Barefoot in February...brrr!

Not much has changed here...our boys still love to read in front of the wood stove. Max's "Thinking Cap" is a new addition, though.

Busy 4th Quarter followed by a short break and then a jump into taxes. I'm working on a newsletter to get out to all you lovely people as Laurie and I are still playing around with how to reach those that want to be reached in the best manner.

Most exciting, of course, is team member Robin Muskin's win of a hybrid car. Word on the street is the Honda Insight is her choice. Hmmm, how many books fit into one of those anyway?! Congratulations, Robin!

Anything special you'd like to know about for 2011? Leave a comment and I'll feature it in the next post.

Almost to the Finish Line

Well, I've been biting my fingernails for the past month and realized you may not even be aware of what is happening on our beloved team:

Robin Muskin has blown by Mile Marker 3 of Barefoot's 4th Quarter Challenge and is currently in First Place as the top seller! The top seller will win a one-year cash allowance toward the purchase or lease of a new “green” vehicle, or toward their existing payments on a hybrid or electric vehicle. Robin has already won a framed piece of original art specially commissioned by one of twelve Barefoot artists. Congratulations, Robin, and you'll have to let us know which artist you picked!

I briefly introduced you to Robin in a past post as our newest Barefoot Leader. Once everything has calmed down, we hope to have a guest post where she will let us know just how she does it. Until then, you can learn a bit more about Robin here. Please join me in rooting Robin on the last two weeks of our 4th Quarter Challenge!

Team member Carie Miele has already won the Mile Marker 2 prizes of a ten different signed Barefoot Books:

* Clare Beaton, Mother Goose Remembers
* Alison Jay, I Took the Moon for a Walk
* Sophie Fatus, If You're Happy and You Know It!
* Debbie Harter, The Animal Boogie
* Nicoletta Ceccoli, The Barefoot Books of Fairy Tales
* Carol Ann Duffy and/or Rob Ryan, The Gift
* Laurie Krebs, We All Went on Safari
* Hugh Lupton, The Story Tree
* Stella Blackstone, My Granny Went to Market
* Miriam Latimer, The Prince's Bedtime

PLUS a Barefoot-inspired Haba Footprint Rug. Congratulations, Carie! I'm hoping Carie will also write a guest piece as she made Leader in one year. You can read more about Carie here.

Congratulations to all of you that have won the $100 spa gift certificate. I'm sure we'll all be needing a good foot soak after the holiday season.

We'll talk soon!

Are You Missing Out?

One of the things I love about running a Barefoot business is the flexibility. For example, a few years ago we were faced with a very large and very unexpected bill when our water pump went out. A few extra events were added to my calendar and the bill was happily taken care of.

The flexibility of your Barefoot business works the other way as well. Whether your military husband has been deployed or you've just experienced the birth of your second child, your Barefoot business will be right where you left it until you are able to pick it up again.

But wait, even in this period of inactivity did you know you may be missing out on a team commission? As a team leader, I review the month's activity and send friendly reminders out to those who may not have noticed potential earnings. Laurie M. has gone a step further to show us the math in her blog, Marketing Barefoot. So, let's take the jump to answer the question: Are You Missing Out?

Too many books?!?

Sarah, who shares her adventures as a working mom in Iowa at Barefoot in the Prairie, recently asked:

What do you say to people when they clearly like the books but claim their kids already have too many at home? I hate to feel like a pushy salesman so I just don't know how to handle that.

Raise your hand if you've heard that one at an event. Just reading Sarah's question gave me flashbacks that are um, well, just a bit too distressing to even talk about. Oh, wait, notice that Sarah isn't asking about the people that will pass by your booth in 30 minutes sporting a mylar Spiderman balloon and a Diego hamper. Sarah said they clearly like our books.

Could it be possible that there are book lovers who really have too many books?!?

Just a few weeks ago I found myself surrounded by a complete mess, contemplating the purchase of a Kindle and uttering that same exact phrase under my breath. As soon as the words escaped my lips I knew something had to happen so we got busy. We culled the boys' bookshelves of anything second-rate or predictable that had made its way in. You know what I'm talking about, they're the books that make you groan inwardly when picked at bed time - the ones that offer no fuel for the imagination. In Charlotte Mason terms it's referred to as twaddle. Great word, huh? Try it out. Twaddle.

