new business Archives – modern day bombshell

I found a direct sales company that sells all the bling, but it truly is more than just jewelry!

I first saw JBloom at a mini vendor event, and I was there as a vendor for another company. The jewelry I saw was trendy & stylish, but what really got me was all the ways to personalize so many pieces. I remember thinking, If I was a rep I would be marketing all the gift possibilities! I mean what mom doesn’t love receiving a gorgeous necklace with her kids names engraved on them? Or having a favorite quote or scripture customized on a bracelet for daily inspiration. Personalization is one of those things that makes a gift unique and cherished.

When I closed up that first business, I thought seriously about the next company I would join. JBloom was one of the companies that had left an impression. In researching the company, I found very few reviews or videos by reps within the last few weeks or months. I ended up looking for designers in my area so that I could connect with one in person. I was excited to learn that one of the top reps in the company was near by! The bonus was that she happened to be holding an event the next week in which the owners of the company would be there for a meet and greet!!

Feeling a bit like a party crasher, I attended the event on a whim. I am so glad I did! Not only did I hear the story behind JBloom and where they are headed, but I met the owners in person.

L-R: Bret & Jennifer Bonacorsi, Executive Director Designers (and my upline) Lindsey Salapare & Sharol DeGroots, new corporate members Allison Lime & Gary Wright

Bret & Jennifer Bonacorsi, the owners of JBloom, have built a company that is strong in family & faith. They believe in helping charities and supporting their designers that work hard in their businesses. If you’re interested you can read more about their story here. Having met them that evening, I had the opportunity to see their friendly and welcoming personalities first hand.

I was equally enthusiastic for the new team members the company introduced at the party as well. To help representatives with training programs and coaching, Allison Lime joined as a consultant to JBloom. She spoke of her years working in the direct sales business, leading a large team. She has had decades of experience in developing and executing strategic marketing plans. Her humor and energy was infectious!

Gary Wright was introduced next as a consultant in brand management. Impressively, he worked in publicity and custom sales for brands like Jenny Craig and Oprah Winfrey. He has also worked as Director of Brand Management and Marketing and Field Development for Southern Living at HOME. I can see what a vital addition he would be to this small company. I was excited for JBloom, and I wasn’t even a representative yet!

In the last five years, the Bonacorsi family has been building their company and strengthening the infrastructure to handle higher production and shipments. They are in the right place to take the company to the next level!

This is why I chose JBloom. Many representatives join because they want the discount on their products. {Ok, I’m not going to lie; 40% discount and commission right from the start is a great benefit that I plan on taking advantage of too.} What I was really looking for was a company that was poised to grow big, but already stable enough to handle a potential influx of new consultants. I liked that they had an established compensation plan and many other rewards and incentives too. With the experienced additions to the corporate office, JBloom should continue to grow exponentially! There are currently only 2400 representatives. I want to be a part of this growth opportunity at, essentially, ground floor.

And then there are the products.

I believe in the management team, but I stand behind the product too. The personalization alone sells me, but the pieces are beautiful and high quality too. They are more than just accessories. The ability to engrave names or favorite quotes make them treasures. This lines up with my ultimate and simple goal in life, which is really to make people feel good. Whether that’s through humor, words of inspiration, building confidence, or just reminding them of their achievements and blessings, I know JBloom can play a big role in helping me achieve that goal. I’m grateful to have a creative and social outlet, have the ability to make some money and earn trips, and the flexibility to still do all the things for my biggest blessings at home.

If you have questions about JBloom products or joining the company too, I’d love to connect! And if you’re looking for a special piece to complete your wardrobe or commemorate a special day, feel free to browse my shop site!

Working in Direct Sales is great for someone who wants to create their own work schedule but not have all the responsibility of dealing with wholesalers or the overhead of a brick and mortar store. {Getting the products you love at a discount is a bonus too!} If you’re serious about making your business a success, you can learn a lot about running a business with a fraction of investment costs as most entrepreneurs by getting into direct sales. I am amazed at all the skills I learned from the year and a half I poured myself into my business, but I definitely didn’t start out that way.

I was so excited to start my journey as an independent representative for Agnes & Dora. Honestly my “why,” for joining, was purely for me. By the time my youngest was heading off to school full-time, I had been a stay-at-home mom for 15 years. The experience was both a blessing and a curse. Being available for my family when they needed me was great. But I was also the go-to person for everything related to the kids, school, cooking, cleaning, all their activities. I was ready to do something for myself!

While I learned many lessons as a full-time mom of 4, surprisingly organization and time-management were not my strong points. And once I started my small business, I got my butt kicked!

Even though I was working for my self, and could essentially set my hours, I had a hard time balancing this new adventure and still trying to do everything I was doing as a mom. It was so challenging for me, not only to adjust my schedule, but learning to run a business for the first time. I tried to learn all the new apps and software for graphics. I joined many Facebook groups for business help and inspiration. Learning a new product and trying to promote yourself was very time-consuming. I was spending more time on my phone and less with my family. Many times I was completely discouraged and ready to give up.

