Business Mamas Diploma of Business - Assessing what NOT to do

It's time for another update on the Business Mamas Diploma of Business course I'm currently undertaking and it's assessment time. As I'm nearing the end of the first unit of the course, "Go Mama", I reflect on the journey so far and how much more organised I've become as a result of the course.

One of the best things this unit has taught me is identifying what NOT to do and what I should be doing instead. For example:

• focus on one day at a time instead of looking further down the track, wondering how I will get everything done;
• breaking up larger 'projects' into simple step-by-step tasks, putting them on my to do list and checking them off as I go instead of putting the entire project on the to do list and not accomplishing any of it;
• if I get sick (which I was for nearly the last 6 weeks), get through the simple, easy to do jobs on the list, check them off and carry forward those tasks which can wait instead of not doing anything;
• identify my 'peak' times, ie when I do my best work (9am until 2pm and 9pm until 11pm) and save the more demanding tasks for those times instead of trying to focus on these tasks at say after school time when it's most hectic;
• always, always, always plan meal times, whether that be a weekly meal plan or planning the next night's meal the night before, instead of scurrying around an hour before dinner time wondering what we'll eat;
• ensure I schedule in 'me' time, as hard as that is, and make it something worthwhile instead of making myself an afterthought;
• find a system and any online apps that work for me, ie daily work plan and month-at-a-glance calendar, Google Calendar to keep track of tasks to do, appointments, scheduling in 'me' time etc instead of 'winging' it or double booking myself which results in having to work unnecessarily twice as hard; and
• if you don't get everything on your 'to do' list checked off, it's not the end of the world instead of feeling like a failure and feeling like it's the end of the world, which happened a lot to me in the past.

Based on the daily Work Plan provided by Business Mamas (above), with a few adjustments, I've learnt to complete this plan every night with the next day's tasks, projects and inspiration mapped out for me. There are so many templates, stationery or even using a notebook to write your daily plan. I also found some great online time management and organising apps here. Life is too short to spend all your time worrying about what needs to be done when, with a few simple tools, you can remain on track, keep your head clear of mundane thoughts, remain focused and create the life you really want for yourself.

The Go Mama unit has been a great opportunity for personal reflection at this stage in my life when, say after having children, I lost my sense of self and who I really am as a person and a woman. Since becoming a Mum, that's all I was, a caretaker and nurturer for my children, something that was lacking for me. Doing this course has rekindled a love for all the things that I used to do and the lifestyle I loved to live before having children, for example being organised, sewing, cooking, reading, listening to music, exercising and taking time out to pamper myself.

I'm nearly finished the assessment and can't wait to submit it and get started on the next unit, Paving the Road to Success and well on the road to creating my own successful business, doing what I love and having it all. Stay tuned for the next update and thank you for accompanying me on this journey.

You can read my previous posts here.

Take the first step to live happy, work happy, be happy! Contact Business Mamas today and the Business Mamas team will be in touch with more information.

Business Mamas is an accredited online business school designed to help you launch your new business. Whether it be launching a micro business for extra cash or starting the next big business sensation, it’s all about you and your goals!

Connect: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Disclaimer:  In return for monthly blog posts for a 12 month period, Business Mamas have waived all course fees associated with the Diploma of Business. All thoughts, photos and opinions are my own. 

Business Mamas Diploma of Business - Staying inspired

Well, I'm two months into my Business Mamas Diploma of Business and there's nothing like a couple of hurdles to jump in your every day life to throw you off track. I needed all the help I could to remind me to keep motivated and stay inspired. Lucky the content of the Business Mamas course is motivating and inspirational. It makes you want to stay on track.

There's also nothing like a winter cold to go through the house to set you back a couple of weeks. First it was my son, then me and as I was nearing the end of it, my daughter came down with the same annoying coughing bug. It was a good three weeks I lost and got totally off track with my studies. Needless to say, during that three week period, all of my daily chores all took a back seat so I've been in catch up mode since. It's all about staying motivated to complete the course and good organisational skills to keep you on track.

