Should You Become a Stella and Dot Stylist?

It has been reported that Stella & Dot independent stylists can make amounts up to $400K/year. However, it is safe to assume that most of the over 17,000 stylists selling S&D are making significantly less than this. Because this business model is commission only - NOT a Salary - a stylist will only make money when they sell jewelry. With commission rates at 25% of woman's jewelry and 15% for girls jewelry, plus a 5% volume bonus for selling over a certain threshold each month, a Stylist would have to sell a lot of jewelry to make that kind of salary.

This does not mean that a SAHM can't make a comfortable salary if she is motivated and schedules several trunk shows a month.

One estimate is that each trunk show can gross $1000 in sales, which could bring a busy stylist up to $300 in commissions per show if the monthly volume target is met.

Visit these sites to get some more insight into how other stylists are doing, and then go to the Stella and Dot website to get started:

Stella and Dot Resources

• Stella and Dot on Glassdoor.com: An Inside Look at Jobs and Companies
  



• Stella and Dot Trunk Show Displays: Everything You Need to Put Together a Polished, Organized Table for your next Trunk Show
  



• Stella and Dot Forum on WAHM.com
  

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Inviting friends over for parties, trying on the latest jewelry styles and sipping wine sounds like a great gig, right? Well it can be, as long as you have the discipline, free time and social connections to make a successful go at the life of a stylist.

Personality
Making the connections necessary to set up parties in other peoples homes, networking with the friends of your friends, and the charm and grace needed to convince someone that "those earrings DO make your face look slimmer!" are all skills needed to be a successful Stella and Dot stylist.

Ask yourself these questions before signing up:
-- Am I outgoing enough to convince friends and family members to host parties in their homes?
-- Do I have the presence to work a room at a party, meeting potential customers, helping them to try on jewelry, and most importantly, close the sale?
-- Can I do all of this with ease and grace so that my friends do not feel pressured to buy, or upset if a trunk show does not turn out to be a huge success?
-- Am I an entrepreneur at heart who has the discipline and perseverance to follow through on my new work at home career to make it a success?

Organization Skills
There is more to this job that partying and schmoozing. A Stylist must be able to manage a busy social calendar, keep track of party guests (who you can hopefully turn into future party hosts). And manage your inventory of jewelry from season to season.

Successful stylists also keep in touch with buyers, following up on purchases and keeping them in the loop on new collections and promotions.

A Few Kid-Free Hours
While Stella and Dot IS a great job for a Stay-at-Home mom, you do need to have a few kid-free hours to spare. These hours can be during the day when your kids are at school or in the evenings when you have back-up childcare. Ideally, though, you would have a little of both.

While it may be possibly to do some trunk shows at your home while your kids are around, many hosts prefer to have their parties in the evening when the kids are asleep. An S&Dt trunk show can run 1.5 to 2 hours long, plus you need to be there first to set up your table of jewelry. So having an evening babysitter - or spouse at home with the kids - is in most cases, a necessity.

Some Fabulous Friends
The best place to start out on your path as a stylist is with your friends. Friends and family are your first line of connections who will open their homes to your trunk shows. From their, you can network through friends-of-friends to set up future shows. So ask yourself, "Can I think of at least 3 family members or friends who will be open to hosting a trunk show in their home in exchange for a discount on some great jewelry?" These friends and family members should have disposable income to spend, or at least have friends who do.

Some Cash on Hand
Like all home-based businesses, there are start-up costs involved. A sign-up fee which includes your first jewelry purchase, plus some extra money for jewelry display items to help you set the table at your trunk shows (you can't just throw it all on the table!) can run you from $200-$500. And since jewelry is a seasonal business with constantly changing styles, you will need to reinvest every few months on new styles and collections.

Social Media Savvy
Successful stylists have found that using social media is a great way to stay in touch with customers and network to friends of friends. Facebook and Twitter are great ways to keep in touch and update your followers on new pieces, collections and sample sales. Chances are you already use these sites for social purposes, so consider creating a separate account for your customers to connect and broaden your horizon.

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