Me and my Drum

Drum? What drum? Nope, I did not get them a drum set for their 5th birthday. But I think it's the next best thing - rhythm sticks from Avon. Oh yeah!!!

Rock on little dudes, rock on!


(and 5 years - unbelievable!)

Alive and kicking!

Yes I'm still here! I just have less blog time.

I have the kids and my day job. And now I have Avon. Avon is great in that it doesn't take away any of my time with the kids, but it does cut into things like blogging. Sorry! As the business continues to take off, I'll have a mixed amount of time but will try to keep up - promise.

Things are going well. Both boys are getting sooooooooooooooooooooooo big. I registered them for school in September (I know, they were just born like yesterday!)

Parent Perks - Bag Review

As both a sponsor, a best friend of the founder, a blogger and of course an extra pair of hands to pack, I was lucky to be able to get an early Parent Perks bag to take home for review (and use!)

What is Parent Perks? It's the brain child of Monika at Aias dot ca

Parent Perks prepares and distributes gift bags full of fabulous perks for parents. These gift bags are 100% free to parents and contain coupons, gift cards, product samples, and full-sized products from Vancouver and Canadian based businesses.   Products vary from items for kids and babies, to perks that are just for mom and dad. Parents pay zero dollars to get a Parent Perks Gift Bag. Sponsors pay a small fee to participate and have their goodies in the bags.

Others have and continue to do something similar, but she took it to a whole new level. In the past, I've gotten one of those "free for parent bags" and almost all of it was just paper that ended up in recycling. There were a couple of good offers, but most of it was not even worth the time I spent sorting it. I've also paid for bags full of 'surprise' products from multiple companies. Now these, I've mostly liked, but they run about 30 each and even then there was lots I couldn't use.

So I was a bit skeptical when Monika started Parent Perks. But I had also recently launched my Avon Independent Rep business. I wanted in that bag! If it was going to be all junk, I wanted to be the one who stood out. I put together 100 bags with a full sized Avon product, some samples, a business card, an offer code and a flyer. I figured I was rocking it!

Then I went over to help stuff the bags on Sunday. I was blown away.

Fast forward to when I got home and was able to unpack the bag. Check out how much was in the bag!!! And it may not even be complete as there was 1 or 2 sponsors who said their products 'were in the mail'.

For me, this was one of my favorite and shows how serious the sponsors were about the bags. There were 100 handmade greeting cards from Stampin' it Up. There is even a class only a few blocks from me!

This next group contained lots of samples. Almost all of these are new to me and I'm excited to try them out. There was more than 1 pack of Runa tea, Ener-C supplied one of each flavor, and Gardener's Dream also provided several good sized samples. Along with the sample products, most of these included an offer or a discount coupon so once you find a favorite, you can save on your next purchase!

A few Sponsors offered services rather than products, or were larger, heavier products so of course they couldn't include a sample. They did manage some kick ass offers though. There is a coupon for a free David's Tea, a 6 pack of zevia (I'm glad we didn't have to bag full sized of these!), 25% off at Helix Personal Training and more.

Then there was this grouping. These were full sized included products! A bag of Hardbite chips, a full bag of coffee from local roaster Doi Chaang Coffee, Valentine's Day lunch box Lovable Labels, Bamboobino washcloths, candles, scrubbers and more.

I was very impressed. More than impressed. There is very little "just paper" and what there is has a very compelling offer. There were many sample and full sized products. There were no business cards with a candy stuck on as the offer. I think if I added the value of this, it's less than those full sized bundles I paid for, but I will get more value out of it. Also, these are mostly local small sometimes sole proprietorship businesses, not big corporations, looking for an extra buck. 

As a parent who got a bag, I think Parent Perks is an amazing service. As a small business owner, I have high hopes for the marketing outreach. These bags are reaching a target market, mostly parents, all local (bags must be picked up in person). Vancouver is a very expensive city and I can't afford to be at trade shows, but this is something within my reach. How successful remains to be seen. 

This is being cross posted on my other blog Comfort And Beauty

Have a Great Christmas for Free

Is it possible to have a fabulous Christmas and come out ahead? Yes. Join Avon as an Independent Sales representative right away and you can.

Christmas is the biggest selling time for Avon. I joined at the end of August. This was good, because it let 'get my feet wet' with smaller orders, learning what works and how to find customers. My first order had 1 customer - me. My most recent order was for 18 customers. They were slow to acquire at first. mostly friends, but now they are coming out of the woodwork, approaching me because I've made it known I sell Avon.

My first order, where I bought only for myself was just over $100. But that's okay, I joined with 3 hours left in the current campaign. I shopped smart and got almost $200 worth of products, between the sales and representative discounts. How do I go from spending $100 to getting Christmas for free?

As a new representative, you are guaranteed a discount of 25% on beauty and jewelry items (except watches) and 15% on everything else. This is for your first 7 campaigns so will take you past the holiday season. This means you save 25% or 15% on all your personal purchases and EARN 25% or 15% on all your sales to friends, family, neighbors, coworkers and Avon generated customers.

How does that work? Can you make money with Avon? Yes. Full disclosure here. This is my most recent order due to arrive this week. My Avon invoice is  $593.39 after taxes.

Line Item	Cost after Tax	Personal Discount
Shipping	8
Supplies	44.83
Gifts	100.31	33.96
Total	153.14	33.96

I saved 33.96 on my gifts and personal products. I spent 44.83 to grow my business in the future. Because I had a massive order, I spent $8 in shipping. 

