This has been a growing year for me and my stamping business. It’s also my 21st year with Stampin’ Up! so I’ve finally come of age. 🙂 I guess I’d say that it all started with the revamping of my stamping studio, aka, My Country Loft or, for short, my loft last July/August. It’s situated over our garage and was originally a craft studio for the wife of the builder of our cabin/home. When we purchased, the room became the ‘boys dorm room’ where son and guests would play their guitars and make noise that went right down the driveway and out into the forest, not into the house. Son went to college, got married, we moved into the cabin on a permanent basis and I claimed the space. The sign came from a local hardware store that, sadly, went out of business. The Country Loft was their gift area, including a small selection of rubber stamps. Of course I purchased some of them before I went to the Stampin’ Up! side.
About that time I also started the revamping of my StampingWithBlythe blog. I loved my old one but it was time for a refresher. I went from this logo:
to this one:
You saw my stamp room makeover yesterday and can check out some of the beginning of the real agony of it here. The refreshed room has really made it easily for me to accommodate my monthly classes and occasional small retreat groups for down line and crazy Christmas card marathon stampers.
I’ll still be attending Stampin’ Up! events because (1) I believe in them, (2) I learn a lot while there, (3) I get to see stamping friends from here and there, (4) the display boards are such inspiration and (5) this year I’ll be seeing it from the stage as a presenter. I guess longevity does have its paybacks! 🙂
I’ve been a member of John Sanpietro’s Business Stampers Coaching Group for a big number of years and through that group I’ve utilized the skills of my lovely, smart and sassy personal coach Brenda who has given me lots of inspiration and ideas. And support.
And just recently I have joined a new website group dedicated to providing content strategy for stamping businesses called Stampology. The link is on my sidebar. Disclaimer: the owner of Stampology is my daughter-in-law Khris who has built two fabulous blogs for me as well as offered me lots of content support over the years. We’re always jabbering over ideas. She definitely has credentials to back her up.
In June I launched a new event called a Card Buffet. During each month’s 3 hour Buffet, participants create a total of 8 cards. They select their cards from the online Buffet presentation of eight cards in any assortment to equal that magic number of eight. The intention of the Buffet is create cards for your next month’s needs (rather than buying them in a store whose cards are very likely not made in the good old USA). Hand stamped is always better! Participants can choose the greeting of their choice for each card. The Buffet assortment is ready for viewing by the 10th of each month with selections made no later than one week before the class which is held on the last Tuesday of the month. Click on Blythe’s Buffet in the right hand box at the top of this blog to see August’s class selections.
Stretching my skills, I’m offering PDF Tutorials of my monthly classes, our monthly library gatherings and my monthly Card Buffet, with or without card stock and embellishments. I still have a little work to do on the technical aspects of getting my tutorials into ‘your’ email box but I’m smoothing it out a bit more each month.
Growing my downline (creative interested stampers who want to be a part of the Stampin’ Up! family) is always on my radar. My goal is to offer the opportunity of becoming a demonstrator to everyone I chat with about ‘doing what I do by owning their own stamping business’ whether in a class, on the phone or in the grocery store! If they’re not interested I invite them to a class so they can experience the lovely therapy of stamping and creating. I’m not the real forward type so I don’t always ‘push my wares’ but I try. My team remains small and some are long-distance but we do have fun and each member knows I’m always just a phone call away when they have a question or concern.
I think I’m honestly always working on growing my business, improving what I offer while still being ME. I totally enjoy/love what I do and I want my customers to always know that I’m here and available to answer their questions.
