45 | Feeling Exhausted on this Marathon Race we call Network Marketing? How to Embrace Your Pace and Soar in Your Business
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Hey guys. And welcome back to the call to lead podcast.
So if you are in network marketing and have been for a bit, You know, this is a marathon and not a sprint, but we are all running the same path together. Even though the path might look a little different for some people. And some people have S had been training for this marathon. Some people are just getting started. Some people are doing like the couch to 5k version of it.
But ultimately we are all going to be doing this business at different paces in our business, whether we are walking. Jogging or running towards our goals. I'm actually going to argue that there is a fourth option that I feel is even better to help you to get fulfillment, joy, and freedom from this business model.
So I've talked about this just a little bit, especially on episode 39, where I share my leadership toolkit and I break down an acronym. To just help equip you in leading your team. Well, And the E in that leadership. Acronym is. To embrace your pace. So if you listened to that episode, you might have a little spoiler alert for what I'm going to talk about today. And also if you listen to this week's earlier episode with.
Darrell Laporta from my stories of light podcast. You will kind of have the backstory to know where this was put on my heart and it's my goal that this will just really help you to embrace your pace whatever that looks like right now in your business and also to know that there is a fourth option that can give you that freedom that you're longing for in your business so let's get into today's episode
Okay. So if you haven't heard the Walker jogger runner analogy and how it relates to building your business.
I first learned about it from my St. Mama and mentor. You'll be getting to know her in a next the next few episodes that I share here. She's pretty amazing and spectacular. And I've learned so much from her as my mentor within this business. But one of the things that she taught me early on was the concept that we are all running this race together. And we are all at different paces in our business, depending on the different priorities that we have, depending on the goals that we have from our.
You know, from what we want out of this business, that can be income. That can be the freedom that we hope for it to gain. And your pace can also be decided by how much you have to give into it, your, your time that you're able to put into it. Because even if you desire to make a. Major say full-time income. If you're not consistently putting in the effort and the hours each week, it doesn't take a full time effort to bring in a full-time income down the road.
But it does take continued consistent effort. And your pace does make a huge difference in the way that that can build your business. So the way we define it is essentially a Walker is someone who is just joining their company for fun. They love the product. They want to kind of see how it goes to maybe share it with a few friends and family. Maybe they just want to get a discount on the product and they kind of have it in their back pocket that maybe one day, if, and when their circumstances change and they want to be able to devote more time or more energy or make a.
More significant income then maybe they can also, sometimes walkers might be choosing that because they're a little bit nervous and they don't really know what it looks like to jog or run or. If that's something that they are even capable of doing, even if they do have the time or the desire to bring in that additional income. So walkers, I would say, make up a majority of my team.
And I love that as Sarah has always taught me, we would love to have an army of walkers. And we kind of do, and that's how we built our businesses is by embracing the paces of others. And allowing that freedom for people who are in this business model. To not all be going for these crazy huge goals.
So the next pace is jogger and jogger is someone who definitely sees the value in the business model. They are able to contribute some time each and every day to be consistent in their business. Whether that is building, say on social media or doing in-person make-overs, they're the type that find and look for opportunities to bring up their product or their business.
They are connecting with people. They are integrating it into the facet of their life in a very, very consistent way. And they're putting in, you know, a few hours maybe a day to maybe 10 to 20 or so hours a week in their And they hope to gain. Maybe 500, 1500, a couple thousand dollars within the next year or two in their business. So they'd like to make a part-time income from their network marketing business, and they're willing to put in.
A part-time effort. So this is the people who are looking for a side hustle. Who see the value in the business model and are willing to do the work, but don't have big goals and dreams, or if they are like me, when I first started my business, I had a full-time job. If you will running my boutique.
I had had my boutique in Savannah, Georgia for 15 years. And actually at the time I had two, two boutiques that were kind of side by side. One was a boutique and Formalwear shop. The other one was a bridal salon. And I was working more than full time. Monday through Friday, trying to spend weekends focus with my family.
And even though I kind of had this dream job where people would Tell me all the time that they dreamed of having a boutique like mine. And we were a million dollar business. We grossed around a million. We were a profitable business, but at the same time, the freedom aspect that you would think you'd get from owning your own business was.
Just not a thing. And we'll talk about that a little bit more. Now that's another episode for another day. But essentially I had to, when I started my business, I had to be a jogger because I had the other priorities, my existing business, my family. I was serving in my church ministries. And I had to fit this business into my existing life. And even though I saw the value for what's possible and I was definitely willing to consistently share about it.
