Thirty One is a direct sales company that offers high quality bags, stationery and accessories for very reasonable prices.  You can even customize your bag with an embroidered message, initials or phrase.

I just love the Thirty One products to use and promote my SendOutCards business.  Even though you cannot personalize a bag with a trademarked name without explicit permission, you can get creative! 

The Cindy Tote is a HUGE bag!  It makes a great diaper bag – but it also makes a great laptop case too.  One of the samples in the catalog even has the Cindy Tote embroidered with the phrase, “Mobile Office.”  I LOVE that too.

Besides being a great vehicle to advertise your business, it’s also a great way to add a personal touch and style to your handbags.  They are very high quality bags and again, very reasonably prices.  I own a couple of Vera Bradley purses and love the brand, but Thirty One has really caught my eye for the styles, quality and price!

Their commitment to great quality bags at reasonable prices, really extends to their business opportunity too.  It only costs $99 to start a Thirty One business.  The $99 investment gives you all the tools you need to start your business.  You’ll receive over $300 in products, and all the paperwork, training and company support.

Phyllis O’Neill, Senior Director with Thirty One has been helping women start their own home based business for over a year.  She’s committed to helping her team succeed with whatever their goals are.

Thirty One was founded in 2003 by Cindy Monroe.  The company has grown over 200% in the last year, and is still a ground floor opportunity.

Thirty One Gifts has a great customer special this month: Spend just $31 and you can purchase the Organizing Shoulder Bag for 1/2 off which is only $19.

If you’d like to see the Thirty-One catalog, go to www.thirtyonegifts.com. Then click on the “Shop Now” button.

If you’d like more information about starting your own Thirty-One business, contact Phyllis O’Neill at www.ThirtyOneWAHM.com.

Here are some more pictures of some personalized bags for my Mamavation Sisters .  These Thermal Totes are only $14  (without personalization)!

Well, this week was better than last since I lost 1/2 a pound.  Yay – better than gaining or staying the same like last week!

I am eating better, and feeling better.  I am drinking lots of water – most days the full 64 oz.  I haven’t had coffee in 3 weeks now – it’s getting easier.

My goal for this week is to eat more fresh veggies.  Up until now, I’ve had my veggies in a salad and a few steamed veggies.  But I feel that has really limited my choices because there are SO many fresh veggies out there right now.  I really want to try making something with eggplant.  Truth be told, Eggplant Parmagiana is one of my  favorite dishes, so I am on the hunt to make a healthy version!

As I see the announcement for the Mamavation Mom campaign again, I am in awe of what some of you have accomplished – CONGRATULATIONS!  It is not an easy task.  First, you have to commit to losing the weight, then do it, exercise, take care of your family and work obligations and STILL be a support system for your fellow Mamavation Sisters.  It is truly an amazing task that inspires me all the time.

Good luck with your weight loss goals this week!  Can’t wait to see what you’ve accomplished when I read your posts. 

P.S.  You might want to check out the bottom of this post http://www.wahmbahm.com/product-review-business-opportunity for some really cute thermal totes.  They are nice and big and great to carry around your lunch and snacks to work.

Tough week, I didn’t lose any weight, but didn’t gain either.  That’s a positive, I think!  Not exactly the best way to start my challenge to lose 50 pounds by July 10, 2010 for my 20  year reunion.

Water drinking is going well.  I only drink water or milk for all my meals.  I’ve only had one soda this week – and no coffee.  The no soda is no big deal, but the no coffee thing is pretty tough.  Especially with two early risers and a mama that works late nights. 

So honestly, the biggest challenge and I know the key to my ultimate weight loss success is exercise.  I’m doing my walking DVD’s because it’s too windy and cold to go for a walk with my girls right now.  I know the weather will get better soon, but I’m tired of being indoors.  And, I really don’t have anything to complain about – no snow.  But the wind and cold air isn’t much better for taking the girls out for a walk.  We’re ready for Spring!

