Give it a read and you’ll be on your way to rethinking how you manage your own life.

How to Manage Your Life

By Joe Karbo

Editor’s note: This is a very long blog post. It was actually meant to be an eBook. But the information is SO valuable, I decided to post it here, so everyone could take immediate advantage of it. I hope you will take the time to read it and apply it. It begins here:

“People don’t want to blame things on themselves; they want other people to be held responsible for their lives. People get very angry at me because they’re very unhappy and they say, ‘Gee, if I only had the opportunity, if I only had the education.”

“And I say, ‘Hey, those things don’t really matter. You’re responsible… as of right now. You can change your life.’”

Everything that’s happened to me I’ve brought about in one shape or form.

I am in control of my life. After 12 years of working with Dyna/Psyc, (the core principle of The Lazy Man’s Way to Riches) it still works. It still takes something to wrench yourself into the right attitudes, and the only thing that helps you is the belief that it will work for you too.

I really think the most difficult thing in undertaking the program is the facing of yourself and saying, “I am the cause of all my effects.” This particular approach is called How To Manage Your Life.

You’ve been managing your life all along. The results reflect whether you’ve been a good manager or bad manager or an in-different, just average manager. But you are in control of your life. You’re running it right now.

Most People fail to recognize this because it’s so easy to say, “It’s my boss’s fault, it’s my parents fault, it’s the governments fault, it’s because I’m a minority, it’s my wife’s fault, it’s the kids’ fault.” If only this were true, if only that were true. But of course it’s not.

You can’t change other people. You can change only your attitude towards them. Sometimes your change in attitude towards them and your expectations of them will lead to change as well. But the very hardest thing is the acceptance that Dyna/Psyc will really work.

We had an advantage over most when we started the program because we were broke … worse than broke … we were in debt at least $50,000 at the time. We were living in an old house. We had eight of our kids with us at the time. We were driving a broken- down car.

So we really had very little to lose … and accepted the program. I figured it was desperation time. “They say it will work. I’ll try it.” And we tried it and we got some notable results really very quickly, which encouraged us to go on.

Now one thing I’ve noticed about people who write to me about the program is that they are setting high goals - goals you stretch for. They have to be goals that are meaningful to you and are important to you. I’ve had people write to me with a goal of five million dollars, or whatever it is. That’s fine - if that’s important to them.

I think some people set up goals in order to set up another failure. They see themselves as victims. They expect themselves to fail. They want to fail again, so they set up a goal that’s really far-fetched and absurd. They set them so high that they say, “See, I tried this program and it didn’t work either. That guy Karbo is a phony, too. I tried it for thirty minutes and it didn’t work out.”

But I give you my word that it really works, if you work it. It is working now for untold thousands of others worldwide.

Someone drew an analogy which I thought was perfect: Imagine three people in apartments, one adjoining the other; and the electricity has been off and the electrician comes in and turns on the power.

The person in the first apartment says, “Gee, I thought something was supposed to happen.” Well, they forgot to screw in the light bulb. So they sat there and cursed the darkness.

The people in the second apartment had the light bulb screwed in and they said, “Gee, isn’t that marvelous. Look, we have light now.” They had the electricity on and there was light.

The people in the third apartment had television, air conditioning, a sewing machine - necessities and joys of life. And they said, “Isn’t it marvelous.”

The power remains the same regardless of your utilization of that power. It’s just whether you decide to plug in or not, it’s just your choices that matter.

I think that most of us just don’t plug in enough. We don’t expect enough of ourselves, of our teachers, our family, our environment, and of others. I think that’s the big answer.

The most gratifying things that have happened to me as a result of writing The Lazy Man’s Way to Riches have been in terms of psychic rewards. I receive letters from many people, for example, who tell me of the changes in their lives.

One fellow told me he’s made $200,000. 1 had a letter from another fellow who said he made $17,000 in one day.

Another fellow said he’d averaged $19,000 a month net, and on the back of his card he showed me how many vacations he’d taken during the time he was averaging the $19,000 a month.

