A Question For You! Please Answer (Pretty Please)...

Today, I received this email from a first time customer.....

"Thank you SO much for creating the best smelling soap products EVER!  I am a lover of all things beauty related and am beyond excited about finding iVi Scents.  I can't believe it's taken me so long to find this... I have already spread the word to other fellow beauty guru's and will continue to share the love of your products with friends and family everywhere...

God Bless!! :)

A.D. (a very happy to have found you customer)"

So here is my question: What about iVi Scents desperately makes people want to refer, share, blog, and review our products?  Honestly, think about it.  I don't think people write in to Best Buy, McDonalds, or Google like this.  But we receive emails like this daily.  So what is it about our company that makes people do this?  I really would love to know, so we can keep it up!  These emails rock my world! Please comment below.

Aarin Elizabeth is the founder of iVi Scents | Nontoxic Bath and Body

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Why I Cried Over a Soap Box

Yesterday was a very special day for me.  I received the new iSmell Soap box template and it was absolutely beautiful!  It was something so small, but it symbolized so much.  Here's why I cried when I received it.....

Last April, while I was working as a middle school history teacher, I was notified by my principal that I was one of the thousands of new teachers that would not have employment during the next school year.  Being laid off was one of the most humiliating and humbling experiences I have ever been through.  I had just completed one and a half years of graduate schooling and a semester of (volunteer) student teaching.  I had worked so hard as a first year teacher, I spent so much time and money, my students' test scores were high, and the kids learned to love history, but there was nothing that could be done. Teaching is based on seniority - Last hired, first fired.  I was devastated. Read my full story here....


Ironically, while searching for a scented air freshener for my classroom during my final semester, I discovered that I could create scented products for a fraction of the cost.  This became the first prototype of iVi Scents.  After researching and writing my business plan, I discovered that I had a passion for bath and body products, which is what I sell now.

Who would have ever known that getting laid off was the best thing that could have ever happened to me?  I make more money now, I love what I do, and I have complete control over my own destiny.  When I saw that soap box, it just hit me like a ton of bricks. I cried because the Lord had a bigger plan for me.  I cried because the vision that He had given me for this business became a reality.  I cried because the soap box meant so much more to me that a cardboard package.  I cried because it was a symbol of my faith.  That little box represented the reality of something that was merely a dream a year and a half ago.

I was so thankful and appreciative of what He had done. I cried. 

Aarin Elizabeth is the founder of iVi Scents | Nontoxic Bath and Body

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Why I'm Giving Up My Retirement For 3 Months In Spain

If you love what you're doing during these best years of your life, then by all means, keep doing it until the day you retire.  But if you are like the rest of us, and absolutely hate your 9 to 5 job, then take long vacations now and make up for this loss time later on life.

After reading The Four Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss, my outlook on life was completely changed.  If you haven't read this book yet, buy it right after you read this blog!  I'm that serious about it.  The whole premise of the book is that it isn't the millionaires money we envy as much as it is her lifestyle. 

Just ponder that for a second.  What is it about the millionaire that seems attractive? It isn't her work ethic or her long hours.  It's the freedom of her schedule.  We all want the ability to travel, buy things, and change our schedules on a whim.  But no one wants to work like a slave and never have time to spend the money that they've worked so hard to make. I think this is why some women have married for money - You get all the perks of being a millionaire without actually having to do any of the work for it, at least not in the traditional sense.

That being said, we all can live like millionaires at one expense: Retirement.  Before I tell you why retirement is the biggest lie ever believed by man, let me tell you how you can obtain a millionaire's lifestyle right now.  All you have to do is take lots of long vacations.  Think of it this way, you either take the time now in small increments, or you take the time later all at once.  Do what you want, but I'm taking my time now. I'd rather have this time while I'm young, than trying to tour Europe alone when i'm old.

There is no way on earth that you can convince me to give up the best years of my life now hoping for a life of happiness in the last.  No way! Think about it.  Retirement forces you to spend 30 years of your life wholesaling your time to people you don't like, in order to buy things you don't need.  This is even more disheartening when you couple it with the fact that most people will NEVER be able to retire due to inflation and the increasing cost of living.  Furthermore, if you are an ambitious person, retirement is a recipe for boredom. 

I have made a decision to forgo delayed gratification because I have lateral options.  I am choosing to take my retirements now.  I am kicking over the big pot of gold promised at the end of my life, taking some of the coins out now, and taking them with me to Spain, Hawaii, Argentina, France, Indonesia, and New York City. 

So what about you?  Are you willing to give up your retirement for a series of mini vacays for the rest of your life? Or do you think retirement is worth it? Comment below...

