Paperly

Paperly Consultant Map

2012-02-08T16:42:00.002-06:00

It's been a bit since I last shared a map of where Paperly's active Consultants reside, so I thought I'd provide this quick update:

As you can see, there remains plenty of untapped areas. Who wants to be the first Paperly Consultant in Utah? New Mexico? Arizona?

Hope you find this helpful!

Regards,
Jay Rudman, CEO, Paperly

Key Learnings from Conference 2012

2012-02-05T16:03:00.000-06:00

Hard to believe a week has already passed since the conclusion of Paperly's first-ever Consultant Conference. I'm not sure about the attendees, but I'm still on a post-event high. The Conference was so much fun. I met an amazing team of Consultants. I certainly ate way too much. And oh yeah - I learned a ton! Below is a brief summary of a few topics we discussed at Conference.

Best Practices: What has Worked for You?
I asked the Consultants to form small groups and share what has worked for them - i.e. best practices - across 3 topics: (1) marketing their Paperly business, (2) getting more bookings and (3) improving the Paperly party experience. Here are a few of the ideas they shared.

Marketing Your Paperly Business: Facebook, email signatures, referral programs, mini look-books and in-package thank you notes.
Getting Bookings: Teacher’s lounges, lead sheets, open houses, “party on the go”, bring my store to you and delivering products.
Party Experience: Prices on everything, image bank, samples of everything, thematic displays and taking pictures of your displays.

As you might imagine, it's impossible to capture all the ideas the Consultants shared, especially given the detail in which each was discussed, but I'm happy to provide additional details to anyone that is interested. Simply contact me at your convenience.

Solving Paperly’s Heftiest Challenges
After sharing best practices, I then asked each group to tackle a couple of Paperly's most vexing corporate challenges: (1) enhancing Paperly's brand and (2) Paperly's technology. Here are a few of their solutions.

Enhancing Paperly’s brand: How best to describe Paperly, who’s Paperly’s typical buyer, brand Paperly’s “P”, standardization and templating of materials, ensuring Paperly’s brand is on all its products and including Paperly in all email signatures.
Paperly’s technology: Easy sharing of Paperly’s products/sales on all social media websites, focus on imagery in e-newsletters, emailed receipts rather than paper receipts and make MyPaperly a shopping focused website.

Again, I'm happy to elaborate if you'd like additional details.

You may ask why I'm sharing these learnings. Well, I'm a big believer in sharing. Sharing how smart Paperly's Consultants are; sharing how Paperly is listening to (and soon-to-be acting upon) Consultant feedback; sharing how Paperly is a continuously learning and adapting organization. I believe it's important for everyone - existing Consultants, potential Consultants, customers and hostesses - to know that Paperly is working very hard at becoming a world-class organization. Nothing short of that will be accepted.

So thank you to everyone who contributed to the amazing learnings that occurred at Conference. I'm already scheduling my next trip to visit Paperly's Consultants in their hometowns. My commitment to learning, and making Paperly the "right" organization, is tireless.

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO, Paperly

Paperly Conference: Day 2

2012-01-28T18:20:00.003-06:00

It will be hard to beat the 2nd day of Paperly's Conference. The day started off with the objectives of Conference and goal setting by each of the attendees. A common theme from the Consultants was "expanding their Paperly business beyond their immediate circle of friends & family". I then spent some time on Paperly's past, present and future. I feel it's incredibly important to understand Paperly's beginnings and its everlasting principles so we can collectively build the "right" business. Then, we were honored to dialogue with Joe Mariano, the Direct Selling Association's President. Everyone loved hearing his perspective on the industry and Paperly's unique and compelling position within it. After an amazing lunch (of way too much food!) we broke into small teams to discuss best practices across (1) marketing your Paperly business, (2) increasing bookings and (3) enhancing the party experience. We will soon publish the notes from these discussions. Finally, we concluded the day with a page-by-page preview of Paperly's new Spring 2012 catalog. Now that it's "out", I can finally start sharing all of its amazing designs and products - yea.

Now it's off to a fun-filled dinner of pizza, pasta, salads and wine ;) I hope tomorrow is as productive - and fun! - as today!

I'll write more soon.

- Jay Rudman, CEO, Paperly
The leading direct seller of personalized stationery & gifts

Paperly's Conference 2012

Paperly Conference Prologue

2012-01-27T12:44:00.001-06:00

Well... it's finally here! Paperly's first-ever Consultant Conference. I'm currently in Atlanta staring at all that I brought: goodie bags, treats, giveaways, samples from Paperly's new catalog, and so much more. The agenda is literally packed! (I'm keeping my fingers crossed we can fit it all in ;) I think I'm most excited about meeting all the Consultants. They truly are a VERY special group. I also cannot wait to get their thoughts on (1) Consultant best practices, (2) solutions to Paperly's most vexing challenges, and (3) Paperly's new Spring 2012 catalog. I've come to learn that Consultants want to learn some about Paperly, but more importantly, they want to listen and learn from each other. So it's my job to create the right learning environment and then get out of the way as fast as possible!

I promise to blog a lot more about Conference, hopefully throughout the event, but at the very least when I return to Chicago. And yes - we will take lots and lots and lots of pictures and videos.

Remember - Think Big!

- Jay Rudman, CEO, Paperly
The leading direct seller of personalized stationery & gifts

Paperly's 2012 Initiatives

2012-01-05T21:05:00.001-06:00

As promised in my last blog piece, "Looking Forward to 2012", I'd like to elaborate on Paperly's 5 key initiatives for 2012: team building, Starter Kit, Fast Start program, marketing & promotion, and training & development.

Team Building

Someone once told me, "Paperly will only go as far as its leaders take it." I completely agree, so I have made it a top priority in 2012 to support the growth of Paperly’s leaders’ by helping them build their team. How? By allocating inbound leads to existing and future leaders who have met pre-established monthly criteria including personal sales, attending training sessions, and subscribing to Paperly's website & e-newsletter services. I am confident Paperly's current leaders will cultivate these leads into the next generation of leaders.

Starter Kit

On January 1, Paperly launched a new and improved Starter Kit. The new Kit contains everything a new Consultant needs to successfully start and grow her Paperly business, including catalogs, order forms, loose samples and training guides. But of equal importance, the new Kit is less expensive ($99), will arrive faster (it'll ship in 1-2 business days) and will provide the opportunity to receive more personalized products. To that latter point, take a look at Paperly's new program titled, "40% Off for 40 Days".

Fast Start Program

On a personal note, I'm aghast at how many new Consultants never attend a Paperly training session. Of course, I cannot force them, but I can reward them when they participate. Thus, in 2012 I will post a list of activities I expect all new Consultants to complete, and as they're completed, Consultants will earn Paperly Dollars. These Paperly Dollars can then be used to purchase additional samples, personalized products or business supplies... all of which will help the Consultant grow her business bigger and faster.

Marketing & Promotion

I appreciate that not all sales will occur at a party. Therefore, I have decided to extend Paperly's Free Shipping promotion for the foreseeable future, thereby enabling easier one-to-one sales. I'm also excited to announce that Paperly will launch an e-newsletter service that'll make it significantly easier for Consultants to stay connected with their Customers. Lastly, Paperly is committed to continuously expanding its offerings - such as personalized and branded signs, car clings, banners, etc. - within its Marketing Portal.

Training & Development

Last, but certainly not of least importance, is Paperly's commitment towards training and development in 2012. We have already established our yearlong training calendar, making it even easier for our Consultants to stay abreast of Paperly's latest programs and announcements. We also will begin in February our 3rd Future Leaders Program. And finally, we're holding our first ever National Conference, plus we're hoping to hold our 2nd President's Council in the summertime.

Of course, these 5 initiatives are only the beginning. We already have so many other amazing things planned for 2012 including a free cruise for those who earn it, new products, a completely redesigned single-catalog approach, and so much more. I hope you decide to ride the wave, because I'm confident 2012 will be a year like none other at Paperly.

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO, Paperly

Looking Forward to 2012

2011-12-20T16:30:00.001-06:00

Wow, 2011 was another outstanding year for Paperly - thanks to an amazing team of employees, Consultants, Hostesses and customers. I truly appreciate everything you do for Paperly.

A few qualitatively highlights of 2011 include:

Dozens and dozens of new, personalized products including coasters, bag tags, design kits, dry erase boards, note cubes, tri-fold photo cards, picture frames and water bottles.
A new preview technology. (Feel free to test a sample of our preview capabilities.)
Graduating our first 2 classes from Paperly's Future Leaders Program.
Conducting our inaugural President's Council in Chicago in June.
Significantly enhancing Paperly's marketing efforts, including launching Paperly's Marketing Portal, creating a Paperly YouTube channel and being recognized by the Direct Selling Association for ethical business practices.

Quantitatively, Paperly had another blockbuster year in 2011, including:

142% jump in new Consultants. Paperly now has 170+ Consultants located in 34 states coast-to-coast.
47% increase in commissionable sales. We love bigger and bigger payouts to our Consultants!
~$440 in average commissionable sales per Paperly party.

However, Paperly is NOT resting on our laurels. We know we have a TON of additional work to do to become the world-class organization we're aiming to be. Our 2012 initiatives can be broken down into 5 key categories: team building, Starter Kit, Fast Start program, marketing & promotion, and training & development. I plan to discuss each of these initiatives in my next blog post.

Until then, thank you again for the successes of 2011, and I wish you and yours a happy, healthy holiday season.

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO, Paperly

Of Course Money is Important!

2011-12-07T15:09:00.001-06:00

As Paperly's CEO, I talk to a lot of potential Consultants and I have found the top 2 reasons they are most interested in Paperly are:

They are passionate about the product. Most say, they love personalized paper and gift products and think Paperly's exclusive designs are gorgeous.
They want to be the first in their community to offer Paperly. Although we've been in the stationery industry for 11 years, Paperly is relatively new to direct selling. Fortunately, our growth has been strong & steady; we already have ~175 Consultants located in 34 states coast-to-coast. Clearly, many communities remain completely untapped, and potential Consultants love knowing they can be first.

Interestingly, very few ever ask about the money. Perhaps they're embarrassed to ask the CEO about money? Or perhaps it's because money truly is a distant third in the above list? Regardless, I know money is important, and therefore, I wanted to elaborate on Paperly's Commission & Career Plan.

Selling, Recruiting or Both

Paperly's comp plan was built over 9 laborious months and leaned heavily on a third-party expert with over 20 years experience in direct sales/comp plans. Even though he was the expert, I was adamant that Paperly reward Consultants who were successful at selling or recruiting or both (the latter, not surprisingly, offers the biggest payout). So unlike many other direct selling companies, you can join Paperly and do well financially solely by selling products you love - you don't have to recruit. Philosophically, that was important to me.

Incentive Laden

Also important to me is that Consultants earn lavishly for achieving success. True, Paperly's commission starts at 20% (which already is very competitive), but Consultants can quickly earn much more: a personal sales bonus up to 12%, downline commissions of 3-6% and team/generational bonuses of 2-8%. It certainly can add-up quickly.

No Resting on Laurels

Paperly requires its leaders to stay active by selling at least $200 per month, which by all accounts is a ridiculously low threshold for a business leader. Why this active requirement? Because I do not want a Consultant to build a big team, retire, and then earn significant commissions from her downline while resting on the sidelines. You must sell - albeit a minimal amount - to stay current. That said, you always earn commissions on your personal sales... no worries in that regard!

No Inventory

Unlike a number of other direct selling companies, Paperly does not require you to purchase inventory. If you do the math, purchasing inventory can significantly dent your commissions, especially since you're locking-up money by pre-purchasing products you're uncertain will sell and at what price. All of Paperly’s products are personalized, and therefore, there is no inventory required.

Cash Bonuses & Paperly Dollars

Lastly, Paperly offers cash bonuses of $50 - $1,000 when certain Titles are maintained for 3 consecutive months. Paperly also offers Paperly Dollars - which can be used to purchase additional business supplies - when certain personal and team sales are achieved. Again, both cash bonuses and Paperly Dollars align with my desire to make Paperly's plan heavily incentive laden.

Whew - that's a lot of information to digest. Please, if you have additional questions about Paperly's comp plan, ask me. I'm happy to help.

In closing, I readily admit that (1) passion for product and (2) first-mover advantage should be why you join Paperly, but money matters and I am proud to say that I think our Commission & Career Plan enables you to be wildly successful at Paperly.

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO, Paperly

Paperly: Consultant Displays

2011-11-16T15:22:00.001-06:00

I love seeing the magic Paperly Consultants perform with the samples we provide as part of Paperly's Starter Kit.

As a reminder, in Paperly's Comprehensive Starter Kit are the following samples (not to mention the catalogs, order forms, training documents and personalized marketing materials we also include): design swatches, hard-sided coaster, memo sheets with acrylic holder, napkins swatches, placemat, self-inking stamp, clipboard, wallet and dozens of loose samples (flat, folded, labels, stickers, etc.).