I like to think of myself as a pretty organised person but with a couple of set backs I soon found I had a lot on my plate. I find my daily to do list is a great tool to remind me of what's on for the day. Taking out 10 minutes just before I go to bed and checking my calendar, I can see what I've got on for the next day and I prioritise my workload for the day. I've learnt to write everything down. It's so easy to forget something that you had planned. Even if it's a phone call you need to make, an appointment, helping out at the kid's school or scheduling in your laundry, baking, grocery shopping, coffee with the girls, getting dinner on, it's all important to help you schedule study time. Don't forget to schedule in breaks during your studies, even if it's 15 minutes. You can achieve so much in that little amount of time. Tidy a drawer, wipe down the fridge while you're boiling the kettle for a cuppa, check your Inbox, put a load of washing on, take a walk around the block. If it's written down and you can check it off, you really feel like you're accomplishing all that's on your To Do list.

I started off the first unit of study, Go Mama with a bang and the first study module, Ms Happy was the perfect opportunity to look deep inside myself. Having gone through a lot in the last 3 years with the loss of my mother and my marriage break up, I'd forgotten just what makes me happy, like really happy. This was a fantastic exercise because if you find out what truly makes you happy you can apply that to the type of business you'd like to create. They say "if you do a job you really love, you'll never work a day in your life" or something like that.

The next unit of study, Inspire Me was like a smack in the face with a wet fish for me. It truly was inspirational to watch the webinars from truly inspirational women who started out with a dream and made it happen. It made me want to start my business, like yesterday, and put some action into place. Such perfect timing when I found it hard to get back into it after dealing with illness and a back load of housework. 

The next step is working on Have Your Cake And Eat It Too, then the assignment for this study module, a complete review of the subjects that I have already covered. I can't wait to get my 'teeth into it' and recap on what has been a great start to my Diploma of Business journey. Stay tuned for my next update next month.

You can check out my previous post, Getting Started here.

Take the first step to live happy, work happy, be happy! Contact Business Mamas today and the Business Mamas team will be in touch with more information.

Business Mamas is an accredited online business school designed to help you launch your new business. Whether it be launching a micro business for extra cash or starting the next big business sensation, it’s all about you and your goals!

Connect: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Disclaimer:  In return for monthly blog posts for a 12 month period, Business Mamas have waived all course fees associated with the Diploma of Business. All thoughts, photos and opinions are my own. 

Business Mamas Diploma of Business - Getting started

There have been many times in my life where I've reached the 'crossroads'. Sometimes I've taken the right path and many times, I took the wrong path. I'm very happy with my lot in life at the moment but there's something missing. Before I had my children, I was a worker. I worked all my life since I left high school. I took great pride in my jobs, loved going off to work, loved the socialising and more importantly loved the pay packet at the end of the week. Since the children, I haven't had that. I haven't missed it really but that job satisfaction I crave. Don't get me wrong. I'm busy. I've never been more busy since I had children but let's just say the pay's not that good. My children are my priority in life and will be for some time but how can I 'have it all'? I can I firstly decide what it is I want to do and then create that 'work/family' balance?

I've been given the most amazing opportunity to study a Diploma of Business, online through Business Mamas, an online business school designed to help you launch your business. Whether it be launching a micro business for extra cash or starting the next big business sensation, it's all about you and your goals.

Business Mamas is specifically designed with the stay at home mum in mind. Created by mums, for mums, the program is designed to help you develop a business idea from a concept through to the launching stage. Business Mamas is fully accredited to deliver the Diploma of Business (BSB50207) across Australia.

Right from the initial consultation with a Business Mamas' representative I just knew this is what I needed right at this moment in my life. I prepared my work space, ready for online study and was assigned a business 'angel' who went through the student log in process and is available at all times for any questions I might have.

