After 6 months with Jamberry, I've decided to post a kind of review. I've had lots of people ask me how I like being a Jamberry Independent Consultant and I have had others who avoid the subject like the plague.
I have always been one of those women who loves going to DS parties- Party Lite candles, Premier Jewelry, and Pampered Chef were my faves. When I was single and trying to get by, I considered doing something like DS, but I was so strapped that I really didn't have the start up fee. I also wondered if I would actually do well. I love talking with people and I can sell well at the places I have worked, but people were always coming to those stores to buy. I didn't have to go out looking for customers myself. So I never took the plunge.
I became a stay at home mom when my oldest was 8 months and we moved from Eastern Washington to Eastern Texas. I enjoyed my time at home. We bought our first house and had a second baby. I never lacked for things to do and didn't feel like there was anything missing, exactly. The only thing I would have liked to change was that I had no spending money of my own. I had an allowance that just covered groceries, gas, student loan, phone, and Netflix (my one luxury). If I wanted to buy craft supplies or a pair of shoes, anything not in my set budget, I either had to scrimp on groceries or ask my husband.
While having no spending money bothered me a bit, I still loved not working outside the home and I was not really looking for a way to change my circumstances. Then, last May (2014), a friend of mine invited me to a facebook party. I didn't even know they had those. I had not been to one DS party during the two years I had lived in Texas, so I was keen to see what it was. I had never heard of Jamberry. When I saw that it was nail wraps, I became less interested. I don't wear make up, don't do my hair, and never paint my nails. I had worked for Starbucks for 14 years and we were not allowed even clear coat on our nails, so I never bothered. Plus, my nails were weak. I used to paint my toes, but that was about it. Still, I stuck around for the games and interaction with my far away friends (the friend who had the party was someone I knew from Washington who now lives in Idaho). I won an accent sheet in one of the games and then a mani pack. When it arrived, I told my husband that I would probably never do them. But then I saw the Sister's Style Exclusive for that month and it was Flutterby!!
I couldn't resist! I bought it for only $15 thinking that I would do my nails for something special sometime. When it came, I did my toes and FELL IN LOVE! I had a catalog party and did my hands for the first time.
I'm not sure exactly why I began considering becoming a Jamberry Independent Consultant. I know the consultant who did my party mentioned some of the benefits and I loved the product. But I had a bug in my ear about it and it nagged at me. I began thinking more and more about it and I joined the sneak peek of the consultants facebook group.
This is where some of you who have been burned by DS companies are starting to cringe, right? When I was considering entering into the world of Direct Sales, I did my
research on Jamberry but didn't really look at anything else. I have recently seen a whole lot of information on some of the other companies out there- not all, mind you, but a couple of the major ones that everyone knows (PinkTruth.com, anyone?)- and it makes me feel sick to think about. But this is my journey, and I'll let you keep reading.
So, I was in the sneak peek, and because I had never done DS before, I didn't really know what to ask. I read the posts by other people asking questions and learned about the compensation plan and fast start bonuses.
I learned that the Team Manager of the group, who happened to be the consultant who did the party I was in, had only been with the company for 4 months and that her direct upline had only been with the company for 6 and was already an Executive (2 levels up from TM)! Granted, I had no idea how these women got to that point and I had no idea how I would "work the business." I was only interested in working a few hours a week, so I doubted I'd go far. I learned that the company was only 4 years old and had fewer than 50,000 consultants. That to me was both a positive and a negative. I expected there would be tons of changes as the company grew, that there was a ton of potential for profit (as all the "literature" suggested- by "literature" I mean the posts on fb), but that there might not be a lot of support and that the company might not be sustainable. I learned that there was a lot of enthusiasm in the group of about 50 women on this page and I wondered if it was really a good idea to join.
I mentioned to my husband that I was thinking about selling Jamberry, thinking that the cautious man he is would shoot the idea down and that would be the end of it. But he didn't. He didn't even think very long about it. He simply said that it was my decision but that he thought DS played well to my strengths. He had long teased me that Swiffer should pay me commission because I sang their praises so often. And he knows that I did a good job of selling at Eddie Bauer and Starbucks. It was easy for me because I believed in the products I was selling. I knew so little about nail wraps. But I had his blessing, so I looked into it a little more.
I did my research. I Googled and You Tubed. I read blogs, watched videos, read reviews, and chatted a bit with the friend who had the party that I discovered Jamberry in. She was thinking about joining, too, so we shared info with each other. I could find very little negative about Jamberry. There was one blog by a former consultant that was pretty negative, but even when I read it the very first time, I could see how she had made some major mistakes and had then blamed the company for them. But other than that one post, there wasn't a lot to be found.
So, I signed up on August 1, 2014. It is now February 16, 2015- almost 6 months since my sign up date- and this is what I have found:
- No one is setting quotas for me.
