Laurie Ayers 2.0

Laurie Ayers is a WAHM from West Michigan. She started her first home business in 1988. As a single parent, Laurie has supported her family by working at home. She is currently an Independent Consultant and Director with Scentsy Wickless Candles. You can find Laurie at IncomeWax.com and read her Direct Sales blog at Thriving Candle Business.

Laurie, when did you first decide to look for a way to work from home?

January 2000. I was a single parent with a newborn and was on maternity leave. I knew my baby would not know her father and did not want her thinking some day care provider was her mother. I left a 13-year federal government position to stay home with my two children.

How did you sort through your ideas for a work at home business?

I didn’t have much time. I decided two weeks before I was to return to work that I was going to be a WAHM. Years ago I heard Les Brown speak and he said that in order to be successful, you “had to be hungry!” I took almost a six-figure loss in pay by resigning and I was fixin’to be very hungry! One of my many tasks that I often performed for the government was writing letters, memos, directives, policies, SOPs for the executives. So when I had to make a split decision career move as a WAHM, I knew that I could write well. Ghostwriter was a natural fit for me.

Where did you look for inspiration?

The faces of my two beautiful children were all the inspiration I needed.

Is there anything that you’ve tried that you would say didn’t work for you?

After about seven years of successful ghostwriting, I realized I was very burned out and no longer enjoyed writing for clients. I wouldn’t say that it didn’t work but rather that it served a purpose at the time and ran its course.

What do you love about what you are doing to work at home today?

Today I am a national sales director and independent consultant for Scentsy Wickless Candles. I’ve been involved with direct sales for 20 years, mostly for my personal use – more of a hobby. I started with Scentsy in 2006, not with the intention of building a candle business. However when the ghostwriting train ran off the tracks, I had the candle hobby and then took steps to start working it like a business. Today I spend most of my days on the telephone or online mentoring my team members (currently about 200 nationwide). I also like the internet marketing aspect as I continue to grow my business

How are you applying Web 2.0 tactics to your business?

I’m still a baby when it comes to applying Web 2.0 tactics. I currently us blogging, social networking, and advertising on podcasts. I have much to learn in this arena and need to spread my wings and become skilled at some new tactics. Funny thing though, for a writer I don’t much care to read. I’d rather just have someone tell me what to do. So reading tutorials and text on the proper way to apply 2.0 often gets put on the back burner.

What are your hopes for the future?

I hope that I will continue to grow and learn the most effective and up-to-date tactics to continue to grow my Scentsy business. I sincerely hope that I don’t become the old woman who didn’t want to try out the new fangled PC, because she really liked her old IBM Selectric Typewriter. I know that to survive in the competitive marketplace I will need to adapt and discover in order to stay one step ahead of the competition.

What advice would you give a new work at home mom?

To keep on keeping on. I know that sounds like a Hallmark card, but generally when first starting out the customers, the web traffic, the sales, the clients, and etc. don’t come nearly as quickly as hoped. I was very blessed to have been able to leave an extremely stable and well paying position, start a new home business and never miss a mortgage payment. However, my experience is not the norm. I would encourage new WAHMs to not start collecting businesses and sign up for every opportunity that sounds good. Do your research first and then commit to two years; and give it all of your focus and proper attention. If after that time it’s really not working for you, then, and only then, consider something else.