Is your product for everyone?
April 14, 2008 at 11:18 am | In Advertising, How do you do it?, Motivation | 1 CommentTags: Advertising, Mia Bella, target market, work from home business
Hey!
I should be packing but of course I am not…..it’s all about priorities people. 
Anyway, I was reading an email I received that was talking about why Mia Bella’s Candles are “gourmet” or more so, why they are labeled as gourmet. It stated because our candles were for the “candle connoisseur”. I have read this before when different people were speaking about where to find potential customers and such. So I started thinking, how do you know who your market is or whatyour target market is? Is it possible that people who don’t do well in retailing are just targeting the wrong customers? Then, I was like is that even possible to have a “wrong” market, because they (the smart marketing people) say that everyone isa potential customer or business partner and don’t judge.
Well, I have drawn my own conclusions on the matter.
Conclusion #1: You do have a target market or particular market of people that would be ideal for your product.
Conclusion #2: You shouldn’t judge. You should offer your product or service to all but, be able to weed through those who will buy and those who are just pulling your leg. In other words don’t spend all your time on nickels when you could be catching dollars.
Conclusion #3: Price! Different people can afford and will pay for different things. Some people are bargain shoppers and will not pay retail for anything no matter how great or “ideal” it is for them, they believe they can find the same quality or quantity for $5 less or 25% off at Wal-Mart or something.
What I have learned that you have to do is make your product or service available to all people, no matter what. I see billboards for $100,000+ homes in lower income neighborhoods, they may not be able to afford that house now, but they may in the future and that’s what counts.
Compare your prices not only to others in your industry online, but also in the stores that you normally shop in. Is your product double or triple the price of similar products? For me, our candles are triple the prices of the candles in Wally World or any other bargain store. Double the price of candles in other stores as well. But, they are the same price as one of the leading candles in America, so I know my customer base exists in my city since they have a store here.
Now lets say I sold candles that cost $40 or so a jar. I don’t have any shops around me that sell candles for that price. The leading candle company in my city sells candles, for half that. Where am I going to find my customers? Who are my customers? Do you see how candles at this price would be a bit harder to sell in my city?
But, if I lived in ”celebrity city”, California, where most things cost an arm and a leg, I could get away with probably selling my candles for $50 a pop in the right stores. That wouldn’t fly here where I live, we are not that high class.
So maybe if you are someone who is not doing so well retailing your particular product or service you should check your prices. See if people in your area can afford your products. If they can’t that doesn’t make them unaffordable to all, just in your city. You will probably have to advertise in other areas.
Hope this helps answersome questions!
Thanks for reading!
Jarmelia Ladson
What do “I” do from home?
April 13, 2008 at 1:38 pm | In How do you do it?, What is this blog about? | Leave a CommentTags: Gourmet Candles, home based candle business, jackie ulmer, jarmelia ladson, Mia Bella, scent-sations
Hi all,
I have been on a hiatis for a few weeks due to trying to pack for a trip and getting my business in line for when I return. Off topic: If you have a wordpress blog, how do you like the new dash board? It’s all “fancy” and such. Why is the Jefferson’s theme song playing in my head? “We’re movin’ on up!” I am such a cornball!
So, I thought since I have interviewed others and asked them about their businesses and such, why not interview myself? I should let you all know what I do from home and what kind of business I run. I also want to tell you all about some future plans I have on expanding my business, I’ll tell you about those if this post doesn’t get too terribly long.
Okay on to letting you all know about my business…
I am a Independent distributor for Mia Bella’s Gourmet Candles. I have been with this company for about 1 1/2 years. The candles are an alternative wax candle, that is made from vegetable wax and other alternative waxes. The waxes are all natural, no parrafin. Our candles have 2 wicks and are triple scented. Triple threat! But, the thing I like the best about them is the fact that the scent is not over powering, you would think it would be since it is triple scented but, it actually isn’t and as with all candles, some scents are strong and some scents are lighter than others.
