Another year of our Leader Led Be the Change Conference has come and gone and I now sit and reflect on the event. I love reflecting once it is over so that I can determine what I most want to take away from it for the upcoming year.
My favorite moments
Aside from my take aways, I have so many favorite moments. Mine often include my experience with the hotel property because for many years I also worked for that company and the time with them served me well. A few of my fave overall moments include:
The moment I walk in the front doors and feel like I’m at my home away from home.
Having staff members that know we are coming and are excited to see us arrive.
Walking in to my guest-room and taking in the familiar surrounding for a few moments.
Standing in the lobby bar area, waiting for others to come walking through those front doors that I get to spend the next couple of days with!
The hugs from friends, old and new.
The laughter. The reminiscing. The chatter about what is to come.
Playing JT’s song as we kick off the first moments of the meeting! Everyone standing, smiling, some even dancing!
Learning. We have so much to share and everyone is so willing to do so.
Our evening activity. This seems to get better and better with each year. We learn so much about one another and the bonds grow!
And finally, the heartfelt messages and comments from the attendees that also learned, were inspired, or made a new friend or two and are grateful for taking the time to come and invest in themselves!
Year 5!
This was our 5th year! For someone who wasn’t sure the first one would even be attended, this is very exciting! Each year we have a several from the previous year attend, along with a few new attendees too. So each year I personally get to see these precious people, and get to know new people too. I cherish this time with each of them.
What I learned this year
Every year I leave with a lot more knowledge and ideas than I came in with. This year was no exception! Our speakers were once again amazing. The details they shared will definitely help to incorporate some of the things I will do in my daily/weekly business. The mindset, breaking out of our comfort zones, trying new things…always good to work on this!
Learning about a Scent Club was awesome…the detail was incredible! So many attendees talking about starting or enhancing theirs! It can be game changing!
So much value given about Long Term Success.
It’s about the people
Though the training was incredible and I’m so grateful for it, as I reflect, my mind goes back to the people again.
The people make this business fun. The relationships keep me going if I’m having a rough day. The smiles, the love, the way we support and lift one another up. THAT is my favorite take away.
These are the faces that started off my year on the right foot! Precious Precious People. I’m ready to make 2022 a fabulous year!
Time flies when you are having fun! This week I celebrate 10 years that I have been a Pink Zebra Consultant! I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to express my love and gratitude for what the past 10 years have meant to me!
At first
Truth is, I really didn’t think much of direct sales. I joined because my best friend asked me to stop by the office and see what they were doing. I saw jars of Sprinkles and thought they smelled amazing. The only way to purchase was to either buy from a consultant or order a starter kit.
Obviously I did the kit because I wanted the discount!
I had no clue
I didn’t plan to do anything with it except buy for myself. I told some of my friends because I knew they liked home fragrance and candles. Some bought from me and a few even joined to get their own discount.
At that point I wasn’t taking it seriously or even thinking of a “future” with Pink Zebra.
What you talk about
Have you noticed that when you start talking about something you suddenly see more of it out there? Like a vehicle you may be interested, then you start mentioning it or considering it, then everywhere you look you see that brand of vehicle!!
Same thing happened. I suddenly started seeing things about direct sales, and careers with direct sales. Even these motivational speakers started appearing in my social media feed, talking about the opportunity that DS and MLM have.
So this got me curious.
Doing a little more
Just for the fun of it, I asked a friend of mine if she’d like to do a party. She said YES! (That was easier than I thought it would be. lol) I had over an $800 party that night and I was only ‘working’ for 2 hours! So technically I made $100 an hour. ($200 was my commission) Not bad!
Then I starting signing up to do small events at school and church festivals. It took a minute to get people to even look at us since we weren’t familiar, but once they did, they loved it!
At that point, I had decided to do at least one thing for my business every single day. To create a habit.
Things started rolling
After a while, things started rolling along and I was able to hit some goals that I had set. My first goal was to be able to pay the electric bill each month. I accomplished that.