Now, he’s a pretty high-powered guy. He said he’d been fired from a job paying $60,000 a year before that, or $5,000 a month, so $19,000 a month to him wasn’t the degree of step-up it might be for someone starting out making $100 a week. But it’s still a heck of a jump up.

But the ones that really touch me are the ones that tell how other areas of a person’s life have changed. I received a five-page letter from a mother who said that she and her son had not spoken to each other for years and he’d gotten the book and he called up and said, “Mom, I just want to tell you that I love you.”

She said he wouldn’t tell her what it was that the book contained but she said, “Here’s my $10. I’ve got to find out what process it was. I want to know what changed him, what made him feel that way.”

I have a letter from a fellow who said he’d had a stuttering problem most of his life. He said he’d cured it in three days using what we call Super Suggestion.

We’ve had hundreds of letters from people who say it has changed their lives in terms of how they feel about their families, their spouses, and their children.

Because our expectations are rewarded, what we get is what we expect out of life. If you want a better life, then raise your expectations. If you’re making love to your spouse you don’t want to say, “You’re really pretty lousy.” That’s not going to get the best results for you.

Speaking in terms of expectations, and self-image, and why it’s so important … when we bought our Cadillac I really felt very uncomfortable in it. In the first place, I was afraid I was going to get “taken,” have to part with a lot of money and was going to have to pay all these high prices for repairs and so forth. That bugged me a little bit. But, beyond that, I felt like kind of a showoff … “Who does he think he is?” and so on. But I grew accustomed to it.

The interesting thing is that we now have a Rolls Royce and I feel very comfortable. I really do. I feel like I deserve it. Ask yourself whether, sitting in a Rolls Royce, you would feel that you deserved it, you had it coming, and you earned it. If the answer is “No,” then I suggest to you that there is something to work on in your self- image. Maybe a Rolls Royce isn’t important to you. Clothes aren’t important to me. I own two suits that are at least five years old, much to the consternation of my wife! I rarely wear a coat and tie.

But I am grateful for all that’s happened to us. A lady who interviewed me for Forbes magazine asked, “Isn’t this all coincidence? Couldn’t it all be coincidence?” I said, “If it is, I’ll settle for it.” It may be, but I thank God there have been a remarkable chain of coincidences; and a remarkable change in my life.

Material things are important, I think. My affirmation has always been that I have all the money I need to buy the things that make me comfortable and happy, so I don’t have to think about money. Which is really the state to be in. You won’t buy happiness, but, on the other hand, there’s no reason to put it down. It makes misery a lot more comfortable.

I know many people who are very, very rich but are really quite unhappy - still trying to make a heck of a lot more in the hopes that will make them happy. I’m a very happy guy. I’m a very happy guy in terms of material things.

But I also have a wife I love and who loves me, and kids I love and who love me. That’s the real riches. A friend of ours gave us a picture we

treasure at our house. The inscription is that a man is truly rich who loves his family and friends. And that’s true. That’s the ultimate riches. That’s the riches that can give you satisfaction, fulfillment and happiness.

But don’t deny yourself the other if that is important to you. You can have everything in the world you want - everything in the world you really want. Not because this is what your family expects of you, expects you to want, or society expects you to want … but what you really want.

Do clothes turn you on? Does a big house turn you on? Does traveling turn you on? What do you really want? You can have everything in the world you really want.

But you can’t set goals for other people, and you can’t let other people set goals for you. It has to be everything in the world you really want. Determining what those things are, is the biggest problem - deciding what you really want, what’s important to you. And those things change, and modify.

I had a phone call about 2:00 in the morning from a friend of mine in Chicago who asked, “What do I do from here? I’ve reached all my goals, now where do I go? What do I want?”

I said, “Well, do either one of two things: enjoy what you’ve achieved or set new goals.” I like this guy very much. He’s the fellow I wrote about in The Lazy Man’s Way to Riches who originally sold me a dock for our house, and we became friendly. The kid had really been struggling, and now has done very well financially. He’s very comfortable, has lots of leisure time, and so forth. He’s decided that he doesn’t want anything anymore.

My friend went to Yale where he was an outstanding swimmer and could have been Olympic material if that was what he wanted to do, but he decided that the discipline was more than he really wanted to undergo.

