Women Entrepreneurs Setting the Pace

Women today, have a much more entrepreneurial, gutsy spirit, than they did 40-50 years ago. I have been a successful entrepreneur since 1986, and I have seen for myself the number of women that take bold step into the world of entrepreneurship, often driven by the desire to spend more time with their families, and these women are setting the pace for what is possible, for women and men alike.

When we were having our children, many years ago, that is precisely what led me to this wonderful world of being an entrepreneur! I wanted to be home with our children, but needed to make some extra income to do so. So, like many young mom's, I looked for a way to do that and entered the wonderful world of being an entrepreneur. Looking back over my 23+ years I wouldn't have it any other way!

There are so many benefits to being an entrepreneur, especially when you work from a home office.

-set your own schedule
-work around your family commitments
-volunteer at your children's schools and extra events
-take the time off during your children's school holidays and really be present with them
-be home with your children if they have a sick day
-no day care fees
-life balance
-less stress

As we progress in age from having small children to becoming empty nesters, the benefits are even greater! Many of the same benefits apply but there are some extras:

-time to travel for extended periods of time
-spend more time with your partner
-being available for your grandchildren
-volunteer work
-total freedom - time & financial

In today's world, there are so many opportunities to be able to create a business from home and with the support of technology today, you can literally do business all around the world, while being at home with the people you love most. As I write this blog article, I am amazed still at how incredible it is to be able to sit here in front of my fireplace, with a cup of coffee - my little dog resting on my knee, while typing on my 8" laptop, listening to some beautiful background music.

There is no need to run around like a mad women, through rush hour, jumping to every order that the corporate world dishes out, just to make a living. I have learned that we work to make our family life better so that we can do the things we want to do, with the people we love most. Many people in society have this backwards - many people are working so long and so hard, that they have lost touch with their family - they are working to survive. Many people have literally lost touch with why they are even working - they are in survival mode. Put your family first - find a way to make your family life better and a business that supports that - there are SO many options available today!

I encourage every women reading this post that has the desire within them to take that next step - Do not let fear, past conditioning or limiting beliefs hold you back. Do not be swayed by family or friends that might give you "their best advice" to stay in your "secure" job. Follow your heart, that is your guiding light! When you are following your own guiding light, you can never go wrong. Becoming an entrepreneur has been and continues to be one of the most rewarding things I have ever done - I am grateful to my children - for if it wasn't for them coming into our lives, and being inspired to be home with them, I may not have discovered that there are other options than working a job your entire life.


In Your Service,

Debbie Ruston
1-800-576-2917 or 1-519-342-4050

Leadership Is The Most Powerful Commodity On The Planet!

Leadership Is The Most Powerful Commodity On The Planet, but unfortunately, most people have been conditioned in our society to follow the herd - do what is safe. It can be compared to cows in a pasture….cows spend every day of their lives doing the same thing, eating grass, and doing what all the other cows do. Cows don’t think for themselves, they do what they are led to do – they would never consider going outside the pasture, it is safe there – within the pasture - and has everything they believe they need. Unfortunately, many people go through most of their lives like the “cow in the pasture”, living a “conditioned” life. This conditioning contributes to a lot of negativity in life and affects every area of our lives:

- Settling – working a job you hate, but stay there because you have been conditioned to believe you should stay where you are because - it is a “good job” and it is “secure”, and some people don’t even have a job so you should hold onto it. Leaders do not settle. Leaders go out and find what they want and if they can’t find it, they create it. Leaders do not stay stuck doing something they do not want to do.

- Not reaching your full potential – this goes hand in hand with settling – when you are in a job you hate, chances are that you would like to accomplish more, but there is a ceiling on your income and advancement potential. We are not meant to stay the same – if you are not learning and growing, you are regressing. Leaders are always striving to reach their full potential, knowing that when you have made an achievement, it is time to stretch for something new, something bigger. Leaders compete against themselves to continually take their lives to the next level.

- Unhappiness – if you are unfulfilled in your work or in your personal life, you cannot possibly be happy – and, you cannot make anyone else happy. Leaders understand that their happiness is up to them to create. It is not dependant on a good boss, good job, good relationship, good family, good government, etc to make you happy. Leaders find and create their own happiness.

- Fear – the media feeds us all kinds of fear, one of the latest being the H1N1 and the “need” to get the shot. Because the government marketed this shot, and instilled fear through the media, people lined up for hours to get their shot because they were so fearful, and they were “told” to do so by the media, the medical community, friends, family, and co-workers who all bought into the fear. I just got back from a weekend conference, and there was even a booth set up in the airport for people to get their “shot”. As a leader in my own life I made a decision that I was not buying into this fear – I will not have that shot no matter who around me does – I take responsibility for my own health, I can make my own informed decisions. I am not at all swayed by seeing people standing in the “herd” line on the sidewalk, at community centers, and airports – that does not at all make me think that I too must “line up” and buy into this fear. A leader trusts their own decisions.

