Small Talk: 1, 2, 3 Non-Cheerleader Conversation

[CrazyInAlabama]

A long time ago, I knew two people who sold Tupperware, and they earned enough profit to win big awards from the company, and became regional distributors.    They did very well for a few years.     

 

 Some of the other people I knew that did MLM put everything into the business (Nu Skin I think it was-expensive skin care), and tried to rope everyone they knew into being sales people for them, and within a couple of years they lost every penney, including money they controlled for the grandchildren's needs later.   One man I knew sold Amway while in college, and made so much money, he bought a brand new Corvette for cash.    Everyone else I know has very quickly run out of friends, and acquaintances to hit up for sales or to have parties, and lost everything they put into it.  

 

As others said, the secret is to have a big network of potential customers, and then get people to go to work for you, and then you might make it big. 

Edited August 17, 2018 by CrazyInAlabama

[scorpio1031]

7 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

A long time ago, I knew two people who sold Tupperware, and they earned enough profit to win big awards from the company, and became regional distributors.    They did very well for a few years.     

 

 Some of the other people I knew that did MLM put everything into the business (Nu Skin I think it was-expensive skin care), and tried to rope everyone they knew into being sales people for them, and within a couple of years they lost every penney, including money they controlled for the grandchildren's needs later.   One man I knew sold Amway while in college, and made so much money, he bought a brand new Corvette for cash.    Everyone else I know has very quickly run out of friends, and acquaintances to hit up for sales or to have parties, and lost everything they put into it.  

My boss' wife does MLM.  During my evaluation, he was talking to me about how I should be more open to meeting strangers, talking to strangers, something like that.  He told me how he had gone to a sports store nearby, met a stranger talking about common interests and invited him out for coffee.  He told me that I should do the same thing.  I was like, one I'm female and not going to hit up strange men for coffee.  And two, you only invited him out for coffee so you could get his contact info for YOUR WIFE!!!  Cause yes, after they have gone thru who they know, everyone is a target.

[RedDelicious]

@scorpio1031 that sounds EXACTLY like what my co-worker has said to me, trying to drum up business for HIS wife. I swear they all listen to the same self-help audio books. Does she sell Arbonne? They are big on coffee dates. 

Co-workers wife tried to get me to go to a "car presentation" with her which is totally a veiled recruiting activity. Women who reach a certain level show off their white Mercedes for which the company pays them a stipend for the lease. I was like, thanks I already have a company car and a nice personal car that I paid off years ago. A few hundred dollars towards the lease of a car I don't want or need is not at all appealing, I'm all set. She is completely blind to the fact that I work full/overtime for my company which I've been with for 15 years. I'm never going to quit to be my own boss at AirBone. #nopeiaintdoinit

[RedDelicious]

@raindancer

1 block Philadelphia cream cheese (room temp)

1 stick butter (room temp)

1/2 to 3/4 box confectioners sugar

Fresh dark brown sugar to taste

2 teaspoons vanilla (can sub almond extract)

I cream the butter and cream cheese together with half of the confectioners sugar and then add the brown sugar by the heaping table spoon and beat excessively until it is smooth and looks like the froth on top of a pint of Guinness. A fresh box of brown sugar works best! Cheers ? 

p.s. Can make this chocolate too, use the whole box of confectioners sugar, omit the brown sugar, and add at least 3 heaping tablespoons of Hershey's cocoa ?

[CrazyInAlabama]

20 years ago, a couple I heard about got divorced.    They were distributors for Avon, and the biggest contention in the divorce was the house, because it had a climate controlled, huge storage area for their Avon inventory.       Yes, they built a warehouse to store the stock, so they could fill orders very quickly, I guess that speed is what made them successful, and I don't know how many people worked for them.    This was when Avon (I haven't seen a catalog or anything else from Avon for years, so I don't know what they have now, or if they really exist) had clothes, that spun off into another company, collectibles, and makeup, and I heard the price of that inventory was mind boggling with what it was worth even then.    