I have bruned the leading candle that is about the same price as ours and have to say, I can tell the difference. The other candle company is a “nice” candle, making it better than a bargain store candle, but it is not gourmet or a nice fit for a true candle lover. Our candles fit that bill.
So in saying that, I have learned that our candles aren’t for everyone and everybody, some people are quite content buying the $4.99 candles from Wal-Mart and aren’t looking for a better candle. And you have the others people who want a long lasting, strong scented, evenly burning candle, that actually looks nice when burning and creates virtually no soot, our candles are for them.
That is what makes our candles GOURMET. We are a step above the rest and definitely ahead of your average candle.
Our work from home opportunity:
We offer 3 ways for you to make money from home; Retail, Residual and Fundraising. You can choose just one way or all three, it is up to you. I do all three, myself and I am a trained Fundraising Consultant and Business Recruiter. I didn’t go to school or get a bachelors to earn these titles, either, I just followed the system and become knowledgeable in these subjects, you can too.
Our programs are so simple and easy to follow. You buy the candles at wholesale- Candle of the Month= $9.50 and you sell it at or above retail price = $18.95. You can sell them for more than that price, that decision is up to you, since it is your business. I sell them for a square $20.00, which allows me a 50%+ profit.
Is this business run solely online and at home?
Honestly, I get a little irritated when people say “Work from home, no commute!” and such, it is a bit misleading. You can build a business completely over the internet and never have to leave your “home office”, people are doing it everyday. This is usually the route most people who want to earn residual income go, which is when you sign-up other people who want to work from home and kind of “take them under your wing”. It’s called team building.
But, if you want to do retailing, which is selling the candles, you may and most likely will, have to leave your office chair and get out and about. I don’t mind doing this, it allows me to talk to more people face to face and interact with them. You will have to go to the Post Office to mail off scent-samples and information packets, you will need to pass out catalogs and brochures. You don’t have to do these things, but more than likely you will if you are retailing. Some people even set up booths and have home parties. You can work this business so many ways, again this is up to you!
Fund-raising also may involve you leaving your office to meet with churches or other organizations to tell them about the products and give them their packets.
So for me, I am not doing this because I can do it solely from home or because I save on gas, I do it because I can be my own boss. I don’t have a cap on how much money I can make, so the possibilities are virtually endless.
Are there flaws in this business plan or company?
I don’t think their are flaws with the company as in the structure or compensation plan, but you do have a few bad apples among you as with any company. You have those who do this exclusively for the money or people who seem to always be looking for trouble. No business is without people like this, they are everywhere but, gladly they are not the owners or the ones who make the decisions.
If you have any questions about Mia Bella and would like to contact me please feel free to send me an email. You can also fill out the contact form on my website: http://www.mbgourmetcandles.com for more information.
Hope that whatever you choose to do in life, you succeed!
Jarmelia Ladson
Fundraising Consultant and Business Recruiter
Thanks for reading!
People they are funny!
March 11, 2008 at 9:48 pm | In How do you do it? | Leave a CommentTags: how to get people to do what you say, low start up costs, moonlight business, SAHM, WAHM
Okay so everytime I go to ”Make It Great Headquarters” aka “blog dashboard” and check out my blog progress, I look at what people typed in google or yahoo or whatever search engine to get to my blog and it makes me giggle.
I tried to do screen shot but I couldn’t. I pushed Print Screen and ALT and nothing!
So here are some of the questions people ask that land them here:
“How to make people do what I tell/want them to”?
Well, I don’t exactly know what you want people to do and why you want them to do it but, I think I can help. You should get Dale Carnegie’s book: How to Win Friends and Influence Others. Great book and really cheap off eBay.
“Moonlight my business”
Well, I have no idea what that means. Do you want to put moonlighting in your store? If so, I don’t think that is the best idea, I am not sure what moonlighting is, but I don’t think it is very bright. Which I don’t think goes with a store, maybe try “sunlighting”? Oh, I am trying to help you with your problem, but I can’t wrap my brain around why you would want to moonlight or even how you moonlight. So when you find out how to do this, please come back and enlighten me. Thanks!
