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I signed up as a demo in Nov because the Starter kit was such a great deal. My grand plan was to buy most of what I needed in a single $150 order and get my 30% off, and maybe place another $100 order during Sellabration and then let them drop me after my 6 month grace period.
After I reviewed the credit card bill for Nov/Dec and I realized that I was spending about $100 a month at Joann's, Mike's, and AC Moore anyways, I'm starting to think that I should stop and just spend on Stampin Up.
My problem is, I'm not sure there's enough SU stuff that I want to make my minimums and my day job is lucrative but time consuming so I don't want to sell to others to help make minimums.
Do other hobby demos find that replenishing supplies and the catalog minis provide you with enough things to order?
I became a hobby demo in June, and I have no problem whatsoever meeting my minimum, just between orders for myself and my sister. I could easily meet the minimum on my own, but I haven't had to yet! There are always so many things I want from the mini catalogs, that I haven't even ordered much out of the big catty yet! Sheesh, it is definitely an addiction. LOL!
__________________ Deb ~ "Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God"
- Corrie Ten Boom
I do find most quarters it is enough---many times I do put in orders for others, a workshop or camp here or there, but nothing too formal. Most of the time it is for myself or stuff I make for craft shows or for gifts. It takes time to train yourself to order enough, so that you don't have to run to Mikes or AC, especially adhesive, but I have been a mostly hobby demo for a year and a half and I am so happy.
If you are spending $100/month at Michael's anyway, sustaining as a hbbyist should not be difficult. Plus, you can always create stationery sets for friends and family members as gifts if you have surplus paper (if they like them they might wish to learn how you created them), decorate gift bags for friends or goodie bags for kiddie parties or use those cello bags for Halloween treats... very non-aggressive methods of making others happy with a personalized gift with the added potential bonus of potentially finding new friends to stamp with! Just some ideas...
I did sign up as a hobby demo and when I had "enough stuff" I dropped my demoship. I found as I kept stamping more and more that I wanted stuff that wasn't SU all the time. Just stay a demo as long as you want to, if you stop you can always sign up again at a later time.
__________________ Kristina Wife, Mommy, Stamper, Nurse Laura 6yo Jack 5yo, James 4/20/08 Megan arrived 3/16/09
I did sign up as a hobby demo and when I had "enough stuff" I dropped my demoship. I found as I kept stamping more and more that I wanted stuff that wasn't SU all the time. Just stay a demo as long as you want to, if you stop you can always sign up again at a later time.
That's exactly what I was thinking when I signed up in Nov. I have the same "plan" as the OP. If I keep going after SAB, then cool, if not, my demo has her customer back! :mrgreen:
Part of the reason I signed with SU! was to help limit my 'shopping mistakes'. I found I was purchasing a lot of things from many different stores, only to find they didn't work well together. The inks didn't match the cardstocks. The accessories I purchased one day weren't there when I needed just one more to finish a project. I could never find all the products to finish the cute card I saw in a magazine. So, while I purchased a truckload of great stuff, lots of product sat unused. When I started buying from SU! the whole creative process became so much less frustrating! Simple is good. Too many choices made me feel overwhelmed. Now, I'm a happy stamper!
Does anyone else do this? I'm thinking that since I want to try to make my $300 (actually $240) minimum for this quarter that I should just put a single $300 order in during SAB and maximize my benefits. Is that too weird? Will I just be sitting around for the remainder of the quarter with heartburn over stuff I forgot to order that will have to wait until 1 April?
Keep it up as long as you want. You can drop at any time and even resign up if you want to later. I am a hobby demo with occasional events and I find more then enough to buy to keep me current and find I spend less then if I were to go to a LSS. Although I did jsut order the BS, but SU! doesn't carry it and I think I will use more of the templates with it then with the light box collecting dust ;) I find that I am buying less stamps and more cardstock and accessories now that I have a "library" of stamps, just a couple every so often to have some current stuff for the occasional events.
