Splitcoaststampers.com - the world's #1 papercrafting community
You're currently viewing Splitcoaststampers as a GUEST. We pride ourselves on being great hosts, but guests have limited access to some of our incredible artwork, our lively forums and other super cool features of the site! You can join our incredible papercrafting community at NO COST. So what are you waiting for?
Okay, y'all. I am my demos best customer - mostly because she turned me on to this site. I mean, I would have never ordered the Lovely as a Tree stamp set but when I saw what JanTInk did with it and the reflections, I had to order it- and of course- a whole lot more.
With the orders I place I could easily become a demo and be my own best customer. But I am at a place right now where I have to consider finding part-time employment for the future. I don't have to start making money right away. I have homeschooled my daughter since kindergarten and she is now studying her high school sophomore courses. In just a year and a half she will be off to college classes and I can't imagine myself staying at home. Unless, of course, staying home means stamping and being productive.
So my question is, do any of you that are demos really make money from your SU biz? And if so, how long did it take for you to develop a customer base that allowed you to make money?
I appreciate all of you so much and value your input.
__________________ Darla
Cinderella is proof that shoes can change a girl's life!
The Stone Age didn't end because they ran out of stones.
I've only been a demo since May and so right now I'm not making money to go towards other things. Whatever I'm making goes right back into supplies. I have a long way to build up my supply stock and since I'm a stay at home mom I only have the money I make to put back into. My husband gives me money monthly and usually most of it goes into a SU order.
I can't wait for that day where my customer base is so big that I can start making money off of it. Sometimes my husband asks when he's going to start seeing a profit. I say sheesh give me a chance I've only been at it for 5 months. LOL
I've only been in it a few months, but it seems to me the real money is if you have a downline. Or you have a huge base of customers that always place orders.
__________________ Molly Stampin' Up Demonstrator & <----- SAHM to my buddy Jack!
I don't make a dime on it; but it was never my intention to because I wanted the discount. I only do shows during SAB or when someone asks for one. All my "profits" go back into my hobby. I'm sure there are people who actually make money - but I'm definately not one of them.
I do pretty well and I consider myself a hobby stamper. I have a solid customer base and a downline of 4. Recruiting is the best way to increase your income. My upline is a top seller in my state. She does very well; she also does 3 or 4 workshops a week.
I am a stay at home mom, and I don't make any money that doesn't go right back into more stamps. I have been doing it since March, and LOVE IT. I am able to get together with friends, and have fun making stuff, and can afford to buy stamp supplies, without taking from our tight budget. I don't have a big customer base, just a few friends in a stamp club. Good luck with whatever you choose
I make enough to buy what I need. Since my downline has grown, my override checks have also grown, and it's so fun to get that extra chunk of money every month!!!!
I'm sort of at the same place you are. I have been a demo since Aug. and have found I spend less now. I use my instant income to buy the things I need(want) and don't spend money at the other stores. I think I budget better too. So I might not actually have money in my hand from selling SU, yet, but I definately have less money going out , if that makes sense.
I personally make enough to re-invest in cardstock and supplies. I also cover all groceries and Wal-Mart shopping for my family. On top of that I am in charge of my own cell phone bill/month. My husband told me that he would buy my starter kit and would never buy another stamp. I agreed and to this day, I buy my own!
I am very proud of the business that I have built. I became a demo in May 2002. I was the #2 Rising Star my first year. I have a nice size downline and LOVE what I do. I think that makes all the difference!
I have been a demo for almost 2 years. I started when I was pregnang with my youngest who just turned 1 this month. I think I started during Sell-a-bration. Anyhow, becasue of being pregnant and then being a new mommy I considered myself a hobbyist. I spent all the money I made back into stamps and plus any extra money that I had to blow. In the last few months I've decided that I want to make a business out of it. I had a choice of going out and working a job away from home or take those hours and put them into my stamping. What a hard choice. But I would have to say that you need a pretty decent customer base but unless you want to work your butt off building that, the best bet is to have a downline. That is where the real money comes in.
I'm going on my fifth year and I have just recently started to really build my client base. I was mainly in just for me and did not have many workshops.
I enjoy doing cards and am into doing scrapbooks so up until now I just did it for the discount. I have plenty of supplies, according to my DH, but you never have enough.
I just like being able to not have to put any extra money into my business. I am also still buying :lol:
Basically, you have to meet a minimum of $300 in a quarter to be a demonstrator. When you sign up, you have until your first full quarter to meet your mininum. So if you sign up in December, say, your first quarter minimum would be Jan to March.
If you don't meet your minumum you are put on pending status. That means you have to make up the shortfall on your minimum for the previous quarter plus sell $100 in the first month of the next one. Otherwise you will be dropped. So if you sell $250 from Jan to March, in April you would have to sell $150.