Thanks Jessica (@fringies) for the wonderful idea of getting workout DVD’s through Netflix.  I had not thought about that before!  I already scoured the used exercise DVD section at a local store – no luck.  Might have to try Netflix again because it doesn’t look like a Wii is anywhere in my future. 

Have a great week everyone – looking forward to seeing your posts this week! 

What exactly IS a virtual event?

A virtual event is an event, like a conference, that is broadcast via live video, shared computer screen presentation, radio, podcast, etc.  The event is held live somewhere in the world, but, you don’t need to travel to attend.  Virtual events are typically recorded, so that you can access the material at any time if you aren’t able to attend live. 

There are many benefits to virtual events such as cost savings (no need to travel), accessbility (attend the event when the time is right for you), world-wide audience, permanent access to the event, and so much more. 

 I am not sure if you were aware but the Virtual Event Industry is actually one of those markets that has GROWN in leaps and bounds during this economic downturn. 67% of professionals responsible for physical events report that overall attendance has dropped, and 76% of businesses say have already begun using or plan to start using Virtual Events in 2009. In fact, 70% of Corporate Event Organizers predict a reduction in live events in 2010, and forecast major growth in virtual conferences and webinars.

There is no better time than now to position yourself as a Virtual Event Specialist!  If you are a virtual assistant looking to grow your business, or maybe you’ve been thinking about becoming a virtual assistant, this could be the niche for you! The popular training center, VAClassroom.com has just unveiled the Virtual Event Specialist Self Study Certification Program. VAClassroom has a knack for providing the right niche training opportunities at the right time.

This self study training program will cover the key set-up, implementation and management activities for the 5 most popular virtual events in 2010, including tele-events, webinars, live podcasts, online radio and webTV.  Just click on the below link to get all the course details and enroll today:  vaclassroom.com/virtual-events-specialist.  Plus, you’ll also get the Camtasia Mini-Course as a bonus (if you signup for the course by March 1, 2010)!  Camtasia is one of the best tools on the market today to created, edit and publish videos.

When this course was originally released at the end of 2009, I did not sign up because I didn’t think I needed to learn about virtual events.  I wasn’t planning to offer it as a service in my marketing virtual assistance business.  I was short-sighted.  Within a few weeks of the launch of that course, I found myself in a unique predicament.  I needed to learn how to host a teleseminar for my SendOutCards business.  EEK!

Needless to say, I fumbled through the entire thing.  And, I’m sure I could have done it more effeciently and effectively.  I also just completed VAClassroom’s Traffic Geyser Certification course and again, I really could have used the virtual events training since we needed to create videos for our final assignment.

As always, VAClassroom offers courses that help virtual assistants increase their earning potential, BUT, this course is for anyone who needs to learn how to host a virtual event.  This course is also great for direct sellers who want to use the power of the internet to get more customers and potential recruits.  The virtual events specialist course will not only teach you how to set up and manage a virtual event, but also gives you tips on how to maximize your event. 

We’ve all got the same 24 hours in a day.  Our challenge, regardless of what business we are in, is to maximize those 24 hours. By learning how to set up, create and host a virtual event, you’ll be able to repurpose that material into many other things.  For example, once your virtual event is recorded, you can have it transcribed and use those notes to create future blog posts, articles, tweets, an eBook, and so much more.

As soon as I’m done with VAClassroom’s new Social Media Certification Course updated for 2010, I will be taking the Virtual Events Specialist course. 

I encourage you to at least check out the course details to see if you can benefit from it.  The special bundle with the Camtasia mini-course will not last for long.  (Remember, it expires March 1, 2010.) That’s an additional savings rather than signing up for that class separately. 

So, who’s going to join me in this course? vaclassroom.com/virtual-events-specialist

P.S.  Here’s a video from the co-founder of VAClassroom, Craig Cannings, on the Top 5 Reasons Virtual Events are so popular.  It’s a quick video, but really gives you an idea of the potential for this specialty!

