The Secrets to Making a Living and a Life

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The Secrets to Making a Living and a Life

The Secrets to Make a Living and a Life with Carla Schultz

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Episode Highlights:

[0:45] Guest Introduction
[1:02] Who is Carla Schulz in her own words
[1:39] What made Carla join the direct selling business
[2:06] Carla’s career if she’s not into direct selling
[2:32] Why the topic on making a living and a life stood out for her
[4:09] The meaning of “Making a life”
[4:54] Carla’s first challenges in her direct selling business
[6:32] The secret to successfully juggling a full time work and a direct selling business
[9:46] Carla’s recommendations to new recruits
[10:38] The secret to balancing the different roles in life
[12:13] How to stay focused and motivated even when working at home
[13:21] The guilt of being away
[14:34] Goals and goal setting, why it’s important
[16:24] The feeling of that “I made it moment.”
[17:28] Why Carla has no immediate plan of turning full time with direct selling
[19:05] Carla’s mentor

Be happy with who you are in yourself because only you can do that

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The most important to me is being happy, but also making people happy

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Forward planning is a huge, huge benefit to anyone that can add that into their lifestyle

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Transcription:

[0:45] Jen: Today, we’re really excited to have Carla Schulz with us. Carla is from a direct selling company in the kitchen and homewares category and today we’re going to be talking about Making a Living and a Life.
Welcome to the show Carla!

[0:57] Carla: Thank you, Jen. Thanks for having me.

[0:59] Jen: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, what’s your background?

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[1:02] Carla: What’s my background, well originally I’m a country girl and came to the big Smoke, I suppose, in the early 90’s to pursue a career in executive assistant world and reception which is what I wanted to do, which I still actually do today but on the side. I also do direct selling.

[1:20] Jen: Wow, so can you just give us a short review of your business?

[1:24] Carla: My business is, I have a wonderful team to start with, which I love working with and being a part of and we basically, I guess, create wonderful food hopefully, well I’m pretty sure we do change lives and help people make healthy choices.

[1:39] Jen: So what makes you involved in direct selling if you come to the Big Smoke to pursue your career instead of supporting admin what brought you here?

[1:48] Carla: I really love working with people and being able to see I guess change and for people that actually want to make a change to be a part of that and just help them on their own journey. My journey has been pretty great I think so I was able to help and see people achieve as well, it’s pretty rewarding in itself.

[2:06] Jen: So tell me, if you weren’t in direct selling what do you think your life would be like? What would your lifestyle be like what do you think you will be doing for work and what about you as a person do you think you would be the same?

[2:16] Carla: I think I would be actually if anything – I think as long as the sun shining and really a life would just shine with it to be happy and I think that’s the most important to me is also being happy, but also making people happy makes me happy too.

[2:32] Jen: I know you’re excited to talk with us today about making a living and a life but can you tell me why this particular topic stood out for you?

[2:41] Carla: I think it’s just the ease of it. For me, adding it to one of the busy schedule that I already have, working full time and taking on the different role and being able to do it part time has just allowed me to be, I guess, who I am and for that to shine through. I love food. I love eating. I love being in the kitchen and it just all goes part and parcel with day to day living, I guess.

[3:07] Jen: So tell me about your situation, what are you doing day to day? Are you working in the day and then you’re doing this in the evenings is that what’s happening?

[3:17] Carla: Basically, so, I’m very early riser, so at home obviously I try and do a little bit before I actually head off to work for my full time job and then off I go through e-mails and text obviously just day to day and things that I can do. And then when I come home at night I’m on the phone or on e-mail again and just assisting one of my team being a support to them and also being a support to me so it does go hand in hand in that sense.

[3:44] Jen: So what about your family situation?

[3:46] Carla: It’s just my husband and I. I don’t have any children, I do have step children, but they’re older so I don’t actually have anyone in the house that is big apart from my cat I should say.

I have a very supportive husband because I theoretically could not do what I do if he didn’t help me and support me in that so I’m very grateful for that.

[4:09] Jen: So tell me what does making a life mean to you?

[4:12] Carla: Making a life for me is just I think being happy, being happy with who you are in yourself and theoretically, only yourself can do that. Just getting up every day and just feeling alive which actually I do, I mean I run, I do run myself to the ground and people have said I’m an energiser bunny that I never stop and theoretically, I don’t, unless actually I have to go on holidays where I’m away otherwise I can’t stop.

