My Stampin' Up! Story

My Stampin’ Up! Story

At the end of 2005, my mom showed me a Stampin’ Up! catalog and I was very excited to see all the fun stuff in it. I had done a little bit of scrapbooking and had various supplies that I had picked up here and there. My mom told me that if I had a party at my house, I could get a catalog for FREE. So…I decided to go for it and booked a party. My oldest son was only a couple of months old, so when sending my invites out, I told some friends and family members that I’d love to see them and have them see my new baby boy. That was the first time I had ever stamped.

As I was figuring out my order and the free stuff I was going to get for hosting, I started asking the demonstrator some questions about being a demo. During the party, I just watched her tell people what to do. She wasn’t really pushing anyone to order or anything like that. I thought I could do something similar. When she told me the minimums, I looked at two orders—mine and my mom’s. I then looked at my mom and said “We could do that between the two of us.” I continued to email the demonstrator with questions after the party. Sell-A-Bration was nearing and she told me about the benefits. I signed up at the end of January, 2006. I knew nothing about stamping and very little about Stampin’ Up!. I set out to learn what I could on my own.

I invited all of my friends and family members to my first workshop as a demonstrator. My first workshop was in my grandfather’s basement due to it having more room for all of us. One of the best stories of my time as a demonstrator was when my grandfather received a call from my stepdad during the workshop. My stepdad was calling to see how things were going and my grandpa realized he hadn’t heard much noise from us. He ended up coming down to check in and found us all coloring quietly. He couldn’t believe that a group of women could be so quiet, but everyone was concentrating on their projects.

After that workshop, I recruited a very excited friend and another friend of mine booked a workshop for a couple of months later. Due to some unexpected events, my new recruit never went on to demonstrate. However, she is still a very good customer today. My second workshop went well and I met my minimums for that next quarter. Shortly after that, my mom decided to sign up as a demonstrator. I was very nervous because I wasn’t sure I could make my minimums without her. I had some customers that would order at times, but nothing on a consistent basis. A couple of months later, three customers were interested in the markers, so I started a marker club with them. During this time, my journey as a stay-at-home mom began. My oldest was 13 months old when my daughter was born. After her birth in October, 2006, I decided I wanted to try to do more with Stampin’ Up! and build it as a business. I went to all of the meetings my fifth level up offered, but had no support from the levels between.

In 2007, I went to convention in Colorado and had an amazing time. I was on complete overload after that week and came home to try to implement all of the things I had learned. Before I went to convention, I was starting to realize I needed more support in an upline. I ended up resigning as a demonstrator in September with the intent of rejoining under another demonstrator that had become a friend. During the six months required for me to be able to sign up under a new upline, I started to realize what I really wanted and needed in an upline. One big thing for me was that I needed was someone local. I needed to be able to stamp and get together with others. I was at home with two babies and pregnant with my youngest, plus babysitting an infant full time. I needed to be with other adults. I knew of this amazing lady that was also a demonstrator, so I contacted her about it. We had known each other for years, but never really discussed Stampin’ Up!. I went to observe her at one of her monthly events and loved it. I knew she was a good match for me, so the day my six months was up, I rejoined the Stampin’ Up! family under her.

Although I continue to work to grow my business, things have become much more consistent. I currently have a club and teach various monthly classes. I would love to do more, but my three little ones are (and will always be) my first priority. In addition to my business, I babysit two kids and officiate swimming. I pray that at some point it will be my Stampin' Up! business that will allow me to stay home with my precious children.

What's your story? Does Stampin' Up! sound like a good fit for you? If so, I would love to sit down and talk with you more about the wonderful opportunities available. Please contact me for more information.

Have a wonderful day. Go create something beautiful.
Alicia