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Ok, big sigh! It seems that for months I have been "back & forth" trying to decide if I want to give up the business. I have been a demo for 5-1/2 years. I have more stamp sets than I will ever use (I don't know how many I have that aren't even mounted yet!) I have every tool, pad, marker, crayon, refill...etc. I have no desire to purchase another thing....so I can't get enthused to try to sell something new to my customers. I don't even feel excited about Sell-a-bration and have not promoted it.
My question is...how did you know it was time to leave? Did you regret it?
I know I will miss stamping with customers/friends, and the pleasure I get when someone calls and asks for advice, help learning a technique, wants my opinion, and places an order. To be honest, I know I will miss the recognition and validation I get when they enjoy my work and creativity. But I'm not in it for the sales and don't want to put in that amount of effort for workshops anymore. I know that I (personally) will not spend $300/quarter to meet my quotas. Is there a happy medium, or should I just bow out and move on.
I appreciate all your input, experiences and opinions. Thanks for reading and sharing. -- Denise
I quit a year ago (December, 2005). I haven't regretted it a bit. I referred all my customers to a fellow demonstrator that I knew they'd love, and it has worked out well for all of them. I had one group that was small (4 of them) and they did quarterly workshops. One of them decided to leave the group, so I took her place. We have workshops once a quarter, and it's enough to make me feel like I'm still getting that needed time with other stampers. Do you have a group of friends you could do that with?
I got to the point where I wasn't enjoying all the behind-the-scenes work of coming up with new ideas and prepping for workshops. Let's face it - it is a lot of work for the small percentage you make.
Like you, I knew I wouldn't purchase $300/quarter on my own - I have so much stuff already! So I decided to hang it up. Now I find it a lot of fun to be a guest at workshops instead of the demonstrator. It's fun to let somebody else do the work! :o )
Good luck with your decision. If you decided to quit, and then find you miss it too much, you can always sign up again.
Ok, big sigh! It seems that for months I have been "back & forth" trying to decide if I want to give up the business. I have been a demo for 5-1/2 years. I have more stamp sets than I will ever use (I don't know how many I have that aren't even mounted yet!) I have every tool, pad, marker, crayon, refill...etc. I have no desire to purchase another thing....so I can't get enthused to try to sell something new to my customers. I don't even feel excited about Sell-a-bration and have not promoted it.
I know I will miss stamping with customers/friends, and the pleasure I get when someone calls and asks for advice, help learning a technique, wants my opinion, and places an order. To be honest, I know I will miss the recognition and validation I get when they enjoy my work and creativity. But I'm not in it for the sales and don't want to put in that amount of effort for workshops anymore. I know that I (personally) will not spend $300/quarter to meet my quotas. Is there a happy medium, or should I just bow out and move on.
I appreciate all your input, experiences and opinions. Thanks for reading and sharing. -- Denise
Hi Denise,
I hope you don't mind that I reply to your post. I am not a demo; have never been one but I love how the highlighted portion of your post read. I think you need to find your bliss again and IF making your minimums or whatever is possible, give it another try. Tell your customers to look on the SU web for the SAB freebies; this is one of the best times of the year for customers and its not to late to let them know. :rolleyes:
Meanwhile, I would encourage you to hang in there but perhaps downsize and find new homes for some of your stamp sets. Look into the SCS Buy/Sell/Trade forum and sell what you can, trade for cardstock or other things you could use for your stamping buddies/customers. The money on your sales can be used to upkeep your status and you may find loving homes for your neglected rubbah.
If you have even a couple of customers and find your bliss again - they can help you along your way. I would much rather have a demo who finds pure joy in what she does and has no qualms about sharing what she knows by just being available for her customers than someone just pushing for sales.
I know there comes a time when you're overwhelmed with STUFF - I'm there and need to downsize quite a bit as an SU collector, that was my goal for 2006 but I ended up with more things thanks to the SCS sisters. A happy problem; but now I need to have a SPACE to actually put ink to paper. lol Take your break and see if what you have now can support your hobby without further $$$ expenses by letting go of the things holding you down and giving you some return, monetarily to get new things.
I feel the love of the craft in your post. If you belong to the demos only forum - go there for more advice. Good luck!
I miss it TERRIBLY!!! I regret deactivating terribly!!!!