Below is a recent picture from Paperly Consultant, KateC, who has accumulated many, many samples during her tenure at Paperly, as clearly evident by her gorgeous display table. Fortunately, Paperly has recently helped Consultants purchase personalized "hard goods" (e.g. picture frames, platters, coasters, etc.) via its Consultant Sample Sale.

Paperly Consultant, KarenS, is relatively new at Paperly, but even so, her display table is amazing! Here's what she recently said about it, "This is the table I set up for a Santa's Workshop, all direct sell companies. I had limited space so I clipped samples to my mini tree and put the rest in a half size binder in sheet protectors. The binder was perfect and the tree was super cute. The "star" on the tree was the holiday wine tag, I even ordered 3 sets for one customer!"

Lastly, this picture is of Paperly Consultant, KellyB, who not only did a fabulous job with her Paperly display, but I love the personalized Paperly banner she placed behind the table. Such banners - as well as business cards, marketing materials and signage - can be purchased at anytime via Paperly's Marketing Portal. In fact, many Consultants never reach into their wallets to pay for such materials, but instead, they use the Paperly Dollars they've earned.

As you can see, Paperly's samples make for a very compelling, eye-catching display. Thank you Consultants for sharing your pictures with me. I hope to share additional photos soon.

Regards,
Jay Rudman, CEO, Paperly
The leading direct seller of personalized stationery & gifts

A Direct Sellers Holiday (cont'd)

2011-11-03T15:03:00.002-05:00

Seems like my 10/21/11 post, "Direct Selling Only this Holiday Season" seems to have struck a chord. Thank you to everyone that has helped spread the word including:

Jen Fong's blog piece titled, "Support Your Local Economy: Make it a Direct Selling Only Holiday"
Kara Wardell's blog piece titled, "Update on the Small Business Christmas Challenge" - although I wish she had listed Paperly as one of her favorite companies ;)
LinkedIn's "Home Party Plan - Direct Sales Group". FYI, join the group if you're not already a member!

I even have feedback from the Direct Selling Association that they'll try to promote the idea as much as possible, although admittedly it might be a better 2012 initiative for them, given their need for more lead-time to get their PR machine moving forward.

I also have a number of direct selling executives who are willing to pledge and promote this initiative to their representatives.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

But (isn't there always a but).... now what? How do we continue to gain momentum? In my opinion, this is a grassroots effort. We need every direct seller to commit or pledge that they'll try, whenever possible, to purchase their holiday gifts from other direct sellers.

So I ask you - what should such a pledge say?

Please send your ideas to jay@paperly.com. I'll compile your ideas into a "Direct Sellers Pledge" (clearly, it's a working title) and send it to you for distribution.

So again, what should our "Direct Sellers Pledge" say?

Thank you in advance for your ideas.

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO, Paperly
The leading direct seller of personalized stationery & gifts

"Direct Selling Only" this Holiday Season

2011-10-21T17:00:00.001-05:00

Last year, American Express launched its inaugural Small Business Saturday. It took place the Saturday after Thanksgiving, traditionally a very busy shopping weekend, and its intent was to support the small businesses in our communities. I love the idea and plan to embrace it once again this year. Please visit the Small Business Saturday website to get involved: http://smallbusinesssaturday.com.

Did you know that direct sellers constitute one of the largest groups of small business owners? Yes, it's true! All those women and men selling personalized stationery and gifts, jewelry, purses and dozens of other products are truly the epitome of small business entrepreneurs.

Therefore, I propose we - as direct sellers - augment the "small business Saturday" concept with a "direct selling only" mentality this holiday season. What does that mean? Well, when possible I suggest all direct sellers complete their holiday shopping only from other direct sellers. FYI, there are over 16 million direct sellers according to the Direct Selling Association. (Check out the Direct Selling 411 website for other fun facts about direct selling.)

Can you imagine how beneficial it would be for all direct sellers, not to mention the economy as a whole, if we focused our purchases - especially our gift giving purchases - on other direct sellers exclusively. Wow!

I'd love to get your thoughts on this idea. Direct sellers - what do you think? Is this possible? I hope so, because I'd love for your 2011 holiday season to be your best ever.

I look forward to your feedback.

Regards,
Jay Rudman, CEO, Paperly

Paperly: Thinking Big

2011-10-10T13:10:00.001-05:00

Recently, Paperly announced we are hosting our first-ever national Consultant Conference in January 2012 in Atlanta, GA. More recently, we announced the theme of the Conference, "Think Big".

Why "Think Big"? Well, until now, Paperly has been the new kid on the block. We're *only* 3-4 years old, which in the direct selling world is still the infancy stage.

(A recent American Express article notes that most direct selling companies "...make little money in their first three years... (but) year four through eight, many companies experience explosive growth.")

With Conference approaching, Paperly is prepared to live-up to its billing of the leading direct seller of personalized stationery and gifts. After all, our credentials are growing daily, including DSA recognition for our ethical business practices as well as Inc Magazine declaring Paperly as the next guard of direct sellers.

Now is the time for Paperly to "Think Big". True - we never wish to lose our family feel. (I personally still answer the phone at the office at least half the time... and I hope to continue doing that for a long time to come!) But Paperly needs to think about a BIGGER market presence, BIGGER Consultant teams leading to BIGGER commission checks, a BIGGER and improve product line and customer experience... basically BIGGER and better everything!

I personally cannot wait for Conference and all its benefits. You can learn more about how to attend at http://www.Paperly.com/paperly-press-2011-08-Conference.asp. I've already starting "Thinking Big". How about you?

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO, Paperly

Paperly's Future Leaders Program

2011-09-27T21:57:00.000-05:00

In 2011, one of Paperly's top priorities has been to teach its Consultants how to grow their Paperly business via a rigorous Leadership and Development program. Thus, in early 2011, we led our first class through Paperly's inaugural Future Leaders Program. Four of Paperly's top performers graduated after undergoing a challenging four month program. Next month, I am excited that Paperly will graduate its second Future Leaders class. Congrats to all the grads.

So what is Paperly's Future Leaders Program (FLP)? The objective of the program is to help currently successful Consultants develop the skills and habits necessary to dramatically advance their Paperly business: i.e. more parties, higher sales and larger teams. In short, the FLP will teach Consultants a process, that when followed, should help them create consistently improved results.

Future Leaders are chosen because of their initial success as well as their strong desire to succeed with Paperly. Paperly commits significant time and effort to help Future Leaders become even more successful. In return, Paperly expects its Future Leaders to make an equivalent commitment, including:

Attend all 4 monthly FLP calls.
Attend all regularly scheduled, Consultant-only training calls on the 3rd Tuesday of each month.
Conduct at least ___ parties per month. The number of parties is determined collectively by the group to ensure buy-in by all.
Complete all homework assignments.

The monthly FLP calls cover a range of topics, including but not limited to:

Advanced Personal Selling
Building Your Business by Building Your Team
Leading and Developing Your Team

I am proud of the Future Leaders Program Paperly has put together. I know we have a long way to go to build a best-in-class leadership and development program, but I feel we're on the right path. I am a big believer that Paperly will only go as far as its leaders take it. Therefore, i am committed to ensure training will remain a top priority in 2012.

- Jay Rudman, CEO, Paperly

Paperly’s First-Ever National Consultant Conference

2011-09-05T20:54:00.001-05:00

You might have seen, Paperly recently announced that it is hosting its first-ever national Consultant Conference in January 2012 in Atlanta, GA: http://www.Paperly.com/paperly-press-2011-08-Conference.asp. Personally, I am very excited to gather Paperly’s best: to share best practices, to brainstorm potential improvements, and best of all, to create life-long friendships.

Being Paperly’s first Conference, I readily admit, it’s a work-in-process. We’re fairly settled on our keynote speaker, which we hope to announce soon. We’re also working on a "brand" for the Conference… something that encapsulates the central message for Paperly in 2012. Again, we plan to announce that soon.

Beyond those announcements, we are committed to ensure two core activities occur at Conference:

Yes, it’s important that Paperly shares with the attendees its vision of the future. However, equally as important, Paperly will provide significant time and opportunity for Consultants themselves to share what is/isn’t working for them, to suggest changes that could dramatically improve their businesses, and to work in small groups to address some of Paperly’s greatest challenges. I know the true value of Conference will be this Consultant-to-Consultant sharing.
Equally as exciting, Paperly plans to launch at Conference its new "One Catalog" which will combine its two existing catalogs: Everyday Collection and Special Occasions. The "One Catalog" concept arose from Consultant feedback and will greatly reduce potential confusion as to which product comes from which catalog.

Again, more announcements will be forthcoming about Conference. In the meantime, we hope you register to attend. The fee is incredibly reasonable, especially since attendees can either pay their attendance fee in installments, or better yet, attend for free (see the last page of the announcement to learn how)! Additionally, and this shouldn’t be glossed over, everyone is invited to attend – Consultants, spouses/significant others, existing teammates and potential teammates. I feel it's important to be inclusive, because it's the Consultants’ support network that enables them to focus on Paperly. I cannot wait to thank all of them for their support.

I am so excited for Conference and I cannot wait to see you in Atlanta!

Regards,
Jay Rudman, CEO, Paperly

Paperly: The Good Parts of a Sewer Back-up

2011-07-26T14:02:00.000-05:00

This past Friday, Chicago experienced its worst one-day rainfall since records began being kept in 1857 - approximately 7 inches in a mere 3 hours. Given that Chicago's sewer system is over 100 years old, back-ups occurred almost everywhere, including Paperly's office. My best guess, based on markings on the wall, is that 2-3 inches of water covered every square inch of floor.

The clean-up started immediately. Within 48 hours, every baseboard had been removed, carpets and padding were thrown away and heavy blowers and dehumidifiers were brought in to try and dry out the walls and floors (see videos #1-3 below).

So all this begs the question, as alluded to in the title of this blog entry, what could be good about a sewer back-up? Well, as seen in video #4, we've been forced to relocate the Paperly office to my kitchen table! Nothing builds camaraderie as tight quarters, right? Now, instead of screaming across the office when you have a question, you merely need to look-up. Also, as you can imagine, we're spending a lot more time simply chatting about business and life. We're even taking turns making lunch... and eating it outside in the gorgeous sunshine (since the table is currently occupied ;)

Thus, although I wouldn't wish our flood experience on anyone, all-in-all it definitely has some upsides. I hope one day, we can look back and laugh. After all, what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger, right?!

Regards,
Jay Rudman, CEO, Paperly

Video #1: The big blue round machines are industrial fans intended to dry the walls and floors. The tall silver box, shown at the end of the video, is one of four dehumidifiers. Note the pile of removed baseboards stacked unceremoniously on the floor.

Video #2: The concrete floor was carpeted, but it (and the pad) had to be removed so the floors could dry.

Video #3: Note how everything had to be up off the floor. It's as if a hurricane roared through the office. In fact, with ~40 blowers circulating air in the office, the deafening roars kind of sounds like a wind storm.

Video #4: The "Paperly War Room", also know as the Rudman's kitchen table.

TODAY Show: Does It Pay To Become a Direct Seller?

2011-07-12T10:55:00.000-05:00

I love this video from the July 11, 2011 TODAY show about Direct Selling:

The video does a great job of highlighting the benefits of direct selling, including:

Direct selling is a growing and robust industry.
Direct selling is fun for the sellers and a fun way to shop for the customers.
The average direct seller can contribute $200 per week to help with the grocery bills, the mortgage or even the family vacation. (The PamperedChef rep in the video is earning $50,000!)

I also really like Jean Chatzky's perspective on the industry, because she strongly advocates using the Direct Selling Association to help find reputable companies. (Doesn't hurt that Paperly was recently recognized by the DSA for its ethical business practices.)

Lastly, my favorite part of the video is at the very end when the two speakers suggest that direct selling is all about families and communities supporting at-home businesses. I couldn't agree more! In today's technology-laden world, where neighbors often don't know neighbors, I truly believe direct selling can help bring communities closer. Perhaps that, above all else, makes the direct selling industry worthwhile!

- Jay Rudman, CEO, Paperly

Paperly's First-Ever President's Council

2011-06-27T18:30:00.000-05:00

Hard to believe Paperly's first-ever President's Council is already over! Congratulations to the inductees: Bridget Golden, Crystal Langstaff, Gaby Lehmann, DeeDee McCoy and Courtney Rambo. The 3 day event, held in Chicago, was packed with fun and educational events, as you'll see from a glimpse at the agenda below.

Friday night began with a fun, "get to know you" evening at Food Life, a high-energy restaurant located in Chicago's famed Water Tower.

Saturday began with a quick tour of Paperly's corporate headquarters, followed by an inspirational discussion with the day's keynote speaker, Susie Lite. Susie helped the Consultants focus on their "Why Power"! She used the following story to highlight the "Power of Why".

