What It Feels Like to be 38-Years-Old!

WOW! On April 1, 38 years ago I signed the papers to incorporate my small little company. I always had big dreams, but little did I know that my company would become one of the largest woman-owned companies in the country and a leader in the direct sales industry. When I look back, I realize that it took a lot of HARD WORK, a lot of PASSION and DRIVE, and a lot of DEDICATED PEOPLE to build this great company.

As we celebrate our anniversary and begin our 38th year in business, I am so grateful for the VALUES I learned as I grew up. Those values led me to understand that there is no substitute for HARD WORK and that helping others always will come back to you abundantly. Those values instilled in me a YEARNING for LEARNING that gave me confidence to step out of my comfort zone…to go under, over, around or through to take the next step forward. With each hurdle I knew I was growing and so was my business… all of which reinforced my PASSION and DRIVE to keep on building.

Ten years into the business after Cathi was stabilized from her lung disease, it was time to respond to all the inquiries outside the Chicagoland area. I had built a million-dollar organization there and constantly received inquiries about being a Representative from other states. OPPORTUNITY was knocking on my door! I had a DEDICATED staff to support me so I hit the road and soon found others who had the PASSION, DRIVE and VISION to WORK HARD and pursue their DREAMS. It was exhilarating to see those people grow! My DREAM became their DREAM.

We hear so much bad news about the level of unemployment and yet in 1971 it was at 5.9% and it didn’t bother me! When Sharon Morgan started as a Representative, unemployment was at 7.4% and the last time we had double-digit unemployment is the year that Sharon added 100 people to her Team and began her climb to a Million-Dollar Team! Carol Romkema built her Team during one of the most difficult economic times for the farming community around her. It became her mission to help other people save their family’s farms!

So on this day when I think of celebrating our 38th anniversary, I am ever so thankful for the VALUES I grew up with and the DREAM that continues to grow because of the DEDICATED PEOPLE who WORK HARD to pursue their DREAMS and continue to reach out to other people as I did in those beginning years.

Happy Anniversary to everyone in the Signature HomeStyles family!

Memories for a Lifetime!

WOW! What a great trip we had to Puerto Vallarta! Seventeen years ago we had a company trip there and it was great to be back to see all the changes and all the wonderful quaintness that had not changed. The hotel was fabulous, the food delicious, the pool and beach spectacular, and all the fun activities together FANTASTIC! But of course the togetherness would be FANTASTIC because the Signature HomeStyles people are just the BEST! It was great to share meals together, chat by the pool, shop and tour together, spend time with seasoned Representatives and get to know new ones.

One of my favorite questions along the way was to ask Representatives which trip that they earned was their favorite. Over and over again I had Representatives tell me that this trip to Puerto Vallarta was one of the best ever whether they have been on many trips or just a few. For family trips, anything Disney always ranks high on the list with many Representatives sharing what great memories their children have of those trips. I had Representatives tell me that their first company trip, regardless of the location, stands out in their memory as a favorite. Most seasoned Representatives who have been on many trips couldn’t choose just one but had two or three on the top of their lists. All-inclusive resorts ranked high with cruises ‘to anywhere’ being a favorite. And, of course, I had Representatives tell me that Hawaii is a DREAM trip for just about everybody.

For many, a couples trip or family vacation is just that…a DREAM. When you’re raising a family, there are just too many other needs. Yet vacations can be some of the best bonding times for families whether it’s a couple taking time to be together or the whole family. When I was growing up, we didn’t have the money to fly to fancy destinations, but my parents loaded us all up in the car and we drove to destinations in the United States and Canada. Memories of those times together still give me a warm fuzzy feeling and I love to look back at pictures of those trips. We shared day after day of pure FUN together!

So one of my greatest joys at Signature HomeStyles is to be able to provide a program where families can take time out of their busy routines and share pure FUN together! I know so many Representatives share in this joy as it is the reward for working their businesses consistently, and they are overjoyed with pride that they can thank their families for supporting them all year long with such fantastic vacations. We set lots of goals for ourselves, but we rarely think that we could achieve a goal that would create memories that are a positive imprint on our families for a lifetime! The money we earn is ever so meaningful to enhance the lives of our families, but you can’t put a price tag on the value of the memories from a VACATION OF A LIFETIME!

Invest your time into figuring out what you need to do to earn one of these trips and take action on your plan. Once you earn your first Signature HomeStyles trip, you and your family will never want to miss one! Every trip will be your BEST memories ever because you are traveling to the BEST destinations with the BEST travel companions…your own family and your Signature HomeStyles family!

Let’s watch the sun set over the ocean together in Maui and/or sail the seas together on a cruise to Key West and Cozumel!

A Special Day for Special People

Have you received any valentines yet? Have you mailed or e-mailed any yet? If you have school-aged children, I bet they’ve been busy putting names on the valentines for their classmates. Have you made any special plans for Valentine’s Day?

