Miracle WanzoNala & Company make mine a million $ business powered by: count me in

My Daily Blog

1. Don't become emotionally attached to your product, service or business

   March 11, 2009

   Miracle Wanzo

   The moment I was able to get into a growth-oriented headspace was the moment I decided to detach from my business. As women, we often develop strong emotional attachments to our business, they become like children to us. We create them, we present them to the world, nurture them, care for them, sacrifice for them. Sometimes to the point of going without things that we want, to do what's best for "the business."When we have these emotional attachments, we hinge our self perception on how the business is doing. When business is good, we're good. When business is bad, we're bad. And in times like this, when things are bad and stressful for a lot of people, we are stressed out and depressed.I am not my business, you are not your business. My business is not who I am, it is what I do. When you think like that, you are free to view your business objectively, as something you are working on, not something your are. You make better decisions because it becomes a strategic initiative, not a part of you. Your vision becomes clear and focus and you are better equipped to build and grow.

2. When people finally get it

   February 25, 2009

   Miracle Wanzo

   Do you remember the episode of Friends where Monica and Rachel played Joey and Chandler for Monica's apartment? Remember the girls lost on the question "what is Chandler Bing's job?" (and Rachel answered a transpondster because she had no clue what he did for a living)? Well that's me. Working from home can make your business seem almost nonixestent. Realistically speaking my inventory is not here, I don't have employees milling about, I don't physically make the products we sell, so to an observer it seems as though I spend most of my working time on the computer or the phone (or both). So I've had minor issues with boundaries and defining things, and mostly, getting respect for my business the same way people get for their corporate jobs. You know things like people popping up and execting your availability. Or calling repeatedly becuase you're "just at home" so you should answer the phone. I've had many "I work just like you do" conversations with people because no matter how hard you try, a lot of people don't respect work when you work from home. I mean you probably do, after all, you're reading this, but the average person doesn't get it. Over the years, I've endured all kinds of insults and implications, that I sit on my you-know-what all day. That I'm just blowing time online or talking to friends all the time, that I'm really not doing anything. I've also gotten the most henious insults hurled at me from people who- at their best- are incapable of accomplising a fraction of what I do every day. The skill set just isn't there. Luckily for me, I have friends in my same shoes. It seems like an unusually high number of women in my generation chose to find a balance between work and family through entrepreneurship so we lean on each other, get support from each other, vent to each other, and help each other through all the crap. So anyhow, this past weekend, I had to make a last minute trip out of town to meet with a manufacturer who was here for only a couple days before heading back to China. I don't travel much, the coordination of all the children requires calling in a lot of favors so if I'm going somewhere it has to be important. So once I get back, I'm going through all the product samples we were given, putting them up, photographing them, inventorying them. I have the children running a little assembly line, one brings me the product, the other folds and packs it away and I overhear "the ex" talking to the children. I couldn't make out the entire conversation but what I heard was "when you're mother needs your help with her business, it's very important that you help her because what she is doing will allow you guys to do things and have things that most..." (I didn't hear the rest). I thought, wow, they finally get it. I work late hours, I work weekends, I work a lot because I love what I do. But more than loving what I do, I love what it allows me [b]to[/b] do. It has allowed me to be here with my children, not having to use daycare, and provide a private school education. It also allows my children to have access to the resources and tools they will need to have the foundation that allows them to [b]choose[/b] whether they want a job or they want to do something else with thier lives. And what I do inspires other women, maybe not that many, but it inspires other women to follow their passion. And that's all it's really about.

3. 2009- The “Year of Miracle”

   February 1, 2009

   Miracle Wanzo

   My friends and I have this running joke, because 2007 was supposed to be my year. A lot of unfortunate incidencts in my personal life kept that from happening. Then 2008 was going to be my year, and it got off to a great start with becoming a recipient of the Make Mine a Million $ Business award. I had a great first half then felt like the bottom fell out when the early realities of the recession begain to sink in.That took me for a loop in so many ways as I struggled, daily, to find the right path. Coming up on December, I decided third time is a charm and 2009 will most definitely be my year. Amidst the economic woes, there's still optimism, a lot of it. In a way, I'm grateful for the challenges of this economic climate becuase it is a personal challenge to get me off my butt. Had it not been for this, I would have been lazy. Thinking thigns could wait, I have time, what I'm doing is working, but now, I feel a fire under my butt daily. I know there's no room to coast and relax.In that regard, I'm grateful.This race is a welcome challenge, and I am glad to be a part of a growing, inspirational community. Some of my blog posts will be about that journey to grow my business, some posts will be about things I have learned along the way, things that can help someone else.Either way it goes, 2009 is definitely my year. I'm sure of that. I'm working every day to make sure it is!