I have wanted to for years, but I was scared I guess. I finally did it when I realized that I was about to go crazy staying home with my 5 year old and 8 month old...all day! I am so blessed that I have joined Pampered Chef. I love meeting new people at every show - I have met some very good friends. Now that I have joined, I love the products, the recipes, and I am cooking way more

P.S. For the first time in a while, I was able to get highlights with out feeling guilty about it (you know, spending money on myself and not the kids or the husband )...and I paid for it!!! I am very greatful for my Pampered Chef business.

 

$$, cooking and flexibililty

I had never attended a kitchen show but ordered from a catalog show before so I knew the product was great. I tried the Avon thing and hated it! So after my 2nd child I wanted something flexible and PC just sounded so interesting with the cooking aspect of it. Something inside me just said "Do it" or you will never know otherwise! So after 2 months of pondering the idea I signed and have had no regrets since!

I never imagined I would receive 5 out of the 6 bonus packages in my first 3 months with a $500/ month average! And now in my 4th month it's just so easy and fun! It seems bookings are coming easier at each show and recruits are appearing out of no where! Just by telling them my PC story thus far! I am loving this PC thing! I really want to reach a trip incentive level this year but dont' know if that'll happen with 4 shows a month?

 

5 years after I was introduced to the Pampered Chef, I became a consultant because I wanted ALL of their great products and to earn some extra income on the side.

I LOVE the fact that I can work whenever I want (sometimes it's hard with a three year old and a 10 month old). Right now, I only do one or two shows a month, but I signed my first recruit in January and I found I love helping her get started in this business.

One of the other reasons I joined is because I don't like being in front of a crowd and I wanted to get over that fear. I really enjoy the "teaching" aspect of the cooking show and love whenever people murmur, "Wow, I never thought of that" or "That's a great idea".

Best of all, PC is fun! And it does not cause me the kind of stress I felt with a corporate job!

 

I haven't started yet, but I am planning to in a few months when we move 550 miles away to a town where I will know no one!

I figure it will be a great way to make friends - everybody has to eat, so it's probably the best way to meet different kinds of people. I know I'll make friends through playgroups and things, but I would like to have some non-Mommy friends, too. I am a SAHM, so I won't have a job to make friends at. Also, of course the opportunity to make some money is appealing to me, too.

I hope if I focus on it as a social thing, it will take the pressure off of how much I book, sell, etc; hopefully the bookings and sales will just come naturally.

Oh, and I forgot: I love to bake, cook, entertain, my kitchen is my favorite room in the house, etc etc,

 

I started:

*so I could stay at home full-time to raise & school our kids (just one at the moment [16 month old son] but trying for another)
*to supplement my husband's income so we could make budget without me having to work outside the home, and have some extra money for dates together
*because I love to cook (went to college for it) and miss the industry -- this is a breath of the same passion without the stress & being away from my family that working outside the home in a commercial kitchen.

I'm continuing to perserve, no matter what obstacles get in my way because:
*of all the reasons above
*I want to give my husband a real honeymoon -- to the Bahamas!

 

I had to have back surgery, and my employer took the opportunity to fire me from my position (she changed my employment status from Part-time to PRN - working only when needed!).

I was looking for a home business and had NEVER been to a PC show or owned PC stuff. I went to work one day (yes, I still work there....for now) and talked to some of the girls about a few different home businesses, and when I mentioned Pampered Chef they went nuts! So, here I am, a Home Office lead. I got really lucky, too. I have an awesome director!!

I just had my first $1000 show last night and I am in SS month #2. I made the list of 50 SS last month for month #1, I am really liking this business and am encouraging all of my friends to give it a try!

 

I tried to stay at home after my son was born, but we couldn't really afford it and I was going NUTS! We were VERY lucky to find a great Daycare/learning center/Preschool and they had my little boy reading before he was 4! After baby #2 I went back to work for 3 months and was miserable! My daughter was 4.5 months old when I quit work. After about 5 months I was stir crazy! I called my director and said sign me up I'm ready! She was delighted! She'd been trying to recruit me for 5 VERY LONG YEARS! I'll be celebrating my one year anniversary with Pampered Chef July 8th and will be heading to Nationals! First time I've EVER gone anywhere without my family! I'm a little afraid but elated! My husband's going to get a taste of being a MOM! Since, he's taking vacation time to stay with our 2 kids while I go to Chicago!

Oh, and the money, vacations & the free products are nice too!

