Stamping Is My Business!

ANNOUNCING - The 2012 Marketing and Advertising Boot Camp! Early Bird Begins NOW!

I'm happy to announce Early Bird Registration has opened for the 2012 Marketing and Advertising Boot Camp!

This Boot Camp will show you, step-by-step:

• How To Determine Your Target Audience!
• How and Where To Locate Your Target Audience!
• How To Determine What To Say To Your Target Audience To Get Them To Become Your Customers!
• How To Drive New Customers Into Your Business!
• How To Generate Repeat Business From Your Existing Customers!
• ...and more!

In addition to the four weekly webinars, you'll receive step-by-step video tutorials showing you how to construct marketing pieces, like landing and squeeze pages, print and online ads, and more!

I've recorded a video explaining the Boot Camp in detail! 

Watch the video now!

For more information, use the link below.  The Early Bird Discount Period begins NOW!

Click Here To Learn More About The 2012 Marketing & Advertising Boot Camp!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK - Action vs. Inaction

"Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy."

- Dale Carnegie

This Week's BSCG Hot Topics!

More great, exclusive "Member's Only" training happening on the Business Stampers Coaching Group message board this week, including:

• How To Create A Class Flyer That Works! (Video)
• How To Get Your Local Customers To Pay You In Advance! (Video)
  
• Dealing With Negativity

For those of you who don't know, the BSCG is the premier online Coaching Community for profit-driven, business-minded stamping business owners.

The Group is fantastic, and the content is killer. In addition to the Message Board, which is where Members communicate, ask questions of me and fellow Members and receive tons of positive, professional support from like-minded business owners (and me), Members also receive:

• Exclusive, monthly business-building webinars
• Business-building How-To Videos every week
• Weekly blog evaluation videos
• Twice-weekly Coaching Challenges
• Weekly writing prompts to help with your blogging
• Motivational audio messages to start off every week
• A private Twitter feed
• A monthly Backlinks Packet to help build SEO for your blog
• BSCG Fit Club
• Hundreds of links to business-building articles to further your knowledge and education
• Exclusive discounts on various SIMB products & services
• AND... The Newsletter Co-Op - you write one article every month, and you gain access to over 60 others you can copy and paste into your monthly newsletter!

If you're on the fence about joining the BSCG, take the special 3rd Anniversary $1, 30-Day Trial. If you don't think the information is worth the dirt-cheap monthly fee, or you can't benefit from it, just cancel before the 30 days are up and owe nothing.

To learn more or sign up, click here.

VIDEO - Three Ways To Increase Your Profits Today!

If you're struggling with becoming more profitable, there are several steps you can make sure you take today that will have an almost immediate, positive impact on your bottom line!
 
What are they?
 
I've recorded a video detailing each of the three steps!

Sucked Into Negativity

Over the last 24 hours, I've received several e-mails asking my opinion of the miscommunication regarding the Carryover Flyer. 

This has been a big topic of conversation on many chat boards, and one of my clients told me she was surprised at all of the negativity she's seeing out there.

I posted a message about negativity to my clients this morning, and I thought I'd expand on it a bit and share it with all of you:

In any business, there are things you can control, and things you can't control. 

Successful business owners (and by successful, I mean balanced and efficient) recognize the difference between the two and act accordingly.

When you're dealing with something you can control, do what you can to fix the situation.

When you're dealing with something you can't control, figure out how to minimize the problem and move on.  In some cases, you may even be able to turn that negative into a positive.

Whatever you do, though, don't do anything to make it worse!

When situations like the Carryover list thing happens, you have two choices:

      1. Quit
      2. Figure out how to roll with it and get back to work

If that sounds harsh, I apologize, but those really are your choices.

Should you expect a certain level of professionalism and service from the people and companies you deal with?  Absolutely.

And when those people and companies don't meet those expectations, you have every right to complain... but complain to someone who can actually do something about it!  That's productive.  And after you're done doing that, if you're not going to quit, it's time to get back to work.

Letting yourself get sucked into negativity is not and should not be one of your choices. It doesn't do anything to change the situation.  In fact, you just end up compounding the problem because all of that time and energy you're wasting on negativity is just taking more away from your business.  That's DEFINITELY making things worse!

Just keep calm and carry on.  Remember, NOTHING can stop you if you're committed to being unstoppable!

This Week's BSCG Hot Topics!

