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I was an SU! demo for several years.- basically a hobbyist. I quit because I no longer found stamps/products in the catty that I just 'couldn't live without'. It seemed to become harder and harder to find sets I liked well enough to purchase. I do have a ton of older stamps from the late 90's, early 2000's that I love. Maybe the design focus has changed and I'm just not up to date or trendy enough to like them. I did love some of the realistic nature type stamps SU! was so good at producing. Miss them.
I'm with CTMH now, as I do find stamps I 'can't live without', but I also buy from other companies.
In my case, life changed over time. I went from being a SAHM to a part time working Mom. I still love stamping, but I found myself drawn to styles different than the stamp company offered over time. I was also seeing images being repeated, I'd been with this company for a very long time. Also, my customer base had changed and I just wasn't growing in the customer area. I was spending too much of my (DH's money) just to meet minimum, offering classes, incentives, etc.
In the beginning, I didn't think I could live without my daily obsession with the company, but as time has gone by, I survived. LOL!!! I don't miss the work side of selling stamps anymore, I love being able to buy and create whatever I want. Working, is just work, but I do like my part time job a lot. Another bonus is that I don't have to give up family time for workshops.
My life just took a different path and it was better to quit being a demo. I still love SU products but I have branched out into lots of other stuff and I think its a good thing!!
I quit being an SU demo (hobby only) about 3 years ago after over-buying with all the promos and not being allowed to sell it until it retired.
Now I get the same discount from my demo and if I buy a set or a color I decide I don't like, I am free to sell it on Ebay at any time. And being a non-demo I don't feel sucked into all the pre-orders and specials.
I also enjoy too many different companies now to try to remain loyal to one.
__________________ Cher No longer stamping...on to bigger things.
I used to be a CM consultant but with them constantly changing their stock it became too difficult to keep my product new and up to date with a small group of loyal clients. I loved their products and still love them for scrapbooking but I also found that I wanted to spend my free time playing with stamps more so thankfully my life is still complete.
I was a SU hobby demo for a few months. The more time I spent on SCS, I was introduced to so many other companies and I was really drawn to so many different types of stamps. I didn't have a customer base but I wasn't interested in that either, it was a hard decision at first but when I stopped, it was really a relief. I didn't feel like I was "cheating" on SCS and I liked I could buy single stamps instead of a set with a lot of companies and with so many offering unmounted or clear, I love the space it saves!
I switched from SU to CTMH and Uppercase Living. I left SU because I was finding it difficult to find enough to buy to keep up my minimums. I was hobby at the end, and with all the changes and 2-cattys a year, etc. there was too much change and not enough to buy. One only needs so much CS! ;) SU, IMHO, has spread itself too thin with the addition of Sizzix and home decor. And I am a scrapbooker, so CTMH fits my needs better.
I am happy with CTMH. I like the clear stamps and how little storage they require. I love how their paper matches the stamps and that I can essentially create my own Simply Scrappin' kits. I also LOVE that as a demo I can purchase accessories, ribbon, and paper in bulk. If SU! had offered that, I may have stayed a while longer.
I also love Uppercase Living, and am finding I can be quite successful with the company. I never saw that success with SU!, and there is little prep or money to put out for workshops.
I was a SU demo for 5 years and went into pending last summer. I live in a rural area and although I had 6 or 7 regular customers, my business just didn't grow. I still love stamping but I am also branching out and doing more mixed media art work. I don't miss being a demo.
Over 10 years ago, I was a demo with SU. I quit because I was going back to college to finish my degree. I am now with TAC, but probably won't be after the first of the year. There is nothing I want out of the current catalog, and unless the new catty is really loaded with new images, I won't miss TAC. I am a hobbyist with 2 friends who order ocassionally. Won't be able to meet the minimums. Besides that, I am really loving ordering from a variety of companies.
__________________ Accountant by Day, Scrapper by Night
I was a SU! demo (hobby) for about 6 years altogether, but found that I wasn't getting enough business to continue and couldn't meet the mins anymore myself, nor could I afford to purchase the catty's etc. to try and get enough business to stay in business. Loved the discount and miss it, but am still very loyal to SU! they have great products and you can't get most of the things I need from anyone else. Plus, I can't afford to try out other companies products LOL!
Hmmm ... you guys are all making me second guess myself now.
I'm planning to sign up to be a demo in July. I've been tempted many times but have always avoided it because I knew I couldn't just be a hobby demo and meet the mins myself. Just recently a pre-established customer base kind of fell in my lap because their current demo is retiring and they would like me to be their demo.
I have been stamping, cardmaking, and scrapping for a long time with products from lots of different companies. I know for demos and workshops and such, you have to use SU products, but I'm not required to be exclusive to them (as far as I understand).
I switched from SU to CTMH and Uppercase Living. I left SU because I was finding it difficult to find enough to buy to keep up my minimums. I was hobby at the end, and with all the changes and 2-cattys a year, etc. there was too much change and not enough to buy. One only needs so much CS! ;) SU, IMHO, has spread itself too thin with the addition of Sizzix and home decor. And I am a scrapbooker, so CTMH fits my needs better.
I am happy with CTMH. I like the clear stamps and how little storage they require. I love how their paper matches the stamps and that I can essentially create my own Simply Scrappin' kits. I also LOVE that as a demo I can purchase accessories, ribbon, and paper in bulk. If SU! had offered that, I may have stayed a while longer.
I also love Uppercase Living, and am finding I can be quite successful with the company. I never saw that success with SU!, and there is little prep or money to put out for workshops.