Somebody came up to him one day and asked, “What do you do?” Roger said, “Well, I climbed one of the biggest mountains around here,” and he added that he’d gone to Mammoth mountain and skied, and he swims two miles a day. And the guy says, “No, what do you do?” And my friend Roger said, “You mean making a living - selling nuts and bolts? But that’s not what I do. That’s not what I am. I am this guy who does what he feels like doing.” Too many people confuse what they do with who they are. Roger knows who he is.

He’s got something wonderful on the shaving mirror at his home and it says, “What nice thing can I do for someone else today.” And he does something nice for someone else every day. He’s that kind of a guy. He really is. Now that’s a completely wonderful human being as far as I’m concerned.

Just to sum it up … I think there are three Eves in the story of creation:

CONCEIVE - First we have to get a concept of what we really want. And that’s really the toughest part, especially if you’re having some problems - to imagine yourself in a better situation. So conceive. You have to have a concept of where you’re going.

BELIEVE - The second Eve is believe, because you have to believe the concept. You have to put it into the present tense because the subconscious mind is an idiot mind; it is a computer. It simply accepts the information that’s fed into it. It makes no judgment. And if you’re saying, “Gee, I have a poor memory,” or “I never get it right,” or “I always goof up,” that information is stored and when you have to make a decision, that’s exactly the information you draw upon, isn’t it? Because that’s all there is stored there.

ACHIEVE - The final Eve is achieve. You have to act as though the concept were true. It really is as simple as that. It may shake you up, as it did me at first, when you figure that it’s the only possible way out. It’s like the guy lying on Skid Row and saying he’s either going to die there or he’s going to try to put the pieces of his life together, and take full responsibility for what’s happened and to realize that it isn’t so difficult as he’d like to think it is.

To do what you want requires examining how you feel about things, what your attitude is. The only world that’s real is the world you see. If you don’t like the world you see, then you have to change the way you’re looking at it. The world is constant so how come it looks so much better to someone else than it does to you.

And, of course, the Adam in the story of creation is the “up and at ‘em! “ All success is action based.

To summarize How to Manage Your Life, you can have everything in the world you want if you’re willing to pay the price. That has gotten in my way at times when I have decided the price is too great and I’ve cast a goal aside, just as the potential Olympic swimmer decided the discipline involved just wasn’t worth it to him. It depends upon what the price is.

Only you can decide whether the price is worth it, or you can “cop out” - find excuses, and continue being a victim: “I can be rich, too, if I want to be a crook like him.” You cannot have a goal in conflict with other goals; but if it’s anything other than that, I think it’s a cop-out. Look at it carefully. It has to be your goal.

Material things are a kind of measurement, really. It depends on how you keep score - whether your ambitions include owning a yacht, a jet, a couple of vacations homes or whatever. Once you reach a certain plateau, then beyond that it’s just really a question of keeping score and getting remuneration for your time and so forth.

I think of it more in terms of career achievement. Sometimes you think that a certain level of success is unattainable, and that gets in people’s way if they really believe that.

They should believe that they’re capable of anything they want - if the price is worth it – if they’re willing to put in the study time or the working hours. You have to see yourself as being comfortable in that situation, whatever elevation it is.

You can have everything in the world you really want if you’re willing to pay the price, and there is always a price to pay. The price you pay for failure you pay all your life with misery, envy, bitterness, regret, resentment, and disappointment. The price you pay for success you only pay once.

But that will require some changes. You can decide to change, and when you do, then your life will change for you.

The Chinese say, “Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is insanity.” Another way of saying it is, “Keep

doing what you are doing and you will just keep getting what you are getting.”

It is up to you, and only you, where your life goes. You are really the only one managing your life.

I’ll finish off with what my friend Richard’s Grandmother Rose taught us. “You live your life one of two ways. Either you live your life as an example, or you live your life . . . as a warning.”

That’s driven me and made me aware of how I live and how I manage my life. Yours is up to you.

Best Riches to You,
Joe

What will you do today that will start you on the path to achieving what you desire?  Please leave your comments below.

