If you’ve made the decision to become a professional network marketer, you may be asking yourself “now what do I do?”.  It could look overwhelming, but there are some things you can do to set yourself up for success when starting your network marketing business.

For starters, congratulations on your decision to build a business that provides flexibility, work-life balance and the opportunity to work from home, or wherever your travels may take you.  It’s an exciting time, but also a little frightening as you figure out how to make this work.  Below are several tips that should help you on your way to developing your business without losing who you are in the process:

Success Tips for Your First Few Weeks of Your Business

1. Make the decision. Yes, you may have decided to join a network marketing organization, but you need to now decide to WORK at building your business.  You’ve decided you wanted to BE an associate, now you need to decide if you want to DO the associate work.
2. Set up your home office for success! – Set aside a specific place where you can concentrate and build your business without the distraction of family members and friends. If this is your first time working from home, you may want to check out my blog post on tips for working from home. 
3. Make a business plan! Set goals.  If you’ve decided to make this opportunity full-time, or just part-time, setting goals will ensure you grow your business.
4. Don’t get bogged down with organizing your file folders– there is no need for you to create a fancy organizational system, or tag all your file folders with project names. The best thing you can do with your time in the beginning is to just START working the business.  Organize you business once you have a business to organize.
5. Manage your time – in the same way that you now have your own space, and your own business plan, you need to work the plan. Ensure you have set aside strategic time to tackle your plan.  Need more info on how to manage time?  Check out my blog post on The 5 Choices here.
6. Join the community – Your particular company likely has a great network of resources, mentors, and colleagues – make sure you tap into those resources and people (including your up-line if applicable)
7. Seek advice and counsel from those outside the industry – Given you’re reading this blog post, I’m hoping you’ve already bought into the value that comes with seeking counsel from outside of your company. Hearing perspectives through different filters and lenses will potentially give you a competitive edge in the marketplace.
8. Don’t lose sight of who you are! Often the excitement of a new business can be all-encompassing (hey, I’ve been there, and continue to be there when I start a new project), just don’t forget who you were before you joined.  Continue to fill your time with other activities that energize you, not just growing your business.
9. Don’t alienate friends and family – your family and friends loved you before you joined your new company and they will support you, but be careful not to swamp them with your new business. Here are some areas to watch for:
   1. Personal social media posts – don’t make it all about your business. Start separate social media accounts for “all business, all day every day”, and ensure you still update personal pages with things about YOU.
   2. Don’t pester about sales or recruitment – One of my favourite quotes is “Sometimes the people around you won’t understand your journey. They don’t need to.  Its not for them.”  This is a GREAT quote for people who start their own network marketing business.  Not everyone will understand your journey.
   3. In the same way, your friends and family are potentially on their OWN journey, and selling essential oils is not part of their journey. It doesn’t mean they are afraid to start their own business, or afraid to take risks.  It means they don’t want to sell essential oils.  Be respectful of that.
10. Be ok with setbacks – this is a new experience for you, there’s a learning curve ahead of you, be ok with disappointments and setbacks. Take each new success or setback as a way to learn for the next day.  Setbacks do not mean you’re not cut out for this, they simply mean there’s more to learn and implement.

By keeping the above tips in mind, you are well on your way to enjoying network marketing success!  Enjoy learning, enjoy growing and tending to your own business, and enjoy the great benefits that come with working from home!

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