Stars

Ok, so I usually like to post on fashion and how many awesome ways to wear our incredible jewelry, but this time I'd like to talk about the big elephant in the room. As most of you know, Stella & Dot has grown over 700% in over 9-10 months! That is due to all of the wonderful stylists in this company, our incredibly irresistible product and our ability to recruit and lead like no other. Also, we all know that our compensation plan is top notch. To all of us who are on Stylist Space and see the astronomical numbers and sales that many of these stylists are pulling each week and each month—it is more than inspiring and motivating. However, not all of us are selling $10K+ a month....YET.


I started with Stella & Dot in late June, beginning of July. I was then fortunate enough to go to HOOPLA! in mid July. I have had a wealth of knowledge, stories, tips and training thrown my way. I thought it would be a great way to get to step outside of my comfort zone and try something I said I would NEVER do. But I have to tell you....this has turned out to be so much more.

A few days ago I received an email from another stylist that made me realize that the $10K sellers and the big earners in the company are not outnumbering the people like me—5-6 people at a trunk show and $500-700 sales at each one—they are the few and far between in the grand scheme of things. Here is part of the email:

I just want to thank you for saying what you did on a recent discussion with minimum orders and $ amounts.  I always had the impression that you were a superhero stylist booking up the wazoo and making lots of $.  You are so motivational with all your PDF's and great ideas. I just figured you have been doing this forever.  I too have only had about 10 trunk shows (give or take) and other than my launch have yet to hit the 1000.00 mark.  I am thinking what the hell am I doing wrong and am I the only one? ...I think some people are scared to really say what they are feeling and especially on Stylist Space but I am glad you did!

This email warmed my heart. It made me feel like I knew I was going to hit Star, no matter what. How, you say? I came from an industry where doing your best meant wowing a multi-million dollar client with your design in a pool of 20 other designs. Hoping that yours was picked was almost like finding a needle in a haystack. These clients were all about them. They didn't care that there are rules and ways to do things that work better than others as far as type, logo, placement, wording, etc. They didn't care that your best friend was having their rehearsal dinner at 7pm on a Friday night and it meant the world to them that you be there, they didn't care that your child had a soccer game that was the one that you had discussed and told him he was going to "win it for them this time", they didn't care that you had been in the office since 9am and it was now midnight and you had to go back in tomorrow same time and then go home to a baby who got up and nursed every 3-4 hours. They just wanted the design and it'd better be the best one out there or we get to start from square one and work another 60 hour week.

For the first time in my adult career ALL of the stylists have appreciated my work, commended me for my efforts and been inspired by my words. My "boss", i.e. upline, has always been my cheerleader and been so complimentary of all my work, effort and motivation. I have tried to have this kind of feeling of belonging in a company for 10 years and it has yet to happen. I received this email from a NEW stylist last night and it literally brought tears to my eyes:

Seriously I am so glad your employer let you go- because you were meant to be a S&D Stylist and leader!!!  Thank you for being so helpful...I can't thank you enough for paying it forward!  I hope to learn a bunch from you!

This was the icing on the cake. I knew in my heart that I was not meant to be in advertising and that I didn't miss it at all. This not only validated this, it confirmed my happiness. I have found a place where I not only love what I do, I love who I do it for and who I do it with. Ladies, you are not the only one having trouble booking shows even after doing all the right things, hostess coaching until you are blue in the face and wearing those jewels like a queen!! Rome was not built in a day, and I have to remind myself of this every single time I have a gap on my calendar with no shows. I get out my giant legal pad and write a to-do list. It is a list of places and people to call where I can book and be seen. I run errands to certain places on purpose because I remember that cute, fashionable girl that works behind the counter at the salon, Starbucks or Tom Thumb. I purposely pass by girls in the checkout line so I can flaunt my Avery and Natasha. Sometimes they stare and say something and give me a reason to give them a look book and sometimes they just smile and move on. Either way, I know I made their hamsters jump on their wheels. Reaching Star is a 12-week gig for some, but for others it is the ride getting there. That might be 6 months and that might be 2 years, but so be it. I am having the time of my life being with my son and being able to bring income to my family that I know will soon be as substantial as my corporate America income, whether it is in November 2009 or July 2010. It is not the years in your life but the life in your years. God Bless. Keep pushing and you are all already Stars to me!!!!!