Your first year in network marketing…in any business for that matter… can be exhilarating. It can also be frightening if you aren’t prepared for the task of running your own business. Facing the challenges can overwhelm you if you aren’t careful. Stick with it, though, and you have a chance at a career where the income continues to grow annually. When I opened my first restaurant I was so new to the food and beverage industry that I was overwhelmed by everything…the customers….the cooking….managing the staff…paying the bills…staying in compliance….ordering and inventory…the list was endless… I was thrilled beyond belief and terrified that everything would come crashing down like a house of cards. That changed as I became more experienced….and I became more profitable as time went on.

Businesses that fail will usually fail within the first year and many fail for the same reasons. With focus and some effort, your business doesn’t have to become a statistic. Your first year in network marketing can set the stage for all the years to come. Start out on the right foot. Expect challenges – they come to all businesses, but when you learn the skills you need to deal with them effectively they will just become part of "the cost of doing business".

Know the reasons why you want your own business. Prestige? Money? Being your own boss? Helping other people? Those are all valid reasons, but knowing why you want your own business and knowing how to run your own business are on opposite ends of the spectrum.  Excitement and desire don't compensate for a lack of knowledge. It is your business and it is your responsibility to learn how to run that business so that it works harder for you than you do for it.

Expect to be overwhelmed at times. Are you poor at managing? Do you know anything about basic business skills? If you can’t manage your daily life and business skills aren’t something you possess, you need to get busy educating yourself. It will take more effort, but long term you will be even more successful in your marketing business. If you’re not the most organized person by nature, learn how to overcome that – even if you have to hire help. Misplacing your keys doesn't have the same impact as misplacing a potential customer’s information.

Expect the competition to be fierce. Dig in your heels and be determined to end up as a success story. The great thing about network marketing is that it’s not a closed field. There’s always room for one more success story, provided that you learn how to work the business. And that you decide no matter what, you will never, ever quit.

Expect to be discouraged at times. This is caused by unmet expectations. Maybe some of your downline left. Maybe your upline isn’t as helpful as you need them to be. Maybe your spouse, family, friends just don't understand or support your decision to build a network marketing business. Whatever discouragement heads your way, if you get knocked down, don’t pitch a tent there. Get back up. The only marketers who succeed are the ones who stick with it long term. Every successful business owner that I know has known failure of one sort or another. They just made the decision that becoming successful was more important than dwelling on failure.

Expect growth. The potential to earn a great income and gather a large downline through network marketing exists, but sometimes a network marketing business fails because people don't  know what to do with the growth. The very same thing happened to me when I opened that first restaurant. We were an overnight success. We had lines of people waiting for tables to sit down and have dinner. I just didn't have enough staff to take care of all of the customers. I didn't have enough cooks to cook the food fast enough. I didn't order enough food to feed everyone that came for dinner. We disappointed alot of people that first busy weekend. But, I was able to fix that first bad impression by hiring more people and buying a full page ad in the local newspaper and making a public apology. Lesson learned from that…always expect success and be ready for it by having the people and things in place that will support it. This is no different with a network marketing business.

Whatever happens in your first year of network marketing, you can bet it won’t be boring. You’re embarking on a trip that can take you farther than you ever dreamed was possible. So hang in there and enjoy the ride!