SU! does make exceptions for certain circumstances...if there was an illness or death in the family, etc. Recently they forgave all the Florida demonstrators from meeting their minimums with the hurricane season.
If you do end up getting dropped, you have to buy another kit to start again.
I've been a SU! demo for almost five years now, have a downline of three, have one or two demonstrations a month, and have still not made a profit (cost of supplies, Convention - four times, etc.). Truely, the secret to making a career of this is having a very large downline. All of the big money makers that walk across the stage at Convention have a LOT of people working for them (several levels). I'm glad that I am just a hobby demo (keeps it fun!), since I would really be bummed at this point.
__________________ Linda L. Beckham - Supervisor, Stampin' Up!
Illini! Stamper - Bourbonnais, IL
I just started in May of this year. I hit the breakeven point this month (including the expense of my starter kit and buying LOTS of Christmas stuff) and this will be the first month I've seen an overall profit - enough to make his truck payment this month and pay electric. Hopefully it will be all profitable from here on out!
If you want to make money, I think the key is to only buy what you need to get the business going. You can easily demonstrate just from your starter kit for a while and possibly just have to buy cardstock and mono. If you want to slowly add to your collection but still make a profit, then decide how much of your income you will spend (ex. only spending your incentive check at the end of the month).
I was lucky enough to get my mom and MIL hooked so when I want new stamps to play with, I go to their house! I usually just stamp "coloring book" pages and then bring it back home with me. That way I have lots of images to choose from.
I became a demo because I was in your situation...the amount I spent on a regular basis (and the desire to spend more) made sense to be able to buy at a discount and I figured if I ever fell short a quarter...I could add my own order to put me over the top...I've been selling since Jan. and have never needed to add my own money to make it...in fact I've had several months of selling over $1000 without much effort at all...
I LOVE being able to keep getting stuff on my never ending wish list at a discount and without dipping into my family's budget (which I might add is not tight..my husband makes very good money, but I'm very practical about how I spend it)...to me it is "guilt-free" shopping!!
For what it is worth...I would go for it...if you considered it your job and worked at it a little, you could buy your stuff at a discount and make some money for the family...if it doesn't work you can always find another job
I truly agree that it IS possible, if you have the willpower to not buy everything in sight! And with this site, it's hard... so many cute samples! So I guess it takes making a plan before you sign up of how you want to invest in your business, and then making smart business purchases. I'm with the majority here... I'm a demo because I love it and really mainly reinvest my profits into more goodies for me (YEAH!) My husband is a budding accountant and really wants to look over the financial portion of my business, since he knows I'm HORRIBLE at that. (I have many, MANY burn holes in my pockets!) I'm lucky that he's wonderfully supportive, even going to regional seminars with me and signing up as a supporting demonstrator for my business.
So my advice... plan your work and work your plan! (Otherwise you'll end up broke with TONS of fun stamps to play with!)
I have a question related to this. If you are signing up as a hobby demo and do not reach your sales for a quarter what happens.
I hope this question makes sense. I am really wondering if you are cut off and would have to reinvest again .
Basically, you have one month to make up the difference between your sales and the minimum, plus $100 towards the current quarter. For example, if I sold $200 from July-September, then I'd be $100 short come October 1st. By the last business day in October (which would be today), I'd have to place a $200 order.
If I didn't I'd be inactive. No fines, fees or penalties.
If I decided I wanted to be a demo again, I'd have to buy a new starter kit. Since most of the ink pad colors and stamps can be customized to your liking, it's not a horrible option.
This was one question I had for my demo as well. She said you get put on "probation" (Sorry, can't think of the exact word right now) and have the next quarter to make it up. I'm not sure what happens if you don't make it the next quarter though.
My biggest challenge keeping me from becoming a demo is that we will be moving back to the Northwest in a year or two and I'm afraid of trying to build my clientele up all over again. Make sense?
I'm in Louisiana now and think I could find enough people to make it work just through word of mouth but then it always makes you wonder how many other demos are already in my area? I did a search on SU homepage and it gave me five demos but not in my immediate area.
I have been a demo for 3 years, and just this last year was when I started making a profit on my business, but one thing you have to take into consideration is how much you SAVE on your personal purchases.
I signed up the day I was introduced to stamping because I saw the writing on the wall and knew this was for me and that I would be buying a lot. I don't know exactly how much I have saved, I am sure it is in the hundreds of dollars. Yes, I did buy some actual supplies, like catalogs and order forms and things, but mostly what I call supplies are stamp sets and accessories which I use for myself personally and would have bought at full cost anyway, so I don't really count that as a business expense (don't tell the IRS that!)
