B&S Supplies - Brenda McKenzie

Along with the national Party Plan businesses, Pennies 4 Parents has come across a growing trend for independent businesses using parties to sell their own products. 

Brenda McKenzie who runs B&S Supplies in Edinburgh tells us how she got started.

I started the business back in 2004 when my husband was running his own karate club here in Edinburgh. I started out with a small budget of around £200, selling Martial arts gear to our students and then branched out to a website and EBay. The business rapidly moved away from karate suits and gum shields and I started to diversify more towards oriental gifts such as buddha’s, oriental candles, feng shui chimes etc and by doing house parties for friends and family. I have tried over the years to listen to what my customers were asking for and build it from there. I now stock a wide range of affordable giftware to suit most tastes but my biggest sellers are the jewellery ranges and the indoor water features.

Up until March 2007 I was working full time as a lab technician with Heriot Watt University and running the business from home in the evenings but then I had my beautiful daughter Stephanie and made the decision that I couldn’t juggle everything so would only go back to work 2.5 days a week. This freed up time to cope with a new baby, run a house and still keep the business running efficiently. I would process and wrap orders when Steph was sleeping then take her with me along to the post office to post the parcels. This has obviously become easier the older she gets as she is in nursery 3 full days and will be starting school next year but I do sometimes wonder where my day has gone. Sometimes especially on the run up to Christmas I’m still wrapping parcels at midnight for posting the next day.

I am extremely lucky that my husband is a bookkeeper and accountant as he keeps on top of all the paper work for me or I would probably get in a right mess as money and figures are not my strong point. He also comes with me to most of the events and house parties that I attend but he stays in the back ground and leaves the selling to me. At the moment I am working really hard using social media to try and push the business forward as I feel the next step would be to open a giftware and coffee shop in Edinburgh. I will hopefully bring this dream to reality in the next few years. Stay tuned..

Website: www.bssupplies.net

Twitter: @bssupplies

Facebook: B&S Supplies Jewellery & Giftware

The Party Plan Guru’s Top 10 Tips for Party Planners / Direct Sellers

Everyone who is in party plan/direct sales will agree with me that it is not as easy as you may think when first starting out. You really need to put in the hard work to be able to get something great out of your business. When you joined up I am sure that your manager/team leader said “write down your FRAN” (Fran is Friends, Relatives, Acquaintances and Neighbours).  I was able to write these down but when contacting them, they were not all that interested. Was it the same for you?

Party Plan is so vast, so many companies are doing it, but what makes your business different to all the other consultants or companies is YOU. Thinking outside the box about your business, doing something different with your products or travelling along a different part than the norm will set you apart from everyone else. Think that if you were told to do something by the company or your up-line manager, so are about 100 other people, how are you different????

My top 10 tips for Party Planners are:

1.       Think outside of the box – Look at your products and write down all the different places you would be able to sell them and to who.  For cosmetics and beauty ranges go to mobile beauticians, they may even join later on, for Candles look at gift ideas put your own packages together.

2.       Themes – Look into different Themes for your parties, at the end of the day you are advertising a party in their home........so where is the party? Or is just a lady trying to sell you stuff to make her money?

3.       Have confidence in your products – if you don’t believe in the products you are selling and you don’t get excited about them then who will?

4.       Be Organised – Get your home office in order, if you are organised at home then you will run your business better. Let’s face it if you worked in an office they would soon be asking you to sort your desk out if its in the state it is now!!!

5.       Advertise Better – Places like findaparty.co.uk and Party Plan United are areas that you are able to advertise your business and get hostesses to you, but if you don’t have contact details on there like a phone number or email, how are people able to contact you? Trust me this happens a lot.

6.       Talk to everyone that you meet everyday! This can be the lady behind the supermarket till or the hairdresser you go to. I find myself even talking to the lady stood behind me in a queue. If you’re happy they will soon wonder why!!

7.       Coach your hostesses – so many party planners forget about this simple rule, Great you have a party, but sending them brochures and invites and then turning up on their doorstep 2 weeks later is not good enough. If you do this and don’t coach your hostess, don’t expect a great sales night.

8.       Try an online party – these will allow you to have a party on the internet without you having to leave the comfort of your own home. Check out: http://bit.ly/pZWnOd

9.       Look for external help – In a business you go on training programs and have monthly meetings, make sure you go to as many that your company are offering as well as getting help from others, like The Party Plan Guru, we are all here to help you be successful and earn more money.

