10 Steps to Successful Vendor Events

Hey everyone!

For those that don't know, I am an Independent Consultant for All'asta. All'asta is a new way to home party. I signed up over a year ago and have been having a blast ever since and continue to grow my business. The company is 3 years old, and has really picked up over the past year. When I started, I had no selling experience. No clue what I was doing. But I could see the potential because the company is different than others, especially in our area. I could never see myself selling Thirty One or something so popular because there is too much for me to compete in. But for some reason, I loved All'asta...

So fast forward over a year later. What is my favorite part about my "job"? Vendor shows! This is where you find your hostesses, your future team members. If you are a representative for another company, you really understand what I am talking about. I've even had the fabulous pleasure of organizing my own Vendor events and have had success doing that as well. I may even do another post just on that.

So for this post, I really want to put into words how to prepare for a vendor event. Maybe even help those who are just starting out in the direct selling business to launch their businesses!

How to Get Started

1.  The first thing you want to do is join groups on Facebook that are just for home-based businesses. These group pages advertise different vendor events across multiple states. You can usually find one in your area for every weekend of the year. This is a MUST for being in the know of what's happening in your area. For instance, where I'm from, I belong to these Facebook groups: 

• Crafters/Vendors/Home based Businesses around the Central MN area
• Homebased Vendors & Crafters in Central MN, SE ND,  and NE SD
• Central MN  Area Craft Shows, Vendors and events

Once you find event, contact coordinator right away to ensure there isn't another representative 

from your company! Do not delay in this process as you will most likely lose your spot! Email

coordinator and pay as soon as you can! Also, be on the look out for events that you can't do, but 

that you know are great! Pass that information onto your downline or upline so that someone 

from your company can be represented! That's just you paying it forward! :)

2.  You are going to want to set goals and limits for yourself. There are so many vendor events 

going on that you could have one every weekend if you wanted! Know what works best for you 

and your family. Talk with your husband to make sure your schedules match so you don't have 

to spend extra money on babysitters. Here's what works for me and my family and why:

• I do 1 vendor event per month on date that my husband doesn't work.
• I never spend more than $50 on an event that has 500 or less attendees. 
• {My max is $500 for bigger events}
• If the event is more than $40, I make sure I don't have to bring my own tables or chairs.

• I don't travel more than a3 hour radius from my home. 
• Realistically speaking, it is very unlikely you will host parties that far out.

3. Set goals for yourself for your vendor events.

• How many parties do you want to schedule? 
• It is good to have your dates highlighted that you are available.
• Talk to how many people about the Opportunity for your company!
• Other consultants are great recruits! 
• They may not be 100% on board with their own company, and are looking for 
• something else. 

4. One thing you are not going to want to do is register for events too far in advance. Things tend to come up and chances are you will throw money away. Something may come up in your family, or you go inactive for some reason. Sometimes an event will get canceled and you won't get your money back! I wouldn't recommend signing up for an event more than 2 months in advance unless you know it is a for sure thing! Annual events are the exception to this for the most part as they are reliable to go one! 

 5. Do your research of the events. 

• Find out if this is the first event or if it's been done before. 
• Who's the coordinator is, how many events have they done in the past? 
• If the event is annual, find out how many have attended event in the past.
•  How many vendors are they looking to get?
• How do they advertise event?

The more you know, the better prepared you can be! In my experience, here are events that are a hit

 So once you are set up to attend an event as a vendor, here are some tips to getting organized:

6. Stock your supplies/inventory. You don't have to have cash and carry, this doesn't work well with some companies!

• Marketing Materials: Banners, Business Cards, Signs, Flyers, Pamphlets, Brochures, Catalogs, Specials, Hostess Packets, Recruiting Packets, Order Forms, Invitations, etc.
• Inventory, have a sampling of what your company offers. You don't need to show everything, but be sure you pique their curiosity!
• Business Supplies: Notepad, Pens, Calculator, Credit Card Swiper, Bags for customers to carry any purchases in, 
• Display Supplies: Tables, Chairs, Shelving, Baskets, Table Clothes, lights and decor for sprucing up your booth area. Most of the time, I just use stuff I have lying around at home...this will save you time and money! See what you can get by with, add things here or there, not all at once!
• Suggestions: Carts for making loading and unloading equipment easier, Totes for storing your supplies. Computer or Ipad for connecting to Internet which make online ordering easier than filling out order forms. 