We had a severe financial blow last summer, and it came down to either I needed to get a job to help make ends meet or I needed to get serious about this as a business. Since I really can't handle having someone tell me what to do, I chose SU.
I have a nice sized downline and do an average of 2 workshops a week. I pay the car payment, utility payment, and I pay for groceries and any "surprises" that come our way. ( You know: "we need new tires?Yippee!")
My dream is to get this business to a point where I can take most of the pressure off of my husband financially. He owns his own business and is working so hard to provide for us, and I see that it takes a toll on him. If all goes well, in 5 years I will be creating enough income to pay for everything and then he can feel free to take chances and not have to work for pinheads again. It is hard for him to see me be able to work when I want and that I enjoy it so much, I want that for him too!
I just love what I do. Without Stampin Up, we could have lost our car, and I would have to be working in an office somewhere with my baby in daycare. I have made so many friends in this business, and just because I treat it like a business doesn't mean that I don't have fun! In fact, if I am not having fun, my customers won't either, and then my business would go south fast. I don't know many things more fun than getting paid for doing something you love!
__________________
Milette
The dreamers of the day are dangerous people,For they dream their dreams with open eyes,And make them come true.- D.H. Lawrence
I became a Demo in late September. I relocated and missed all my stamping buddies in Atlanta and the parties we had. I booked a party here with a demo and it wasn't that great. I called my demo in Atlanta and she suggested I become one. Anyway, I have had four parties and have four more booked. I feel I have been very fortunate. My first party had 13 people and I sold $1366.00. I was stunned and especially happy as your first party pays 30% instead of the usual 20%. My next three parties averaged $500.00. So to answer your question, yes you can make money. I do have to re-invest some to keep things interesting for the customers and myself. I try to keep at least half in the bank if I need it for extras, and just maybe I'll be able to count it as income real soon. The quarterly quota is so small that even if you just do a few parties you'll get a discount on your goodies and the perks of earning a few dollars. I know my upline makes a lot...she keeps telling me to recruit and I'm trying but I think it takes time. I too believe that's where the money is or oart of it. the other thing is to have workshops at your house....my upline does it twice a month and charges $15.00 for supplies and her guests get to take three projects home. She reaps the benefits of the $15.00 and the hostess benefits for the sales....voila....her stamps and supplies. I really don't think she pays for much of anything. She's so good at all of this. Hope this helped.....
If you really want to make money at it, work hard at recruiting; in the end, that's actually working "smarter". Then you can balance your own personal sales, with your downline override commissions.
My personal goal, no matter how large my downline is (and right now, it's considerably small), is to average $2K monthly sales MYSELF--however, I want to average $500 sales per workshop, so I only have to perform 4 workshops per month. That is also a way of working "smarter" as opposed to harder--another strategy, so to speak.
I was able to do this in the eastern side of the state, however, since moving to the island, this has proven far more challenging than I anticipated. . . SOOOOOO, obviously, I need to focus on growing a bigger and stronger downline!
__________________ Julie Ebersole (JulieHRR once upon a time . . . )julieebersole.com"So shines a good deed in a weary world." -Willy Wonka
I relocated and missed all my stamping buddies in Atlanta and the parties we had. I booked a party here with a demo and it wasn't that great. I called my demo in Atlanta and she suggested I become one. Anyway, I have had four parties and have four more booked.
How did you find your people for these parties since you had relocated? I'm in the same situation except I haven't been to a party down here. I've actually been ordering from a demo in Michigan that I met.
I don't know if this is corny but I was thinking of doing little cello bags and putting wrapped candy bars in them with a topper to hand out for Halloween (not all just a few since it's a big neighborhood). But I was thinking of slapping on a label on the back that says something about "Interested in creating something like this? Call or email me". I thought this might be a good way to see what kind of response I would have for customers. However I'll be out of town all next week and the week of Thanksgiving so I didn't know if that's bad timing. I haven't signed up as a demo yet but thought if I had a lot of interest (or a few people at least) that I would go ahead and do it. What do ya'll think?
I have a different question regarding possibly signing up to be a demo. Do they offer a "special, extra" incentive around January or February for new demo's? I would think that might be a slower time of year and they would offer something extra. Does anyone remember if they did that last year and what it was? THANKS!
They did not offer an incentive last year in January and February. However, the year prior they offered an entire set of 12 inkpads to new recruits. Maybe they'll offer something great again!
- Susan www.inkedblessings.stampinup.net
I think last year it was sale-a-bration sets? Hmmm.... seems there was something. Actually Jan/Feb are great months because of the sale-a-bration. It is the ONLY good thing about having a January birthday for me!! LOL.
