Pampered Chef Plus Full-Time Employment

[ChefSheryl]

I have someone interested in the business. She is married with two grade school children, works almost full-time, and her husband has his own photography business that she helps out with. She really wants to try it out but does not want to over extend herself. I have explained she can start out very slow then gradually grow her business. She is also wondering if she could feasibly quit her current full-time job and work PC full-time and bring in 1500.00 per month. I told her if she did two shows a week that she could.

If you have any suggestions in regards to starting PC with full-time employment and moving it to your sole income that would be great. I thought if enough people responded, I would have her read the posts. She has been on her before. I appreciate any feedback or responses.

Thank you!

 

[redsoxgirl]

I don't have kids or a hubby to help, but I do have a FT job. It can be hard doing shows during the week after work, but she can just do them on the weekends if she wants.

Honestly, the best thing about this to me is I choose when I do shows. I don't have to follow a schedule some boss who could care less sets for me. If I want to take a week off, I can. If I want to work 7 days a week on top of my FT job, I can.

 

[wadesgirl]

I work full time and do PC what I would consider between part time and full time, leaning more towards the full time. Scheduling would be the best piece of advise I can give her. She needs to sit down and look at her calendar. Mark all the days she has activities, kids events, help husband, etc. Then from there, mark the days of her calendar that she could do shows. I use bright pink sticky notes. I usually only mark the first two weeks of the month to start. Then when she books shows, she can say, Does this date or this date work? That way PC works around her life as needed. In months that she can do more shows, great. Last September I did $5300 in sales, 6 shows (two $1100 shows) - two weeks. That brought home a little over $1300. Then it boosted me above $15,000 to have my raise for the next month. So she would be looking at possibly doing $6000 a month to cover what she needs.

Doing power hours help. Or take 10-15 minutes when ever she can (waiting to pick up kids, sitting at ball games, etc) to make calls as needed.

The biggest thing I love about PC is that you work it around your life instead of your life around PC.

 

[janetupnorth]

Others can give better advice about moving from PT to full-time, but I am the queen of having too much on my plate with activities and STILL find time for PC. It's all a matter of motivation and busy people get more done.

Here are some of my activites to give her a clue...

1. Work Full-time 45-50 hours a week on average.
2. Have 2 kids, ages 4 and 6
3. Am a volunteer firefighter and EMT and Secretary of our Fire Department.
4. Am an AWANA leader to ages 5-8 (one night a week - 4 hours).
5. Teach Red Cross classes on occasion.
6. Take my daughter to AWANA, piano lessons and the Y each week.
7. Spend most of each weekend at camp (Fort Wilderness) where DH works and help (or play) there with the kids.
8. Maintain (or try to) my entire household, everyone's schedules, all the finances, the vehicles and maintenance and other things.
9. Do Pampered Chef (I do about 2 shows a month - sometimes more)
10. Help at church on occasion on Sundays.
11. Take a class each week at the YMCA.
12. In the summer I add in softball to this schedule.


ETA: ...and spend way too much time on Chef Success...

 

[hperschnick]

I work FT and have a 20 month old with one on the way. I try to have 3-4 shows a month. The thing that has helped me was to pick the days I want to do shows and stick with it. DH and I decided Tuesdays and Thursdays are the best plus I have a cluster meeting one Saturday a month and I have picked one other Saturday a month that I can do a show. Just scheduling your time for calls and spending 1 hour on the phone on a certain day of the week and letting DH know and sticking with it has helped (still working on the phone part but when I do it it works!)

She can do it! She just needs to make sure she is scheduling her PC time and not let it schedule her!

 

[pamperedpals]

The beauty of this business is you can work it as much or as little as you want. I have a very hectic schedule with three children. Here is a quick glimpse of me:

1. Work FT (M-F) 7:00 am - 3:30 pm and every other week I work FT (M & ) 7:00 am - 3:30 pm and (W-F) 5:30 am - 2:00 pm.
2. My early week's I pick my oldest son up from school at 2:43 pm
3. Live on a working farm
4. DH works S-T 9:45 am - 7:45 pm.
5. Do 4 - 6 shows a month, want to schedule 10 and hold 8.

One thing that has worked really well, is like what others, are saying about scheduling days for her to hold her shows. I hold my shows on W, F and 1st & 3rd Sunday of the month. Also, Thursday evenings are my "Office" hours 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm. DH takes the kids to the playland during that time so the house is quiet.

It can be done.

 

[ChefSheryl]

Thank you for your responses. I am exhausted just reading those schedules. I have two more questions. With all that you do, what is your motivation? Is it worth it?