 7. Know where you are going for your event. Do research if going to different areas to see how many consultants are currently in that area. This will help for recruiting! If a person knows there isn't a lot of competition, this may grab their attention! When I traveled to Fargo, I also was able to inform possible customers/hostesses/recruits that the state of ND has a law that states to start their business, they do not need to purchase an enrollment kit. So essentially, they would be able to start their own business for $0! I would recommend the kit, but just knowing that one little tip could grab someones attention in a blink.

 8. On the day of the event, have all your stuff already loaded up, this will especially easier if you have to leave early in the morning! Dress for success. If you can dress more casual, take advantage of it, comfort will really win out if the event is long! I tend to go for a more dressy-casual and wear some of my product! Pack snacks. lunch, and beverages. This will cut down some of your cost! Plan your departure and arrival so that you give yourself plenty of time to set up, but also so you have time to go around and look at other vendors and meet and greet.

 9. Be open, friendly, honest, but not a know-it-all! No one wants to talk to someone that knows everything about their business, because they will not be able to put themselves in your shoes! Let them think that they can do what you do! This goes same for home parties as well...{Just a little extra tip I threw in there that I learned from Shari McAllister Hudspeth, who does training for consultants from different companies. 
If you haven't already, make sure you sign up for one of her trainings or coordinate one to do 
with your team or company!}

And FINALLY:

10. Schedule time over the next 2 days to follow up on your leads. I recommend doing a
doorprize, or if you are already required to give a doorprize for the event, make sure you get

information from everyone who takes a catalog from your booth. I haven't had problems with

people signing name, phone # and email address on slips of paper when they want to take a

catalog! You won't get to everyone right away, but divide your stack of leads so that you are

able to contact each contact in the days following your event. If you don't get an answer, leave

a message. If you leave a message, be sure you follow up with a text or another phone call with

a few days after that. This is the most important. If you don't put in the work after, you will

have wasted your time, effort and money. Guaranteed 99% of everyone who took a catalog or

your information, will not contact you, you need to contact them!

I know this is a lot of information to take in. But the more events you do, the easier it gets.

You've got to know yourself and your goals as well as your limits. I'm not an expert, however, 

I'm doing a direct sales business on my own. I'm winging most everything. And there have been 

lots of successes, but there have also been lots of bumps in the roads. Everything is trial and

error. But that is how we learn. And since I've done more than 15 vendor events, I feel this 

information is detrimental to our business and know that I would have loved to know some of

these things when I first got started. I hope this information will help you. Share with your team

or direct sales group. Even if you are a craftor, some of this information will apply to you too!

Anyways, now that I've said what I've wanted to say, go check out my All'asta website and get

to shopping! :) www.allastaparty.com/heatherrolin

Wish you all many blessings in your Vendor events and business!

Getting My Art On...

Happy Tuesday everyone!

I finally feel like I'm getting organized daily bit by bit. So by next December...I should have the house all set! LOL...Yearh right. However, it is a start. I had a shirt back in the 6th grade that said "Everything is better in moderation" and then it had 6 cartoony pictures on it of Mac N Cheese, Lipstick, Coffee, etc...To this day I remember that shirt and think fondly of it and sometimes adhere it to my every day...I think if you do everything all at once, what is there to do tomorrow? I think I would be bored out of my whits!

So instead, I find myself reaching for my art pad, journal, or canvases. Late at night I itch to pick up a paint brush. So that is just what I do. I don't go to a quiet room and visualize an image to put onto canvas. Instead, I lay out a garbage bag on the living room floor, bring in all my supplies and turn on NCIS and paint until an image starts to form. Sometimes they turn out, sometimes they do not. But a few months back, I found myself in a funk. Really depressed. Crying at anything. Didn't know what the heck was wrong with me. Even talked with my doctors, and they referred me to a counselor, however, I have to wait til the end of February, and that was at the beginning of December. So I had to do something to break free of the fog. Art is doing that for me.

