Missing In Action

The Saucy Sister is on hiatus.
She will return soon.
Check back often for updates.

In the meantime contact The Saucy Sister with comments, suggestions and ideas for new discussion topics.
She looks forward to interacting with you.

Free Franchises: Become an Affiliate

It costs around $10,000 to purchase a candy vending franchise, and around $125,000 to get started with a dry cleaning franchise. I won’t even shock you with the outrageous cost associated with opening a friendly neighborhood fast-food chain. While choosing to purchase a franchise is a great idea and dramatically increasing your chances for success, the costs for just the licensing can be steep. Not everyone has access to the initial capital necessary to open a franchise, but this inconvenience has not stopped many business savvy entrepreneurs.

Today, many businesses, in almost every industry, offer individuals the opportunity to become affiliates. Businesses establish affiliate programs to encourage people to promote their product or service in exchange for a fee or commission. Think of it as profit-sharing. As an affiliate, you can be in business in minimal time, with little to no financial risk. There is no inventory to stock, no weekly meetings to attend, and most programs allow you the freedom to run your business however you see fit.

Most affiliates simply have a link to the website of the business that they are representing, in which they attempt to direct prospects to the product or service for credit. However, Shanita, one Maryland woman, whom I met at a DC business mixer, runs her affiliate business both on and offline. She is a reseller (affiliate) for a major satellite T.V. provider. For every new customer she refers, she gets a whopping $100. Not only did she have a website, which was provided for free by the program, but she also had business cards, flyers, and other print collateral explaining the latest promotion. Her commitment to this affiliate program runs deeper than just a banner on her personal website; she has successfully made it her full-time career.

If you are considering starting your own business, experiment with affiliate programs. Choose one that suits your interests, or a product that you already use and like. Promote your product or service online and offline. Compare the payout rates (commission structure) among competitors. The Internet offers thousands of great programs, but don’t be greedy; you will make more money if you specialize in only one or two industries. Finally, BEWARE of any program that charges you a fee to get started or an on-going monthly subscriber fee, because these are almost always illegitimate. Read the fine print.

If you are considering becoming an affiliate, feel free to contact me for friendly guidance. Click Here for a helpful resource to get you started.

-The Saucy Sister

All, Hail the Queen Mother

Yesterday, while on a family outing to Wal Mart (don't ask), my four year old daughter, Taylor, noticing all the flowers and balloons, asked me what holiday it was. I told her Sunday was Mothers’ Day and explained that it was a special day when we thank our mommies for the “mommy things” that they do. I felt it was a horrible explanation, but Taylor nodded as if she understood.

Then, this morning, before I was fully awake, Taylor crashed into my bedroom and jumped onto the bed. Wrapping her arms around me, she said, “Thank you, Mommy.”
I was surprised and puzzled. “Thanks for what?” I said.
“Thanks for the mommy things” she replied.
Loving that she remembered and wanting more of this appreciation, I asked, “What mommy things?”
“Staying [home] with me and…doing my hair,” she replied thoughtfully before jumping off the bed.

Even though I know it was prompted, it felt so fantastic knowing Taylor thought of me and was grateful for what she feels are my contributions. As I sat in my bed, watching Taylor skip out of my room, I thought to myself, “Mothers’ Day, what a wonderful idea!”

For me, Mother’s Day has always given me the opportunity to acknowledge my own mother. Lately, however, I feel a mild frustration on this day, in regards to expressing to my mother just how much she means to me. I can manipulate the English language with the precision of a politician, but I just can’t find the right combination of words to articulate how much I love her and how grateful I am for who she is.

We often think of our parents as superheroes when we are children; well, I never stopped seeing my mother this way. She sacrifices big, loves hard, and hurts deep. But she kept her hand in the Lord’s hand and we beat the odds.

I once thought, you were not truly an adult if you still needed your parents help. However, every year, especially in my adult life, “Mama” has become more significant to me. With the ups and downs of last year, I do not know where I would be, literally, if I did not have my mother to talk to, cry on, pray with and listen to.

When I look at my mother now, how much she has accomplished, I am so proud. She is beautiful, wise, and really funny. Whenever, my sister, brother, and I are together with my mother, there is so much laughter. It’s like we all share some private joke. We are really close (I think closer than most families) and there is a lot of respect between us, and we owe it all to her. I look at my children and pray that we will share the same bond.

To my mother I want to say: Thanks for everything. You mean just so much to me. Thanks for the mommy things and the friend things--and for "staying with me…and doing my hair."

-The Saucy Daughter

8 Ways to Cope When Relocating to a Small Town

If the surprising lack of traffic, endless cornfields and being trapped inside Wal-Mart due to a tornado sighting did not shout to me, “you are in the middle of nowhere,” then certainly the local news articles (as in more than one) about a stubborn turkey resting in an intersection (See Turkey News), finally enlightened me. Suddenly, in the midst of all this beautiful space, I felt isolated and panicky. Oddly, this feeling was not unfamiliar to me. I recognize it from when I first moved to the Washington, D.C. area. Even though I knew there were millions of people just outside my apartment, I came to know that moving to a big city can be just as isolating.