Imagine I'd pay you $20 to walk across a 10' wooden plank on the floor. Would you do it? Of course you would! Now imagine that the 10' wooden plank straddles 2 buildings, suspended 100' in the air. Would you do it for $20? Probably not. Now again imagine that same scenario but you're on the roof of one building and your children are on the other and that building is on fire. Now would you walk that plank, regardless of the $20 or not? Of course you would!

Susie's point? The only thing that changed in that last scenario is your "Why". Once you know your "Why", nothing can stop you.

The remainder of Saturday included a sneak peek at Paperly's future as well as a glimpse at some of Paperly's new products and designs. We finished the session with all 5 participants receiving an award as inductees into Paperly's President's Council.

Courtney Rambo

DeeDee McCoy

Gaby Lehmann

Crystal Langstaff

Bridget Golden

We finished a long Saturday with a scrumptious meal at Rosebud, a famous Chicago eatery.

Again, I wish to congratulate all participants in Paperly's first-ever President's Council, and I cannot wait until next year's. I hope the inductee list continues to grow and grow and grow.

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO, Paperly

Pam's Paperly Party

2011-06-20T16:42:00.000-05:00

Thank you so much to Pam, a Maryland-based Consultant, for letting us peek inside one of your Paperly parties. The part I like most about this series of videos (besides the amazing job Pam is doing as a Consultant!) is that Pam is relatively new at Paperly, and yet, she already "gets it". (And we all know what I mean by "get it" - right?) If nothing else, I hope you appreciate, after watching these videos, how you too can get up-and-running with Paperly very quickly.

Getting Ready

I truly can't say it better than Pam does in this video, it is "so easy to plan and get ready for a party".

Displays on Display

I love how Pam has utilized every flat surface for Paperly's displays. There are so many beautiful products for her customers to view as they roam around the room. Her set-up is so lively and dynamic. (My only concern with this type of set-up is you'd hate for a customer to miss something because it was located too peripherally. Food for thought.)

Three Favorites

No surprise, Pam's three favorite products are also some of Paperly's top-sellers: personalized clipboards, wine tags and platters.

Ordering Table

Pam's ordering table has everything she needs to be successful: order forms, an Open Date calendar, wish lists, an attendee list, etc. Plus, I love the "tabbed catalog" that Pam has created for herself. Perhaps that's something Paperly should provide?

Karen, The Hostess

Why can't I say things as elegantly as Paperly's Hostesses? For example, Pam's Hostess, Karen, succinctly explains why she decided to host a Paperly party - because she loves the products and wanted to introduce them to her friends. Thanks, Karen!

Lynn, The Guest

Why does Lynn love Paperly? Because she can always "find something new that (she) likes." Her favorite product? The self-inking stamps. Hint, hint, Lynn... you should host a Paperly party in June. You can earn a free self-inking stamp.

Flat Notes to Write to Grandparents

Karen is going to apply her Hostess Rewards towards a free set of personalized hard-sided coasters (page 8 of Paperly's Special Occasions catalog). A truly wonderful choice, Karen. I especially love your 2nd choice - thank you notes for your son to handwrite a note to his grandparents. Yea! Nothing is more memorable than a handwritten note. (I recommend the Rugby Stripe on page 14 of our Everyday Collection catalog. You can choose both a primary and secondary rugby stripe.)

Word from Pam

No wonder Pam has gotten off to a fast start at Paperly - you can sense her passion through this video. I have no doubt Pam will continue to perform fabulously at Paperly!

Thank you again, Pam, for the amazing video sequence. If you live in Maryland, and you'd like to learn more about Paperly, you can certainly connect with Pam via her website: http://www.mypaperly.com/pamday.

And finally, it's my turn with the Flip video recorder - yea! This weekend is Paperly's Inaugural President's Council and I cannot wait to film the event. More on that in the coming days.

Until then, take care.

- Jay Rudman, CEO, Paperly

Exciting Summer Ahead

2011-06-01T09:03:00.000-05:00

Summertime can be tough on direct sellers. The heat, the vacations, the kids’ baseball games... all contribute to a general ambivalence towards at-home parties in the summertime. Recognizing this, we have developed a series of compelling reasons why 2011 will be a summer to remember at Paperly.

In June, all of Paperly’s party Hostesses will receive a FREE self-inking stamp (a $42.95 value) in addition to Paperly’s standard Hostess Rewards. Better yet, if given just a bit of notice, it’s likely that the Hostess will receive her stamp even before her party occurs! You can learn more about Paperly’s June promotion at www.Paperly.com/pdf/Paperly_Free_Self-Inking_Stamp_June2011.pdf
In July, Paperly plans to offer its first-ever "Christmas in July" promotion. More specifically, if you order 50 or more of Paperly’s photo cards in July, you’ll receive 25 additional photo cards for FREE (up to a $47.95 value)! The flyer for this promotion has yet to be released, but it will be soon... and the buzz amongst the Consultants has been incredibly positive.
Although we have not yet announced our August promotion, I promise it’ll be a doozy. Stay tuned!

Last, but not least, we cannot forget Paperly’s Consultants! They too deserve a compelling summertime offer. So, we are offering a free Kindle to both of Paperly’s top 2 summertime performers! You can learn more about Paperly’s Summertime Promotion at www.Paperly.com/pdf/Paperly_Summer_Incentive_2011.pdf

We are confident the summer of 2011 is going to be a great one at Paperly. I hope you decide to join us either as a Consultant, a Hostess or a Customer. We’d love to work with you!

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO, Paperly

Key Learnings from Washington DC / Baltimore Trip

2011-05-19T11:41:00.001-05:00

Last week, I had the great fortune of traveling to Washington DC and Baltimore to meet with Paperly's amazing team of Consultants in that area. In less than 2 days, I had 2 lunch meetings, attended 2 parties, and probably drove 2 much (pun intended). I must admit, I learned so much (as I always do when I conduct field visits). In fact, there were simply too many ideas and suggestions to outline here. However, I wanted to give you a couple of truly key learnings.

#1 Key Learning: Simplify

Paperly needs to vastly simplify its parties. Honestly, a Paperly party should be a 4 hour event: 1 hour pre, 2 hours at, 1 hour post. To ensure that occurs, we need to consider potentially radical changes, such as:

Moving to 1 catalog as opposed to 2
Simplifying the catalog (i.e. less color options, less fonts, etc.)
Enabling direct ship of products at a reasonable price, and perhaps, shipping as ordered rather than waiting for the party to close
Continuing to reduce the error rates
Improving the labeling of samples

I cannot promise Paperly will deliver on all of the above suggestions (for a variety of a operational reasons), but they are all worthy of in-depth exploration.

#2 Key Learning: Enhance Support Processes
Paperly could also dramatically help its Consultants by improving its support processes. Such processes begin from the moment the Consultant joins Paperly and continue all the way through the delivery of the product. Areas of improvement might include, but are not limited to:

Provide a "90-Days to Success" roadmap for all new Consultants, so they know exactly what they need to do to be successful.
Provide a "recruiting packet" so Consultants can successfully deliver key messages to potential team members.
Provide better email invitation options/templates, be it for Paperly's system or third-party systems.
Provide a better reward and recognition program. For example, how can Paperly make Paperly Dollars more effective?
Provide more timely tracking of packages, so Consultants can communicate more effectively with existing and anxious customers.

Lots of food for thought, right? I greatly look forward to tackling these issues - collaboratively - because I know together, we can make Paperly a truly great company.

And finally, before finishing this entry, I wanted to thank the amazing team I met with: Crystal, Pam, Tammy, Kate, Nancy, Kristen, Tracie and Hilary (see photos below). I am super excited to know you are going to help continue to drive Paperly forward... the sky is the limit.

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO, Paperly

Gaby: A Peak at Being a Paperly Consultant

2011-05-10T09:04:00.000-05:00

One of Paperly's most successful Consultants on the West Coast is GabyL. Recently, I asked her to document her Paperly business, such as preparing for an event, presenting Paperly's products, and highlighting some of Paperly's best sellers. Below are a few of the videos Gaby shared with me.

A Totable Business
Two common complaints about running an at-home business are:

Purchasing and storing bulky and expensive inventory.
Lugging around that same bulky - and likely heavy - inventory from one party to the next.

Fortunately, Paperly requires neither. Instead, as Gaby's video below highlights, Paperly's products are personalized (and hence no pre-purchase of inventory) and nothing can be simpler and lighter to carry than loose samples of paper.

(By the way, I love the grand entrance of Gaby's son. It's a perfect example of how family-friendly an at-home Paperly business can be.)

Two Display Tables
One of the most common questions I receive from new Paperly Consultants is, "How should I set-up my display table?" Fortunately, Gaby does an amazing job of showcasing her samples in the two videos below.

You can see additional examples of display tables at the following Paperly blog entries:

Best Sellers
Lastly, I love that Gaby has taken the time to highlight her best selling products: beverage napkins, hard-sided coasters, wine tags and self-inking stamps. Listening to Gaby, I know why she's great at Paperly. She doesn't "sell" wine tags, as an example. Instead, she enables customers to make a logical choice: non-personalized and expensive wine bags versus personalized, adorable and cost-effective wine tags. Easy choice, right?!

Thank you, Gaby, for letting us peek into your Paperly business. If you live in Southern California, and you'd like to learn more about Paperly, you can connect with Gaby via her website: http://www.mypaperly.com/gaby.

As for the Flip video recorder? It's my turn! I plan to take it on my trip to Washington DC to meet with the thriving community of Paperly Consultants there.

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO, Paperly

2 Videos, 2 Learnings

2011-05-05T15:24:00.000-05:00

The following two videos were highlighted at the recent VideoPlus University I attended. Why am I sharing them on Paperly's blog? You'll have to watch and read to learn more.

This first commercial depicts a son using his iPhone to show his father a live video of his new grandchild.

Note that Apple - a master of commercials - never mentions the phone's features. Apple never gets into the technical jargon that enables live streaming to occur. Apple never talks bits, bytes or capabilities. Instead, Apple shines by answering the question, "Why?" Seeing your grandchild for the first-time, even if you can't be there, is the "Why" you need an iPhone.

The same can be said of a successful direct seller. They too answer the question "Why?" They don't focus on product features and functionality. Instead, they ask "Why?" Are you interested in Paperly because you love stationery? Or is it because you want to earn additional income? Or maybe it's because you crave creative fun?

Knowing your "Why" (and that of possible team members) provides the clarity you need to grow your Paperly business.

This second commercial depicts a blind man begging for money and a kind woman helping him in an unsual way.

I love this video because it shares the "Power of the Message". As the final panel says, "Change your words. Change your world." No matter what your cause, without the proper message, you will be overlooked.

Think about the message you use to promote your business. Are you too "me" focused? Are you saying, "I'm blind... help me"? Instead, should you be saying, "I have a something special I want to share with you"?

We often talk at Paperly about your "30-second commercial". Basically, the 30-second commercial is how you explain you and your business in 30 seconds or less to a complete stranger. If you don't have a 30-second commercial, you need one. And if you have one, I highly recommend you review you message. Please make sure it's about the "beautiful day" you wish to share, and not about "your being blind".

I'd love to hear your thoughts. What commercials or videos do you love because they convey an important message to you?

Thanks,
Jay Rudman, CEO, Paperly

The First Party Plan Business

2011-04-22T14:00:00.000-05:00

Quick... name the first party plan business? If you said "Tupperware", think again!

Actually, the very first company to systematize the idea of showcasing products at a Hostess's home to a group of guests (at that time it was typically housewives) was... Fuller Brush Company.

It began during the Great Depression, when a salesman named Norman Squires realized the inefficiency of door-to-door sales, and thus in 1935, he developed his hostess home party plan. Squires continued to perfect the at-home party until 1950, when Earl Tupper, inventor of Tupperware, made Squires general sales manager of Tupper Corporation's Hostess Division. And as they say, the rest is history.

Learn more by watching this video put together by the Direct Selling Association (www.DSA.org) as part of its "Centennial Moments" series.

Perhaps one day history will report favorably on Paperly's incredible success?

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO * Co-Owner, Paperly

What is Direct Selling?

2011-04-15T16:39:00.000-05:00

You have to watch this video titled, "What is Direct Selling?" put together by the Direct Selling Education Foundation. I love the video's key themes including:

Direct selling is the freedom to run your own business
Direct selling is about defining success on your own terms
Direct selling is being passionate in what you do
Direct selling requires trust & integrity (Paperly is proud to be a member of the Direct Selling Association, meaning it abides by its Code of Ethics.)
Most importantly, direct selling is about having fun!

I am proud to say Paperly is everything described in this video... and more.

Please feel free to share this video with anyone who is thinking about becoming a direct seller. You just might positively change her/his life forever.

