We will not have Live Chat available on Friday, December 23rd, Monday, December 26th or Monday, January 2nd. We will have normal business hours including Live Chat on December 27th, 28th, 29th and 30th.

From all of us on the Ascend Team, we would like to wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Here we are! The last month of the Mary Kay Seminar year… Did you set goals? If so where does it look like you’ll end up? Here are 3 common places you might find yourself in June…

1. The “WHOO HOO” Gal! You already met your goals or can easily achieve them by the end of June. Congrats to you. You must have had CLEAR goals and were disciplined to do the work it takes to get you there! You broke it down and did what you had to. Challenge to you = what is your next step? This is no time to rest on your Laurels!

2. In the S-T-R-E-T-C-H Gal! You are so close to finish your goal but it’s going to take a real PUSH to get you there. You can do it! Time to break down your goal to daily (even hourly) steps. Don’t stop till the last minute of the last hour of the last day! This is where you’ll need to dig deep and PUSH! Challenge to you = USE your 6 most important things list and weekly plan sheet… without a plan this won’t happen… don’t give up when you are this close!

3. The “Not gonna happen” Gal? You did set a goal (or didn’t really set a goal) and no matter the amount of push it’s just not gonna happen this year. That’s OK! Really it is… but what are you going to do now? Challenge to you = this is time to rededicate… This is not the time to take the month off… build your momentum for next year NOW! Set a goal, map it out, set the dates, figure out the baby steps you’ll take to make the bigger goal a reality! Feed on the momentum of those who are stretching.

So how does this tie into Money Management you ask? We believe if it’s about your business… it’s about money! Regardless of which of the above 3 common places you might find yourself above Money Management played a part in either you achieving or not achieving your goals. The role could have been a positive or a negative role, but I can pretty much guarantee money played a role. Was money your motivation? Did you want a special trip for your family? Did you want to purchase something special for your kids… was earning extra money for your family what made you put on your pumps everyday and get out there? Maybe money wasn’t the “reason”… maybe you wanted the recognition of your achievement, or just loved putting product on your customers faces. There are LOTS of positive reasons involving recognition and money… BUT there are negative ones too, even if your intention was positive. Take a moment to evaluate your goal and what you did to reach it… did you manage your income well to not deplete your inventory and keep proper records? Did you put yourself into debt to reach your goal? Did you include your bookkeeping in your goals? Money management is critical in any successful business. This leads me to the 3 types of money managers. The kind of money manager you are can play a part in achieving your goals or not!

1. We have the Achiever: This consultant is diligent and works in her business books weekly. If an IRS auditor showed up on her doorstep she’d be ready! She knows how much of her money is designated for Inventory and how much is her profit and has a good idea of how much it costs her to run her business. Her shelves are stocked and she can CONFIDENTLY recruit because she knows she is making money. She does the 50-5-5-40 split religiously and does not comingle her business and personal finances. She is disciplined and no goal is too big for her to go for it!

2. The Striver: This consultant really tries but she just doesn’t “get it”. She doesn’t have designated time or a system to manage her business finances… She’s unsure of her budget but keeps trying. She has some records, maybe a few holes in her inventory, and doesn’t really feel like she’s making money. She’s wondering where her money went (because she didn’t tell it where to go!). She wants to recruit but feels out of integrity because she’s not really sure if she’s making money or not. She’ll have some information at tax time but isn’t as prepared as she could be. She sometimes stretches by purchasing items she doesn’t necessarily need.

3. The Party Gal: This consultant figures it will all work itself out. She doesn’t have a separate checking account for her business. Doesn’t have the info she needs at tax time. Doesn’t really know anything about business money management at all. She’s having a great time but is slowing going further and further into debt.

Goals and Money Management have a few things in common. They both require a PLAN and Discipline to make them work. This is where Ascend Live comes in… Ascend Live is an easy money management tool that takes the mystery out of business bookkeeping. Want to see it in action? Why not decide to take our Ascend Live for Consultants webinar or our Ascend Live for Directors webinar? During these free webinars you will learn the basics of money management every director and consultant needs to know! We’ll show you how a dedicated 15 - 20 minutes per week to your bookkeeping in Ascend Live will help you know where your money is going so you no longer have to wonder where it went! You SEE the money and feel confident when selling and recruiting. Knowledge is POWER and Power is CHANGE! Decide where you want to end up this time NEXT year. PLAN it; get the tools you need, see it, believe it! The simple act of managing your business money can make a HUGE difference in your entire business life! Prove us wrong Visit our Webinars Page to sign up for the next free webinar! We’ll “see” you there!

Watch the video for details on our current promotion.  All NEW sign ups between 12-16-10 and 1-15-11 receive a FREE Set-me-up service ($40 value) on one portfolio!  We have never offered anything like this before.  Click the link below to watch the video to see what you’ll get… then click on “Sign up” above to get started!

Watch Video Here:  December 2010 - Set Me Up Explained in English!

Limited Time Offer!  December 16th 2010 through January 15th 2011 Only!

Happy Holiday’s from The Ascend Team!

Live Chat is available on the support page of our website typically Monday through Friday, 10 AM -1 PM Pacific Standard Time. This can be a quick and convenient way to get your questions answered. There is no limit to the amount of chats that can be initiated. Occasionally we have to turn live chat off in order to help the customers we are already working with. If you find live chat is closed, just try back a little later. We look forward to helping you.