Make it Great

I got to interview Jennifer, she has quite a few companies she works with. She has some home based businesses that are a bit uncommon, but yet interesting. I was interested in hearing her veiwpoint on working from home due to the uniqueness (is that a wiord?) of her companies.

Enjoy!

Me: Why do you work from home as opposed to working a regular 9-5? What is your why?

Jennifer: Several reasons: I can adapt my work schedule around my family and take time off as necessary. I want to be in control of my income as a direct result of my efforts. I don’t want an annual salary with a 3% increase every year. I want unlimited income and I’m willing to do the work to get there!

Me: What type of challenges have you faced while working from home? How did you overcome these challenges?

Jennifer: Children, husband, motivation, etc. Children and husband thinking because I work from home I can drop anything at any time to take care of things while they are at work and school. I’ve had to train them that I will do it for them when I’m done working. Now that my husband and daughter are seeing the income from my businesses, they understand how important it is to allow mom to work! It’s also easy to get distracted by household/personal things when you work from home. I had to set up an office in an extra bedroom and the only things I keep in there are for my business. When I’m in there, I only concentrate on business and my family knows when I’m in my office, they should only bother me when it’s important (easier to do for older children).

Me: What have you learned about yourself since becoming a business owner? How have you grown as a woman?

Jennifer: I’ve learned that I can take care of myself and my kids independently if I have to. I have pushed myself to “get out of my comfort zone” and meet many other people to tell them about my business. What I’ve found is that it’s easier and easier and I’ve made some terrific friends along the way. I’ve also learned that I am a skilled manager and motivator of a team of people.

Me: What type of business do you have? What do you sell or promote?

Jennifer: 1) Morgan Dane Designs Handcrafted Sterling Silver Jewelry, 2) Rodan + Fields Dermatologist Clinical Skincare

Me: What makes your business different from the other businesses in your particular category?

Jennifer: 1) Morgan Dane’s jewelry is designed by our owner and unique to our collection. We offer the best hostess and consultant benefits of any other direct sales jewelry company. We can do home, catalog or online parties, or sell directly to customers through our own Consultant ecommerce Websites 

2) Rodan + Fields is the only skincare line developed by dermatologists and every customer receives 24/7 access to our Nurse Connection team of dermatological nurses. Our products contain real medicines to solve real skin concerns. We have the backing of cosmetic giant Estee Lauder and we offer the most generous compensation plan of any direct sales company. We don’t do parties or stock inventory, and the business can be operated online and offline.

Me: How have you advertised your business? Which have been the most successful? Any downfalls?

Jennifer: I primarily advertise online through other direct sales Websites and offline at events such as bridal shows. Online advertising can be very time-consuming, but definitely worth it! There’s a lot of low-cost advertising that has the potential to reach a very large group!

Me: What piece of advice would you give to someone looking to join your company? What would you tell them about your industry?

Jennifer: In any business, it’s important to set goals. Some people want to earn “fun” money, and for them a goal might be a party or new preferred customer a month. Others want to quit their outside jobs and work from home full-time. For them, a goal might be 4 parties, 4 preferred customers, and 2 new team members each month. It helps when you actually write down on paper the results achieved if you meet these goals. Actually seeing on paper that you can quit your job in a year if you have 4 parties and recruit 2 new team members a month is quite motivating! Specifically for Morgan Dane, I’d say we’re the company for you if you love our jewelry and want to represent a “new line” in your market. Women LOVE jewelry and it’s the hottest direct sales business out there, but you have to also love jewelry to represent it. Morgan Dane offers the best consultant benefits: no minimums or quotas, no annual fees, generous sales and downline commissions. We also have the best hostess rewards of any jewelry company (30% free jewelry with only $100 party sales and one customer order!) so hostesses are EASY to find! Rodan + Fields can be for you if are a consumer or potential consumer of our product–clinical skincare containing real medicines for real skincare concerns. There’s a lot of skincare companies out there, but Rodan + Fields already has a loyal following and customer base–they were the #1 clinical skincare line at Nordstrom’s before moving to direct sales! And, they are the creators of PROACTIV SOLUTIONS and are backed by Estee Lauder, so the company is bound to be huge! We’re in pre-launch now, so it’s a great time to join the company for substantial earnings. Our national launch is in Spring 2008 and only pre-launch consultants will receive new customers and new team members from those national tour dates!!

Me:   What would you say to someone who was about to give up on owning a business and working from home? How would you encourage them to keep pushing?

Jennifer:  It takes a LONG time to really get a new home business off the ground. Go in to it knowing that success will be slow, but steady if you keep at it. Set small milestones for yourself in order to keep you going. For example, I set a goal of two new team members a month in each of my businesses. When I achieve that I feel good about myself and my business, AND each month my income increases because I’m building my team!

 Jennifer Hickman

 Morgan Dane Designs http://www.Indulgein925.com.

Rodan + Fields Dermatologists Skincare

Corporate Website: http://www.rodanandfields.com.

I found myself nodding and saying “Tell it!” while doing this interview! I almost broke out in a prayer, but I figured that would be a bit much for an interview……

Jarmelia Ladson