Lesson's Learned Being a Stampin' UP! Demonstrator

Lesson’s I’ve Learned (So Far) From Running my Own Stampin’ UP! Business When I was first introduced to Stampin’ UP! I was so overwhelmed! My very first Stampin’ UP! Event was a card class at my now uplines home. I had been invited by a coworker to attend with her and since I had nothing else to do, I decided to go. Now, mind you, I am 100% introvert and I do not like social events as all – I do them – but I’m glad to go home afterwards! I of course didn’t know what to expect so that caused some anxiety, but my coworker/friend was there and made introductions and on went the evening. After learning a bit about Stampin’ UP!, I got to play with paper, stamps and ink and I was hooked! But, when it came time to place an order, I had no idea where to even start! I had absolutely nothing at home. No paper, no stamps, no ink, nothing! Our catalogs are chock full of everything one can possibly need to create amazing paper crafted cards, 3D projects, treat packaging and so much more, so when you are brand new to it all, it’s tough to know where to begin. That’s part of a demonstrator’s job – to help knew stampers identify where to start. When I became a demonstrator – to build a business – I knew that was something I needed to have a plan for – a plan to help knew stampers with their first couple of orders! I’m a Stampin’ UP! Demonstrator, Now What? It took me a year to become a Stampin’ UP! demonstrator but I knew almost immediately that “someday” I would. I’ve now been a demonstrator for nearly 5 years! You see, I saw this business opportunity as a retirement business. I am not too far from retirement age, but I am not a “sit on my tush” kind of person so I was going to need something to do with my time! I mean, what better job can there be than to have a room full of like-minded crafty and creative people together making cards to share with family, friends and others? Sounds like an amazing time to me and I can’t wait to be able to do this full time! Yep, even this totally introverted soul desires to teach this art full time to others! But, for now, I am trying to grow my Stampin’ UP! business into a life-sustaining business all while I work a full-time plus job that I must drive an hour to get to each day! And that, my stamping friends, is not so easy! But I am the turtle – slow and steady wins the race and I am not willing to give up! This is probably the biggest lesson so far! To not compare my business to other demonstrators but to be inspired by them! To listen to their stories and listen to their advice and to keep working! Learn before Teaching! You might say to yourself that you are not at all creative and couldn’t do this as a business because of that thought! Well, I’m here to tell you that I thought the same thing and still do on occasion! Have you ever heard the phrase “the blank page syndrome”? That is usually attributed to writers, but it effects all types of artists at some point in their lives. It simply means that when we have a blank page before us, we can often time freeze up and not know what to do! Well, that was a regular occurrence for me early on! I would stare at the paper and flip through my stamp sets and be totally overwhelmed with what do!! I mean, who would want to receive a handmade card from me?? But, with YouTube and Pinterest, I’ve been able to teach myself the art of making cards and I’ve grown my confidence over time such that I now feel comfortable teaching others! Because I LOVE the art of paper crafting so much, I spent the time to learn my craft and continue to learn knew techniques, fun folds and different styles in order that I can teach others – which I have grown to love as much as I love paper crafting! Conclusion So, the lesson’s learned so far in the 5 years I’ve been a Stampin’ UP! demonstrator is to first have an easy plan for new stampers, so they don’t feel so overwhelmed by it all. Next is to is to have a plan for growing the business and to not try to be like everyone else! And lastly, at least for this article, is to learn, learn, learn! If you’d like to learn more about Stampin’ UP! products or the benefits of being a demonstrator, send me an email or click the JOIN OUR TEAM button for more information! You might just find your entrepreneurial spirit like I did!