Earlier this month, on November 2, 2023, I surpassed $1 Million in Personal Career Sales as a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator! I placed the final order that put me over in between school pick-ups and preparing dinner -- a busy "Taxi Mom" kind of day! It was a fitting way to surpass this amazing milestone because all my kids have only ever known life with Stampin' Up! They have watched me set goals, work consistently to meet them, and be rewarded for that hard work. That's exactly what I want for them in life!
21 years ago, Jessica Morsey invited me to a Stampin' Up! party. I was overwhelmed when I first saw the catalog! I had a small rubber stamp collection as a young crafter, but this was different and more involved than I remembered. As a newlywed working full time as a project manager at a software company, I was ready for a hobby! It was Glynis Brownlee who introduced me to Kim Peck. I met Kim once and decided to join as a demonstrator the next month. I could tell that Kim took her business seriously and I was inspired by her leadership. I fully intended just to enjoy the personal discount on my own orders, but after attending a team meeting and seeing others get recognized for being top sellers, I thought "I can do that!" and started holding events.
Things were different back in 2002! Home parties were big. Social media wasn't a thing. I didn't even have a cell phone! For many years, I grew my business by having in-person workshops (parties), classes, open houses, stamp club, and vendor events. My husband Jim and I started our family. We moved across the state -- and back again! It was around the time that we moved back to Champaign that I started a blog to share my stamping projects with now long-distance customers and team members. A few years after that, I started creating video tutorials for YouTube. They were short and heavily edited and I only made one every month.
My New Year’s Resolution in 2020 was to increase my online sharing and to embrace being my "perfectly imperfect" self. I had a couple months of experimenting and practice with live videos under my belt when the world shut down that March. Everyone was home and I showed up every Thursday night to share a little creative “therapy”.
My online stamping community and business have experienced tremendous growth as I have focused on sharing consistently and being "duplicatable". I share project ideas, measurements, templates, tutorials, and supply lists so that other stampers can create the same projects at home. I started The Great, Big Card Swap to encourage people to make and send cards (aka "happy mail") to spread sunshine and joy with the world.
People always ask me “how I do it” and the answer is with LOTS of help! I would have given up long ago if it wasn't for the unending support and love from Jim and the kids. They have kept me sane and grounded and encouraged me every time I have a big idea!
And many, many thanks to my right-hand gal, Char Cooper, who has given me so many hours of her time to help me implement those big ideas – always with an enthusiastic smile!
Stampin' Up! celebrates this amazing milestone in many ways! I received a beautiful arrangement of flowers and a custom card that was created just for me -- using some of my favorite products! This tri-fold card was packaged in a handmade envelope. Every detail is exquisite!
Next up, I'm looking forward to attending an achievers retreat at the Stampin' Up! Home Office in Riverton, Utah in March 2023. I'll also be celebrated with a confetti cannon at the next in-person On Stage event in March 2024! And, like other achievers, I'll get to help plan and design a new stamp set! I haven't heard any details about this process yet, but I know that Stampin' Up! works at least a year in advance on catalogs, so it will probably be two years before we see my stamp set get released.
It will be a long celebration for an achievement that took a long time to reach! Thank you for all your beautiful cards and your congratulatory wishes! It means so much to me to be able to share this celebration with so many stamping friends!
Mom and I were honored to celebrate in a special way with Stampin' Up! Co-Founder Shelli Gardner and her daughter, Stampin' Up! CEO Sara Douglass in a recent episode of Sunday Stamping with Susan & Julie. Watch the replay:
Disclaimer: Stampin' Up! would like me to tell you that the achievements mentioned in this post are NOT the typical experience for a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator. The level of sales required to achieve this result is accomplished by less than .001% of Stampin’ Up! demonstrators.
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Congratulations Julie!!!!! I couldn't be more happier for you and all that you have accomplished! You are amazing and I am excited to have more of your awesomeness to brag about!!
ReplyDeleteCONGRATULATIONS, Julie!! It is wonderful to see all of your hard work, time and effort have paid off for this achievement! You and your mom make great projects and the fun you have beams out in your videos. So proud of you! I'm looking forward to seeing many more fabulous cards/projects from you. Enjoy your day!
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