More great, exclusive "Member's Only" training happening on the Business Stampers Coaching Group message board this week, including:

• The $99 Starter Kit
• How To Cope With The Retiring Product and Accessories List 
• Adding One-Time Offers To Your Mailing List

For those of you who don't know, the BSCG is the premier online Coaching Community for profit-driven, business-minded stamping business owners.

The Group is fantastic, and the content is killer. In addition to the Message Board, which is where Members communicate, ask questions of me and fellow Members and receive tons of positive, professional support from like-minded business owners (and me), Members also receive:

• Exclusive, monthly business-building webinars
• Business-building How-To Videos every week
• Weekly blog evaluation videos
• Twice-weekly Coaching Challenges
• Weekly writing prompts to help with your blogging
• Motivational audio messages to start off every week
• A private Twitter feed
• A monthly Backlinks Packet to help build SEO for your blog
• BSCG Fit Club
• Hundreds of links to business-building articles to further your knowledge and education
• Exclusive discounts on various SIMB products & services
• AND... The Newsletter Co-Op - you write one article every month, and you gain access to over 60 others you can copy and paste into your monthly newsletter!

If you're on the fence about joining the BSCG, take the special 3rd Anniversary $1, 30-Day Trial. If you don't think the information is worth the dirt-cheap monthly fee, or you can't benefit from it, just cancel before the 30 days are up and owe nothing.

To learn more or sign up, click here.

An Inspiring Letter From A Fellow Stamping Business Owner

I received an e-mail recently from a stamping business owner that I wanted to share with you.  Part of her e-mail actually inspired a line or two in one of my e-mails yesterday.

I'm sharing this because I want you to realize how much the things you do and say in your business impact other stamping business owners... even those not related to you.  That impact can be positive or negative, as you can see below:

Dear John,

I just wanted to write this and say thank you.  I'm a fairly new (company representative) and I have to admit to being pretty discouraged until recently.

Since I joined, it's just seemed like everyone is discounting everything.  They discount product, they discount classes, they give stuff away for free.  As someone coming from the business world, I don't know how anyone makes any money.

And the fact that so many of the most well-known (company representatives) seem to have other businesses on the side made me pretty sure you couldn't really make money doing this.

Then someone told me about you.

John, you are a breath of fresh air!  You're the first person I've found who actually tells us we should value our time and NOT discount our product or expertise.  And you seem to be the only person showing us how to actually do that!

I've had the opportunity over the past couple of weeks to speak with other (company representatives) who work with you, and I'm so impressed by the fact they're all running profitable, balanced businesses without having to give it all away, or work other side businesses at the same time.

You and your clients are inspiring, and have convinced me I CAN run a profitable stamping business that doesn't devalue my time, my skill or my product!  I plan on really making a go of this and sticking around for a long time!

Thank you!

Lisa

Remember... your words and your actions carry great weight with not only your downline, but ALL of your fellow stamping business owners.  What you say and do goes a long way... one way or the other! 

It's important not to get caught up in the short-term, 'how can I make money today' mentality.  That type of thinking is one of the big reasons so many stamping business owners come and go so quickly.

Instead, focus on the long-term mentality of 'how can I grow a steady, sustainable, profitable business?'  If you do that, you'll be here for a long time, too!

THAT mindset is good for you.  It's good for your downline.  And it's good for the entire industry.

Please feel free to share this article, and/or leave a comment below.

ANNOUNCING - The FIRST-EVER Sell Stamps While You Sleep Boot Camp! Early Bird Begins NOW!

I'm happy to announce Early Bird Registration has opened for… 

THE FIRST-EVER SELL STAMPS WHILE YOU SLEEP BOOT CAMP!

This Boot Camp will show you to create a 24/7 CATALOG PRODUCT BUSINESS using Virtual Clubs, Digital Scrapbooking and Online Workshops!

The entire Boot Camp is about building the PRODUCT side of your business without spending crazy amounts of time and money.

• It's about maximizing the return you get on investment by leveraging your time.

• It's about taking your traditional direct sales business to the next level by taking it to a place where your customers are already doing business!

In addition to the four weekly webinars, you'll receive all of the step-by-step, over-the-shoulder tutorial videos you need to get up to speed on the technical and administrative aspects of each model.

You'll also receive marketing materials I'm going to write for you!  That means, once you'll get the model built, you'll be able to simply copy and paste what I give you to start driving new customers immediately!