Granted, we also had a lot of non-twaddle. Good books that never really clicked, those that satisfied with one reading, or books that are better than good but we wanted to make room for the best. Now let's take another look at that photograph:


The picture above is actually from my oldest son's first-grade curriculum two years ago. It is chock full of the classics, including Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories, James Herriot's Treasury for Children and Andrew Lang's Blue Fairy Book. It also includes Barefoot's The Barefoot Book of Classic Poems, Shakespeare's Storybook and The Hare and the Tortoise and other Fables of LaFontaine. Nothing second-rate there, these are books that offer a place for one's mind to explore, the ones that will never be given away and, most likely, my children will read to their children.

So, the next time someone is in your booth, clearly liking the books, but says their children have too many, engage them in some conversation. Sympathize with the plight of too much stuff and ask them what their favorite book was as a child. Pick up a copy of Guo Yue's Little Leap Forward, or the Barefoot Book of Fairy Tales and tell them about it's heirloom quality. Tell them about your friend that cleared out all the twaddle to make room for books like these. Show them the stories that will be enjoyed over and over, the ones that have staying power - not only on the bookshelf but in their child's heart and mind.

How about you? What have you or would you say in this situation?

Winner...please

Sorry, my random chance pickers (Maxim & Luca) were out of town yesterday so we had to wait until today for the draw of Goddesses: A World of Myth and Magic. Pots and pans drumroll please, Luca...

Colleen, who said:

It's on my wishlist too! I'm currently working with one, possibly two, dance studios for fundraising and I thought it would be a great addition to promote to a group that is primarily girls and women. The illustrations look beautiful. I love that she sketched her signature. How unique!

Congratulations, Colleen! You can get to know Colleen through her clever writing over at Destination: Happy. Fair warning: There is a very high coffee spew factor as Colleen adds much delicious humor to her description of life with husband (hubs) and children in their 1950's home.

Aah, I love my team. Stay tuned for an answer to Sarah's burning question and an introduction to our newest team leader, Robin Muskin, who is taking NYC by storm.

Team Give-Away

How about we take a few moments out of our busiest season for a bit of fun?

Fellow-ambassador Tricia Santos and I had the pleasure of hosting Rebecca Guay and Burleigh Muten for an author/illustrator-signing. Generous and gracious - everyone loved meeting them.

Can you believe Rebecca Guay sketched her signature? This beauty has been sitting on my shelf waiting for a proper home.

If you haven't seen this Barefoot book, it is an illuminated dictionary portraying the thoughts and ideas of other minds and cultures. Rebecca revealed that she took a bit of criticism after the books release for the cover-design of a blond-haired, blue-eyed goddess. Hmmm. I love those little tidbits. I also love Rebecca's other book with Barefoot, The Barefoot Book of Ballet Stories.

Look, Burleigh signed the book as well!

Burleigh has published four books with Barefoot. Burleigh's book, Grandmothers' Stories has always been a best-seller for me. When asked whom she would like to narrate the book, top on her list was Olympia Dukakis and it was also top on Barefoot's list. Aren't we thrilled Ms. Dukakis agreed?

So, how do I win the book, Richele?!?

Leave a comment (sorry, this give-away is just for my beloved team but still feel free to comment) and tell me anything. Ask a question, tell me your thoughts regarding the book, the author, the illustrator, what you would do with the book, what you are up to at the moment...you get the picture. This will be a random chance drawing and will end October 31st.

Inventory and Money

While steadily reinvesting some of your Barefoot earnings in your business, don't forget to have some fun. I take my family out for pizza after a successful event or let my children each pick something from the Barefoot catalog.

I'm happy to say that a Barefoot business can be started on a shoestring budget. In fact, when I went to France I found out that none of the leaders there had invested their own money in inventory. So, how did we build our businesses and our inventories?

"Slow and steady wins the race" we hear from the tortoise throughout The Hare and the Tortoise, Fables of La Fontaine as he eventually crosses the finish line in front of the hare. The same goes for your Barefoot business.

I started with a small selection of samples (the equivalent of a Kick Start Bonus) and took orders at every free or low-cost event around. I made it my goal to participate in a few small events a month, reinvesting much of my earnings each time in inventory until I could do those large events (20,000+ visitors) that would only take me away from my family six times a year. This was accomplished in eight months with community events, tiny craft fairs, home events, and daycare fundraisers -- all catalog orders -- and I made leader to boot.

Those large events can put you in front of a wide audience, result in large sales and the opportunity to grow your team more quickly. They also carry higher costs and risks so your homework should be done in advance.

Think through your goals and decide where you want to finish. No matter what, remember: slow and steady wins the race.