Selling some Wares

Late last year, I saw a friend in Texas and noticed that her nails looked awesome. She said they were actually nail wraps (like stickers, NOT stick-on, plastic nails). She showed me how to use them, and it was fun. These are sold through a company called Jamberry, which is kind of like an Avon/Pampered Chef thing, a direct-sale company. It turns out her sister is a consultant, and now I am too!

After grouting/deep cleaning: one little chip

Jamberry seemed a little challenging the first time I put them on, but as promised, the second time was smooth. In a nutshell, you cut the sticker you want off a sheet, hold it in front of a heater/hair dryer, place it on your nail, smooth it down with a cuticle pusher, then trim/file the sticker down, then heat and smooth again. I love having my nails painted, but since I'm a big DIY-er, they tend to chip in 2 days. My first-attempt Jamberries stayed on over a week, including me re-grouting the bathroom and scraping off stray grout with my nails.

I've been a bit skeptical of direct-sale companies for a while, mainly because I'm usually not a fan of the whole sales-party thing. But my grandmother sold a home decorating product, and was also an Avon lady, and she won diamond rings and trips and loved it. And it was just because she would drop off a catalog and talk to people - no big parties or heavy sales.

So, in my effort to keep challenging myself and trying new things, I signed up to sell my new-found nail art myself. I wasn't quite sure how to get started, but the problem solved itself: my boss noticed my nails and asked me to host a party at lunchtime as a kind of team-building thing (it's a small office of almost all women). A few weeks later, I packed up my cotton balls, polishes, sample Jamberries, heater, and other supplies, and headed to work.

Second try

The party went well overall - I was a little nervous and it was definitely odd being in charge/telling people what to do when those people included my bosses. Instead of fighting this and trying to take charge more, I just decided to go with my own flow and make it more of a communal event, with us all helping each other. It went well, and several people decided to buy product. It was fun to watch the commission reports come in - I've never worked any kind of sales or commission before.

My next time out was a small party for friends at my house. Again, I took the more casual approach and used it as a change to catch up with people I hadn't seen in awhile, and if they wanted to try the nail wraps, they could. It wound up being a lovely afternoon.

I've just been asked to do my third party - a gathering for a co-worker and her teenage daughter and various mom/daughter friends. I'm looking forward to hosting a party in this slightly different atmosphere - someone else's turf and friends.

Am I going to quit my day job? No. With two parties, I've made just enough to cover what I originally put in to get started - not a windfall. And I'm still not a salesperson; I'm really fine with not making more on this project. But I'd told myself that after three months, if I wasn't into it, I'd quit, and I don't see any reason to do that just yet. It's turned out to be an interesting challenge and a fun social activity.

And now, for the pitch! Intrigued? Click here to visit my independent consultant page. Feel free to send me any questions via my email address on the web site, or through this blog.

Learn more:

• Web: http://companies.directsalesaid.com/

Dancing the Night (Well, 45 Minutes) Away

I love dancing. It's a passion I didn't know I had until sometime in college probably, spurred on by my bestie who had a penchant for busting out choreographed moves while hanging out at our apartment. Some favorites were Lose Yourself ('the sprinkler' was key here) and I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) (which as everyone knows, is topped off by actually falling down by a door).

My love for dancing grew at the end of late nights out in bars when I moved to DC, spurred on by some sugary cocktails. After a few years of that nonsense - and meeting my husband, Justin - my public dancing was whittled down to mostly weddings (and some wedding-related events). But I've maintained my original joy of dancing around the house, getting the dogs all riled up and working up a sweat in the process.

Me and Justin, hot messes at a friend's wedding

I also love Dancing with the Stars. It's my one and only reality show obsession. It's got a benefit besides entertainment, too: whenever I watch, I get motivated by the dancers' incredible abs and glutes and ride my exercise bike while watching the stars twirl around the ballroom. It also really made me want to learn how to actually dance - as in a coordinated, more sophisticated-looking way than what has been described by a friend as 'interpretive dance moves' (but is really a bunch of flailing - albeit very fun flailing).

So I recently snatched up a Groupon for a series of dance classes at a local dance studio, which included two private lessons and a variety of four group lessons. We decided to start with the private lessons, the first of which we drove to on a cold Monday night, battling rush hour. Not the best circumstances to get my toes tappin'.

Nonetheless, we went into the stale looking waiting room, with obviously fake flowers and a general tan-ness. A friendly receptionist checked us in, and we waited for our instructor. A few minutes later, a suited-up man with sweat beads around his hairline and a plastered-on smile came and greeted us with a firm handshake. I was a little turned off by this whole first impression, obviously.

We went upstairs to a lofted practice area, and he started by asking a few questions about our goals. Then he started the music and it was go time. Over the next 45 minutes, we did a few steps each of four dances: foxtrot, waltz, and swing, and club step. The instructor would show the basic steps to Justin, then to me, then we would do them ourselves with the instructor guiding Justin's arm, and finally with him letting go and letting us try to keep up on our own for a bit. This had mixed results - neither of us have much have a sense of rhythm or coordination. However, Justin is a martial artist, and his control over his footwork was amazing - I got kind of annoyed by this. Wasn't I supposed to be more graceful and in control as the lady? It was not so.

Our instructor relaxed the fake smile and turned out to be nice enough, although the beads of sweat that were now running down his face were kind of bothering me. I noticed too that his suit was worn and faded, his shoes a few dances past their prime. The whole place started making me sad. Justin asked him how he got into teaching dance, and he said he's studied dance in college but basically couldn't find a job in it so he worked for a while at a video store and then found this dance studio. This did nothing to make me feel less sad at this place.

The end of the lesson was the weirdest part. We were taken into the 'education consultant's office' for a meeting about what 'program would best work for our goals.' What followed was a closed-door meeting in a small office with someone who would have been equally at home selling timeshares. It was a cold sales meeting, with him trying to pressure us to buy a $1,200 dance lesson package (and you weren't able to buy them in increments - it was the package or nothing). We expressed that we really just wanted to learn a few things, and didn't think we needed all that, which extended the meeting by another 10 minutes. We finally nodded and said we'd think about it, and were allowed to go on our way.

We went back just once more, for our other free private lesson. Things went similarly - I do feel like I learned just enough basic steps to feel a little more coordinated on a dance floor at a more formal event, but the experience wasn't worth paying that much or trying to make room in our schedule for a weekly commitment. We do want to try other less-salesy environments, though - stay tuned for that as we intend to explore a local community center's dance classes soon.

Anyone have recommendations for a good, casual, inexpensive dance experience in the Metro DC area? Or just a good dance class story to share? Post in the comments or send a message to theapprentess(at)gmail.com!

Learn more:

• Web: There are a variety of free dance lesson videos on YouTube - just search!
• In person: We haven't had a great experience thus far, so I have none to recommend. Check out your local Yelp or other review site!