I miss that monthly get together with my upline. I miss knowing all the stuff that only demos get to know. I miss learning new techniques at demo only get togethers. I miss the annual regionals (never did get to convention). I miss the semiannual demo blasts with my upline's uplines' upline and all 150 of her downline! I miss the surgence of creativity I felt when I attended all of these sessions! I miss being part of the "family" and the letdown when I deactivated and was no longer able to attend these functions was almost as devastating as not being able to attend functions at my exhusband's family's functions (I really liked his family!). SERIOUSLY!!
I do NOT miss getting to a workshop that I drove an hour to because it was a special relative of a good customer and having her be there with one other person. I do NOT miss putting on a great workshop and leaving with $60 in sales. I do NOT miss hearing workshop attendees RSVPing and not showing, or even worse having open house and not ONE person showing. I do NOT miss having to get my DH to watch the kids so that the OTHER bottle of Gold Glory embossing powder doesn't get dumped like the first one did 10 minutes before. I do NOT miss hearing DH gripe when he has to watch the kids for my workshop or when a box arrives. I do NOT miss DH complaining because I have too many things. I do NOT miss my own family members calling me and telling me about all the stuff they just got at another craft store or online and isn't that great? Or worse telling me that they just want one stamp and they don't want the whole set. Or they dont' want to cut apart the stamps. Or they don't have time for stamping with all the social occasions they go to. Or they don't have the money even though they have more money than most of my best customers. ARGH!!
Overall the things that I do NOT miss ended up taking over. I would LOVE to still be a SU demo and maybe some day I will again, but hearing my DH gripe about the clutter and the watching of his own kids for heavens sake so I could cut cardstock for workshops was SOOO not worth hearing anymore. If he was more supportive or I didn't have kids I would SOOOO be with SU again. If DH leaves (LOL I don't think this will happen) I would SOOO be with SU again!!!
I think it depends on your situation. I envy the women here that have really supportive DH's or significant others or that have dedicated rooms. I for the moment have neither so I think it is an individual choice for the person.
I know someone who made a deal. She found someone who wanted to be a demo and told that person if she would give her 20% off all orders and order for her whenever she wanted to order, that she would send all old customers to her. She couldn't figure out why she had not done it sooner.
I quit about 6 mos ago. I'm not really sure why I decided to do it. I think it was the stress with getting things ready for my stamp camps. I had 2 different stamp clubs going. One was family and then another one with friends and people I had met stamping. Someone was ALWAYS complaining, whether it was about money problems or the projects we were doing. I found myself pouring so much into my camps/clubs and not getting enough in return. Also it put some a major wedge with me and my family members. So I felt it was time to quit - I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up the quota on my own.
I kind of regret it. I really enjoyed having parties, even though I didn't have too many. I loved making myself be creative and teaching others to be creative. But I don't miss the stress one bit ;)
Maybe you can just try and get a group of women together and make a stamp club. Just make it really really easy. Then you can decide if you want to quit or not. Hang in there, I know it's a tough decision.
Ok, big sigh! It seems that for months I have been "back & forth" trying to decide if I want to give up the business. I have been a demo for 5-1/2 years. I have more stamp sets than I will ever use (I don't know how many I have that aren't even mounted yet!) I have every tool, pad, marker, crayon, refill...etc. I have no desire to purchase another thing....so I can't get enthused to try to sell something new to my customers. I don't even feel excited about Sell-a-bration and have not promoted it.
My question is...how did you know it was time to leave? Did you regret it?
I know I will miss stamping with customers/friends, and the pleasure I get when someone calls and asks for advice, help learning a technique, wants my opinion, and places an order. To be honest, I know I will miss the recognition and validation I get when they enjoy my work and creativity. But I'm not in it for the sales and don't want to put in that amount of effort for workshops anymore. I know that I (personally) will not spend $300/quarter to meet my quotas. Is there a happy medium, or should I just bow out and move on.
I appreciate all your input, experiences and opinions. Thanks for reading and sharing. -- Denise
It sounds like you still love and enjoy stamping, and connecting with fellow stampers, and you enjoy teaching. Just not the workshop preparation, and the travel involved. You have everything you ever wanted/need.
You might try doing just a monthly stamp club with customers who are interested in placing a minimum order every month, and come to just hang out and just stamp with you, as opposed to a workshop setting.
You could resign, but, then, you could do the above, and just allow your demostratorship to go its natural course--it could last for quite some time in the above state, or it might dwindle down over the course of 6 months. Either way, you wouldn't have the pressure of workshop preparation or trying to get sales for your quarterly quota.
I personally am deactivating naturally (in other words, I didn't hand in an official resignation). I would have celebrated 10 years in April 07 as a demonstrator.
