Looking to run your own business?
No matter what time of year, it seems there are bills, more school holidays looming, expenses coming up and everyone is looking for ways to make extra cash.
What if I told you that there is a way to use your love of creating and papercraft to make a financial contribution to your household even if only in a small way? Of course, you’d be interested!
Let me explain…
You saw that you can become an Australian Independent Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator for just $169 and receive $235 worth of Stampin’ Up! products in your starter kit and $80 worth of business tools. Or perhaps you’ve seen Stampin’ Up! is running a recruiting promotion. Wherever you saw it, it looks like a pretty good deal?
Being a SU demonstrator is easy right?
Hmmm… Let’s start with the first thing. Yes, it is a really really good deal! But you need to be aware that if you intend to run your Stampin’ Up! business successfully, there MAY be some additional business expenses that you need to plan for such as website hosting, business cards, public liability insurance and a few other bits and pieces. I’m happy to say that for well under an initial $450 investment (including your $169 starter kit), you will have everything you need to get your amazing creative business started. BUT you don’t need those straight away, start with your starter kit and work your way up to the other things if you want to.
As for easy…
Well, that depends on how you run your business. If you want to sit back, do nothing and watch the dollars roll in you will be disappointed. However, if you are willing to lay a good business foundation with a little effort and planning, there is potential to earn some income via commissions and other avenues! The opportunity is there just waiting for you to harness it!
One of the perks of being an independent demonstrator is that you set your work hours, goals and the type of business you want to run. Because you are an independent demonstrator you can also utilise other opportunities to make money too.
Making money from your Stamping Business
There are six ways main ways to make money from your stamping business.
- Sale of Products
- Downline Commissions
- Information Products
- Retired items sales
- Finished Product sales
- Events
As your business grows, you may also find other opportunities such as affiliate sales, sub-contracting, authoring and commissioned work. Because it’s your flexible business, you can focus on just one or two ways or have a go at all of them. The choice is yours.
What will I earn as a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator?
Stampin’ Up! offers an opportunity for demonstrators to supplement or generate income. When you join you will receive a Compensation Plan booklet that explains how you will be recognised and rewarded by Stampin’ Up! for your efforts through discounts on everything you purchase, commissions on all of your orders, incentive trips and much more. (Note: less than 1% of demonstrators globally earn incentive trips each year.)
As a direct sales company, Stampin’ Up!’s business model is built on three pillars – personal selling, team building and team-leading. These three practices are at the core of the Compensation Plan. When you read through this booklet, you’ll see how each practice is celebrated and rewarded.
In addition to these demonstrator benefits, you have the opportunity to earn income through classes and events (Face to face and online) and hosting clubs.
How much time will my Stamping Business take up each week?
That is really up to you… you can work your business around your and your family’s schedule. There are some demonstrators who average between 18 to 30 hours a week or treat it like a “real job” by planning their work activities and they make a valuable financial contribution to their household and earn enough to achieve incentive trips! Earning a significant income from a stamping business is not a typical experience, but it is NOT impossible. (Again, I have to point out that less than 1% of demonstrators earn incentive trips and only a small percentage of demonstrators advance past the Silver Title to leadership roles.)
Basically, you need to work out how much time you have and schedule your tasks effectively. As your upline (team leader), I’d be happy to help you get started.
Face-to-Face Vs an online business
Face to Face or “live” business usually centers around parties, events and classes for a fee. Generally, one good party per quarter will ensure you keep your demonstratorship. If you want to make more money, you can choose to run more parties or classes.
You can choose not to have any classes, parties or face-to-face events and take your entire business online business (not e-bay!). You will need some basic IT skills such as being able to use cut & paste text, Facebook or other social media. All you need is your smartphone or digital camera and laptop/computer to get started.
Usually, online businesses rely heavily on blogs that are normally written and scheduled in advance – some demonstrators sell online tutorials and classes and run clubs too.
If your entire business is online investing in a business domain (website) name and a reputable hosting company is strongly recommended. (There is a cost associated with this.) You may choose to pay to a company set up your website for you so that you can just get stuck into blogging. Prices for this vary so you will need to research and have a vision of what you want before you approach any IT company.
Remember you don’t need to choose one or the other, you might decide to do a combination of both. You can change your focus when you need to because it is your flexible stamping business.
What about the creating?
Okay, so you’ve noticed that, so far I’ve talked very little about making stuff or creating. Running a successful and profitable Stampin’ Up! business is so much more than making a few projects and hoping someone buys stuff from you. As a business owner, you will do some “purposeful” creating to showcase products and your style. You get to share what you love! Of course, you can still create for fun outside of your “work hours” too.
What should you expect from your upline?
The person under whom you join Stampin’ Up! is known as your upline. Every upline is different offering different support and perspectives. I encourage you to find an upline with whom you can relate and have fun with. It’s important to remember your upline is NOT your boss (You’re your own boss.).
As your upline, I’m here to offer you encouragement, direct you where to find resources and answer questions. I will provide you with checkpoints to help you along the way. I’m a huge fan of doing the right thing so I will always encourage you to understand and follow Stampin’ Up! policies and develop your stamping business based on a strong ethical business model.
I can assist you to get started by helping you:
- Set your business goals
- Make a plan
- Help you design a schedule to stay on track.
- Offer encouragement and suggestions (when you ask – no unsolicited advice here).
As part of my team, you will receive invitations to team training days and regular updates. My team, The FlamInks has a private FaceBook group to share ideas, celebrate successes, ask questions, and gain inspiration. We can set up regular chats to discuss issues. I want you to succeed. But, it all comes down to how you want to run your business.
How does Stampin’ Up! support demonstrators?
Stampin’ Up! has so many amazing resources – you will receive weekly emails and updates, have access to an online Stampin’ University on other online resources packed with information that will help you build your business, a project cost calculator, a YouTube Channel, yearly Onstage events across the globe, a wonderful demonstrator support team who you can email or phone, a generous incentive scheme and of course, you have access to me.
Do I have to recruit other demonstrators?
No! Of course, you don’t have to recruit. Remember this is YOUR business and you can choose how YOU run it. However, if you do decide to recruit, you will be rewarded with increased commissions and perks (depending on your title).
I just want a discount and don’t want to do the other demonstrator stuff, am I still welcome in your team?
I’d love you to be part of my team! Most of my team are demonstrators just to receive their product discounts. There is no pressure for them to recruit, host parties or hold events. They just need to ensure that each quarter they meet their minimum quarterly spend (around $470) to maintain their demonstrator status. Whatever demonstrator you choose to be, you are welcome in my team.
To be honest, I joined as a hobbyist and loved it so much that I decided to run classes then it evolved further and I recently began to build my online business. Every demonstrator is different and their Stampin’ Up! journey evolves to suit them. Your stamping adventure can be whatever YOU want it to be!
What now?
If you’ve read all this and think, “wow this is something I’d love to be part of… Join me up now ” – here’s what you do first:
- Pick the $235 worth of products that you want in your Starter Kit (Here are some suggestions if you aren’t sure what to choose.)
- Click here and hit the “Join Now” button – make sure my name is in the upper right corner.
- Read and agree to the Independent Demonstrator Agreement
- Complete your order AND
- Check your inbox!
That was too easy!
If you still aren’t quite sure contact me, we’ll arrange a mutually convenient time to chat, and I’ll answer all your questions so you can confidently decide if this is right for you.
I can’t wait to see where your Stampin’ Up! journey takes you!