“Businesses with low start up costs”
Well, depending on what you are looking for, you can start your search HERE. I will work on getting a list together of companies with low start up costs to help you all out, I get this question about everyday, all day. So, I feel it is my calling to help you all fill this void.
Your welcome.
“Don’t fit in work outstide home”
Well, I am sorry you don’t fit in at your job. Have you looked into working from home? You only have to fit in with yourself. So this might be a nice fit for you. If you can’t work from home, try looking for a new job. I can only imagine how depressing it can be to not be wanted, where you have to go everyday. Hope something shakes for you and you find a solution!
“Need a list of people for candles”
Well, looks like you need some leads. Ask some people in your company what lead co-op they us and if they don’t use one try these people. Dani Johnson is the truth! Man oh man!
“Negative blog on morgan dane jewelry”
2 Questions for you:
1. Why are you searching for a negative blog?
2. Why did it send you here? I am not negative!
Okay that is all the top secret back office stuff I want to divulge so, that’s all for now!
Also, if you have a direct slae company with a low start up cost please, leave it in the comments. It may get snatched up by my spam blocker, so just post one link to your website and then tell me the start up costs. Needs to be under $50.
Thanks!
Enter to win a free candle!
Do you have a schedule? You are porbably going to need one!
February 26, 2008 at 12:33 pm | In How do you do it?, Motivation, Starting Out | 2 CommentsTags: making a schedule, running a business, stay at home moms
A question that seems to be asked a lot to WAHMs (work at home moms) is, “How do you do it”. Meaning, how do you work, clean, feed your family and still get to bed at a decent hour. Well, it isn’t easy running a business no matter if your at home or outside of the home. But, I think working from home is a tad bit more challenging, mentally. You can’t exactly leave your work at work, it kind of follows you all day!
The answers to this question have all been about making a schedule. I don’t currently have a schedule, I will confess, but I do see that I need one. It is so easy to get sidetracked and forget about the emails, the phone calls or desk cleaning you need to do.
Here are some questions you can ask yourself to help out with the day to day stress and aid in making a schedule:
Do I like working in the morning, afternoon or night?
This will give you the foundation for your work schedule. It will allow you to plan all other activities around this time.
How many hours do I really need to work a day?
Figure out how long it really will take you to email, call, make products, fill orders or whatever else. I think the average range is 4-6 hours to do all of that. But to make calls and answer emails, that should really only take about 2 hours or so. Also, see if you can arrange certain duties for certain days, like ship orders on Mondays and Wednesdays and so on.
Can this time be broken up into sections?
If you have small children 4 straight hours at the computer may be near impossible. So, try and see if you can email in the morning, make phone calls during nap time, and make samples or fill orders in the evening. Give each about 1-2 hours, if possible.
I find that breaking up a work day, helps me to feel like I am in control of my schedule. I think it is especially important to have a cut off time. I know it is hard, when you are a night owl, but, it would help a lot to have a definite Start Time and Finish Time much like an open and close time like regular businesses. I am sure your customers will understand that you can’t always be available. What business do you know of that is always available? I don’t know of many…..
Make sure you are not running yourself ragged by always having to make deadlines by the skin of your teeth or constantly have to work late nights. It is not healthy or beneficial long term to be stressed out this way.
Make time to eat meals!
I know this may sound like a, DUH! to some of you, but it is really easy to grab a bag of chips, throw the children a sandwich and keep working but, that isn’t healthy. Insert lunch breaks into your schedule to eat with your children and leave the computer. Go sit at he kitchen table and take your time. I think 45 mins to an hour is sufficient time to prepare a lunch and just relax a bit.