Today though, I would consider myself a true Washingtonian. I can navigate the Beltway, point out the trendiest U Street spots, and travel the Metro with the confidence of a native. While it may take time and some savvy strategy, I am sure I will feel the same way about East Central Illinois.

The following are things I am doing to cope with my move to Smalltown, America. Interestingly, I did some of the same things to cope with moving to a major metropolis.

1. Find a church. (Or a group that shares your most central beliefs.) This was the first thing I did. I find it easier to connect with people, who already live by the same ideals that I do and who share a similar worldview. Plus churches regularly have social events, which provide things to do and opportunities to interact.
2. Subscribe to the local newspaper and business journal, if available. Even newspapers that report turkey sightings have community pages, which offer up an events calendar. Pick an event and show up.
3. Check out the local tourist information office. The staff is literally paid to be nice to you. Plus, they actually want you to like the town, and can provide a wealth of information.
4. Find a watering hole. (Or coffee house, if you prefer.) These are wonderful places to strike up conversation, indeed, it is expected.
5. Get involved in community organizations. If you are a mom, seek out a moms’ group. If you are a single person, join a singles’ group, etc. Use the Internet (Craigslist). Also check out the local Chamber of Commerce; they always have events planned and the salespeople who attend are always nice.
6. Get a hobby. I am simply doing the things I never had time to do before.
7. Plug into the local university or college. If you are fortunate enough to be near a university, as I am in Champaign, you will find a wealth of activity. Universities host conferences, discussions, fine art exhibitions, etc.
8. Start something. If you are really a people person, with a little creativity you can start you own activity. I am investigating what I will need to organize a huge community garage sale/swap meet. Another idea that I am considering is hosting a monthly movie club for women, with a format similar to book clubs, except we will watch the movie and discuss it in one sitting.

-The Saucy Sister

Not Sticking to Their Guns: Well Good for Them

Far be it from me to pass along e-mail forwards, but my mother sent me this hilarious one. It showed video clips of President Bush’s public blunders. (“Fool me once; shame on you. Fool me twice…Uh, uh...”) I forwarded the video to my good friend, and stick-in-the-mud conservative, Karen, assuming she would at least find it laughable. Wrong. Instead, I got a phone call. Karen defended the president with the fierceness of a mother lioness, decrying the video “biased liberal media spin.”

I should have foreseen this reaction. It’s called party politics; praising the party at all cost. Republicans do it. Dems do it. While they recite the party line, I visualize myself throttling them while shouting, “Think for yourselves!”

But today, I say, you cannot be a Bush supporter and a true blue conservative.

Bush and this Congress are behaving unlike conservatives. The beliefs in smaller government and limited spending have been the main unifying factors for conservatives since Reagan. However, during Bush's reign, government spending has increased at rates unseen since the days of Lyndon Johnson (Washington Post). The federal government’s footprint has also grown in the areas of education and entitlement spending, with the creation of the No Child Left Behind Act and the new prescription drug benefit for Medicare recipients. In the wake of the recent immigration debate, conservatives seem to support stricter border security, whereas, the Bush Administration has been slow to even enforce existing immigration laws. Moreover, in recent weeks, Gallop has reported that Bush’s approval ratings among staunch Republicans have reached record lows.

I will be the first one to admit, in a two party system, you must play center field to get votes. Just look at Hillary Clinton. What I am not saying is that the Administration and the Congress are wrong. The last six years have seen drastic issues that require some rule-bending. Frankly, I am pleased that we have a system that allows them that kind of leverage. It’s not called party politics; it’s called getting things done—and good for ‘em.

-The Saucy Sister

Welcome to Second Thoughts...

by Tamika Banks

Leaving behind the world of consulting firms, contracts, networking and new business discussions, I resolved to write full time. It is of course something I love. Writing is the one thing I know I do well. Well, I cannot completely leave the business world behind, in favor of writing op-ed pieces and celebrity "autobiographies."

With my business background and affinity for start-ups, it only makes sense to spend much of my time copywriting and doing public relations pieces…for now. The truth is, other than some smaller projects for myself and personal acquaintances, most of my published writing has been research and/or business related.

I expect (and I know this is pretty far flung) that I can use this weblog to showcase the softer side of my ability—shameless self-promotion. After all, I am a people person. My sparkling personality (which I have to often stifle in business writing) will naturally come out in this relaxed setting. So, I trust you will benefit from what you find here and will visit often.

WARNING: Commercial Coming in three…two…one:
In case you happen to be an editor, business owner or professional (in need of the discreet help of a skilled ghostwriter), feel free to contact me directly via e-mail.

-The Saucy Sister