2007 A Year in Review for Kari Andersen

What a Year... a glance back!

This is the Andersen family last year about this time.

I like to reflect on the past year on the last day of the year and journal my feelings and thoughts. I usually write this out in my journal but since 2007 was the year of the BLOG, I felt it was appropriate to do that here.

2007 was a busy, exciting, frustrating, exhilarating and growing year.

We started off our year with a big road trip to CA and Las Vegas. I was one of the speakers for the Western Regional Candle Conference in Vegas and so I decided that we would take 2 weeks and travel down to SoCal to visit friends and relax and then hit the conference on the way back.

It was probably the best vacation our little family has ever had. We spent time with one of my dearest and oldest friends, Stacy, in L.A. She and I met when we were 6 years old back in Scobey, MT.

We also connected with our favorite Filipino family Cres and Claudine San Jose in Santa Clarita. They lived next door to us in our first apt. in Canyon Country when we moved to L.A. in 2002. They were angels sent from God to help us with our transition. In fact they even helped us unload our moving truck. I thank God for them often.

We also spent a whole day visiting friends at Galpin Motors. Collin worked there for almost three years and we have many friends and fond memories there. Bert Boeckmann continues to influence our lives by what he taught us and the kindness he showed us while we were there.

Galpin Auto Sports (GAS) from MTV's Pimp My Ride

We visited Solvang and boogie boarded at Avila Beach... my ultimate life destination... where I plan to live before I die.

Then it was off to Las Vegas for the conference and I brought my whole family up when I spoke.

In March, I held my 2nd Annual Montana Spring Candle Meeting and it was a huge success. My dear friend and team member, Gay Passano, hosted the event at her family ranch. The day was filled with great food, fun and lots of great training.

The next big event was in Cleveland, OH where I once again was a featured speaker. I spoke about Dreaming Big and both parts to that speech can be seen on my YouTube page www.youtube.com/kariandersen

While I was there, I toured the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Pete Canavan, company owner - Charlie Umphred and his girlfriend, Cyndi and John MacFadden. John knows everything about music and I learned a lot that day.

From May-September, I spent a lot of time hiking with my friend, Lori Dawkins. When I think back on the year, hiking with her held my dearest memories. She was a slave driver and pushed me beyond what I ever thought I could physically do. We talked and talked and I grew spiritually, emotionally and mentally just visiting with such a wise and intellectual woman. Thank you, Lori, for being such a gift to me during a really tough time.

One of our favorite trails was hiking up to the "M"

Lori and I

July was filled with lots of FUN IN THE SUN! We spent lots of time floating down the Madison River and boating on Canyon Ferry Lake with friends.

Collin even got a chance to do some dirt biking and he loved it even when he wiped out and scraped up half of his body.

I think the month that has the most consecutive days of fun was in August at our Annual National Gourmet Candle Convention in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

I traveled with a group from my Montana candle team and we were gone almost a week. The time spent with those amazing ladies will forever be one of the best times ever. I was a featured speaker at this event also and the title of my speech was Become Another Person: Extreme Dream Makeover. You can view that speech on YouTube also.

Here are some of the highlights of the trip in pictures...

My team members Cheryl Hill and Lori Dawkins were special speakers at the convention. I was so proud of them!

Cheryl Hill (Chill)

Lori Dawkins

I was also a speaker.

Island Night!!

RED NECK Montana BABES!!

September was special because my hubby and I celebrated our 13th Anniversary. I adore him and I'm so thankful for a man who can put up with me and also make me feel so cherished and loved.

One special night in November is my favorite one of all. My dear friend and best selling author, Jane Porter, came to Montana, went to Happy Hour at my grandma's house, had drinks and dinner with my best friends and stayed at my house.

We met online last March on cafemom.com. You can read my blog about Jane's visit to Montana HERE.

We decided that this year was going to be a ONE PRESENT CHRISTMAS. We decided to get a Wii as a family present and that was it. As you know, Wii supplies are limited and very hard to come by. I called over to GameStop in Bozeman and they said they had a shipment coming in on Black Friday.

So I stood outside the store at 6:30am in 3 below zero weather and waited for the store to open. I was 7th in line and I scored a Wii!! It was worth the frostbite... ok... that didn't happen but I was very cold!

We have had so much fun as a family with our Wii. I love to play golf and bowl. It actually gets everyone up on their feet and active. I wake up each morning sore from WRS... Wii Related Soreness!!

This year was so amazing and I learned so much. I turned 40 and had lots of feelings about that. I decided this year that I was going to do what I want from now on. I might have gone a little overboard with that but still feel more empowered than ever.

I probably spent more money than I should have this year but I had a blast and will spend some of this year making up for it. LOL! But I found an awesome book to help me do that and feel even more excited about getting our finances in order for an awesome future! The book is by Dave Ramsey called Total Money Makeover. http://www.daveramsey.com/ Collin and I read it together and put together a plan to get debt-free in a year! It's so thrilling to be in this together.

I really do appreciate all of you... my family, my old friends who I have found after many years, those who have joined my candle team and those who are my brand new friends. You are dear to me and I love getting to know you. I realize that making friends is one of my greatest thrills in life. I love people and I love to help them find a better way of life.