I've reached another 'crossroads'. My children are now 10 and 8. Soon they will be at high school and then leaving home. I've always had so many business ideas but always had faith 'working for the man' was the better option. What a perfect opportunity for me to now discover all about having my own business that will fit around my family's life. From the first couple of units I've already done of the Business Mamas Diploma of Business course, I'm on a voyage of self discovery, identifying what my strengths and weaknesses are and how I can improve, how I can hone in on the skills I already have, how I can apply that to running my business and all in the comfort of my own home still while ferrying the kids to and from school, being involved in their busy lives and being a stay at home mum.

Stay with me over the next 12 months while I share all about my study adventures and my journey of self discovery. What that business is I'm just not sure yet but have a couple of things in mind. 

Take the first step to live happy, work happy, be happy! Contact Business Mamas today and the Business Mamas team will be in touch with more information.

Business Mamas is an accredited online business school designed to help you launch your new business. Whether it be launching a micro business for extra cash or starting the next big business sensation, it’s all about you and your goals!

Connect: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Disclaimer:  In return for monthly blog posts for a 12 month period, Business Mamas have waived all course fees associated with the Diploma of Business. All thoughts, photos and opinions are my own.

5 things to consider before doing Party Plan

Party Plan was all the rage when I was a young girl back in the 1960s and 1970s. I remember my Mum hosting a few parties and being invited to some in the neighbourhood. I absolutely loved it when she hosted a party. The food was always so good. Special party food. When I grew up, I started being invited to many parties too. It could've been homewares, jewellery, perfume, candles, just about anything. I always loved the social aspect of it too, especially since I became a stay at home Mum and found this was a great way to get out of the house and mingle with adults.

At every single party I ever went to, I always thought "I could do this". I could demonstrate these products in this type of social setting. I've never been afraid of public speaking or standing in front of a crowd and talking about things I liked. Such an opportunity presented itself to me at the end of 2014 when I was tossing up what I was going to do to support my children. Trouble is, there is quite a lot more to it then just getting up in front of a crowd and talking about products as I found out. Here are five things to consider before signing up to be a Party Plan consultant.

1. You are a salesperson

The particular product I was demonstrating really resonated with me. I love homewares and protecting the environment. What I was selling ticked all my boxes. The only thing was, not everyone was in love with the product as much as I was. As well as not getting off to a great start with party bookings, I discovered I had to 'cold call' prospective clients, bring up my sales 'spiel' in conversations with complete strangers, consider expos or events to drum up new clientele or just hit up family and friends to book a party. A salesperson I am not. You'll find most products being sold via party plan sell themselves but it's getting your foot in the door is the hardest part. Unless you have that 'sales' streak, party plan is definitely not for you.

2. Most people are time poor

Back in the 60s and 70s, or even up to 20 or 30 years ago, there were a lot more stay at home mums around who were craving to get together with other Mums to socialise and hear about products that ordinarily weren't available in shops. These days the majority of 'mums' are out there working and the last thing they want to do is organise a get together with other mums after a hard day's work. Their weekend time is just as precious, spending it with their partners and families. You might just be lucky enough to find a group of people who do still love this type of social event but my group of friends are all very busy. The last thing I wanted to do was hassle them to organise a party.

source

3. Party Plan companies develop a 'culture'

There's nothing better than feeling like you belong to a group of like minded people who are so positive, all the time. I found that sales leaders and their 'upline' are all very positive people who, at the end of the day, want you do to well because they will do well. There is a definite culture amongst these companies that promote rewards, bonuses, extra help and training to help you to succeed but at the end of the day, they will do well if you do well so they 'train' you to succeed. If you aren't a salesperson or you are finding it difficult to book parties, and if party plan isn't your 'thing', no amount of training will help you fit into this culture and do well.

source

4. You have to sell a lot to earn the rewards

Every month, the party plan companies promote special monthly incentives or end of year overseas trips, for example. Some of them are quite good but really, you have to sell a lot, you have to have a lot of parties booked and so many other conditions. Refer to points 1 and 2 above. It's hard work and if you haven't got it in you to really 'push' your product, you aren't going to realistically achieve these rewards.