Using social media, or again, I was getting the makeup on as many faces as I possibly could. And so I would say that I started my business as a jogger. And for that reason. A lot of the people and I did get an early start in the I joined actually right after our company, decided to go from a I guess you would say direct to consumer model to the direct sales business model.
And so I quote, did get in early. Some people say, but I can tell you a bunch of other people got in early and either did not have the same success or what, the other thing that I experienced is those who were runners, which is our next version. They flew past me in terms of rank and income. And I had to be okay with that. I had to be okay with that.
Likewise. I had runners that joined my team shoot even this year or with, you know, within the last year who have done incredible things in their business. So they're, that's totally a meth. And again, another episode for another day that you have to get in early to have success in the business. But I use as an, as an example, as that there were definitely people, it was kind of like just getting started on that marathon, where people were absolutely zipping by me because they had had experience. They were able to run at a faster pace and I had to be okay with
And then once I really understood the value that this business model could bring to my family and to the income side of it, that could really, really bless us in so many different ways. And I, my husband could tell that this was just such a great use of my time and my energy and my passions that we decided it was worth it for me to not only step up my pace a little bit in the business, but also list my business for sale.
And so in 2019. I made the bittersweet decision to sell my, my business, sell my boutique. Pretty much gave it away once again, that's another story for another day, but I was able to finally hit the ground running in my business. So that was two years into my journey. And it was, let's say three years.
Yeah, three years, three and a half years ago. Is when I sold my business and I hit the ground running.
And I define running as someone who wants to create or replace a full-time income. And so they know that they are going to need to work really hard there. They know they're going to need to step up the time. And the effort and do more than what they're doing right now in their business. But the good news is, is I had time and unlike when I had my boutique and I was dropping my kids off at daycare.
And picking them up. Bright at six o'clock like on the dot. So scared that I was going to get charged those extra, extra fees for being late at drop up, drop off. I had the opposite of freedom, but thankfully at this time my kids were both in school. And so I was able to not only get them at school with the regular time and greet them coming off the bus in the afternoons.
And not have to squeak into that, that aftercare. Coming in hot, right. But I was able to have a full-time I had eight hours each day. Not that I necessarily worked that full eight hours in the day, because it, again, it doesn't take having to work full-time in order to bring in a full-time income in this business. But at the same time I had that season. And that time and that capability to devote doing all the things and my business You guys. At that point, I was a little bit stuck in my business. I had, you know, hit some and achieve some goals, but I was kind of going backwards and I was doing things a little bit the wrong way. And I'll continue to share more about my story with that.
But once I hit the ground running and really had more time to devote, that was definitely a game changer for me. And it helped me to grow to the top 12 or so artists and our company of about 30,000 distributors in the United States and Canada. And so him stepping up at pace certainly did make a huge impact in my business.
But then flash forward to last year. So that was, let's see the summer of 2021. So a little over two years of solid running. I listened to Dara that I shared her podcast. The story earlier this week, I listened to her beautiful testimony. She is with beach body, or I think they've just changed their name to body. And as a top leader over there, and she felt the Lord asked her one time while she was on
And go back and listen to her words that he was calling her to walk and to slow her pace. And I was just so convicted and so taken by her story. And I legit like got on my knees. Crying crying and in tears. Just knowing that my season of running. Had to, it was time to kind of take a break. It was time to dial it back. And so I didn't feel compelled or called to straight up walk in my business. I did dial it back to a jogger. And so for about the past year, I would say I have considered myself to be a jogger.
In this business model. And again, that's me embracing my pace. So then flash forward again to about a month ago, maybe within the last couple of months. I was sitting down for my morning time and the word and i was reading an isaiah and i read isaiah 40, 31.
Which says that those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like Eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint. And my friends for those of you guys who feel weak and tired and maybe burned out. And just a little bit exhausted from running this race.
I hope that gives you not only a little bit of hope, but also a little bit of an action step on what you can do, which is to hope in the Lord. And he will not only. Renew your strength. But he will give you that fourth option that I had never even thought about though. I would say I probably have experienced it in my network marketing business, and I certainly have experienced it in other areas of my life. And that is to soar on wings like Eagles. So there's run, walk.
Josh has obviously somewhere in the middle. And soar. So, I don't know about you, but that sounds like an amazing option to me. And I knew at that moment that it was my season. To step back at my pace and I have never been more excited, more fired up about my business and about my mission. To help women just like you, who are listening to this podcast, be able to build their business in a way that not only honors the Lord, but in
Where you feel that renewal and you feel that hope and where you're given that extra strength, not trying to do this thing in your own mind, but instead of, instead by surrendering your time, Your fears. Your need for control your need for perfectionism surrendering, all of those things to the Lord and letting him guide you in this journey. Not only can you run, but my friend, you can soar.