Then, I have customers who will pay $606.11 after tax for their purchases. But wait you say, my Avon invoice was only $593.39!!! This means once my order is delivered and the customers pay me, I'll have $12 in my pocket and my entire gift and supply costs are covered. 

I earned over $160 in free products. I could have just as easily not made any personal purchases and pocketed the profit. 

So you've seen how you can make money with Avon. You can use the money to grow your business, buy gifts for yourself, friends or family at a discount, use the money for a vacation, pay of debts etc. It is your choice how you use it. You can also earn more than I do. There are people who support their family with their business.

I am a single mother of 4 year old twins, with a full time day job. I do my computer work at night, when the kids are asleep. They help me sort and delivery orders. I'm woken up almost every morning with requests from them to "put stickers on books" (labels on my brochures). I network on Facebook, through this blog, at the playground and any time I'm anywhere with my kids.  I carry a bag that says Avon on it. I wear and use Avon products. I used Avon nail art this Halloween and with the compliments I get every time I pay for groceries, do my banking, or show my bus pass, I say "It's Avon, would you like a brochure?" 

With 2 campaigns a month, starting only 3 months ago I'm earning $320 with just the basic work, and not interfering with my time with my kids. I'm also a leader, in that I help other people start their own business with Avon. I earn from that also. Currently, I'm earning between 200-350 a month that way. My goal when I joined was to earn 500/month by the end of the year. I'm already there.  Now the sky is the limit. 

(phone numbers on shirt are from day camp, not my number)

And now you know how to earn money and how to save money this Christmas. For only $10, you can start your own Avon business. You set your own hours and you take it as far as you want to. There are no quotas and no minimums to spend. You can use it to earn money or even just save on your own purchases. What are you waiting for? You can join from anywhere in Canada. 

Still not convinced??? If you have $100 in qualifying value (this is the pre-discount amount) in your first campaign, you will earn this incredible palette, an $80 value, for free. Avon Mega Mix 'N Go Palette

While it would make a great Christmas gift, I have to warn you not to plan on it arriving in time, depending on when you sign up. Avon will wait 3 campaigns to send it to make sure your invoice is paid up and to process any returns. But you will get it with your 3rd order after the one you qualify in. This is only available if that first order is $100 (before discount and before taxes). 

Campaign 23 closes off Nov 6, tomorrow. That is not a lot of time, especially if you want to qualify for the palette. But if you have looked through the online brochure and see things worth $100 or more that you'd like to buy your family, then it's plenty of time! You will get your discounts (25% and 15%) and then Avon will also send you catalogs for your next two campaigns so you can boosts your sales faster. 

If that's too soon for you, Campaign 24 closes November 20th.

Ready to join now? Follow these simple steps. (It's recommended you do this step from a computer, sometimes the captcha-type code doesn't work well on tablets or cell phones). 

Go to: www.avon.ca

Click: JOIN AVON
Click: START YOUR OWN SUCCESS STORY
Complete Steps 1, 2 & 3, click SEARCH FOR SPONSOR

Enter my name: Christine Fretwell
Enter my email: 

crfretwell@gmail.com

Avon will invoice you the $10 joining fee.  You can pay for it online after. 

If you're still not sure, leave me a message at Avon in Vancouver by Chris with any questions. I'd love to help you save and earn this Christmas and going forward.

Join Avon Canada for FREE!

Ding, dong, Avon calling!

Avon? Did she say Avon?  Yes! I make it no secret that I love Avon. While I rarely wear make-up, people don't realize that Avon is so much more than lipstick and eye shadow (although those rock). Avon also sells home products for decorating and entertaining. It has a great clothing line (seriously). Their kids products are inexpensive and well loved. And they are even sellers of exclusive licensed NHL products. My absolute favorite has always been the bubble bath. 

Years ago (pre-kids), I was an Independent Avon Representative. I was not a great representative, but I did okay, eventually my obsessions desire to have kids took over and the business fell to the side. Fast forward and I found out Avon was having a promotion where I could join for FREE. That's right free. Hmmm, okay, but what about the minimum order I used to have to do? Gone too. Wow, I jumped right in and joined that day. 

Right away I was amazed and happy by all the changes since the last time I was an Independent Representative. Avon must have listened to us because there was a new website that made everything from ordering to tracking to learning much easier. They dropped the requirement for a minimum spend every campaign (although you need to submit something every 3 to stay active). They added new incentives and bonuses. They added e-brochures so I could reach more people, faster. 

Once I got going, I had to share this with friends and readers.  For a limited time, you can join Avon Canada absolutely free! There’s no inventory, no parties and no quotas to meet, just huge savings on your purchases, free product promotions and the ability to earn extra income!

There’s nothing to lose and a lot to gain with this fabulous offer, so if you have ever considered signing up for Avon, this is the time to do so! You can earn savings of up to 50% on your own purchases, an assortment of great products to help you fall in love with the brand and the chance to make extra money…all without spending anything! With so many great perks, there’s no reason not to give Avon a try this summer. This offer ends when August is over so act fast to take advantage.

You can email me at crfretwell @ gmail.com  (minus the spaces) for information on how you can get started today!

Whether you are looking for a discount on products for personal uses and gifts, a way to fund raise for a cause, a chance to actually earn money this is a great time to join. It will cost you no money. 

Being an independent Avon representative is a business. How well you succeed will depend on how much work you put into it. Avon and I will give you all the tools you need to succeed, you just need to put them in place. 

What are you waiting for? Email me now - crfretwell @ gmail.com (no spaces).  Can you tell I'm eager to share my success? 

If you are in the USA and interested in becoming an Independent Avon Representative, let me know. I'm know I can find you a good leader there to hook up with.