- Stress, even illness – it has been proven that stress leads to illness, and much of the stress people experience is within their control – but most don’t realize that they have choices in their lives. So, they keep following the herd, and many do not know that they can make different choices and by doing so will eliminate much of the stress they experience. Leaders understand that they do have choices. If life isn’t going in the direction they want – leaders understand that they must make different choices to course correct and get better results – this eliminates stress when you are in positive action.

So, how do you leave the herd, and become a leader in your own life? How do you stop buying into the “norm” which is really complacency and mediocrity.

It starts with learning to think for yourself. This is not something that most people are accustomed to doing. People follow leadership. But, most people are the followers and don’t have the knowledge or courage to be a leader in their own life. Most people get up in the morning, go to a job they don’t really like, come home, watch TV and go to bed – and do this over and over, every day. If you ask someone in this pattern, why they are doing this every day, most wouldn’t have an answer because they haven’t really thought about why they keep doing it. When asked, most would say, “they have to pay the bills”, or “what else would I do”, or “that’s what everyone does”. Go for a walk at night, and just observe how many people are sitting, staring at their TV – for hours – being brainwashed into believing what they hear and see. It is time to get out of the trance that most of society is in - to be a leader in your own life and start directing the way you want it to go. You can do something as simple as turning off the TV or stop reading the news. Will that seem odd to everyone around you? Most likely! What would you do with your life? – read something educational, learn something new, start a business of your own, go to the gym, go for a walk, visit friends or family, live your life, rather than watching other people on TV living theirs! This is a really basic way to make dramatic change in your life. When you are not being fed all the nonsense and fear from these negative media sources, you learn to create your own results and start thinking for yourself. New and interesting things start to happen. You learn more, you grow more, you have new experiences, you feel better, have less stress and start seeing things in a different light. The walls of the “cow pasture” start coming down, and you start to realize that you can actually go into another field and there are new things to experience there. You learn that you can be more like a “rhino” and not wait for all the cows to follow you – you can venture out, do new things, learn and grow and live into your potential, into your own leadership.

People are hungry for excitement, adventure, fulfillment, and change. Leaders take a stand for what they want in their lives and then make powerful decisions that lead them towards their goals and take bold actions to get there. Leaders do not settle. Leaders do not limit their potential, they create it. Leaders still experience fear but in a much different way – when fear shows up, they push through it, make powerful and bold decisions. Leaders show people what is truly possible. Leaders inspire others. Leaders create new opportunities. Leaders are needed. Everyone is looking for leaders. It is the most powerful commodity on the planet – YOU have the choice – are you going to be the leader or the follower?

In Your Service,

Debbie Ruston

1-800-576-2917 or 1-519-342-4050

Why Work From Home? It Creates a Green Workplace!

When you are a successful entrepreneur working from home, a side benefit that many of us don't think of, when we start, is how much better for the environment it is!

There are so many benefits that are obvious to entrepreneurs that choose to work from home: - flexible work hours
- own boss
- more time with and around family
- increased income
- less stress
These are a few of the obvious benefits. But there are environmental benefits that many people don't realize.

-Since there is no commute to work - home business owners commute is typically from the kitchen to the home office - think of the gas this is saving! If you live in a winter climate this can be substantial, since cold climates, require car warm up time, ice scraping, extra windshield solution, etc. - none of this is required when you work in a home office.

- You really don't need a huge wardrobe when you work from home, and will also
save on dry cleaning, so no chemicals! I can't remember the last time I had something dry cleaned!

-Email, EFax, Instant Messaging, have all allowed us to use far less paper - save messages in files online and open them when required, rather than printing everything off. When printing is required, using recycled paper is a great option.

-The option to work outside in warm climates is something that saves a ton of energy - lights & air conditioning don't need to be turned on, when you are outside working on a cordless phone. The months of May-Sept are typically months that I spend every day outside working from my lawnchair. Not only does this mean I don't have to turn on the lights, but what a treat to be out in the sunshine all day! It is good for the soul!

-Something we often don't realize is that when you are working a typical job, most people take their lunch. When you work from home, you walk out to the kitchen, eat something fresh and don't have to use plastic bags, wrap, paper cups, etc. You can even use the same coffee cup all day, something that you wouldn't do if you had to buy your coffee from a machine or a vendor at an outside job.

-In the summer months you can also hang your laundry outside to dry, rather than using the dryer. People that work a full time job outside the home with long hours and commuting, typically don't have the time to do this - it is easier and quicker to throw the clothes in the dryer.

With changes to the economy, more and more people are starting to work from home, and these are all benefits to the environment that many people don't realize when they start a home business. Isn't it great to identify all of these additional benefits on top of the obvious ones!

In your Service,

Debbie Ruston
1-800-576-2917 or 1-519-342-4050