10.   Have Fun – the more fun you have with your business and your products the better they will sell. If people see that you are having fun they will not only want a party but will want to join a business that makes them feel the way you do.

For more tips and hints please have a read of our articles at www.thepartyplanguru.wordpress.com

or come and join the fun over at

The Party Plan Guru on facebook

We look forward to helping you soon

The Party Plan Guru xx

Office: 01425 511455

Usborne Books - Jan Olive

My journey with Usborne Books at Home started in May 2009 when I met a lady selling the books at a fair in Taunton.  She had a huge banner that was advertising for Book Sellers which grabbed my attention.

At the time I was working for an insurance company and looking for an escape route.  She gave me a pack of information to take away and read…… one coffee later (ok and a slice of cake!) I was hooked.

I was aware of Usborne books as my son had enjoyed the Farmyard Tales when he was younger but I didn’t know that Usborne also had a Party Plan division.

As an avid reader I loved the thought of introducing young children to books and as Usborne offer a flexible opportunity I decided I could fit it around other commitments.

When you join Usborne Books at Home you pay just £38 for the Starter Kit which contains approx £120 worth of books, carefully selected from across the range, as well as all the business stationery you will need to start your own party plan business. Our catalogue contains over 2000 titles for children from birth to teens.
As an Usborne Organiser, you can sell Usborne books at home parties, toddler groups, in schools and throughout your community.  I started with my own party at home first and it snowballed from there.
Organisers  earn at least 24% commission AND you will have access to FREE and discounted books for yourself.  Once you have done your first party the Starter Kit is yours to keep and you work as much as you like; there are no sales targets.

I joined in June 2009 and by that October had become a Team Leader by introducing other people to the opportunity.  Last year was my first full year and was amazing – I even won the annual travel incentive and spent a brilliant 5 days in Iceland with 26 other Usborne winners. 

 

 

I now have a team of nearly 40 lovely Organisers from all around the country and I love helping them build their own businesses and seeing them reach their personal goals.  Some join to raise money for a particular event – holidays, Christmas, weddings and others are looking to give up work to spend more time with their families.

This is not a get rich quick scheme - it does require a level of commitment and hard work, but it is incredibly rewarding.  It is now my full time job although I only spend about 20 hours a week on it so it feels more like part-time because I choose when I work! I even managed to go to college two days a week for a year to pursue my other love – painting.

You don’t need sales experience but a PC, printer and a car are necessary.

You can read more about Usborne Books at Home on my website:

www.mojobooks.co.uk

If you are interested in starting your own Usborne at Home business or have some questions please contact me, I would love to hear from you.

I also have a Facebook Page which you can find at Mojo Books at Usborne at Home where I post events and competitions and keep “fans” notified of Special Offers.

Truly Madly Baby - Ailsa Mcintosh

Hi, my name is Ailsa, a mum to two under 5’s and a Consultant Manager for Truly Madly Baby and Truly Madly Kid.

Truly Madly Baby & Kid is primarily a party plan company, set up to give mums like me a chance to start their own business around a lifestyle that suits them and with a low start up cost.  We sell a wide range of products from baby to older children (age 10).  There are too many products to mention, but the range includes items for learning, essentials (like the not so nice potty training), gifts and toys, from brands such as Kidorable, Trunki, Zoobies and much more.  The main thing to highlight is that most of these products are not ones you find on the high street or in supermarkets. They have all been specially chosen to ensure a varied and exciting range yet remain at affordable prices.

With it being a Party Plan Company then I would go into people’s homes or venues and demonstrate a variety of products, show the catalogue and give advice, a bit like a personal shopper!  It’s not all about parties though.  I go into baby and toddler groups, go to events, anything that I think will help build my business.  The good thing is, it is my choice.  There is no pressure on me from Truly Madly Baby, I can work as much as I feel is right for me and my family.

I came across Truly Madly Baby as I was looking into Party Plan Companies to earn some extra income.  I looked into every Company and I mean every Company but wanted it to be one where I loved (and used) the products, one that was affordable for customers and one that was not target orientated – only the targets I set myself.  I happened to be invited to a Party myself around the same time and sat looking at the catalogue thinking I must have that, that and that.  I thought if I think like that then maybe others would too!  I joined up within 2 days of that Party.