 

I had been a PC customer for several years before starting PC. My neighbor often hosted parties and invited me (I always checked maybe, but no one ever followed up!!) When I decided to join in 2000, two factors pushed me towards my decision:

1. My second child, my daughter was entering school. I had been working F/T with very long hours and I knew it was time to be at home with my children.
2. Mother nature came calling and started wreaking havoc with my hormones, and I was beginning to slip into depression as a result (I was actually diagnosed a month before signing - in retrospect that could have been disastrous!!). I tell people at my shows that PC has gotten me through some very tough times by forcing me out of the house on nights I really just wanted to crawl under a rock!

Mary

 

I was also a customer for about 3 years before i joined. I wanted to stay home with my daughter (18mnths) and still make a little money. Also i love to cook I work part time as food service coordinator. I absolutely love the products.

 

I am starting because:

I love pampered chef

I needed to bring some money into the household..and with homeschooling and staying at home with 6 kids...working around my husbands schedule found me NO jobs.

 

I started with PC because I didn't really know anybody in this area that sold around here. I got on the website and requested info on the buisness side of it. I've never sold anything in my life...never had a home based buisness and was just alittle scared about it. My main reason for joining was to get all these great tools at a great price. It was funny my recruiter talked and talked and then she said "well Stacy you haven't even asked how much money I make with this". I hadn't really thought about the money side of it just getting the product (that has been a nice bonus by the way..but I put it right back into the company,lol). I do work a full time job along with another part time job, so I really don't see myself going full time with PC, but I think it is great that people can choose this as their full time job and make a descent living at it.
And by the way I absolutely love this site. You guys have been a great inspiration to me. I check this site more then anyother thing on the web, probally more then my email. I just want to take a moment and say a big fat "THANK YOU".

 

why i started selling pc...

2005 was a crazy year for me...had a baby, got married....(needless to say, thats enough on any person in one year) but anyways i knew when i was out with the baby there would be no income coming in...we had saved a little but not enough to pay all the bills why i was out...didn't really know how i was going to get by...one day as i was sitting miserably on the couch i had my mom to call this consultant who had done a show for her a year or so before about letting me host a catalog show...as i needed some things for the new house i would be moving into after i got married....i did the show...it was right at 600 and then he sent me the thank you letter saying thank you and at the bottom it had out much i would have made if i would have been the consultant..it was over 100 dollars and i was like WOW....so i decided to sign up and i did catalog shows for the first couple of months...i had shows going on while i was in the hospital having my baby....it got me through that rough couple of months being out of work...well i went back to work and all...but after day care...gas..etc...i wasn't really making anything...so i have made pc my fulltime career now...this month will be my biggest ever....

 

About 2 1/2 years ago my mother gave me the Bar Pan for X-Mas, I had never heard of TPC before the Bar Pan. I had looked in to a large handfull of other direct sell companies when my oldest child had a bad accident and couldn't go to school for 8 weeks, then I found out I was pregnant with twins and that I wouldn't be working for a while. None of the companies I had looked at felt like they fit. When I received the Bar Pan I figured that I would look into TPC and it fit like a glove. I wanted something to do that was fun and that I could make a little money at. I signed up when my twins were 6 weeks old, and in the 2 years I have been a consultant TPC has been my saving grace more than once! I love being able to stay at home and go and have a life outside the house as well.

 

I love hearing different consultants PC stories.
I have worked in the restaurant biz for the last 11 years, and last may I got laid off, because my family and schooling was coming before work. I sat around all summer with my one year old trying not to go back to another restaurant. I have been in love with PC for the last six years, did my bridal showere through PC, and filled our kitchen. When I signed I had 1 year left of school to obtain my teaching credential, with a one year old.
So I went to PC website, to sign up(the last consultant that I worked with had a baby moved and quit PC). I was referred to a great director, and I signed up 2 days later. I am now kicking myself for not signing up earlier, I love the flexability, and the products, and of course the $$.
PC also lets me cook. I love to cook and host so really this is the perfect job!
I will have my credential in May, and I think that I will teach part time and PC full time.

 

Meeting new folks....

To network, I am sooo green to all this, but my 1st thought was to network my real estate and met new folks and make some extra money and YES, the Pampered Chef Products.....BUT, I notice I have devoted alot MORE of my time to PC and getting things going and calling people and writing and emailing and looking at this AWESOME board for ideas, which I had SO many last night, I didn't turn in until 2:36 a.m..... that I realized hey, this might be more fun than I thought.....LOL....My 1st party was cancelled dut to snow, it is rescheduled for next sunday, a brunch and I'll let ya know if I sank or swam like a pro.....

But thanks to this board, it is a life saver and GREAT fantastic creative folks out there helping the cause.