I noticed something today as I sat in front of my home computer to work. I could actually focus better!

Why was this I thought?

Normally, I’m always so frazzled. On top of having the messes of my 3 small kids to constantly clean up, I’m not a very organized person by nature so things tend to get cluttered. Which ironically absolutely drives me crazy.

Typically, my mind wanders to the laundry then to the toys scattered under the couch, then to the messy papers on the counter and before I know it I’ve lost my train of thought and my hour of productivity has vanished.

But today I realized my mind was a bit more focused because I actually had a clutter-free home!

The reason: I had just had it cleaned by a cleaning lady.

Sure, there were a few toys on the living room floor. But my kids were playing with them at the moment. But the rest of my house was spick and span.

What a great feeling!

So here are some tips on clutter that just might help other moms.

1. I found that having clutter interrupts the thought process making it difficult to concentrate on the tasks that will get your business further.

2. Block out some time to work on your business right after you clean your home (or have someone else do it for you).

3. You can accomplish SO MUCH more since your thoughts can get focused on exactly what you need to accomplish that day.

4. I realize that having a cluttered space to work in is actually very stressful. A clutter-free space is SO calming!

Here are some great sites that have tips on controlling the clutter:

Organized Home

Fly Lady

Home Organization Tips

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]]> http://www.lavellej-momguide.com/can-a-clutter-free-home-make-you-more-money/feed/ http://www.lavellej-momguide.com/satin-tags-turns-two-moms-into-millionaires/ http://www.lavellej-momguide.com/satin-tags-turns-two-moms-into-millionaires/#comments Sat, 26 Sep 2009 23:29:14 +0000 momsmill http://www.lavellej-momguide.com/?p=659 Mother Julie Dix noticed her infant was very interested in the satin tags on her favorite blanket and other toys. Julie decided to sew more tags on her baby’s blanket and her baby loved it. She realized she had a business idea when other mothers in her child’s playgroup wanted blankets with tags and one mother, Danielle Ayotte, asked to partner with her in a business venture.

They created the blankets with tags, took them to a local flea market, and sold out in two hours! They knew then that they had a fabulous business idea. They decided to call their business Taggies, Inc. Working out of their garages and basements, they started to distribute their blankets to boutiques and eventually got into mass production.

Now, 11 years later from their start in 1999, they run a multimillion dollar business that offers blankets as well as toys and clothes. They sell their products online, and in upscale catalogs like RedEnvelope and at children’s stores across the US and in other countries.

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During that time, she looked around and realized what a great business idea it would be to have inflatables in a big warehouse where parents could bring their kids, for birthday parties or just to play.

As her idea developed, she realized this would be a place that kids of all ages could enjoy at the same time.  There was nothing that her 4 year old and 11 year old would ever agree on, but both of them loved the inflatables business idea! Having the inflatables inside a warehouse also solved the weather and safety issues that come up when parents rent inflatables for their backyard birthday parties.

She immediately got to work on her idea and called real estate brokers to start looking for warehouse space.

With no college education and little money she opened her first PUMP IT UP, The Inflatable Party Zone in January 2000….just 10 weeks after she started! Her facility offered inflatable bounce houses, slides, obstacle courses and more.

In her first month she booked 90 parties. Her business idea was a winner!

Eventually, she took on a partner and in 2003 began to franchise her Pump It Up business and it now has over 225 franchisees in 38 states, with business earning more than $70 million dollars.

Brenda, an entrepreneur at heart, has now turned Pump It Up over to an investment firm so she could focus on new ventures. She has a consulting firm, Dronkers Consulting Group, and has also started a T-shirt business called Thriving Ink.

Here is a video advertisement from a Pump It Up franchise in Glenview, IL

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Kim had her first million dollar idea on a snowy day in 2000 when she was at home with her husband watching him feed the deer in their backyard.  She looked at a big bag of corn and at that moment an idea popped into her head.  She had heard of rice in socks as a soothing heat bag to relieve aches and pains and de-stress tight muscles and her thought was that corn would be much better because it could hold more heat.