[4:40] Jen: You have to go on holiday [unclear] [4:42] Carla: Yes. [Laughs] It’s hard but if I did that’s probably the only time I actually do just chill out which isn’t a bad thing everyone should do that as well.

[4:54] Jen: Yes you need that. So what challenges did you have when you first started your direct selling business in terms of balancing that with the life that you live already?

[5:03] Carla: Yes, it was actually quite daunting, believe it or not, because I think you’ve got your routine of your day to day of what you currently do and then you sort of add in the mix, something totally different and you sort of think, “Oh what have I done?” but no this is all going to be balanced out and I think I just sort of took back and I am a very organised person and then I just thought look I’m just going to structure it to the way I would currently of structure being an executive assistant I guess and being organised. And I think forward planning is a huge, huge benefit to anyone that can add that into their lifestyle.

[5:41] Jen: So what stage did you start feeling unbalanced in your life? Can you tell me about that when you became a leader or a manager or even at the beginning?

[5:50] Carla: At the beginning a little bit and I think just feeling a little bit overwhelmed with how quickly I guess my business actually took off which was amazing as well as overwhelming and then twelve months on of doing what I was first doing then becoming a leader and so the manager role more of it leader, and I look as being still, obviously I’m part of that, my team and I think that and probably still today just trying to still get that balance and it’s probably in the last I’ll have to say seriously in the last two weeks that I’ve sort of felt this “Ahh, I’ve got it and now I’m feeling more in control and settled and I think it’s probably the settling in that takes the longest.”

[6:32] Jen: Do you find it hard you spend your day at work you come home you’re working on your direct selling business, what’s your husband doing at that time when you’re doing this in your office or out at a demonstration? What is he doing and do you ever feel distracted by – I mean for me my husband would be outside watching Netflix and it would be killing me. [Laughs] He is getting way ahead like watching Suits and you’re now ten episodes behind, how do you managed that? That’s a serious question. [crosstalk] That struggle is for real.

[7:03] Carla: I don’t know [crosstalk] I’ll say, “You didn’t watch that episode did you well, yes I can’t wait for you and I’m like no…”

[7:13] Jen: And then you just have that ongoing battle don’t you?

[7:17] Carla: That on, off, no stop, wait, I’m coming that look he will just do his own little thing which is great but I do allocate time that he knows I actually have a little whiteboard so he’ll know if I’m home and free. If I’m home and I’ve got my team to support if I’ve got to make phone calls so I actually make sure that he also knows exactly what my week looks like and because I’m forward planner, exactly and I’ll be like ok we’re having dinner together tonight what are we doing? So It’s sort of so that balance is now becoming more fluid. I think that’s a big help as well and he’s helping prepare, cook so which is even better.

[7:57] Jen: Nice! So how do you feel, like how does it make you feel though when he is doing those sort of things and how do you get over that obstacle? How do you stay motivated in doing this at night when he maybe kicking back or doing those kind of things?

[8:13] Carla: Yes, I guess I love it. I love what I actually do and that makes a huge difference and he can see that I love what I do as well so I guess if I’m happy he is happy. But then I do make that time and you know we have make sure this is to cut off time and I have to allow myself that downtime so he – I guess he actually stays on me in that sense to make sure it look tonight will finish it at [9:30] whatever and then we’ve got some time together. So it’s still important, very important obviously for a relationship to have that, to have that balance.

[8:47] Jen: So you mentioned that you have the whiteboard and you know you’re running your business from home we know this comes with many, many challenges. Managing time and keeping focus, motivated, we’ve talk about that, but can you tell us a little bit more about what you do and how you make working from home work for you? Whiteboard is one thing that you do is there something else that you have going that helps?

[9:06] Carla: I guess I have little sheets that I know exactly like a cheat sheets that I know what I’m going to do for each scenario that I’m actually going through and that keeps me on track. Obviously, my diary definitely keeps me on track and reminders. Again that’s just you setting yourself those to make sure that they do pop up and in a way my husband will help me if I need something in the car just start packing things up. I can bring him in so that also helps me in that sense. So I guess we are a team theoretically, but yes, definitely, knowing what I’ve got coming for that week to help me stay organise does definitely help.

[9:46] Jen: So when you bring someone new into your business what recommendations would you give them to help them set up their business from home?