Edited August 18, 2018 by CrazyInAlabama

[LaurenBrook]

Maybe that is why Melissa takes the rookies out for coffee so much.  it's not just encouragement, she's trying to get them to join Itworks or something.   JK

[Loves2Dance]

On 8/16/2018 at 12:09 PM, RedDelicious said:

Quoting you for context, not directly at you @EricaShadows :)  I have zero respect for people who crowd fund for reasons that are not directly charitable or emergency related.  Either get a J-O-B and earn the money to do something yourself, or don't do it at all.  You shouldn't expect other people to fund your dreams if you can't earn the money yourself.  There are exceptions of course but I can't deal with it otherwise.

It hits a nerve like people who sell MLM products with the plea that "you are helping me support my family!" (um, that's not my responsibility).  I could go on for hours.  Ugh.  That last part, I think I'm hyper sensitive because MLM is big where I live and I get hounded/guilted constantly.  CONSTANTLY.  No offense to anyone who sells.  I hope you are less guilt trippy than my coworker's wife who won't leave me alone.  #iaintdoinit

My husband medically retired out of the Army in 2014 and since moving home I have been invited to maybe 3 or 4 parties ranging from cookware to books. Just in the last year we spent at our previous duty station, I got invited to 3-4 a week! It was absolutely ridiculous! One week would be tupperware and the next day Pampered Chef plus books, Mary Kay and Avon, Rodan and whatever...you get my point. It was horrendous and it was always that same tagline---like, look, I appreciate that you're trying to make money, but I can only buy so much before I need an MLM job to afford it! 

[scorpio1031]

1 hour ago, RedDelicious said:

@scorpio1031 that sounds EXACTLY like what my co-worker has said to me, trying to drum up business for HIS wife. I swear they all listen to the same self-help audio books. 

I think they do.  And the husband was involved with her in the business at first, so he was reading all these books and listening to the self help audio books during his commute.  That same eval I was told achieve it, believe it - if you see it, you can be it, etc.  We didn't have a back and forth conversation.  I would say something and he would refer to his little cheat sheet to find the correct quote.  He would learn a concept from a book or a seminar and bring it into the business and try to apply it.  Employees were like what does that have to do with anything.  Vision boards, serving the employees.....all sorts of stuff.

[RedDelicious]

7 minutes ago, scorpio1031 said:

I think they do.  And the husband was involved with her in the business at first, so he was reading all these books and listening to the self help audio books during his commute.  That same eval I was told achieve it, believe it - if you see it, you can be it, etc.  We didn't have a back and forth conversation.  I would say something and he would refer to his little cheat sheet to find the correct quote.  He would learn a concept from a book or a seminar and bring it into the business and try to apply it.  Employees were like what does that have to do with anything.  Vision boards, serving the employees.....all sorts of stuff.

sameeeee ?

[Law Mom]

The bottom line is that I don't live in a rural area in the 1950s, where welcoming salespeople into my home was the most convenient way to buy cleaning products and I had to go to a party to buy food storage containers. Walmart, Target, and Ulta are five minutes away. There is a great selection and no one nags me when I go there. Amazon Prime ships in two days. Wayfair has just what I need.

Edited August 18, 2018 by Law Mom

[scorpio1031]

19 minutes ago, Law Mom said:

The bottom line is that I don't live in a rural area in the 1950s, where welcoming salespeople into my home was the most convenient way to buy cleaning products and I had to go to a party to buy food storage containers. Walmart, Target, and Ulta are five minutes away. There is a great selection and no one nags me when I go there. Amazon Prime ships in two days. Wayfair has just what I need.

As much as I love Amazon Prime, I love to shop at stores.  I like to wander around, see what is new, what is out there, colors, styles, whatever.  I miss book stores, I have to shop craft stores - online doesn’t do it for me. I may not always buy something, but I know where to find it.  My friends/ co-workers may make fun of me, but I’m the one they ask when they need to find something.  

