Can you see yourself in Shelly's shoes?
Shelly, a stay-at-home Mom, was looking for something to do!
She loved being to available for her three kids when they needed her. But, after years of being a full-time mother, she longed for a little something for herself. Something to satisfy her creative urges, something to get her out of the house besides groceries and soccer, a way to meet new people and have a little fun. A way to make a little extra money wouldn’t hurt, either.
A full time job was out of the question! And a part-time job, also, because she needed something flexible to juggle her time with the kids ever-changing schedules. But what kind of “job” could offer that? She needed more control of her schedule than a typical job could give her.
Her sister in California suggested she start her own business as an Occasiongraphy consultant. Occasiongraphy would provide the training and products to get her started designing personalized items for her client’s weddings, birthdays, birth announcements, and dozens of other occasions. If she chose to, she could also offer her products as promotional items to businesses, and even as fund-raising programs for schools and charities.
Shelly thought about it and saw how it might be the perfect solution. It would definitely get her out of the house and meeting new people. It would be fun, and creative helping to plan her client’s parties. Being her own boss would give her the flexibility she needed to be with her kids. And, she could decide how much or how little time to spend and money to earn.
It was a perfect fit!
She was excited about starting her own business. She ordered her Occasiongraphy Startup kit, and then spent three days anxiously waiting for it to arrive. But it was also three days of fun planning and thinking about all the ways to promote her new business.
The day finally came, and she thought she would burst when she saw the UPS truck pull up to her door. She opened the box, studied the contents and ran right over to some of her neighbors and showed them her samples and catalogs.
As it happened, Marge, who lives two doors down, was planning a 10th birthday party for her youngest son Tyler. Marge saw all the great birthday designs, and thought it would be fun to make the party invitations from a wrapped Hershey bar with Tyler's picture on it, and the date, time and place of the party. His friends would love getting them, Tyler would have fun passing them out, and it would build anticipation for this party.
Marge was also planning some outdoor party contests to burn off some of that "10-year-old" energy. Shelly showed her the wrappers for "king sized" bars and suggested she use those as the prizes for the games. Marge loved the idea, and chose a different design with "You're a Winner" printed on it.
Her First Order!
The order was for 30 "invitation" bars and 10 "Winner" bars. It was a small order, but it was her first. And, it was a lot easier than she expected and actually fun to help her friend plan the party. She was happy to get her new business off the ground with her first sale, and she felt a newborn confidence in herself.
The party was last weekend, and by all accounts a great success. During the party, Marge's oldest son, Jason stopped by with his fiancee Ashley. Ashley saw the invitation and contest candy bars, and thought they would make fun, and inexpensive gifts for the 200+ guests at her wedding reception. "Who doesn't like chocolate?" she asked. Shelly showed her all the elegant wedding themed designs, and Ashley found one that was a near match to her wedding colors.
Shelly also showed her samples of the OccasionOgraphy announcement cards, and particularly the one that was the same design and colors as the wrapper Ashley chose. Shelly suggested she print each card with the name of a guest and use them for place cards at the dining tables. Ashley loved the idea and ordered those, too.
Shelly was ecstatic with Ashley's order, and couldn't wait to share the news with her family. Between the 200 candy wrappers and the 200 cards, she would make several hundred dollars on that one order. She started thinking about how to get more wedding orders, and realized each wedding also has a wedding shower, a rehearsal dinner, and sometimes even a bachelorette party! All would be ideal occasions to offer her products.
A Surprise Phone Call!
To Shelly's surprise, a few days after Marge's birthday party, she received a call from Donna Baxter. She didn't know Donna, but Donna's son, Billy was one of Tyler's friends from the birthday party. Billy took home one of the "You're a Winner" candy bars. Donna saw the name of Shelly's company, "Sweet Thoughts" and her phone number on the back of the wrapper. Donna was in charge of planning a retirement party for a co-worker, and thought, with her limited budget, the personalized candy wrappers would work well for her party, also.
Shelly had totally forgotten that her company name and phone number was on the back of every wrapper. Then it dawned on her... every time someone received one of her candy bars, it was also a referral for her and a opportunity for a new customer for her business. She can't wait for Ashley's wedding and the 200+ guests to receive their candy bars.
And so it goes with a product that sells itself the minute people see it. Every day is a special occasion for somebody. All it takes is someone to get the ball rolling.
Is that someone YOU?
Can you see yourself in Shelly's shoes?