The Early Bird Discount period runs through Tuesday, April 24th! 

Click here to learn more about the
2012 Sell Stamps While You Sleep Boot Camp!

You Have GOT To Be Kidding Me!!!

Sometimes, you hear stories that just make you shake your head.  Here are two that happened to my clients over the past week...

First, one of my clients sent an e-mail to her customers about the upcoming Retirement List.  Several hours later, she started receiving e-mail replies from people she didn't know.

When she investigated further, she realized that another stamping business owner, who added herself to my client's CUSTOMER mailing list, simply copied and pasted my client's e-mail into her own and sent it out.

Problem was... she never bothered to change the links in the e-mail she copied!

As a result, any customer replies for the plagiarizer were coming to my client, instead!

Second, another client sent out an e-mail about a product she was selling.  She immediately received an e-mail from a fellow stamping business owner taking her to task for having the gall to sell this, rather than give it away for free.

When my client e-mailed back and pointed out her mailing list was really for customers, and not fellow stamping business owners, the reply she was received was, essentially, unprintable.

So, what's the lesson in these stories?

First, if you're signing up to be a stamping business owner, spend your time building your own list and blog, rather than signing up for and reading everyone else's.

Second, signing up to become a stamping business owner does not give you the right to plagiarize your fellow stamping business owners' marketing material.  Nor does it give you the right to expect your fellow stamping business owners to give you everything or anything for free. 

From the company?  Sure.  But your fellow stamping business owners put their own time and money into what they do.  For you to expect them to just hand that over for free is not only an insult to them, but shows an incredible lack of repsect for what both they... and you... do.

The rules of business are simple and straightforward.  Build a business you can be proud of, utilizing methods and practices you can be proud of.  Otherwise, why build one at all?

Why You NEED A Powerful 'Why' (VIDEO)

Ever since I wrote 'Stamping Is My Business!' ten years ago, I've always explained that simply making money cannot be the reason you're trying to build your stamping business.

The truth is, money, in and of itself, is never a powerful enough motivator.  It's simply not a strong enough objective.  Trust me... on the days when you just don't feel like working your business, if it's just about money, you'll find a way to slack off.

Your Objective, however, CAN be about what that extra money will provide you and your family that you would not otherwise have. The undeniable truth is that money does open up opportunities you wouldn't normally have access to.

THAT 'Why'... that Objective... can be incredibly powerful!

For me, it's always been about my family.  Providing my son with the opportunities I never had, and giving my family experiences we would never have otherwise.  That gets me up and moving every morning.  No matter how I feel, no matter if working my business is the last thing I want to do, I can focus on my 'why' and get it done!

Last weekend, I experienced my 'why' in such a profound way, I wanted to share it with you.

My son, John, is a huge fan of Mardi Gras Indians. Mardi Gras Indians are African-American Carnival revelers in New Orleans, who dress up for Mardi Gras in suits influenced by Native American ceremonial apparel.  The suits are incredibly elaborate and hand-sewn every year.  Many of the tribes also parade on the Sunday nearest to Saint Joseph's Day ("Super Sunday") and sometimes at the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

John loves the costumes, the songs, the dancing.  He's too young to have a bucket list, but if he did, joining a Mardi Gras Indian tribe, if only for a little while, would be on it.

This past weekend, we attended a music festival that kicked off with a Mardi Gras Indian parade.  For reasons I still can't figure out, the Chief pulled John into the parade and let him dance with them!  They didn't pull anyone else in.  Just him.  Take a look at this video:

I can't even begin to describe the feelings that were going through me at that moment.  How happy I was for John, and how gratifying it felt to know that we were able to make this opportunity happen for him.  Because if I didn't work so hard, we couldn't spend the time in New Orleans that we do.  And if we couldn't do that, this would never have happened.

Honestly, I'm still so elated about this, I could work for the next month without sleep!

That's the power of a strong 'Why.'  And if you're struggling with focus, consistency or enthusiasm for your business, I would tell you to look at WHY you're doing this.  The odds are, it needs some revising. 

And I promise you this... once you find a truly meaningful 'Why' for your business, you will find a reserve of energy and enthusiasm you never knew you had!