The next goal was to be able to buy my husband a fishing boat that he had always wanted. It took a little while, but we did it!
Suddenly, I began to realize that THIS could be a career for me.
My Hotel Career
From the time I was 27 I had been in the Hotel/Resort profession. I loved my career and back in the beginning it had tons of perks. It was so fun actually. The hours were long, but it was ok because we had fun.
Over time everything became so competitive and suddenly my fun career turned in to a stressful one. Contract negotiation was more intense, hours were longer, and because there were so many new hotels always popping up, it because extremely aggressive.
I’ll never forget shortly after my son was born, I realized I wanted to do something different. Something more rewarding that didn’t have me necessarily working 60 hours a week, plus some nights and weekends. But had no idea what that would be.
Perfect timing
For me, once I began to realize the opportunity, the timing could not have been more perfect. Granted, I would have loved to have found direct sales years before, but now was ideal because the product is something I’m partial to as well. Home fragrance and decor is right up my alley.
So the fact that it’s a company that my friends have started, and it’s direct sales with a product I love, I decided to take a chance and go all in.
Better than expected
It’s true. This industry is far better than I could have imagined. There are SO many things I love about it. Just to name a few:
Flexibility. It’s MY schedule.
I’ve made so many great friends, both in customers and consultants.
I’m so proud of our products!
Being able to overcome the fear of public speaking, as well as speaking live on social media!
Learning to be a coach and being able to encourage others in their business!
LOVING Mondays. I used to dread Mondays. Now I love them because it’s the new start to my work week and I get so much accomplished.
Earning awards. I’m not super competitive, except with myself. So being able to earn awards with the company is fun and rewarding.
Traveling more than we ever have. I used to have to travel for business, but this has been more for fun. And to fabulous places. Duane and I have been to lots of fun destinations!
Incentive Trips. We get to earn a trip each year.
Having a Home Office that we can count on, that listens to us, that is constantly striving to come out with the products we need and want, and setting the standard high for us!
I know I’ve left out things. Like the fact that we make great commissions and once we build a team our opportunity to earn more just increases!
A year of lockdown
Another big bonus for us was that we were already set up to sell online, so during the lockdown last year, our business boomed. We have the opportunity to sell face to face, or online, so we were able to create growth and excel in a year where others weren’t so fortunate.
Now to celebrate
If anyone had told me I’d still be doing this in 10 years when I first got started, I would not have believed it. Probably only because I didn’t understand direct sales, nor did I ever take it seriously. But I’m so grateful I got wise and learned more about the potential it holds.
Now, I help provide for my family, have a business that we love (my entire family loves it!), and continue to learn new ways to work and grow this business.
As I reflect over the past 10 years, I’m SO grateful for all of it. And I’m very excited for where the next 10 years (and on) will take us!!
So celebrate with me! CHEERS TO 10 YEARS!
PS: I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that if you have any interest in starting your own business or side gig, message me! I promise there will be no pressure! But if you want to give it a whirl, I’d love to help you get started!
Today I have all the feels. Though I love what I do and appreciate my business all the time, there are days that it gives me a jolt. There are times when I have to pinch myself to see if it’s real and if I’m truly this fortunate. At this time in our world there is so much going wrong. I’m extremely aware and empathetic. So much so that I hesitate to share my post today, but know I need to.
Nearly NINE years ago I bought a kit and started what would turn out to be my own business. I had no idea that direct sales was really a business. I just thought it was a great way to get a discount on products that you loved to get all the time. After a couple of years in to it, I realized it was much bigger than I would have ever imagined.
Fast forward
Fast forward to now. I’m an Executive Director and working on promoting our team to a Presidential Director team (which is the top of the top!). My income surpassed what I was making in my hospitality career so I was able to resign from that in 2016. I’ve made an incredible amount of wonderful friends. My husband and I have gotten to travel more in the last several years than in our entire lives. It has afforded us choices that we didn’t have before. And on top of all of this, there are a lot of perks that come with my title!
