Multi Level Marketing (MLM) schemes, commonly referred to as pyramid schemes, are typically unsustainable ways to make money. Know that very few people succeed in actually making even small bucks.

If you’re looking to avoid pyramid schemes, here’s now:

Watch out for key words and phrases such as:
-Build residual income!
-Get rich quick!
-Make lots of money with little effort!
-Financial freedom!
-Obtain the life you’ve always wanted!
-Work from home!
-Build your own business fast and easy!

Avoid business opportunities:
-If there’s negative press written in RipOffReport.com. Sometimes the recruiter will tell you to do the research for yourself and even mention there are good things and bad things written about the company. Typically they will remind you that you’re “smart” enough to read beyond the negative. Also check the Better Business Bureau.
-If you can make more money by recruiting others rather than selling the product.
-When YOU have to PURCHASE a “starter kit.” This is the classic case of YOU being THEIR CUSTOMER. And, despite the fact that you’re selling THEIR products, they will often make you pay a monthly fee for your own website which will look something like: www.companyrippingyouoff.com/yournamehere123

If someone approaches you with a “business opportunity”:
-RUN, RUN, RUN AWAY! Far away!
-Right away: Politely thank them for the opportunity and be VERY FIRM that you are NOT INTERESTED. Don’t build the conversation and certainly don’t agree to speak with anyone else or attend any further meetings to “find out more.”

Of course the person trying to recruit you will be very excited about their newest and greatest business opportunity ever! Ask them this time next year how much money they’ve made. Most likely they’ll be onto something else.

If you have a very strong desire to get involved in a MLM scheme, start your own! At least you’ll be at the top!

Here are three tips on how to have an effective work day:

CONCENTRATE
No matter what you’re doing, always remember to give the task your full concentration. Even if you’re multi-tasking, give each individual task your undivided attention before moving on to the next task. Trying to do too many things at the same exact time keeps you from getting tasks completed in a timely manner.

Tips for concentration:
-When speaking with another person, put the BlackBerry away and concentrate on listening.

-When working on a task, don’t be simultaneously surfing the Internet and checking your email at the same time.

-Try to create the ideal work environment

DO WHAT FEELS RIGHT
Have you ever had a boss tell you to do something that gave you a bad feeling in your gut? Listening to your intuition (instinct) will save you from getting into sticky situations. If your boss wants you to sign off on a plan you know nothing about or disagree with, don’t be afraid to speak up.

Tip for doing what feels right:

-Always ask yourself, “How does this make me feel?”
-Rely heavily on your intuition.
RECOGNIZE HOW YOU MISUSE YOUR DAYS
We’ve all done it. Another day put to bad use. In order to have an effective workday, you must first recognize how you misuse your days. Without a doubt, there have been days when you looked back and knew that hour spent watching TV could have been put to better use. It’s time to own up to your own misuse of time!

Tips for recognizing how you misuse your days:
-Take notes at the end of everyday. Divide your paper into two sections and under the first column write down your productive activities of the day. Use the second column to write down ways in which you misused your day and/or could have been more productive. Do this for a week and notice any patterns. Work towards change.

-Set daily goals.

Recommended video for great tips:

Kevin Kline vblog on “Efficiency & Effectiveness at Work”

Photo Credit

One thing I’ve noticed in the business world: Women know how to booze. Whenever, wherever, or whatever the event…the alcohol is plentiful. I’ve made some of my best business deals over a glass of wine and I’ve met some of my best contacts with cocktail in hand.

Sipping the same wines or cocktails at function after function gets old. Some people simply can’t handle or choose to avoid the booze. Whatever your reason for wanting or needing a rest from alcohol…there’s nothing wrong with your choice AND it’s sometimes best to skip the alcohol in a professional setting anyway.

Here are a few tips to help you avoid the booze when alcohol is plentiful in a professional setting:

Arrive first and speak with the server.
Explain to them that you’re choosing to avoid alcohol for the evening and ask them to always serve you the “virgin” version of whatever drink you order.

Always order directly from the bar.
If you can’t arrive early and speak directly with the server, go directly to the bar and order your drink from there. This puts you out of client earshot and won’t make clients feel uncomfortable for drinking.

Here are a few non-alcoholic drink suggestions:

Tomato juice- Have them decorate it like a Bloody Mary
Cranberry juice- Hold the vodka and save a few dollars
Tonic water & lemon- Who needs the gin anyway?
Sparkling water- Nobody questions bubbly elegance.