Regards,
Jay Rudman, CEO * Co-Owner, Paperly

DeeDee’s Paperly Party

2011-04-06T21:21:00.001-05:00

DeeDeeM, a Paperly Consultant located in a northwest suburb of Chicago, recently documented two of her Paperly parties using Paperly’s Flip video camera. Thanks DeeDee for sharing with us how fun and easy a Paperly party is.

Pre-Party Preparations
I absolutely love the things DeeDee has prepared for her party including a card of upcoming holidays/occasions, a sign that reads “Host your own stationery party”, wish lists and an Open Date Calendar (see Karen Phelps' website for more information). A bit of prior planning goes a long way towards maximizing sales and booking future parties. Great job DeeDee.

(Sorry for the sideways video.)

Displays, Displays and Displays
I find it amazing how creative Paperly’s Consultants are in displaying their samples (see Crystal’s and Bridget’s displays). What a great idea, DeeDee, to use the shoe rack. As she said in a subsequent email, “…the shoe rack is an easy, clean way to display the folded notes and to see so many different designs”. I completely agree!

At The Party

This is a great video for two reasons. First, we finally get to see DeeDee (she’s on the left). Yea! Second, this video shows that the Paperly purchasing process is collaborative… it’s a creative partnership between the customer and the Consultant. I often hear from others how Paperly provides an outlet for their creative flair.

Actually, I have a third reason why I like this video – because you can hear in the background how lively and fun a Paperly party is!

Straight from the Hostesses

Lastly, below are two snippets from the Hostesses of DeeDee’s parties. Of all the videos, hearing from the Hostess – how they used their Hostess Rewards and had so much fun at their party – is always my favorite. Hearing their praise of DeeDee and seeing their delight with the products brings a BIG smile to my face.

(Don't you think both Sarah and Janel should become Paperly Consultants?

They'd be amazing!)

Thank you DeeDee for sharing your Paperly parties with us. If you're in NW Chicago and you're interested in hosting a party for DeeDee, you can find her at http://www.mypaperly.com/DeeDee

As for the Flip recorder? It's already on its way out to the West Coast. Stay tuned...

Regards,
Jay Rudman, CEO, Paperly

A Retrospective: Special Occasions 2008

2011-03-22T13:48:00.000-05:00

As we prepare to release Paperly’s Special Occasions catalog for 2011-12 (available on April 1, 2011), I thought it would be fun (and eye-opening) to write a retrospective on catalogs from Paperly’s past. Below is the second in the series. My first blog entry focused on Paperly’s original catalog, Everyday Collection 2007. The entry below discusses Paperly’s very first Special Occasions catalog.

While there were many positives that came out of this initial foray into a Special Occasions catalog, there were many mistakes we made and learned from, including:

In an effort to be cost conscious, we shrunk the size of the catalog to 8.5” x 5.5”. Big mistake! Unfortunately, it made this catalog seem inferior compared to the 8.5” x 11” Everyday Collection catalog. Lesson learned: Always make your catalogs the same size!
We introduced a gorgeous set of stationery that included 30 flat notes and envelopes, packaged within a sturdy, well-designed gift box. We loved it! Unfortunately, to make a reasonable margin on it, we needed to price the product at $75! Wow – lesson learned: There is a price point that cannot be exceeded. We now aim for all personalized gifts to fit within the $19.95 - $34.95 price range.
One of the catalogs most popular products was 300 memo sheets stored in a gorgeous linen holder for only $30. It was a hit! Actually, it was too big of a hit, because we quickly sold out and our manufacturer couldn’t replenish the product fast enough. For the first time, Paperly had to tell its Consultants that we were back-ordered. Yuck! From that point forward, I vowed to never let Paperly get into a foreseeable backorder situation like that again.

Whew – lots of mistakes, but lots of success too. We quickly learned of the market’s insatiable appetite for reasonably priced, personalized beverage napkins, guest towels, teacher gifts and notepads. All those items continue to be strong winners for Paperly.

I must admit, it is fun looking back at Paperly’s past catalogs. I can’t wait to write about Paperly’s next one.

Until then,

Jay Rudman, CEO * Co-Owner, Paperly

Bridget’s Paperly Party

2011-03-15T15:18:00.001-05:00

Recently, I asked BridgetG - a Paperly Consultant who was traveling to her hometown to conduct two Paperly parties – to document her parties using Paperly’s Flip video camera. Below are a few video segments, taken by Bridget (although disappointedly we never see her in any of the shots!), intended to show how fun and easy a Paperly party is. Thank you Bridget for allowing us to peek into your parties.

Sample Table

I love this shot of Bridget’s sample table. It is so densely displayed… you certainly get the feel that Paperly offers tons of options from personalized stationery (e.g. flat notes, folded notes, memo sheets, note pads, etc.) to personalized gifts (e.g. clipboards, placemats, wine tags, etc.). I especially love the creative use of the tennis ball as a sample holder. Wish I had thought of that!

By the way, I’ve heard from Paperly Consultants that they love that Paperly’s samples are easy to tote from one party to the next. Guess that’s one of the beautiful things about paper: it’s lightweight!

Customers

Below, I’ve included video of customers from both of Bridget’s parties. Why? Because I love that one party takes place around the kitchen table and the other takes place in the living room. The two scenes prove that there is no “perfect” or “right” party. Instead, it’s whatever works for the Consultant and Hostesses. Equally as important, both of these videos provide a brief glimpse at the energy inherent in a Paperly party. Yea!

Hostess Rewards

I must admit, this is my favorite of Bridget’s videos. I love hearing what the Hostess plans to spend her Rewards on: personalized stationery (the blue Grecian Band folded note is one of my favorites too!), a self-inking stamp and luggage/bag tags. Furthermore, I couldn’t have said it better: This has been "definitely the most fun and the most successful" party the Hostess has been a part of. I’m so happy to hear it!

Thank you, thank you, thank you Bridget for sharing your Paperly parties with us. If you're interested in hosting a party for Bridget, you can find her at http://www.mypaperly.com/Bridget.

And of course, like all good movies, we’re already preparing the sequel. The Flip recorder is on its way to another Paperly Consultant. I can’t wait to see what her party is like!

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO, Paperly

A Retrospective: Everyday Collection 2007

2011-03-10T13:32:00.000-06:00

As we prepare to release Paperly’s Special Occasions catalog for 2011-12 (available on April 1, 2011), I thought it would be fun to start a retrospective series on catalogs from Paperly’s past. So let’s dial the time machine way, way, way back to Paperly’s very first catalog, Everyday Collection 2007.

Being our very first catalog, boy did we make a lot of mistakes with it! Here are just a few key learnings we discovered:

The catalog had no pricing! How is that possible, you ask? Well, we envisioned the catalog to be a mere complement to a 3-ring album we had put together, so we put pricing in the album but not in the catalog. Big mistake! We quickly learned that the catalog needed to stand on its own… and soon, we ditched the album altogether.
There were no exclusive products! Instead, Paperly used other company’s designs and passed along orders to those companies. Big mistake! Without exclusive designs, customers asked why purchase from Paperly as opposed to the designers directly. Plus, without owning the designs, there isn’t enough margin to pay our Consultants the commissions they deserve.
We showcased the designs, but not the product! For example, we’d show an icon of ballet shoes, but we wouldn’t show that icon on a flat note, folded note, luggage tag, address label, etc. We learned that customers need to see the product in use, as a flat note – for example – and preferably in a photo, so depth, contrast and scale were all readily evident.

I could probably go on and on about other mistakes we made with this first catalog, but the important thing is we quickly learned from our mistakes and our catalogs have continued to get better and better.

My next blog entry will discuss Paperly’s first Special Occasions catalog!

Until then,

Jay Rudman, CEO * Co-Owner, Paperly

Crystal's Paperly Party

2011-02-10T15:46:00.000-06:00

In late January 2011, Paperly gave Crystal L - one of Paperly's more successful Consultants - a Flip video recorder to document how fun and easy a Paperly party truly is! Below is a few short snippets directed, produced, acted and choreographed by Crystal.

Before the Party

Crystal introduces herself and provides a "behind the scene" look at her pre-party set-up.

Why Crystal Loves Paperly

Crystal explains why Paperly is the perfect fit for her mom lifestyle. In short, Paperly provides Crystal a fun way to make money!

In the Car

Thank heavens Crystal was at a red light when she filmed this short segment!

Arriving at Jane's House

Jane, the Hostess, is surprised by the camera, but more importantly, excited about "so many people are coming" to the party.

"Paperized"
As Crystal so eloquently describes it, Jane's house has now been "paperized". By the way, I love the displays Crystal has done.

The Hostess Rewards
Seems like the hardest part for Jane will be deciding what products to get for free using her Hostess Rewards!

The Party is Over
The food and wine is gone, Jane's husband is thankfully okay (he had a bike accident on hisway home from work) and "everyone had a great time". What an amazing night by Crystal and Jane!

Thank you so much, Crystal, for enabling us to glimpse inside one of your Paperly parties. If you're interested in hosting a party for Crystal, you can find her at http://www.mypaperly.com/Crystal/.

The Flip video recorder will now make its way to another Paperly Consultant. Stay tuned for more party videos soon.

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO, Paperly

Paperly is Different... and Better!

2011-01-25T14:50:00.000-06:00

On occasion, I hear from potential Consultants, "I'm considering a few companies. What makes Paperly different?" Fortunately, the answer is easy.

While there are many direct sellers that focus on everything from bags to jewelry, Paperly is the leading direct seller of personalized stationery. Being the leader means having the widest assortment of products, the best-in-class technology, a lucrative commission & career plan, a supportive training process and exceptionally strong marketing materials (e.g. catalogs, loose samples, etc.).

Further validating Paperly’s #1 standing is its membership in the exclusive Direct Selling Association (DSA.org). As DSA’s President, Neil Offen, has said, "The members of the Direct Selling Association pride themselves in their commitment to the highest standards in business ethics." No other direct seller that focuses exclusively on personalized stationery can make that claim.

Additionally, and this point should not be underestimated, Paperly’s designs are exclusive. Without exclusive designs, there are few compelling reasons to purchase products from you versus elsewhere. Paperly’s exclusive designs also enable it to keep its retail price as low as possible, since it does not need to pass along licensing fees or royalties.

Lastly, Paperly drop-ships personalized orders directly to customers. Therefore, Consultants do not need to hold inventory. That’s a big deal! Inventory is YOUR money tied-up in unsold products. That’s why some companies need to pay an outlandish commission. Basically, they’re trading the promise of a high, yet uncertain commission for your upfront purchase of inventory. Personally, that’s not a deal I’d want to make as a distributor.

All that said, there truly is no comparison. If you want to be a part of the leading direct seller of stationery, then Paperly is your best option.

Regards, Jay Rudman, CEO * Co-Owner, Paperly

In 2011, Produce... Don’t Just Consume

2011-01-07T15:03:00.000-06:00

I’m a bit tardy on my New Year's resolutions. Perhaps my first resolution should be, "Don't procrastinate when it comes to writing Paperly's blog!" Putting that minor character flaw aside, one of my New Year's resolutions can be summed-up as, "produce... don’t just consume".

What does that mean? It might be best explained with a few examples:

Reading a book, albeit one of my favorite pastimes, is consuming. Writing a book, journal or letter is producing. Writing produces ideas, creates tangible and everlasting artifacts, and leaves something for future generations (kids, grandkids and great-grandkids) something to ponder.
Living in Chicago is consuming. Contributing to Chicago is producing. I love Chicago for its beaches (not during the winter though!), its architecture, its fine dining and its cultural attractions. However, to be a productive member of Chicago's community, I need to contribute: e.g. join the school board, volunteer at a shelter, have Paperly sponsor a neighborhood event, etc.
Working for a company is consuming. Starting a company is producing. Creating a company offers the owner hope for a better life, provides employees a financial means, and can significantly impact the surrounding community positively.

Tying this back to Paperly (which I undoubtedly need to since this blog is supposed to be about Paperly ;) joining Paperly as a Consultant is an amazing first step towards producing rather than consuming. As a Consultant, you run your own business, you manage your own work-life balance, you generate self-income and you earn tremendous satisfaction by helping others find their perfect personalized product. All are examples of producing. In fact, being a Paperly Consultant might just be the perfect encapsulation of producing rather than consuming.

Perhaps this idea of producing versus consuming is too provocative? Maybe it's an oversimplification of the Golden Rule, "It is better to give than to receive"? Regardless, I am going to work hard in 2011 (and hopefully beyond) to produce. And I think the world just might be a better place if everyone tries the same.

Happy 2011 to you and yours.