[9:53] Carla: Firstly, that they’ve got the time. I think that’s the most important to recognise that you’re able to give yourself that time, to believe in it because I think if you’re coming to it and you sort of go “I can do that but ultimately and not realising that you need eight hours or you need ten hours you know for two weeks or a month just to get sorted on top of extra day to day life.”

I think that’s really important thing and if I guess if you actually and I make them actually think about that as well, but you’ve got to have that time to dedicate to it because otherwise it’s your business at the end of the day and if you can’t allocate that or put in, it may not work and it may not be for them.

[10:38] Jen: So how did you juggle your time with all the other things you’ve got going on in your life you know, family and friend commitments all sorts of things? You mention that you went for a run this morning.

[10:47] Carla: I do, so I tried to fit in so it’s sort of like I tried and do my run in twenty minutes [crosstalk] [10:55] Jen: It seems to me that you’re cramming so much into one day and I’m wondering how you do it?

[10:59] Carla: Yes, obviously time management’s a huge thing in my life because if I don’t have that then it does go to water so to speak. So this morning you know I knew I had a really good sleep and I want to get up and go for run and then I was having business speaking to you which also I want to fit in. And then you know this afternoon I’m actually spending time with my mom so I think that when you allocate and you know exactly what you got in your day planned, and that’s just today.

[11:26] Jen: And you just make it work.

[11:26] Carla: Between these other days you do and I think if you allocate your time and you structure – there’ll be days and weekends that I block out – that’s my girlfriend time or I’ve got an event or a function or something so I don’t stress myself out. Like I can do ten things in one day, of course I can and then no I can’t.

[11:49] Jen: I do that and then I fail.

[11:54] Carla: I failed at some but not on others. [crosstalk] Yes what you said really stick and I think that’s the most important thing and that’s what I do stress in the business when I bring someone new in that they have to be realistic about it.

[12:13] Jen: Yes, so how do you stay focused and motivated working from home you know there is so many distractions that you talked a little about but what is it that keeps you motivated and focused and doesn’t you know stop and look I’m just going to popped on that load of laundry. I’m just going to quickly watch something on that tele or check Facebook or whatever it is, how do you stay focused and not do those things?

[12:36] Carla: I’m not a big tele watcher during the day and theoretically at night I’m not really either. There’s only a few shows that I do like to watch. Otherwise, during the day I know it’s my focus and I guess I’m structured in that sense it’s just it must be just be me and how I work but I do try obviously show other people that it is possible and if you really want to do it you can but I lock myself away in the office and I actually have a beautiful outlook on my backyard so that is quite tranquil, it’s quite relaxing and I just end up working away and whether I put some non-stop music on to sitting in the background again it’s amazing what you can get done.

[13:15] Jen: You’re creating an environment that you want to be in and that really helps for you.

[13:20] Carla: Yes, absolutely.

[13:21] Jen: So, being away from your family and you know not being able to do sort of some of the things other people that maybe only work one full time role, how do you cope with the guilt of being away and doing those sort of things and how do you coach your team, you know, about that guilt feeling, feeling guilty about being away from maybe their husband or children or the rest of their family?

[13:45] Carla: Yes, I think family is first and foremost and I say that to my team ultimately, really the business comes second to me. Family is important and making sure that everyone at home is on the right track and the right balance. It’s very significant to the success of your business as well. You need to get that balance first and I stress that to the team saying family is first, business is second. With myself I guess my guilt I have a little bit sometimes but not all the time because I do try and structure days almost all weekends that I can go that’s my day off and I’m going to this business whatever. Again it’s just being – it’s being organised to be able to do that. They also realised I guess that you make that time with your family.

[14:34] Jen: What about setting goals I mean obviously setting goals and achieving those goals and working towards achieving these goals really help stay focus and motivated is that something that you do?

[14:44] Carla: Absolutely. Yes, you got to have a goal. Everything has to have a goal in life and I guess I’ll break my goals down into whether it be monthly, three-monthly, six monthly or twelve months depending what it is and I might have several going on at the same time, but that’s me wanting to achieve and also I guess helping other people to achieve that as well if they’re doing a similar goal. Obviously, if we are a team then we will have a team goals and that’s important if they’re on board with it absolutely, but not everyone is like that either and you have to recognised the differences in people and respect that.

[15:17] Jen: And do you keep your husband in the loop on what your goals are and how close you are to achieving them or how far away you are to achieving them?