Woo Hoo – down another 1.2 pounds!

OK, here’s the deal:
1. Sorry from being absent on Twitter lately. I will be back this week.
2. I have exactly 20 weeks to lose 50 pounds – that’s my goal.

Why 50 pounds, why in only 20 weeks? My 20 year class reunion!

Many of use have been reconnecting on Facebook and we’re planning a small reunion this year. The planning got started a little late so we’re going to do what we can and knock it out of the park for our 25 year reunion.

Now, to be honest, I’ve always been overweight. So, it’s not going to be a surprise to anyone that I still am. BUT, this is for me to feel better about myself for the reunion. So that I will look nice in whatever dress I choose. This is for me, no one else. (Well, other than my girls of course, but that’s a different motivation.)

So, my plans are simple: Eat less, move more.

The weather is getting a little nicer (even though it’s still windy). So I might be able to get out of the house for a walk with the girls. Otherwise, it’s all about the exercise DVD’s. But, I need to find some different ones for variety – I get bored easily.

So, I will be scouring the internet for some crazy deals. I still want a Wii, but that’s a purchase that’s going to have to wait for a while. If you all see a crazy good deal, let me know here, or on twitter. (@ivettemuller01)

Have a great week everyone! We can do this!

Oh boy – sorry this is late!

First off, I lost 1/2 pound.  Now, this is good news for me because DH surprised me with a wonderful early Valentine’s gift on Friday.  Since there are no “special” deliveries on Sunday, I received flowers (with my favorite lilys) and chocolate covered strawberries.   This was special because we had just been talking about the best chocolate strawberries we’ve ever had was about 12 years ago in San Francisco.  So, he wanted to see if he could recreate the experience for me since we won’t be taking any trips for a while. 

OK, back to the good news.  Since I have weaned off of sodas and only have 1 a week, I have actually found that I don’t like to drink it as much.  It doesn’t taste the same and I usually don’t even finish it.  Now, I have to say I haven’t tried this theory with Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper yet, so that might change.  So I’ve been drinking a whole lot of water and of course milk.  I can’t get off the milk. 

More good news, I moved more last week!  And, we even danced after dinner last night.  We turned on the radio and the four of us danced to the Party Music channel.  We had fun!  And yes, I broke a sweat.

This week’s challenge:  Back on program.  I enjoyed the chocolate covered strawberries, but back to work.  Before Friday, I was down a full pound, so I know what they did.  (I know we’re not supposed to weight ourselves all the time, but I can’t help it.)  The weather is supposed to be nicer this week so I’m hoping to get out and walk with the girls.  It has been so windy we haven’t been able to go out for walks.  I know my girls want out of the house – truth is, so do I!

So, here’s wishing everyone a great week!

P.S.  I installed a new comment plug in called Disqus.  I miss Comment Luv’s feature that posts everyone’s last blog, but this one will help me to interact with everyone’s comments directly, rather than my comment at the end.  Sorry to spring the change on you!

You’ve seen the buzz – Facebook is all the rage!

With more than 400 million active users, Facebook is THE PLACE to be seen by people and businesses.  This creates a ripe opportunity for you to start or expand your virtual assistance business by creating and maintaining Facebook Fan Pages.

Businesses large and small are looking for ways to leverage their Facebook Fan Pages, and why shouldn’t they?  According to Facebook’s Press Room Statistics – the numbers are reason enough to get involved ASAP!

• 50% of active users log in everyday (that’s 200 million people!)
• More than 35 million users update their status everyday
• More than 5 billion pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photo albums, etc.) shared each week
• More than 20 million people become fans of Pages each day
• More than 1.5 million local businesses have active Pages on Facebook
• Pages have created more than 5.3 billion fans

So, it stands to reason that business are looking for help – your help to create great Facebook Fan Pages.  But creating a great Facebook Fan Page is only the beginning.  Businesses need to ENGAGE their Fans.  They need them to come back to their Fan Page to see updates, click on their links, opt-in for their great FREE content, watch their videos, attend their events — and BUY their stuff!