 

Aarin Elizabeth is the founder of iVi Scents | Nontoxic Bath and Body

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Why a Recession is the Best Time to Start a Business

Starting a business in the midst of a recession is one of the smartest business moves you can make.  Some of the greatest businesses of all time were born during bad times: Facebook, LinkedIn, Monopoly, Apple, Cliff Bar, Scrabble, KFC, Dominoes, FedEx, and Microsoft are just a few.

So why is now the best time to become an entrepreneur?  First, the cost to open a business is at an all time low.  A recession is the best time to buy rent estate, purchase equipment, hire designers, buy products, and seize coveted advertising space, because everyone is willing to accept discounted prices.  Second, the competition is low.  A recession creates a lower barrier of entry into the marketplace.  As the only light in the dark, you have no choice but to shine brilliantly.  Third, a recession gives you confidence.  If your business can survive through the tough times, it can survive through anything. Likewise, if your business folds under the pressure, it probably wasn't meant to be -in the first place - And it's cheaper to fail fast if you are doomed to fail. 

I know dozens of people personally who have lost their jobs due to this recession -- In fact, I was one of them.  But after opening my own business, I now have a steady income and the ability to create jobs for others. So although it may seem like starting a business now may is risky, sometimes I wonder if working for someone else may be even be riskier. 

Aarin Elizabeth is the founder of iVi Scents | Nontoxic Bath and Body

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Why Not Having a Blog is Killing Your Business

If you think that blogging is unnecessary or a waste of time, your brand is destined for a slow suicide.  Blogging is one of the most important things you can do -- for your brand and for yourself.  Here's why...

Blogging makes you a better salesperson. I am constantly writing sales pitches via Twitter (a microblog), Facebook, and this blog.  It is a unique opportunity for me to formulate these pitches, state them precisely, and recite them clearly over and over again.  If you can practice this online, you will also be able to do this easily and confidently in person.

Blogging gives your business a face.  A website tells people what you are.  A blog tells them who you are.  For instance, when people who have never heard of iVi Scents go to our website, all they know is that we sell nontoxic bath and body products.  It wouldn't be appropriate to tell them anything else there.  But a blog is different.  It is a place to share your company's culture, charity projects, events, photos, and employee shenanigans (hopefully they have some).

Blogging forces you to focus. Every day, at the end of the day, I have to sit down and recap my day.  Was it productive? Was it fruitless?  Did something amazing happen?  I am accountable to all of these questions, which means if slacking occurs, I have to own up to it.  Likewise, if I am focused and productive, I have lots to be proud of.

Blogging allows you to test your ideas. When I first started iVi Scents, I would rack my brain trying to think of ideas for scent names and new products.  Then one day it hit me -- I could ask my followers on Twitter!  They solved in two minutes what took me two days!  In fact, two of my products were named by a follower this way.  The iCing Body Frosting, one of our best selling products, was one of them.

Blogging increases traffic to your website. Unlike your website, your blog is updated with content often.  This is the stuff search engines crave!  They scour the internet looking for change, something only blogs can provide.  So give them what they want, and they will return the favor.

Blogging makes you a better thinker. There is nothing more embarrassing than doing something stupid, except doing it in front of billions of people.  This is completely possible when things get uploaded to the internet. To avoid as many embarrassing moments as possible, you find yourself really thinking about your content and your ideas.  It may not prohibit you from making a mistake, but it ensures that they don't happen as often.

Blogging makes you more creative. Sitting down at the end of every day and making yourself come up with something to write about taps into the right side of your brain -- the center of creativity -- and allows ideas to flow.  After practicing this daily, your creativity will begin to come more naturally and quickly.  This will translate into other areas of your business as well.

Blogging keeps you up to date with the latest trends. In an effort to come up with as much fresh content as possible, I try to stay abreast of what's going on in my niche, in social media circles, and in real life.  This helps me to keep my business in line with these trends as well.

Blogging makes you a better networker. There's nothing like logging into your blog account and seeing that people have commented, read, or subscribed to it.  Seeing these people happy fuels me! Prior to starting iVi Scents, I had absolutely no networking experience, but after building a large network of people via Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube I can now network with ease.  Virtual networking skills easily translate into the real world.

Blogging allows you to have a chronological record of your business growth. I was advised to keep a personal journal about the growth of iVi Scents but failed to do so.  I really wish I had, especially when I get discouraged.  You are going to need something that reminds you how far you've come during those difficult times.  It will encourage you beyond measure.  Plus, you should also have accurate records, so when the media asks you to film your success story you're prepared!

I challenge you to start a blog and write every single day.  You can set one up on Blogger, Wordpress, Typad, or a Facebook Fanpage. You will soon discover all of these things I have mentioned are true! If you are inspired to start a blog as a result of this article, please mention it in a comment below!

Aarin Elizabeth is the founder of iVi Scents | Nontoxic Bath and Body

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