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO * Co-Owner, Paperly

Comparing Commissions

2010-12-23T14:49:00.000-06:00

The feedback from Consultants regarding Paperly's new Commission & Career Plan, which is still relatively new (we just launched it on 09/01/10), has been overwhelmingly positive. And yet, I still occasionally hear from folks interested in joining Paperly, "Why are Paperly’s commissions limited to 26% when I see other direct selling companies offering 30, 40 even 50%?" Nothing could be farther from the truth!

Paperly's average party size in 2010 neared $450. I believe the industry average is closer to $350. Clearly, larger parties means larger commissions, so be sure to ask other companies what their average part size is.
Paperly’s Consultants do not need to carry inventory. Instead, Paperly's products are personalized and drop-shipped. No inventory means no additional investment beyond the Starter Kit. This is not true for most other companies. They need to offer a higher commission rate, because their Consultants need to re-invest in additional samples and inventory. Therefore, do not looking solely at raw commissions. Instead, you need to calculate your "return on investment" – i.e. how much you make versus how much you spend.
Paperly’s 26% is merely its base rate. Many of Paperly's Consultants earn substantial bonuses (up to 12%) by hitting achievable personal sales targets. Also, the 26% does not count the additional commissions a Consultant can earn: e.g. downline commissions (up to 6%) and team/generation bonuses (up to 8%).
Lastly, when I helped build Paperly's commission plan, I was adamant that a Consultant could be successful via (i) personal sales, (ii) building a team or (iii) both. I talk to Consultants every day and I know each ticks differently: some like to sell, some like to recruit… and that’s perfectly okay with Paperly. Please be wary of any direct selling company that requires you to recruit as the only way to be successful.

All that said, I think Paperly’s Plan is VERY competitive. Don't be blinded by looking solely at base rates, because so many other factors go into your final payout. Truly, the best advice I can offer when you’re trying to compare commission plans is: Find a company and product that you absolutely love, share your passion with everyone you know, and you’ll likely be very successful.

Happy Holidays,

Jay Rudman, CEO * Co-Owner, Paperly

Give Yourself a Gift

2010-12-13T14:38:00.000-06:00

What gift are you most excited about this Christmas? Jewelry? Clothes? Something else your heart fancies?

Although jewelry and clothes are wonderful and appreciated, wouldn't you truly want (and deserve) a gift that:

Provides the potential for unlimited financial gains
Realizes a lifelong dream to be your own boss
Enables you to have tap into your fun, creative self

Doesn't that sound like the perfect gift?

All too often, we're so eager to spend hundreds of dollars on others, but once that money is spent, and that gift is consumed, it's gone forever. That's the difference between spending and investing. Spending does not reap future rewards; investing does.

Just last week, I received a note from a potential Paperly Consultant who said, "I want to join Paperly, but I have to wait until after Christmas, because I've already overspent my budget." I bit my tongue and replied, "Great – Can’t wait!" In truth, I really wanted to say, "All the more reason to join Paperly now! Invest in your future; earn back what you've spent; start making money rather than simply spending it!"

Of course, I appreciate that 'tis the season to give. I agree – give to the homeless, the jobless, and the parentless (among others). But also give to yourself and your future. Invest in your future, and come next Christmas, you may never overspend your budget again.

Happy holidays,

Jay Rudman, CEO * Co-Owner, Paperly

Actually, It’s a Great Time

2010-12-03T17:03:00.000-06:00

Over the past few days, I’ve heard from a few potential Consultants that they’re concerned they've "missed Paperly’s holiday selling season", so why should they join now?

Actually, it’s a great time to join Paperly!

Why? Well, to be honest, there's probably never a perfect time to join, right? You’re too busy at work, you’re traveling too much, your kids have been sick, etc. Given that there’s always something going on in your life, and without sounding overly flippant about an important decision, but why not now?

Furthermore:

1. January is typically a big month at Paperly, because customers need lots and lots of thank you notes. So if you join Paperly now, you can spend December selling last-minute holiday items as well as getting up-to-speed for a big January.

2. Although it has yet to be officially announced, Paperly plans its first-ever incentive trip in 2011, with the qualification period starting on 01/01/11. So if you join Paperly now, you’re able to accumulate points from the beginning of the contest.

3. Even though Christmas will come and go all-too-fast, it’s quickly followed by Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, graduation, confirmation and Father’s Day, among a handful of other occasions along the way.

Basically, there’s always a reason and need for personalized stationery. Wouldn’t it be nice if you started off the New Year with a new career – something you’re passionate about? If so, then now is the perfect time for Paperly!

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO * Co-Owner, Paperly

So Many Reasons to be Thankful

2010-11-24T09:22:00.000-06:00

With Thanksgiving arriving tomorrow, I’d like to take a moment to send a "thank you" to everyone that has made 2010 an amazing year at Paperly:

To Paperly’s Consultants: Thank you for sharing Paperly with your friends and family members. You're the ones "out in the field". You're the ones doing the day-to-day to make Paperly successful. Without you, Paperly wouldn't exist. So thank you for being the best team I could have ever asked for.

To Paperly’s Staff: Thank you to Cindy, Jenny, Kristin, Susan, Jenna and the others who answer the phones, submit orders, manage our books, and do everything possible to make the Paperly experience a smooth (and hopefully, fun) one. I am very lucky to have such an amazing staff to work with.

To Paperly’s Customers: Your ideas, feedback and – of course – purchases, drive Paperly forward. Thank you for making Paperly better every single day.

To Paperly’s Hostesses: Thank you for inviting your friends, family members, neighbors and colleagues into your home so they too can fall in love with Paperly’s products. True, the free and discounted products you earn are a nice perk, but not a moment goes by without me wishing to thank you for your efforts.

And finally, thank you to all the printers, designers, software developers, service providers and others who have helped make Paperly’s future appear so bright.

I wish you and yours a very happy Thanksgiving.

Sincerely, Jay Rudman, CEO * Co-Owner, Paperly

No Salaries at Paperly

2010-11-16T12:26:00.000-06:00

I am a big believer that pay should reflect performance. If you don’t succeed, then unfortunately, you don’t get paid, or at least, not as much as someone who has succeeded. Of course, it’s one thing to recite that mantra; it’s a whole other thing to live it. That said, I am proud to say that there is no such thing as a salary at Paperly. As CEO of Paperly, I currently do not receive a salary and neither does Cindy, my wife and Paperly’s co-founder.

Why is this important? Well, for a few reasons:

1. Like all direct selling businesses, Paperly’s Consultants earn commissions and bonuses. Their pay accurately reflects their hard work and effort. It’s the perfect meritocracy. Since their earnings are solely dependent on their output, I believe the same should hold true for my earnings. Which brings me to my second reason...

2. Paperly is ~3 years old and I am proud to say it has far exceeded my expectations. We have 100+ Consultants located in 30 states coast-to-coast who are selling a ton of personalized stationery and gifts. And yet, Paperly has a long way to go before it is where I want it to be. Thus, until it hits my lofty expectations, I don’t feel as if I've "earned" a salary.

3. Lastly, I’m a firm believer that pay drives behavior, and a committed salary – regardless of performance – can cause contentment to settle-in. With Paperly, I am far from content. I plan to continue to drive the business upward and onward. There are so many wonderful opportunities with Paperly, I’d hate for salary to become an obstacle.

I live, breath, eat and sleep for Paperly’s success. I know my Consultants do too. Thus, we are all in this together... where pay reflects success. Personally, I can’t wait to pay my successful Consultants beyond their wildest dreams!

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO * Co-Owner, Paperly

P.S. For more on my philosophy on pay, read my blog entry from June 2010, "Money matters, but it’s not the only thing".

Broad and Deep

2010-11-04T15:22:00.001-05:00

Paperly is very excited to announce that it now has Consultants located in 30 states coast-to-coast. Below is a map which highlights our expansive coverage across all 4 corners of the United States.

As the map above illustrates, I strive to grow Paperly both broad and deep. What does that mean? Broad means I want to build an organization that covers all 50 states, and ultimately, expands internationally. Deep means I want to build an organization deeply rooted in teams that serve local communities and are guided and mentored by Leaders.

To me, Paperly needs to be both broad and deep to succeed. If one falls out-of-balance, then Paperly will fall out-of-balance too. Why?

Let’s assume Paperly forgets about being broad. For example, let’s assume Paperly becomes too concentrated in one geographic area. Or perhaps the vast majority of Paperly’s sales occur from one Consultant and her team. If either scenario occurs, you can imagine what would happen if that geographical area became economically depressed, or if that star Consultant decides to leave Paperly… Paperly’s performance would suffer dramatically.

Oppositely, let’s assume Paperly forgets about being deep. For example, let’s assume Paperly has hundreds and hundreds of Consultants all reporting into Home Office – i.e. no teams, no downlines, no mentors, no leaders. Clearly, Corporate cannot play all these roles. It’s simply too taxing. There’s little doubt that leading and mentoring works better from like-minded Consultants out in the communities. If Paperly forgets about being deep, then it can also forget about being successful.

The examples above highlight the precarious balance Paperly must find between broad and deep. As the map above shows, I think we’re doing a good job at it. But to spur additional breadth (and ultimately depth), Paperly is offering a very limited time promotion, expiring this Sunday (11/07/10):

Be the first to enroll in 1 of the 20 states Paperly does not currently operate within

and Paperly will give you 50% off your own 2010 holiday card order!

learn more >

I’m confident one day soon, Paperly will operate in all 50 states – even internationally – with hordes of Team Leaders in each state. I can’t wait.

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO * Co-Owner, Paperly

Paperly is “Buy Later” Friendly

2010-10-29T09:19:00.001-05:00

When it comes to buying gifts, I have found you are either a “Buy Now” or a “Buy Later” person.

Buy Now-ers are always on the prowl for the perfect gift – even when the occasion is months away – and probably already have half of their holiday shopping list completed. (I am certainly not a Buy Now person!) Suffice it to safe, buy Later-ers do not feel the same sense of urgency to complete their holiday purchases.

Historically, Buy Later-ers have faced significant challenges when they wished to purchase personalized products. Personalizing products takes time – often weeks – and Buy Later-ers simply didn’t have the luxury of time.

However, today’s world, with its high-end technologies, is a lot different. Whereas personalized stationery was rarely an option for Buy Later-ers, Paperly’s technical advancements and operational efficiencies now enable personalization in a matter of days, not weeks. In fact, some of Paperly’s products, such as its Color Collection, clipboards, wallets and tins, can be elegantly personalized within 2-3 business days.

So rest easy Buy Later-ers. I know firsthand your plight and I’m excited that Paperly can save our collective hides. As for you Buy Now-ers, feel free to finish your list at Paperly. That way, I can’t completely despise your timeliness.

Regards, Jay Rudman, CEO * Co-Owner, Paperly

The Yearend Family Letter

2010-10-20T06:24:00.000-05:00

You know by now that I am a very strong proponent of the handwritten note. Paperly was founded on the belief that the handwritten note is alive and well. Today, few things are more heartfelt and memorable as receiving a personal note on well-designed stationery.

Yet, how does the handwritten note fit-in with the tradition of including a yearend family letter alongside your holiday card. You know those letters… they typically include a brief summary of the year that just passed (e.g. “Sally went to overnight camp for the first time” or “Hard to believe Jimmy is now in first grade”) as well as pictures of the kids.

These letters are typically typed, rightfully so, to ease the process of including a copy of the note in each holiday card sent. So does the typed letter remove your obligation to include a handwritten note in your correspondence? In my opinion, absolutely not!

I completely appreciate the need to type the letter, but that should never inhibit your writing – perhaps in the margin or as an attachment – a note, no matter how small, sharing a personal thought with the recipient. It can be as simple as “Wish we could see you this holiday season!” Or as individualized as “I am so excited to hear about your new grandchild! I can’t wait to see pictures when we see you in a couple of weeks.”

Personally, I love the family letter. I receive holiday cards from friends who, because of time or distance, I hear from all-too-infrequently. Thus, the “Year in Review” lets me stay connected to their lives. However, I truly relish those notes that include a personal sentiment. I’m confident you feel the same.

So as the seasons change, and our thoughts turn towards the holidays and the annual rite of sending holiday cards, please take the extra minute per card to handwrite a note on each. (If you order your cards early enough, you can spread the task over weeks, rather than days. Paperly has already released its Holiday designs.) You’ll feel good, the recipient will feel good, and perhaps, it’ll rekindle the personal connections and warmth we all covet from the holidays.

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO * Co-Owner, Paperly

8 Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make With Your Holiday Cards

2010-10-07T15:27:00.002-05:00

Although the holidays are still a bit away, now is the time to jump on your holiday cards. Try to avoid the "Top 8 Mistakes" I list below, and you'll thank me later!

1. Waiting to place your order

Paperly’s holiday designs are available now! Buying today means you receive the newest designs all-the-while avoiding any unforeseen delays that may occur later in the season. Plus, when you add together all the steps in the ordering process – proof, production and shipping – it can be a bit before you actually receive your personalized holiday card.