[raindancer]

8 hours ago, RedDelicious said:

 

@raindancer

1 block Philadelphia cream cheese (room temp)

1 stick butter (room temp)

1/2 to 3/4 box confectioners sugar

Fresh dark brown sugar to taste

2 teaspoons vanilla (can sub almond extract)

I cream the butter and cream cheese together with half of the confectioners sugar and then add the brown sugar by the heaping table spoon and beat excessively until it is smooth and looks like the froth on top of a pint of Guinness. A fresh box of brown sugar works best! Cheers ? 

p.s. Can make this chocolate too, use the whole box of confectioners sugar, omit the brown sugar, and add at least 3 heaping tablespoons of Hershey's cocoa ?

 

Thank you so much, this looks amazing, I can't wait to try it!!!!! ?

[VintageJ]

10 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

20 years ago, a couple I heard about got divorced.    They were distributors for Avon, and the biggest contention in the divorce was the house, because it had a climate controlled, huge storage area for their Avon inventory.       Yes, they built a warehouse to store the stock, so they could fill orders very quickly, I guess that speed is what made them successful, and I don't know how many people worked for them.    This was when Avon (I haven't seen a catalog or anything else from Avon for years, so I don't know what they have now, or if they really exist) had clothes, that spun off into another company, collectibles, and makeup, and I heard the price of that inventory was mind boggling with what it was worth even then.    

 

I sold Avon and loved it!  The reason I loved it was because it sold itself!  People knew I sold it, I would give them a book and they would place an order.  Simple.  I didn’t have to hold classes to learn how to do the skincare routine and I didn’t have to try and get someone new in the organization in order to make money.  The only problem I had was that almost half of my orders were for my husband and sons (cologne, deodorant, etc.) and of course they felt they didn’t have to pay me.

Oh and Avon does still exist.  Still have the catalog, still sell household items along with makeup.  Hmmm, might have to go back to selling some Avon.

Edited August 18, 2018 by VintageJ

[RedDelicious]

I just tried Avon for the first time (as an adult) and I'm really happy with the eyeliners.  I have a hard time finding ones in the right colors that won't transfer to my upper eyelid by the end of the day.  That and there is a bit of nostalgia attached to it.  I still have a soap dish and a pine cone votive (candle is long gone) that was in our bathroom when we were little.  Very fond memories bc they were things that I thought were special :)

[Law Mom]

9 hours ago, scorpio1031 said:

As much as I love Amazon Prime, I love to shop at stores.  I like to wander around, see what is new, what is out there, colors, styles, whatever.  I miss book stores, I have to shop craft stores - online doesn’t do it for me. I may not always buy something, but I know where to find it.  My friends/ co-workers may make fun of me, but I’m the one they ask when they need to find something.  

I agree. I love to wander around. I tend to order online when I need something very specific. For example I just ordered a new charger for my cordless vac. But I walk up and down the aisles at Michaels almost every week, just for fun.

[scorpio1031]

1 minute ago, Law Mom said:

I agree. I love to wander around. I tend to order online when I need something very specific. For example I just ordered a new charger for my cordless vac. But I walk up and down the aisles at Michaels almost every week, just for fun.

Yes, yes, yes...…..and I love Hobby Lobby as well.  We were interviewing a gal who had worked for Michaels and she said they tended to push customers to shop online.  And I remember thinking, how can you look at beads online?  You get the idea from walking around and seeing something in a specific color, style, whatever.  Not to mention, you have to pay shipping and then wait for the item.  Or scrapbook pages - the decorated sheets - looking at that online, if they even have it, would take you forever.

[PBSLover]

Did anyone see this? The outgoing Miss America is spilling the tea!

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/17/style/miss-america-cara-mund-gretchen-carlson.html

[CrazyInAlabama]

Vintage-You reminded me of something, a lady I worked for at the department store (very low paying, so lots of people had side jobs) in the 1970's had a little shop for  buying and selling little collectibles, mostly Avon, and similar cosmetic brands, and she did very well.      They used to have limited edition items, and many were very cute, so my boss had a very profitable sideline.     