Yet, eventually, I actually learned “the ropes” of the business.

I got the hang of all the apps and programs I downloaded so that making graphics and scheduling posts weren’t as difficult as they used to be. My group was small and manageable, and I was getting shoppers. My social strategies were starting to click, thanks largely in part to Brenda Ster of the Socialite Suite. In fact, I still follow her paid premium group even though I no longer work my Agnes & Dora business because the group and the friendships I’ve established are worth it to me.

So what would I tell someone who is completely new to direct sales and wanting to get off the ground running? Lots really!

But here are 7 things I wish I would have known when getting into a direct sales business:

1. Your product does NOT sell itself.

Hopefully you were not told this by your upline or your company. The product you sell may be amazing, and you may have watched other representatives sell so successfully that you were inspired to join the company too. Even if your products are part of some craze that everyone wants to be a part of, and you are lucky to be in at the right time, you should know that at some point the hype will die down. If you are looking to kill it in your industry, prepare to put in the work–market yourself, be creative with obstacles, and put in time to build relationships with customers (without being spammy).

2. Have a physical support.

Whether it’s your spouse, significant other, parent, child, sibling, or bestie, having someone close to you who understands what your goals are for this business and is truly supportive is a blessing. Being self-employed is hard. Unless you have a business partner, you are the CEO, the personal relations manager, the financial operator, the tech support—you are everything. Having someone to turn to is extremely helpful. You also may need someone for child care, a sounding board for ideas, business advice, or even as a temporary employee. It is not impossible to be a business owner on your own, but if you have someone in your corner physically willing to help you, your success is so much more achievable.

3. If you don’t have experience in business, you might benefit from coaching.

There are so many business groups and coaches out there for all areas of direct sales. Prices range from free to thousands of dollars for coaching. Start with your company and your team trainings. It’s in their best interest to see you succeed, and these trainings will also help you learn the products if you are not familiar with them. Look for local business groups that cater to owners in your city. This is great if you want to physically meet up and talk. You can find many coaches and groups on Facebook as well. Again, I highly recommend Brenda Ster’s Socialite Suite, a free group specializing in attraction marketing and social media strategies. Or join The Elite Suite, which is a paid subscription and covers in-depth coaching topics with Brenda, tips, ideas, suggestions for your business, and an active community of entrepreneurs to help each other. Don’t feel like you have to pay for training unless you find worth in it. But definitely try out a few groups and see which ones resonate with you.

4. Have a business plan and budget.

Because my boutique started as a hobby and not for the income, I didn’t see this as a necessity. However looking back, writing down some initial goals, financially and professionally, would have given me something more tangible to work for than “to just make some money,” and I would have been more successful. If you need this job as income, then you absolutely have to have a plan. You need to know how much money you need to make every month and then have a plan for how to achieve that goal. How much do you need to sell? What is your overhead costs? What supplies will you need? You can find printables all over the internet to help you figure this out. Write down your intentions and necessities so you have, at least, a baseline to strive for.

5. Schedule Schedule Schedule!

Schedule work hours for yourself! If you don’t set boundaries you will find yourself answering customer’s questions at family events or making graphics at 2am. Eventually you will burn out, or tensions start building in your family or you start resenting the business. You wouldn’t expect a small brick and mortar boutique to stay open 24 hours. Don’t expect yourself to do it all 24 hours a day.

And along with setting hours, following a daily or weekly schedule is an excellent idea too. Planning your day or week ahead of time helps keep you focused on the tasks you absolutely need to get done. Having a planner, paper or digital, is great for organizing schedules and for accountability.

6. Learn Social Media Shortcuts

There are many apps and programs designed to make your life easier. There are graphic programs like PicMonkey or Canva that once you take the time to learn them, creating templates of posts will be quick and easy. Get the mobile versions so that you can do a little work away from your desk too. Then use programs like Cinchshare & Tailwind to schedule your posts ahead of time. Even Facebook has a scheduling tool. You can be present on your social media platforms without having to think about it simply by doing it ahead of time! This is such a game changer especially if you are great at batching out as much work as possible, like social media posts or YouTube videos, all at once. Then you can get them scheduled and not have to worry about it for a while. This helps you feel a bit more accomplished and you aren’t trying to always come up with content for your social channels at the last-minute!

7. Mindset inspiration.

I wish I had taken this advice more seriously. In the beginning, you’re pumped up and ready to start your new business. But chances are at some point you will feel frustrated or down. There will be a lull in momentum or an obstacle you weren’t expecting. It is easy to fall into comparison traps and negative thoughts when things aren’t going as planned. Listening to podcasts or by having inspirational quotes and images around you helps build your confidence during those times you feel like giving up. Creating a vision board that depicts what you want and need from your business is an awesome way to stay motivated too.

In the end, you will learn what works the best for you and your business. For a newbie, direct sales can be overwhelming especially if you’re trying to juggle it with a full-time job or little children running under your feet. The beginning is just a season of learning. Eventually it will pass and you’ll enter a new season as a pro ready to help another beginner down the line!