Organizing Your Business
Organizing your business will save you time. Time is an important investment. There is an old saying, “TIME IS MONEY”. If you are well organized, your business will run smoothly. Naturally, if you start organizing at the beginning, you will not find it necessary to “try to organize” at a later date. Usually, that later date never comes.
Work/Office Area
Your work and/or office area should be a place that is comfortable to you. This could be an extra room or a space corner in your home. It is highly recommended that your files and records remain in one handy place. Consider where you will keep and store your products. A pegboard? A storage bin? Cardboard box? You will find that you will accumulate products as your career goes along. It’s important to consider where and how you will store them.
Records
Your essential record keeping utensils will be a date book/calendar or planner. This is the ideal place to store your live show dates, party dates, appointments, vacations, mileage, errands and any other tax-deductible expenses. You can utilize contacting customers, hostesses, and guests that were interested in joining your team, making a purchase or booking parties. Assign yourself time to do your necessary paperwork, etc. You can also use this form to keep track of your monthly income and expenses.
Filing System
A simple filing system is all you need. The necessary supplies can be found at your local office supply store. Suggested items would consist of an inexpensive filing/storage box and plain manila folders. Of course, these are simply suggested items and you must be the one to feel comfortable with this system.
• Order File. This file should consist of all purchase orders you've personally made. Your purchase orders can be printed from your account and will contain order number, as well as the quantity of product you have ordered. Maintaining your purchase orders will enable you to determine the amount of retail products purchased in a given month. File your purchase orders by the month to make them easier to find.
• Newsletter file. This is recommended to keep all copies of flyers you may receive concerning products, company newsletters, sales promotions, specials, recruiting promos, contests, etc. This will give you some ideas when you want to run a promotion or sale yourself.
• Taxes. As an independent affiliate, you are responsible for your income taxes. Although many expenses you incur will be legitimate business deductions, it is very important that you maintain receipts and records. Please contact your local CPA for more information on what information you should keep and what you can use as a deduction.
• Expense File. Of course, the first receipt filed would be the expense of your filing box and manila folders and any other office supplies you’ve purchased. For any products and/or expenses you incur, you should receive a receipt. Simply file your receipts for tax purposes. You may wish to file parties, delivering products, sales meetings, etc. telephone hostess calls, booking leads, calls to the home office, etc., entertainment/meals – prospective recruits, demo products, uncollected bad checks, service charges, advertising, business cards, door prizes, hostess gifts, stamps, etc. Please contact your local CPA for more information on what information you should keep and what you can use as a deduction.
Miscellaneous Supplies
- Voice Mail. Make sure you have plenty of storage in your voice mail. You never want a customer or potential recruit to call and hear that your mailbox is full.
- Business Cards. Make sure to add a business card to every new customers order if you are shipping products to them. You can make your own with your own business name on them, or you may purchase CCB ones here.
- Office Supplies. If you keep inventory on hand for Live shows, events or parties you'll want to have a few extra office supplies available. We've listed a few here.
Computer or Smart Phone
Carolina Country Bling has an up to date ordering system which you access by surfing the web. In this day and age a computer or smart phone is your most important business tool. You will want a current e-mail account to communicate with CCB and with your upline. Announcements are occasionally sent through email so make sure to check often.