That is sadly true, even though I am a loyal demo. When I had my first look-through of the upcoming catalog, I said "I foresee the day when SU! no longer sells stamps!" Joking, of course, but the number of pages devoted to die cuts, wall decor and stencils boggles my mind.
Mary Beth
That is sadly true, even though I am a loyal demo. When I had my first look-through of the upcoming catalog, I said "I foresee the day when SU! no longer sells stamps!" Joking, of course, but the number of pages devoted to die cuts, wall decor and stencils boggles my mind.
Mary Beth
I was just thinking this as well. It seems they are moving from their main product line into home decor. Where does that leave me?
Edited: Forgot to ask what is going on with TAC? I have looked at their product but since they still advertise a fall/winter 2008 catalog I was afraid to go further.
Hmmm ... you guys are all making me second guess myself now.
I'm planning to sign up to be a demo in July. I've been tempted many times but have always avoided it because I knew I couldn't just be a hobby demo and meet the mins myself. Just recently a pre-established customer base kind of fell in my lap because their current demo is retiring and they would like me to be their demo.
I have been stamping, cardmaking, and scrapping for a long time with products from lots of different companies. I know for demos and workshops and such, you have to use SU products, but I'm not required to be exclusive to them (as far as I understand).
... hopefully I'm making the right decision.
you asked the question to people who left, of course you are going to hear what would make you second guess yourself. It is like a survey geared to one answer. now go pose a thread to the one's who have stayed demos despite all the changes
You really are not bound to anything (except not selling current stock) when you become a demo. you can run a business the way you want . it is ok to have samples that are su only for workshops and use any stamp you wnat to on your personal cards/projects. I am on my way out because I have spent alot of my money to stay a demo. I could have a little less buying without the 20% discount and be fine.
good luck with your decision.
Perhaps I should have also mentioned that I was a CMC for about 6 years. I loved it for 5 of them and occassionally still twinge for it. Of course, another reason I quit was I found myself spending more of my time (and money) with SU. ;) It also got harder in that my customers were also switching with me.
I was a SU demo for about a year and a half (I think), but just couldn't make my minimums anymore. I didn't have any customers, but I did have one lady that I shared my discount with, who made up half of my minimums. That worked for a while, but then I got tired of spending all of my stamping money on only SU, and not being able to buy anything else. I stared wanting Copic markers and stamps from other companies, so I finally just let it go. I don't regret it, but I sure do miss the sneak peaks and the discount.
I was an Su demo for 2 years I think. I was mainly a hobby demo & after a couple of years I had all of my supplies & everything built up (at a nice discount) so I was buying less. Business waned & I figured I could take myself & my very small customer base back to my friend (my original demo who I signed up under). Other life circumstances changed and I had less time to spend on it.
Anyway, I wanted to add for Scrappin Dad, I don't regret a minute of it! It totally gave me motivation to stamp - make samples design make & takes & you get the monthly stampin success (which I always loved) & a few extra benefits like an occasional stamp set here & there for free. I went to 2 regionals and had a great time there. I really enjoyed being a demo.
I was an SU demo for 4 years. I quit when my son was born because I didn't want to spend the time doing workshops anymore. I had a small customer base which helped fund my hobby, but with working full-time I couldn't justify spending that extra time away from my baby boy. Since then, I've loved feeling free to spend my money elsewhere.
Of everything, I miss the camaraderie of going to convention and other events that my uplines did the most. Also, I really want to see the new catalog and not getting the sneak peeks is annoying. ;)
I was a CM demo for about 4 years but I left CM about 2 years ago. I left their company specifically because the product line changed a lot and my regular customers were loyal to the old product line. In the end I spent all my time trying to find some other consultant who had a specific retired product in stock (CM consultants, unlike sU demos, can keep stock.)
Lately, I have been less into scrapbooking and more into card stamping and I thought about being an SU demo. I decided against it, because I know that the time I spend working the business side of it really will cut into the time that I have to have fun with it (I already have a full time job.) Also, for me, I know that I will overspend if I try to just do it as a hobbyist.
But, I have a demo who loves being a demo, so I know that there are upsides too...
I was a demo with CTMH. I ended up stopping after my Dad passed away. Just didn't want to deal with the stresses and wanted to enjoy the stamping experience. I don't regret my time though. It was a great experience...the time had just run it's course.
I was just thinking this as well. It seems they are moving from their main product line into home decor. Where does that leave me?
Edited: Forgot to ask what is going on with TAC? I have looked at their product but since they still advertise a fall/winter 2008 catalog I was afraid to go further.
Karen I'm not highjacking this thread. I'm just answering a question:
What's going on with TAC.
Well we are going back to 1 catalog per year. The fall/winter Catalog 2008/2009 is retiring today.
The Angel Company has updated our sales requirements (which starts in Jan 2010. We need to sell $200.00 every 3 months.
Our Commission has changed also.
I think things with TAC are changing for the good of the people and company!
Hey Nancy,
You are my buddy. I would never accuse you of hijacking.
I have been offline for the past several hours, so thanks for answering questions in a timely manner
Your fellow Angel,
Karen S
I was an SU demo (early 90's) for 2 years and gave it up mostly because of the failing economy in my area. I live in a rural area that employs mostly steel workers, and some of the mines shut down due to foreign competition and a president that cared more about them than us.
It was also getting to the point where some of my catalogs were being stolen, and people would book parties and then not even be home when it came time to have them. A BAD experience all around.
Why did you stop being a demo?