2. Hoping for the perfect family picture

The kids are always going to be tired. The dog isn’t going to cooperate. And someone will close their eyes when the picture is being taken. Don’t fret; just keep trying. Digital cameras are great because you can simply delete the bad pictures and start afresh. Try to take the picture at a time of the day that you know your kids are going to be in a good mood. Line-up a neighbor or a friend if you plan to take a family photo. Although scheduling an appointment with a professional photographer can be daunting, it is often worth the additional stress and expense because the photos typically come out wonderful.

3. Portrait card, landscape picture

Whichever you do first – take the picture or purchase your holiday card – be sure you match orientation. If taken as a portrait, no matter how great the picture is, it will not fit a holiday card that is landscape oriented.

4. Starting your list from scratch

A guaranteed way to embarrass yourself is to forget to send a holiday card to a friend or family member. To prevent this, don’t start your list from scratch year-to-year. Instead, use last year's list as a starting point. If you don't have last year’s list, start with your address book, your wedding invitation list, a recent birthday party list, etc.

5. Writing all your cards in one night

You might envision sharing a cup of hot cocoa around a warm fire with your family, leisurely writing and addressing your holiday cards. Get over it; that isn’t going to happen. We’re all pressed for time, so don’t delay. You can start addressing envelopes today, even before you get your cards finalized. (A great time saver is to have your return address pre-printed on your envelopes or purchase pre-printed return address labels.) Then, start writing a few cards each day during October and November. Worse case scenario and you run out of time, don't worry – most people are pleased to hear from you no matter when your card arrives. Alternatively, skip the Christmas/Hanukkah “deadline” entirely by sending a New Year's card.

6. Mr. and Mrs. Smith (I think)

Mrs. Manners probably has a hard time keeping up with today’s complicated marriage situations. Check and recheck names before addressing your envelopes. For example, do your recently married friends use the same last name or different last names?

7. Needing 100, but having 75

There are always last minute additions to your mailing list. Order a few more cards than your original estimate. It is always less expensive to order extras with your initial order than to place a second order.

8. Not enough postage

If you include separate photos and notes alongside your holiday card, you may be surprised at how much the whole package weighs. Before mailing it, weigh it at the Post Office. Otherwise, you run the risk of having all your holiday cards returned because of inadequate postage.

(P.S. A great time saver is to buy your stamps online from the U.S. Postal Service. Buy your holiday stamps early; sometimes they run out of special issues.)

Hope you find these tips helpful!

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO * Co-Owner, Paperly

Uplifting Words

2010-10-03T19:46:00.000-05:00

Because of Paperly’s 2 new catalog launches (Everyday Collection 2010-11 and Holiday 2010), for the past 2 weeks, I’ve either been overseeing my data entry team or performing data entry myself… hour after hour. The work is both tedious and exhausting, yet the attention to detail must remain high, because an error can create dramatic consequences (i.e. a bad customer experience, a wrong price, etc.)

Fortunately, while doing data entry, the Paperly team was also shipping out the new catalogs and sample sets to our team of Consultants, which now reaches across 27 states coast-to-coast. I say "fortunately" because as the new catalogs and sample sets arrived on the doorsteps of Paperly’s Consultants, I started to receive phone calls, voicemails, emails and Facebook postings about how much they LOVE what they received. Those kind words gave me the extra fuel required to plod along with the data entry. So, thank you to all the Consultants who shared such kind words about our new designs.

I thought you too might enjoy a few of their comments:

"My catalogs and samples arrived yesterday… They look great! I gave out several sets at a football game today and got a good response."
"SO excited to receive the catalogs & samples today - Everything looks so beautiful, and I can't wait to share it all..."
"I received my new catalogs and samples sets today!!! I LOVE EVERYTHING!!!! I can't wait to share the new designs with my friends and family."

Here’s my favorite from a Consultant as she eagerly awaited the arrival of her catalogs:

"I keep waiting by the front door for my box o' catalogs every day @ 530! Can't wait to get them in my grubby hands!"

And finally, although a bit unrelated, I received this quote today, from a new enrollee, and I loved it so much, I wanted to share it:

"After looking through the catalogs for all of 3 minutes, I made my decision to join her team."

Wow! It is words like that which keep me going. And now, back to data entry.

Regards, Jay Rudman, CEO * Co-Owner, Paperly

Anatomy of a Launch

2010-09-24T21:19:00.000-05:00

My apologies for the delay in posting this latest blog entry. Although it’s not an excuse, we are in the midst of launching 2 new catalogs next week: Everyday Collection 2010-11 and Holiday 2010. The entire Paperly community – Consultants, Customers, Hostesses and employees – is very excited about the launch. That said, I thought you might find it interesting to read the basic steps that occur prior to such a massive unveiling. Please note, I’ve grossly simplified each step below, but I’m hoping to give you an idea as to what occurs “behind the curtain” at Paperly.

6 months prior: Paperly aggregates all the feedback it has received from its Consultants, Customers and Hostesses about its designs. By mapping strengths and weaknesses, Paperly is able to identify what direction its future designs might head.
5 months prior: Paperly begins to marry its new design ideas with its team of designers. For example, one designer might be a better illustrator while another might be better at geometric patterns.
4 months prior: Initial design ideas are reviewed and feedback is given to designers.
3 months prior: Final designs are agreed upon, and then, designs are carried through all product types (i.e. gift stickers, address labels, etc.)
2 months prior: The design of the catalog begins.
1 month prior: Loose samples are printed and quality checked. Photos are taken of the loose samples.
2 weeks prior to launch: Catalogs go to the printer, e-catalogs are created and the website begins to be populated with products.
1 week prior to launch: Boxes are packed full of catalogs/sample sets and shipped. At times, it’s hard to find a square inch of Paperly’s office that isn’t covered in boxes!
Launch!

Of course, this series of events completely skips over the marketing, promotion and training that needs to occur in parallel. As you can tell, a catalog launch is a Herculean effort. But boy, is it worth it when the positive feedback starts pouring in from Consultants, Customers and Hostesses. Of course, by then, we can’t bask in our success, because we are already behind in started on our next catalog!

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO * Co-Owner, Paperly

Paperly's Co-Founder, Cindy Rudman, Shares her Vision

2010-09-06T21:35:00.008-05:00

Cindy Rudman, President and Co-Founder of Paperly (www.Paperly.com), has been in the stationery industry for 10+ years. She created the following video to share her vision behind Paperly, including:

1. The reasons for creating Paperly

2. Paperly’s core principles

3. The importance of balancing life and career

4. The belief that the handwritten note is alive and well

Enjoy the video, and as always, please contact me if you have any questions.

Regards,
Jay Rudman, CEO * Co-Owner, Paperly

Paperly’s Own Triathlon

2010-09-02T21:47:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, I completed my 5^th triathlon. (No, not an Iron Man… I’m not that crazy!) For the uninitiated, a triathlon combines 3 separate disciplines – swimming, biking and running – into one event. I love participating in triathlons, because I love the challenge of trying to excel at three things at once.

What do triathlons have to do with Paperly? Perhaps more than you can imagine.

When speaking to Consultants, I often ask, “How do you judge the success of a party?” Most every Consultant immediately replies, “By how much I sell!”

To me, that answer is analogous to focusing exclusively on the swim portion of a triathlon and completely ignoring biking and running. A triathlete can never be successful if she only focuses on one discipline.

Instead, like a triathlete, a successful Consultant needs to view a successful party as the combination of 3 disciplines: selling, booking and recruiting. At Paperly, we suggest our Consultants aim for $600 in sales, 2 bookings (i.e. future parties) and 1 recruit (i.e. future team members).

Without sales, the Consultant earns no commissions. Without bookings, the Consultant has no future. And without recruits, the Consultant’s earnings are limited to her own efforts, rather than the collective effort of her team.

Only when a Consultant completes Paperly’s version of a triathlon can she truly say, “I had a successful party!” Go Paperly triathletes, go! I’m rooting for you.

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO * Co-Owner, Paperly

A Note to Husbands

2010-08-25T21:48:00.007-05:00

Not all of Paperly’s Consultants are wives, but many are. And near the top of the list of things I inevitably hear from potential female Consultants is, "Let me discuss this with my husband."

As a husband myself, I completely agree. After all, I too would want to discuss Paperly before my wife became a Consultant. (Hypothetically, of course, since my wife, Cindy, is a co-owner of Paperly already!) The wife-husband conversation makes perfect sense.

However, I NEVER hear from the husband directly. I only get his thoughts through the wife. And so, I thought I’d write this blog entry as a note to all the husbands out there.

