay Consultants. That may be true, but I hardly find Mary Kay a complicated business.

My wife is a pastry chef and a cake decorator. She's actually a very good one. She studied her craft in St. Petersburg, Russia (where she is from) and worked in a 5 Star Hotel and a high end restaurant on Nevskii Prospekt, the main street running through St. Petersburg. My wife wants to have her own business, where she is making custom wedding cakes and cakes for all occasions. To get an idea of what I am talking about, I suggest you visit her website: www.thecakemanor.com (and yes, that is a plug for her business at the same time).

My wife and I are realizing really quickly how complicated starting a new business is. There is a bakery for sale that we are interested in. It's much easier to take an existing business and go with it than start from the beginning. To buy the bakery, we need to have a business loan. To get a business loan, we need to have a business plan. To get a business plan, you need to have someone with a lot more experience than I have.

I have never written a business plan before. I'm slowly working through it anyway. And I am lucky to have a few people who are willing to look it over for me.

In addition to the business plan and the loan, I am the sole marketer for our business. I created the webpage (from Vista Print) and used the template for the business cards. We had to look for general liability insurance and we'll need a commercial kitchen in the future as well.

Basically, we are starting everything from the beginning, which is exactly where we are--the beginning. But there are so many things I never thought about. One solution leads to another question. One step forward creates 5 new issues that need to be addressed. I am not complaining, since this is my wife's business. But, I am overwhelmed.

My Mary Kay business, on the other hand, cost me $100 to start, plus tax and shipping. I do not need liability insurance with Mary Kay. The Company already has that. Mary Kay also has a 100% satisfaction guarantee, which makes it easy on me. I didn't have to create a website. I only had to pay for it (and add my personal information). It only costs me $50 for the year (our Vista page costs $10 per month). I didn't have to look for business cards. I just had to fill out my contact information, choose the style and pay for them.

The only other thing I had to purchase was my inventory (which is not required, but let's be serious--if you want to run a retail business, you need to have something to sell). Mary Kay does the advertising, marketing, even uploads videos to Youtube. Mary Kay puts together the catalog and prints them. I just need to decide who to send them to.

But seriously, if Mary Kay is really that complicated, I want to know which business (or job) out there that is less complicated.