Or, make it easy on yourself and simply state you’re not drinking for the evening if anyone has the audacity to actually ask.

Photo credit: Not me in this picture.

Is your life organized?

Is your business organized?

My life is sometimes organized, but not all the time. I’ll admit, it’s sometimes tough for me to be organized in both my home life and work life. Compared to the average Jane, I’m probably slightly more organized, but not as perfect as some.

I’m not Martha Stewart and I don’t pretend to be (perhaps not such a great example to use when I speaking in the business world…but you get the point). Because I work at home, I’m often asked if I ever have the urge to do laundry or mop the floor during the business day. The answer is no. I’d rather be working than housekeeping. That’s why I’m Diva Mogul and not Diva Housekeeper. I’d rather be making business calls than dusting.

Hiring a professional organizer would be a waste of her time and my money. I’m don’t actually own that many things (although there is nothing wrong with asking a professional organizer for help, in fact I highly recommend this because I think most people would benefit…but that’s another topic). Generally speaking, my disorganization stems from piles of paper and books on my desk. Everything has a home, I just need to keep training myself to put things immediately back when I’m through.

Someday I’ll hire a professional cleaning person, but until then it’s really not a big deal as long as I keep up my weekly cleaning habits. On a weekly basis, I sweep through every room in my house and put away all the odds and ends I leave in various locations around my home. Then I disinfect with environmentally friendly products. I do the same for my office, but probably more often because that’s where I spend a lot of my time.

What happens when I don’t take the time to organize my office mid-week? On Monday my desk is spotless and by Friday, one wrong move and there’s an avalanche. Then Sunday evening is a pain, because I refuse to start the workweek with a messy space. Even Diva Moguls aren’t perfect every week (even though we sometimes pretend to be!).

The important concept behind being organized is finding a system that works for you and your business…and making it a habit.

Katie’s My Yahoo! page with RSS feeds

I have officially made my own life easier.

I officially get more work done in the mornings.

I know all about the RSS feeds and subscribing to blogs and newspapers. I’ve subscribed to a few things in the past, but never actually DID anything with the feeds. I guess you could just say they were sitting there in cyberspace.

Then the other day I had an epiphany. Why not save time and actually take advantage of RSS feeds? So I did it. I FINALLY set up My Yahoo! and actually use it as my home page. Now I truly practice what I preach. I love RSS feeds.

Why didn’t I do this a year ago? The last couple of mornings have been amazingly productive without the usual fanfare of surfing my favorite haunts to see if anything new is posted. I really wasted that much time every morning? Now all I have to do is go to my home page and eyeball if anything new or worth reading has arrived on the scene. So simple. I can now check my favorite blogs, current events, weather, and horoscope from THE SAME SPOT.

Here’s your homework: Add Diva Mogul to your RSS feed NOW.

To be productive, keep your eye on the target

1.    Don’t think, just do. Unless you are a lawyer (and even if you were), nobody wants to pay you for that quarter hour of thinking in the shower. Thinking, thinking, and thinking will waste your valuable time. Especially when it comes to customer projects. Sure, I have my brainstorming sessions about what I’m going to do and map out my steps ahead of time but then I do the task. It’s as simple as that. Time is money and money is time. Don’t waste either.
2.    Establish billing days and times. Decide from the very beginning how you are going to do your billing. Will you bill upon project completion or will you wait until the 15th of every month to bill or the 1st? Whatever you decide, stick to it and make sure your clients do as well. You are a small business without a large accounting department backing you up, so make life easy and do what works.
3.    Don’t let anything or anyone distract you. Don’t pick up that phone. Next time the phone rings, check the caller ID. If you don’t have caller ID, get it. Phone calls from family or friends, as much as we love them, waste work time. Wouldn’t you rather leave your desk earlier to spend quality time with them later?

Photo Credit

Fear can consume you and completely take over certain aspects or areas of your life, business, or career. Sometimes we experience fear for a reason, like preventing us from doing stupid or dangerous things. Mostly, however, we experience fear for no reason at all and it impedes our ability to do what would truly make us happy or productive. How do you get over your fears and morph into a confident Diva Mogul? Sometimes it’s not that difficult.