[15:24] Carla: Absolutely

[15:26] Jen: You can say to him look I’m just this close to getting to this point and I need to spend a little bit more time this week for us to be able to achieve that, that would definitely help I can imagine with understanding of being away and having to work in the evenings.

[15:44] Carla: Absolutely, and in that sense and he gets it like he’ll know, you know, I guess over the next three months I’ve got a goal and he knows I’m going for that goal and then you know there’s a five-month goal as well so he’s well aware of what I’m wanting to achieve because ultimately it’s going to benefit him.

[16:05] Jen: Of course.

[16:06] Carla: As well to a degree, so. But he’s great in that sense and then obviously, an ultimate goal is we’ve got a holiday coming up so that’s again very achieving what I do in between is just going to make that so much you know, we’re there, it’s the end goal, I guess.

[16:24] Jen: So can you share with us, Carla what does it feel like when you first experienced that I made it moment this business is going well?

[16:31] Carla: I think after the first two months I was actually blown away in myself. I never actually thought – I knew I can do it but I never thought that I could do it as well as I did and I guess the feedback that I got from peers and customers and colleagues was actually quite surprising to me. I’m not a great you know taking feedback, positive and negative is always good. It’s never bad and I guess I just thought on oh no I’ll just go along and do it but I think really achieving something in the first two months of me starting my business and then realising that was awesome and realising 12 months down the track that I’ve actually become a team leader and having a team was something that I would actually never had foreseen. So I guess that was a pretty, an aha moment. [crosstalk] [17:28] Jen: Are you working towards doing this full time or is this something that you want to keep as a part-time thing for you?

[17:34] Carla: At the moment I think part – time but then who knows. Who knows what might happen in six months’ time and in twelve months’ time it might just skyrocket. I guess direct selling is an interesting way of selling things because you have your peaks and troughs and it’s like a bit of roller coaster sometimes. Obviously, you always want to go up the roller coaster as opposed to coming down, but I’m open to anything. But at the moment I’m actually quite content with how things are travelling. So to me I don’t want to break that balance either because I feel I’ve got a good balance and it’s sort of harmony at the same time.

[18:11] Jen: So in this industry many consultant and distributors are interested in books and programs, resources that help them grow themselves and their businesses so is this something that you do? What do you consider a must have for other direct sellers?

[18:26] Carla: Definitely the training if there is training provided go to it. We are very lucky in the direct selling business that I’m in that has free training and it’s constant training. We’re always learning and that is just – it’s amazing, really. I’ve worked in a corporate world for over 25 years and there’s training out there. A lot of it cost money though as well and it’s expensive. Currently with the direct selling company that I’m in the training is free, it’s provided and it’s always available, it’s what you want to take out of it too I believe but it is there and I highly recommend anyone to continue to keep doing it because it’s available.

[19:05] Jen: So do you have a mentor or someone you look up to that helps you in your business?

[19:09] Carla: I do actually, probably with two to a degree. Our area manager who actually interviewed me first off and we just clicked straight away and it was sort of like yep when you get somebody I think that’s really important and I do have the utmost respect for her and also my branch manager again who has believed in me which I don’t think I did in the beginning and that’s when that moment sort of came as you were saying before. When do I realised and I think just having her support me and push me through to be able to achieve and strive for something that I not necessarily saw that in me but she did so having those two that I can contact that I can speak to on a regular basis is a huge benefit for me and having them as mentors are even greater.

[19:58] Jen: Yes, it’s really lucky so can you tell us, just to summarise this what has you most excited about your business or the direct selling industry right now?

[20:07] Carla: Most excited… I’m actually excited to help my team to actually see them achieve because if they’re happy I mean I’m happy but I want them to reap the benefit of what they can and you know let them shine through with what they want to do and love to do. So for me that’s really – that’s excited me I guess just to see their business boom and to walk their journey with them to be there by their side.

[20:37] Jen: Thank you so much for sharing your insights with us today Carla on making a living and a life. I feel like I’ve learned a lot and I think you did a great job. I really just you’re incredibly inspiring I think you did a great job at managing and juggling all those balls so keep up the good work and I’m sure everyone’s learned a lot from you today. Thanks for being here.

[20:57] Carla: Thank you so much for having me I really appreciate it.

[21:00] Jen: Thanks, Carla.

[21:01] Carla: Okay, thanks

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The Secrets to Making a Living and a Life

DSA Radio: Empowering Entrepreneurs

published 8y ago

MP3•Episode home