I will be the first to say there are certain items of Paparazzi's that I don't love or like that much. There are a few things I have that I wonder if I will ever sell them. I cheer inside when someone buys one!!! When I am looking at ordering kits and I see one of the items that doesn't sell as well, I wonder if I should choose that kit. Often, if the other 4 items sell easily, I buy it.
I've been debating about what to do with this situation and I've done the math. For $10, you can have Paparazzi pull 25 singular items from kits at the wherehouse. So it costs an additional $.40 for each item you have pulled. I think it is actually less expensive to have them pull the 4 items you want in a pack than it is to get a pack of 5 with one that doesn't sell well (especially if you already have 2 or 3 of them in your inventory).
Yesterday, I made a large purchase because I have so many parties coming up. I went through each package and decided what I wanted and what I didn't want. I bought a lot of 5 set kits. Then I called corporate and asked them to pull 150 items I wanted from kits where I didn't want to buy everything. I figure it costs me $.40 more per item, but that is worth it to me. I avoided having some of the slower moving items in my inventory.
There are quite a few clips, headbands, necklaces, bracelets, etc that come in blockbusters that are not in kits. This is your chance to buy 1 or 2 each the ones you want without having to buy 5 of the same one. Smart idea!!!! Just make sure you tell corporate that you want these shipped with your other order so you don't have to pay shipping on it!
Just so you know for 1-25 items, it cost $10. If you have them pull 26, it will cost $20. So plan accordingly. Buy in groups of 25 to avoid being charged so much per item.
Happy shopping!!!!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Newspaper Article About A Lady Who Sells Paparazzi
If any of you are talking to people who are interested in Paparazzi, but are a little skeptical because they have never seen it before or seen a party, here is a newspaper article that was on the front page of my local paper. It is about home-based business, but refers to a Paparrazzi consultant the whole article. If you do the math in the article, she has sold about $40,000 worth of Paparazzi in a year. That is about $18,000 profit and that doesn't include her downline. She started with just 150 pieces.
I have seen Diane's booth and talked to her. She is very nice. In fact, it was after seeing her booth at a fair, that I decided to do this. I went back to my friend who sells and joined!
This is the link in the Herald Journal. I don't know how long people will be able to access it so I am copying and pasting it in here.
October 16, 2011 Herald Journal, Logan UT
If you meet Diane Merrill, you’ll learn fairly quickly that she loves anything that sparkles.
The teacher aide at North Park Elementary School in North Logan makes jewelry a staple in her everyday wardrobe, but it’s not the traditional flair — whether it’s beads or earrings — from Paparazzi Jewelry. You might say it’s “jazzy.”
“Jazzy,” as in Jazzy Jewelry, is the name of the business run entirely by Merrill. She started her business last year with just 150 pieces of jewelry and to date has sold approximately 8,000 pieces as a Paparazzi independent consultant.
The pieces were sold at parties, boutiques and popular community events like the annual Cache County Fair.
“I started it because it’s really cute and inexpensive,” Merrill said at her Smithfield home Friday, adding that some of her jewelry goes for as little as $5.
The business, she said, was started because of her passion for jewelry. Her daughter, a teacher in Provo, said she first saw Paparazzi at an open house. When she told her mother about it, it wasn’t long before Merrill got the gears going to start her own franchise.
But there was also another motivating factor: To help pay the bills while her husband looked for work.
Merrill keeps at least 45 percent of everything she brings in through sales, in addition to bonuses from customers.
“It’s necessary for me to do it, but I have a lot of fun,” Merrill said. “It’s probably the easiest thing I have ever done. Plus, women love jewelry; you just put it in front of them and they’ll love it.”
Merrill’s not the only one who’s found a niche with her start-up business. With the national unemployment rate at 9.1 percent and Utah’s unemployment rate at 7.6 percent, the downturn in the economy has been the spark that’s caused many in Cache Valley to start up their own businesses in the most familiar place to them — home.
An informal survey of a handful of cities in the valley found there is an increase in the number of people who have applied for permits in the last two years, according to business license officials in the area.
Logan city generated 491 home businesses from 2009 to 2011, and the number is growing, according to requested figures from Joyce Creech, Logan’s business license clerk.
But the total number of home businesses in Logan is approximately 750, said James Olsen, a former Logan business clerk.
“There’s always a steady stream coming in,” Olsen said. “On the other hand, there were a number (of home businesses) dying off. I think a lot of times, people try their hand and then they find out it was more than they bargained for.”
Creech said it’s not standard practice for Logan or other cities in the valley to ask about the home business license petitioner’s personal situation, but a lot of people volunteer that a layoff has led to starting a home business. She said they often say they stop after finding permanent work outside the home.
Char Izatt, Smithfield deputy recorder, said there has been a “noticeable increase” in home occupation businesses in the past three years and, based on that fact, attributes it to the economy.