Edited August 18, 2018 by CrazyInAlabama

[parrotfeathers]

1 hour ago, PBSLover said:

Did anyone see this? The outgoing Miss America is spilling the tea!

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/17/style/miss-america-cara-mund-gretchen-carlson.html

If you saw the runner-up's talking bit on the last episode, she mentioned how she started questioning who she really was, and other things to that effect, while in the pageant.

[PBSLover]

47 minutes ago, parrotfeathers said:

If you saw the runner-up's talking bit on the last episode, she mentioned how she started questioning who she really was, and other things to that effect, while in the pageant.

Here’s a better article. The NY Times didn’t touch on as many details.

https://nypost.com/2018/08/17/miss-america-winner-slams-pageant-bosses/?_ga=2.196417771.679025623.1534622079-236873707.1456080298

And no, to answer your question, I haven’t seen anything about the pageant until now. The whole thing is just sad in my opinion. More Mean Girls!!!!

[PBSLover]

3 hours ago, parrotfeathers said:

If you saw the runner-up's talking bit on the last episode, she mentioned how she started questioning who she really was, and other things to that effect, while in the pageant.

Wait, Rachel, Miss South Carolina, was the 2017/2018 runner-up?

[PrincessLeia]

I can’t imagine how being in pageants could be healthy for anyone. 

[dccfan37]

8 hours ago, PBSLover said:

Wait, Rachel, Miss South Carolina, was the 2017/2018 runner-up?

No 2016/2017! She was runner up to Savvy Shields :) 

[parrotfeathers]

40 minutes ago, dccfan37 said:

No 2016/2017! She was runner up to Savvy Shields :) 

If you watch her DCC TC intro, she intimated that the Miss America pageant people controlled everything they did and said.  

Dccfan thanks for answering on the year!

[scorpio1031]

6 hours ago, PrincessLeia said:

I can’t imagine how being in pageants could be healthy for anyone. 

I like the ones who admit they used the pageants to get scholarship money.  They got their degree and never looked back.

[PBSLover]

@ShellyB - Silly question: Do the girls all have to wear the same lipstick color on game day? I noticed this recently and was wondering. Thank you!

[parrotfeathers]

4 hours ago, scorpio1031 said:

I like the ones who admit they used the pageants to get scholarship money.  They got their degree and never looked back.

And Rachel actually said she wanted to be a DCC because she liked to dance and wanted to continue.

[ShellyB]

2 hours ago, PBSLover said:

@ShellyB - Silly question: Do the girls all have to wear the same lipstick color on game day? I noticed this recently and was wondering. Thank you!

They wear their personal favs and often switch it up during the season. 

[PBSLover]

20 minutes ago, ShellyB said:

They wear their personal favs and often switch it up during the season. 

THANKS FOR ANSWERING!

[DCC.Style.fan]

@ShellyB The last question made me think of this question. Do the DCC get the earrings they wear as gifts, buy them, donated??? Have they always been the round crystal -ish ones?  (forgive me as I can't recall the details ) and what did Jaclyn do since her ears were not pierced?  LOL

[ShellyB]

2 hours ago, DCC.Style.fan said:

@ShellyB The last question made me think of this question. Do the DCC get the earrings they wear as gifts, buy them, donated??? Have they always been the round crystal -ish ones?  (forgive me as I can't recall the details ) and what did Jaclyn do since her ears were not pierced?  LOL

Well, back in the day....we wore a pearl type earring. When the crystals were added to the stars, the rhinestone earrings were adopted. Bought by the individual DCC, as they can wear any size. 

[Law Mom]

We knew girls who didn't have pierced ears and they used lash glue to glue rhinestones to their earlobes.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I really wonder about the jump split, and how anyone's body holds up to the impact on their bodies.     They apparently didn't do it when Judy and Kelli were DCC, so I think it could be done away with, and maybe it would reduce the injuries, and future health issues.     