(Potential Consultants: Feel free to print this out and hand it to your husband prior to your conversation with him.)

~~~~~~

Dear Husband of Potential Paperly Consultant,

My name is Jay Rudman and I’m the CEO and Co-Owner of Paperly. Because I know you have questions prior to your wife joining our remarkable team of Consultants, I thought I’d try to answer some of your most common questions up-front.

1. Happy to answer all of your questions! The very first thing I want you to know is, “please don’t be shy.” This is a *big* decision, a family decision, and I’m happy to answer all of your questions. Simply call or email me (773.661.1357 or jay@paperly.com) and I’ll reply directly and honestly. It’s important for you to know that Paperly is a family-based business, and therefore, we try to be as open and honest as possible. So please call/email and ask. We’re happy to answer.

2. No, Paperly is not going to steal your money. I can say this, because I’m a husband too… husbands can be a bit cynical. We husbands believe that all *big business* is out to steal money from *regular folks*. Maybe other businesses (although I’m a bit more optimistic than most), but certainly NOT Paperly. We’re in business to ensure our Consultants are successful. When they’re successful, Paperly will be successful too. Honestly, our Consultants, Hostesses and Customers come first. So bluntly, no – we’re not going to steal your money!

3. Yes, Paperly does offer a real earning opportunity. It would be ridiculous for us to say, "join Paperly and earn $1 gazillion in 1 week." Anyone can see through that sham. But Paperly does offer a real earning opportunity. Commissions can be significant on both personal and team sales. Candidly, Paperly is too young to have $100,000+ Consultants yet, but I see no reason why that couldn’t happen someday soon. And wouldn’t it be nice to say your wife was the first?

4. What happens if it doesn’t work out? Paperly has worked very hard to be a member of the Direct Selling Association (dsa.org) which requires a very stringent buyback policy. Please read Paperly’s at www.Paperly.com/policy-statement.asp. In short, Paperly will repurchase re-sellable contents of your wife’s Starter Kit within the first 12 months at 90% of the price paid by her. Of course, this completely glosses over the fact that the Starter Kit is such a minimal investment to start with, especially the potentially unlimited upside. Nevertheless, Paperly's buyback policy does remove some uncertainty.

Of course, there are many, many more questions that you may have, and again, I’m happy to answer them one-on-one (773.661.1357 or jay@paperly.com). But before concluding this letter, please appreciate the passion, the enthusiasm and the desire your wife has towards wanting to be successful with Paperly. I humbly request that you let her try; she’ll likely erase all your doubts within days.

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO * Co-Owner, Paperly

All the Pieces are in Place

2010-08-17T12:55:00.001-05:00

Time for full disclosure… Although we know stationery (we’ve been in the industry for 10+ years), we’re still learning a lot about direct selling.

In 2007, we launched Paperly by crisscrossing the United States, conducting a half dozen test parties. In 2008, we invited 6 Consultants – yes, only 6 – to join Paperly. We purposely kept the community small to ensure we could deliver quality products in a timely manner at a reasonable cost before we announced Paperly to the world. In 2009, we invested significantly to enable Paperly to grow unhindered. For example, we spent months customizing a world-class Web solution to enable Consultants to place orders online, manage their back office virtually and post online shopping events. See www.MyPaperly.com/paperly for a demo.

Now, it’s 2010 and we are not slowing down a bit:

We’ve introduced a new Starter Kit option, priced at only $99, to allow new Consultants the opportunity to quick-start their business with minimal investment. (http://www.paperly.com/kit.asp)
We’ve introduced a new Commission & Career Plan so we can return every last penny possible back to the Consultants. For example, the maximum commission on personal sales volume has increased from 25% to 38%!
We’re fervently working on 2 new catalogs (Everyday Collections 2010-11 and Holiday 2010), plus a Future Leaders program - both to be released soon!

I share all of this, because honestly, all the pieces are now in place for Paperly’s Consultants to be wildly successful.

I just did a quick analysis and discovered that in 2009, 62% of Paperly’s sales occurred from September thru December! That means, if you're already a Consultant, it’s time to fill your calendar through the end of 2010. However, if you're not yet a Paperly Consultant, there may be no better time to join than now.

I’m proud of the progress Paperly has made. Now that all the pieces are in place, the future is truly limitless.

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO * Co-Owner, Paperly

My Paperly Story (by PegiC, Consultant)

2010-08-03T10:46:00.001-05:00

I have always loved personalized items. Just about anything personalized had always been a hit with me. Giving or receiving a gift that has been made specifically for you is very special and unique. I still remember, long ago, receiving a box of stickers with the letter P surrounded by pastel flowers. I rarely used the stickers but clearly remember considering them one of my most prized possessions. There are a variety of other personalized items that I have acquired over the years. I still have some and others that have been lost along the way, but they have all had great meaning to me.

In addition to my love of personalized items, I have a real soft spot for stationery. I’m not just saying this for the purposes of this blog – I really love stationery. Even when I was younger and only wrote thank you notes as a result of nagging from my parents, I loved visiting card or gift stores that carried unique note cards, paper, invitations and the like. For me picking out my wedding invitations, and other stationery that was used for the big day, was the very best party of the planning process. The ladies in the invitation store knew me well. My husband would run the other way when I brought up the invitation subject, not understanding why I was spending so much time deliberating on the perfect one. That being said I finally picked a very simple, traditional invite that I still love today. I have it framed next to my daughter’s framed birth announcements. I am very proud of these simple pieces of paper that have become decorative pieces that represent great events in my life.

Given the fact that I really enjoying picking out, giving and receiving personalized gifts and stationery, becoming a Paperly Consultant seemed like it would be a perfect fit. My husband actually found out about Paperly online. We were both interested in having me pick-up some part time work. With our kids getting a bit older, I had the time to put aside a few hours a day to work. The commitment, on both a financial and time level, did not seem overwhelming. Of course I had a bunch of questions: What was the quality of the product? Who would I get to have parties and/or make purchases? Would people like Paperly’s products? Now that I have been a Consultant for about 7 months all of these concerns have been erased. There were no hidden costs or obligations. People love the products. It’s great to have a party and see the excitement in the guest when they realize what Paperly has to offer.

Being a Paperly Consultant has been a wonderful experience that I feel very lucky to have stumbled upon. I am so excited, along with many of my clients, to see what is in store for the new catalog and the holidays. I feel confident that with continued effort and focus on my end the opportunities as a Paperly Consultant are endless.

PegiC, Paperly Consultant (http://mypaperly.com/pegiconnors)

Why We Do What We Do

2010-07-29T15:49:00.001-05:00

One of the first questions I ask folks interested in becoming a Paperly Consultant is - logically, “Why are you interested in becoming a Consultant?” Their responses vary from “I’m looking to earn some additional income” to “I need something that better balances work and family”. Interestingly, Consultants never volley my question back to me. Nonetheless, I think it’s important to share with you why I run Paperly.

First, I love stationery. I hope that passion is evident in everything I do. When you love your product, you’re never “selling”. Instead, others are simply swept-up by your passion.

Second, I love helping others. In the past, I’ve owned and operated other businesses, but they were all transactional. Paperly is unique. It’s not about the transaction, it’s about helping others. Paperly’s new Consultants are typically never-before entrepreneurs, who are opening a new business often for their first time, so they can build a better life for themselves, and often their family. Rightly, they’re scared and lack confidence. I love helping new Consultants reach their potential. Inevitably, they blossom as they discover that they truly can be successful!

Lastly, and probably most importantly, I’ll share with you a few words my 9-year old daughter recently wrote (please ignore any errors in grammar or punctuation):

"I admire my dad because: He opened his own business Paperly. Not many of my friends parents have opened their own business. My dad is wonderful in many ways and running and owning Paperly is just one of many."

The lessons my children are learning by watching their dad start and grow a business are immeasurable. Each day, my daughter and son (who is 6 years old) ask about Paperly. They love to provide their opinions on Paperly’s products. They love to visit the office. They love asking about our new Consultants. They simply love being part of the Paperly process.

So why do I run Paperly? Because I want to teach my children, by example, the pleasure of working hard with the hopes of succeeding. That truly is the best reason to do what I do.

Regards,
Jay Rudman, CEO * Co-Owner, Paperly

Environmentally Friendly Products

2010-07-22T13:55:00.001-05:00

It goes without saying, the environment matters to Paperly. We try, whenever possible, to use environmentally friendly materials in our products. Unfortunately, being a paper company, it’s harder than you might think. True, “green” paper products exist. But shifting Paperly’s entire product line to those materials is impractical in the short-term for numerous reasons: price, quality, product selection, etc.

Nevertheless, Paperly does currently offer some great, environmentally friendly products:

Most all of our Color Collection products (#10240-10247) – both paper and envelope – is composed of at least 30% post-consumer waste.

Our Eco Tablets (#10281), which consists of 7 notepads of 100 sheets each (700 sheets total), is composed of 100% post-consumer waste. Additionally, this product uses a recycled, cardboard holder instead of the more traditional acrylic holder. Even the name, “Eco Tablet”, is “green”!

Paperly’s catalogs are printed on paper approved by the Forest Stewardship Council, a non-profit organization devoted to encouraging the responsible management of the world's forests. In addition, our catalog paper is composed of at least 10% post-consumer waste.

We know Paperly still has a long way to go to meet our strong desire to use 100% environmentally friendly products, but we feel we’re making good progress. I can assure you Paperly is committed to making beautifully designed, environmentally friendly stationery.

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO * Co-Owner, Paperly

The Most Common Gripe

2010-07-16T15:02:00.001-05:00

Unlike any other industry I’ve ever been a part of, the direct selling industry is extremely open. For example, in most industries, if you walked up to Competitor XYZ and asked, “How do you reward your consultants?” the question would be met with stunned silence. Oppositely, in direct selling, the competitors share. That same company would say, “Our rewards include A, B and C. How about your company?” And I would gladly share Paperly’s program (within reason, of course).

Over time, I have concluded that such openness is caused by, what I’ll affectionately call, “The My Sister-in-Law Can Find Out Syndrome”. I’ve named it after my sister-in-law, because she’s the one that can call Competitor XYZ and say, “Hello, I’m interested in becoming a consultant for your company. Can you tell me how you reward your consultants?” Voila! It’s that easy! And because it’s so easy, direct selling companies do not try to hide much.

So where am I headed with all of this? Well, I’ve spent a decent amount of time talking to other direct sellers – not just folks at headquarters, but consultants in the field. The consultants, in particular, are amazing! They are truly passionate about the products they sell, and they have so many incredible ideas as to how to grow their respective businesses.

Yet, the one gripe I’ve heard most consistently – regardless if the consultant is selling jewelry, cosmetics or kitchen products – is:

“I wish I had gotten involved from the beginning!”

All these consultants appreciate the growth, the income and the prestige tied to being one of the first. They’re often frustrated by the oversaturation in their community. In short, they wish they had started before all their neighbors were consultants too.

And that’s the point of this entry! Paperly is climbing the hill towards what I hope to be amazing success. Therefore, if you truly are passionate about Paperly’s products, then I implore you to join Paperly sooner than later. I’d hate to meet you 10 years from now and hear you say, “I wish I had joined

Paperly when I first heard about it!”

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO * Co-Owner, Paperly

How I Plan to Grow my Paperly Business

2010-07-13T15:03:00.001-05:00

If you were to ask me earlier this year about how I would grow my future business, I would have looked at you sideways! I had no idea I would be selling Paperly products. I stumbled onto Paperly because someone approached me about selling a different product line but I was not passionate about the product assortment. It got me thinking, “What am I passionate about?” One of the things I am very passionate about is staying in touch with people in a meaningful way. I love to send birthday cards, thank you notes, anniversary cards, and handwritten notes of any kind. On that same note, I also keep a personal blog, Facebook page, and chat via AOL Instant Messenger/Gmail Chat/Facebook constantly. I feel like I do a pretty good job of staying in touch with the people in my life while putting my personal touch on everything. I stumbled onto Paperly’s website during all of this soul searching and had a "light bulb moment"! I already use 90% of the items Paperly sells and could easily find a use for the other 10%. Getting set-up as a Paperly Consultant was very easy and quick. Paperly’s staff was extremely helpful along the way. So the next thing I knew I was a Paperly Consultant!

One of the things I spent some time thinking about was how to promote my new business venture. I have a huge network of family and friends many states away and a medium sized network where I currently live and then a few smaller groups of people in other states. How was I going to promote my business to my entire network, spread out across the U.S.? The best way for me to do that is to really promote and push my Paperly online business. I knew right away that I would be using the personal online website that Paperly offers. Along with hosting parties, the website offers an alternative to the response, “I don’t have time to throw a party.” You can now set-up Online Paperly Parties where the Hostess earns credit towards Paperly merchandise for every item sold at her Online Party. How great is that!?

But I wanted to take that one step further and try to reach beyond my network. I wanted to reach the masses and communicate my passion for staying connected. I started a blog, www.SavvySentiment.com. This blog will give tips, ideas, and product suggestions to help people stay connected and stand out. Savvy Sentiment features a “Paperly Pick” item to correspond with the most recent blog post and has a “Shop Now” link to direct people to my Paperly website. I also set up a Facebook and Twitter pages for Savvy Sentiment to reach even further beyond my network. In today’s world of social networking, the sky’s the limit when it comes to promotion of online sales. I am excited to see where my blog and my Paperly business takes me!

AlanaK, Paperly Consultant (http://mypaperly.com/alana)

~~~~~~~~

Alana's current "Paperly Pick"

Lessons Learned from "The Council of Dads"

2010-07-05T13:38:00.001-05:00

I’ve been very fortunate to have spent the last little bit traveling. I love travel, because of the sites, the food and the “down-time”. One of my favorite down-time activities, which I don’t get to do often enough at home, is read. I just finished “The Council of Dads” by Bruce Feiler. It’s a warm, touching and tearful book about a father who discovers he has cancer, and so he asks six close friends to be a “council of dads” to his daughters should he lose his battle with cancer. I highly recommend you read it.

Below is one of my favorite excepts from the book, especially given my role as chief Paperly evangelist.

From page 119 of “The Council of Dads”: Recently, I was speaking to a friend who had lost her father before her first birthday. The one thing she most missed from her father, she told me, was letters directly from him… My friend shares with me that every year she takes time to write a letter directly to each of her children telling them how much she loves them.

Bruce’s words hit home for me. On my child’s next birthday, I’m going to write him a letter, on my personal stationery, in my own handwriting, to tell him how much I you love him. I’m confident he’ll cherish it a lot longer than all the other toys and games he may receive on that day.

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO * Co-Owner, Paperly

Paperly Promotions: The Good & The Bad

2010-06-28T23:47:00.001-05:00

Save 25%!

Double your Hostess Rewards!

Starter Kits reduced to $149!

All of the above are examples of promotions Paperly either has offered in the past or could offer in the future.

Typically, Paperly offers such promotions once per month. Some target customers who are interested in purchasing Paperly products: e.g. “save 25%” or “buy 2, get 1 free”. Others target Hostesses who wish to maximize the free or discounted products they can earn: e.g. “double your Hostess Rewards” or “book a party at your current party and earn a $20 credit”. And lastly, some target Consultants who either run, or wish to run a Paperly business: e.g. “Starter Kits reduced to $149” or “double the Paperly dollars you earn”.

Given that brief summary, most would say “Paperly promotions are good!” But there are downsides to promotions. First, promotions “train” customers, Hostesses and Consultants to “wait for a better deal”. Like a bad drug, promotions are habit forming. Plus, folks constantly expect better and better deals. For example, a customer might say, “last year you gave 25% off, what are you going to do for me this year?” To combat this behavior, Paperly purposely attempts to announce its promotions as late as reasonably possible, often just 7-14 days prior to the beginning of that promotion. This purposeful tardiness lessens the likelihood of customers, Hostesses and Consultants delaying their actions while awaiting the next best thing.

A second negative is that Paperly’s promotions typically target only one constituent – either customers, Hostesses or Consultants – and the 2 remaining groups feel “left out”. To be fair, Paperly tries to evenly rotate the promotions it offers. However, certain promotions simply work better at certain times of the year. For example, hosting a Paperly party in May can sometimes be challenging because the seasons are changing, schools are ending and sports leagues are in full gear. Therefore, it may make sense for Paperly to offer a Hostess promotion in May.

All-in-all, Paperly will continue to offer monthly promotions, assuming it remains prudent, because we believe promotions are greatly appreciated by customers, Hostesses and Consultants. Yet, Paperly also acknowledges that perhaps tomorrow, or some time far into the future, we may need to dampen the reliance on promotions. Until then, I urge to take advantage of the promotions we offer… you never know when, or if it’ll come again.

