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Ellie, I was a hobby demo for about a year or so, but I quit because I had some major disagreements with some of SU's policies, plus I couldn't really see spending $1200 a year on stamping supplies toward the end when things were starting to get tight financially for us.
Now that we are in a much better financial position (two years later), I'm considering joining again, but I still have reservations about it. First off, they still have the same policies I disagree with and secondly, I have no one I would want to sign up under. I don't think hobby demos should be required to have an upline and should just be able to sign up, but that is just me!
I also think hobby demos should have totally different minimums than business demos do. But, seeing as that will never happen, I guess I'll just stick with where I am!
Child number three really put me over the edge as far as what I could manage in a week. I plan on re-upping at some point when my youngest is a little less of a momma's boy. It took a lot of time for me to come up with ideas (didn't CASE off of splitcoast.) I suppose if I was wlling to take seomone else's ideas and copy them for workshops it would have been a lot easier for me, but that's not how I like to do things. I enjoyed the little bit of extra money I was bringing in, but the majority of it went right back into my habit, I mean hobby.
In closing, I think SU is the best direct sales company a creative person could choose to rep for. I think they are fair in their policies, compensation and requirements. Their minimum quota is very reasonable.
Sara, just curious, if you don't mind sharing - what policies did you not agree with? Hope I'm not hyjacking the thread or opening up a can of worms here.
Ellie, I was a hobby demo for about a year or so, but I quit because I had some major disagreements with some of SU's policies, plus I couldn't really see spending $1200 a year on stamping supplies toward the end when things were starting to get tight financially for us.
Now that we are in a much better financial position (two years later), I'm considering joining again, but I still have reservations about it. First off, they still have the same policies I disagree with and secondly, I have no one I would want to sign up under. I don't think hobby demos should be required to have an upline and should just be able to sign up, but that is just me!
I also think hobby demos should have totally different minimums than business demos do. But, seeing as that will never happen, I guess I'll just stick with where I am!
I've considered being a demo, but haven't taken the plunge. I'm too busy during the school year and my weekends become sacred. I've also considered becoming a hobby demo but the minimums are a little steep for me. However, I don't think SU should lower them. That would make it too desirable to become a hobby demo and demos who want to do it as a profitable business would lose customers.
I was a "hobby demo" -- with hopes of making it more -- for a while. Unfortunately, I went back to work full time and found that I didn't have enough time to build my customer base and couldn't meet minimums. I don't have any disagreement with SU! -- I read and signed a contract. I still don't think it's in any way unreasonable and would do it again if I had time.
Hi!
I stopped being a demo in July of 2005. Best decision for me and my family. I'd been a demo since 1994. I had a lot of fun being a demo, I've acquired way more stamps and supplies than I can use up in the next few years. In the beginning I went slowly, then I ramped up and did a lot of workshops and sales. When scrapbooking took off I went back to hobby demo. Finally I was my only customer and just let it go.
Over all this time the tone of stamping has changed, styles and reasons to stamp have also changed. I personally am not fond of most of SU's current styles, but that doesn't mean they aren't good designs, the designs just don't appeal to me. I'm not a fan of dark or antique looking designs, nor does collage appeal to me. But there are nice pieces of work, just not my style. So it came time for me to let SU go and just use what I have in the style that I prefer.
I don't regret being a demo at all. It was a great experience and excellent products. For me it was finally freedom to stamp what I wanted with whatever products I wanted to use and not worry about "selling". Since I keep everything current or retired it was getting harder to keep stuff separated.
I also unmounted all my stamps, even my SU stamps. This was another hard decision. A lot of the stamps I own from SU are retired and will sometimes sell for a lot of money, but then I couldn't make myself sell them. So unmounting allowed me more space and easier access to all my stamp images.
There are no right or wrong reasons for becoming a SU or other stamp company demo. Just know your reasons for being a demo, be sure financially you can self support for a while, get a good base of customers as soon as possible. Two other important points is to make sure this works with your family (family chaos over schedules and classes and such make being a demo very difficult) and to have fun while being a demo.
I was a demo for almost 4 years, and have just recently quit. When I started I only owned one stamp set. It was a great way for me to build up my own supplies. I didn't go into it to make money, but to fund my own hobby. I sold enough that I got WAY more supplies than I ever could have afforded otherwise. I quit because I felt like I wanted a break from making minimums. I would probably consider signing up again down the road. It was a good experience for me.
Ellie, what's holding you back from signing up as a demo? The starter kit is a great deal all on it's own. Then your first order will be at 30 percent off. You can get all your stuff at a discount and if you decide it doesn't work for you you can just stop. You will have received all kinds of stamping goodies at a good price.
JMHO
Kathleen
__________________ I LOVE being a SU demonstrator! my gallery my blog
I have been going to a stamp club for quite a while and I really enjoy it. And now I am debating on whether to take the plunge to become a demo. I have some family members and friends who want me to start a stamp club at my house, but I have been putting it off. But now that I read all of your posts, I think I am gonna get my paper work filled out tonight and get it sent in. It seems to be a great company to sign on with. I didn't know the first order was 30 percent off---Good to know!!!