 

VIDEO TUTORIAL - A Super-Easy Way To Resize Your Image For The Facebook Cover Photo

Many of you are struggling with resizing your images to use as your Facebook Business Page Cover Photo.  In this video, I show you a super-easy way to do it:

Click here to learn more about the SIMB Photoshop Elements Class.

Why There's NEVER Been A Better Time To Own Your Own Stamping Business!

In Friday's blog post, I mentioned that I thought there's never been a better time than right now to own your own stamping business.

One of my readers, Jan Brumbelow, asked in the Comments section why I believed that.

Rather than just answer her, I decided to write an entire blog post for all of you.  So here are...

The 3 Reasons I Believe There's NEVER Been A Better Time To Own Your Own Stamping Business!

1. Paper Crafting Continues To Grow Annually

According to the CHA (Craft and Hobby Association), paper crafting continues to be the number one craft-related hobby.  In fact, spending on paper crafting supplies has grown by approximately $100 million per year for the last several years... a time-period where the overall economy has not done well AND most discretionary spending has decreased dramatically.

While I wouldn't exactly call the industry 'recession-proof,' it certainly has prospered in an era of adversity.  If you were going to start a business now, THIS is the business to start!

 

2. More Ways To Make Money Than Ever Before

As technology evolves, and consumers become more comfortable utilizing it, the number of revenue streams a stamping business owner can open up has steadily increased. 

Selling product, charging for classes and growing your downline have now been joined by online classes and clubs, e-books, DVDs, Etsy stores, custom-cardmaking and more! 

Stamping businesses have never had more flexibility and opportunity.  Frankly, it is a LOT easier to run a stamping business that pays you what you deserve now than it ever has been! 

Truly, whatever your situation, you should be able to find a profitable model that fits your lifestyle!

 

3. More Tools To Reach More People Than Ever Before

At one time, you had to spend a great deal of money to get your marketing message out to a handful of people.  Now, the opposite is true!  It costs little or nothing to get your business in front of thousands... even tens of thousands of potential customers!

Again, as technology has advanced, the playing field has been leveled to the point where you, the home-based business owner, have the same tools at your disposal as a large corporation.  You can now tap into the same marketing channels that big businesses do with a minimal investment.

The fact that you can expose your business to more people than has ever been possible before means the growth potential of your stamping business is greater than its ever been before!

Whether you want to run a very traditional stamping business, an entirely online one or any other model, it's never been easier to get in front of your potential customers and make that happen!

The notion that you could run an incredibly profitable stamping business out of your home with no employees and very little overhead has never been more true than it is today!

I've been working with stamping business owners since 2000, and I've always been a huge fan of the business model, but as someone who's job it is to help you be successful, I can honestly say I've never been more enthusiastic about your future!

What do YOU think?  Agree?  Disagree?  Leave your comments below (and feel free to share this article with downline and potential downline, too!).

A Heartbreaking E-Mail (Video Follow-Up)

Well, yesterday's video on 'Should I Charge For Workshops?' struck a nerve with many of you.  I received a lot of e-mails from stamping business owners who agreed with the points in the video... and some from those who disagreed. 

I do think there was some confusion, though, as to the type of event I was specifically talking about in the video.  For that reason, I've re-recorded the video to make it more clear.  You can view the revised video in the post below.

Among the e-mails I received yesterday was this one.  It really breaks my heart when I get e-mails like this, because I think these situations are so unnecessary.  I'm sharing it with you as a cautionary tale, and I'll speak about it more at the end:

Dear John,

Even though I ceased to be a (stamping business owner) a few months ago, I stayed on your email list because I like the content you provide.  I hope you don't mind.

When I saw your video on whether or not you should charge for workshops, I felt compelled to write and share my story.  I don't mind if you share it with others, but please remove my name.

I signed up to be a (stamping business owner) several months ago because I needed to make money.  I was laid off a few months earlier, and didn't have much left in my bank account.

Once I got my starter kit, I started calling my friends to see if they would do a workshop.  I was surprised by the fact that all of them said no.

When I spoke to my upline about this, she told me I shouldn't call it a workshop.  Instead, I should call it a 'private class.'  When I asked her what the difference was, she said there was none.  Except that I should charge everyone $7 and offer to give the money back if they place an order.

When I asked if there should be a minimum amount on the order so I'm not making less than $7 (which I thought was pretty low to begin with) in commissions, she said that wasn't the point.

I asked her if the hostess should tell the people she invites they can get the fee waived, and she said no.  She said that if they know they're going to be sold to, they won't come. 

