Stamping Is My Business!

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!