She immediately went to work creating a prototype, she sewed up a bag full of corn and popped it in the microwave.  Amazed at the soothing penetrating heat she felt, she knew she had a great idea.  Kim started by giving these bags as gifts to her children’s teachers.  As word spread, more and more people asked her for her corn bags, which she named Wuvits.  It seemed everyone in town wanted a Wuvit.  Kim had to keep her car stocked with them, because people in the bank or at school events would ask for them.  Eventually she realized she had to expand her little business.

She set about writing up her own patent and registering for a trademark.  Her husband took a dozens Wuvits to a local gift store and asked if they could sell them on consignment.  They sold out in a week and the owner called to order more.  Soon after, Kim’s husband was laid off from his job and she had to make the decision whether or not to spend their personal savings to invest in her product.

With encouragement from others, she decided to move forward and headed to her first tradeshow.  She came home with thousands of dollars worth of orders!  Kim then set about finding a manufacturer to mass produce her Wuvits.  She decided to make her product a higher end item using only the best materials and the highest quality grain.

The improvements paid off.

Kim decided to lease 4 mall kiosks and ended up selling $250,000 worth of Wuvits in just 8 short weeks.  The word was out about her product in a big way, and people loved them!

In 2004, a buyer from Saks was amongst the frenzy of buyers taking orders from Kim at a tradeshow.  She gave Kim a purchase order for 42 Parisian stores, which equaled to 1,000’s of Wuvits.  Kim was able to fulfill the order with no problems and she was on her way to making millions.  She was then able to get her Wuvit’s in to Macy’s, Gottschalks, Von Maur, Bed Bath & Beyond, Whole Foods Market, and Tabi International.

She created a similar product for kids called Sleepy-Head Fred™, recognized by the Atlanta Journal Constitution as a “Top 5 Gift Pick”.

During this time, Kim unfortunately lost of her mother to breast cancer so she wanted to raise awareness about early detection, and raise money for breast cancer research.  She partnered with Waverly®, the nation’s premiere manufacturer of home décor fabrics, designing the nation’s first fabric featuring a pink ribbon motif celebrating breast cancer awareness, titled “Faith, Hope & Love.”

Kim has also expanded her line by creating a line of Green Daisy designer pajamas which were first sold at Saks and Gottschalks.

Kim has gone on to write a book called “MOMMY MILLIONAIRE: How I Turned My Kitchen Table Idea Into a Million Dollars and How You Can Too“. Because of the books success, Kim is now viewed as an expert on inspirational and business advice.

She has been on the The Today Show, Rachael Ray Show, NBC & ABC news, CNN, CNBC, NPR, Oprah & Friends Radio Network, myLifetimeTV.com, and features in USA Today, Country Living, Guideposts, Women’s World, Family Circle and American Baby, as well as international appearances on Canada’s CBC radio network and the cover of Mompreneur.

She has also created a social networking website called www.mommymillionaire.com where she gives advice to entrepreneurs, signed a production deal for her own Mommy Millionaire TV show and launched MOMMY MILLIONAIRE magazine. She is now writing her next book THE MOMMY MANIFESTO.

Amidst all this, she continues to work from home and still finds time to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for her kids who are now ages 11 and 9.  Amazing woman!

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Exclusive interview with Lisa Druxman, owner of Stroller Strides.

1. What is your business? I am the founder and CEO of Stroller Strides, the country’s largest fitness program for moms. We offer both pre and postnatal fitness classes.

2. When did you start your business? Aug 2001

3. How much money did you invest initially into your business? Probably no more than a few thousand dollars at first. Since then, hundreds of thousands.

4. Who helped you build your business? My team who are all passionate about creating career opportunities that are supportive of motherhood.

5. How did you know where to find the answers for the things you didn’t know? I asked, the internet, consultants, you name it.

6. What are your favorite online resources? Sba.gov, score, entrepreneur.com

7. Did you have any setbacks? How did you overcome them? Many from cash flow to trademark infringement to franchise transition.  We take it a day at a time and stay focused on our goal.