5. Beware of underlying costs

You'll find the company will promote 'free to join' as a consultant at various times of the year. You only might need to pay postage to get your 'starter' kit. Little do they tell you that's it's really only the basics that they provide you with. If you want to sell the whole range, you have to buy it or receive it as a reward as mentioned in point 4 above. There will always be monthly specials brochures, order pads, clipboards, tablecloths, prizes to give out at parties, hostess rewards and gifts, petrol to and from parties etc etc. It would take a good couple of months before you started seeing any real monetary rewards if you factor in all these hidden costs.

I gave it a crack. I was good at getting up in front of the crowd. I proved that to myself but a salesperson I am not. There are those type of people who do have the 'gift of the gab' and good on them. It's a real craft but I'll stay on the other side of the room and continue to go to these parties, if I get invited. Hell knows, I still love to get out of the house and socialise with other adults.

5 things to consider before doing Party Plan

Party Plan was all the rage when I was a young girl back in the 1960s and 1970s. I remember my Mum hosting a few parties and being invited to some in the neighbourhood. I absolutely loved it when she hosted a party. The food was always so good. Special party food. When I grew up, I started being invited to many parties too. It could’ve been homewares, jewellery, perfume, candles, just about anything. I always loved the social aspect of it too, especially since I became a stay at home Mum and found this was a great way to get out of the house and mingle with adults.

At every single party I ever went to, I always thought “I could do this”. I could demonstrate these products in this type of social setting. I’ve never been afraid of public speaking or standing in front of a crowd and talking about things I liked. Such an opportunity presented itself to me at the end of 2014 when I was tossing up what I was going to do to support my children. Trouble is, there is quite a lot more to it then just getting up in front of a crowd and talking about products as I found out. Here are five things to consider before signing up to be a Party Plan consultant.

1. You are a salesperson

The particular product I was demonstrating really resonated with me. I love homewares and protecting the environment. What I was selling ticked all my boxes. The only thing was, not everyone was in love with the product as much as I was. As well as not getting off to a great start with party bookings, I discovered I had to ‘cold call’ prospective clients, bring up my sales ‘spiel’ in conversations with complete strangers, consider expos or events to drum up new clientele or just hit up family and friends to book a party. A salesperson I am not. You’ll find most products being sold via party plan sell themselves but it’s getting your foot in the door is the hardest part. Unless you have that ‘sales’ streak, party plan is definitely not for you.

2. Most people are time poor

Back in the 60s and 70s, or even up to 20 or 30 years ago, there were a lot more stay at home mums around who were craving to get together with other Mums to socialise and hear about products that ordinarily weren’t available in shops. These days the majority of ‘mums’ are out there working and the last thing they want to do is organise a get together with other mums after a hard day’s work. Their weekend time is just as precious, spending it with their partners and families. You might just be lucky enough to find a group of people who do still love this type of social event but my group of friends are all very busy. The last thing I wanted to do was hassle them to organise a party.

source

3. Party Plan companies develop a ‘culture’

There’s nothing better than feeling like you belong to a group of like minded people who are so positive, all the time. I found that sales leaders and their ‘upline’ are all very positive people who, at the end of the day, want you do to well because they will do well. There is a definite culture amongst these companies that promote rewards, bonuses, extra help and training to help you to succeed but at the end of the day, they will do well if you do well so they ‘train’ you to succeed. If you aren’t a salesperson or you are finding it difficult to book parties, and if party plan isn’t your ‘thing’, no amount of training will help you fit into this culture and do well.

source

4. You have to sell a lot to earn the rewards

Every month, the party plan companies promote special monthly incentives or end of year overseas trips, for example. Some of them are quite good but really, you have to sell a lot, you have to have a lot of parties booked and so many other conditions. Refer to points 1 and 2 above. It’s hard work and if you haven’t got it in you to really ‘push’ your product, you aren’t going to realistically achieve these rewards.

