Most of the time I'm not very good about remembering jokes, lines from movies, that sort of thing.  However, occasionally, a line or lines sticks, usually because I think it really applies to me.  Such is the case with a line from the movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding.  In case you haven't seen the movie, the mother is talking to her daughter.  They are talking about how to convince the father that the daughter can attend college. The family is Greek Orthodox and the father is extremely conservative and very much the "head of the household."  Anyway, she says "The man may be the head of the household, but the woman is the neck and the neck can turn the head anyway she wants."  I guess you can figure out why this particular scene came to mind after my husband's blog...

I told Robin I was going to write today about how joining an MLM is like having a baby.  He just looked at me like I was crazy, so I knew this would be good! One of the great things about our relationship is that we often have very different perspectives because a) we were older when we met and already somewhat set in our ways; b) we have lead very different kinds of lifes; c)--well, you get the point.  All of that combined keeps life in our household pretty lively!

Think about when you first got pregnant.  For some, you thought about a long time or it took a long time to actually get pregnant.  For others, it just kind of happened.  The same about getting into a network marketing business.  Sometimes you do lots of research, think about it and then finally take the plunge.  Sometimes, an opportunity just presents itself and you find yourself with a new business, not totally sure how you got there.  In either case, it is too late--you are in!

The First Trimester

The first three months of pregnancy are always interesting.  Sometimes you feel kind of sick even though you are excited.  You are tired a lot.  You talk to everyone about the baby.  Who are the first people you call?  Your friends and family! You also start learning everything you can about labor and what to do after the baby comes. You may even feel overwhelmed at times.  Starting your business goes pretty much the same way.  The first people you want to tell about this great new business are...your friends and family!  After your initial excitement, you may have days when you wonder what you got yourself into.  After a few rejections, you may feel kind of sick to your stomach.  You spend a lot of time learning about your company and products.  You are exhausted from all the reading and training calls.

The Second Trimester

Now things are just kind of on autopilot.  The baby keeps growing.  You get comfortable with the changes in your body and, for most women, you stop feeling sick and you aren't as tired.  Things are pretty good.  The same with your business.  Now you are starting to feel comfortable.  You know the products.  You work on the business and it starts to grow.  Maybe not much, but steady.  Feels pretty good!

The Third Trimester

Things start to get really interesting.  You keep getting bigger and maybe not as comfortable.  You don't fit into the booth at the restaurant.  You have two months to go and people are asking if you are due any day.  You start to get tired of the whole thing and just want it over.  You don't sleep well.  You start to wonder if your original body will ever be back and if you will ever be able to tie your own shoes again.  But you also know that the end is near and that there will be a new member in your family very soon.  It can be the same with your business.  You keep talking and keep calling and the business is growing, but the money is just not coming in like you had hoped.  Your getting tired of all the training calls and spending your free time working on the busines.  You know that it is working and the business is growing, but you are getting a little discouraged.  But, hey, you are in for the duration, so you just keep plugging along and the business keeps growing.

The Birth

Finally, the big day arrives and you go into labor.  After a great deal of effort (to put it mildly), you have this beautiful baby!  What a relief!  Of course, now the real work begins taking care of this new little life.  In your business, all your effort is also about to pay off.  You have been working steadily for nine months now.  The money is starting to come in--yeah!  Don't quit now!  Much like a new baby, the people who have joined you in this new adventure need to be nurtured and cared for as do your customers.  Much like having a child, the amount of effort you need to put in may go up and down, but your businees, like your kids, often becomes part of your life for a very long time!  Also much like kids, if you don't put in the effort at the beginning, the results later can be disasterous.

And that is how networking marketing is like having a baby!  Not bad huh?

Thanks for reading!

Kathy