I love Valentine’s Day…it’s just one more day in the year to send a special note to friends and show appreciation for those we love. And there are special memories attached to Valentine’s Day. I remember decorating a shoebox with red hearts and doilies, putting a slit in the top, carefully printing my name on it, and taking it to school. All week long classmates dropped valentines through the slits in the boxes. The day of our class Valentine’s Day party, we ate cupcakes, played a few games and proudly took home our shoebox full of valentines.

Later, the excitement centered around the card I would give to ‘that special someone’ and the hope that flowers might arrive at my house! And as the circle of life turns, Valentine’s Day became exciting as I helped my own children get their valentines ready for the party at school. At home I made heart-shaped cakes or cookies. One year I tried to make the whole Valentine’s dinner red. It worked for the jello, but not the mashed potatoes!

Special days for special people create special memories.

May the love of special people abound in your life this Valentine’s Day!

Thanks for Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow!

You wake up in the morning a little sleepy and immediately notice the wonderful aroma in the house. Like every Thanksgiving, you can smell a turkey already stuffed and cooking in the oven. And is that an apple pie I smell? You bound down the stairs to see Mom busy in the kitchen…it’s a mess with bowls, spoons and measuring cups…with flour sprinkled on the countertop and some that made its way to Mom’s cheek. You smell that wonderful apple smell again and see that Mom has made a big pot of mulled cider. She fills a mug for you and reminds you that you need to have your breakfast and get ready for church. You know that today will become the special day that it always is…the day the house fills with family and friends, eating together, playing games together, taking pictures together. It’s a day of warm togetherness as everyone bows their heads and gives thanks.

Thanksgiving is that wonderful holiday that celebrates traditions founded by our ancestors who gathered to give thanks for the harvest. For many it is still a gathering to give thanks for the harvest from the fields. For others it is the time to celebrate the bountiful harvest of blessings in our lives. It’s a day to gather and be reminded of the cherished memories of the past and to be thankful to God for the blessings of today.

Whether you are the Mom in the kitchen creating those wonderful aromas throughout the house, or one of the many family and friends gathering on Thanksgiving day, may you have a wonderful day counting your many blessings and knowing that I thank God for my Signature HomeStyles family…for all the memories of the past…for all the blessings of today…and for all the cherished memories and wonderful blessings yet to come.

May God bless you and your family.

Wall Street to Main Street

As I’ve watched the news of the financial crisis lately, I am ever so thankful that we have a DEBT-FREE philosophy at Signature HomeStyles! Over the past 37 years, we’ve weathered economic recessions, runaway inflation and the negativity that goes with an election year. The lessons of all these years have helped us build a strong financial foundation. The experience of all those years has given us the ability to make good decisions. We can comfortably look into the future and know that we won’t get caught in a credit crunch brought about by this crisis and our employees and sales representatives can be comfortable going about their future at Signature HomeStyles!

No matter what channel you watch on television or what radio station you may listen to, the news is all about the crisis that is facing the United States financial industry. Wall Street and Main Street are used in the same sentences and since most of us live on or near Main Street, we are all concerned that life as we know it today could change depending on how this crisis is resolved. At the heart of this crisis is DEBT…mortgage debt, credit card debt, debt owed by Wall Street investment firms, and huge debt being borrowed by the government. The debt on the mortgages of many homes is greater than the value of the home, credit card debt is at an all time high, Wall Street firms are now having to lean on the government for loans, and the government is borrowing money from other countries like China and those in the Middle East to support our debt. Yes, it’s a mess!

When the problem is so massive, we feel somewhat helpless and hopeless about what we can do as individuals. Rather than feeling hopeless, I believe there are things that each of us can do. Maybe what we need to do is to start thinking of how we can SAVE more money. When people put money into savings accounts, banks have money to loan and can extend credit to farmers and businesses that are the engines of our economy, maintaining and keeping America employed.

Many of our local community banks have operated conservatively, are solid in their investments, have a strong capital base and did not get caught up in the Wall Street mess. I heard that the total bailout package, when divided up among the American population, comes down to $3,600 per person. If each person were to save $100 a month in a savings account in a local community bank, in three years the amount of capital available to local banks would equal the amount of money that Wall Street is asking for. Wow! I’d sure rather see my money supporting my banker that I see at the local grocery store!

It may be dreaming to think that every American would save $100 a month, but I think it’s a good start in thinking about what each of us can do. We can begin to SAVE money! We can begin to reduce our personal DEBT! We can support our local community banks and shift the strength of our financial markets from Wall Street to Main Street where it belongs!

Experts for months have been saying that if you can’t make ends meet, get a part-time job so you can make more money. And we know at Signature HomeStyles just how everyone can do that! Every Representative is in charge of her own business and therefore in charge of her own financial future. At a time when things may seem out of control, you are in control of the lifestyle that you choose to maintain.

So now we need to think about how everyone can earn more money so they can SAVE more money and help SAVE AMERICA! Think about it—with just one more Show a month, each Representative could save an extra $100. At the end of the year they would have over $1,200 to pay off a credit card, pay down a mortgage or keep in a savings account. And while that money is in savings, it’s providing a local bank with the funds to supply credit to the community. No matter how the money is used, when it goes into a savings account at a community bank, it is helping to SAVE AMERICA!