5. Beware of underlying costs

You’ll find the company will promote ‘free to join’ as a consultant at various times of the year. You only might need to pay postage to get your ‘starter’ kit. Little do they tell you that’s it’s really only the basics that they provide you with. If you want to sell the whole range, you have to buy it or receive it as a reward as mentioned in point 4 above. There will always be monthly specials brochures, order pads, clipboards, tablecloths, prizes to give out at parties, hostess rewards and gifts, petrol to and from parties etc etc. It would take a good couple of months before you started seeing any real monetary rewards if you factor in all these hidden costs.

I gave it a crack. I was good at getting up in front of the crowd. I proved that to myself but a salesperson I am not. There are those type of people who do have the ‘gift of the gab’ and good on them. It’s a real craft but I’ll stay on the other side of the room and continue to go to these parties, if I get invited. Hell knows, I still love to get out of the house and socialise with other adults.

When you 'have' to get a job

source

There hasn't been a single time in all my life when I've been told I 'have' to get a job. I started work at the end of year 11 as an office junior (one year short of finishing high school for good). It was supposed to be a school vacation stint of about 6 weeks and then I was returning to finish my senior year and then onto university to be a Physical Education teacher.

source

The school holiday job was then offered to me permanently and the rest is history. I stayed at this company for about 6 years which then took me into my early 20's. By then computers were the 'next big thing' and I thought I'd like a career working with them. I had enough money in savings to take a bit of time off work to look for that 'just right' job. I had a ball. Went on a few holidays, checked the paper every day and then a fantastic job came up as a Systems Operator looking after a mainframe computer system, with training provided, for a major US mining company.



source

I stayed there for a few years until the armed services was calling my name and I wanted to join the Australian Air Force. Unfortunately (or fortunately, whichever way you look at it) I followed my heart and finished up in regional NSW with a boyfriend in the Army. I eventually made my way back to Brisbane about 5 years later and a 6 year career in contract administration for an air conditioning company followed.

source

Finished up there to travel around the US for 6 months and when I returned I thought about getting into hospitality because I loved food, restaurants etc. I was just about to sign up for a hospitality course when an employment agency I had registered with phoned with a 3 month job offer. Christmas was approaching and I thought the money would be good. That turned into a 6 year stint in the Queensland Government. I then met my (now ex) husband, had the children, took maternity leave and just never went back.

I have had a couple evening jobs since having the children so I could be home with them during the day but that soon took its toll especially when my little boy was young. He was quite a handful. Here in Australia our Federal Government has a lovely department called "Centrelink". It is Australia's answer to a welfare service for the unemployed. Since becoming a single parent in January 2012, I have been very lucky to receive a pension every fortnight from the government. Its not very much but its been enough for me to pay a share of the mortgage, pay the bills and live within my means.

This lovely government then introduced that if you are a single parent and your youngest child turns 6 years of age (which mine did in November last year) you HAVE to either work or study for 15 hours a week or the government will take that pension away from you. So what does a 49 year old woman with two primary school aged children do? Someone who thought they had finished any thought of a career. Someone who thought they would be home raising their children for the rest of their life (except for maybe a small part time job or volunteer services). I can't volunteer for another 6 years. Even if I want to study, what do I study?

So many questions and so overwhelming. I've been looking online. I've gone to TAFE (Tertiary and Further Education). Found out about University degrees. Who's going to hire a 55+ University graduate over an early 20 year old graduate? So many questions.

I did, however, get told about an online program called My Future which has been absolutely fantastic. (I found out all these things on my own too. Centrelink were no help whatsoever.) I've only just touched on the surface but you can search for a career and find out just about everything there is to know about it.

