My LuLaRoe "WHY"

I am a LuLaRoe Fashion Consultant!

For the past month I’ve kept my phone in one pocket and my credit card in the other. Any day the LuLaRoe Home office was going to call me. We get these emails daily that tell us what dates they are boarding – and while mine had not come up, I still kept phone and card close by. So you will understand my terror when leaving my phone for a minute (IF THAT!) and on my phone I have a missed call from LuLaRoe Home Office. My heart had skipped a beat – but, but, they weren’t called up to the October 21^st date yet! I hurried to my email, and sure enough, they were calling up to October 24^th!

Well, it wasn’t the end of the world, but you better believe that I always had my phone in one pocket and my credit card in the other, no matter what! Oh, and my phone on high volume, so I flinched every time I got a text, even let out a noise of surprise the first time it happened.

Then it happened Monday 12-12-16, the call! Trying to keep cool, positive (so not to get disappointed if it wasn’t…but it was!) I pulled out my phone and screamed excitedly when I saw who it was. (my poor husband). (:

So now I’m official! And I’m so excited! I put in another order later that same day so I could get the sizes that were not coming with the initial order package, and leggings!

Now that I am a fashion consultant, and after many weeks of thought, I’ve figured out what my “Why” is to being a fashion consultant. I had my reasons, but after taking the “Why” challenge, I was able to simplify it to a phrase:

#BecauseOfLuLaRoe I want to be self-reliant mentally, emotionally & spiritually and increase my personal confidence, so I can be more able to reach out and lift and serve others, also instilling a self-confidence in others.

Now the story. 

Growing up, I was never interested in make-up or clothing to the same level other teenage girls did. I was usually satisfied with my jeans and a tee shirt, and if I was lucky I would find Abercrombie shirts or Lucky Brand jeans at second hand stores. Besides a little mascara, and maybe fingernail polish, that was the extent of my “girliness.”

Don’t even get me started on shopping. I hated it; I still believe I have a shopping-phobia. My poor mother and sister hated(and still hate) to take me shopping, because I was usually indifferent (I really couldn’t care less, but at the same time, really picky) and I dreaded trying on the millions of clothing pieces they would choose (because I could never choose). My mom finally came up with a system where she would pick clothes, buy them, bring them home, I would try them on, and she would take back all of the rejects… Wow, my momma loves me.

And after all of this, I too am befuddled by my sudden passion in clothes… Well, not just any clothes, LULAROE clothes.

Part of my “Why” is very personal, because part of it delves into the past and where I was when I found out about LuLaRoe. Here’s a quick synopsis of the past:

Change, whether it was school-to-school, major-to-major, or from state to state, my past is full of change. The change that really got me spinning in another direction was when my best friend (Risa) discovered she had cancer. At age 18, she passed away from an unidentifiable cancer, going into a coma on my birthday and passing away some days later. I had some other friends die in a car crash, and my dog also died suddenly by another aggressive dog. And as a 20ish year old, I didn’t know how to handle the grief appropriately.

Me & Risa Whitaker at a Church Camp <3

Roll forward the clock: Age 21. I went on a mission for my church for 18 months; I served in Michigan and Brazil. On my mission I felt like I had healed, that I completed my mourning, and beat down my many other demons while on the spiritual journey. While many told me that the mission was a preparation for real life, and that I was to use the tools I had learned to use on my mission… No one told me how hard it was going to be, and that coming home from a mission would make me question all the things I had learned about myself there.

Me on my church mission to Brazil.

I fell into depression, which is a real thing, and a harder thing to face. In society it’s not quite treated like a sickness, like a cough or flu. It should be. Just like we go to the doctor’s office to treat physical harm, our mental health is just as important. It took about a year for me to face and admit to myself what was happening. I had gotten married too, and while my family, husband and puppy brought me joy – little else did.

Enter LuLaRoe. It is not a medicine or a solution to my problem; I like to think of my LuLaRoe journey as the catalyst that got me going.