Let me help you this 2008!!!

Check me out on www.momsmakingmoneyfromhome.com

Kari Andersen

Bozeman, Montana

Hard Working Hubby in the RAT RACE!

Get out of the Rat Race!

My name is Collin Andersen and I would like to help you get out of the Rat Race.

I have done and been a lot of things in my life. It wasn't until I was almost 35 years old that I discovered my real passion in life. I've never loved anything more in life than being a dad!

That part of the story has absolutely nothing to do with helping you get out of the Rat Race!

I have always been a hard worker and have always had an entrepreneurial spirit.

For as long as I can remember, I was the kid who mowed the neighbor's lawns and delivered newspapers. I got a job as soon as I was able to work. I worked fast food and restaurants for a few years, hotels and motels for a few more. I was a youth pastor for a while, and eventually gravitated towards a career in sales. I sold gym memberships, bulk coffee, and then, as luck would have it, cars and trucks...

I say, "as luck would have it" because I really enjoyed selling cars and because I began my career in car sales at Galpin Motors, the Number 1 Ford dealership in the world, working for an amazing man by the name of Bert Boeckmann. He was (and continues to be) an incredible inspiration to me... brilliant, generous, humble, and extremely wealthy. He is a brilliant leader and man that could truly be considered a "world-changer." Believe me, he knows a thing or two about how to get out of the Rat Race.

I can see now, looking back, that what I really enjoyed about the jobs I had was contact with people. I enjoy helping people and I enjoyed the fact that I didn't just work with one particular group of people.

Car sales allowed me to sell a truck to a plumber, an SUV to a beekeeper, a car to a school teacher, and a minivan to a mom. I met all kinds of people who did all kinds of things and I enjoyed these interactions immensely. But I was stuck working every day. I still didn't know how to get out of the Rat Race.

All of the jobs I held were good ones and I did well at them. I managed to have a savings account, buy a home, invest in retirement programs 403Bs and 401Ks, etc. I kept working and the money kept coming. Oddly enough, the more life went on the more expensive it seemed to get. I soooo wanted and needed a way to get out of the Rat Race!

Now I had one wife, two homes, two cars, three kids, and a credit card or two. Two homes with utilities and taxes, two cars with insurance and upkeep, three kids who needed food and clothing and money for activities, a couple credit cards with interest, and a wife who enjoyed helping me spread the wealth around. I was getting desperate to find a way to get out of the Rat Race!

When would the treadmill ever stop? One thing I knew for sure was - I could never stop!

Of course, I kept on 'keeping on' because it was the right thing to do. I am a man who takes his responsibility to provide for his family very seriously. I had no other choice but to do so.

But I was growing increasingly more tired. It began to become frustrating and the idea of 'getting ahead' seemed to be further and further out of reach. It was time to get out of the Rat Race!

The dreams I'd been nurturing; travel, free time, a leisurely retirement, etc. seemed to be things that were constantly out of reach for me.

I OFTEN wondered what it was about me that kept me from having the life I KNEW was possible. I knew it was possible because I knew that there were people who had it. We've all seen the lifestyles of the rich and famous and wondered, "Why them and why not me?"

I am a hard worker, no one would deny that. But you can paddle a canoe till you drop dead and you have about as much chance of getting across the ocean as a mouse does winning the Kentucky Derby.

It wasn't about working hard. It was about having the right vehicle to get me to my destination. I needed something new to help me succeed in a way that nothing had allowed me to up till that point.

I wish I could say that I am such a genius that I immediately recognized what was missing. I wish I could tell you that I discovered and developed some top secret new methods for wealth. I wish that I could tell you anything other than the fact that my wife came across this business two years ago and that it took me over a year to realize what she had a hold of.

What I thought was a cute little hobby business has grown into a thriving enterprise with hundreds of participants all over the US and Canada. It wasn't until the month before I could "retire" that I began to fully realize exactly what it was that we had been building.

This is how I was to get out of the Race Race!

We had a business that was out-producing my sales career, was growing every month, and allowed me to work with people in a greater way than I'd ever imagined; offering the gift of this business, the training and encouragement to succeed, and the hope for a better and brighter future.

Now these former 'strangers' are some of the dearest friends that we have ever known. What's more, they are grateful to us for helping them in such a significant way.

Now it comes down to YOU!

What do you dream about? And what is it that makes you think that it's OK to let those dreams just pass you by. They won't just happen to you, you know! Dreams must be pursued. Your dream is as unique as you are. You are dreaming it and you are dreaming it for a reason. You want it to happen. I say, "You NEED it to happen."

You need it to happen so that you can be fully realized, so that you can not feel crazy, so that you can get out of the Rat Race, so that you can rise up and be one of the few with the courage to make the life they dream of a reality. Your friends need to see someone do it. Your kids need for you to do it. Your life deserves it. You deserve it.

Is what YOU are doing, right now with your life, WORTHY of YOU?! Are YOU ready to get out of the Rat Race?

Collin!! I want to get out of the rat race! Great! Click here to start your new journey!