Take a Music Teacher for example. The above shows just what sort of information is available on being a Music Teacher. You can also create a profile on what sort of things you like doing, which I haven't done yet but it is supposed to create a lot of different job descriptions and how to go about getting that job. Failing that, I can clean people houses I guess!

www.myfuture.edu.au

Disclaimer:  This isn't a sponsored post.  I wanted to share this information so other people in a similar situation as myself might like to look at this instead of just jumping into any old job just because you 'have' to. You're worth more than that no matter what age you are or what educational background you've had. Anything is possible!

When you 'have' to get a job

source

There hasn’t been a single time in all my life when I’ve been told I ‘have’ to get a job. I started work at the end of year 11 as an office junior (one year short of finishing high school for good). It was supposed to be a school vacation stint of about 6 weeks and then I was returning to finish my senior year and then onto university to be a Physical Education teacher.

source

The school holiday job was then offered to me permanently and the rest is history. I stayed at this company for about 6 years which then took me into my early 20’s. By then computers were the ‘next big thing’ and I thought I’d like a career working with them. I had enough money in savings to take a bit of time off work to look for that ‘just right’ job. I had a ball. Went on a few holidays, checked the paper every day and then a fantastic job came up as a Systems Operator looking after a mainframe computer system, with training provided, for a major US mining company.



source

I stayed there for a few years until the armed services was calling my name and I wanted to join the Australian Air Force. Unfortunately (or fortunately, whichever way you look at it) I followed my heart and finished up in regional NSW with a boyfriend in the Army. I eventually made my way back to Brisbane about 5 years later and a 6 year career in contract administration for an air conditioning company followed.

source

Finished up there to travel around the US for 6 months and when I returned I thought about getting into hospitality because I loved food, restaurants etc. I was just about to sign up for a hospitality course when an employment agency I had registered with phoned with a 3 month job offer. Christmas was approaching and I thought the money would be good. That turned into a 6 year stint in the Queensland Government. I then met my (now ex) husband, had the children, took maternity leave and just never went back.

I have had a couple evening jobs since having the children so I could be home with them during the day but that soon took its toll especially when my little boy was young. He was quite a handful. Here in Australia our Federal Government has a lovely department called “Centrelink”. It is Australia’s answer to a welfare service for the unemployed. Since becoming a single parent in January 2012, I have been very lucky to receive a pension every fortnight from the government. Its not very much but its been enough for me to pay a share of the mortgage, pay the bills and live within my means.

This lovely government then introduced that if you are a single parent and your youngest child turns 6 years of age (which mine did in November last year) you HAVE to either work or study for 15 hours a week or the government will take that pension away from you. So what does a 49 year old woman with two primary school aged children do? Someone who thought they had finished any thought of a career. Someone who thought they would be home raising their children for the rest of their life (except for maybe a small part time job or volunteer services). I can’t volunteer for another 6 years. Even if I want to study, what do I study?

So many questions and so overwhelming. I’ve been looking online. I’ve gone to TAFE (Tertiary and Further Education). Found out about University degrees. Who’s going to hire a 55+ University graduate over an early 20 year old graduate? So many questions.

I did, however, get told about an online program called My Future which has been absolutely fantastic. (I found out all these things on my own too. Centrelink were no help whatsoever.) I’ve only just touched on the surface but you can search for a career and find out just about everything there is to know about it.

Take a Music Teacher for example. The above shows just what sort of information is available on being a Music Teacher. You can also create a profile on what sort of things you like doing, which I haven’t done yet but it is supposed to create a lot of different job descriptions and how to go about getting that job. Failing that, I can clean people houses I guess!

www.myfuture.edu.au

Disclaimer:  This isn’t a sponsored post.  I wanted to share this information so other people in a similar situation as myself might like to look at this instead of just jumping into any old job just because you ‘have’ to. You’re worth more than that no matter what age you are or what educational background you’ve had. Anything is possible!