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First I would like to thank those of you who have been on this blogging journey with me. If you are new “Welcome, I’m glad you’re here.”
Last September I asked for your feedback on future topics to discuss, and I received a request asking me to share more about how I succeed as an entrepreneur. I’m aware that not everyone is in a business or planning to start one. However, the experiences and ensuing growth that came with being an Independent Avon representative – also apply to everything I do in my personal life. Let me share with you what I mean!
Let’s start 2022 with how I ended 2021 with asking you three questions:
Are you where you want to be in your life? Where do you want to be in your life? What do you need to do to get there?
Whether it’s business or personal goals – it takes a combination of need, luck and persistence to reach your destination. And that means starting somewhere.
Here’s how I began my Avon journey.
I shared in MY STORY that I didn’t approach adulthood with the idea of becoming an entrepreneur. Like the overwhelming majority of people, I lived the Corporate America lifestyle with many jobs. Unfortunately, they were not enough to pay the bills and there was no path for me to get ahead. I see you nodding in agreement as I’m sure you can relate.
I was living paycheck to paycheck so in my case, the ‘start’ was the need to survive. That’s a pretty strong incentive and along with it came the big question…
“What can I possibly do?”
Here’s where luck comes into play. When a co-worker (who was the office Avon Rep) left the company, my supervisor surprised me by saying “I think you would be a good Avon Lady for our office.” I was not sure what that looked like and what I would need to do.
So I contacted Avon immediately. And at first – nothing happened. In fact, it took three tries before I got a response. I finally received a call from a lady named Toni who said her leader, Barb Goon, gave her my information. I scheduled an appointment, met with Toni, filled out the paperwork, and paid my $10. That was the last I heard from Toni as my mentor.
Not a good start, but this demonstrates the third component I listed above – persistence.
I did not know where to begin, however I am a self-starter and found a few online training classes that walked me through my questions. My persistence paid off when a few weeks later I received an email from Barb inviting me to a Sales meeting facilitated by the District Manager, Sylvia Rogel. I was hungry to learn more and between Barb and Silvia I, found the love and support to really kick off my sales and leadership journey.
I worked my corporate job full time and my Avon business part-time. Within 3 years I was making more with Avon than my corporate job. So when I was laid off in 2012, I began my full-time journey with Avon.
In telling you this experience, it may sound like everything happened quickly and fell into place. What’s important to understand is at the time, it didn’t feel that way. As you’ll see in future blogs, there were many times when I felt overwhelmed and unable to go on. If you’re at one of those points now or feel a need to talk to someone who’s “been there, done that” – click here to talk. One of my greatest pleasures is listening and sharing insights that will help you vault those hurdles that keep you from being where you want to be.