4 Days To Zen

in , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Thursday, March 29, 2012


What a difference a 4 day spring break can do for mind and body!

If you are experiencing blogger burn out, I highly recommend walking away from the computer for as long as possible.  If you stop the constant input, even for a weekend, you might be pleasantly surprised at how much clarity can be gained.
 I used gardening to clear my head, but any activity that gets your hands busy will work.   

 The blogging community moves quickly, so in order to perform at optimum levels you need to shut down and re-boot, just like your computer. Our brains are like one big super computer, and when you take time off,  its like clearing your cache!

Here’s what I discovered on my days off:

Blog for the love of it.

I love blogging. I really don’t care how many readers I have or how “big” I may be. I find blogging to be a creative outlet that helps me be a better me.

To Thine Own Self Be True.

I have knowledge and expertise to share with a certain audience: Work at Home Moms and Moms wanting to work from Home.  I’ve been doing it for 13 years. That’s my niche.  And it’s a good one.

It’s not about money.

This blog is not about money. A strong statement, I know.  I will work with 1 affiliate company and that is it.  Sure, I need more money, but I know that I won’t be happy trying to earn from blogging. I can’t sit at the computer long enough every day to make it profitable.  

 My WAHM Plan is an integral part of my business tool kit.

I have planted seeds and created strong roots to my blog. It is my Home Base, it is center to any and all advertising activities I pursue for my JAFRA business.  If you are in direct sales, or want to be, I highly recommend starting a blog as your home base. Brand yourself NOT the products.

Less is More.

I don’t need to be a member of every blogging community out there.  I found a lot of my online time was being spent helping blogging buddies, or trying to comment in the forums. This felt like non-productive hours. 

Yes, we should allocate a certain amount of time networking, but also set aside time to research your true R.O.I. ( return on Investment). Your time is important. Be mindful of constant requests that lead you away from your goal.


So that’s it, just 4 days to Zen, clarity and a nice looking flower bed.  

When was the last time you unplugged or walked away from your blog or online business?

Maybe you need a little Spring Break too. 

Spring Break

in , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Monday, March 26, 2012


Happy Monday, Happy Spring! This is just a quick note to let you know I am taking a break from blogging so that I can fully enjoy the season and to give my JAFRA business my undivided attention. 

Sometimes to move forward we must stop. Will I return to blogging? That remains to be seen, but I know I will find myself and the answers outside, digging in the dirt with warm sunlight on my face. 

So I'll close with Good Day and Blessings upon you and yours rather than Goodbye! 


Do you Polyvore?

in , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Monday, March 19, 2012
Image courtesy of polyvore.com


Some of you in the fashion, beauty & crafts industry might be saying Yes, yes I do, but I’m betting most of us haven’t heard of this site yet.

 As an avid reader of blogs and Google + updates, my inbox was loaded with things to read, places to go, links to click this morning, but I was unprepared for the discovery of Polyvore.

Oh my! There are simply not enough hours in my day! Still, I thought this might be helpful to some, so I wanted to share this site with you dear readers.


Here’s what their about page says:

What is Polyvore?

Polyvore is the web's largest fashion community site, where users are empowered to discover their style and set trends around the world. With over 15 million monthly unique visitors, Polyvore's global community has created over 44 million sets that are shared across the web. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Polyvore is funded by Benchmark Capital, Matrix Partners, DAG Ventures, Goldman Sachs, and Vivi Nevo (NV Investments).


So how can a style and fashion community be useful to a blogger/beauty consultant?
At first it would appear to be the perfect place for me to highlight my company’s color, trends and style… as per the Google+ headline that led to my clicking in the 1st place.

 But visions of deleting my boards at Pinterest quickly pop into my mind,

I read these carefully and decide that Polyvore might not be right for my JAFRA business at this point. JAFRA is very liberal in allowing us consultants to use and distribute material, but I don’t think Polyvore is an approved site.

This is probably a blessing in disguise. My schedule cannot handle any more online socializing. However, I do think Polyvore would be perfect for all the Etsy shop owners and crafters out there!

What do you think? Would you use Polyvore as a business tool?

Paper Trails

in , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Wednesday, March 14, 2012




I am surrounded by paper of one sort or another. Each day I set out to follow the Golden Rule of organization: Touch the item only once. Make a decision and put it in its home. 

This has always been tricky for me in our his & mine small business family. Some weeks its tough enough to handle the barrage of mail, school papers, appointments, coupons, invitations, etc. that makes up our family paper trail.  

Today as I set down at my laptop (which resides in my office, which is the dining room table). I have to move piles of paper. I’m covered up with note pads, planners and pens.  So that’s why my hubby couldn’t find a pen last night! Oops.

 I am an old school note taker and have notepads strategically placed throughout the house. Except for the bathrooms and our bedroom. Some rooms are work and call free zones.

Clearly, I have broken the Golden Rule. Several times in fact.  And, I’m teaching my girls to be awesome notepad users as well.  

 I started the frustrating task of clearing my work station; and un-earth notes from the girls.  One note says “I love you Mama, what’s for dinner?  Ah, I love the little hearts and cute little furry-baby! My oldest is so artistic.   

Another note says “Can I watch TV?” This one has highly decorated yes or no boxes for me to make my choice. This one is from my youngest. Again, my heart squeezes with that special Mom love feeling.

  I try to think back to what I was doing that made them write to me rather than talk with me.  I swallow my Mom Guilt and decide to save these notes to put in their memento books.

Which are,  of course, labeled and filed in their forever home with only one touch.

Not.

How do you handle your paper trail?

What is your paper style? Are you a stacker, a filer, a tosser?

Please share your thoughts.  







Think before you Pin It

in , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Friday, March 02, 2012
Logo courtesy of Pinterest


I've only been on Pinterest a short time, but I can certainly see the allure of pinning. I usually like and re-pin more than adding my own content.  I allot myself 15 minutes a few days a week so I don't get sucked into the Pinterest vortex.


 I've been seeing alot of chatter online about using Pinterest to marketing your brand/blog/business and while I think of Pinterest as a fun, down time place,  I listened to the Pro's and added a JAFRA board.






Which was promptly copied, or re-pinned by another JAFRA consultant.  Hmm... I did the work, and her business may grow from it?  Well, that doesn't seem right, does it?
 But guess what? She didn't break one single rule.  Nothing I could do about it but learn and move on.


Which got me thinking:

What about Copyrights and plagiarism?  Can I get in trouble for all my likes and re-pins and subsequent sharing on Facebook and Twitter I've been doing? The answer, or at least help in making my own decisions came in the form of a informative blog post about this over at Blogging with Amy.

I love how Amy has her hand on the pulse of the blogging community and freely offers up her opinion and advise.  I highly recommend you follow her blog if you don't already.

If you have questions about this topic, I invite you to read Amy's very helpful post at: http://bloggingwithamy.com/pinterest-legal/

I for one and going to be alot more careful on Pinterest from now on.

Happy Friday!



* 3/8/12: Update:

The legalities of using Pinterest is gaining in popularity around the blogosphere. Here is another very insightful article on this topic written by TJ McCue.  http://www.openforum.com/articles/3-ways-pinterest-can-damage-your-small-business 

As special thank you to my blogging buddy Nancy Ortiz at the http://www.thefrugaldietitian.com for sharing this with us on Facebook.

I will continue to update this post and share articles as I read them. If you have an article that you think would be helpful and you'd like for me to incude it here, just contact me.  Thanks!
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