Pros & Cons of being a demo

[stampinchic]

I live in an area where demos are few and far between. I have to drive an hour to go to stamp camp. I adore my demo and stampin but 2 hours round trip to make a few projects is getting to be a bit much. However I really hate stamping by myself.

I have started to consider becoming a demo myself. I would love to hear from any demos that are willing to share the good, bad, & ugly.

[dbeltt]

I signed up in January and haven't done any workshops. I have a monthly stamp day in my home. It's not that I couldn't have workshops and make money, but I signed up mostly for the discount so I enjoy buying product for myself and use the stamp day to help with minimums.

I think it would be a great opportunity for you to demo in an area that isn't staturated with demos. I think you'd make money and have tons of fun. I'd say go for it!

[nary jane]

in terms of profit--i'm not quitting my day job any time soon but, i only have a few months under my belt so who knows what will happen. i don't make much profit, i put a lot of my earnings right back into it (but then again, i'm not pushing for profit--this is just fun stuff for me and any profit is a bonus).

the good--20% off my purchases, i get all the packages from mr. brown, ability to preorder, access to demo areas on various sites, i get all the packages from mr. brown, ability to earn lots of free stuff through various promotions, stamping success and onstage mag (su demo publications), instant income and volume rebate, i get all the packages from mr. brown, an outlet to teach others something i really enjoy doing, i fit it in around my schedule (unlike my day job!) and did i mention i get ALL the packages from mr. brown!!! (that part is just sooo exciting!)

the bad--it can be time consuming--especially when you first start out. it can be discouraging when things don't go the way you hope (trouble meeting minimums, low sales, few bookings, whatever).

the ugly--it can get very tempting to overspend. so easy to justify it with that 20% off plus whatever promotions might be going on at the time. hard not to just go nuts sometimes (particuarly now with the new colors, new mini and a new catty coming out).

all in all, i say go for it! the starter kit is a great investment even if you never explore the demo side of su--there's $265 worth of product (not including any business supplies) and you pay ONLY $199 plus tax--so you save 10% on s & h too! unless it would break your budget to buy the starter kit, it's worth it no matter what you plan to do with it.

[kristransue]

I am just a hobby demo and learned to love stamping by myself. I usually can find a neighbor or someone to stamp with though, and I don't regret signing up, I did mostly because my demo moved to the other side of the country!

[Jenmouer]

I am planning on signing up in July to become a demo - I don't plan on making any real profit - as if I do I will just use it to buy more stuff for ME...I would love to get to a point where I don't really pay for anything I "buy" for myself...

One thing you might want to look into is the tax implications - especially the first year as there is a lot of "expenses" (partial internet charges, milage for delivering goodies, material for workshops, business supplies, organization tools) you can deduct and chances are the first year or so you will probably show a net "loss" vs what your actual "profit" is. I.E. you might have a profit of $300 for the year but when you add up all the deductions you are legally allowed to take they may end up more then your profit....and offset your tax basis.

[stampinbj]

If you feel this way there are probably others who feel this way too. SU makes it so easy for you to run your business. There just isn't a downside to it.

The greatest piece of advice I have for you, interview and choose your upline carefully. Find an upline who will be supportive of you in a way that you want. Make sure she shares your same vision and values. I personnaly think this is a bigger decision than to sign up or not. If you feel like you would want a clearer understanding of why I say this, feel free to pm me.

[jen9853]

I signed up as a hobby demo, mostly for the discount and to have easy/fast access to the product. My family all stamps/scraps, and they are pretty much my only customers. I am definatley my best customer! LOL... I signed up in January, have had only 3 workshops and have 1 more booked for the end of the month. But, like I said, I do it just for fun. My up-up-upline routinley sells $5000 a month in product, of which her instant income is 20% ($1000), plus her volume rebate, and her downline overrides.... but she works very hard at it. For most of us in her downline, $1500 or more in sales a month is really rare.

I LOVE being a demo, just because I love the products, love the hobby, and love to teach people new things. It's fun!

HTH!

[Kelann13]

I invest very little time into my business. That said...I won't be quitting my day job anytime soon...but I don't pay for my stamping addiction with my day job. Stamp Camps, occassional workshops and re-orders allow me to spend a minimum of $300 (upto $1000) a month on stamping supplies.

And after a year...I am really stocked up...and now can do other stuff with the money...I'd say go for it...

Good Luck!

[Patra]

I would say there is NO down-side to being a hobby demo. Basicly I figure I'm saving myself a little more than the cost of shipping and sales tax. Plus you get access to SU! website, monthly newsletters (magazines, really), another quarterly newsletter with great samples and, if you REALLY love being with other stampers, there are regionals and the annual SU! Convention! I've been to one regional and to Convention about every other year since I became a demo. I don't ever plan to be anything more than a hobby demo, but who knows? One of these days I may decide to have my own business and I'll be all set up to start.

[stampysister]

Upside-- discounts. I find that I spend every penny I make, which has never been that much, but certainly enough to have A LOT of stamps. Meeting people. Having an excuse to get together with other ladies and stamp for an entire afternoon every month.

Downside-- sometimes people think that because you are in business, they have the right to walk all over you. Feeling like you can't or shouldn't spend money with other companies because of minimums or because you should be buying things you can demonstrate. It takes time, lots of time, to do well. If you want to get rich, this is not the way.

Honestly, if you want to be anything more than a hobby demo who spends all her profits on stamps, it will turn into a full time job. I was sitting in a meeting for demos last year and the speaker said that you will know that your business is going well if you don't have time to do stamping for yourself. I thought, well that's dumb. The whole reason I got into this was so that I could get more stamps for me and enjoy stamping fun. For some people, these things don't come into conflict.

For me, they are in serious conflict. Plus my husband was complaining that my hobby was turning into a part-time job. He preferred me to actually spend money out of our budget and do less workshops and work on the business. I put together a stampers club and that has helped with the minimums, but if it falls apart, I'll probably let the demonstratorship lapse.

Bottom line, it's a job. Addmittedly, a fun job that get's me discounts on fun stuff and I get to have fun parties with friends doing one of my favorite things, but it is a job nonetheless. I do have to say the starter kit is a really good deal so it isn't a waste to sign up even if you don't continue with them long term.

Good Luck in your decision.