Identify your fear.
The first step to getting over a fear is first identifying the issue. Example: Are you afraid of social situations and thus unable to do the networking you need for your job? Know that even the most social of social butterflies face certain social fears. Accept for a fact that not everyone will be comfortable with one hundred percent of all types of social situations. Own up to the fear and the extent of your fear.

Brainstorm a way to get over your fear.
How can you get over your fear? Here’s another example: If you’re afraid of social situations and you’ve assessed that it’s not the event, but the fact you might not see a familiar face…bring a familiar face. You have to start somewhere. Confess your fear to a coworker or friend and ask for their help. Explain how they can help you get over your fear. Perhaps they can accompany you to the first event and stay by your side the entire time. The second event they can be by your side, but slowly move away and on to their own conversations…by the third event they’ll be there but not speaking with you. With practice, you’ll be good to go alone!

Having a professional voice mail greeting is vital for any type of business.

Have you ever called someone on their “business line” only to get a voicemail that sounds like it was recorded in a bar instead of a place of business? It’s not very professional, so here is how NOT to spoil business relations with terrible voice mail recordings…it is very simple, yet so many people forget:

Record your voice mail in a quiet place- Too many people record their voice mail greeting with lots of voices and static in the background. If you’re Jenny from the block, it’s cool. But you’re not. You are a Diva Mogul trying to make a living…so keep it quiet!

Avoid dogs barking- Unless you are a pet sitter, dog walker, or groomer this is inappropriate. I once listened to a greeting from a consultant (nothing to do with pets) who had a yappy dog in the background while she was recording. Not every professional

Avoid children screaming- Are you a stay-at-home mom working from your basement? Well, be sure the children are at camp or taking naps when you record your voice mail greeting. Just because you work from home while babysitting little Sally and Jimmy doesn’t mean you need to advertise it to the world. Even if you run a daycare center from your house, please record after the children go home…people will think you run a very orderly operation!

Check out this great video for tips on recording a professional greeting!

Photo Credit

“I’m feeling so overwhelmed, I don’t know what to do!”

Sound familiar? Have no fear, every Diva Mogul has days and moments of overwhelm.

How do you deal with being overwhelmed? Do you stay calm by returning to your inner Diva heart or do you launch into a Crazy Diva Frenzy, lashing out at everyone who is in your way or is trying to help?

Dealing with being overwhelmed is simple, it’s just a matter of organization and time management. Here are 4 steps to becoming a calmer Diva Mogul:

1. Operation Freak-Out. Find a timer. You have exactly one minute to have an “ohmigawd” moment. When the buzzer goes off, take a deep breath and get over yourself. It’s time to take action!

2. Make a list. I’m all about lists. Write down every last thing that is bothering you. When you finish writing down your tales of sadness and overwhelm, make a list of every last thing you have to do. Then, categorize your list according to priority and due dates.

3. Stay on track. Move directly from your list to action. Your goal is to knock things off the list. It’s important to keep on track and not get distracted by useless little things. This is actually key because otherwise you’ll become even more overwhelmed and that’s just not fun.

4. Reward yourself. In addition to being a list fan, I’m also a reward fan. I believe in celebrating all the small things in life. When you’re no longer overwhelmed because you knocked off all the items on your list…celebrate! Whether it’s a quick dip in the swimming pool or your favorite movie, do what makes you happy and satisfied.

Photo: United Nations

The world is giving to you, but are you giving back? As we grow our businesses, it’s important to think about giving back to the community to help other women get ahead in the world. Here are a few ideas:

Scholarships: Is your business doing so well that you are ready to financially support other young women? Think about providing scholarships to high school girls who share your same values or wish to study what you do for a living.

Community service organizations: Perhaps you cringe at the thought of joining a community service organization like Rotary or Kiwanis because the youngest person is forty years older than you? Don’t like the thought of being the only person without gray hair? Lucky for us, organizations like Rotary have come up with junior clubs for people like us. In Rotaract you’ll find business women and men in their 20s and 30s who like to help others while having a good time.

Microfinance: Organizations like Grameen Bank are helping women in developing countries start their own businesses. For as little as $200 you can help a woman in Bangladesh start her own basket weaving business or food stand. Don’t want to contribute the full $200? Go in with some friends and help with a quarter of a basket weaving business.

Helping women abroad has become the main focus of many business and networking groups. One networking organization I am involved with, Women’s Global Network, has started its own microfinance project (Global Business Partners) with women entrepreneurs in Tanzania, Zambia, and Ghana.

Think about how you want to give back.