Does anyone else do this? I'm thinking that since I want to try to make my $300 (actually $240) minimum for this quarter that I should just put a single $300 order in during SAB and maximize my benefits. Is that too weird? Will I just be sitting around for the remainder of the quarter with heartburn over stuff I forgot to order that will have to wait until 1 April?
I probably won't just because of the Spring Mini preorders
[QUOTE=V.H.]Does anyone else do this? I'm thinking that since I want to try to make my $300 (actually $240) minimum for this quarter that I should just put a single $300 order in during SAB and maximize my benefits. Is that too weird? Will I just be sitting around for the remainder of the quarter with heartburn over stuff I forgot to order that will have to wait until 1 April?[/
QUOTE]
If you signed up in November, when is the first quarter that you need to meet the minimum? Does SU also give you a little slack as a newbie or on-going hobbyist to make up any short-comings from one quarter to the next?
Say, you do order your minimum to maximize your SAB things and order $300 worth of goods and come March, or February ? as a demo, get to order from the spring mini, does your total for Jan-March get averaged into whatever your total will be for April to June? If so (you should find out how that average is computed; e.g. the average of one quarter plus the average of the next OR the average of 6 months), I'd maximize the SAB items and put one big order in now.
Lynn
(not a demo, never have been; subscribing :mrgreen: )
Part of the reason I signed with SU! was to help limit my 'shopping mistakes'. I found I was purchasing a lot of things from many different stores, only to find they didn't work well together. The inks didn't match the cardstocks. The accessories I purchased one day weren't there when I needed just one more to finish a project. I could never find all the products to finish the cute card I saw in a magazine. So, while I purchased a truckload of great stuff, lots of product sat unused. When I started buying from SU! the whole creative process became so much less frustrating! Simple is good. Too many choices made me feel overwhelmed. Now, I'm a happy stamper!
This is so me Linda! I signed up last Sept also have realizing I spent plenty at other places. I have a few friends that order from me as well. I feel like I'll run out of stuff to buy but it hasn't happened in 8 years of using SU almost exclusively. Expect for that darn cute Cuttlebug I just got! I have very few stamp sets compared to most but lots of accessories.
I also found that by limiting myself to "mostly" SU, my stamping improved. However, I think it really depends on the stamper. I was a demo for a year and a half and stayed out of Michaels, etc. I think I saved money in the long run! Stock up on cardstock, inks, etc. while you are still a demo. If you are lucky you can also find a few customers to help you meet your minimums. If it gets to be too much, the beauty is that you can quit like I did and then sign up again if you want.
When my personal life allows me to, I will definitely sign up again. I'm an SU junkie.
__________________ Dear Paperlicious is my blog...with a series on how I'm learning to improve my cardmaking by studying others.
Does anyone else do this? I'm thinking that since I want to try to make my $300 (actually $240) minimum for this quarter that I should just put a single $300 order in during SAB and maximize my benefits. Is that too weird? Will I just be sitting around for the remainder of the quarter with heartburn over stuff I forgot to order that will have to wait until 1 April?
I don't think that is weird at all - I often create an ongoing "purchase during sell-a-bration" list that I update regularly so that I can take full advantage of the free sets.
Another thing you can do if you wish - a lot of hobby demos who appreciate help meeting the quarterly minimums pass their discount on to their customer friends - that helps take the pressure off of the demo to purchase the full $300 during times when money is a little tighter. Just something else you can consider. Also, if your sales are high enough - this might help you get bumped into great rewards territory.
I honestly take each quarter at a time. Kinda sounds like its a AA meeting or something. I have been in it for 2 years this month actually and keep thinking oh well if i don't meet my quarterly then i will just let them drop me. But then the Mini's come out and Preorders etc or great deals and i buy enough to stay in another quarter. I already got an order planned for Sellabration which you obviously can't pass up all them free sets. If it gets to be too much then i will drop it but so far its been managable.
Have you done a Stamp Camp for the ladies you work with? Maybe you could get one or two of them hooked and they could help you meet your minimums. I started by selling them my cards for $2.00 each. Now several are begging me to teach them. I am planning the cards for them to make right now!
Sustaining as a hobby demo