I have a bad habit of waking up and then jumping on the computer to check emails! This has really taken a toll on the things I eat for breakfast. If you do this as well, try waking up earlier to give yourself time to make a wholesome breakfast and prepare your mind for the day. Let’s say you want to start work at 9:00 AM, well then at least give yourself an hour start by waking up a 8:00 AM. This is what we would do if we worked outside the home and I know it helped me get prepared for the day.
Even though we work from home, we have to treat our businesses like real jobs. Use your imagination and pretend you are getting ready for work, get dressed and fix your hair, please brush your teeth and welcome the day. Taking time throughout the day to organize thoughts and relax, helps to clear the mind and makes the day go a bit slower.
Hope these tips help you! I will keep you updated on my working habits , stay tuned!
Thanks for reading,
Jarmelia Ladson
Small things to do that can get your product into the right hands
February 25, 2008 at 2:45 pm | In Advertising, How do you do it? | Leave a CommentTags: Advertising, doante, thank you baskets, work from home
I know I am supposed to be cleaning…..this is way more important.
I know alot of us have trouble getting our products noticed and it seems as if all we do is spend money with few results. We have all been there at one time or another. But in the past few weeks I have learned some inexpensive tips that helped me get around.
Donate:
If you hear about an auction or raffle going on in your town or over the web. Donate a product to it. There was a lady who asked for a donation for a basket for her daughters fundraiser, I immediately replied. I am also going to send her a Thank You votive, because she didn’t have to even ask us WAHMs or wannabe WAHMs to donate. She could have bought everything from the store.
Sponsor:
Someone else asked for sponsors for a Virtual Party she was having, I donated a basket. Well, come to find out, the person who won my basket loves candles! I am also sending the virtual party coordinator a Thank You. When I told her I wanted to send her something, what did she say? She loves candles, but has never tried melts (tarts), she was excited!
Now don’t think I am just buying these candles and products all willy nilly, I am using the left over stock that is just sitting around on my desk, causing all kinds of clutter.
Thank You gifts:
I also just recently got an eye exam, I got contacts and have to go back to Sams (my 2nd grocery store love) and pick up my prescription. When I go back I plan to give both the eye doctor (I am not spelling out the technical term, that would be embarrassing) and his trusty sidekick assistant, a votive as a, Thanks. The eye doctor is a man, but I saw a wedding ring so he seems to be married, I will assume he’s married to a woman who loves candles.
If they throw my votive away, oh well. It was just sitting around anyway, but I hope it unlocks their inner candle burner and makes them run to my website with all their friends and buy candles galore! Oh, that is very possible….
I plan to give the management office of my apartment complex and gift basket with a simmer pot and some melts for them to use. The office is full of women and women go in and out all day so I know, this will be a hit. It won’t be quite a “Thank You” because they really could do better maintenance wise and such, but that is beyond the point.
All this giving should cost me about $20, which is in my budget, shucks it is my budget! I will keep you updated on how well it goes! Who exactly the ”you” are that I will be updating is debatable, but “you” are none the less important to me.
Thanks for reading,
Jarmelia Ladson
http://www.mbgourmetcandles.com
Enter to win a free candle!
Get organized woman!
February 24, 2008 at 10:44 pm | In How do you do it?, Motivation | Leave a CommentTags: cleaning, office space, organizing, WAHM, work from home
I have to get organized before I lose my sanity! I don’t know how some people work all day and keep their desk/office space clean! I would take a picture of my desk for a before and after, but I will not embarass myself like that!
I not only need to clean my desk, but also my inbox. I need to organize my emails and put them all in one spot. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth while I do that…..
I won’t technically say my office space looks like this : A pure mess
But, I do want it to look like this: Inspiration
I need shelves, a new desk, more storage tubs, binders, baskets, and little holder thingys for trinkets. I will be getting all these things from Wal-Mart, I don’t shop elsewhere unless, unless nothing, I just don’t shop anywhere except Wal-Mart! I don’t see how people can not love this store, groceries and furniture in the same place, come on man.
