Home Improvement Tips for the Single Mother (entrepreneur listings)
No commentsBy Ollie Donovan
When I bought my house nine years ago, my son was about to turn three and I reveled in the security of owning my slice of the American dream. Being a single mom was (and is!) both challenging and rewarding, but I knew that having a house to call my own was the best thing that ever happened to my son and me.
My house was ten years old when I bought it, and it was in excellent condition. Still, as time passed, a variety of issues cropped up. I think my way of handling (or not handling) home improvements is fairly typical for single women who own their own homes. Hopefully, my experiences will help you navigate the waters of home improvement. Here’s what I’ve learned:
1. You can go places with a good book and a toolbox. The Christmas of the year I moved in, my sister and brother-in-law gave me a toolbox filled with the basics: screwdrivers, wrenches, a hammer, nails, nuts and bolts, and so forth. They also gave me a book on basic home repairs. Their gift literally provided me with the tools I needed, but it also gave me confidence that I could tackle minor home improvement projects. My advice: invest in some tools and use a book or online sources to guide you through the routine maintenance that your house requires.
2. Ask for advice. As a single woman who is now 49 years old and has limited knowledge of more complex home improvement issues, I’m always afraid that I’ll be taken advantage by a repair company. When my air conditioner conked out on a 100-plus degree day, for example, I had no way of knowing if I really needed a new unit. I’ve learned to call on neighbors, family members, and friends - whose collective knowledge exceeds mine - to get their impressions. They’ve steered me in the right direction on a number of occasions.
3. Keep tabs on the neighbors. All of the houses in my immediate vicinity were built by the same builder at roughly the same time. Getting to know my neighbors and talking to them about home improvement has helped me get a sense of what to plan for. For example, two years ago I began to see that the houses around me were starting to get new roofs. Although I didn’t have a leaky roof, a few months ago I decided to re-roof. I wanted to be proactive so I didn’t get stuck with the expense of drywall repairs in addition to the cost of a new roof.
4. Ask for referrals, and then check them yourself. Through my neighbors’ referrals, I’ve been able to find a superb roofer, an impeccable exterior house painter, and a terrific tile guy. But I don’t just rely on their word. I always - repeat, always - check with my state’s contractor licensing board to verify their licenses and with the Better Business Bureau to check on past complaints. I get all estimates in writing, and ask for proof of insurance.
5. Don’t put your head in the sand. There has been more than one occasion when I’ve chosen not to deal with a home improvement issue, and I’ve always regretted it. I knew, for example, that the exterior of my fireplace had some dry rot. Unfortunately, by letting it go for so long it cost me much more than if I would have dealt with it immediately.
6. Make a list. This last bit of advice is basic, but critical. Start and keep a home improvement list. As a single mom, it’s all too easy to get caught up in the hectic pace of daily life and let routine home maintenance fall by the wayside. I divide my home improvement list into three sections: one for items that need attention in the next three months; one for home improvement projects for the coming year; and one that maps out what I want to accomplish with the house over the next five years. The short- and medium-term lists keep me motivated, while my long-term list helps me save the money needed for the big-ticket items.
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Power Of UNSTOPPABLE Momentum
By Pawan KKumar
So how do you sponsor 30 people in the next 30 days? I would say it’s easy to do, but I would be lying. It’s going to take a lot of hard work, focus, and discipline for the next month. I’m going to break the process down into 5 steps:
1. You need to have more people to talk to than you have time. Look, we’ve all tried to sponsor people before off of a list of 30 people, only to be done talking to everyone in 2 days with one or no recruits. If you don’t have a MASSIVE contact list, you need to learn how to create one. The best way to create a massive database of hungry prospects is to learn the principles behind attraction marketing and get to work. You’ve GOT to have a list. The power to create momentum is in the list.
2. You need to learn to ask questions and close prospects to making a decision. Look, we’ve all heard the pitch before that ‘you don’t need to close anyone, just share…’ and how far did it get you? We are in the ‘direct sales’ industry, not the ‘direct sharing’ profession. Leaders know how to lead prospects to a decision that’s best for them through the use of questions. It’s easy to close prospects if you got them through attraction marketing, you just have to get on the phone and take action, which brings us to my final point.
3. The FIRST thing you need to do if you want to create UNSTOPPABLE momentum in your MLM business is to clarify your goals. There is no one I know who is a six or seven figure earner in Network Marketing who doesn’t have a crystal clear vision, with an EXACT action plan on how to get there. You need to be so clear on what you want that if you woke up at 4am with someone shaking you saying ‘what’s your goal’ you would immediately respond. Clear vision is the number one distinction between leaders and followers.
4. You need to have passion. PASSION, or ‘passionation’ as my friend Michael Clouse likes to say, is the hidden key behind the top recruiters in the MLM profession. Quite frankly, it’s hard to have passion if you’re not completely dedicated to your vision, but if you have a vision that get’s you so revved up with excitement that you can hardly sleep, then passion will automatically follow. Check your pulse. Understand WHY you’re doing what you’re doing, and then take ACTION. Passion will follow.
5. You need to TAKE MASSIVE ACTION if you want to create UNSTOPPABLE MOMENTUM in your MLM business. There’s no way around it. You are going to have to work hard. The payoff is huge, but you’ve got to stick with it, keep your vision in front of you, and get to work.
That’s all for today everyone! Take action right now by checking your resources. Do you have your vision crystal clear? Do you have a huge list of contacts? Do you know how to close? Are you taking massive, daily action? Find out where you’re weak and focus on that area until you’re a MASTER, and I’ll see you at the top.
I’m going to keep this article short, on topic, and extremely helpful. I want to cover some basic, quick ideas that will immediately help you gain momentum in your MLM business if you apply them today. Basically, I was inspired to write this article by a friend of mine, Dave Vass. In case you don’t know Dave, he is a leader in the MLM profession who is a top income earner in 2 different companies. Recently, I did an interview with Mr. Vass where he reminded me of the importance of creating massive, unstoppable momentum when you’re getting started in your MLM business.
The basic concept that drives this idea is simple. It is EASIER to build a business if you work like crazy when you’re first starting than it is to prosper in a company if you take forever to get it going. By applying some simple mindset strategies, you can accelerate your business growth by 100 times or more. So what we’re going to do, is instead of sponsoring 1 or 2 people per month for a year, we’re going to sponsor 20-30 people over the next 30 days.
Something magical happens when you bring in a lot of distributors to your MLM program fast. Instead of whining about everything, people get to work, and they work HARD competing against each other. It creates a kind of team synergy that just never happens without real MOMENTUM. People get excited. They become fearful that if they don’t act now, they’ll never have an opportunity like they have now again for the rest of their lives.
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