[LadyMsJay]

16 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I really wonder about the jump split, and how anyone's body holds up to the impact on their bodies.     They apparently didn't do it when Judy and Kelli were DCC, so I think it could be done away with, and maybe it would reduce the injuries, and future health issues.     

I always wonder how it even got introduced. How someone was like "..you know what we should do? A split in the air and land on our crotch!!!"

[CrazyInAlabama]

Every time they do the jump split, I cringe.     It's not just the impact either, but the fact they sometimes pull on the other dancers and can hurt them.     Of course, since it's such a crucial move, I can't believe all of the women trying out for DCC don't learn to do the jump split, and the kick line before they try out.  

Edited August 20, 2018 by CrazyInAlabama

[scorpio1031]

1 hour ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I really wonder about the jump split, and how anyone's body holds up to the impact on their bodies.     They apparently didn't do it when Judy and Kelli were DCC, so I think it could be done away with, and maybe it would reduce the injuries, and future health issues.     

A few years ago, some of the All Stars appeared at Six Flags every night - dance, kickline, full jump split.  I think they may have even performed twice a night.  Anyway, Misty D was one of those All Stars and she had knee surgery after this.  I remember someone saying something to her on social media about why she was having surgery, and she said something about jolting her knee so many times in so many days.  

[LaurenBrook]

13 minutes ago, scorpio1031 said:

A few years ago, some of the All Stars appeared at Six Flags every night - dance, kickline, full jump split.  I think they may have even performed twice a night.  Anyway, Misty D was one of those All Stars and she had knee surgery after this.  I remember someone saying something to her on social media about why she was having surgery, and she said something about jolting her knee so many times in so many days.  

yeah, thankfully they've pulled back quite a bit on the jumpsplit.  After two years i a row of Ashley Nicole hurting her knee at Oxnard they quit doing it there and all stars used to perform on game days (plaza) and do jump split but they've luckily moved to just the groups now doing a quarter change dance. 

[scorpio1031]

7 minutes ago, LaurenBrook said:

yeah, thankfully they've pulled back quite a bit on the jumpsplit.  After two years i a row of Ashley Nicole hurting her knee at Oxnard they quit doing it there and all stars used to perform on game days (plaza) and do jump split but they've luckily moved to just the groups now doing a quarter change dance. 

Yeah, someone made a comment on one of the other threads about just subbing All Stars, like no problem, and I'm thinking that you would have to have some that keep themselves "jump split" ready.  And some of them may just want to do appearances and not risk their knees at this stage.

[Loves2Dance]

On 8/18/2018 at 6:39 PM, PBSLover said:

Did anyone see this? The outgoing Miss America is spilling the tea!

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/17/style/miss-america-cara-mund-gretchen-carlson.html

“Miss America is fragile right now,” Ms. Mund concluded. “She needs all of us if she is going to survive.”

Maybe 'she' shouldn't survive. I think it's time to let Miss America become a thing of the past. 

[scorpio1031]

1 hour ago, Loves2Dance said:

Miss America is fragile right now,” Ms. Mund concluded. “She needs all of us if she is going to survive.”

Maybe 'she' shouldn't survive. I think it's time to let Miss America become a thing of the past. 

Like anything else, it needs to move forward with the times, and it also needs to be run by supportive women if all of this is true.  All I'm seeing is a bunch of "Mean Girls" as @PBSLover says.  Women need to be able to choose their cause and be supported in that, as well as in all other opinions, thoughts, actions, etc.

And don't throw fruit, I've never seen "Mean Girls."  

[sleepyjean]

After watching the video of the Saintsations in this article, I can see why poms are needed for teams that perform on on a huge stage and are so far away from fans. Their male dancer is out there working it I'm sure, but he just looks like a white torso bopping around. You can't see a thing his arms are doing. They gave him a towel to wave around when he's not performing, but it's not the same. I can also see why white boots are so popular. You can't see much of what the team is doing below the waist.

 

And on a related note, here are the two male cheerleaders for the Rams on the field. I predict at least 3-5 more dudes will audition for various teams in the spring.