But, you know, if you let it go, you can *always* get back into it if you want. ;)
Best wishes in your decision--all I can tell you is to do what feels right for you, first and foremost.
__________________ Julie Ebersole (JulieHRR once upon a time . . . )julieebersole.com"So shines a good deed in a weary world." -Willy Wonka
Honestly some years are more open than others. Some of us are getting to the age where parents are declining, a certain child in the family need more, etc....so I would make your decision based on YOUR needs....you get back in or out, as YOU CHOOSE...Please don't pressure yourself. There is too much of that.
Last year I made the decision to no longer be a Demo even wrote a letter to all of my customers telling them that I was done...
I never put in an official notice to SU, I was just going to let my demoship run out so to speak. Well, it's been a year offically and I have a workshop coming up on Saturday.
I haven't had a real workshop since October of 2004!!!!!!! I had a baby and was nursing and then we ended up in a serious accident, then moved and I didn't NEED the extra stress of trying to get things together for a workshop.
I have found if I just do stamp camps where I charge $10 for people to come and use my stamps, stamp pads and accessories (they need to supply their own paper) I DO NOT cut anything for them, they just have to opportunity to use all of my things for a 3 hour period. They choose what they want to make. If they want to work on their scrapbook pages, here's their time. If they want to make cards- they can look at all of my examples. I also encourage them to bring what they have and when they see the difference they tend to purchase what SU has to offer.
Long story short, I have been able to have enough sales over the last year to stay active. Some quarters are calling it VERY close (and maybe only a few $'s over 300), but I still qualify for the perks. I should also add, I have people over to my home, offer very little as far as refreshments to keep my costs down (I've gone as far as having ADULTS only and they bring their own drinks)- this way I don't have to travel and I have control over what I serve and I don't have to fork out anything for rent.
As Julie said, it sounds like you still love to stamp and to be with people that stamp (aren't we the best?) it's the other things that are getting you down. It's hard not having a DH that isn't supportive, mine says he isn't and makes comments, but he allows me to have my own room and give me the time to play.
It's up to you. If you are tired of doing to actual workshops, try doing something different. Stamp Camps, internet sales, phone-a-thons etc to get your sales in.
Good luck and only you have to make the decision. {{{{HUGS}}}}
I agree with the others' try to "switch it up" first... teach classes in your home; or start a club... get back to stamping and maybe try creating more... wait it out a bit; and just don't spend more than you make in the meantime.
I also let my demonstratorship go its natural course at the end of 2005. I had been a demo for a year and a half. For me, having two small children and going to school to become a teacher, was more than enough stress for anyone to handle! Since I was my own best customer, my DH and I looked at our tax situation after claiming a loss for 3 years...eventually, that would have caught up with us and it would not have been pretty!! I also felt that I was missing my love of the art, the creativity, and feeling like I wanted to stamp. For me, it got to a point where I just felt it was time to hang it up. I still love SU products and continue to use them daily. I also found an SU demo (on this site mind you that only lives 8 miles away!!) and she's the best!! I have also referred my customers to her, as I know she's working every bit of her business and I applaud her in her decision. Since the minimums were too high for me, I decided to join TAC in August of 2006. I still get the excitement of getting a box of stamps and supplies in the mail, but at half the cost!! I feel no pressure to sell, sell, sell and I can just relax and have fun! Good luck in your decision. Gasp, that I should say this, but there are more important things to think about like your health, your family time, your stress level, etc. and you shouldn't feel bad about retiring. There is a happy life after SU!
__________________
*Shari*
�Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.� ― W.B. Yeats
�I think you learn more if you're laughing at the same time.� ― Mary Ann Shaffer
I decided to leave SU this past summer and thought I would just gradually fade away. However, I kept placing orders for myself!! LOL So, in December I notified SU that I was leaving and am no longer a demo. Here's what I've noticed:
1. Not having easy access to OEX has stopped me from making impulse purchases. Even though I received many offers for the 20% discount, it takes more time and work to email or call someone, write a check, put it in the mail, etc.! This has turned out to be a good thing. I really needed to put the brakes on my SU purchases and use what I have. SAB sets don't have me jumping up and down, so I doubt I'll place an order until my cardstock starts getting low or the spring mini, whichever comes first!
2. Because I am no longer focused on buying, I'm spending more time stamping and working on my blog and these are great stress relievers for me.
3. I really really miss my SCS demo forum access! It was a lot of fun sharing with those ladies. (Hello up there).
4. I didn't do workshops -- just sold to folks through emails and at work, so I don't miss that part. However, just handling the paperwork, going to the bank to cash checks, etc. got to be too much for me in my current personal circumstances.
