Blessing the Lives of Others Through Home Business

Everyone has a talent of some kind. Sharing your talents to bless the lives of others is service. Making money with our talents is a blessing not only for our family's income, but for the people who purchase your wares, ideas, or in other ways benefit from your talents. Many people do not realize that even though they must charge for their talents, that it still blesses others.

Rudyard Kipling, a renowned poet who lived from 1865-1936, touched countless lives through his works. "Kipling spoke for the great middle class- soldiers, clerks, sailors, housewives- who had tired of "literary" lady-like poets of the mid-century, and who hungered for the recreation of the realistic world of the here and now." (Jacob, 1955) He became a writer as a way to escape from his poor living conditions in India. He met with much success and sold paperback editions of his stories to local railway offices, soliciting buyers via penny postcard. His Barrack Room Ballad made him enough money that he never would have to write another word. But, he loved writing and continued throughout his life. His writing brought in income for his family and touched lives then and continues to do so today eighty years later.

If you have a talent and wish to make it into a business, do it! Don't feel guilty for making money! My best friend has a degree in business. In one of her college classes her professor told everyone most emphatically, "Do not feel guilty for making money!" That is how we survive in this world! Money is what feeds our families, what we pay our tithes with, how we purchase our homes and cars. Lucy Mack Smith, mother of the Prophet Joseph Smith and who had eight children, helped bring in money for her family with her talents:

"To obtain cash with which to buy land, Lucy once more painted oil tablecloths, members of the family sold refreshments from a small shop and peddled them by cart when crowds gathered for celebrations and revivals, and the older boys worked for farmers needing extra hands for harvesting, digging wells, and landscaping. After two years of this labor, Lucy and Joseph were able to buy a farm two miles south of Palmyra." (Arrington, 1998, 2001)

Selling our wares, ideas, etc, gives us self esteem as we help improve lives with our home business and share our talents.

Many women today feel bad making money and under price much of what they sell. They get burn out quickly. Many feel especially bad making money from friends or family- no matter what it is that they sell. These women work hard to make or collect their items. If everything in this world were affordable for everyone (or free), what kind of quality is it? Would you appreciate it as much? How many free gifts with purchase or free things does one find that is of high value or quality?

Did you know that the Book of Mormon was sold; as a blessing for others and to help the Saints earn money? "Joseph Smith once owned five thousand copies of the first edition Book of Mormon, which cost him three thousand dollars to print. He said that he was divinely instructed to sell them for between $1.25 and $1.75 each. Since the derived cost of the books was 65¢ each, Joseph was therefore commanded to make a profit. Even at that reasonable profit, Parley Pratt recognized the propriety of accepting more generous offers, when he recounted that in 1831: "One gentleman offered as high as ten dollars for a copy of the Book of Mormon; but, unluckily, I had none with me." [1]

The Relief Society Magazine was a monthly publication put out by the Relief Society on a monthly basis. It was published from 1915-1970. One thing I enjoyed reading about throughout these magazines was "how to sell the Relief Society magazine." The sisters were asked to sell this publication to all the women they could. They even had stake magazine representatives which were asked to make visits to the sisters both active and inactive in an attempt to sell the magazine. Articles were featured about how to advertise, overcome objections, and other promotional work in selling the magazine.

Whatever your idea or talent is, do some research to see how you can market it. Pray for inspiration that you may be blessed in your endeavors. And start your own home business today knowing that you can enhance lives and help feed your family through your talents!

Works Cited

Arrington, M. J. (1998, 2001). In S. A. Leonard Arrington, Mothers of the Prophets (p. 11). Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft.

Jacob, E. B. (1955, October). Literature- The Literature of England. Relief Society Magazine , p. 698.

[1] Mormonism.com, John Hajicek, other sources: The Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt, ed. Parley Pratt Jr. (New York: Russell Brothers, 1874), p. 87. For other precedents for selling the Book of Mormon at a profit, see Messenger and Advocate, May 1835; Eber Howe, Mormonism Unvailed [sic] . . . (Painesville, Ohio: 1834), p. 252; Naked Truths About Mormonism, April 1888; and Pomeroy Tucker, Origin, Rise, and Progress of Mormonism (New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1867), p. 55.