Pretty in Premier

As most of my family and friends know, I'm an independent Jeweler for Premier Designs. Premier is a Christian based company (meaning we follow Christian based principles within our job). We were started out in 1985 by a couple named Andy & Joan Horner. Sadly Joan passed away at the end of last year so I never got the chance to meet her in person. But I have a feeling I would've adored her if I did! R.I.P Joan...this blog's for you!!

Until last year I had never heard of Premier Designs. I had a friend who's best friend was a jeweler, and she invited me to the party she was hosting for her. At the time I was only interested in going to possibly get some cheap jewelry to add to my collection (I have 5 jewelry boxes full of every type of jewelry you can think of, none of which was Premier). I was back and forth on deciding if I really wanted to attend or not, I was afraid it would be like attending a Mary Kay party. Don't get me wrong....I LOVE Mary Kay and Mary Kay parties, but I always feel guilty when I can't afford to buy anything. My grandfather ended up passing away that week before the party, and his wake ended up being on the same day. I decided it might be good for me to go to the party and surround myself with girlfriends....boy am I glad I did!!

First off....it was EXACTLY like a Mary Kay party....but BETTER!! Before attending this party I had never heard of a company that not only based themselves on Christian principles, but they always put their clients needs over making a profit! What kind of company can succeed when they put other people's needs ahead of their own?! While this confused me it also made me fall in love with the company. Unfortunatly I'm like most people in America right now.....completely broke. I knew once her friend started telling us about how we could become jewelers ourselves that it would take money coming out of my pocket in order to make a profit.....just like Mary Kay and Avon. I sighed because I knew I couldn't afford to become a jeweler at that time. I looked through a catalog, found something I wanted, ordered it and left. I put Premier out of my mind after that until my Devotion ring came in. When I got it that feeling washed over me all over again....I wanted to be a part of Premier SOOOOO bad....but at that time I didn't see it happening.

Several months later I got an event invite on Facebook for a Premier party. It turns out my friend Molly Harris had become a jeweler and was hosting her training show. The feeling washed over me all over again so I R.S.V.P'd and went. This time when Molly asked us if anyone was interested in becoming a jeweler I shot my hand up and "YES!" After everyone else left she and her sponsor Reginia got me all the paperwork I needed to start out. As luck would have it I was able to apply for a Premier credit card that would pay for my starter's kit. So I filled out all the nessacary forms and Molly mailed them in. Sadly a few days later she got the response back that I was denied for the credit card (it stinks not having credit!). I was ready to give up but Molly wouldn't let me. She gave me several options on what I could do so I got started. About a month later we tried to use my grandma as a co-signer, sadly that got denied too. And yet Molly still wouldn't let me lose the faith. She taught me the phrase she learned at national rallies, "No Stinkin' Thinkin!" So once again we weighed my options.

Turns out Premier had a contest for up and coming Jewelers. If I got on before the end of September I would qualify for a quickstart program that would earn me free jewelry for my kit. With lots of prayer, hope, and the help of Molly and a beyond gracious grandmother I became a Jeweler at the end of September! :)

So far I've had some tough breaks, but Premier is the greatest job a girl could ask for. I love that it combines two things I adore (in the words of Molly)...jewelry and Jesus! Our items are beyond beautiful, and our hostess benefits can't be beat! Nothing makes me smile more than going into the home of a girl who loves jewelry as much as I do, and being able to give her anywhere from $25- several $100s worth of free jewelry just for allowing me to come tell her and her friends about Premier. I mean seriously.....how cool is that?! I just hosted my first Mystery hostess show today....it was amazing! Not only did I get 3 out of the 4 guest to books shows, but I got to award my sister Sarah almost $60 worth of free jewelry because her name was drawn as the mystery hostess!

As I wrap up today's blog I want to leave you with some words from our founder Andy. While going through my starter kit this morning, I came across a book written by Andy that I had forgotten they'd sent. It's titled: "By Design the Continuing Story of Premier Designs". I hate to admit that I have yet to crack it open, but just from reading the back cover I can tell it will be uplifting. Here's the part that makes me smile:

Contrary to the conventional wisdom and the business practice of most companies, Andy and Joan Horner have led Premier Designs to become a multi-million-dollar corporation- and one of the most successful direct sales companies in the world-by putting people's needs before profits. They founded the company more than 18 years ago, determined to conduct business based on biblical principles of honesty, integrity, and service to others. Andy and Joan refer to Premier Designs not as a direct sales company, but rather as a Direct Service company. They measure success by the number of lives enriched, not by the enrichment of their bank account.

Amazing right?! I think so!
                                          ~Shay~