In the event you have EVER thought about starting your own business, I’m here to tell you that Direct Sales is a GREAT option. There is no brick and mortar building and start up cost. No overhead. Only A very small start up kit price to get you going with everything you need. No inventory to have to hang on to unless you want to set up at events or like me, have a small stash to grab when I’m in a pinch and need something for a gift or give away! So basically, no risk. TONS of reward. All you have to do is apply yourself!
Perks
Perks I’ve earned along the way include a fantastic payday every month, custom made Pink Zebra Boots, a Paisley necklace and bracelet, a Pink Diamond tennis bracelet, a crown, free admission to our Reunion, the opportunity to lead at Rallies, to see the Catalog a week or so earlier than everyone (this is a fun perk at the Executive Director level!), an extra treat at our Reunion (2019 we got to take a private plane over the Grand Canyon!), and an upgrade at the reunion hotel when it’s available!
We also all have the opportunity to earn the Pink Sapphire Award, AND an incredible Incentive Trip each year! What I love is that EVERY consultant has the opportunity to do all of these things. Grit and determination, a good game plan, and knowing what your end goal is so that you will stay focused and on track will all help you achieve these things! And the best part is that if you just want to take a fabulous trip on someone else’s dime and you don’t care much about the rest, you can just focus on that part! It’s all up to you!
So fortunate
And finally, during a time like this when things are so upside down, we have been so fortunate that our Home Office has worked to keep our doors open and continue to serve our customers. We have consultants that are able to pay bills because of their Pink Zebra Business. So for that, I’m so grateful.
So thank you for letting me share a little shot of positive this week. I do know how blessed I am that my friends shared this business opportunity with me, and I’m SO thankful I took it. If there’s any inkling in you that wants to know more, I would love to have a conversation. No pressure at all, just so you have the information to make an informative decision.
If you are having a tough time now, know that our prayers are nonstop and we are ready for our country to get back on track. Love and peace,
Coming off of the Pink Zebra Rallies across the US and Canada this past Saturday, the energy is high and the excitement is off the charts. The best way I can describe what happened was just to say that we went back to our WHY and sharing our stories about HOW we got started. Sometimes our stories are more important than the newest product or newest sales technique, don’t you think? I sure do.
Just one of many. The Tyler TX Rally
Since the beginning of this year, I’ve heard the company sharing more stories with us about when and why they got started, along with sharing about lives that have been changed by this journey. Meaning us! The individuals that have started their own PZ Business!
Founders
At this particular Rally, our Founders shared a video with us that truly took us back to before they began. What I particularly loved about this was that I’ve personally known them a long time. Back to way before PZ was ever even a thought. So I say that to say that I KNEW them. I knew the kind of incredible people they are and the talent they have in the home fragrance industry. But what I love about that video is that now OTHERS can get to know them back to long before PZ. And that they have been doing candles and Home Fragrance for a LONG time. And their passion is stronger than ever. For the industry, for home fragrance, and even more so, for the people of Pink Zebra.
Me and Kel “way back when” 🙂
Stories
The Directors and above spent a couple of days at a ranch in Texas at the first of the year where we were off the grid. Literally! During that time we shared our stories with one another. It really breaks down barriers when you can learn about someones struggles or just where they come from. It also helps me remember why we shouldn’t judge one another.
Stand up!
So now, we are at this Rally on Saturday, and after hearing the Founders share their story, (along with a couple of others that shared), we ended with an exercise. It was the Stand Up for Someone exercise that is similar to one that Rachel Hollis does at her RISE Conference. Ours was geared toward our business rather than some real personal things that Rachel does, but it was still amazing. As the questions are read and more than half of the room stands up for the person that actually marked that box, you can’t help but get a bit of a lump in your throat. It really brings us to see that we aren’t alone. No matter how much we may think we are sometimes. We aren’t alone.
It just brings us all closer
Going forward
So now, as we go forward in this new year, my heart is in a good and grateful place. We are getting back to where we came from, where we were before our lives were changed because of this business, where we are now, and where we see ourselves going from here. I hope to learn more about you, the person reading this, as well. We all have a story and we are all important. AND we often have more in common than we realize. We struggle the same struggles often times. So let’s remember that and work on being kind to one another and standing up for each other more often.
