I am very excited to introduce you to Tara, owner of Affordable Mineral Makeup. She is a multi business owner and has the knack for creating super niche products and are really hit the market at the right time. Enjoy meeting Tara
Brief Bio – I’m an eco friendly multiple business owner. Mother of two, plus some 4 legged creatures as well (dogs, bunny – if you’re so inclined you can see Edward bunny at Bunny TV ). I work from home in South Florida (and no, it really isn’t that great to live in FL…really). I’m laid back, care free, straight shooter in all that I do. I believe in telling it how it is and running business(es) like businesses. You can see almost all of what I do via Tara Burner.com
How long have you been in Direct Sales? Wow, a looooong time.
How did you get involved with a Direct Sales business? Honestly I don’t remember that far back. It’s been nearly 20 years since I first started.
How many companies have you been with before finding this company? Again, it’s hard to remember them all. I vaguely remember Herbalife, some plant company, jewelry company…a brief stint with PartyLite with my pal Laurie Ayers and who knows what else! I’m currently with Team Beachbody (Be a Fitness Coach) in addition to owning Affordable Mineral Makeup™ ( Affordable Mineral Makeup). Having worked with different direct sales companies, worked to my advantage though. Because of all the things I didn’t like with those companies, it helped me start Affordable Mineral Makeup™ and run it the way I want.
Do you retail your products and build a team or do you focus on one only? What do you recommend one do? I do both. It’s up to the individual whether they’re confident enough in their knowledge of the company to be able to build a team. I believe consultants should really know the product and the company before they recruit.
How long did you wait before recruiting? Would you do anything differently today? I didn’t wait. I own the company so was recruiting immediately.
Do you market online or offline only or mix them? Mostly online. I can reach more people though I do try to market offline for a few of my other businesses that are local to this area. Go Green Home Makeover is one of them.
What is the best way you advertise your business? Word of mouth and referrals. Reviews are an excellent means of advertising for me at AMM Reviews. I also blog (a lot of different blogs). Social networking is also an excellent source of business for me.
How much time do you dedicate to advertising and marketing? Honestly, have no idea how much time… hours and hours? It’s a constant ongoing process.
Do you have a budget that you stick to for advertising? I don’t pay for advertising other than my ad at Direct Sales Talk. I believe in ROI (return on investment) and making advertising work and thus far haven’t found anything really worth the fee’s involved.
How do you find business online? I blog and offer advice. I network on twitter . I spend some time on Facebook and other networks. Building relationships with people builds trust and friendship and client base. I also sponsor give away contests and events.
How do you recruit on line? What works best for you? I really don’t do much to recruit. The information’s “out there” and I offer advice, input and the people who are interested find me and sign up. I also have consultants who recruit for me as well for Affordable Mineral Makeup™ so that works for me too.
Do you buy leads or develop your own? No, have never bought leads. I’ve been blessed that clients find me and my services.
How much time do you dedicate to your direct sale business each week? A LOT! But, being the boss I can take off in the afternoon for a few hours and then just work later or earlier in the morning to get it all done. It’s not unusual for me to be working at 5:30 a.m. or 11 p.m.
What is the hardest thing about building your business online? Trying to find the time to do it all…from promoting business, to networking, blogging, producing product, shipping product. It’s not as easy as “build it and they’ll come” (sorry that only worked for Kevin Costner). It’s an ongoing, constant process and you have to be consistent in getting your business in the eye of your target market.
What is the easiest thing about building your business online? I can reach a multitude of people in more areas and countries than I could if I were to try to build offline. Information is accessible within seconds.
What is the best advice you have gotten regarding direct sales business? Hmmm good question, because I don’t recall “getting” advice about DS business.
What advice would you give to the readers about working a direct sales business? Be serious about your business. Be reliable. Say what you mean & do what you say. Don’t treat your business as a hobby. If it’s a business, then treat it like one and conduct it like one. Don’t be “wishy washy”, or make excuses in business. Be accountable.
What do you think your greatest strength you offer a potential team member would be? While some don’t like this trait, others do…but I do run all my businesses as businesses. I don’t sugar coat things, I run a tight ship and am straight forward in business. I want to succeed and I want others to succeed so I’m very much about business and doing things the integrity filled way. I’m a firm believer in sowing and reaping and want my consultants as well as myself to sow abundance and prosperity.
If you were looking for a business today, what would, you look for in a company and why? I’d look for a company that offered a product or service that people will buy/use. That, combined with a knowledgeable experienced owner.
Have you had or do you have a secondary business offshoot from your direct sales business? I’m one of the types who enjoys staying “busy” and doing things, helping people so I have multiple businesses that somehow all pretty much work together and compliment one another.
If you could go back and change one thing about your business, what would it be and how would your business be different today? Honestly not sure what I’d change, so far things are going greatly and have been for years now. Perhaps this saying applies… “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it”.
I take my business seriously but I don’t take myself or life seriously. I don’t sweat the small stuff … and it’s mostly all small. I lead by example and don’t let many things get my feathers ruffled. Also as anyone on the Scentsy consultant forum will tell you, I like my policies. I’m one of those anal birds who actually reads and rereads the company policies and procedures. If anyone has a question about compliance or what the policies state, I can (and will and do) tell them exactly where to go. Well, I mean I tell them which page, chapter and sub chapter to find their answer. My team members have confessed that they may not have liked “my policies” but as a result they leaned well and now are able to run their business better because they have a firm grasp on the technicalities of it.