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO * Co-Owner, Paperly

Not your typical stationery finds… MUCH more

2010-06-18T16:23:00.001-05:00

I have been fortunate to host two Paperly parties within the past few years, and it’s so nice to see how the company keeps their stationery and gifts current. They offer so much more than just "stationery"! Everyone who attended the parties was able to find that perfect thing for them or that perfect gift for someone else. The personalized gift tags and stickers were a huge hit, and the wine tags are adorable. Paperly also offers many items for kids, as well: plates, placemats, and ‘thank you‘ notes for all of those party gifts the kids receive. The personalized self-ink stamps were probably the most popular items. They’re great for everyday use. All told, my friends LOVE everything they ordered – once they could finally decide among Paperly’s unique items. I know that we’ll all continue to check out the latest at Paperly – it’s hard not to!

CarrieP, 2x Paperly Hostess

~~~~~~~~~~

A couple of the items Carrie's ordered using her Hostess Rewards:

Paperly & My Six-Year Old Niece

2010-06-14T17:43:00.005-05:00

I recently had the joy of helping my soon-to-be six-year old niece design her birthday invitations. Since the party theme was Pinkalicious (like the book, for those who don’t know) the invitations had to be … pink, of course! Deciding on the borders and ink color were easy, since she already knew she wanted pink. However, choosing the perfect icon wasn’t as simple, since Paperly has so many cute “girly” options that would complement her party theme. Even for a six-year old, she is a very thorough researcher, so she carefully browsed the catalog for any designs that were pink and recorded their item numbers. Then she looked at each one online several times to narrow down the choices to her favorite three. She still couldn’t decide and wanted a little more time to think about it.

Two days later, as we celebrated her last day of Kindergarten, she announced she had chosen #10725 (Garden from the Personally Yours collection) for her invitations. I doubted she had remembered the correct item number and consulted the Paperly Web site via my BlackBerry to search for the item. Sure enough, she had the numbers exactly correct. Well, of course, she had. Aside from her incredible memory (which I should know by now not to question), she had even more reason to remember these numbers for they represented a very special day (for which she had been planning a very long time) for a very special girl.

Below, I’ve included an online proof. I can’t wait for the invitations to arrive!

LauraS, Paperly Consultant (http://mypaperly.com/LauraShelley)

Money matters, but it’s not the only thing

2010-06-08T12:28:00.002-05:00

To date, the #1 reason Consultants have joined Paperly is because they love our products. The #2 reason is that they’re looking for a fun, stay-at-home business that isn’t overly saturated in their area. Not until you get to #3 does the word “income” or “money” start to appear.

As Paperly’s co-owner, I’m VERY pleased to know that folks are joining Paperly for the right reasons! After all, if my Consultants are not passionate about our products, then their “selling” of Paperly’s stationery is essentially a farce, and ultimately, that Consultant will fail.

That said, even though money is #3 on the list, it does matter. As Paperly’s CEO, I need to ensure Consultants see the rewards of their efforts… and fast. Thus, Paperly has begun the complex task of reviewing its compensation plan. To me, Paperly’s comp plan needs to achieve the following 3 objectives:

1. Enable the “Seller” to succeed

Not every Paperly Consultant wants to recruit or manage a team. Many simply enjoy selling Paperly’s products. As such, I need to help these Consultants earn a very competitive commission on their personal sales, plus reward them with significant bonuses when they exceed reasonable targets.

2. Let the “Leaders” thrive

Some Consultants want to share their passion for Paperly with others. They relish sponsoring others. They love the challenge of building, managing and leading a team. As such, I want these Consultants to earn a commission on the success of their direct recruits, their recruits’ recruits, and so on. To me, a team leader spends a significant portion of her time cultivating her team, and therefore, needs to be rewarded when her team succeeds.

3. Provide plenty of “Known Surprises”

What’s a “known surprise”? Imagine joining Paperly, reviewing the comp plan, and seeing that one day, you may earn a $100 bonus when X or Y occurs. Sure, you know that bonus exists, but you forget about it, because you’re too busy falling in love with your Starter Kit and booking parties. Then, a month or two pass, and you see in your commission check an extra $100 because you achieved X or Y. Wow! What a wonderful surprise, even though you knew it existed. To me, a Consultant needs a constant shot of such surprises – often known but forgotten – that makes her smile and say, “yahoo!”

All 3 of these objectives will underlie Paperly’s future comp plan. We’re confident it’ll enable Paperly to continue its torrid growth. Personally, I can’t wait to start writing bigger and bigger commission checks to my Consultants.

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO * Co-Owner, Paperly

Memorial Day

2010-05-27T15:03:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow kicks-off the Memorial Day weekend. True, the holiday invokes idyllic images of barbeques, picnics, beaches and swimming pools. To many, Memorial Day is merely the official start of summer.

However, to many others, Memorial Day is much more. Dating back to the Civil War, and officially enacted as federal law in 1967, Memorial Day commemorates U.S. men and women who have died while in military service.

No words can say “thank you” enough to our servicemen and servicewomen. And yet, words are what Paperly is all about. So I ask you to think about the millions of letters that have gone back-and-forth from the frontline to the home front, from the days of the Civil War to today’s conflicts. Often, these letters are the only thing that connects those in the military to their families. Clearly, phones and computers have eroded the sole reliance on letters. And yet, for those who never make it home – sadly – it is the soldier’s handwritten note that becomes the family’s most cherished treasure.

This Memorial Day weekend, take a few minutes and write a note to a serviceman or servicewoman. Perhaps it’s a family member, a neighbor, an acquaintance or a complete stranger. Perhaps write it on Paperly’s Personally Yours collection (including the special American flag icon shown below). Doesn’t really matter… just write and create an everlasting memory – for the recipient as well as for yourself.

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO * Co-Owner, Paperly

Beautiful Stationery: Find Reasons to Use and Enjoy It Often

2010-05-24T15:40:00.006-05:00

So many people I meet say that they LOVE stationery, but then, in the same breath, mention that they never write as many notes as they should. Why is this? Many reasons may make sitting and writing a thoughtful note a low priority. Maybe you don’t know what words to use, you’re worried about the etiquette, you didn’t grow up writing or receiving letters/notes, etc. Whatever the reason, I can think of two that come to mind for me:, first, emailing is more efficient than “snail mail”, and second, I will probably run into the person and be able to just thank them in person. So here’s what I do, I fight the urge to email a quick thank you to someone because I know if I take literally 5 minutes out of my day the impact will be exponentially more meaningful when it is received in my friend’s mailbox. This shows that I was thinking about the person even when I wasn’t with her - and who doesn’t love that! Don’t we all dream of being the kind of friend who crosses others’ minds and gives them happy thoughts?! It’s such a beautiful gift to give to someone. And if you run into that person first, go ahead and thank them, all–the-while knowing that your special note is in the mail and will brighten her day and bring a smile to her face when she receives it!

The other thing that I hear from potential customers is, “I don’t really write notes. I don’t do anything or go anywhere that is nice enough for me to write a ‘formal’ note.” Huh??? Who said that just because you are writing a note on a piece of beautiful paper that the note must be in relation to something serious or life-changing? If you love stationery and beautiful paper, use it whenever you can! Let me give an example. A few weekends ago we got together with another couple and all of our children. It was a Friday night and we ordered pizza for the kids and enjoyed some adult beverages and good conversation. We had so much fun! Later in the weekend I sat down to write my friend a little note of thanks for inviting us over and told her how much fun we had. It was actually better than getting a babysitter because we got to spend the evening with our kids but still have tons of fun because they were out of our hair the whole night playing! Rarely do we have evenings as a family where all of us are truly enjoying ourselves, and when we do have them, they are special. Had my friend not opened her home to us that night, we wouldn’t have been blessed with that evening. Fortunately, we did have the experience and it was a great opportunity to write a fun thank you note.

P.S. Days later she called me and told me that she got my note and how nice it made her feel! If I were a bettin’ woman, I’d say our next invitation to pizza night isn’t too far off!

CrystalL, Paperly Consultant (http://mypaperly.com/Crystal)

Ins and Outs of Stationery

2010-05-21T13:31:00.002-05:00

Without question, Paperly is committed to delivering a quality product. However, because Paperly’s brand is relatively unknown (even though we’ve been in the stationery business for 10+ years), I feel it’s important to spend a few minutes highlighting the “ins and outs” of Paperly’s stationery.

Paper Weight

· To be honest, paper weight is more about “how it feels” than “cover weight, pounds, text weight or points”. Suffice it to say, Paperly’s exclusively-designed stationery is the “right” weight: our flat notes are 80# and our folded notes are 60#. (Folded notes need to be less weighty so the page can fold easily.) Of course, memo sheets and notepads are thinner, since memo sheets are sold by the hundreds and notepad sheets by the dozens.

Printing

· Paperly’s exclusive designs are printed using flat ink – i.e. think laser or digital printing. Some of our outsourced products are printed with raised ink (called thermography) or are embossed. Paperly carefully balances the cost/benefit of each print style to determine if it’s something that fits our product line. For example, letterpress is beautiful, but expensive, and so we’ve decided it doesn’t fit our “social stationery” demographic.

Stationery Type

· Paperly offers folded notes, flat notes (large and small), memo sheets, notepads, enclosure cards... well, you get the idea; there’s lot to choose from. So how do you pick the “right” stationery? Some say folded notes are for formal occasions. Others say folded notes are best for kids because they provide extra room to write. To be honest, we believe you pick the style you like best. There’s no “right”, it’s simply what you love.

Personalization

· Paperly is a BIG believer in personalization. There’s something special about a product with your name on it. A note with a generic “thank you” printed on it just isn’t the same as one with your name on it, especially when they’re priced similarly. It doesn’t matter if you put your first name, your first & last name, your family’s name, your initials or your monogram – whatever works for you is perfectly fine with us, as long as it’s personalized.

As you can sense, I (and hence, Paperly) am passionate about stationery and proud of the products we offer. In fact, I’m happy to mail loose samples to anyone interested in feeling the quality of our products firsthand. Simply email your mailing address to info@paperly.com and we mail you a packet ASAP. I’m confident you’ll LOVE what you receive.

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO * Co-Owner, Paperly

P.S. Since I’ve spent so much time discussing stationery, I wanted to at least mention the following. One of the most common mistakes I see is misspelling the word “stationery”. Stationery (with an “e”) is what Paperly offers. Stationary (with an “a”) means not moving.

"What’s in a Name?" - by BrendaG, Paperly Consultant

2010-05-14T11:29:00.005-05:00

Do you remember when you were a kid and you would see a rack of the mini-personalized license plates for your bike? I do! I would always get so excited when I would see those raised colored letters spelling out BRENDA on the display rack. Finally, on a family vacation to Colorado, I bought one. How I loved putting it on my banana seat bike when we arrived back in Iowa. Over time, I also remember getting a key ring, a placemat, a bracelet, and a necklace with my name on them. These gifts are all memorable because of the personalization.

Don’t even get me started about how much more I love monogrammed pieces! That really gets me going! I was even among those preppy kids in junior high school in the 80’s who wore my navy blue and kelly green monogrammed sweater proudly. When my husband and I were married, I ordered invitations, thank you notes, and paper napkins all with our monogram. I just loved how elegant the monogram made them look.

Surely, I am not alone. Who doesn’t notice and appreciate their name in print? That’s why Paperly is perfect for me. I am just crazy about the beautiful designs and the personalization of stationery, placemats, platters, etc. Now, not only can I indulge in getting things with my name on it but I love helping others to make their selections.

Just today an order arrived at my door which included flat notes with a woman’s name embossed on the cards. They look beautiful and professional. This customer was initially just purchasing a set of cute gift stickers for her daughters (who have Chinese names, so impossible to find on the mini-license plates). She then casually mentioned that she had planned on buying plain note cards to use professionally. You know the kind that simply says “Thank you” on the front. I began to show her how much of an impact her printed name in a beautiful black font could look on a simple ivory card. She was sold. The difference was not the ivory card, it was the personalization of the card.

In my opinion, the key to success at Paperly is to get excited about selling someone on their name! Remind them how much they appreciate having stationery with his/her name on it. Tell them how much people love receiving personalized stationery. Paperly is not just stationery, it’s the value of a person’s name.

BrendaG, Paperly Consultant

Paperly’s First Blog Post

2010-05-13T15:32:00.001-05:00

A first blog post is harder than it looks (or reads). Presumably, it should provide the reader a sense of the blog’s future content and tone. That said, I’ll give it my best shot and hope you forgive any rookie mistakes:

· This blog will compile opinions of Paperly’s owners, employees, Consultants, Hostess and customers. Although slight editing might occur, the opinions posted on this blog represent the true beliefs of their authors.

· This blog will stay fresh. We are committed to posting new content approximately once per week.

· This blog will not replicate content from Paperly’s website or Facebook/Twitter postings. Paperly’s website explores the Paperly opportunity (either joining, hosting or buying), while Paperly’s Facebook/Twitter postings are brief, timely observations. This blog will instead provide a deeper perspective on topics important to Paperly’s constituents.

I am very excited about the opportunities Paperly’s blog provides. I hope it exceeds both your and my expectations.

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO * Co-Owner, Paperly