Of the 418 active business licenses, Izatt said, home occupations make up more than half of the total number, at 251. Of those home occupations in the city, 200 of them are non-disruptive (Internet sales, consulting, general contractors, crafts, etc.), while 51 of them are potentially disruptive. They include beauty salons, child care, preschool, miscellaneous instruction and some small manufacturing that requires zoning clearance.
She noted that many home businesses do not renew the following year because they’re not able to stay in business.
Nibley has 154 business licenses, and in 2011 alone, there have been 31 licenses issued.
“People are clever; I think we have some younger people that are trying to start a business out of their home, which is different in the past where the mentality was ‘go get a job,’” said Cynthia Fredrickson, Nibley business license clerk. “People are thinking outside the box, and we’ve got a lot of successful business.”
Several individuals contacted for this story said even though they did not start up their home business to help offset hard economic times, they are now relying more on the cash earned than before.
The idea of starting a home business is also gaining popularity nationwide. There were 21.1 million self-employed businesses in 2009, the Census Bureau reported in July. Those businesses generated $838 billion in sales that year. In Utah in 2009 there were 176,338 self-employers with $6.3 billion in sales, down from highs in 2007.
Merrill keeps an inventory of all her sales, but says it’s hard to estimate just how much she makes yearly.
Customers often come to her to help coordinate jewelry with their wardrobe, especially for special occasions like proms and weddings. Some days she’ll see one person; other days it’s 10 or 20.
She doesn’t use Facebook, Twitter or MySpace, but does have an active blog. She also has an email flier and sends text message alerts. She keeps roughly 200 people informed regularly — and the list is growing.
She puts a business card in every bag of jewelry sold.
“After that, it’s word of mouth,” Merrill said.
Her taxes are pre-collected because she sells another company’s product and is not selling her own, she said.
The only challenges with Jazzy Jewelry are keeping up with demand and finding enough time to work. She jokes that she should be able to find more time now that her three children are grown.
“I can be as busy as I want to be,” Merrill said. “I control my own stress level.”
Merrill is confident of her future.
“I’m looking forward to growing my business and getting the word out. This jewelry sells because in this economy, everyone can afford $5 for something cute.”
————
I have seen Diane's booth and talked to her. She is very nice. In fact, it was after seeing her booth at a fair, that I decided to do this. I went back to my friend who sells and joined!
This is the link in the Herald Journal. I don't know how long people will be able to access it so I am copying and pasting it in here.
October 16, 2011 Herald Journal, Logan UT
Home business boom: Economy prompts many locals to try own enterprises
The teacher aide at North Park Elementary School in North Logan makes jewelry a staple in her everyday wardrobe, but it’s not the traditional flair — whether it’s beads or earrings — from Paparazzi Jewelry. You might say it’s “jazzy.”
“Jazzy,” as in Jazzy Jewelry, is the name of the business run entirely by Merrill. She started her business last year with just 150 pieces of jewelry and to date has sold approximately 8,000 pieces as a Paparazzi independent consultant.
The pieces were sold at parties, boutiques and popular community events like the annual Cache County Fair.
“I started it because it’s really cute and inexpensive,” Merrill said at her Smithfield home Friday, adding that some of her jewelry goes for as little as $5.
The business, she said, was started because of her passion for jewelry. Her daughter, a teacher in Provo, said she first saw Paparazzi at an open house. When she told her mother about it, it wasn’t long before Merrill got the gears going to start her own franchise.
But there was also another motivating factor: To help pay the bills while her husband looked for work.
Merrill keeps at least 45 percent of everything she brings in through sales, in addition to bonuses from customers.
“It’s necessary for me to do it, but I have a lot of fun,” Merrill said. “It’s probably the easiest thing I have ever done. Plus, women love jewelry; you just put it in front of them and they’ll love it.”
Merrill’s not the only one who’s found a niche with her start-up business. With the national unemployment rate at 9.1 percent and Utah’s unemployment rate at 7.6 percent, the downturn in the economy has been the spark that’s caused many in Cache Valley to start up their own businesses in the most familiar place to them — home.
An informal survey of a handful of cities in the valley found there is an increase in the number of people who have applied for permits in the last two years, according to business license officials in the area.
Logan city generated 491 home businesses from 2009 to 2011, and the number is growing, according to requested figures from Joyce Creech, Logan’s business license clerk.
But the total number of home businesses in Logan is approximately 750, said James Olsen, a former Logan business clerk.
“There’s always a steady stream coming in,” Olsen said. “On the other hand, there were a number (of home businesses) dying off. I think a lot of times, people try their hand and then they find out it was more than they bargained for.”
Creech said it’s not standard practice for Logan or other cities in the valley to ask about the home business license petitioner’s personal situation, but a lot of people volunteer that a layoff has led to starting a home business. She said they often say they stop after finding permanent work outside the home.