I love being a demo and I would make some money, if I didn't spend it all on my addiction! ;)
Yes, you can make money. Yes, you can make plenty if you have a large downline, but keep in mind, in order to make money from your downline you still have to have sales of your own! In order to make money from several levels you should be selling enough to get the percentage from your downline. You don't just sign up a bunch of people (in one of my upline's cases, she has over 800 in her downline) then expect to just sit and make money from them, it doesn't work that way. She still sells between $1000 & $3000 per month.
If any of you want to sign up, your minimum sales requirement is $300 per quarter and that is only 4 workshops a year if you get $300 in sales for each workshop. One of my newest recruits just had her first party and it was $400! She was so thrilled she was giddy! She is so funny!
Anyway, point is, that $300 isn't that much, especially if you have friends that are stampers or friends that are new to stamping and quite addicted.
Your customer base will grow, but it takes some time. Not everyone knows 400 people right away of course, so give yourself time.
I have been a demonstrator for over 4 years and sell approx. $20K a year. I can do more than that, but it gets too hard on my family for me to be scheduling that many parties and classes. I had to set my goals, be sure, but I also had to eventually learn how to set my limits as well.
Above all, HAVE FUN no matter if you are a demo or a good SU! customer. If you choose to be a demo, you get to choose how much you want to make and how much you want to work...ooops, I meant PLAY!
Jill
Basically, you have to meet a minimum of $300 in a quarter to be a demonstrator. When you sign up, you have until your first full quarter to meet your mininum. So if you sign up in December, say, your first quarter minimum would be Jan to March.
Jan, I thought it you had the first full quarter to build your business? I joined in July (31) and didn't have to have sales until this quarter...I had July/Aug/Sept to "build". My first quarter requiring minimums is this current quarter...
__________________ ~Debbi~
Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending. ~Author Unknown
Location: in a whirlwind of activity that never stops!
Posts: 2,482
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
whatever quarter you are in when you sign is your "build" time. the next quarter is your "start making money" time. therefore... I recommend signing up at the very beginning of a quarter. you basically have almost 6 months to sell your first $300 worth of stuff.
and yes, last year was free sellabration sets if you signed in Jan or Feb.
__________________ --Sandi desperately trying to eliminate some of the clutter in my house!
I signed up as at hobbyist and have yet to recoup my money. But I do love the fact I no longer have to use my money to buy more. I use my instant income. And if I want more than that, I just wait.
But I do have one question, how does the IRS factor into the money making part of being an SU demo?
I just wanted to throw another 2 cents in. When I was working my business the least I was able to keep my minimum. I had one event that met at my house once a month. At one time, I only had 3 addicted customers plus myself. I had some people that would come and go. All it really takes to stay active is to have one event a month that is $100. I think when you look at it that way it seems very simple. I always seemed to place a minimum order of $150 each month. And these were events that I hosted myself so I got the $15 credit and the hostess set. I still get to buy new stuff each month without going into my families budget. At the very least I am saving the $25 or more that I would be spending otherwise.
Another great thing is that you don't HAVE to stay active. Sign up, get the stuff you really want and if you don't think it's for you, go inactive.
I have met so many new and wonderful people through SU. It's just great!
I've done several direct selling business' and I have to say that this is the most rewarding and fun that I've ever done. The stuff just sells itself. If I want someone to buy the eyelet tool kit, I just have to use it in one of my workshops. 9 times out of 10 at least one person buys what I demo.
If you are just looking to make enough money to pay for your own stamps ink and paper it is relatively easy to do, but if you really want to earn extra money you've got to put a lot into it. It is really important to grow a downline and to constantly look for new customers. It really comes down to how much time you want to put into it. And remember most people want to do their workshops on the weekends, so consider whether or not that will work with your schedule. I've been a demo for a little under a year and have yet to see a profit. I just end up putting the earnings back into my business.
As far as being a "hobby demo", there is no actual difference in classification between someone who does it as a hobby and someone who does it for a living. Everyone who is a demo must make the same $300 sales in each quarter. If you don't make it, then you have one month to make up the difference plus $100 in sales.
i am assuming you sign a contract when joining to be a demo. is there any place that can be viewed, or do you need to see it in a hard copy from a current demo?
i am assuming you sign a contract when joining to be a demo. is there any place that can be viewed, or do you need to see it in a hard copy from a current demo?
You should contact your demo... I'm sure she'd be thrilled to give you all the info!
hhehehehe are you telling us something?? I hope I can do good when I sign up.... OK when I sign up in January I get Jan/Feb/Mar/Apr/May/June to make my $300 minimum right??
Do demos make money?