8. How long did it take for you to reach the million dollar mark? Maybe four years.

9. How has your life changed now that you have a successful business? Well, it’s definitely busier. My life is very full and moving from sunrise to bedtime. I am very efficient and don’t waste time on things don’t matter. My first priorities are my marriage, my kids and my business. If I can outsource the rest, I do.

10. How do you balance being a mom and running your business? Read above. The key is staying focused on what’s important. I focus on improvement each day rather than perfection. I know my inbox will never be empty. I make taking care of myself a big priority too. That recharges my personal battery.

11. What is the one thing you have indulged in just because you can? A housekeeper

12. For those moms who are determined to make it big, but have very little money to invest in a start-up business, tell them what your 2 biggest secrets are to making millions?
1) If you don’t have to spend it, don’t.
2) You can’t work on your business when you work in your business. Instead of pocketing profits, invest in your company.
3) Don’t focus on making millions. Focus on doing an excellent job at what you love.
13. What sources do you know about where moms can find funding for their business ventures? SBA

14. How would you tell a mom to go about researching whether or not she has a million dollar idea, or a profitable business idea for that matter? Google. See what’s out there already and how your business idea is either better or more unique than the competition. You have to create a budget to see if the business makes financial sense. Increase expenses beyond what you expect and decrease revenues from what you hope and see if it can still work.

Read Lisa Druxman’s story.

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One day while walking with her baby in his stroller, she had an “ah-ha!” moment when she realized she could start a business teaching classes that helped other moms get back into shape.

That day, in August 2001 she came up with the name of her company…Stroller Strides.

Lisa Druxman wasn’t aware that her business idea would fill a need across the country.  Mothers who needed to get back into shape after having their babies were also looking for support from other mothers.  Lisa’s classes would fulfill that need.

Lisa initially started offering classes to a few moms around her San Diego neighborhood. One day the local news called her because they needed someone for a new story the next morning.  In the news interview she was able to pitch her small Stroller Strides business.  Because she was just starting out, she had to put her personal email and phone number on the screen of the T.V.  When she got home she had 75 emails.

She realized this was a great opportunity.

She started getting requests for classes all over San Diego, so she kept adding more.  By the end of the first year, she had over 12 classes and 1000 moms participating in San Diego.

During that first year, she got requests for classes all over the country.  She really didn’t know how to provide that until one of her instructors said she was moving and wanted to start classes in her new town.  She realized she could franchise her business.

Lisa agreed to give her all of the plans to run her own classes and it was an absolute success.

She then decided to release 10 “beta” locations across the country to see how it would work in other cities. She learned a lot, tweaked a few things and in the end the franchised Stroller Strides classes took off like wildfire.

She hired attorneys, worked with consultants and joined the International Franchise Association.  Stroller Strides is now franchised across the country and has nearly 200 franchisees.  Her sales for 2006 were $2 million.

She offers her franchises for $3,000 - $6,000 with a monthly fee of $160 - $380 depending on the size of the area you live in.   This includes a start up kit, operations and marketing manual, instructor training DVD’s, PR program for local publicity and much, much more! If you are interested here’s the franchise website.

Exclusive interview with Lisa Druxman of Stroller Strides

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She couldn’t stand the thought of generating all the diaper waste over her new son’s baby and toddler years, plus she knew that disposable diapers contain toxins like sodium polyacrylate (the same substance that was removed from tampons in 1985).   She wanted a cleaner, safer option for her precious baby.
So, in 2005 she set to work creating organic, non-toxic diapers.

To start selling her diapers, she decided to put them on eBay. After she got her first orders, she realized this could have a business potential. So her next step was to create a website and find a fabric supplier, thus her Swaddlebees company was born.

Emerging as an earth friendly business at a time when “going green” was catching popularity, Margarita was able to build her Swaddlebees business aggressively.  When she first started out she didn’t advertise, the customers just seemed to find her because they were on the lookout for the next new brand.

Her diapers are now in nearly 100 boutiques and online stores.  In 2008 she had sales projected at $1.4 million, just 3 years after her start.
Margarita also launched Blueberry Diapers, which includes a line of fashionable, fun cotton diapers. Not only is Margarita’s business helping the environment by preventing the accumulation of disposable diapers in our landfills (27.4 billion are used and discarded each year, and it takes up to 500 years for them to decompose!), but she’s also making diaper wearing safer for babies with her chlorine-free, non-toxic, non-irritating organic cotton reusable diapers.

