Happy New Year 2016!

Happy New Year! I can't believe it's 2016 already! 2015 was a blur, but so many amazing things happened! I gained a new family/business, my cousin survived a vicious put bull attack, my son turned 4, and I am becoming more and more the woman that I was designed to be!

This journey has not been without its lessons, so I want to share three important lessons that I am taking into 2016:

1) there are no shorcuts to success

• consistency and persistency are key
• plan, try, fail, repeat, SUCCESS

2) it's ok if people say "no"; everyone isn't meant to be a part of your business or our message

• know your target audience and market to them
• brand your business and stick to it
• you have to sell yourself on your vision everyday; stay motivated so the rejections can be fuel

3) self-development is business management; you need to constantly improve for your business to improve

• my challenge this year is to read 1 book per month (not very high, but last year...)
• do a self inventory at least once a quarter to measure your growth
• the better you develop and manage yourself, the easier it is to do it for your business

What are some lessons that you learned in 2015 that will make you even better in 2016?

Entrepreneurship: The Commission Decison

When talking to people about entrepreneurship in the network marketing industry and as an independent startup, the number one question is always about how and how much cash flow can be relied on. These questions are very valid! I am aware that bills don't pay themselves and creditors do not accept excuses or allow extensions while you're trying to figure things out.

I am an entrepreneur in the network marketing arena and in the start-up arena as well. There are three basic and very important skills that an individual needs to be aware of before making the journey to entrepreneurship and making the commission decision. Most Americans have an employee/guaranteed paycheck mindset, and due to the "commission" nature of entrepreneurship, you'll need to develop these skills to survive!

Coachability: You must be coachable. If you are a start-up entrepreneur, you will NEED a mentor. Read books, hire a coach, and focus on personal development. The more willing you are to learn and deflect to wise counsel, the better off you are in the long run. You will be able to learn without the critical mistakes that most entrepreneurs have made.

System: Follow a proven system! If you are a network marketing entrepreneur, FOLLOW THE SYSTEM THAT YOUR UPLINE TEACHES YOU! This will ensure that you can maximize your chances of having the same results that top earners in the company have achieved. Don't try to reinvent the wheel. Just implement the skills that you are learning from your mentor.

Effort: Do you put in the same effort when you're alone that you do when you're around others? I have to be honest here. I truly believe that the issue with the commission decision is hat most people don't work their hardest when no-one is looking! I believe that we have come to a place where individuals are goofing off and doing just the minimum for a guaranteed paycheck! As an entrepreneur, you will need to work harder than you've ever worked.You will need to be accountable to yourself and your family as well as your upline (if you're a network marketing entrepreneur).

If for any reason you can not master or practice these skills, you are set for a truly bumpy experience! Challenge yourself more so that when you step out into the market, you are ready for the chllenges that are sure to come!

~Shanta

Manifesto!

Every entrepreneur should have a manifesto! A manifesto, as defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary, is a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of its issuer. Your manifesto should be a continuation of your businesses vision, mission, and values with a personal component to help your business become accessible to potential customers. I'm working on my company manifesto, and so far I'm pleased. It is a document that can be updated to reflect your company's growth and development over time, but you should always keep a copy of your first manifesto to mark your growth.

Your manifesto can be fun and engaging or serious and intellectual. Whatever you choose, make sure that your manifesto reflects the core of your business. I've drafted a few manifestos over the last few months. Our first and latest manifesto drafts are below.Take a moment to read and review them and let us know what you think. Then write your own manifesto. You can even write a manifesto for your personal life! With 2015 right around the corner, it may help you define who you are and where you want to take yourself during the year!

 Draft 1:When I wake up in the morning, the very first thought in my mind is: "Just 30 more minutes...." and after that, I roll out of bed and get to work, usually. My heart glows when I create a product or offer a service that customers love, and my heart breaks when I realize that I can't do everything at the same time *sigh* My customers are my life force. More than anything else I care about helping them live their best life possible! In my world, creativity (and innovation) is an absolute necessity. Innovation is always a fabulous idea. Mediocrity is overrated and stagnation is a definite NO! Fantasizing about Shea butter is totally reasonable. Striving for my goals is a must, but at the end of the day, my sn is all that really matters. When I die, I want to be remembered as a person who changed the world by positively influencing the people around me and who inspires others to dream, plan, and build too. ~Shanta

Draft 2: Everyday is an opportunity to be successful! My family, my relatives and my customers, keep me motivated to work at top capacity. My heart glows when i am able to deliver a product or service that a customer loves and needs. I experience heartbreak every time I try to take on too many projects at once and some or all don't turn out right. More than anything else, I care about helping families live their best life possible! In my world, creativity, innovation, and motivation are must haves. Innovation is always a phenomenal idea! Mediocrity is overrated and stagnation is DEATH! Fantasizing about Shea butter and soap is totally reasonable. Striving for and achieving my goals is a must, but at the end of the day, my baby boy is all that really matters. When I die, I want to be remembered as a person who conquered the world by positively influencing families and individuals to take a chance on themselves and build a future that is better than the past and present. Remember me as a woman who built companies to inspire others to dream, plan, and build too. ~Shanta
  

