The WHY....

Hi All! Welcome to our mid-month Rose Blossom Blog Hop featuring layouts about our experience with Close To My Heart. If you just hopped over from the amazing blog of Barbara Smith, you're in the right spot! This month, CTMH is running special offer to folks wanting to join up as consultants. Not only do you receive one of these incredible consultant kits (full of yet to be released product, I might add).....

Cardmakers Consultant Kit

Scrapbookers Consultant Kit

But you also will receive the new CTMH tote bag...

AND have an opportunity to earn the rolling tote when you sell $300 worth of product in your first 40 days of becoming a consultant!

So let's talk WHY. In business (and in life really) it is very important to articulate your purpose, or to use the short-hand, your "why." A few months ago, I blogged about some the benefits of being a CTMH consultant. (You can read that post here.) Today, I wanted to showcase my absolute number one reason for being a consultant. My WHY....

I made my life easier on this project by using our Studio J program to create a fun two-page layout. (I love Hopscotch and I have used up almost all of my Hopscotch stickers and what-not, so I went digital...never runs out, never wears out! Plus, this layout took me about 15 minutes to put together...the journalling took a bit longer with all my perfectionist tweaking....)

Here's a look at each page (you should be able to read them if you zoom in just a bit):

At the end of the day, I'm a Close To My Heart consultant because of the relationships. I'm part of three fabulous teams (the Kraft-y Hearts, Rose Blossoms, and my own Kraft, Paper, Scissors YOU). We are teams of business owners, yes, but we are first and foremost friends. We enjoy hanging out with each other online and in person. We share who we are and what we're doing (right and wrong) in our businesses, and we help each other out. There's no sense of competition among team members, just a sense of camaraderie that lets us enjoy everyone's successes and encourage each other when we fail. It truly is inspiring both creatively and personally. I've met fantastic women in this organization and particularly on these teams who I aspire to be like in many ways.

So if the tote bags and gorgeous products aren't enough to entice you to become a CTMH consultant, let me add a little extra incentive: join for the people and community. I promise, you will not regret it whether you're a hobbyist or want a part- or full-time business! If you want to chat with me about it or need more information, just shoot me an email and I'll be happy to answer questions and/or sign you up!

Now hop on over to see what the awesomely creative Cathy Arbuckle has to share with you.

There ARE Other Opportunities Out There!

About once a week, I go downtown with my husband for breakfast and to just soak up the city vibe. It usually helps break creative blocks or gets me out of creative ruts. (It also helps that we have an Utrectch Art Supply store just a block or two from his office. It's my little Cheers in the city. They may not always know my name, but they're ALWAYS glad I came. --As are the credit card companies....)

Anyway, on my last trip, I overheard a conversation between two twenty-something young men about their work situation. One of them summed it up saying, "I'd rather have a cubical with a window than an office with a door." Ugh! What a horrible choice! The more I've thought about the comment, I've realized just how good I have it.

Now I don't do a lot of recruiting for team members--for no other reason than I'm a little shy about owning up to being an artist and independent consultant. (There's a whole psychology there that I won't go into.) However, the comment made by the young man, helped me realize that sometimes we limit our choices because we don't realize there are other opportunities out there. So folks, I'm here to let you know that you have other choices beyond choosing between the cubical with a window and the office with the door!

I've spent my years in DC running the career gauntlet--Capitol Hill, defense contracting, academia, coffeehouse barista. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. (No, really, I do.) But my sweet spot is talking with people and creating things. (If you follow my blog, you'll know that I'm particularly into home decor and cards.) I'm not the worlds best sales person--that would be my father-in-law--but I do enjoy making things that bring other people joy and teaching them how to do it.

When I decided to join Close To My Heart, I was already on a couple of design teams. It was my super-talented team member Lynn Darda who recruited me. And I'm so glad she did! I enjoy creating with Close To My Heart's beautiful papers and acrylic stamps. But even more than that, I enjoy the fabulous virtual community I've found that becomes a real community when we get together for events like the annual convention.

So how can you get in on such a great gig? For $99 you can get one of two new consultant kits that are designed to help you start your business and focus on your creative sweet spot. If you are a scrapbooker, then this kit is for you:

If you prefer cardmaking, then go with this one:

The cool thing about this business is that you really can tailor it to your interests and the interests of your customers. For example, one of the services I've just started offering is art party kits. Next weekend the daughter of a friend is having a Base & Bling birthday party. Because it's the day after Thanksgving, I won't be teaching. However, our Base & Bling Jewelry line is so simple to put together, I showed my friend how to put it together, and now she is confident she can teach it on her own. It's not your normal sales gathering, but the party kit idea fits my personality, business, and lifestyle. And being part of Close To My Heart makes it a lot easier to do.

So there you go. You don't have to choose between a window and a door, or a cubical and an office. (My craft room is smaller than most cubicals and it has both windows and a door!) You can start a business that works with your time, talent and lifestyle. If you want to learn more about becoming a consultant, or you're ready to join my team, please don't hesitate to contact me! This could be the opportunity that you've been waiting for!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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