At the first of each year I love to think about ways to celebrate and challenge one another. This particular year I already had a few fun challenges in place, so decided just to see what I could tweak a bit!
Do you have a team? Whether it’s a team of 2 or 2000, it’s always good to challenge and celebrate them! I’ve learned that some won’t participate, which is ok. Those that do are the ones I focus on and the ones I try to bring good energy for!
In my situation, I have three different groups that I focus on. One group consists of the team members that I personally sponsored in to the company. A second group is for those members along with their teams. Then I have a third group that consists of anyone within the PZ Family that needs and wants a home and a place to learn and communicate. So, for each group I have different challenges!
Personally Sponsored
In my Personally Sponsored group, I simply do a weekly shout-out. The key is to make it consistent and on the same day each week. I have found that now there are members of that group that LOOK for that post each week and do their best to be on it! I chose a shout out regarding Sales Volume, because after all, we are all in sales!
Building for Tomorrow
This group is for those of my team that also invite their team members to join. Here we do what I call the Beat the Executive Director Challenge. This is important because I’m challenging them to do what I already have done. I would not ask them to do something I’m not doing myself, so this challenge is great because they get to see exactly what I did the month before! A drawing is done with all of those that Beat the ED, and the winner gets a gift from me.
Along with the Beat the ED Challenge, we also have a Recruit One Challenge. Recruiting is so important in our industry, as building a team is where you begin to really see the income opportunity. So, it’s important to encourage recruiting and keeping it top-of-mind each month! Again, a drawing is done with all of those that Recruited at least one person, and the winner gets a gift from me!
This year, I’ve also added a Quick Start Challenge. Our Quick Start is something that PZ offers to get a new consultant off to a great start by earning what we call Pink Dollars. I’ve added this challenge so that the sponsor will encourage and train the new team member so that they have a great shot at hitting their Quick Start. The challenge is for anyone that hits QS1, they and their sponsor get their names in the drawing! A drawing is done with all that meet the challenge and the winner (in this case both the consultant and the sponsor) will get the prize!
Paisley’s Peeps
And finally our BIG group. Here is where I made the biggest change this year. We have our Top Ten to Beat each week so that we still focus on the importance of sales, and this also seems to really encourage others to see what kind of potential there is to hit!
Here I’ve added our “Who Inspires You?” challenge each week. I think I love this one the most. Consultants are encouraged to share who inspired them the most over the last week. It can be for anything. They had an amazing week in sales. They helped a neighbor get settled in to their new home. They volunteered their time at an animal rescue shelter. They are always upbeat and positive, even in the face of challenges. Anything!! The goal is to lift one another up! Then, at the end of the week, I’ll do a drawing of everyone that was mentioned and announce a winner. I’ve also decided to give a continued shout-out from time to time so we are sharing with the world how amazing people are every single day.
How about you?
So what kind of challenges do you do for your team? What kind of celebrating do you do with them? For me, I take such pleasure in these things because it gives me an opportunity to shine a light on others. I would love to hear ideas that you have or things that you’ve done! Let’s help spread this kindness and light. Goodness knows the world needs more of it!
Weddings. Just the thought of it makes me smile. The opportunity to create a beautiful setting where incredible memories are going to made. Little girls dream about theirs. Or maybe they dream about feeling like a Princess. Either way, having the beautiful setting is so important.
So many types!
I love that today there are so many types of weddings. We have traditional church weddings, destination weddings, small intimate weddings, outdoor weddings, and more. No matter where or what type of wedding though, it does seem like we always include a few key things. Flowers, Candles or Soft Lighting, and the Cake. These days, the Bride doesn’t always wear a big white wedding gown any longer, but the other three items are staples for just about every wedding.
Our wedding day!
I’ve done this before!