I first heard about LuLaRoe from my sister-in-law. Everyone was worried about her choice (you know, investing a lot of money in something that may not work out..). I joined her page when she invited me, and at the time I was looking for a dress for a wedding. I had already gone shopping with my sister, while the time with my sister was enjoyable; I had not been able to find anything I wanted. (Comfortable, modest, right color, not too fancy, not too casual, etc.) When I was browsing through Cathy’s (my sister-in-law) clothes she was selling, I found a red pencil dress, the Julia. I started to message her and after asking about sizing, etc, I bought the dress. It was SO easy! And the dress was perfect! Oh my goodness, I had found the type of clothing shopping I loved! ONLINE! Hook #1 I get to shop sitting at home.

My first LuLaRoe ever, red Julia pencil dress!!

I went to the wedding and got so many compliments, and it was comfortable! Hook #2 Fashionable and Comfortable.

So, when a man goes to church or a business meeting he wears what? Slacks, usually white collar shirt and tie, correct? The most difficult part of his morning is picking out his tie. I frequently complained about this, it wasn’t fair how easy it was for the guy! Especially having gone on a church mission and having worn dresses and skirts the whole 18 months… I sure wish I had known about Lularoe then! Girls have many skirts and shirts, get to pick out and match… Or a dress, depending on the color and how you want it to fit- and simply: there are a myriad more things that the girl has to worry about when she’s going to church or a business meeting. Not with Lularoe…!!!

Hook#3 Once you know what style you like and your size, all you choose is the pattern that matches YOU! I love that the various prints allow you to find what speaks to YOU.

I could go on and on, like how giving the company is – how they are really there to help us consultants succeed… And more, I feel like every day I’m learning something new, either about LuLaRoe, myself, and/or others.

To this day, I struggle with depression, but I have something that gets me going and gets my mind wheeling. I remember the feelings from my mission, my desire to help others and be Christ like. Thank you who all are following me on my journey, I want to share this confidence to all women! I am so grateful I have found LaLaRoe – the catalyst to my smile today!

What's a Quebie?

What’s a Quebie?

Quebie (noun): A person in queue to become a Lularoe fashion consultant.

In other words:

When you first sign the papers and agree with Lularoe policies, then you are put in the “Queue.” While you are in the queue, you are considered to be a “Quebie.” The wait right now is 6-7 weeks. Then, after 6-7 weeks, you get a call from the Home Office, during this call you place and pay for your first inventory. Once you receive that call, you officially become a Lularoe Consultant! Which is why it’s so exciting, waiting for the call!

I have seen a lot of Quebies express their impatience while in Queue, and a lot of customers or those new to the Lularoe world question the reasoning for the Queue. I, for one, am so grateful for the Queue! I am so excited and yes, I want that call to come now, yes – but there is so much to do!

(I have both a personal and Lularoe To-Do List on my phone, it has saved me and my sanity!!)

One of the reasons I decided to become a Lularoe Consultant, is because of the opportunity it will give me to be a stay-at-home mom, while allowing me to make a little money and have something else that I love to do, besides being a mom. It’s not so simple though! There are a lot of in-home businesses that probably take less time, but it is Lularoe that I have fallen in love with. My family is continually awed by my sudden passion for clothes… Well, more specifically Lularoe clothing, because I still dread normal store shopping, and even more now- that I’ve found a way to avoid stores altogether!

I’ll talk more about that later though, when I write my post about my “Why.” And it’s something that is changing every day as I discover more about Lularoe, which is why it’s taking me longer to write.