But anyways, I am on a mission, as corny as it sounds, to clean up my office space and inbox. Please do not wait on me to clean my inbox and come back and hoop and hooray because you will waiting a sweet forever on that one. So much for the mission, huh?
This website made me laugh! They even tell how to organize your organizing! I know their desks would pass the white glove test. But, if you come near my desk with a white glove, white pair of pants or white shirt you will be walking away with candle wax particles all over you! Not to mention that there isn’t a spot available on my desk to wipe your finger…….
I have so much to do this week, I just can’t afford to be unorganized. I have emails to send, people to call and packages to ship! That’s just what I have to do tomorrow!
Please if you can find it in your hearts, clean a space on your desk for me or at least help me clean a space on mine.
I need to get ready for bed, but I know once I go to sleep I will have no choice but to wake up and clean my desk that looks like it was hit by hurricane Katrina’s sister .
Oh the things I confess on the world wide web! My grandmother would catch a migraine at the site of my desk and her blood pressure would sky rocket. So I am trying to spare her of these things about her grandbaby…..if she only knew about the unclean skeletons in my closet.
You all have a nice night dreaming of raindrops and chocolate or whatever, while I have nightmares about having to clean my desk….
Jarmelia Ladson
http://www.mbgourmetcandles.com
Enter to win a free candle!
How bad do you want a sale?
February 14, 2008 at 3:38 am | In How do you do it?, Starting Out | Leave a CommentTags: getting sales, WAHM, work at home
Okay so since I have been in business, I have seen it all when it comes to catching a sale. I have seen some positive ways to catch a sale and some negative ways. I think the gray area in it all is, how far should you go to get a sale.
Here are some things I have learned.
If someone emails or calls you interested in your products but doesn’t answer your emails or phone calls in return, move on. Maybe after a month or so, send them a postcard when you “drizzle” on some other prospects who kind of dropped off the face of the earth. I would send out postcards to all the prospects who asked for information or got in contact with me but nothing came of it, every 3 months or 2-3 times a year. This is something new, I am trying since I don’t like to bother people, but sometimes people do get busy and need reminding about your business or product.
You will always get people who will want to order and get you all excited and giddy thinking about the sale, but they never order or answer your emails or phone calls. This is to be expected. Why do people do this? Lack of funds, lack of interest, or maybe they just changed their mind about ordering from you. Whatever the case, don’t worry about it, you will get lots of these “hopefuls”.
If someone mentions, they want to join a business that is similar to yours, like if you are on a forum/message board and someone says they are looking to sell (insert your product here), send them some information. I show emphasis on some because sometimes we get so excited we talk too much or oversell. If you have a website, send them the link along with a few facts about your company/product and a way to contact you. Let people do their own research to find out if your business or product is right for them. That way if they do join you and find out it isn’t what they thought, they only have themselves to blame due to lack of research.
Sending someone a full page of information about what you offer looks desperate in my opinion, especially since most of the time it is copy and pasted straight from a website. So why not just send the link to the page and few sentences about what is on the page? It is so much easier and takes about 2 mins. to do. That way if they fizzle off, its okay. Only give your all for serious prospects, those that email you back, call you back and actually communicate!
Don’t give away to many things for free or low cost. People are always looking for a sale and want to save a few bucks. Yes, offering a few bucks off of a product may get you the sale, but you also lose money. We are in business to make a profit so obviously everyone can’t get 50% off all orders or you would be broke. I only offer discounts when it will benefit me, such as, bring more traffic to my site, bring more sales or as a Thank You gift.
I see this so much with people in the candle business, someone will say “I want to try such and such scent, I love candles and can’t wait to buy some from you!” and then the distributor will go and send them a whole votive and never hear from them again. Some distributors even hand out votives at stores. Now, you can get sales from this, but it doesn’t always work.