5. I still have very little interest in non SU stamps, cardstock or inks. I find non SU stamps too pricey or not my style and I like the variety that SU offers. I think it is still the best value for wood mounted stamps (my personal preference). I fully intend to rejoin SU! I am hoping to rejoin in 2008 and go to the convention! Hope ever lives! However, I am very excited to look at the huge variety of non SU ribbons, brads, and patterned papers, etc. It is nice to take part of my stamping budget and buy some of the gorgeous papers and ribbons that SU doesn't offer. I know I could have done that before, but I rarely did.
I'm not sure if my experience helps you make a decision but I hope it works out.
__________________ Dear Paperlicious is my blog...with a series on how I'm learning to improve my cardmaking by studying others.
For me the perks of demo-ing are:
-demo forum on SCS
-preview and option to pre-purchase stamps
- free catties and minis
-able to buy anytime with OEX
-free stamps from SU
-great rewards
-able to attend convention, leadership, regioals
-stampin'success
I do not do a lot of w/s but as long as I can stay active, I will.
I think the stamp camp idea is great advice. I wish I had tried that idea for a few months before quitting. There are some things I miss such as the Stampin Success magazine and the access to the demo site. But I have found that moving on has given me more freedom to expand and use other products more freely. I was solely using SU and still find that I have to remind myself that I can use other products besides SU. I still love the products and have found a wonderful demo. SCS is also a wonderful replacement to the demo site. There are wonderful artists out here and the challenges are great. I think that having access to SCS has made the transition easier and I still feel that I am part of a stamping family.
It is a very personal decision and wish you the best.
Hi!
I sure understand how you feel. I went through the same process. I let my demo status lap 18 months ago. In the beginning I thought I would go insane because I'd been a demo since 1994 and I was leaving the family.
I left because I couldn't fund the minimum's myself, I had stopped doing workshops and was doing monthly classes at my house. I did have a few long distance customers, but they found local demos which is fine. I had also gotten tired of the "business side", buying for the new trends, colors and such, after 10 years of a great time, my time had come. I still love SU.
SCS has helped as well as several yahoo groups I'm on, I've joined swaps, tried different products and stamp companies.
Too fill that need to be productive, like for workshops or classes where you had to come up with designs, do lots of stamping and figuring to get to a final product. I set goals or projects for myself. Some were simple like organizing all my cardstock and scraps. Some were very time consuming like unmounting almost all my stamps to save room and keep all the stamps I have. Most of my projects were medium like 20 get well cards, 20 masculine birthday cards, sort of thing. This has kept me stamping, trying techniques or products and filling my blank card drawer.
Even though I'm no longer a demo I have not sold off any of my stamps. This is something I have never done even when I was a demo. I'm a collector at heart so I just can't, LOL!!! And to feed my addiction customers and friends who've given up stamping (gasp, I can't imagine that) have given me their stamps. Which has helped to increase my collection, their thinking is they could always "borrow" them from me if they wanted to get back into stamping. That hasn't happened, unfortunately, so that's how that goes.
I will occasionally do a stamping class for the ladies at my church, I used to do this a lot over the past 10 years, but the stamping bug has come and gone. Now they're into that other companies scrapbooking (another church member, who was one of my best stamp customers, started offering classes in a way that I could and would not offer), so that's how it goes. I can't compete with 6 hour scrap time for $10, including all you can drink mocha bar, meals and desserts. I do hear the demo complain about not making money on these nights, customers expecting her to drop everything to run over a $5 product, and all those other business side of things from being a demo but hey, it keeps her in business so it works.
I still scrap my way, I do a lot more with my Sizzix than I used to, I'm back into gardening and I do work part time now. Our kids are older now and my evenings are tied up with their stuff, which is fine with me. Since I stopped being a demo I've been able to devote more time to my original hobbies, cross stitch and violin playing. I still love stamping, I set time aside every week to stamp or do a craft.
I did have some regrets about leaving SU early on, but now 18 months later, I don't have them. Not being able to buy has really kicked up my creativity, I still love SU's stuff, and I have so much of it still, I'll be having fun for many more years to come. LOL
I have been reading and rereading your responses. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, feelings and experiences -- and advice -- to help me out. I feel validated that many of you echo what I've been considering and working on for months to sort out in my head.