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Lisa, a 23 year old single mom, was making only $13,000 a year selling ad space when she had a great idea.  She always had to keep her hair looking nice because of her high profile job and other women would compliment her on her up-do’s.

She decided to act on her idea for the hair-styling tool “The French Twister” which helps women wear their hair up in the french twist hair style.

She began with absolutely no money.  She started by using things she found around her house and ended up making a prototype out of a wire clothes hanger.  From there she started calling manufacturers to get a plastic prototype made.  It was not an easy job and it took a lot of testing to get her product just right.  She found a local plastics molding shop by going to her library.

When it came time to manufacture her product she sold her used car for $500 and she used the money from her tax return to pay for it.  With 500 units made, she went out on foot to salons to introduce her new invention idea.  Clients loved them!

Lisa used free ways to get exposure for her product ie;media interviews and newspaper articles.  Soon she found there was enough interest in her product so she went ahead and patented her product then proceeded to find a company to license her French Twister to.  She went to the store to find hair-styling products, picked up a box made by Scunci, got their phone number and contacted them.

Because she had done her homework and had sufficient market research to show that her product was a good one, Scunci agreed to sign a licensing deal with her.

Below is an interview with Lisa Lloyd on The Big Idea.

In an interview with Dr. Phil, Lisa mentioned that her biggest mistake was going to a patent attorney first.  She says that a lot of people make this mistake.  They think their idea should be patented right away.  But really the first step should be to find out if your idea is a good one and that it will actually sell by doing market research.

To add to her comment, your idea will develop and may even change based on the feedback you get from people. You may have to try out different models before you get it right.

The French Twister has generated more than $15 million in retail sales.  Lisa didn’t stop there.  She has invented quite a few more hair products and has made over $30 million in retail sales!

More articles:

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Submit Your New Invention Ideas To Proctor and Gamble

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Well, mom entrepreneurs might be interested in the 7 industries that offer the greatest potential for making millions.  Hopefully this will give you food for thought.  Here is a highlight of the best industries to start a business in (featured in Entrepreneur Magazine).

1. Children’s Services - Parents want to give their kids the best.  This is true now and will be into the future.  So services that will empower or enrich the lives of children stand a chance at making big money.  Such services would not just include basic tutoring but children’s gyms and fitness/activity centers, programs for science or cooking, music and art programs.  Being a work-at-home mom I value these types of services tremendously.  They provide a place for me to take my toddlers where they can receive a fun and educational experience and it gives me a break from having to provide entertainment for my kids 24/7.

Some children service franchises are:
The Mad Science Group - The world’s leading provider of science enrichment for children
Young Chefs Academy - Cooking school just for kids
JW Tumbles - Offers fun interactive classes that help children develop their physical, social and personal skills
The Little Gym - Offers programs that include movement, music, gymnastics, sports, exercise, games, listening and cooperation
Chyten Educational Services - a premium tutoring and test preparation company with proprietary strategies that have earned it a reputation for excellence
Music Together - Early childhood music programs stressing adult involvement in mixed-age classes involving singing and exploring music
Sylvan Learning Centers - Offers tutoring services

2. The Wine Industry -  I live right in the heart of wine country in California, and I can say from experience that this industry is still going strong….yes I do enjoy a glass of wine or two.  :-)   Not long ago I attended a presentation given by our County’s Economic Development Board Director and he forecasted the wine industry will still be thriving in the coming years.  He noted, we may see a lot of foreign money coming into this industry because of the declining U.S. dollar, but we’ll still see growth in the industry.  Opportunities in the wine industry are not just making and selling wine, but wine bars, tasting parties, wine nick-nacks, wine based foods, wine themed clothing, wine accessories, etc.