And I just, every time I think about it, I get so excited. And I just, I feel like this is something that is, is definitely, I'm going to explore, you know, even more at, on this journey. And I invite you, if you, you know, as we've talked about before, you need to embrace your pace. So if you're feeling exhausted, if you're feeling burned out,
Maybe it is a season for you to dial back your pace. Why don't you walk and jog? For just a little bit and look to the Lord. To renew your strength and my friends, you can And I want to share a beautiful quote and a beautiful story from one of my. Dear business partners sweet mona she's also an avid listener
of this podcast
So the cool thing is Mona was actually inspired by another one of my Saint business partners. Ms. Tabitha she posted this incredible story on her Instagram stories about wondering what path to take, which obviously that's such a perfect example. And she shared James one five through six, which in the TLB version, I'm actually not sure what,
Translation. That is, it says, if you want to know what God wants you to do, ask him, and he will gladly tell you, but he is always ready to give a bountiful supply of wisdom to all who ask him. He will not resent it, but when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to tell you for a doubtful mind will be as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. So again, that's James one, five through six. So.
Tabitha posted that. And Mona said that she was. Really kind of struggling after being about in this business for about a year and a half. And she said the last couple of months, She was struggling a little bit, even though she felt like she was doing all the things and more. And we had a team call.
And I was sharing some, some tips on that team call. And she said after that she could not sleep. So she sat and she prayed and she told God that if he wanted to use her time, instead of other ways to help women. Meaning, if there was something else that she needed to be doing, if there was a different path that she needed to take, that she needed a sign. And the very next morning, when she woke up, she had a message from a high school friend telling her that she had been watching and that she wanted to try our awesome makeup.
And so not only did she wound up connecting with her, but the, the customer actually wound up purchasing and I'm sure she will fall in love with this makeup as we have. And she said she's also had more interests last week. And even though it hasn't. Turned into miraculous sales. She got her answer from the Lord and that she has peace and she says, she's so thankful for the business and for just everything that it's given to her and not just like, oh, it's just the most beautiful and incredible example.
Of what it looks like to truly surrender your desires and your goals and your needs and your time to the Lord. And what's really neat is mona now if she continues to trust in him and continues to take that action she will continue to soar in her business and so i just love that beautiful example that mona shared
So I'm going to ask you today. Where are you now? Where, what is your pace? How has it maybe different? From when you started your business, how maybe does it need to be different from the season and the pace that you've been running over the last year or the last two years in your business? And that could look like you stepping up your pace. Maybe you are in a season where you feel inspired and you feel excited and you feel passionate. Like I do where you want to step up that pace.
Or are you in a place where you've got your priorities a little bit out of whack, and maybe you are spending too much time on your phone and pouring too much energy into it. Only you can know that my friend, but I am going to invite you today to. Determine what your pace is, and then embrace your pace.
And also I'd love for you to save the date. I'm seriously. So excited. I'm going to be doing a free workshop, partnering with my St. Mama and mentor that I've mentioned Sarah Davies. You're going to be getting to know her a little bit and the coming week. Through a couple of podcast episodes, and she's actually going to be interviewing me and sharing more about my story. So if you want to hear all my dirty laundry about how I was like hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt.
With my quote, dream business. There's nothing wrong with owning a boutique. I'll talk about that then. But anyways, for me, this has been such a more freedom. Focused business model and all the different ways. And so I'm excited for you guys to get to know and meet Sarah because we are going to be doing a free workshop. So save the date, lots more info coming up. But on November the 14th, it's a Monday, we are going to be doing a workshop where we help you.
Lean into that sore, right? Like how to focus in on, well, what does that look like? What are the things that I can look to the Lord and look to the wisdom of those around me? Look to my business partners. Look to us because we've learned the hard lessons in our seasons of life and business. Right. And we've learned from a lot of other amazing top
That we have on our team. And we're really excited to share that with you guys in this free workshop. So save the date more information. To come soon on that. But for now, if you want to stay in touch on all the things, text the word podcast to 9 1 2 4 0 5 8 9 1 2. Or you can stalk around on my website as well. Heather K. Bird.
Dot com because that's where we will be updating with a little waiting list and a save the date and all the things on there as well. So can we just share more details on that coming up soon? But i hope y'all have a beautiful weekend
