Why?

Get comfy with a beverage folks. This could get a little long. Stick with me though, I’ll make it worth your time!

Did you know you could send anonymous text messages? Seriously, most mobile providers have a spot on their websites where you can send a text to a local number without it showing who it’s from. I had no idea that this option was available, but I learned about it the hard way.

Before Christmas, I got a text from a random number. Me being me, I called the number back and got a weird recording so I called my mobile provider, asked what was going on and they gave me the low down on how it all worked. All I could say was, “Huh. No kidding.” Before I go into the message itself and my thoughts around it, I will say this: if you feel the need to send someone a text that needs to be anonymous, you probably shouldn’t be sending it. If you don’t have the kahunas to own the contents of said message and don’t want to reap the consequences of your poor choice, why bother?

The text I got had a link to a blog post titled “13 Tweets That Remind Us No One Wants To Be Sold Stuff On Facebook”. You’re welcome to google it and read the blog for yourself. It’s explains the über basic concept of direct sales and about how it’s apparently a touchy subject. It says (and I quote) “What we don’t want is to be pushed, prodded and guilted into buying things we don’t want or need for prices that make our credit cards recoil in horror.” Interesting. I have a ton of friends that have started businesses with a variety of different network marketing companies and I love seeing their posts on my Facebook newsfeed. I see them and I’m like You Go Sista! You make those dreams come true and you get those bills paid! As someone who has had a network marketing business for almost 8 years now, nothing makes me happier than seeing someone else do right by themselves and their families. This blog post was comprised of a series of tweets that were kind of awful to read. I love technology and all it has to offer, but it shows a definite lack of love and compassion for their fellow humans when some use it. What makes me go a little sideways is the people that hide behind their keyboards and say unnecessarily hurtful things. Everybody’s a tough guy behind their smartphone. I’d love to see someone say those words out loud and in person to the individual(s) they were written about. Do you think you could do that? My guess is probably not.

I’ll let you in on a bit of my background. I worked in the corporate world for over 12 years and I worked HARD. Like 60 hours a week and then some hard. I took my 4 weeks of vacation every year (when it was deemed ok by my boss and company), had a great benefit plan and the like, but when they needed me, I was online and working in a very grey office building downtown. Sometimes I’d even be working on my holidays if I was needed. The whole concept around working from home wasn’t as widely accepted back then so I spent more time with my coworkers than I did with my kids (once I had them). That’s so adult of me, isn’t it?

I really enjoyed my job. I enjoyed the people I worked with. But every morning when I had to drop my kids off at daycare, they would cry and beg me to take them home. Every. Single. Morning. Their little faces smushed up against the glass window, tears pouring down their cheeks as I got in my car sobbing. Do you know that my care provider potty trained my oldest? I would pick her up and the lady would give me instructions on how to keep it going at home. I realize that may sound like a perfect scenario to some, but I cried. My middle babe had someone else feeding her breakfast every morning. That lady would give me tips on how to get her to eat. It gutted me. They were amazing people and they were doing an incredible job with my kids, but those were supposed to be my jobs. I vividly remember thinking that this couldn’t be the best my life had to offer.

In January I went back to my job when my second maternity leave was done. I spent two weeks at my desk reading the Twilight books. Apparently after the letter I hand-delivered, calls I made and emails I followed everything up with to notify (remind) them of my return to work date (that they had “recommended”), they didn’t realize I was coming back “so soon”. I had been gone for 16 months. My company laptop was still locked up, my phone wasn’t connected. Literally all I could do was sit and read books. Oh and I had to call payroll from my personal cell phone and have them reinstate me in the system so I could get paid. I was so frustrated, I offered to go home for the two weeks so they could get their shit together and was told that I had already been gone for 16 months so no, I couldn’t have the time. Hmmm. Ok. Again, was this as good as it was going to get for me?

While all this was happening, a friend reached out to me. She had started a NWM business and thought that, with all I was experiencing, it might be a good fit. I’d like to say I jumped right in, but as I’ve mentioned before, I’m a bit of a slow learner. I did some research on the company and the industry, talked it over with the husband and figured why not? The worst possible outcome is I’d buy some stuff, give up a few evenings and realize it wasn’t for me. I knew that I’d always play the what-if game if I didn’t at least give it a go. So off we went. In October of that year, I was able to walk into my boss’s office and quit my job.

I didn’t grow up thinking that this would become my career, but I am so thankful it happened. I’m so damn grateful every damn day that someone thought enough of me to offer me the chance to change my story. One of the most important things I’ve learned is that you need to develop a bit of a thick skin in this line of work. I joke around with my husband that I get rejected for a living. I don’t take it personally though, they just don’t know yet what I’ve already learned and I’m okay with that.

What you may not know is that this industry is a legitimate business. The fundamentals of it are taught in business schools around the world. This industry pumps out more millionaires than any other one out there. And the craziest part is that you write your own pay cheque. You get out of it exactly what you put into it and I think that makes more than a few people incredibly uncomfortable. Being your own boss isn’t for the weak of spirit. It takes grit, perseverance, a ton of love and respect. The offer was made, but the rest was up to me. I was and am responsible for my own success.

The next time someone is so excited to share their business or product with you that they’re stumbling over their words, be mindful of the fact that they’re nervous. This is new to them. They’re afraid to be judged by you and as much as they say it doesn’t, it actually matters to them what you think. Smile. Encourage them. Keep it classy, friendly and be easy. At the end of the day, if it’s not for you, be gracious and just say no thank you. Don’t avoid them, that just makes it awkward for everyone. Be a grown up and give them an answer and you don’t need to be nasty about it. Seriously tho, thank them. They like you so much they want to work with you. Just like my friend, they think enough of you to even work up the courage to ask! That’s a big deal! And never say never. There were a few people that actually laughed in my face when they heard what I was up to. Wanna guess what they do now? Support goes in all directions so be mindful, my friends.

The next time you decide to buy dollar store candles, why not try some from one of your friends that sells them? The same goes for shampoo, toothpaste, protein shakes, hand cream, laundry detergent, spices, cookware and pretty much everything else you buy. Yes you might pay a few extra bucks, but you are definitely getting a far superior product than anything you can buy in Walmart or on Amazon. These companies invest so much more money into their research and development than you are actually aware of. Before you roll your eyes about it, do your research. Your purchase from a home-based business helps someone provide for their family. It puts food on their table, gas in their car, a child in dance, hockey or swim lessons. It helps people contribute financially to their household. This is real world stuff.

You say you can’t afford it. Why not be a host? Most of the companies out there have killer hostess programs where you earn big-time discounts and a ton of free stuff. I host to support my friends, but I also do it to get free stuff. Free stuff is awesome and I have yet to meet someone that doesn’t love a great sale and free shit. And let’s be honest. You’re going to spend the money anyways so why not do it where it will make a real-time difference.

You decide to open a day home or work in an office. Someone else decides to start a home-based business. We all want the same things, we’re just doing it different ways. THAT’S OKAY. One way doesn’t have to be better than the other. It’s just different because we make different choices based on what works best for us. Stop being so judgemental of people that make choices that aren’t the same as yours. Respect one another. Love one another. Dammit just be good humans.

There will come a time when I find out who the spineless individual was that sent me that text because nothing stays a secret forever. And when I do, the only thing I’ll ask is “Why?” Then I will let it go and you along with it.