Taken from www.mom-dad-candle-business.com/rat-race.html

3 Years in MLM Biz: What Worked and What Didn't!

3 Years in the MLM Biz

What Worked and What Didn't!

Last night I led my sponsor's team training call where I shared...

*My story - going from a major depression to true happiness

*Ways I've worked my mlm business

*Methods that were successful

*Lessons learned - ways that I failed but used the lessons to grow

*Goal Challenge for 2008 - a challenge to you

If you are on my team or in my company, I challenge you to listen to this recording and take notes.

If you are in the process of investigating me and my business opportunity, then listen to the recording to see if what I say clicks for you.... see if we have a fit for a business partnership.

Maybe you are in network marketing/mlm in a different company but could use some tips to help move your business to the next level. I hope this recording helps YOU, too!

Kari Andersen

http://www.kari-andersen.com/

me with Jane Porter, the author I talk about on the call

Lipstick, Cotton Candy and Chili Vanilli

Lipstick, Cotton Candy and Chili Vanilli
by Kari Andersen

Almost two years ago now, I needed lipstick. I was attending a new church in Belgrade, MT and was meeting some amazing people. One of the new friends that I met was a consultant for a major cosmetic company. We started talking about business and I shared that I was a gourmet candles distributor and she was very interested because she loves candles. I mentioned that my favorite lipstick was from her company. She was NOT interested in my business and the same for me with hers but we agreed to trade products.

So I gave her a Sex on the Beach candle and she gave me a tube of my favorite lipstick. I remember my husband questioning my judgement because he didn't want me to give my product away. But I needed lipstick so why not make sure that one more person tries a gourmet natural-wax candle and get what I need in return. She was thrilled and so was I.

A few weeks later, I got a voicemail and an email from a girl here in Montana saying that she smelled a gourmet candle over at her friend's house and that she was very impressed with the candle. It was half burned, she said, without any black stuff. She said she even asked her friend if she cleaned the jar after she burned it which of course she didn't. She also said it smelled so good she wanted to lick it!!

So we wrote back and forth and chatted on the phone about a dozen times and she finally signed up with the Fast Start Pack. That girl is Cheryl Hill. I traded a candle for lipstick and got Cheryl Hill in the deal... my TOP leader!! Now, that was a big return on my investment!!

Cheryl was a school teacher, like myself, who wanted to be home with her babies. She just wanted some extra cash to help out with bills but didn't want to recruit or build a team. The next day while Cheryl was sharing her excitement with another couple, they got so excited that they signed up the next day! So within 24 hours, Cheryl had her first team partners!

Cheryl Hill is an expert at candle parties, fundraisers, internet marketing, recruiting and training. She spoke twice at the last Fling and is scheduled to be a speaker at the Las Vegas event in January 2008.

How about another SEED story...

me with Deanna Haley

Three years ago this May, I was at a Children's Expo with my children to see Mr. McFeely from "Mr. Rogers Neighborhood" and let them play on the inflatable jumpy things. Needless to say, I was not very excited to be there. But I went armed with two votives and my business cards. I intended to look for other moms or vendors who might be interested in joining my team. So after a couple hours of passing out my cards and one votive, I still had one Cotton Candy votive left.

I spotted another mom who had a stroller and a bunch of kids. She was very pretty and looked nice. Seemed safe enough! So I went up to her and said, "You look like you could use a candle." She laughed and I found out later that she wondered what exactly that looked like! She took that candle and read the bottom and said, "I want to make money from home." I told her to take the candle home and check out my website. That was it.

A couple weeks later, she called me and said that little Cotton Candy votive that she set next to her computer had been calling to her. She loved the scent. So we chatted for a long time and found out that we had so much in common. We even grew up not far from each other in Eastern Montana and we were both singers. She was still a little hesitant but she talked it over with her husband and he said that he was going to sign up if she didn't! Thanks, Matt!

Deanna Haley also shared her story at a previous Fling, is a dynamo internet marketer and is an expert at selling her candles in small retail shops all over the area. She will be at the Las Vegas event and is bringing team partners with her to share the excitement.

One more awesome SEED story!

My husband and I attended a Marriage Seminar about a year and half ago. It was a fun class and we met some amazing couples. The leaders of the seminar asked if I could put together some votives to give to each couple for the last class. Chili Vanilli votives were what I had in stock so I wrapped each one in tulle with a ribbon and attached my card.

One of the ladies went crazy over the Chili Vanilli scent and asked me a million questions about the candles and the business. She and her husband had been in network marketing and knew the power of MLM.

Gay Passano was the wonderful lady who was Chili Vanilli-ed and is now one of my TOP RETAILERS in the area. She attended the Summer Fling and the Las Vegas event last year. She takes the candles with her everywhere and shares her excitement. Her husband, Chris, who owns his own painting business has recently caught the bug and purchased a CANDLE TOOL BAG (like the one in December's newsletter) to take to his job sites.

Gay Passano on far left - A Montana Babe!

Another seed, another team member, another new friend for life! This business is more than planting seeds for a great financial harvest, it's about planting seeds of friendship.

Kari Andersen
Bozeman, Montana

www.MomsMakingMoneyFromHome.com