Some wine franchise opportunities include:
Borvin Beverage Franchise Corp. - wholesale wine and beverage distributor

Vintner’s Cellar Franchising Int’l - franchisor of unique vint on premise winemaking retail stores

Water 2 Wine - Winery where customers can bottle, cork, and custom label their wine

WineStyles Inc. - Offers a new and easy way for customers to find wines that suits their individual tastes.  The store’s concept demystifies the wine buying experience, making life easier for the customer. Wines are categorized by style; bold, crisp or bubbly.

3. College Planning - According to the National Center for Education Statistics, college enrollment is expected to increase to 19.7 million students by 2013.  Getting into college is becoming more competitive so students are looking for admission counseling services. If you’ve been through the college application and admission process, you may have the expertise to counsel incoming students.  There is a college planning franchise offered through College Assistance Plus LLC which provides the process and resources to develop a plan for families that allows them to obtain a college education at a manageable cost.

4. Staffing - Unfortunately, because of the economic crisis there will be a lot of people out of work and looking for jobs.  The staffing industry will most likely see a surge in  business.  The best way to make it big in this business is to carve your own niche.  If you have specialized experience in a specific industry like medical, accounting, legal, etc. you may already have many contacts who can send you business.

Some staffing franchises are:
AtWork Medical Services - Staffing services for nurses and allied health professionals
Labor Finders - Provides temporary staffing and labor services for commercial, industrial, and construction applications
10 til 2 - staffing service placing college educated professionals into long-term, part time jobs
Spherion Corp. - recruiting service as well as a staffing service and provides quality career information for businesses and individuals

5. Senior Care - As the baby boomers age and the average life expectancy gets longer, the more there will be a demand for quality senior care services.    There is a booming need for in-home care, retirement communities, technologies, processes and conveniences that assist the elderly. There are a lot of niches in this industry that could be very profitable.  You just need to put your thinking cap on.

Some senior care franchises are:
ComForcare Senior Services, Inc. - Premier provider of non medical private duty home care services
Comfort Keepers - Provides individual in-home non-medical senior care, companionship and recreation
Home Care Assistance - provide round-the-clock home care for seniors in their homes
Homewatch CareGivers - premier provider of senior care franchises and in-home care services for people of ALL ages
Visiting Angels - Network of non-medical, private duty home care agencies providing senior care, elder care, personal care, respite care and companion care to help the elderly and adults continue to live in their homes

6. Green - The environmental movement has taken off in a big way.  More and more people are becoming environmentally conscious and spending more on green products and services.  In 2008 Consumers are expected to double their spending on green products and services totaling an estimated $500 billion annually or $43 billion per month, according to a survey done by Cohn & Wolfe, Landor Associates and Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates

Some green franchises are:
Clean Air Lawn Care - Uses clean energy to power electric lawn equipment
The Hygienic Home - Provides green cleaning services
Oxxo Care Cleaners - Environmentally friendly dry cleaning service
Pizza Fusion - Pizza restaurants that use all-natural and organic ingredients and are committed to protecting the environment through its business practices
7. Pets - People love to baby their pets and will buy their pets almost anything and everything.  So it’s no suprise that The American Pet Products Association estimates that Americans will spend $43.4 billion on their pets this year alone! With the help of celebrity pets, like Paris Hilton’s chihuahua Tinkerbell, Jessica Simpson’s dog Daisy, and Hilary Duff’s chihuahua Lola to fuel the pet craze, there is a goldmine to be made in pet services and products, especially boutique pet clothing and accessories.  People will also pay big money for services like pet-walking, pet-training, pet-waste removal, pet-sitting, pet hotels and spas, and pet gyms.  More potential money makers are pet foods, snacks and nutritional supplements.

Some available pet franchises include:
Bark Busters Home Dog Training - World’s largest in-home all-natural dog training services
Fetch! Pet Care Inc. - Professional pet sitting and dog walking services
Just Dogs! Gourmet - A bakery franchise that specializes in hand-cut, all-natural dog treats
Petland - Pet adoption services

(Some links in this article are affiliate links)

More articles:

How Moms Can Use the Internet to Start Making Millions

Six Figure Yearly Program - Is It Worth The Money?

Submit Your New Invention Ideas To Proctor and Gamble

More Moms Who’ve Made Millions