Truly Madly Baby is set up to be a low cost start up.  I genuinely believe they understand that us mums, especially if not working, do not have large outlays to pay.  It is only £20 deposit to join. Yes, I did say £20.  For that you get your kit, stationary and all the support to get you started.  Of course, there needs to be some commitment to meet the rest of the cost of your kit (£300 sales) but as long as you are willing to put the effort in, it is more than achievable.  What it does mean is that you can potentially start your own business for £20 and where else can you say that?

As there are no monthly targets, I work as much as I want to build up my business.  On average I would say 2-3 hours a day, usually when the kids have gone to bed.  Sometimes this will be in the form of going to a party, sometimes it is time spent working with my team, on recruitment or looking for new potential customers.  What is important to me, is that I still get to be a fulltime mum, which makes me very lucky.

Like any business from home, when the kids are around so much it can be hectic and there are things that would be good to do during typical ‘office hours’.  It has meant that I need to be a lot more organised and though I know I am a long way off, I am getting much better at it.  Also as there are no targets I have to keep setting myself little goals to achieve or I think it would be quite easy to have too much time off!  More importantly, I get to talk about products I truly believe in (no pun intended) plus my children have got some great free products as a result of my achievements too!  It doesn’t really feel like work either as I have so much fun and meet so many people.  I know that might sound corny, but it’s true.

So, if you are sitting there reading this thinking I can do that then get in touch with me!  I always share my experiences honestly as it is important that you are able to make well informed decisions.  My top tip is if you have any questions then ask them, no matter how many.  It is important to know as much as you can to make the right decisions that suit you and your lifestyle.



www.trulymadlybaby.co.uk/ailsamcintosh

www.facebook.com/pages/Truly-Madly-Baby-Kid-Fife  

Twitter: @tmbailsa

Ice Jewellery - Clare Mutch

In 2006 I started to do jewellery parties in the evenings after the birth of my first child, whilst my husband ran our jewellery shop in North Devon.

Really it started out as just a hobby; I was at home all day with my newborn son whilst my husband was at work and I missed not having any customer contact. I had an idea that I could bring the store to those customers that, for whatever reason, couldn’t or didn’t want to go into the busy town centre. A very good friend of mine offered to host my first party at her house, so I took a sample of the jewellery ranges we held in the shop, displayed it all on her dining room table and from the guests that she invited, took orders to the tune of just over £600! Not bad for 2 hours work. From there I got 2 more bookings, then at those parties I gained further bookings until by Christmas of 2006 I had a party booked for almost every evening. October and November were pretty busy months and I had to turn potential hostesses away as I just couldn’t fit them in!

 

I really started to see the potential of Party Plan from then on but didn’t have the resources to make it as professional as I would have liked, at that time.

With this in mind, over the next 4 years my husband and I slowly built up the Party Plan business (and managed to have another baby!) by introducing others to join our team and offering incentives for people to host their own party.  As a party hostess they would received a free gift and 10% commission in goods, so most hostesses tended to get their order for free! When money is tight that’s a really great incentive to host a party!

 

We are now one of the UK’s fastest growing jewellery party plan companies and are offering our opportunity to anyone who wants become a consultant with us. Consultants purchase a kit that contains all the essentials they will need to get partying straight away. They then have the potential to earn 25-30% commission on everything they sell. The www.icejewellery.com website has a fully interactive Party Plan area for all our consultants so they can even earn full commission if their customers place orders online.

The opportunity fits perfectly into any busy mums lifestyle as most parties are performed either in the evenings when the kids are in bed or during the day at baby/toddler groups etc. when you can take them with you!

We now have over 50 consultants nationwide and are constantly on the look out for likeminded people who love our jewellery and want to earn a great income too.  Being a family run company we understand the constraints of day to day family life so set no targets or hassle for bookings.  In fact we have just been shortlisted for ‘Flexible Company of the year’ by www.mumandworking.co.uk which we are very proud of. 

www.icejewellery.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/icejewellery

Twitter: @icejewellery

Ice Jewellery
22a Green Lanes Shopping Centre
Barnstaple
EX31 1UH

T 01271 327788
T 07951 738890
 

We also run a networking site www.partyplanunited.com for anyone in or thinking of joining party plan.  We have had over 250 members join since launch in May 2011 representing over 40 different Direct Sales companies.  Our aim is to offer a one stop shop for anyone thinking of joining a company for them to get honest answers all in one place.  And also to provide a great source of helpful training, list of events and networking opportunities for those already with a direct sales company. 

www.partyplanunited.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/partyplanunited

Twitter: @PartyPlanUnited