I felt very uneasy about this because I thought I wasn't being honest with my future customers.  I also wasn't happy to hear my upline say that people wouldn't buy product if they knew that was what they were coming for.  When I shared these feelings with her, she said 'all of the top Demonstrators are doing it and if I wanted to be successful, this was what I had to do.'

John, I'm sorry to say I didn't listen to my gut and went ahead and did it.  It was a disaster.  When I started passing out catalogs and talking about buying product at the end of the 'class' you could feel the mood in the room change.  It felt awful.  I felt awful.  The people who were there were not happy.  A few people did actually buy products, but I've never seen unhappier customers in my life.

I was so upset, I never did anything with my business again.  I thought I'd confront my upline when she called, but she never did.  Even after I went into pending.

Please let your readers know if they're going to do an event like this to be up front about the fact you're going to pass out catalogs and sell product at the end. 

John, I know you're probably taking a lot of c**p from people today for your video, but I think you're spot on with your message and it needs to be said.  If I saw this video earlier, I may still be a (stamping business owner). 

Sincerely,

(name removed)

I wanted you all to read this because I think it's important to understand what can happen when ideas are left unchecked and unregulated.  Even ideas that may start out as good ones with the best of intentions are often tweaked and adjusted until they're a shadow of their former selves. 

And as upline, it's important to think about the ideas you share with your downline, and the messages those ideas send them. 

Finally, to (name removed), my message is this:  you should sign up again! 

I know you had a bad experience, but I think it was an isolated one.  Maybe you need to find an upline who shares the same ideas you do, but I can tell you as someone who's been working with stamping business owners for over 12 years, there's never been a better time to start your own stamping business!

There's more potential now, and you have more tools at your disposal, than ever before!  I hope you reconsider, because I think this can still be a tremendous opportunity for you.

And if any of you want to be this person's upline, send me an e-mail.  I don't know what she's doing now, or if she wants to come back, but I'm going to send her a long reply today, and I'll include the list of people who would like to work with her.

VIDEO - Should I Charge For Workshops?

Whether you call them 'Private Classes,' 'Undercover Workshops' or anything else, should you engage in the practice of calling a workshop something that it isn't, charging your attendees a nominal fee and offer to refund that fee if they purchase catalog product? The answer might surprise you...

 

How To Make Your Own Luck In Your Stamping Business

 

Now that St. Patrick's Day has passed, it's time to ask a few questions:

 - Did you get lucky?
 - Did you find the pot of gold?

Probably not.  And if you're waiting around for luck to happen in your business, you're going to be waiting for a long time! 

The truth is, every successful stamping business owner I work with... the ones other stamping business owners think 'got lucky'... make their own luck!

One of my favorite quotes is 'luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.'  What it basically means is you have to make your own luck!

How do you make your own luck in your stamping business?  Here are three steps:

1. Plan
After all these years, I'm still amazed by how many stamping business owners run their business without a real plan.  If you don't have a business plan, with a clearly defined set of objectives, as well as long and short-term goals, then how do you know if an opportunity that presents itself is good or bad for your business?  How do you know if you're doing things that are moving your business in the right direction?  Truthfully, you don't.  If you don't already have a Business Plan, take some time and create one.  If you'd like some help with that, click here.

2. Execute
Once you have your plan in place, you now have a roadmap.  However, the roadmap is only good if you follow it.  Again, I'm amazed by how many stamping business owners take the time to create their Business Plan, but don't follow through and execute it.  If you want to be successful, you have to work your Plan consistently!  The two things every successful business owner has in common is focus (the Plan) and consistency (the execution).

3. Analyze and Revise
After you've worked your Plan consistently for several weeks, take a moment to analyze your results.  Are you moving in the right direction?  Are there elements of the Plan you didn't consider?  Are there things you're doing you now realize you shouldn't be?  Have circumstances changed?  Have new opportunities presented themselves?

The most successful businesses are the ones that are constantly reading the ever-changing landscape and making the necessary adjustments.  They're the ones who become the trend-setters and leaders, while everyone else is left to follow.  

Don't be afraid of change.  It's part of any business, and the more willing you are to embrace it, the more successful you'll ultimately be.

If you follow these three steps, you won't need leprechauns leading you to pots of gold.  You'll be making your own luck... and creating your own success!