How to jump start before your kit arrives?

[Shannon-n-la]

I'm very excited to get started on my home business. I'll be signing up with Slumber Parties this July (I've been told the kit goes on sale then). After I get my kit, I'd like to be able to go through it, plan out my presentation and so forth, then I'll be doing an Open House for all my friends and family. This is what I know I'll be doing. But what else can I do to get started, before I've gotten started?

I've thought about calling all my friends and having them to book parties mid July after my Open House. But I'm a little leary of doing that just yet since I don't know for sure when the kit arrives and I will need time to go over things.

What are some good things to do while I wait?

Shannon

[soylightvicki]

You could start out by creating a database of prospective customers. If you don't have a rolodex or a computer database program, get one set up. Put in the names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of anyone you can contact about your new business. This will give you a head start on your future customer mailing list.

You could draft a letter to the people you put in your prospective client database. Let people know you will be starting a new business, give your reasons why (need extra income, need to pay off bills, saving for Disney World, saving for a mission trip, etc.), and tell them to expect to hear from you within the next couple of months with more information.

Another tip is to look for the book
Build it Big, which is put out by the DSWA. Here is a link to their website: This should take you directly to the store section of their webpage. Their publications are worth every penny, and can really help you get started and help you as you continue on.

Don't forget to at least look into getting business cards. Business cards are a must as a marketing tool. You can hand them out so many places, so they are good to have and keep with you at all times. My favorite place to get cards is Vista Print at .

My last tip is to scour the internet for tips, advice, and ideas, and start saving the information either in your computer our a filing cabinet.

There is a ton of excellent information available out there to help you make your home party plan business a great success, and there's no reason you can't start looking right now, even though you haven't technically started yet. I think taking the time to do research and set some things up now will really pay off in the long run!

Take care, and good luck!

[Shannon-n-la]

I'm suppose to get business cards with my kit. So I'm waiting for that to worry about cards. And yes I've started putting together a list of intial people to contact.

I would assume that Slumber Parties has a software to keep up with information. If not I'll be looking into that very soon. I know with Pampered Chef they had a soft ware that did everything from keeping you organized to letting you know when the new hostess incentive came out. Slumber Parties doesn't have those type of hostess gifts its just at flat 10% of your sales. I think its just so that people can chose what it is they want, different strokes for different folks.

Ohhh I was thinking about my open house today and I thought it would be a really neat idea to serve aphrodisiacs for snacks! Chocolate covered strawberries and so forth. I'll have to do some research on others. But I thought it would be a cool thing to put a little note card by each item stating why its a aphrodisiac and the history. Just something cute!

Shannon

[soylightvicki]

Sorry - I forgot you had done Pampered Chef before! Hope my ideas weren't too "elementary level" for you!

Believe it or not, I have four people under me, and only one of them is bothering with business cards at the moment! I can't seem to convince the other ones that it's really important to have them. They don't want to invest the money to do it if their business isn't going to work out. I say you have to have business cards to give it a good try!

So that's why I said about the business cards, in case you were wondering! It sure seemed obvious to me that I'd need them, but I've found that not everyone thinks this way!

Hope my ideas helped you out even a little bit!

Take care!

[Shannon-n-la]

Oh no your business cards idea was great. If I didn't already know that my kit came with those I'd be working on a design right now.

I need to start a rough draft letter for friends and family! We have a family website for my husbands side and all my sisters know about my new venture.

I guess the reason I'm so excited about this company is I know I have lots of support. I've hosted the parties in the past and done great as a hostess. I know there is a great turn out on the parties. My sisters are happy I'm getting this started as well as my mom. I don't think you can get much more support than that. Not to mention my husband is on board with it also.

I'm axiously waiting for my income taxes to show up in my mail so I can call my sponcor and get started. I think while I have time this week I start going through a catalog I have and start memorizing it! HE HE HE

I've been at home now for 6 months with my son and while I love him to death I'm so needing something just for me. We also could really use the extra money to help pay some of his adoption bills. We'd like to adopt another soon as possible but with me staying at home its not going to be easy for us to do that. So this is why I decided to get into home parties. Plus I can't stand leaving him and going to work full time. Or even part time for that matter. I can do weekends, since I know he will be at home and asleep.

Well this got very long winded and off topic. LOL

Shannon

[soylightvicki]

Another quick tip for memorizing your product is to make flash cards for yourself. I haven't tried it yet, but it sounded fun!

A dear friend of mine is adopting from Guatemala. They have their referral for an adorable little guy named Eduardo. He was born in March. She is in that yucky waiting phase right now, going crazy till she can see him! She thinks that she and her husband will be able to go pick him up in November or so. I can't wait to meet him! She has wanted this for so long, I can hardly believe it's finally happening!

Take care, and good luck! Sounds like you will definitely have a great start with all that support around you.

[Shannon-n-la]

Nicholas is from S. Korea. I can't say enough about international adoption. We are so blessed beyond measure with our son. I hope your friend gets her travel call very soon. I so understand that waiting, its HORRIBLE. Be there for your friend as that was the hardest time for me. We also had tons of problems towards the end with our adoption. Completely out of the norm for Korean adoption, so I was beside myself with the waiting. We had a realitively short wait from referral till our travel call, 4 1/2 months. But at the same time Huricane Katrina just blew through our state, we were having paperwork problems, and I swear if something could happen to hold us up it did. Now that he is home it all feels like a distant dream. Nicholas has been home now for 6 months and its like he has always been here. Tell your friend to get some sleep, as she most likely won't get much after her son comes home.

Shannon