Today I was talking with my sister as she has found the same outlet. She's so talented and I love seeing her creations. She told me the same of me. It was weird as I paint or draw just for me. I don't think I'm good and often times think I'm faking the funk, but I've been able to provide for my family on my illustrations in the stamping and scrapbooking community for the past 10 years. Why not painting right? I'm excited to see where this new venture takes me, but it wasn't until I stopped worrying about what others would think of my art that I actually started to create it. It's releasing me and I'm finding a voice and I find it is addicting...It's freeing my mind and I see visions of artwork daily in my head that I itch to put to canvas. I just hope I don't forget them before I have a chance to paint them! :)

With these paintings, I'm going to be teaching some paint classes and cannot wait! Paint parties, Pope County Fair, Wine & Paint Nights, etc...I'm most looking forward to doing kids birthday parties as I LOVE watching kids explore their talents, especially my own children! I get proud to see their finished creations! Hope to share some of these classes with you in the future!

So here are a few paintings I've done lately that I'm very proud of. I'm not sure of my exact style, but maybe along the lines of "Surrealism"? Anyways, if you are interested in purchasing any of these pieces or if you've got an idea of something you would like to see me paint, got to My Etsy Shop please leave a comment! I know the chances of anyone reading my blog are slim, but I always love to hear from people! :)

Have a blessed day!

My "Ah-Huh" Moment of 2015.

Get ready, this is gonna get heavy!

So I was invited to this online bible study entitled "I Do Hard Things" from Havilah Cunningham. It's a 20 day bible study, just a few minutes each day. I however, didn't start until this morning. They are on day 17 of 20. After starting, I couldn't stop. I now find myself on Day 14, and I had to step away in order to shower! LOL.

James 1:2-4

Wow. This is the word that is in my mind. After Day 1, I was hooked. It talks about the 4 pits of pain. These are negative places or spaces in our lives. She identifies them as 1. Childhood Pain. This one struck a cord with me as this is the entire basis of my pain at 33 years old. These are pains brought to us only by the fact that we were born into hurtful environments. We had parents who had us, but didn't offer us love, support, protection, guidance. This is something I've never gotten over. I have children now, 3 beautiful boys and I give them everything I never had. But I am still a little girl who feels unwanted and abandoned. Even though I have a wonderful, loving husband who is not only my best friend, but my world. Even though I have these 3 wonderful little beings that God has blessed me with. It still is the bane of my existence. 2. Physical Pains. Yes! I have this as well! I wasn't born with physical ailments. I instead was injured and with that, became physically disabled. It affects me daily. Some days are so unbearable, I make excuses not to get up and do this or that. 3. Personality. OMG, it's like this day 1 was made directly for me. Because of my upbringing, I have developed a defensive way of approaching life. I hold others at bay including, not internationally, my husband and kids. And lastly, 4. Cycles. I may not be a statistic of where I came from, or fell into bouts of addictions to substances. But I did fall into cycles of self harm and mutilation. I went from school to life within a month of graduation. It wasn't a gradual thing, but SMAK...you are tossed into real life. I'm going to compare this as a person who doesn't know how to swim. When you toss them into the middle of lake without a life raft, life jacket or a way to stay afloat, they will sink. They may not drown, but they will bring everything around them down in order to stay afloat. This was me. I had no life skills and I was expected to be an adult. This was not a good situation and my fears got the best of me at a young age. Thus severing my ties with God. This in itself is an entirely different storey and one day one I hope to share with everyone in the hopes that I can help others who struggle with the same things I have.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8TVWBFxATs

Ok, so there it is, the 4 Pits of Pain. All 4 of them are checked off on my check list. This lead into Day 2. Victim vs. Survivor. This day for me was an eye opener. I had always thought of myself as a survivor. Others saw me in the same light. And I would become embarrassed when they expressed how much strength I had in me to overcome all that I had been through. I didn't understand not feeling worthy. Until today. Until going through Havilah's Day 2. You see, there are 2 mentalities. Victim or Survivor. A Victim always has this feeling of being Alone, that no one can possibly understand their situation or what they are going through. That God specifically targeted them to suffer. They Envy everyone else around them that lives a normal life and are constantly comparing apples to oranges. Victims are bound by Fear. Powerful stuff.  A Survivor asks themselves this, "Do you want to break free?" And if the answer is Yes, they work on breaking free. I have been living in a Victim Mentality my entire life. I am not a survivor, I am a victim. And this is why I always bulk at anyone who has ever called me a survivor. A survivor is strong, and I've been week. This is by far the hardest thing I've ever had to admit of myself. And from here, I know where to go and is my Step 1 in the heeling process!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMvG_M0KsNU

