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Hi everyone, need your input. I am considering becoming a SU demonstrator and just want your opinion on whether anyone ever really makes any money doing this, or is it just a way to support your stamping hobby? I do not know alot of women in my area that would buy the stamps or that I could invite to classes. Is it realistic that I could pull off being a demonstrator and not end up buying the product myself to stay afloat? I can't afford spending 300 quarterly just to stay in business.
Thanks for your input.
Well, let me answer from my experience. I joined for the discount(also it is $240 a quarter, because you have your discount) I did make my own minimums for awhile and then I had a few customers(more like friends) who would order sporadically, I never knew when they would order, but they would put in large orders and make my minimums for me, YAY!
I did alot of craft shows and made money there and used that money to re-supply, so in effect, I wasn't spending my own money. Then, I started classes and that started bringing in some more people and then I met some people who actually wanted to have workshops, YAY again! Now, I am making money(not alot) but more than i can turn around and spend with SU! Earning great rewards, minis and free sets---not earning cruise or anything like that, but on my way!
So...why are you thinking of signing up? Do you have a few friends you could invite over and spend time with crafting? Do you just want the discount and other perks? I think you need to look at from your perspective and decide. But...SU doens't penalize you, if you sign up and then decide you can't do it, you can drop after not meeting your minimums, no harm no foul.
Good luck in whatever you decide, one last word, I have made such good friendships through SU, that I would not trade for the world!
Some people make money, some only make enough to buy for themselves. It's a matter of how you work your business. You just have to decide how you want to run it and go from there. It sounds like you already have some potential customers which may help you with getting started earning some money. I don't have a huge customer base, but I've never had to make a minimum myself in the 3+ years I've been a demo.
__________________ Heather Hawkins - Stampin' Up! Demo and new mom. I have the two best jobs ever! stampinheather.blogspot.com
You definitely get out what you put in! If you have some extra time to devote to it, you can make money at it.
With Stampin' Up! now venturing into the wall decor, you can tap that market, plus you could work the fabric angle with the Big Shot and seek out quilters. We do more than just stamps!
I've done direct sales for 10+ years (not with SU) and how much money you make it totally up to you and the amount of time you put into your business is really what rings the cash register. Some gals think just because they "sign up" and have a catty, they will make money. Not true - you have to work it daily, as you would any kind of business.
It doesn't come easy, but it sure is fun. One of the biggest rewards - the people you meet. I've never met a cranky or mean scrapper (OK, so that was a lie... there was one... Ann... was a great customer, but boy oh boy... attitude...hehehehe)
I have a small customer base and hold monthly events and have never had to worry about not meeting the quarterly minimum. I've been a demo for just a year now and I think it's great....I haven't spent a penny of the household money on stamping supplies since becoming a demo....I can pretty much buy whatever I want (stamps, DSP, Big Shot!!) using the money that I make from being a demo. It's fun to get the sneak peeks at upcoming sets and catties and it's great to be able to preorder before a new cattie comes out.
I agree with the others that depending on what you want out of it and how much you are willing to do to build the business the sky is the limit. Right now I'm not really interested in doing workshops and having my monthly event at my house works just fine right now. In a year or 2 I might want to branch out and expand and I certainly have that option but what I'm doing right now works for our life. If you already have a group who would be interested in stamping regularly see if they would be interested in a hostess club and you might have your quarterly minimum right there!
Hi everyone, need your input. I am considering becoming a SU demonstrator and just want your opinion on whether anyone ever really makes any money doing this, or is it just a way to support your stamping hobby? I do not know alot of women in my area that would buy the stamps or that I could invite to classes. Is it realistic that I could pull off being a demonstrator and not end up buying the product myself to stay afloat? I can't afford spending 300 quarterly just to stay in business.
Thanks for your input.
Well, from my own personal experience (I signed up as a demo a number of years ago without really even knowing that much about stamping) I would say if you DON'T know people in your area you could invite to a workshop or classes then I think you may have a hard time meeting your minimums WITHOUT buying it all yourself. Does that make sense? You need someone to do the buying, and if you don't want it to always be you (I did that enough during my run as a demo - and I haven't been one in a few years now) then you need to find someone to invite to your events or someone to show the catty to so you can make the sales. I tended to not enjoy the workshops as much as the classes, but then again, I didn't have to put the work into finding people to invite to workshops since that's what the hostess is supposed to do. If you can find even a couple people (friends, family, co-workers, neighbors) to start with and have some cute, fun things for them to make to get them interested, then it could grow from there, depending on how much effort you put into it. I hope this helps - I just know that you need to have some sort of interest early on to make things start rolling (or, if you're really good about taking SU stuff with you everywhere and talking about it all the time, that could also work.)
I also truely believe that 'you get out of what you put into it' :-)
I just completed my second year as an SU demo and most certainly make money doing this - I started out with the initial goal of making enough money to pay for my own toys and easily reached that goal quickly :-)
Yes, I do make money doing this but I do put in work and hours to make that happen - and I love that I can tailor my work hours to my young family's needs which is great esp in the school vacation times.
You might also find that there are more people than you are thinking that will buy product from you - it never hurts to ask as the worst that someone can say is 'no' and you may well be pleasantly surprised by how easily you might meet your minimums - you dont need to have alot of customers before they will be maintaining your minimums for you but you do need to constantly find new customers to keep going :-)
And if you sign up to be a demo during Sale-a-bration you don't have alot to lose to try it - right now it costs just $157 to sign up and SU will give you a free stamp set of your choice of up to $47.95 as well - I LOVE being a demo :-)
Thank you for sharing your experiences. I appreciate every thing you all have said. I have alot to think about. I do know I love to make the cards at the stampcamps and workshops I have gone to. I really enjoy the comraderie with the other stampers. I used to sell MK a few years ago and did that for 6 years. I enjoyed that while I was doing it and didn't make much money but it was enough to keep me going. I have a full time job so being a demonstrator would be on the side.
Anyway thanks again for your input. Like I said I have some thinking to do.
Karen
Karen,
You've gotten some great answers here. I agree that the bottom line is, you can make money at this business if you work at it. The difference between a hobby and a business demo in my mind is - how much of the money that you make are you going to put back into buying new stamps and accessories? I make money at this but I still {especially} love the discount after five yrs. as a demo. It's loving stamping and sharing what I learn that keeps me going.The fact that you LOVE stamping (you said it in your post!) is an important key to your decision. Sharing what you love makes the work much easier, and that enthusiasm translates to your customers. It's a WIN win situation.
Best of luck and happy stamping whatever you decide.
I think the only way to know for sure if it is going to work for you, is to give it a try! Honestly! You have nothing to loose. Right now is the best time to sign up! You get a discount on the starter kit, plus a free stamps set valued at $47.95 or less. If you sign up and it doesn't work and you never meet a quota then you still have all the wonderful product that you got at a fraction of the price. You never know! you could sign up and just love it and exceed your goal every month and get a wonderful paycheck, plus earn a bunch of other incentives! I say go for it!!
The fact that you LOVE stamping (you said it in your post!) is an important key to your decision. Sharing what you love makes the work much easier, and that enthusiasm translates to your customers. It's a WIN win situation.
Exactly - when you are positive and love a product it shines through and makes others love it too...enthusiasm is one of the keys to success
And when you really love what you do, it doesnt feel like work
Being a Demonstrator
