"I think, therefore I am! If I believe, I WILL Achieve!"

I say this to myself everyday, several times through out the day. Life is what we make it, and it's about having a good attitude and being ambitious to achieve our goals. I am a very goal oriented person and it is my desire to see my business grow. To accomplish the things we want the most we must set our goals in an order that makes them easier to accomplish. I have had several people ask me over the last year "How do you do it? You must have a ton of energy being a divorced mom and caring for your kids, creating and manufacturing products then marketing also!?"

The truth is, I don't have any more energy than anyone else, and on some days less from my heart condition, but I do all I do out of necessity! I love what I do, I couldn't ask for a more rewarding business. I love my children and it is up to me to care for them and provide for them. I push myself everyday. I have goals, I refuse to fail or give up. I tell myself over and over, "If I believe, I will achieve", and I believe I will!

Setting goals is all about making little accomplishments to get you to the grande desire. Let's say in five years you want to buy a new home. The question is, What do you need to do to get yourself to the final step of buying a new home? You first begin to looking at the main desire Buying the home. To buy the home you need a certian amount of money. The next question is "How are you going to get the money together to buy the new home?". The answer is you need a better paying job. The next question is, "How or where will I find a better paying job, to accumulate the money to buy a new home?". The answer maybe, I need to go to school. The next question is, "how do I get the funds to go to school, so I may get a better paying job, so I can make the money I need to buy a home?". The answer would be, finding student loans, grants etc. to help pay for college if you don't have already have a college fund". The point is, to look at the big picture and analize what it takes to accomplish it going backwards, then set your list of small goals to meet one at a time. It may take longer than five years, may take less, but keeping your eye on the goal will get you where you want to be.

What I have ultimately wanted for my business is to get my own store front for my products. In the beginning I made my list of what I thought it would take to get to my final destination.

1. Perfect the Product
2. Introduce the Product to the public
3. Gather a customer following.
4. Place my Product within exsisting store locations
5. Save money made from individual sales and store placments to rent/purchase a store front.

I have accomplished 4 of 5 todate within this first year of public marketing. I spent several years perfecting the products. I then built a website so customers and potential buyers could obtain information on my products and buy at will, then proceeded to public marketing within my community and in neighboring towns via Markets, Trade Shows and events. Through public demonstration and display of the products I accumulated a steady customer following and an interest from store front owners to host my products in their stores. Now, it is all about saving the money, and finding grants to help a woman run business.

"If I believe, I will achieve!"

Only we can sabatoge ourselves out of our accomplishments. Others can hinder, yes, but do we give up or do we find a way? I WILL find a way.

I feel like this last year of business has been very healthy and prosperous Soaps 'N Suds. It has been tight many times, but it is providing for my family. I believe, if you can make it through your first year in business without being in the red zone at the end, and still making a profit into the second, it will grow and succeed and it will survive! The first year is the hardest. I believe many times I have created a frankenstien's monster. lol However, isn't this what I esteemed for?

Here I am a year later, at this time last year I had gone through only 2 cases of wax and maybe sold 50 bars of soap. This year, I estimate at least 10 cases of wax, 2000+ candles, 900+ bars of soap, 500+ bath bombs, 200+ Lip butters, 300+ lotion bars. That is amazing. When I begin to doubt myself and where Soaps 'N Suds will go in the future, I look back at the numbers, I look to my goal, my final destination and I say "If I believe, I will achieve!".
I think, therefore I am. One day, I will be in my own store front, displaying my candles and soaps, bath bombs, lip butters, lotion bars and gifts.

Yes.... "If I believe, I will Achieve!"