I am so pleased to bring you the story of Allison Bingham and her journey to becoming a LuLaRoe consultant. LuLaRoe is a very popular, fast-growing clothing brand.
LuLaRoe Mission Statement
Where through fashion we create freedom, serve others and strengthen families. A place where lives are being blessed and dreams achieved through love, confidence, purpose and growth.
2010 was a defining year for my family. At 3.5 years old my daughter was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder called MPS Type 1 Hurlers Syndrome for which there is no cure. With only 2 forms of treatment available, she underwent a bone marrow transplant in September to stop the progression of the disease in some parts of her body. My husband and I were full of conflicting emotions that year. We were flooded with immense relief that our daughter had been given another shot at life. And yet, simultaneously distraught because this diagnosis meant our dream of a large family was not to be, as we have a 25% chance with every pregnancy of our child having the same disease and thereby needing the same form of treatment. With the desire to still have a large family undeterred, we began researching adoption. After a lot of deliberation and research, in 2015 we submitted our paperwork to adopt a child from Kyrgyzstan. And this decision is what led us to LuLaRoe.
I had a friend walking the same adoption path as us and LuLaRoe was providing them the financial freedom to do that. I had never heard of the company so of course I turned to Google for the answers. I was moved by the story of Deanne, the founder, who began the company as a mom of seven looking for a way to help support her family. She based the company on service, empowerment to women and as a way to strengthen families. The culture of LuLaRoe was one that I could see myself seamlessly fitting into, feeling energized by, and encouraged in to fulfill my dreams. It would give me the opportunity to be a small business owner, set my own hours, work as much or as little as I needed, and provide the nest egg for our adoption fund.
So on December 1, 2015 I launched LuLaRoe Allison Bingham and I have never looked back! LulaRoe offers on trend, comfortable and affordable clothing. There is truly something for everyone and every body type from leggings, to skirts, shirts, dresses and sweaters. When I first began wearing the clothes I was amazed at the number of compliments I received. Even strangers would stop me to ask where I had gotten my outfit. I learned very quickly that the clothes sell themselves!
Read: Let’s Go Shopping with LuLaRoe
When you sign on as a fashion consultant you make an initial investment of around $5,500. This provides you with 4 different clothing styles (22 styles are available) ranging in sizes from XXS-3XL, as well as leggings for kids and adults – around 300 to 350 pieces of clothing. Clothes are then sold via in home pop up parties or through online Facebook groups. Most consultants grow their inventory to about 800-1,000 pieces of clothing.
What separates LuLaRoe from other direct marketing companies is that every Fashion Consultants inventory is different. There is no catalog to order from. LuLaRoe only produces about 2,000 pieces of clothing in a particular print, which provides fashion consultants with widely varied looks and creates high demand for favorite patterns. Customers are then freed up to shop with multiple consultants to find the patterns they like, and consultants can work together to satisfy customers. It is a win-win for everyone!
As a consultant you choose how you would like to run your business. LuLaRoe calls this your WHY. Why did you pursue this? To pay off debt? As an outlet to meet other really cool women? To make extra spending money? To change careers from something you are not enjoying? Your “why” then directs how many hours you want / need to pour into your business. On average I spend about 20 hours a week on LuLaRoe, because I also want to maintain a healthy balance between working toward our adoption while still being fully present for my kids and my husband.
Any job comes with its pros and cons. My main challenge is keeping up with the demand. I try to maximize the time while my kids are at school or asleep as my work time. However, calls, texts, parties, questions don’t always fit into those hours. I could very easily spend 40 hours a week if I chose to. I just listened to a podcast the other night on prioritizing and time management because there are more days than I care to admit where I feel I am doing many things okay but few things really well. The best piece of advice from the podcast was nothing revolutionary or profound – just simple truth. SET BOUNDARIES. If you want to work 20 hours, set aside those 20 hours and let your customers AND your family know what those are. If a call comes in during family time – ignore it or simply respond that you will get back with them during your set business hours.
As for LuLaRoe itself, one of its greatest challenges is the IMMENSE amount of growth that the brand is undergoing. Women have fallen in love with the brand, its culture and want to be a part of the movement. So much so that there is a waitlist to sign on as a LuLaRoe consultant. But with that challenge comes a huge compliment – that LuLaRoe has developed a great product and an even greater business model, women recognize it and want to be a part of it no matter how long it takes. I would love to share this journey with any of you that are interested in hearing more. Feel free to reach out to me at lularoeallisonbingham@gmail.com.
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This is one I’m not familiar with but have been hearing about – thanks for shining the spotlight!
What a beautiful story from a fellow Lulasister!! I launched my Lularoe business exactly one month ago today and was able to bring in about $10,000 during that short time!! There is an 8-10 wait list currently.
I have been hearing a ton about LuLaRoe in the past few months. I plan to try them out soon!
I’ve heard a lot about this company (and been invited to many facebook groups for it!) Haven’t checked into it very much but I will now!
– Shanna @ rhfmedia via NC Blogger Network
I kept hearing about LuLaRoe, but was unsure what it was. My friend started selling it, and she filled me in. Several teachers at my son’s school wear it, and one teacher started selling it. I like the colors and styles.
I have also heard about LuLaRoe on and off recently. Good to know the backstory! It sounds like the business model allows consultants to really focus on curating their pieces and styles and set their schedules, which makes it seem more personalized. Very cool.
What an inspiring story of why Allison started her consulting business. I had not heard of LuLaRoe, but how fun would a clothing party be. Shopping is always hard for me because of my painful feet, it’d be fun to have a consultant bring the clothes to you. Like having a personal stylist!
WOW — “there is a waitlist to sign on as a consultant” — that’s crazy! And, I love the fact that because the way the business is structured, it opens up buying from different consultants.
Hi there! I’m a stay at home mom of two, and am considering signing on to Lularoe. Financially, it’s not necessary for me to do so with my husband’s job. However, I would like something for myself, that will give me some extra spending money, and still allow me to be a stay at home mom, and eventually a home school mom. I’ve heard that it can be VERY time consuming, so can you please explain to me how you keep to a 20 hour a week schedule? Can I do this job after my kids bedtime and still be successful? I’m just afraid that I’ll become one of those moms who is checking my phone all the time, and popping in a movie for my kids in order to run the business. Thanks so much!
Hi Jenna! I’d love to answer any of your questions with Lularoe! I am a fashion consultant and launched my business one month ago, from today! I’ve made over $10,000 in my first month!
Reach out to me at LularoeMarlenaMiller@Gmail.Com if you have any questions! God Bless! xo