Side note: REALLY not a fan of the girls unis. Boring.

[Law Mom]

Yes, that is exactly the purpose of poms, making the movements more visible. In the DCCs' case their hair is almost like a third pom. Did you know the pom was invented by an SMU cheerleader?  True fact.

[CrazyInAlabama]

When I first looked at the Rams uniform, I thought the one lady was losing her pants, they hit at a very unfortunate point on the hip, and don't look secure.    Boring is exactly what they are.   I'm not a fan of the boots with taller heels either, they just look like go-go dancer boots, and awkward to dance in.    I like the DCC boots much more, and they look better to dance in.    I can see the Rams style of boots with the higher, square heels catching on the turf and causing injuries, or people tripping because of them.   

Good point about the Poms, that makes perfect sense, and the man on the Rams team does look awkward without them.  

Edited August 21, 2018 by CrazyInAlabama

[Opine]

Has there ever been a team that had guys use poms?  Also, agreed on DCC boots.  That cut on the front elongates the leg while these straight across the top gogo boots so many wear has the opposite effect.

[ByTor]

10 hours ago, scorpio1031 said:

I've never seen "Mean Girls."  

Neither have I.  Go ahead, @DanceChick, you can yell at me now :)

[Opine]

2 hours ago, ByTor said:

Neither have I.  Go ahead, @DanceChick, you can yell at me now :)

@Scorpio1031 and you need to watch it!!!!!  Calling VK "fetch" and the Kalteen bar references are so perfect for all of us DCC fans!

[Loves2Dance]

13 hours ago, scorpio1031 said:

Like anything else, it needs to move forward with the times, and it also needs to be run by supportive women if all of this is true.  All I'm seeing is a bunch of "Mean Girls" as @PBSLover says.  Women need to be able to choose their cause and be supported in that, as well as in all other opinions, thoughts, actions, etc.

And don't throw fruit, I've never seen "Mean Girls."  

Actually the fact that Ms. Carlson's name is Gretchen and they used the Mean Girls reference made me laugh out loud. One of the mean girls is named Gretchen in the movie. 

 

57 minutes ago, Opine said:

@Scorpio1031 and you need to watch it!!!!!  Calling VK "fetch" and the Kalteen bar references are so perfect for all of us DCC fans!

Uh yup! Even if you just hate watch it, you should see it once. 

[Taralightner]

On 8/17/2018 at 9:39 PM, RedDelicious said:

@raindancer

1 block Philadelphia cream cheese (room temp)

1 stick butter (room temp)

1/2 to 3/4 box confectioners sugar

Fresh dark brown sugar to taste

2 teaspoons vanilla (can sub almond extract)

I cream the butter and cream cheese together with half of the confectioners sugar and then add the brown sugar by the heaping table spoon and beat excessively until it is smooth and looks like the froth on top of a pint of Guinness. A fresh box of brown sugar works best! Cheers ? 

p.s. Can make this chocolate too, use the whole box of confectioners sugar, omit the brown sugar, and add at least 3 heaping tablespoons of Hershey's cocoa ?

Is this a dip? 

[Taralightner]

3 hours ago, Opine said:

@Scorpio1031 and you need to watch it!!!!!  Calling VK "fetch" and the Kalteen bar references are so perfect for all of us DCC fans!

I’m another one that’s never seen Mean Girls. @ByTor @scorpio1031

[scorpio1031]

3 hours ago, Opine said:

@Scorpio1031 and you need to watch it!!!!!  Calling VK "fetch" and the Kalteen bar references are so perfect for all of us DCC fans!

Ok, I was wondering about the Kalteen thing......LOL

I used to be a double feature every weekend kind of kid.  Then we moved to a town that got the movies about 6 months after they came out, in a one screen move theater, so not too many movies at that time.  Used to rent a lot when that became an option.  And now, I don't know - it's like I just don't have the patience to sit and watch a movie.  I mean, I haven't even watched the first 3 eps of this season:)  And when I do, I will probably be fast forwarding thru stuff.