 

[wadesgirl]

My motivation is to pay off bills that my 40 hour a week job doesn't give me enough money to cover (credit cards, Christmas/bday presents, etc). To earn free products so I don't have to buy them (see previous sentance!). Most of all I want to be able to stay home when we have kids. I had thought about waiting until we were trying to have kids to start my business but figured I should try it out and build it up now.

Oops, forgot to add it is so worth it. I love the recognition I get that I don't get at my regular job. I love the fact that I can work my life around PC and not the other way around. My alternate option before PC was to get a part time job and I didn't want to spend every night and weekend working and never get to have any fun. The products are great, the customer are fabulous, it is a very rewarding business to be in!

 

[janetupnorth]

One thing I heard that is true:"Pampered Chef is the best thing I can do away from my family FOR my family."The 1 or 2 nights out a week for SAHMs or even for me who works in technology gives me time to have adult conversation with people my age with some similar interests.The "break" from having the kids always in tow keeps me refreshed for going home the next night and spending time with them.The extra income for me is what allows me to give my daughter piano lessons each month or take my daughter to a movie when she does good at reading.
(Proud mom moment coming - DD is in first grade and when just tested is reading at a 2.3 level - 2nd grade, 3rd month - WITHOUT mom's help!!!) I promised her if she brings me home good test reports, she gets stickers and after so many can see a movie.

 

[Christ Follower]

This business is so flexible, there's really nothing to lose for giving it a try. You have the control over how busy you want to be with PC. I love that.

 

[jrstephens]

It can be done if she wants it to work. I work 32 hours a week Mon-Thurs. Teach AWANA on Wed night, am on our City Council and have meetings once a month and things in between, I teach Children's Church one Sunday morning a month. I have a 3 year old and am currently pregnant due in May and am going to the doctor once a month about to become every two weeks (did I mention my doctor is 90 miles away one way). I also keep books for an eldery weathly couple.

It is all about scheduling and the help of her husband with the kids. I do 2-4 cooking shows a month and TRY to have at least one catalog show going on. I have my day I will do shows and my days I will NOT do shows (Sun and Wed b/c I do not want to interfere with God's time). It is all about doing then when I can do them not when someone else can. That is what is so great about this business.

My motivations is several things:

My main motivation is that I KNOW that God got me into PC and as long as He wants me to continue He will provide the bookings and the time to keep them. Each time I have thought well I no bookings for the next month, God has provided them. I am praying for His direction and guidance after the baby gets here and during the two months I am taking off.

Of course the commission. It allows my family to have extra money for the things we want to do and for myself to have extra things I would not normally have. I just bought a Dell laptop with my commissions that I saved up, If not for PC I would not have that. PC has paid for a trip to the mountains and several mini-vacations for us. Right now PC is helping to boost my Maternity Leave Savings Account and helping do some decorating of the baby's room and redoing our 1960s looking bathroom.

I also LOVE the FREE stuff. I have a kitchen full of amazing products and have rarely paid for them. And even if I do have to pay for them, they are a tax right off. I love getting out of the house some and meeting new people. I have developed several friendships (one a VERY close friendship) that I would never have if not for PC.

I love the products. It is so fun to sale something that I am totally behind. It makes it easy for me to sale the products b/c people can tell I genuinely love the products. I could not imagine selling something that I did not like.

 

[pamperedpals]

For me the motivation is be able to stay home with my children and be able to be there when they are all in school. I feel like I miss so much with my oldest right now. I need to be able to make what I make in my FT job before I quit it. DH and I just talked about this a couple of nights ago. He told me I could quit my FT job right now, as long as I could GUARANTEE that I would make as much as I do at the hospital with PC.

I also want to be able to pay off bills and have a real savings account.

It is definately worth it for me. If I didn't think so, I would not have come back to this wonderful company after being gone for 5 years. As others have said, I have days that I will do shows (Weds, Fri & 2 Sun's a month). I also recently have started to have real successful catalog shows (they are actually getting turned in ).

 

[Veevahchef]

I work almost full time (6 hours a day). i get off work at 3pm and pick up my 2 kids from school. I consistently do 2 shows a week.
My kids are 8 & 11. I do shows on Tuesdays and Wednesdays only, and one weekend show every second weekend. It works out great because Tuesdays my kids are out all evening anyway at their Drama Clubs, and Wednesday my Hubby can spend his quality alone time with the kids.

I always have the family fed every night accept on Tuesdays because my hubby takes them out for supper before Drama club. And if I have to leave a little early on a Wednesday, i either make something quick or just set out what my hubby needs to make it himself.

It all works out well.