The American Dream is alive and well at Signature HomeStyles! We are a part of the innovation and imagination that drives this economy and makes America strong. As one of the commentators said, “If I were placing bets, I’d always bet on America!” And that’s what I see in all of you…the innovation, imagination and work ethic that is the hallmark of our country. Time and time again we have proven our courage and strength!

It is that courage and strength that gives us the ability to do something as individuals. We can WORK a little harder, SAVE a little more, reduce our DEBT and in the process, help ourselves, families and communities. Let’s lead the charge to SAVE AMERICA!

“America was not built on fear. America was built on courage…”
Harry S. Truman

Memories of September 11, 2001

It was so great to come into work today and see the American flag proudly draped next to our company name. We all remember what we were doing and where we were when we heard the news of the tragedy of September 11, 2001. Our Home Office was located directly along the path of the west runway into O’Hare Airport and so is my home. We were all used to the constant flow of airplanes overhead so there was an eerie silence for several days following September 11.

Knowing that our lawn was visible from the air and also in a high-traffic area, we decided that we could take advantage of our location to carve out a message. Joe Slavicek, our warehouse manager and a Vietnam veteran, spray-painted a huge red, white and blue heart on our lawn with the words U.S.A. in the center. Then we gave all our employees a flag and each one planted a flag around the heart as we joined hands in prayer for the people who were lost, the families who were grieving and for God to give our country strength to recover from this tragedy. Cars and trucks passed by and honked their horns and smiled at our message.

Several days later the planes began to fly again. We will never know if passengers and staff in the airplanes flying overhead saw our message, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was the action we took, the prayer we shared and the moment that is engraved in all our hearts.

Two days later on my way into work there was a gentle rain falling that had created a rainbow. As I passed over the top of a bridge I could see the rainbow stretching across the whole Chicago skyline with an airplane right in the middle of it poised for its landing at O’Hare Airport. I felt like it was God’s way of saying, “I will be with you always,” not just to me, but to the city and to our country. That moment also will be engraved in my heart forever.

September 11 changed a lot of things, but it didn’t change the determination of our people to overcome challenges and keep the American dream alive. Today is a day to reflect on all the blessings we have and reconfirm our faith in the future and our faith in God’s guiding hand. So today, as we did in 2001, we once again are reminded to pray for the victims, the families who are still grieving and for God to give our country strength.

God Bless America!

My First Show

Today is Emily’s first day of school. Next week is Michael’s first day of kindergarten. Emotions are a mixture of excitement and trepidations. Excitement to meet new friends and be reunited with old friends…trepidations about this year’s teacher and how tough the homework will be!

Our lives are filled with firsts and as I walked into work today thinking of my grandchildren’s first days of school, it reminded me of how many firsts I have had and thousands of others at Signature HomeStyles. We can all recall the excitement and trepidation of that very first Show. We were all excited about the launch of our new business, yet nervous to stand up and talk about our company, our products and our opportunity.

My first Show was with my friend Emmie. We met in college, stood up in each other’s weddings and had both started our families. I knew most of her friends and family and they were all there at her house for my first Show. I’m not sure if that made it easier or harder to do the Show! As my eyes scanned the room, I knew I had to avoid looking at her mother-in-law but settle on eye contact with her sister! To my surprise, during my presentation they were all smiling and nodding their heads as I gave them ideas on how to organize their homes with my baskets. The Show turned out to be a great Show and I continued to see all of them at many Shows after that…even her mother-in-law who turned out to be one of my best customers!

What I learned that night is that one of the best parts of doing a Show are the connections that happen. They had a great time looking at the baskets, handing them to each other, and telling each other what they should buy to organize their home! They started teasing each other about the messy spots in each others’ homes, joking and laughing together and truly enjoying being together. It felt so good to see all of them enjoying the evening and connecting with each other and I knew that my company was the vehicle that facilitated these wonderful connections.

And they all took me into their circle as well, considering me the expert in organization, giving them advice on which basket would work best. By the time I had done a few more Shows with them, I felt like a member of the family! Every Show was an update on who just had a baby, or who was getting married. I shared in their joys, and also their challenges. The connections were far more than just a business relationship…they were personal. And as my business grew, they grew with me, helping me to build my Team in those beginning years.

Now I look back at that first Show and have to think of where it led me and so many others. So often I’m asked if I ever dreamed that the business would become what it is today. Frankly, the day of that first Show I was so nervous that I knew I had to do my best just to make sure that I would get bookings to be able to keep my business going! The day after the Show, I knew that, if I worked really hard, this could be the best thing that ever happened for my family. I was launched…I was excited…and I became unstoppable!

I will be forever grateful for my first Show…how they connected with me and how I connected with them…how their jovial embrace of my company, my products and my opportunity gave me the confidence to begin a journey of a lifetime.