While it seems the dream to work at home, it’s not a piece of cake. Back to the queue, it’s not so simple a process, to buy clothes Wholesale and then resale. There’s business licenses/registration, taxes (income, state, etc), time management/schedule, supplies (clothing racks, hangers, shipping stuff, incentives, room décor, etc.), prepping Lularoe Room (or where ever you plan to put the clothing), other storage (if you don’t plan to hang everything), and oh, how are you paying for all this and inventory? Also, learning about Lularoe, the fabrics, how they are made, you’ll need to know your colors, and how to put together outfits for customers as well. It’s a lot to process! It’s a business! AND I love it! My husband was entranced that I was reading fine print on Lularoe policies and credit card info – and so was I!

QUE CLUB:

I’ll tell you, while I have managed ‘peace’ and ‘tranquility’ while waiting in Queue, and keeping busy so I don’t get impatient… Every time my phone rings, I answer it, from all unknown callers and prerecorded calls. I even got one that tricked me, starting out, “Oh, sorry, my husband was being annoying –“ and then went on about how I had qualified for some cruise or another. Now I’ve put the Lularoe Home phone in my cell, so I know when it’s them calling. Let me tell you about the butterflies and how I squealed when I saw it was “Lularoe Home” calling the other day. They were only calling to help me verify my banking info – but it got my heart racing!

The other that gives me butterflies is the last five minutes of the Queue Club Call every Monday. They give us training on Lularoe culture and how to be the best Fashion consultant for our customers and team members. In the last five minutes they randomly pick five of the Quebies that are there listening and they are chosen to be called in the next 24hr to become a consultant!! And just this past Monday, they called TEN! Through the whole thing I was doing that thing in my head, “Don’t get your hopes up…but what if? What if it was right now?? Noooo, very unlikely, I still have plenty to do still….but what if?” (:

No I did not get called, but guess what! My 6 week mark comes THIS FRIDAY! Which means I will be getting my call from Lularoe Home NEXT WEEK!

I am so excited! And I am excited to have all of you with me on this adventure, because that is EXACTLY what this is.

I am proud to be a Quebie!

Planning, Credit, and Taxes - OH MY!

PLANNING

It’s November 11! Right now there are new consultants being called that signed up on September 28! Which means…. That my date is less than a month away of being called, approximately three weeks, which means I should get my call in about three weeks! It’s getting SO close! Thanksgiving is only two weeks away!

For those who don’t know about the ‘call’… When you sign up to be a consultant, you do all the paperwork and that becomes your initial date. From that date, you have a waiting period of 6-8 weeks to prepare for your first order of inventory. When I get called I will choose which of the packages I will be purchasing, and after payment- I will be official! So for the rest of my three weeks of waiting, I am still scrambling to prepare for this call!

This weekend we will be trying to make home-made clothing racks out of PVC piping. I’ll show you the process if they work out well. (:

I bought a lighting kit on Amazon and some label tape for a machine that my mother has. I plan to label each of clothing in my inventory for organizational purposes. Or maybe I’m just a little OCD….

My plan for shipping is to use www.stamps.com and print on sticker mailing paper, shipping in beautiful yellow poly-mailers. (:

And getting the money to purchase my inventory…

CREDIT CARDS

One of the biggest concerns for a consultant is the money – which is a min. start up inventory cost of $5,000 which does not include all your other business fees. (Clothing racks, hangers, any photography tools, any shipping materials, organizational tools, bookkeeping, taxes, etc.) If you are even thinking about becoming a consultant, start working on your credit score! This is something you can work on and will be a huge help if you make the decision to join the Lularoe team, or not!

All my life I grew up thinking, “I’ll never get a credit card.” It’s bad, you get in debt, etc. What I didn’t know, is that I could never have any sort of credit score without getting a credit card AND that it didn’t have to be such a bad thing, and you don’t have to go into debt.

The funny thing was, because I had never had a credit card, no one wanted me to give me one! So about a year ago I found myself in a conundrum… I needed credit (for future house, renting, etc) so I needed a card, but I couldn’t get a card, because I had no credit!! Even at my home bank, I had to be working three months straight at my job before they suggested that I apply for a low-limit credit card (even though I had years of proof of solid jobs before my two year disappearance because of my church mission).