I've been stamping for 7-8 years and finally decided to try being a demo. I had the support of my hubby, but he opened by eyes to a lot. My first WS was a big success, and I thought, oooh, are they all like this? My next few workshops were 1 hour (one way) for me and one of those amounted to an $11.95 set sold. Anyhow, DH asked me to keep a tally, for just one week, of my time: ie: time spent on PC on SU site getting advice, looking for ideas; prepping for WS (cutting CS, etc), shopping at stores, going to PO, driving to/fro, setting up a WS, etc. Well, all my time and what I earned didn't come even close (a huge eye opener). Sooo, my WSs decreased, and to admit, I didn't go looking for them either. I wanted to stamp for me. I loved teaching classes, had two stamp classes, and teaching is so much more fun for me than selling. I guess my love of teaching has evolved...I quit being a demo, I work FT and am going to school nights to get my...yep...teaching degree. I look forward to the day I can be creative in my classroom! My DH is my biggest supporter in me going back to school (much more than being a demo), but he wanted me to try it and find my own way.
I'm a current demo, but cher made some great points. All those points are exactly why I'm considering dropping after I get all the current stamps that have been on my wish list but haven't gotten yet. The SU website doesn't have much that I can't get elsewhere (like patterns). The demo magazines are okay, but not the "knock your socks off" good that I thought they'd be. I like being able to order whenever I want and not having to wait on anybody else, like the freebies I sometimes get, and most of all, I love the access to SCS's demo only forums and gallery. I'm trying to make it a business, but unless you have a definite guaranteed set of customers or can afford to make the minimum all by yourself, it's tough - unless you get very luck and hook onto someone who's incredibly addicted and buys tons all the time from just you. You have to have the patience to deal with customers who don't RSVP, somehow think because you're trying to make it a business that they can abuse your supplies and it's somehow okey because it's a "business" instead of their friend's precious stamping supplies. You have to constantly deal with people who are looking for the best deal and to get all the freebies they can. If you've been a stamper for awhile, you may already have a lot of the misc. supplies that come with the kit that you have to buy. You don't get credit for that on your quarterly minimum.
This is long, but I find that I enjoy stamping less now. I did my research before signing up, but SU's changing their compensation plan, so what I signed up for and what would work for me now won't. They've made it harder for me - and harder in my life is something I don't particularly need right now. I really appreciate now all the work my demo's put in before I signed up.
I don't think hobby demos should be required to have an upline and should just be able to sign up, but that is just me!
You don't need to ever interact with your upline if you don't want to, so I don't see what the big deal is there. There are lots of uplines out there who don't communicate or do anything for their recruits (demos complain about their uplines in this manner a lot), so just sign up under one of them.
__________________ Sharon Rogers
My Blog: www.stampwithsharonrogers.com Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?
I signed up as a demo when my demo moved from my area. I didn't know a bunch of other SU demos at the time and I loved the instant access to ordering, the discounts, the early arrivals of the mini catalogs, the monthly magazine full of ideas and techniques . . . . I did a small handful of workshops, only when people asked. I never searched them out. I would get a few outside orders from coworkers to help meet minimums, and darn some months I had to do it all on my own. I found stamping to be a great distraction while my husband was deployed. I built up quite a supply of stamps and such, and now that I feel pretty well supplied I am going to be dropping. We just moved, I don't have the occasional helpful outside orders, and I really don't need enough stuff to keep up the minimums on my own. It was a great time being a demo, and perhaps in a few years I'll sign up again. You can sign up, stay as long as you want and then take a break and sign up again. The starter kit is a great deal, and very versatile, so keep that in mind! Good luck with your decision.
__________________ Kristina Wife, Mommy, Stamper, Nurse Laura 6yo Jack 5yo, James 4/20/08 Megan arrived 3/16/09
You don't need to ever interact with your upline if you don't want to, so I don't see what the big deal is there. There are lots of uplines out there who don't communicate or do anything for their recruits (demos complain about their uplines in this manner a lot), so just sign up under one of them.
Sharon, I know I wouldn't have to interact with my upline...my old one I never did, because she was always too "busy" to help me. But, why would I want someone I don't like/enjoy to make money off me? THAT is why I don't think I would ever sign up again...I don't care to give my money to someone I don't care for and don't interact with them...what did they do to earn the money? Nothing, and for now, that's how I feel about it.
Plus, you are not giving your money to them. SU is. And, as ch pointed out, uplines make next to nothing based on sales of hobby demos. Nothing, in fact, unless the upline herself is meeting a sales requirement (which will be increasing in July).
I understand what you are saying though, and you are certainly entitled to feel as you do.
__________________ Sharon Rogers
My Blog: www.stampwithsharonrogers.com Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?
Question for Ex-demos