So, it’s no secret that I’ve been married more than once. (Actually, I’ve even been married TWICE to the same man). The second time around, I noticed that I didn’t focus nearly as much on some of the other things as I did keeping it simple and memorable for US. But I did have flowers, candles and a cake! Actually, our second wedding was a sweet intimate gathering with close friends and family outdoors. Click here to read about our most recent anniversary and a bit about our wedding.
Glimmer Candles
Why all this talk about weddings today? Because we have a new addition to our line at Pink Zebra! We can provide you with our classy Soft Amber Tinted Glass Glimmer Candle, and you can create the scent you want for your special day! Here are just a few photos of how you can decorate with some of our beautiful items from this Falls Catalog.
Tinted Glass Glimmer Candle (Glass Candle Stem Base not included)
Extra touches
And how about adding a few extra special touches? Our Cross Hang-its can be mixed in with some ribbon to tie on the chairs or be used in other areas as well. And what is so nice is that you can also use your favorite fragrance in our liquid version to spray on the Hang-its so that the entire room smells wonderful for your special day!
Here the Hang-it also has a sachet with Sprinkles to enhance the fragrance!
And finally, if you are looking for something very unusual to offer your guests as their take home gift, how about giving them a Candle Bar where they can create their own Candle creating their own fragrance to remember your special day! If you do not have a consultant with Pink Zebra and do have a big wedding coming up, let’s connect! I would love to help you make your day even more creative and memorable!
My 40’s were fantastic! Beginning to realize with some hard work and determination, good things can happen, and those bad things, well, time will pass and you will eventually be able to march on with your head held high. There’s not that sense of “drama” that we seem to have when we are younger. I liked that about my 40’s. THEN, just before my 50th birthday, I panicked. WHERE had the time gone? What next?? I was a mess. Thinking my life was on the downhill slide!!!
Funny thing about our minds and the thoughts we put in them. I was starting to think very negatively! But thank goodness, the week before I turned 50, I found some photographs of my parents in their 50’s and realized “they seemed so young!” “They were having a lot of fun!”. They both seemed to enjoy their jobs at that time more than ever. I remember mom even made a big career change! So I decided 50 was going to be FABULOUS. No more of this negative thinking. I wanted to be HAPPY and find that joy…after all, I had put in all of those years of some bad and lots of good, surely I could put what I learned to good use, right?
So now as I’m in my 50’s and I want to say to all of those who panic about getting older…it’s OK. In fact, it’s better than ok. Since being 50, I’ve learned that everything I went through all of those years before got me to where I am now. I realized that I learned lessons that I would never have learned had I not lived through some really rough times. I have more confidence and my faith is at an all time high. I know that I am capable of doing what ever I put my mind to…and guess what, if I fail? It’s OK! I can pick up, dust off and do it again. I can laugh at myself now. I can take risks that I never had the courage to do before. I have learned that it’s OK to say NO. People are still going to like me. It’s also good to say YES. To go have fun. To travel more. We can’t take it with us, so get out there and see things!
I’m fortunate to still have my parents, and they live just a few minutes away. I admire them and how they enjoy life. They PLAN, and they DO. They have positive attitudes and talk to everyone they meet. My dad is 83 and my mom isn’t far from 80 (though I swear being around them I feel like they are so much younger than that!). So for me, I see the future as the BEST IS YET TO COME. Lots of memories to make, and quite the journey to continue on. We don’t know how long we have, so invest in your relationships and ENJOY your life! Continue to have a good work ethic! We have much to offer…so we can find what we are passionate about and jump in with both feet!
Celebrate each day! And one of my favorite sayings…”do what you love and love what you do!”
Reflection Friday again! I always use Fridays to Reflect. And this one did not disappoint!! What an incredible week! To learn, be motivated, and then to have the opportunity to let it all sink in and see how and where it will work in my life (along with some great R&R) was just awesome. So thankful for my BFF to be willing and able to come with me on the journey made it that much more special.