Thanks to everyone......
Kelley

 

I started with PC because I love the products and I wanted to find a way to stay home with my newly born son. I'm in my SS Month #1 but my director is working with me to help me set goals on how to help build my business.

I can honestly say I love PC and I love being a consultant so far!

 

I joined PC in December because I hada licensed Daycare in my home and wasn't happy doing it. I did however, like working from home and running my own business. I have 5 children, 12, 7, 3, 3, and 2 and wanted the flexibility of working when I want to work. Being able to go to my son's Valentine's Day Party at preschool was wonderful after being tied to the house doing daycare.

I am in ss2 and had my first $1000+ show yesterday-I'm hooked on this company!

 

Why I started again...

I am so glad to hear all of your stories, mine however is a little differant. I was with PC years ago and it was a hobby, I loved the products and the money was good but life get is the way, work, kids all of the above and I never really thought PC could replace my "real" job.

A year ago, last February, a lady that I recruited 9 years ago, now a director, called me and asked me to come back, I still have a full time job and I had some credit card debt that I wanted to get rid of and knew that PC would do that. I signed back up. Little did I know PC would mean much more than paying off CC debt. About 3 weeks after I signed up my husband of 20 years decided he wasn't sure he wanted to be married any more and left me with 3 teenage daughters and a $2000 per month morgage payment. Not knowing what do to, I prayed a lot and kept working. I can't say it has been easy or steady but PC is now paying my car note and insurance. And now I can see that it could possibly replace that full time job.

God has been so good and faithful, it has been a long year but if all goes well I will be a director by the end of March 1year almost exactly.

For those of you wondering, with LOTS of counciling and LOTS of prayer my husband and I are working through our problems and it is still kinda rough but I think it will all work out and be a better marriage for it.


Nanette
Independant Future Director
Texas

 

I joined mostly for the social aspect. I LOVE to host parties, and my boyfriend isn't a big fan of having people over, so now I can do it at other people's houses...and get paid for it! I live with him and work with him (and ONLY him) which is nice, but I need some outside stimulation. I don't have kids, but I can understand how people feel when they say it's nice to get out once in a while!
I also LOVE the products and all the incentives. I want EVERYTHING free! And I REALLY REALLY REALLY want Atlantis. I figure if I talk about it enough, it will happen!
Love to hear everyone's stories!

 

Different twist

I actually have been thinking for some time that I have a better purpose than just sitting at a desk all day. With a bunch of crazies. I have pondered every day what is it is has to be out there somewhere. So my sister has a PC party a month or so ago and I went and was not impressed at all with the presentation or the demo. (i know that is not nice but true she was a really nice girl but just a little blah) So i got to thinking I love to cook and I am looking for that purpose in my life. So I decided to go online and look into it a little more. It only took about a day for me to decide hey I can do this. I told my sister about it and she was like oh yes you can do this. So I haven't had a party yet but I have sent out all of my letters to friends and family and I already have had 4 say that they are going to have one (no confirmed dates yet but there will be). I just am staying pumped and I know i can do this. Needless to say we are eating a lot more PC items at my house now. So i am looking very forward to it and who knows maybe one day it will be my full time job.

 

i joined for many reasons. First was because of a discussion me and my husband had. all my life i wanted to be a doctor. when the kids started coming i backed out of it. all my husbands life he wanted a wife to stay at home, raise the kids, and do the country wife act. soooo naturally we butted heads many times. when PC rolled around it was a lightbulb moment. i could have a career, stay home and do the wife thing and take care of the kids. My biggest reason is when you start talking to the few people you know outside the home like a 3 yr old something is wrong!! you need adult conversation!! the last reason was the products. i wanted to get them for free!!this is a great thing for me and my family. we do the shows together. all 5 of us play a major part. hubby carries things, kids help set up and demo some kid friendly things, i do the show, and hubby and kids help clean and pack while i do orders...its clockwork!! we get to do it together and spend even more time together. we all love it!!

 

I joined because we love there products. My husband loves to cook and we started buying lots of PC stuff so he said one day, why don't you just sign up and we can get it cheap and even free. So I did, for him, so he can keep cooking and not me.

Oh and for traveling cash which we do often.

 

My main reason for starting with TPC was to bring in some extra money. However, once I started, the money was nice, but meeting new people and doing shows was the best part. At the time, I was working full time, going to school to get my MBA, my daughter was a junior in HS, a competitive figure skater and I had a 1 year old son. I had no free time and did nothing just for me. So PC is "me" time. I can go to parties and get paid.

 

He only gives us as much as we can handle....

