Today is a happy day.
On this day 9 years ago I signed up without knowing a soul in the business as a Close To My Heart Consultant.
I started scrapbooking in 2001 when two different people influenced me at the same time. Lisa Hoff took me to a Creative Memories party to get me out of the house and Theresa Olfson spent many late nights with all of her goodies spread over a counter that was between the ER and the Radiology departments working on layouts after the patients went home and we had some down time.
Both of these ladies made it look easy so I took $10.00 to Hobby Lobby, caught a sale and started a madness - ok a nice little hobby that has now taken over two rooms in my house... see a madness.
I was very happy spending my money in Hobby Lobby each month and even pulled Amy Eichberger in kicking and screaming because I wanted my BFF to scrap with me. She thought and maybe rightfully so that I was losing my mind but I was having fun and she was coming with me.
Like every scrapbooker known to man I loved showing off my pages and Mike being person that saw them the most told me that I needed to "get into the business". So I started doing research.....
When Mike and I first married I started TRYING to sell Avon. Try was the word because I was horrible at it. You have to wear the product to sell the product and as my Mary Kay consultant knows very well, I do not wear very much make-up at all. So selling Avon was a bust.
Could I really be good enough to teach and sell scrapbooking supplies? Mike thinks so... off to do more research.
Creative Memories: I have nothing against them. But the style of CM just did not match the way I like to scrapbook.
Stampin' Up: Big problem here. I did not know anything about stamping.
Close To My Heart: Ooooo paper! Ooooooo stickers! Embellies, the whole nine yards as I knew of then.
I clearly remember telling Mike that CTMH does sell stamps but since I know nothing about stamping that I would just stick to selling and teaching about the paper and scrapbooking. No Stamping! Famous last words.
Here are some of the key points I took from the consultant Manual:
Minimum Quarterly Sales: $300
Consultant Earnings: 22% per sale
I saw those and thought easy peasy because I was already spending $100 a month at Hobby Lobby so I would just move that money over to CTMH and I would also get a discount for all of my personal orders of 22%. Little did I know that my life was about to change.
My consultant kit arrived and inside was my very first look at a catalog. I found an online version before I signed up but never had one in my hands. Once I did I knew I found the company for me. The products they sent in my kit were top of the line and coordinated well with each other.
But there was something else in the kit that I had no idea what to do with.
Clear Stamps and Ink Pads
I now had to learn how to use them and let me tell you it did not take long at all. The blocks and stamps are clear how in the world could I mess this up?
The first three months I spend learning all I could learn about the products and wondered why I had never heard of CTMH before. Then my second catalog came in the mail and I have never looked back.
I will tell you the one product that changed the way I scrapbook.
The CTMH How To books. They changed the way I scrapbook, taught me how to stamp and taught me all about card making. The information in these books are priceless.
9 years has flown by and I have many so many friends because of this great company. My family has traveled to 4 conventions with me and I have a real business that pays me to play. I have many reasons to thank CTMH and many reasons to count my blessings.
I do!