I know where I need to start and I am looking forward to breaking free. Freedom will lead me closer to God. Freedom will break my chains from being a Victim. Being free will leave me open to accepting God's love and walking the path he has chosen for me.

Sorry for the heavy, but it is my way of starting the heeling process!

No one is Perfect. Who'd want to be?

Being human means you make mistakes, you aren't perfect. I think it is funny how we run across people in our lives who think they don't make mistakes. I make mistakes daily! I don't know how to stop! However, I try to learn from them and make sure that the next time I make a mistake, it isn't the one I've already made! :)

It's how we handle mistakes that builds our character and shows us who we are. I am an All'asta consultant. I have absolutely no clue what I'm doing. However, I'm learning as I go and faking the funk. I'm having fun! And there are bound to be situations that come up where I have no clue how to handle them. So what I do is go to my list of consultants on facebook {we've got a special group! It makes me feel like an "All'asta for Dummies" book come to life! So whenever I mess I go to them and get advice. I had this hostess who was so great, we worked together and created a wonderful event! The hostess was so excited on how the party had gone, it was one of my biggest parties to date and I believed I got a friend out of the deal.

Well, the hostess didn't close that evening, and ended up getting outside orders. She wouldn't give me names, or contact info and party had to close a few days later than expected and was now a RUSH to get the orders done for Christmas. There ended up being errors in these orders as the hostesses gave me wrong item numbers. How am I to know as I don't have order forms, but only the numbers she gave to me? Anyways, not a big deal, I worked hard to correct the issues. I returned items, exchanged items, even purchased items that I thought I could use and reordered the correct items. I even stayed up til 2 in the morning as one customers order was a gift, so I made a Christmas ornament that the customer could gift with a photo of the actual item and it was so cute! I paid for shipping on items out of pocket even though the mistakes weren't my fault. I went above and beyond! The entire time, I did apologize that mistakes were made and that all we could do was move forward from this point.

And after all was done, I offered up coupons to the Hostess as well as one customer for 15% off any future orders from the new Spring/Summer 2015 catalog that is said to come out February 1, 2015! Hostess's response to me was "Thank you, But No Thank You". She also proceeded to tell me all the mistakes that I had made, even though they weren't all on me and that she has such a negative taste in her mouth about my company she would never even consider ordering our products again.

I handled myself with grace and said I was sorry she felt that way. I've never had to bite my tongue so hard! Mistakes are made, but apologies and correcting mistakes are suppose to erase mistakes! Then I had to think to myself, this was an extreme case. I've never had an unhappy Hostess before, and orders have never been messed up before. So I know that I've worked really hard to correct the mistakes I make and build a business that is continuing to grow!

I can't please everyone and the more I encounter people like this, it makes me realize that it is how you handle situations that shows who you are as a person and if you just kill them with kindness and do what you can, the rest is up to them. You can sleep peacefully at night knowing you are still a good person even though you have faults. I don't wish to live a perfect life, a life of no mistakes. I'd rather have imperfections as it is pretty hard to live a perfect life, and once you've reached the point of perfection, what else is there to achieve in life?

With that being said...go on over to All'asta and check out my site: www.allastaparty.com/heatherrolin! Lots of fabulous finds to buy! If you are wondering what items will be going away with the new catalog, here is the retirement list! We are a growing company and we will be 3 years New on February 1st. If you find that you LOVE everything, join. And join NOW! The spring feature kit is absolutely LOVELY and I would love to have you on my team! When you join a ground floor company, you will find yourself there for life and you will find that the potential for success is WILD!

Catch you later!

Wow...1.5 years! A New Year, A New Me!

Hey there.