What TRIUMPH when I got my shiny credit card in the mail. (: How even more childish I was when I got my first junk mail offer for more credit cards later. My hubby and I have a friendly competition of who gets more credit junk mail. Now, I didn’t pay much attention to the offers in the mail, until I realized a couple of months ago that I would not be able to get the money for Lularoe when I had hoped. This is where my good credit that I have building over the past year has come in handy! Just yesterday I applied for and will be receiving in the mail a new credit card with a higher credit limit! Of course, I had been hoping for limit to match the $5000 that I would need for my initial order, but it will cover a good chunk and will let me pay it off with 0% APR for 12 months!

My only regret… I forgot to ask if I could have the pink card… =D

Perks of my new card: it also helps me earn miles for air travel, which will be handy when my hubby starts applying for residencies out of medical school.

TAXES

I am so glad everyone in the world is so different from each other… If everyone was like me, then everyone would never do their taxes, or least, they would do them wrong and the world would be a mess. I find it odd that there are people in the world who actually ENJOY accounting and doing peoples taxes. I will not complain! I have been stressing about taxes for my in home business and all that it entails. I hate worrying about MONEY. Especially taxes, because they have never made sense to me. I am so glad that there is a business that helps Lularoe consultants exclusively!  They have a ton of free advice in the form of FAQ and videos, which while helpful, made me realize how much easier it would be if someone just did it for me.

http://www.lulabooks.io/

I have decided to hire them for December when I onboard, then play it by ear after. I’m guessing I will be addicted and dependent to their services and will not want them to leave my business and me alone… especially in the same room together on tax day.

I’ll end with this video that they posted. I like it, because while he is talking about business, I believe we can apply the principles to every day life!

The Start to my Journey!

My business cards came today!!!

I felt like skipping! I almost did and I went around to my coworkers and gave them each one of my business cards. One step closer!

October 21st is my sign on date - and I should be receiving my call in the first couple weeks of December. This is when Lularoe home calls me and I order my first inventory!!

Every Lularoe consultant has their own story, their own "Why" they decided to become a consultant. I will be posting my "Why" in my next post! Stay tuned!

A little about Lularoe!

Lularoe is a clothing line of fashionable, SUPER comfortable, affordable clothing. My sister-in-law, Cathy, is a Lularoe consultant, and introduced me to the clothing. I was looking for a red dress for a wedding I had been invited to. Long story short: after grueling hours at the mall/stores and trying on clothes (my sister was a trooper and she made it a lot easier, gotta be grateful for family! <3), I was browsing Cathy's inventory and saw a red pencil dress. It was the Julia dress! After talking to her about my size, she let me know she had a couple - and after paying my invoice the dress was shipped promptly to my door. My kind of shopping! I tried on the dress and it fit perfectly! 

I got so many compliments at the reception, and I loved my dress so much, that I went back. Cathy was having a mystery irma event - and then I had to try the leggings... And all of a sudden I was joining a lot of other groups, looking at all my options. One Sunday my mother was surprised, letting me know that this was the most she had seen me shop for myself... in my whole life! And it was true! Because of my shopping phobia, my mother and sister did most of my shopping. All of a sudden in my life I was one of those girls who loved shopping! Online of course... and still limited to Lularoe... Once you nail down your size, all you have to do is browse the different patterns. 

Lularoe Party!

Tomorrow! I'm throwing an online Facebook party for Cathy Christensen. You know those kitchen ware or make up parties you do in home? The Facebook kind is the easy kind where you invite all of your friends and for every 10 items sold, the host of the party can earn free clothing! It's a great way to share how wonderful Lularoe is with your friends. Of course you can do in-home parties as well. (:

Overall

I love the way Lularoe company works. The "up-chain" does not take anything from your earnings - the company gives your "sponsor" a certain percent from how much you order. The company is all about helping you achieve whatever goals that you have! A special thank you to all those following and with me in this journey!