Hello again and welcome to another Own Your Life Club Newsletter!

This week we just want to tell you a little bit about ourselves and why we've created Own Your Life Club.  Briefly, we realised one day that we'd be living out our days on a Government pension if we didn't make some changes!  And you know how difficult that is these days.  We had four boys who were dependent on us at the time and we seemed to be going backwards.  And we also had this nagging feeling that there was something more out there.

Our small business Wicker Works was (and is) going pretty well; but because it's very hands-on work and Richard would be getting slower as time went by (sorry Richard!), we decided to see what else we could do that was less physical but would still earn an income.  So we took a risk and purchased an investment property.  The sky didn't fall in so we were encouraged to keep going.

We learnt so much and met so many interesting and inspiring people, who had all started out just as we had - with that feeling that there was more to be experienced in life.  Our path eventually led us to the internet, which brought the whole world to our doorstep.  And we continue to meet amazing people through the web.

And now that our boys are all independent and we're enjoying success and loving our lives, we want to give something back.  So we created Own Your Life Club.  If we can inspire and encourage just one person to make a difference in his or her business or personal life, that would make us so happy.  It's very liberating to learn and grow.  We will never stop now.

To discover just what Own Your Life Club is all about, take the $1 trial membership.  For 21 days you will have access to all the incredible content that our Club has to offer, while you decide if it is something for you.  We'd love to welcome you on board!

Click here to register for the 21 day trial for $1

Today's success tip comes from Margaret Lomas.

Margaret is a mother of five and founder of Destiny Financial Solutions, which now has several franchises across the country. Margaret is also the author of seven books. Margaret is an in-demand public speaker and financial advisor.

What are some of the most important values you have tried to instil in your children?

You never get anything in life unless you are prepared to work for it - We have never given our children a lot of 'things', nor do we buy them lots of toys at Christmas. They have to work for everything they get and this has always been the case.

You must remember those less fortunate - We have always taught the children to give ten per cent of everything they earn to charity. You must have compassion for those who do not have the same advantages as you, and understand that people have things in their lives that may make them unhappy or even unfriendly, so you have to take responsibility for being the happy, friendly one.

You will only get ahead if you learn about money - And, you must start a savings plan as soon as you can. Sadly, once they turn sixteen they seem to temporarily forget this rule and spend everything they earn. I'm still waiting for them to get old enough to remember this again and to start paying more attention to their own financial futures.

You have to take time to smell the roses - Appreciate your achievements along the way and don't get so committed to the future that you forget about today. Take some time out to reflect on where you are, every day.

Tell those you love that you love them as often as you can - One day they will be gone. My father passed away very suddenly three years ago and I still cry when I think about him. He knew I loved him, but I still don't feel that I took the opportunity to tell him often enough. I was too caught up in my own daily life and worries. My mum lives with us now and although some days I don't feel like it, I try to look in on her just to say hello.


Own Your Life Club contains even more great tips from Margaret Lomas.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE NOW.

Sit back, relax and watch this short video.  Each of us has the power to make a difference, if only we believed in ourselves.

Sharon Tieman

Here's the third in our series featuring the amazing people we met in Sydney in August.  Sharon has a bright and bubbly personality and a great knack for marketing and branding.

Sharon Tieman grew up in an ‘entrepreneurial’ family.  Instead of playing sport or doing after school activities, she worked in the family's catering business and even had to take time off school at times to help out when the business was busy!

When Sharon and her husband Jim bought Caterers Warehouse, it was run down and was mainly servicing local restaurants and cafes within a 20-minute radius. It had no systems in place and had no marketing. Within three years, Caterers Warehouse has become a multi-million dollar business with an online presence serving national and international clients.

Understanding the important role that marketing played in transforming her business, Sharon now also motivates others who are interested in business, branding, advertising or promotion.

Sharon's advice is:

• Learn to make your marketing look 'sexy' (a key factor for business growth).
• Master the technique of sending emails to your database so that you are always at the top of your customers' minds.
• Don't spend money on advertising and marketing if you can't measure whether it works or not.
• Marketing experts always test and measure their marketing efforts - the results contribute to planning and reducing costs of future promotions.
• You are better off giving products away for free rather than giving a percentage discount.
• Good marketing will always win over price wars (and will increase your sales in the process).
• There are huge benefits of developing an online presence (it can save you heaps of money).

Find out how Sharon applies her own techniques in this Printed Interview

Until next time, here's to your Success,

Richard and Julie

Creators of *Own Your Life Club*