Trying to get back into blogging. Where does one even start? I've changed so much, my family has changed, the world of blogging has changed. I've never been very good at it anyway, but I feel the need to write my thoughts and life down, blogging is calling to me once again.

I started 2015 out with no resolutions. I'm not in the best of mind-set to indulge myself in these yearly requirements. I know I need to be a better wife & mom. I know I need to lose weight, I know my house needs to get organized, I know I need to lift some of the burdens of financial distress, I seek God daily, but I know I need to SEEK God Daily! I need to spend more time with my kids, I need to stop annoying habits, I need to find me-time. I NEED I NEED I NEED! So what is the point really of a New Years Resolution when you have so many things in life you NEED to do, but know that a resolution just means you recognize them, attempt to cross them off your list, but give up in a month or two anyways?

So my NON-Resolutions list inspired me to actually get off my butt and do things. 2 weeks in and I have no "Honey" Do List that is a mile long that needs to get done, but I find things getting done anyways. Maybe that is the key? Trick your mind into not requiring services of itself that it isn't yet ready to commit to? I have no idea! But if that is the key, then I think I'm doing pretty good. I have no deadlines. I do things as I see they need to be done and don't worry that I didn't get done something I had on my list.

I think this has happened to me because I'm sick of failure. I fail at so many things in my life that it's caused me to think of To-Do Lists as miserable experiences. Lists and tasks are stressful. I also think that my mind bulks at the idea of actually becoming a better version of itself because I don't want my husband to expect too much of me! Sad, but true! I mean, what if he actually came home to a SPOTLESS house for a week straight? He would fall over of a heart attack right? I was worried for his health! This is what I've been telling myself anyways. That I'm doing {or not doing} these things for his health! Well, 2 weeks into the new year of a clean house and he hasn't died of a heart attack! That in itself was a huge burden off my shoulders! I would never want to be the cause of my wonderful husband having any sort of health issues!

Then there is the entire Lose Weight Resolution! Who would want to make one of those?!?!?! I mean seriously, getting up 4-5 days per week early to go to the gym and put your body through the ringer because that is the only time that works for you isn't any one's cup of tea! Or making sure you watch what you put in your body so that your workouts get the maximum benefits. Staving off cravings so that you fit perfectly into your favorite pair of jeans! I boy-cotted this resolution to the 9's! I was determined to eat what I wanted to eat, even purchased a gigantic box of oatmeal cream pies because I've deprived myself of these for so long! I made sweets and treats and to hell with the consequences! Snacking, you betcha! Peanut Butter, Strawberry Jelly and Thomas Bagels! OMG Delish! But want to know what happened to this? That cake I made didn't taste good. I ate so much that I never felt good. The new jeans I purchased because my other ones were too small didn't fit right. Not tight, but actually a little bit too big and would stretch after the first wearing! I even put my gym membership on hold! To anyone reading this and thinking I sound crazy...it is so true! I was so determined not to start a Weight Loss Journey, that I went in the total opposite direction thinking that I didn't care! In the end...I've found myself craving healthy...Total insanity!

You see, I am a mess-ed up individual! No lies here! So all this "I refuse to make a resolution before I fail" thinking, is working the opposite direction. I'm not failing. I'm changing. I feel it. I'm not cured, in fact, not even 90% normal! However, I feel the change in me because I want to, not because I feel I have to! It is an amazing feeling and I can't wait to discover what the rest of 2015 will hold for me and my family! My year isn't filled with Resolutions on what I want to change, it is filled with promises to myself to work on to build my character and my relationships! If I do these things each day, mixed in with a little crazy and a little lazy, I'm sure I'll be a better version of myself! Here's a look at what I wrote down in my journal!

On a side note, I want to wish a blessed Happy 8th Birthday to my son Lance. He is an amazing sweet little guy with a HUGE heart and many talents! God knew what he was doing when he blessed us with you! Love you to the moon and back and hope you enjoy the most blessed of all days and celebrate you all year long! I made the card using my own images, printed out on decorative paper and attached to cardstock. Simple, but I know Lance will love it seeing as how he is a Shark-FIN-Natic! You can also check out his brand new You Tube Video here...He's all about the sharks!

Hope you all have a blessed day, stay warm and we'll catch you all next time!