Organizing Your Office at Home!

Don’t spend a lot of money getting organized! Keep it Simple!

Create a separate workspace for your business. This could be a separate room, or a corner of a room in your home. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. A neat and organized workspace contributes greatly to a happy and healthy business owner.

  • Desk
  • Computer with Printer
  • High Speed Internet if available in your area, otherwise use the fastest bandwidth available.
  • Shelving for your inventory. (Book shelves, hutch, small linen closet with lots of shelves, etc.)
  • Instead of file folders for your papers and brochures, try a paper organizer on or near your desk.
  • Cell or home phone with large minute or unlimited plans. Also back-up service in case you lose or damage your cell phone.

Optional: Some consultants create a BRAIN BOOK that holds papers that they want to keep with them at all times. This would be a 3-ring binder with sheet protectors and pocket holders. This would also hold your spiral notebook.

What to Purchase:

2-3 Ring Binder w/ 2-3” rib

Jan-Dec Tabs

Clear Page Protector Sleeves

Mileage Log

Accordion File (expandable folder)

5 X 9 Index Card Box

5 X 9 Index Tabs A-Z

In 3 Ring Binder you will place Jan-Dec tabs. (this will help you keep great records for tax time)

File:

  • Accomplishment sheets each week in coordinating month
  • As you receive Packing Slips with orders placed to company, file these in correct month

Take clear sleeves and place all receipts for expenses for the month in the sleeve for that month. At the end of each month you will sort these receipts in your accordion folder by category. You will want to tally these receipts up every quarter so at the end of the year you are dealing with a minimum number of totals.

Accordion File-Label the tabs with your expenses. Example: PCP Fees, Propay, Contract Labor (baby sitting), Office Expenses, Room Rent, Business Travel (hotel), Postage etc.

You will want to include one more clear sleeve behind each Month Tab for your Applause Magazine.

You will also want to track the products that you take off your shelf for Personal Use and for Demo. You can do this one of two ways…

1. Take 2 Paper Order Forms. Write on the front of one, DEMO and PERSONAL USE on the other one. You will make a “tick” mark by each product that you take for each of these reasons for the entire year. At the end of the year you can calculate what the totals were for Demo and Personal Use.

2. OR you can track all of this info on a Software System Called- Boulevard. It is not from Mary Kay Cosmetics is updated quarterly as Mary Kay Updates products etc.

You can get more information on this at I don’t feel this is a necessity for you to become a success… I did the same paper system that I am explaining to you for many years before I started using Boulevard. If you invest in Boulevard, please give them my name as the referral. (Shanna Nowling-Brannon)

Next- you will want to get a mileage log. This should be kept in your car and easily accessible. (above sun visor) You will want to keep track of your beginning mileage and ending mileage EACH time you

are traveling for Business Purposes. You will need to write down the mileage and what was the purpose of the trip. Ie: deliver product to Kim Jones or Unit Meeting etc.

Be sure that your “TAX GUY” is a PRO at dealing with ‘in-home based businesses’. Anyone can still do your taxes, but to get the MAXIMUM deductions available to you, you will want to be sure that he/she knows the ins and outs of home base business.

How to keep up with your customers orders, personal info and birthdays…

(I recommend doing all this filing stuff once per week… be sure that you have a set time slot on our weekly accomplishment sheet to update your customer files once per week.)

Customer Information/Order History:

3 Options- Paper System below, Keep track of your customers on Mary Kay Intouch or Boulevard Software. (information on pervious page)

Paper System:

Take 5 X 9 Index Box and place A-Z Tabs inside. Fill your customer profile cards alphabetically. When she calls you to place an order, you will have her profile card with all sales tickets attached to it. This will allow you to locate her information immediately.

Customer Birthday:

Take 3 Ring Binder and make a page for every month of the year. (Jan-Dec) As you attain new customers, you will file their profile cards in the Index Box listed above and then write your customers name on the page with the corresponding month of her birthday.

I personally send out a Birthday Postcard to my customers during the month of their birthday.

I also offer them a small discount on any orders placed during their b’day month. You might even want to make a note in your datebook on the day of her birthday so you can give her a personal call if she is one of your best customers.

Reference File:

Using a plastic crate or small filing cabinet OR just make some folders on your computer with the following titles. As you continue your Mary Kay education, you will get LOTS of ideas… I would not suggest you trying to save all of them- if it is a GREAT Idea, you will see it circulate again. Below are some topics that you may want to save items in folders either via filing system or on your computer.

BookingCoachingSellingTeam Building/Marketing

Hostess PacketsRecruiting PacketsGoal SettingHoliday Ideas

Money ManagementMotivationa/Inspiration ThankYou Reminder Postcards

Tax InformationTime Mgmt Color ClassWeekly Plan/IPA Sheets

Weekly Accomplishment SheetsEvent Flyers

Trunk File:

Being prepared is 99% the Name of the Game… so why not have things with you while you are out, incase you need them…

I have another accordion file in my trunk with the following items:

  • 10 Look Books
  • $ Bag with Change
  • Sales Tickets
  • Recruiting Packets (see below for contents)
  • Hostess Packets (see below for contents)
  • Team Building DVD
  • Samples of Skin Care
  • Customer Profiles
  • Postcards
  • Stamps

Recruiting Packet = Look Book, Team Building Brochure (item# 030219), Ponder Pink Sheet, Starter Kit Flyer, copy of a recent cheek, agreement, and business card.

Hostess Packet = How Inviting Brochure (item# 021689), Look Book and Outside Order Sheet

Most of the above information can be found and downloaded off my website at: on the home page select Recruiting and Hostess Packets