Char Izatt, Smithfield deputy recorder, said there has been a “noticeable increase” in home occupation businesses in the past three years and, based on that fact, attributes it to the economy.
Of the 418 active business licenses, Izatt said, home occupations make up more than half of the total number, at 251. Of those home occupations in the city, 200 of them are non-disruptive (Internet sales, consulting, general contractors, crafts, etc.), while 51 of them are potentially disruptive. They include beauty salons, child care, preschool, miscellaneous instruction and some small manufacturing that requires zoning clearance.
She noted that many home businesses do not renew the following year because they’re not able to stay in business.
Nibley has 154 business licenses, and in 2011 alone, there have been 31 licenses issued.
“People are clever; I think we have some younger people that are trying to start a business out of their home, which is different in the past where the mentality was ‘go get a job,’” said Cynthia Fredrickson, Nibley business license clerk. “People are thinking outside the box, and we’ve got a lot of successful business.”
Several individuals contacted for this story said even though they did not start up their home business to help offset hard economic times, they are now relying more on the cash earned than before.
The idea of starting a home business is also gaining popularity nationwide. There were 21.1 million self-employed businesses in 2009, the Census Bureau reported in July. Those businesses generated $838 billion in sales that year. In Utah in 2009 there were 176,338 self-employers with $6.3 billion in sales, down from highs in 2007.
Merrill keeps an inventory of all her sales, but says it’s hard to estimate just how much she makes yearly.
Customers often come to her to help coordinate jewelry with their wardrobe, especially for special occasions like proms and weddings. Some days she’ll see one person; other days it’s 10 or 20.
She doesn’t use Facebook, Twitter or MySpace, but does have an active blog. She also has an email flier and sends text message alerts. She keeps roughly 200 people informed regularly — and the list is growing.
She puts a business card in every bag of jewelry sold.
“After that, it’s word of mouth,” Merrill said.
Her taxes are pre-collected because she sells another company’s product and is not selling her own, she said.
The only challenges with Jazzy Jewelry are keeping up with demand and finding enough time to work. She jokes that she should be able to find more time now that her three children are grown.
“I can be as busy as I want to be,” Merrill said. “I control my own stress level.”
Merrill is confident of her future.
“I’m looking forward to growing my business and getting the word out. This jewelry sells because in this economy, everyone can afford $5 for something cute.”
————
Thursday, November 3, 2011
The Hidden Box
I take a lot of my inventory to parties with me. I never know if it is going to be a great party or one that bombs (Yes, I have parties that don't go well sometimes!). If I think it is going to be great, I make sure I have a lot of different items for people to look at. The truth is that the more selection you have, the more people will buy because they can find more of what they want.
I can't put everything I have out on displays. It is simply too much. I can have about 50-60 headbands displayed at once, but sometimes I have more of that in my possession. I have about 40 clips on my display, but I have more on the table or in a box. When it comes to earrings, I have quite a few (maybe 60 out). I know that it has been recommended that you only have one earring per hook, but I put 3 or 4 of the same color on a hook because I have so many. With necklaces, I try to do one per hook.
When guests come to the open house and are waiting to hear my speech, I simply say, "Hi. My name is Michelle and I am the Paparazzi consultant. Everything is $5.50 which includes the tax - except for the little girl items and the price is posted on them. If you see something you like, but want it in a different color, I might have it in a box. I can look for it or you can look. Feel free to look through any of the boxes you see. I don't have room to display everything that I have. Let me know if you have any questions." And I let them go shopping and have fun!
There have been quite a few parties where the ladies will start to open one box and then another and another. They think they are finding hidden treasures. It is awesome to see them so excited about a necklace still in plastic. Pretty soon, they are all going through the boxes. Women like to rummage. Don't be afraid to let women peak into your "hidden boxes." It is a great sales strategy!
I can't put everything I have out on displays. It is simply too much. I can have about 50-60 headbands displayed at once, but sometimes I have more of that in my possession. I have about 40 clips on my display, but I have more on the table or in a box. When it comes to earrings, I have quite a few (maybe 60 out). I know that it has been recommended that you only have one earring per hook, but I put 3 or 4 of the same color on a hook because I have so many. With necklaces, I try to do one per hook.
When guests come to the open house and are waiting to hear my speech, I simply say, "Hi. My name is Michelle and I am the Paparazzi consultant. Everything is $5.50 which includes the tax - except for the little girl items and the price is posted on them. If you see something you like, but want it in a different color, I might have it in a box. I can look for it or you can look. Feel free to look through any of the boxes you see. I don't have room to display everything that I have. Let me know if you have any questions." And I let them go shopping and have fun!
There have been quite a few parties where the ladies will start to open one box and then another and another. They think they are finding hidden treasures. It is awesome to see them so excited about a necklace still in plastic. Pretty soon, they are all going through the boxes. Women like to rummage. Don't be afraid to let women peak into your "hidden boxes." It is a great sales strategy!
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