You have probably seen them all over the place by now: “Join Origami Owl for Free with Me” or “Earn While you Learn.”  I’ve seen them too.  Many Designers have been doing this incentive since the beginning of the company.

But I address it today because with the massive promotions that Designers are doing (due a company-wide iPad incentive – we will talk about that later), the “Free Kit” advertising has grown tenfold and is now being brought over to me for clarification.

Twice today, in the matter of 30 mins, I was asked if I am offering free kits and if what other Designers are saying really is true. Short answer is they are being truthful BUT of course, in all things, there are minor details that you would need to know. The truth is, it is not really free, no one is just going to give you a free kit, no me and no one else will either.

A kit with the costs $149 + tax + shipping kit (a little under $200) isn’t going to be given to you for free with no string attached, is it?

But YES, there are ways to earn a kit for free through certain Designers.

The ads where the Designer mentions of getting a kit for free with is probably legit but every Designer differs so asking for the terms is best.

In my experience and talking with other Designers, they don’t give you a kit for free but here are ways they have offered others to join them with the “get your kit for free” offer:

1. Designer Commissions. Do a party and she gives you part or all of her commissions to pay for your kit.  Big party, it may cover your kit. Our commissions on jewelry are 30% on some pieces and 50% on some, so it will vary per order but an estimate of 40% is reasonable.  It costs the Designer catalogs and order forms and time so they almost never give full commission to the oncoming designer.  Most recently, this “Earn While You Learn” sheet came out and approved for use for those interested in giving their full commission to their future designers:

With this, you can earn your kit for free but you are potentially giving up commissions, future parties, and future customers to not doing the Jewelry Bar yourself.  On a good note, it is a great way to see if Origami Owl is for you.

2. Hostess Jewelry Rewards to Cash. Some potential designers are not sure if they want to be Designers so they host a party first.  If after the party, they decide they want to become a Designer, the Hostess and soon to be Designer can take cash instead of her free Hostess Jewelry.  For example, if you earned free jewelry in retail of $250 (that is a $1,000 party), she may give you the wholesale cost of the jewelry  (40% off of that $250 [as our jewelry is 30% -50% commissions] at $150 in cash.  The cash she gives you is intended to pay towards your kit.  She will take the jewelry rewards so she can take the physical jewelry and sell it to make up the money back that she gave to you to buy your kit.  Does that make sense?  in other words, do a $1,000 party and get your kit for “free” by giving up your jewelry credits.

3. A Promise for of Future Earnings for your Mentor aka Financial Backer.  Some Designers will pay for kits if they can get the potential designer to place 4-6 parties on their books within their first 4 – 8  weeks of business.

Can you earn a kit for free with Jennylou?

I honestly do not currently partake in the earn your kit for free deals.  I have in the very beginning of my Origami Owl career.  I did offer Option # 1.  I have never offered Option #2.  Cash for Jewelry is something I have only offered to those doing fundraisers with me, not for Designers looking to join my team.  Option #3 is another no because while it may be a great fire under one’s behind to book that many parties for a free kit, I find that it can also backfire and keep someone from ever joining because they couldn’t get that many bookings within a short period of time. Unable to book that many up front may lead to think that Origami Owl will never work for them. On top of that, someone considering opening their home may lean to not doing so if they find the person asking have not “bought into” the products themselves.

Why I do not offer earn kit for free:

1. Even playing field for my team.  If my Team learns that I pay for others’ kits and not theirs, it would not be the best for morale.

2. Skin in the game. With me, that is one paying for their own kit.  Research shows that one who is invested has more drive and motivation to be a part of what they have bought in to.

My opinion is that if one finds that $149 + tax and shipping is hard, everything else after that is going to be hard as well.  Though Origami Owl is an easy start (a business for under $200) and you can recoup your initial investment in 1-2 jewelry bar, it is a business like any other.  Like other businesses, there are start up costs associated with it such as business cards and basic items that do not come with the kit. If one is beyond struggling to start up and in scarcity mode, one will naturally emit desperation and customers can sense that and customers run the other way.  There are many Origami Owl Designer Success stories (and I personally know many of them).  Many of them didn’t have a lot of extra money but were still able to make something out of Origami Owl.  Many are now making thousands and thousands of dollars a month. But even in these stories that I personally know, they bought the kit themselves and not their Mentor.

