Setting Goals

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Today we are going to discuss a bit about my business, my why and my goals. I feel actually putting things out there is the best way to hold myself accountable. And trust me I need something to keep me on track.

So Why did I start Direct Sales? Well because I found a company I believe in. They products are unique, it isn’t saturated (our FB group of reps is only around 700 people) and they actually support their reps. Seriously- they have so many training videos and opportunities. And not to mention they spoil us. The biggest thing is- their pay plan is different than any I have seen. First- in order to get paid at the title you are- you must have a certain amount of sales YOURSELF. Which means you can not depend on just your team. But also- EVERYONE- from reps to managers start at zero at the beginning of every month. I like how that makes up lines actually work instead of sitting back depending on their team. So to get their extra commission a person must have a certain amount for themselves then a certain amount for their team total. I haven’t seen a plan like that so I appreciated it and love it.

My other why is because- I am trying to suppliment income. It was going good for awhile- I was bringing in an extra $300 which for focusing on this part time isn’t bad. But I did let it fall- but I want to get back to that extra play money- and honestly- I am on track to be debt free (except for my house) before my kids graduate school. I want to shorten that and be debt free even sooner and this will hopefully help me with that. I would love to go back to school and finish my degree in marketing but I don’t see that being financially possible- so hopefully this will help. I lost sight of my dream and now time to build it up again.

So my goals this month:

Post more personal looks into our chaos- and more recipes- and continue being more real on here.
Continue posting more relevent content on my social media and content that gains interaction
Business related goal- get at least 1 sale a day- if I average $20 a sale for 31 days that would be $620 worth of sales- I would love to be back at $1500 in sales a month but gotta start somewhere.
Post at least 1 blessing a day to keep a positive mindset through this all!

So now that we are in a new month. What are your goals?

Weary and Burnt Out

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Like millions of other’s across the nation, even world. My kids have been home since March 12th (I know some were out long before that- bless the parents out there). This week has been the most trying of them all though.

You get to a point where you are just done. You’re mentally exhausted, you are tired, you are stressed. School is going wrong and you contemplating buying your children’s teachers a year subscription to Wine of the Month as you pity them and want to thank them for enduring your children’s shenanigans.

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Working from Home

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So- during this time at home I have chosen to work at my business a bit more. While The Cocoa Exchange is my baby, I do want to start sharing some healthier tips and doTERRA is my go to oil so I will hit on that from time to time. But the biggest struggle of running an in home business is building an audience.

It doesn’t matter if it is an etsy shop, an eBay shop, a direct sales company, a service you provide, or even a brick and morter establishment. Getting your products seen is a struggle when you are up against the algoritim gods of facebook. Let’s face it- you can easily have 10K followers and not even have your post seen by HALF of them. That is where I am at. Because I stopped focusing on my page and the personal connection I now have a reach of 200. Time to change that.

So here are my thoughts-

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Some #MondayMotivation

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It is so much easier to focus on the “I can’ts” than it is to focus on the “I can”. Why is that? See for me it is easier to say- well my business is failing because I have zero support from friends and family. And honestly, while that is partially true it isn’t completely true. That is where stepping out of the comfort zone will comeinto play like I talked about the other day. I just have to focus on the big picture instead of what is holding me back. Because if I continue to dwell on the lack of support locally than I will never grow.

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Becoming a Pirate

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Ok first- disclosure – this purely a joke. I actually hardly drink. But lately I have been saying I am going to become a Pirate. When someone asks why I say because it sounds better than an alcoholic. Yep- today is going to be one of those posts.

Like everyone else across the world we have been stuck at home. Well sorta. With husband being an LEO and me managing a restuarant we are both considered essential. My kids on the other hand. Well (turn sound on):

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Stepping out—

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So this week has made me go outside of my comfort zone as I realize things about me that I really did not want to realize. Like how I put more pressure on myself than others do. If only I turned my “I failed at….” thoughts into a “I did…..” thoughts. That is honestly out of my comfort zone. And honestly- so is promoting myself. I got to thinking about why my business is not working- Well – because I don’t like drawing attention to myself. I can market for other people- I actually LOVE marketing and am working on some classes through LinkedIn Learning to help me learn more about graphic design. But marketing my own business. I don’t want to seem pushy or needy. Continue reading →

Back to the basics

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You know I have been blogging since 2011. I reached a point where I was burnt out and just post here and there now- but there is something that is missing.