So the saying goes....Nanette, I was teary eyed reading your story, but saw the ending and I hope you two work it out.....I was a single mom for 11 years of my 16 year olds life....I'm remarried now to a wonderfully patient man. My son has not seen his biological father since he was 3, neither have I, and it, well stinks.....so, pray on and it looks like your on the right track..... ...and I'm glad that you came back to PC.

God Bless,
Kelley

 

I signed up because I knew I was moving and my real estate agent taked me into it, I figures it would help me to get to know more people in my area and to help get me out of my shell and it has worked on both parts.

 

I had no intentions of signing up!

My recruiter was having a Mystery Host show and you got your name in the drawing for the benefits 10 times if you listened to the opportunity. I wanted the benefits so bad because there were so many things I wanted so I told her to "put my name in 10 times, but just so you know, I have no intention on selling this stuff!"

When she explained the super starter program there was no way I could say no! I thought I might just do this for six months (that's how long super starter period was then). It's been three years and I just can't stop. I love the products, love the adult interaction (I too am a sahm), love the paychecks, and this is the first year I am trying for level 2 trip. My family would never be able to go on a trip like this on our own so if I can achieve this I don't think I'll ever stop being a consultant. I just love it!!

 

I have been a Pampered Chef customer for 23 years, and I guess I always knew in the back of my mind that I would some day be a consultant. I was a single mom, and working full time- I had no time to take on another job. 5 years ago, I married my wonderful husband and moved to the Chicago area, away from all of my friends and family, and had a hard time meeting people. Then my kids grew up, and now I was an empty nester, driving my husband crazy !!! He was the one who actually talked me into signing, because he point out that I was a natural, I love to cook, and most of all, I LOVE to talk. What made me decide was that we bought a weekend house last Summer, and I needed to work to contribute to the extra expenses. I have been at this since October, and I wonder why I waited so long. I have the perfect job, and I am going to the Bahamas for FREE !!!! Life is good !!!!

 

I broke my hip when I was 19. The bone died so it couldn't heal. Because of other health issues it could not be replaced, I had to wait. I always knew that when He was ready it would happen. After 23 yrs of waiting, my leg gradually turning out into a 2:30 position, only a 10% right rotation left, and 1 inch shorter on that side, my day came! I got my new hip!

I have always loved to cook and have been using PC products for years. I attended a party that a neighbor held. The consultant would ask the question "Does anyone have this item? How do you use it?" It got to be a joke. My hand was raised for most of the show because I owned so many items. After the show she asked why I was not a consultant. She went on to explain that I already knew how to use the products and had taught her quite a lot. That I had helped her sell products by speaking to her guests about the various uses. I had in essense just held my own show.

Hummmm... I thought. This had NEVER been an option in my "pre-hip" days. The idea of giving back - teaching others, made me feel really good inside. It felt right. The thought of speaking to a bunch of strangers gave me pause, but what the heck. It's not like I hadn't faced challenges before. I could make this work!

I have been a consultant for 2 years now and have been blessed and rewarded in so many ways. I have made so many new friends. But what I find most rewarding is when after a show, the guest will say "I learned so much tonight! I can't wait to try it out!" OR the out-of-know-where phone call from a guest saying "I'm having so much fun using my stuff!" I know I made the right decision by joining the PC family!

Every show is a joy! I can't imagine not being a consultant.

Lee Anne

 

Love this Thread

I did Pampered Chef when my sons were little (4 and 6) through their elementary and middle school age years. I homeschooled them then, and PC was a great way for me to do something for me and make money. Those two boys are now 21 and 23 and both Air Force men.

Life moved on and I quit. Just lost the fire.
Then it started creeping in to my life again. And one day two years ago, my husband and I (he's an Owner Operator truck driver) were picking up a load in Addison, IL. And low and behold there was Home Office....RIGHT on the corner next to our customer. Ahh, brought back such feelings and memories. I hadn't seen the 'new' home office. Had been to the old one and conference and all though.

Finally last summer the bug just got me and I HAD to call an old friend from the cluster I was in before, and told her I wanted to restart.

Whew! All the products we have now! And I'm so glad to see that they are still Pampered Chef quality.

I need and have to have flexibility now. I want to get my business in a momentum that will allow me to make money and be able to travel the highways across the country and Canada for weeks at a time with my husband. So there's nothing better, honestly than Pampered Chef to do this with. I love using my creative side, and love meeting people and hope to share this opportunity with others so they can have this flexibility AND income as well.

