It's a Bag Lady Life

My brother-in-law calls me the bag lady. Okay, he only called me that once, but I thought it was pretty funny so it stuck.

I've been a bag lady (aka Thirty-One gifts consultant) for 6 months now and I keep finding different parts of the "job" that fulfill different aspects of my personality. At first, it was completely about my inner shopper. I loved the bags and kept finding more I liked, so I decided that I might as well get something besides a new bag out of each purchase. The initial cash outlay was small, and in addition to a whole new kit of goodies, I got the promise of discounts and potential commissions.

It wasn't long after that that I discovered that this new pursuit fulfilled my inner organizer as well. You'd never know it to look at my house, but I love organizing things. I love finding just the right container to fit the space that needs help and hold the things that need a place to go.

And, as I played with the bags to prepare for parties, I soon found that setting up displays fed the creative side of me. It's fun to play with colors and patterns, to arrange my bags in ways that have visual appeal and show off the attributes of each product.

Then, when I decided to leave my twenty-seven year career behind, this venture showed me that I have a business side. Who knew? It's fun figuring out how to crunch the numbers so that things work out for my customers. And, I must admit, it's even nicer getting emails that tell me how much I've made in commissions.

And all of this works because being a Thirty-One consultant appeals to my social side. If I considered parties and open houses a foray into direct sales, I'd have no interest in attending.

Fortunately, I'm not the main attraction - the bags are. And so parties are just an excuse to hang out with nice people (mostly, anyway) and talk about a cool product. To me, the social aspect of the party is the best part because this company was founded by a woman for women, and so these gatherings are a night out for the hostess and her guests. The bags and I are merely the catalyst for conversation.

Tonight, I'm heading out to one of these social events. I'll get to set up a display that taps into my inner window dresser. There will be good food, good company and good conversation in a beautiful home.

And who knows? I might even sell some bags.