With everything going on it is easy to listen to those “you are not good enough” voices in your head. And man have I been listening to them this past year. My parents got divorced after 32 years- my mom became severly mentally unstable and blamed us grown kids. It was rough- My business with The Cocoa Exchange is not doing well- I haven’t been able to finish school for Graphic design. Get the picture? It was easy to fall into the “You are not good enough” darkness.

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#Summertime #Pasta Salad & #ColeSlaw #Recipe

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Ok this one is really a good 2 in one deal. Although I do not have a picture for the cole slaw. I just wanted to share it because it is the dressing that is used for the pasta salad!

So you know me. I am far from a professional chef/food photography ect. A lot of my recipes are literally dump and go but I try my best to keep track of what I use. I made this pasta salad for a BBQ/Pool Party last night and it was a HIT!

So to start- the dressing this is a basic Cole Slaw Dressing:

1/2 cup mayo

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

dash if salt

dash of pepper

dash of onion powder

dash or two of celeray seeds

So the sugar start small and add to your level of sweetness- if you like a more sweet sauce you can use more then 1/4 cup but I found that was sweet enough for us. Mix all those together and let chill for at least an hour (can chill for up to 24 hours!)

Now- this dressing can be used in a cole slaw- either buy a bag of cole slaw mix this amount makes a little more than needed- Or get to chopping! Chop that cabage- get some chopped carrots. You can easily double the dressing to make more for a larger serving.

The salad:

1 box of rotini noodles

cucumbers

carrots (diced up or buy a bag of shredded carrots)

Tomatoes

(Other options for veggies would be gr pepper and broccoli- have fun with it!)

Cook the noodles according to the directions and let chill completely. Start chopping up veggies! The fun thing about this is- the amounts are really up to you and what your family likes! You could probably even add some shredded chedder cheese or colby jack. Pasta salads are really easy to make your own! Once you get all that chop let chill until ready to serve. Add the cole slaw dressing when you are ready to eat and enjoy!

Now another option:

To the dressing add 1/2 tbsp of White Chocolate Raspberry Honey Mustard and mix well. This will give it a unique sweet/tang twist. You don’t want to use to much because you are already using vinegar/oil but this Honey Mustard is so full of flavor that a little bit goes a long way on any recipe. This is a product that is sold by The Cocoa Exchange so check it out HERE!

ENJOY!

~The above recipe contains a link to a site where I do make commission off of any sales. I am not paid any extra for posting this. these are my own and personal opinions. ~

Strawberry Ice Cream Cake #DIY #recipe

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So this year for my son’s 14th birthday, as always, I asked him what kind of cake he wanted. At first he was like “why do we have to have a birthday?” So I said we have always had cake! He jokingly said a Strawberry Ice Cream cake thinking I would be like… nope… not happening. But instead he got a- ok I will figure it out. He didn’t take me seriously until I bought the stuff a few days prior.

Now there are 2 things I learned during this process- 1- I am not perfect at makin cakes look pretty- so if anyone has tips for not getting the wrinkles I would gladly take them. The second thing was- Don’t put the strawberries on top until you are ready to serve- they were as hard as a rock.

Now this is not 100% made from scratch- I am totally not that good lol. So here is what I bought:

1 package of Pillsbury Strawberry Cake Mix

1 jar of hot fudge

1 package of oreos

2 pints of Strawberry Ice Cream

I did not take step by step because it is all rather self explainatory. Also I didn’t know how it would turn out. So above is the cake as a whole (see those wrinkles lol).

First I made the Pillsbury cake mix according to the direction on the box- I took about 1.5-2 cups of the mix and put it in a 9 inch pie pan to form a thin layer for the bottom. Baked at 350 for about 15 minutes (toothpick test!). Bonus cake! There will be so much extra cake left- I just put it in a 9X11 casserole dish and baked it until it was done- we just ate it over the next few days but you could serve it as an option for those who can’t have dairy.

Place the cake layer in a spring form pan lined with syran wrap. Freeze for at least 2 hrs

This is where it will get repeatitive.

