The ToiBocks Blog

First, I want to thank Tamara Bell for giving me an outlet for my writing and to all the folks who’ve contacted me to say they enjoyed my articles.  I always enjoy writing and it’s nice to see something that I’ve done helping someone else and perhaps helping them avoid some of the mistakes I’ve made along the way.

This article was written for folks who are running their own party plan but it really applies well to anyone who is in business for themselves.

Running ToiBocks has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done.  The sacrifices, the heartache, the joy and the elation from hearing that first ‘gasp’ when a person sees how the ToiBocks works for the first time… the emotions really run the gamut!

Anyway, here is the article:

If it is to be it’s up to me?

By Dawn Tulman
President, ToiBocks Inc.

Years ago I was involved in a major multi-level marketing organization and while that turned out to be not my cup of tea, I learned quite a bit from the support materials of books, tapes and quotes.  One of the most repeated quotes was “If it is to be, it’s up to me!”  I repeated it with fervor, making it my mantra, thinking it represented “I can do it.”  Now, all these years later I wonder if the law of attraction didn’t kick in at some point and essentially create a self-fulfilling prophecy for me?

I say this because it turned out for me that it did end up being completely up to me… almost all of it – the sales, marketing, bookkeeping, administrative tasks, meetings, phone calls, emails.  I found myself doing it all.  As my business grows I’m able to add on key people who can handle some of these things for me, but in the end it is my responsibility to make sure these things are getting done the right way in the right time period because if the people I’ve chosen to do those things don’t do them, I am the one who has to or I’m the one who suffers the most.

Owning my own business has been a lot like raising a child. I was the one who had to feed it, clothe it, socialize it, give it goals and nurture it.  Just like when you have a kid, there are supportive folks in the periphery, your parents, your siblings or other family, teachers, team leaders… but at the end of the day it’s you they come home to, you who are ultimately responsible for helping them grow into good little people.  It’s absolutely critical to have the right kind of support system.  Fortunately, for me, I made friends with a lot of influential people in my industry and business in general.  When I’m stuck on something I give them a call and they help me as best as they can.  I don’t have an “association” like HPPPA to readily give me answers to questions that I don’t even know I need to ask yet.  If I did, I’d jump on it with both feet for sure. I think www.score.org is the closest I’ve ever come.

Being in business is like playing chess, you have to always be thinking ahead to your next move and when you make a mistake, you need to think about what will prevent that mistake from happening again.  I recently took my kids to track practice and someone put a coupon for a basketball clinic on my windshield.  “Who would need that?” my son asked.  “Anyone who wants to be really good at basketball, maybe they want to play professionally.  Everyone who wants to be a professional ‘anything’ needs to get their mentoring from someone.  Whether it’s basketball or business, you can’t survive without mentors.”  Who is your mentor?  Who is giving you the creativity to come up with new ideas to keep your business strong and make it grow?  On this fifth anniversary of the HPPPA I wanted to bring extra attention to what your membership can really do for you.

Want to know what the latest and greatest toys are?  Want to know if a company you’re thinking about carrying has ever had any problems with their products?  Want to find out what distributors are closest to you to save on shipping costs, or offer the most variety of products, or have great customer service?  Want to find out the best samples to use as give-aways at your parties?  Want to learn what issues are affecting party planners at the moment?  Have a tax question?  Want to find out which tradeshows give you the best bang for your buck or which are closest to you for the least expensive travel options?  Want to know what software is good for keeping track of your inventory and your reps?  Need someone to look over your marketing plan?  Need to know how to create a marketing plan?  Need some training?  Want to learn to be more effective?  Needs some tips on how to keep a party going or how to book more parties?  These are all things you might not even have thought of, but they are all benefits to being a member of the HPPPA.

Sometimes we don’t even know what we need and it’s good to have someone to ask “This is my business, have I thought of everything or am I in for a surprise?”  Often, associating with people who have already done what you’re doing or what you want to do will help you figure out the chess moves before you even sit down to play.  Talking with someone about what it is working and what isn’t can help you pinpoint how to turn your shot into a 3 pointer.

Ultimately yes, if it is to be it’s up to me.  Up to me to ask the right questions, to make the right choices, and to know where to go to help formulate the answers.  It’s up to me to find the right people to help me do what I do best!

If you haven’t already signed up to be a member of HPPPA, it’s up to you to do so.

Dawn Tulman is the president of ToiBocks Inc.; she’s been married for 13 years and has three children.  ToiBocks is a jewelry box with a hidden lock mechanism that enables you to keep your intimate items on the nightstand for easy access while keeping out sticky fingers and prying eyes. The idea for ToiBocks was inspired when Dawn’s oldest daughter “discovered” one of her novelties in the nightstand and she could not find a product that met her need to keep her toys handy and secure right out in the open. For more information visit www.toibocks.com or contact Dawn at 818.395.8558.