All of these actions take a great marketing plan to start, implement and maintain.

I’ll share with you a somewhat embarrassing story:

I tried to create a Facebook Group page last year for someone.  I had NO idea what I was doing.  I tried to figure out how to create a group, engage people to join our group, set up events, the works.  It bombed.  It bombed BIG.

I can tell you first hand that it’s not a good idea to “wing it”.  I only wish that I had some instruction, some insight, some HELP to do that.  I didn’t even know that Facebook Groups were so “yesterday”.  That’s how little I knew…

Well, the good news is, that help is now available!  VAClassroom Fantastic Fan Page Mini Course is just the thing you need to learn how to create a Fantastic Fan Page.  Not only that, but it will teach you marketing methods and techniques to get your fans to come back, engage with you and help create loyal fans.  You know, the ones that talk about you and recommend their friends become your fan too!

This course can help you start your virtual assistance business, or expand your list of services.  Even though the course is only 2 weeks, you’ll be prepared to tackle the task with success!  Plus, as an added bonus, their is the social network for all course participants so you can ask questions and converse.  There’s a lot of great “nuggets” of information in the social network.  And the best part is, once you sign up for the course, you have access to it, all the updates and the social network – FOREVER!

As I have mentioned before, I think VAClassroom has the best training programs on the internet PERIOD.  But this course is also special in a lot of ways because it’s not just for virtual assistants.  Anyone can take this course (or any of VAClassroom’s courses for that matter.) But the Facebook Fan Pages Mini Course is really great for anyone that has any type of  business.  Maybe you work for a large company that has been talking about creating a Facebook Fan Page, or maybe the company has one but it’s not very active.  You can take this course and learn how to make your Fan Page everything you want it to be.

So what are you waiting for?  Make 2010 your year!  Create a Fantastic Facebook Fan Page TODAY!

Have you all heard about the FREE online scheduling tool called Tungle?  It’s very cool, go to www.Tungle.com to get details.  But, in a nutshell, this free application allows you to send a personalized link to anyone to see your calendar.  This allows them to see what times you have available to schedule a meeting, demonstration or anything!

It works GREAT for virtual assistants and direct sales consultants!  I have already referred Tungle to several people.  You should check it out yourself!

Now, the team at Tungle has asked it’s community 5 questions, so here they are with  my responses:

Follow Tungle on Twitter – twitter.com/tunglerocks

Congratulations to Felissa who won the one year membership to the Party Plan Divas!  Way to go!

To view original post, go to: http://www.wahmbahm.com/review-party-plan-divas-membership-program

Good news:  lost another pound

Bad news:  I was sick almost all week.  I only walked once (at least it was one more time than last week I guess) and I didn’t track my Weight Watchers points very well.  I mostly ate soup and oatmeal all week.  I had the Progresso light soups which were easy to track points with, and lots of water.  But, I also drank some orange juice to get some natural Vitamin C to help me feel better.

Goal for this week:  MY EXERCISE PROGRAM!  I NEED to start my Leslie Sansone walking DVD’s like yesterday!  I need you all to remind me about exercising.   You can find me on Twitter at Twitter.com/ivettemuller01 .  I’m planning to exercise at around 10 a.m. MST when the baby goes down for a nap.  That way, I can exercise with less interruptions.  My oldest (22 months) will be awake, but she will probably like the  music.  Plus, as you all say, it’s a good thing for our kids to watch us exercise!
After being sick all week, I wore out my help so I did not get to Tuesday Morning to buy my HydraCoach on Friday as planned.  BUT, I went first thing Saturday morning and there were still plenty in stock!  So, I got my brand new HydraCoach to start off a brand new (and better) week!