I definitely need to pare down my stamp sets inventory to get better organized and not feel so overwhelmed. (Thanks Lynn and Ladybugstamper2 for the organizing ideas). Perhaps just that will motivate me to want to stamp more and prepare a couple stamp camp ideas. Maybe I can continue with a quarterly stamp camp/workshop idea with a small group -- give them a few ideas and help supplement their inventory when they need more cardstock, ink refills, scrap kit or new tool.
One other ? Were any of your customers upset at your downsizing (to do no home workshops) or leaving? I know I know...I need to do what's best for me, I just hate to let people down, too.
Anyway....thanks again for all your insights. It's very much appreciated.
I have been reading and rereading your responses. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, feelings and experiences -- and advice -- to help me out. I feel validated that many of you echo what I've been considering and working on for months to sort out in my head.
I definitely need to pare down my stamp sets inventory to get better organized and not feel so overwhelmed. (Thanks Lynn and Ladybugstamper2 for the organizing ideas). Perhaps just that will motivate me to want to stamp more and prepare a couple stamp camp ideas. Maybe I can continue with a quarterly stamp camp/workshop idea with a small group -- give them a few ideas and help supplement their inventory when they need more cardstock, ink refills, scrap kit or new tool.
One other ? Were any of your customers upset at your downsizing (to do no home workshops) or leaving? I know I know...I need to do what's best for me, I just hate to let people down, too.
Anyway....thanks again for all your insights. It's very much appreciated.
They weren't necessarily upset, just sad, but very supportive and understanding. Does that make sense? I worried about letting them down, too, but if you're hanging onto it for anyone other than yourself, you may end up resenting it, and then not love stamping itself much after a while? :(
__________________ Julie Ebersole (JulieHRR once upon a time . . . )julieebersole.com"So shines a good deed in a weary world." -Willy Wonka
Wow, I came to SCS tonight for a little lift (and maybe to wallow in a little sadness/self-pity) and found my old January posting. In less than 2 hours (SU MT time) I will officially be off Pending Status and dropped as a demonstrator. I've known for a couple months that this is where I was directing myself, but I've been feeling sad today as I realized THIS WAS IT. I've been grieving, as if not only am I losing a "Title" of being a demonstrator (and all that comes with it), but that I'm losing some part of my identity and that I won't be needed or wanted anymore, or don't belong somehow. Is that sick, or needy?
But reading my original posting and the wonderful responses again is only validation and proof that I AM DOING the right thing, and I know it. Lately, when I stamp, I am truly enjoying it again. When I come to this website, it is for the creativity and joy of all the great artwork and talented ladies/ gentlemen here -- not just to find more ideas to "have to show others" to get them to buy, buy, buy.
I am enjoying stamping again, and maybe that will push me to come here to this site more often, maybe join in the challenges again (more often), send out more RAK's. But again, I want to thank all of you (six months later) for all the encouragement and support. And yes, I am sad, but I'll get through it, thanks to this great place and the super people here.
Wow, I came to SCS tonight for a little lift (and maybe to wallow in a little sadness/self-pity) and found my old January posting. In less than 2 hours (SU MT time) I will officially be off Pending Status and dropped as a demonstrator. I've known for a couple months that this is where I was directing myself, but I've been feeling sad today as I realized THIS WAS IT. I've been grieving, as if not only am I losing a "Title" of being a demonstrator (and all that comes with it), but that I'm losing some part of my identity and that I won't be needed or wanted anymore, or don't belong somehow. Is that sick, or needy?
But reading my original posting and the wonderful responses again is only validation and proof that I AM DOING the right thing, and I know it. Lately, when I stamp, I am truly enjoying it again. When I come to this website, it is for the creativity and joy of all the great artwork and talented ladies/ gentlemen here -- not just to find more ideas to "have to show others" to get them to buy, buy, buy.
I am enjoying stamping again, and maybe that will push me to come here to this site more often, maybe join in the challenges again (more often), send out more RAK's. But again, I want to thank all of you (six months later) for all the encouragement and support. And yes, I am sad, but I'll get through it, thanks to this great place and the super people here.
Aloha Denise,
I was still subscribed to this thread... bless your heart! I also read your post in the other forum, Need a Lift, and my heart sighed and smiled with you. Your DH was so sweet to make his offer.
Give yourself time to grieve your loss and find your bliss again! You have a lovely gallery started here and I'll watch for your uploads. I don't know how to take a decent photo of my newbie things - so I do appreciate everyone who shares their gallery. There is just so much to see and ooh and aah about here.
?? to Former SU Demos...
Thanks for the replies