Education: MBA Entrepreneurship and Managing Innovation

On March 4th, I started my MBA program with Benedictine University online. There were several reasons that I chose this concentration, but most importantly I chose this option because I want a formal education on entrepreneurship. I started with the basics, of course, but I was finally able to take one of my concentration courses in entrepreneurship. I am very excited! The course sessions are 8 weeks long and run consecutively minus a short break for winter and summer.

Here's an excerpt from the Entrepreneurship course syllabus:

Course Description

This course deals with new venture management, examining entrepreneurial personalities, managing creativity, and establishing a successful enterprise.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, each student will be able to:

• Develop an understanding of entrepreneurship and the entrepreneurial process.
• Assess the feasibility of new business concepts and ideas.
• Explain and analyze new business venture management principles including opportunity recognition, market assessment, and financial planning.
• Formulate a plan to identify resources and skills needed to grow a new venture business.
• Analyze various exit strategies for new business ventures.
• Create business plans for development and financing of new business ventures.

The weekly discussion posts were a great way to help me see other opinions and expand my thinking on the various subjects while the written assignments gave great opportunities for constructive feedback to help me improve my thoughts and processes. We also had a group project in this course. We chose to focus on developing a mobile app to search for lowest price textbooks and supplemental materials for graduate and undergraduate students. That was a challenge for me as I have no experience in mobile app development. However, it was a challenge that I now appreciate. We were also encouraged to create a business plan of our own or tweak an existing business plan, and this is what I will be working on continuously.

My next course started today, and I am very excited! This new course focuses on technology and innovation in business!! I am enjoying the learning platform and my instructors & classmates are amazing! Education is power!

Education is Empowerment!

I graduated in December of 2013 with my Bachelors of Science of Finance. It is my firm belief that education is the key to a happy and successful life, formal and informal. If we educate the people, we can empower the nation. This is why we will be offering tutoring and mentorship services to underserved school districts in the Dothan area in the coming months. There has been a severe disconnect in minority communities between education and success. What are our priorities?
I am a single mother of a three year old little boy, and he loves to read and create. I, and my mother, have been observing him since he was born and noting his characteristics. We know that he is gifted, but when it's time to sit down and learn, he is not very good at it. He struggles sit sit still and learn; however, I know how to teach him because I have been paying attention. As parents, it is our job to know how to teach our own children, but many of us are busy trying to feed, clothe, and shelter our children. By the end of the day, we are thankful for the learning institutions for taking on some of the burden and teaching them and making sure that they learn the basics!

This is where we fail. It is not the school's responsibility to teach our children how to be successful. The schools are designed to teach everyone the same things: math, science, history, English grammar and composition, a foreign language, and economics (if you're lucky) so that they can go out into the world and work. They do not teach ethics, morality, entrepreneurship, and individual thinking. These ideas are learned at home with mom and dad.

We can not rely on schools to teach our children everything. Educating our children needs to be our top priority! Our future is in their hands, and if these recent ice water, fire, sleep, etc challenges that I keep viewing are any indication... WE ARE DOOMED!! We need communities and families to step in and teach from the elder generations on down. There are too many hoods and not enough neighborhoods (let that sink in).

VISION

I started this year in a dark place mentally and emotionally. Life was not going where I wanted it to. I had to move in with my mom. I didn't have a bed. All of my possessions were stuffed in boxes in the den, and I was empty. One day, I sat down and thought about it. I hated where I was... HATED IT! I knew if I stayed in that mental space I would be miserable and everyone around me would be miserable too! I decided then to create a vision. I chose to create my vision around my business and my son (my personal life was not even a thought at the time) and remember why I started this company in the first place.

I had been going through a lot trying to define my businesses and my dreams over the last 18 months. I went through a spot of hell last year with my ex-fiancee and father of my child and it really ripped me a part. My business was the last piece of me to survive that relationship. I had to pull myself together the best I could to finish undergrad and raise our son, so it is necessary that this business not only survives, but that it thrives and changes lives and lives beyond me!!!

From that moment, I made my vision (a successful lasting legacy for my son, my niece, and my family) the focal point of my life. I'd be lying if I said that it just happens and everyday is full of passion and happiness, but I have a vision of where I want my life to be. My vision is expanding and growing daily. Parts of the vision are being realized in ways that I never dreamed possible, and it's all because I decided to not only change my focal point but to create my focal point.