If you don’t take the time to reflect, I highly recommend that you do. It’s amazing what you remember when you really recall the week with intention. Makes me that much more appreciative of all of it! Even the not so great things are good to reflect on (like how upset I got at the lady who made me remove 1/2 pound from my suitcase because she was not going to give me a break on the scale!), helps to realize how much time I may have wasted on being upset, when I should not have been at all. She was doing her job. Then I go right back and continue thinking of the good that came from the week. So many thoughtful moments. And so many things that I can apply to my business and my team!
Reflecting also gets me in the mindset for what I have coming up, and how I can intentionally make a difference. It gives me insights on ways I can share my experiences in hopes of helping those around me. In our business we struggle from time to time, and we learned some tools to be sure to stay on track and keep focused, instead of giving in to the struggle. From this, I truly pray to be able to share and inspire those that I work with and around. We have an amazing company in Pink Zebra Home, and to remain in the right mindset is so important so that we continue progressing in to good things!
More will come of this adventure in the coming weeks and months. The story continues for each and every one of us each day of our lives. I just encourage you to stop and choose a time for reflection so that you can truly take it all in and remember the valuable teaching moments, as well as those moments that just make you give a gentle sigh of happiness and contentment. Some weeks will be full of adventure, while others will be slight repetition. Some even chaotic and upsetting. But reflect. Think about where you are and what you can take from it. It will serve you well.
Be on the look out! On October 7th, Pink Zebra Home heads to Canada! Our official LAUNCH DATE! Want to learn more? Want to earn some extra income? Want to get in on ground floor for CANADA?!
Pink Zebra Home is my full time gig. I love it! I quit my corporate job in 2016! I have the biggest team in the company and I love training those interested in learning about the business! We can grow together as Canada TAKES OFF! PZ will technically be a ground floor opportunity in Canada, so you do not want to wait!
PZ comes to Canada!
Once we have launched on October 7th, don’t hesitate to JOIN! Timing is perfect! Our Fall/Holiday catalog recently launched and it is awesome!
Contact me! Or go to JOIN NOW on October 7th and get started! Let’s do this!
Hard to believe it but it has come and gone! In February it was announced who won the incentive trip for this year, and all of us that earned it went last week and are back home! Our trip was announced at our Family Reunion (Conference) last July that we would be working on earning a 5 day trip to Panama! Staying at a beautiful Dreams Resort on the beach. So, from the moment it is announced, many of us that were excited to be going, began working on making this happen!
After Duane and I earned it last year for Costa Rica, it is a goal not to miss another incentive trip if we can help it! They are so much fun, and who wouldn’t want an all expense paid vacation??!!
They fly us out and pick us up at the airport in Panama, then on to the hotel. All inclusive of course! A welcome reception the first night, then off on a magnificent excursion the following day! We went to visit an indigenous tribe called the Embera where we had to go by boat to get to where they live. Extraordinary experience. So many things were wonderful about it, but my favorite moment was having the children gather around wanting to see peoples cameras and photos of themselves. So precious!
The children go to school there, in a small school building they have. They live in huts that are off of the ground quite a few feet to keep them away from bugs and other critters at night. They wear colorful garments and the women weave baskets and sell them to the guests that come through to see their village. They are very hospitable, but speak their own language so communication was made easier by our tour guide who just so happens to be married to a gentleman of the tribe. Because they are married, and she is not of the Embera people, they can’t live there, so they come in on the weekends and with the tour groups to be with family.
We left the same way we came, which was by canoe like boats where they carved out trees to make the boats. It takes well over 30 minutes to get to where they live.
This was a fun day! After we left the Embera Tribe, we took the buses to the Panama Canal and got lucky enough to see 2 cruise ships actually going through the locks! Very cool.
The rest of the trip was ongoing fun! Fishing, swimming, hanging out with people we don’t get to see often. Many of them were fairly new to Pink Zebra or at least on their first incentive trip! Tons of photos were taken. Lots of great memories created! We now wait anxiously to hear where 2018 will be taking us! We’ll find out at our next reunion at the end of July! Can’t wait!
If you’ve ever wanted to earn a free vacation, this is the way to do it! Click here to join our team!