We also need to pay off some bills, because we have to go to Hawaii next year and see our youngest son and his wife. He's stationed at Hickam, AFB

Kris

 

Kris,

Congrats on returning! God works in wonderful ways, doesn't He? Like putting that Home Office right on the corner by that customer...and making sure that you went with your husband that day...

I wish you the best! If you haven't been to Hawaii, you will LOVE it! We go every other year for at least 2 weeks at a time. We stay on Oahu, so let me know if you would like some great ideas for things to do (I would highly reccomend the NaHokuII catamaran on Waikiki...tell Johnny we said "hi!". And Turtle Bay is awesome, too...the flea market at the Aloha Bowl musn't be missed (bring extra luggage for that!).

Good luck!

 

I started PC because..

I love to cook and bake!! I love PC products and wanted to earn them free, or discounted. Plus the commission check is nice also, as well as all the incentives PC gives for high sales or having shows!!
My husband is very supportive with anything that I really want to do. I love to bake cakes, cookies, etc and wish to sell them as my own personal business along with PC.
I homeschool our two oldest children, plus we have a two year old daughter and a 7 month old baby boy. I might be pregnant also. Will know for sure at the end of this month.
This is a fun way for me to get away and have fun. Cooking and baking for others while telling everyone about the wonderful products I love and really believe in.
I just decided to do it one day at a show. I didn't even really know the consultant but I knew the hostess really well. Now she is one of my best hosts!! This is so much fun! I love getting my folders together, my flyers, my tools, and games!! I really have fun with it and my husband is happy for me. He really encourages me and it makes all the difference in the world!!
Debbie

 

I wanted to kit! I had just moved into a new house and my sister asked if I would hold her first show. It was back in the day where shows could be 5 orders or $150. I figured that worst case scenario I could buy 30 cake testers and split it into 6 shows of 5 orders. I never had to though because I started with a bang and got my SS stuff. I fell into a funk at the end of my pregnancy and once I had my son. I was inactive for 4 months. Then, I found Chef Success and now I haven't been inactive once, and am always bringing in income, no matter how small.

 

I'm an almost empty nester with two children ages 17 and 21 and a husband who works most Saturdays. Even though I work full-time, I wanted something fun to do and also to earn the free products. Also, it's great to get out and meet new people. I just love to cook, talk and sell!

Jeanie Gay

 

Hey, I'm glad someone bumped up this thread! It's interesting to hear everyone's stories.
For me, to start out with it was just to do something different. I grew up in the restaurant business (my parents have a cafe), waitressing etc...and was looking for something DIFFERENT. I went to a friend's show, and fell in love with all the products, then had a show of my own. I swear I kept thinking 'what's the catch?' It all sounded too good to be true. So I signed up for the unique factor, and to get all the products. I remember my director saying 'don't worry you'll have all the products before long!' I was excited...
Now, 4yrs later I still love it for those reasons. Plus, now that I have 2 kids I love knowing that I won't miss out on any of their activities. I can volunteer at the school, etc. Also, I always used to be timid in front of people, & doing this has pretty much cured that! I was going to school to become a teacher, & now I feel like I am teaching people, all the while overcoming my shyness & having a BLAST at the same time!
This truly is the best job I've ever had I started out as a hobbyist doing 1-2 shows a month, and now that I've realized the potential I'm doing 6-8 shows a month.
WHAT AN AWESOME COMPANY!!!

 

Thanks Janice
I will certainly ask for your tour guideness.
Since our son and his wife live there and are military, they really don't do the sightseeing thing much (expensive). But they love to go to the beach, and I think they have talked about Waikaiki (however you spell it).

He'll be there for three years and is in has been there only 9 months so far.

Kris

 

I started because

I needed a second job to bring additional income into the house. We were in an almost financial disaster. With my full-time-day-time career, it was hard to find a second job that wouldn't look at my application and say "what the heck is this person looking for a second job for?". My husband wasn't having any luck getting a side job either. So, I thought where can I find a job that will work around my day-time career. My husband and I love the product, so I thought, what the heck. What am I going to be out - 6 shows?

Now, 9 months later, I will never give up this "gig". It's awesome. Where else can you earn $200 for a 4-5 hour gig (legally or without being obscene)? And, the tax refund that you get is worth it's weight in gold!!! Our tax refund this year literally got my husband and I out of the sea of debt we were drowning in. Couple all of this with the support that you receive - I cannot say enough wonderful things about PC!!

 

Why? My husband and I run our own business from home, but it's really his, not matter how you want to look at it. I just wanted something that was mine, and closter to the field my degree is in, Hotel and Restaurant Management. With my first big commission check, I intend to get a 2 hour massage and not feel a darn bit guilty.