If the price is too steep, cut back, save up, and get the kit when you are in a better place.  Do not rob Peter to pay Paul and take care of the basic needs in life first.  If one needed a job yesterday, I am sorry but direct sales may not be the job for you.  It would be irresponsible of me to push this on you.  I am not blind to the stats of the industry and the reality that many do not make money in direct sales. It took me some time and learning of new skills before I was able to make a paycheck that would equal that of a part time job.  But after 2 years of business, I do make the median income figure for the average American in 2013. Definitely much better than what I was doing before Origami Owl.

3. Earning a kit for free under the terms of the Designer is not any more beneficial than if a new Designer just joined by paying for herself outright, by paying the $149 kit.

Benefits to being an Origami Owl Designer :

*If you are already a Designer, you can do your own party right away and earn yourself faster to Qualified Designer (500PV).

*No need to introduce me or another Designer to your friends and family, all they need to know is you.

*When you do your own party, 1. You keep ALL the commissions, 2. Anything you want for yourself, you can buy at a discount, 3. You can be your own Hostess (keep earned free jewelry) and Designer (keep all the commissions) on all the orders you take in from your friends and family and strangers that buy from you.

In a nutshell, it benefits you much more to just join yourself and not “earn your kit for free.” The $149 is very small to all the benefits you have of paying your own way through.

More than the above, I want to know that they joined my team because they saw the value in me and not the value over some freebies that I offered.  I feel that I have already shared my value in the videos that I have recorded and this blog that I have written in for over a year. This is very small compared to what I actually do for my team on a daily basis. I feel that I don’t need to use free kits to entice others to join me. They simply will because of what I have already done and will do for them as someone in my team.  Just as I don’t mean to offend anyone who do “free kits,” I am not offended when they choose a free kit over me. I am perfectly ok with that.

Does Jennylou offer a FREE iPad like other Designers do?

Now about the iPad deal, that is from Origami Owl the company, and can be won through ANY Designer.  I know some are fronting that it is coming out of their pocket. That is not true.  I do offer an iPad Mini like other Designers. We are all offering them =)

Any Designer – new or old – can earn it.  She sells $500 in wholesale/PV and she brings in 3 girls in March and all 3 do $500 in wholesale/PV in their first 30 days with Origami Owl, the Mentor/Designer gets an iPad Mini.  You as a new Designer can get an iPad Mini but time is of essence.  You simply do $500 in wholesale/PV for in your first 30 days (you must start in March) and you get 3 girls (who must also sign up in March) to do the same of 500 PV in their first 30 days.  If they do meet it, you get an iPad mini.

If you are earning your kit in March with your future Mentor doing your party, and you join in March, the 500PV via your friends and family to earn an iPad goes to your future mentor.  If you join in March and do your own parties (not your Mentor doing it for you), the PV goes to you. Again, whoever earns the 500 PV + 3 people to do the same, gets an iPad mini.

Can you see why the “free kit offers” have grown tenfold lately?

Can you earn your kit with your Mentor + have 500PV to earn towards your iPad mini? Yes.  If once becoming a Designer, you rock it in individual sales, order a lot of jewelry for yourself, add a good amount jewelry for table display, and have a great launch party, then you can easily reach 500PV in your first 30 days.

Either way you decide to join Origami Owl – with me with you paying your way or via another Designer via their “free kit,”  I highly recommend joining Origami Owl ASAP.  Every day is an awesome day to join Origami Owl, but with the March iPad Mini incentive, it is undeniably a sweet deal.

Hope this helps demystify the “earn your kit for free,” and how not earning it (and actually paying for it) is actually good for you =)

Sincerely,