Let the strawberry ice cream soften- Thinly slice strawberries and place around the edge of the cake standing upright against the pan. Then carefully spread about half the pint (or more if you wish) ontop of the cake. Freeze for at least 2 hours.

Slightly Warm up the hot fudge and spread a generous layer on top of the ice cream- crush the oreos and spread on top of the fudge. You guess it….. FREEZE. This time I let it freeze over night.

Add your last layer of Ice Cream- I used a little over the half pint (which is why 2 pints is needed) and then you guessed it……… FREEZE- again I let this layer freeze over night. But I am sure as long as you give it at least a good 2-3 hrs you will be fine.

When you are ready to serve- take strawberry halves and form a circle around the top (see above picture). Drizzle some hot fudge- sprinkle more of the crushed oreos- Then remove the cake from the pan and the syran wrap. And serve!

This cake is more time consuming then anything but it is well worth it- I am not being asked if I could do a peanut butter cup ice cream cake for my daughters birthday. I may have created monsters!

Why #TheCocoaExchange

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3 years ago I was introduced to a company called The Cocoa Exchange. At the time it was called Dove Chocolate Discoveries but I will get to that in a moment. I purchased some seasonings and instantly fell in love- a few orders later I was hooked and selling the products myself!

So what is the deal with the products you say? Well- for one there is a subtle hint of cocoa in EVERYTHING. You read that right- I cook with chocolate and no one ever knows! They love the flavor of my meals and ask for recipes and when I tell them they are shocked. They reason is because they use ingredients like cocoa liqoure or cocoa powder- so you are not getting a full on candy bar taste. Just a little subtle sweet to compliment the savory side of life. That is when I discovered

Yep- It has grown up on me. Or maybe I just grew up who knows. Either way I love it. My customers love it and my family and friends love to see what I come up with next.

One misconception is that you need special recipes. I am often ask what would you make with that- can you send me some recipes. To which I say- what wouldn’t you use it in! Take our honey mustard for example. It is a White Chocolate Raspberry Honey Mustard. You do not need any special recipes. Use it in things you would use mustard in to begin with! Deviled Eggs, Egg Salad, Potato Salad, Grilled Chicken, Pasta Salad…. I could go on!

So why a direct sales company? Well for one I have flexibility. We live out in the county- I drive my kids to a school 20 miles away. That also leaves for a lot of driving to other towns for activities. But this company was just different. The pay scale was really good. I also liked how EVERYONE starts each month at 25% for their commissions, no matter what level they are at in the business. That, and, in order to get any extra commission from downlines or anything YOU yourself have to reach certain amount of sales. So everyone is equal in this company.

Not only that but they recognize that those looking to work with them are trying to better their family life. So they often give us incentives for things like free products when new ones roll out, free catalogs, free table cloths ect. They actually GIVE YOU the tools to be SUCCESSFULL. And every day there is some sort of training call that you can participate in. I have been with a few DS companies and those did not do that. I am successful because they want US to be. They want that so much that remember how I said we used to be Dove Chocolate Discoveries? Well they wanted to stand out from our sister company and did a name change and rebranding to help us!

Since joining TCE (The Cocoa Exchange) I have been able to have my daughter join dance and take riding lessons. My son has been able to join a Robotics team. My husband was able to go from working 3 jobs to 2 and in 5 years (when my kids graduate HS) all our debt will be gone. My goal is to get him down to working 1 job and hopefully pay that debt off sooner!

My other why:

Yeah you see that picture right. FREE TRIPS! One year it was Hawaii this year was St. Kitts. Next May I hope to join my fellow curators in the Grand Cayman- Oh and I suppose maybe take my hubby with as a birthday gift to him.

I would love to help you acheive your why. Grow your own business. Be indepent. Be Successful. So if you are interested in being your own boss while having fun and enjoying amazing food the please fill out the contact form below and I will get back with you!

Here are some links to help you learn more:

Join Page: http://www.mytcesite.com/pws/sweetcountrychaos/tabs/join.aspx
VIP Group on FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1917040015196288/
Product page: http://www.mytcesite.com/Pws/SweetCountryChaos/store/TCEEPS/default.aspx?eid=

~The above thoughts are my own and honest opinion. I am a rep for this company and make a commission off of sales. I was not paid extra for posting this- I did this because I truly believe in myself and the company and my why. ~