Think of it this way, if you send them a votive, what incentive do they then have to buy one? Yes, they may burn the votive and enjoy it, but that doesn’t mean they will buy another one from you. People try things all the time, that’s why people like Sam’s Club, free samples. But the difference is, they give you a small sample, a little bait. If you like the small sample, which is barely enough to satisfy your craving, then you will get the whole bag often times. This is the same idea, we should have when we give out samples. I give out “scent samples”, this is a crushed votive in a 1×1 or 1×2 inch zip lock baggie. This is just enough for them to smell the scent and decide if they want to order it. It costs me close to nothing to do and I get my product in their hands.
Remember this, if you always have to beg people to buy your products or always feel burnt out due to no one buying from you, then try a different approach. Re-evaluate your products, make sure they are products people need or want. Make sure the pricing is competitive and not over priced. Check out the quality, compare your product to other similar products. Constantly check to make sure you are up to date with what is going on around you. Example, if you sell business cards, make sure you have fresh designs, great graphics to give people a reason to choose you over someone else or even consider you. If everything is up to par, then try a new advertising strategy. There is more then one way to skin a cat or chicken!
Told you working from home takes actual work!
Jarmelia Ladson
Look what I found!
February 13, 2008 at 10:58 pm | In Advertising, How do you do it?, leads | Leave a CommentTags: Advertising, goal setting, jackie ulmer, procrastination
So, yesterday I made a trip to Earth Fare to pick up some hair care products and a few other things. I was at the checkout when I saw they had this bulletin board, where people can put up community events, leave parent magazines and family things. So, I picked up 4 of the magazines and all of them have a section for advertising. I will be the one of the few, if not the only, candle business and home-based business. When I go back I am going to leave some catalogs and brochures for the mommies to look at and pick up.
I see this section every-time I go there but, I never had the sense to look and see what was over there. Duh! Right? Please check your Earth Fare or Whole Food store for any magazines and such as this is usually the market we look to advertise with.
Next, I found a link to a great Internet Marketer’s , (well actually I am on her team, but she is still great) Jackie Ulmer and she wrote about goal setting. I think this post is a great post to get some of us off our butts and into the post office mailing off samples and contacting leads.
Here is a snippet:
1. Make a decision and then commit to yourself to spend ten minutes a day for the next 7 days setting goals. Grab a spiral notebook (don’t use anything fancy as it will just slow you down and force you into perfectionism!) Think of all areas of your life where you would like to set some goals – ie: personal development; business; family; health and fitness; etc.
2. As you work through this process each day, ask yourself – What would my goals be if time and money were not a consideration? What would my goals be if I knew I could not/would not fail?
3. Don’t hold back! Have fun and be creative and spontaneous. Each day, read the previous days goals and then move ahead with new or adjusted goals. Forget about anything but the fun of doing this exercise.
How do you feel as you set these goals? Do you feel inspired to take action in each area? Do you feel empowered, knowing what steps you can take daily to see the job through?
How will your life be different if you pursue this exercise for the next year, and take inspired action?
Click hereto read the rest of her post. I am so glad I am on her team with Mia Bella, she is truly great example to follow! Read around her blog and check out her website, she explains everything so simply!
Jarmelia Ladson
I am no longer being lead astray..
January 31, 2008 at 6:07 pm | In How do you do it?, Motivation | Leave a CommentHave you heard about Dani Johnson? Of course you have. I have as well. I also signed up to FREE to recieve emails and listen to her training calls, but then I deleted my account made a mistake when pushing buttons on the computer. I am so smart aren’t I?
But, I was guided right back to her after I went astray. I felt like the Prodigal Son, minus all the betrayal and such, just the being lead back part.
Dani Johnson is a great coach and speaker! If you need confidence or some direction. which am I sure you do, please go to her website and listen to her 1000s of FREE audio.
Did I mention it is all FREE? Get over to Dani Johnson, ASAP! Please, for your sake and mine.
Here is the link to this website and please do not cry when the page loads out of sheer enjoyment and feelings of thankfulness that you have found her. Yes, her website is that great if not greater. Go now: www.danijohnson.com
Jarmelia Ladson
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