I set all my own goals. There is an "Active Status" requirement for consultants set by the company, but if I do not make it the only penalty is that I don't get the benefits of my downline. If I am inactive for a year, then I am no longer considered a consultant. That Active Status requirement is $200 a month, which I have never had a problem making. If you don't want to sell $200 a month, you can also be a Hobbyist. The requirement for Hobbyists is $600 a year to keep the free website. Essentially, Hobbyists sell to friends and family and still collect the 30% commission.
But did you hear me say that I make my own goals? I do. Or I don't. No one is pressuring me in any way to sell.
- There are no hidden fees.
The starter kit is $99. With tax and shipping it comes out to about $120 (depending on your tax rate). The only other things you might want to have are business cards, which you can get from VistaPrint for about $25- cheaper when they run a special, and address labels to put on the catalogs and fliers. But you don't have to have either of those things. You don't ever have to have inventory. You don't have to pay any other fees for 3-4 months (depend on which day of the month you sign up) and then the full website is $10 a month after that. Hobbyist website is free. You get a free subscription to TaxBot for recording any expenses you do incur- traveling to parties or trade show (if you choose to do any) or having lunch with a friend and talking about the product. But that's it. You don't have to go to meetings. You don't have to buy anything or subscribe to anything. You don't have to spend any more money unless you want to.
- You have a TON of support!
This is no joke. Not only does no one in my up line pressure me in any way to sell, but they are around when I have a question or problem of any kind. I literally call them Jamsisters because they are like family. We support each other emotionally by encouragement, prayers, and shared experiences. We support each other practically by sharing resources of all kinds whether it be just answering questions of our own knowledge, sharing files and photos for doing online parties, or even swapping marketing materials or hunting down retired Jams when someone needs them to run a party for for a customer, respectively. One of my Jamsisters recently had financial trouble when her husband was laid off and we took up a collection to help her! This group is really phenomenal!
And it doesn't stop with my team and direct up line. Jamberry's motto is "Make it Right." They support their consultants 100%. They have 24 hr support lines, have a great problem solving team, and they bend over backwards to fix any issues.
- The product is awesome!
I've heard lots of people say that the nail wraps sell themselves. While this is not entirely true, it is pretty easy to get people excited about something you wear on your hands. They are your advertisement and people notice them. It opens so many doors to conversation that you don't have to sweat "selling." Plus, there are a dozen things to love about the wraps!!
- The pay.
This is where everyone stops and asks, "Yeah. How much do you make selling these things? And how much do you spend."
This is where it get a little tricky, too. Because no one has the same experiences. The company discourages consultants from saying exactly how much they make because they don't want to ever be accused of making promises. I cannot promise you advancement. I cannot promise you a six figure salary. I cannot promise you will make anything. But I have made enough that I am happy with my choice. I made back the cost of my kit (which I had a garage sale before hand to pay for- NO DEBT for this girl!) with my launch party and almost all of my Jamsisters did, too. I did not make two of the three fast starts (see above) because I only have one recruit. But that is my choice. I have not been out there promoting to get recruits. This blog post is not meant to be an advertisement for Jamberry, but is mostly a resource for anyone looking into doing this. I have never been inactive and I have never had a party that sold nothing. But that is me.
The commission rate is 30-40%. Everyone makes 30% on everything from the very beginning. There is no trial period or goal you have to reach to get to the commission level. You make it on the very first wrap you sell. You can make up to 40% depending on how much you sell in a month (see chart above). There are cash bonuses, product bonuses, and a trip incentive. There is also a way to get marketing product (by selling $700 or more in a month). I have only paid for catalogs once (out of 4 times) because I get the credit.
There is, of course, a lot of money to be made if you have a team under you. This is your choice and is not required. It is also not a pyramid scheme because, if you notice (chart above), no matter what your rank, you must sell a certain amount of product to make the override extras. This means that you can't just tell your down line to sell so you can make money sitting back doing nothing. No one above you will take advantage of you or pressure you to sell so they can make a wage. At least, that has not been my experience and the experience of my Jamsisters.
I also have to say that I love doing parties. Most of my Jamsisters party exclusively or almost exclusively on facebook. I enjoy the in home parties. I have done more facebook parties because you can reach a wider audience that way, but the in person parties have made more money for me. I have also done Skype parties, which is a combo, and those have done well. I love letting women try on the samples (50 sheets come in your started kit) and talking about the confidence it gives me to have pretty hands. I love making friends both online and in person. I love relaxing with women and not thinking about my kids for a couple hours. I've done a couple dud trade shows but I'm hoping to do a wedding show later this year. I've been to one regional conference (where I sat at a table of 5 women, 4 of whom had nursing babies with them- including me!!) and loved that they actually offered me training and ideas as well as access to people from the corporate office (Oh! And discounted Jams!). I love that I can set my own schedule and that I really do get out of it what I put into it. I love that I can take a vacation when I want to. I love that when I do an in home party, I have one bag to carry and don't have to take more than a few minutes to set up! And I love my nails.
I hope that this review was helpful to anyone thinking about joining Jamberry. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them at the bottom.
