Team Building





















Being a team leader in direct sales company is very different from being someone's boss in the traditional work environment. You work with a volunteer army - a group of women (and men!) who are there because they want to create a difference in their lives. This level of impact is entirely up to them; you can't force them to work hard for their success. But what you can do is be a resource for them, listen to them, share with them the tools that are working for you, and add a little fun in their lives! Which is why team building activities are so important!

There are lots of different types of "team building" or fun experiences you have with your team. I've seen groups do anything from dinners, painting classes, wine tastings, and more as a way to kick back, have fun, and bond with their fellow teammates.

Two years ago I was still fairly new to my business. I was only a few months in and I remember thinking how much I needed a professional headshot. It makes such a difference to have a nice photo to use on your website, your social media accounts, your email signature, and more. I decided to book some photos with a local photographer and open it up the other girls on my team. We seriously had THE BEST TIME. We blasted Britney Spears and other pop music from our phones, cat called our friends as they were having their pictures taken (oh heeeeey there sexy thang!) and had so much fun with each other. By the end of the afternoon we each had a set of amazing head shots and a bunch of really fun team photos.

Since then this has become by far my favorite team bonding activity. You get to spend the day getting all fancied up and fabulous, wear your best outfit, deck out in sparkle, and be a super model! And depending on who you use for your photographer and their rates, by the time you split it with the girls who attend it ends up being pretty reasonably priced! We are able to get these done for about what a dinner out costs us. And these memories will last MUCH longer.

XOXO,

Tegan

And Then It Was Fall










Somewhere over the last week it officially transitioned from summer to fall. The air got crisp, the leaves started to turn, and the temperatures lowered. On my walk out of work last Friday I remember looking down at the ground as my hunter boots treaded through the rain on the sidewalk and noticing all the pine needles and leaves on the ground.

Fall is basically my favorite season ever. All my favorite holidays take place in the fall and it's such a magical time to be raising a child. We have pumpkin carving, Halloween costumes, Thanksgiving, Christmas light viewing, Christmas Eve, Christmas, and New Years. The list is long and amazing. To me the most magical part of these holidays is the opportunity to create special family traditions and memories. I can't wait to to experience these moments through the eyes of my daughter.

A few weeks back I called up my favorite photographer, Amanda Meg Photography. She is the only one I trust to capture my family moments and I knew that I had to get her to take our holiday card pictures. Amanda is super pregnant right now, so we fit these photos in at the beginning of September.

When putting together our outfits for previous family photos, I have always stayed with a neutral palette. I guess I thought wearing bold colors would somehow take away from the images. This time though, I really wanted to wear this dress. I got it a few weeks back from a friend who does Lularoe and I just love the cut and the colors. I built our entire looks around the colors of this one dress.

I wanted to make sure my outfit felt more "fall" than summer, so I layered my dress with tall boots and a knotted belt at the waist. I also stacked on some of my favorite jewels. The moment I ordered my Hazel Statement Necklace and Jolie Sparkle Necklace I KNEW these were the ones I would wear in my holiday cards. I love the way they layer together and create such a festive, chic, and preppy vibe. These will be getting a lot of love over the next few months as I attend holiday parties, charity balls, and more! I also layered on some of my favorite bracelets to create a fun stack on my wrist. These are all jewels I "added" to my everyday pieces of my hoop earrings, diamond initial, engraved bracelets and ring. Those are my daily pieces that I wear everywhere! And when I want to spice up my look a little more or make it extra special, these other pieces are absolutely perfect.

Stay tuned for upcoming family pictures. I'd post them now, but where is the fun in that!

XOXO,

Tegan

A Day in the Life






I finally made a little space in our house for my business. It's not entirely done, but when it is I will post pictures of the room. In the meantime, say hello to my little desk. It makes me so happy to sit down and work here!

Of course as luck would have it I am currently sitting on my staircase snuggling my dog as I type this. There is ONE patch of sunlight coming through a window in my home right now and Wilbur found it. So here we sit, snuggling on the staircase. Now that I have a few quiet moments I thought I'd share about something I find people are always curious about; what's it like to be a stylist and how exactly does it work. Honestly, its basically just a lot of partying and having fun! But I'll get more specific than that. As a stylist I work in two primary ways; making my own sales and coaching my team.

My average month consists of anywhere from four to six style sessions with hostesses. A style session (or trunk show) is basically a girls style night or happy hour at someones house where they invite their friends and family over! Seriously, shopping with my girlfriends has always been a favorite activity of mine. There is something that is just so much more fun about trying stuff on with all your besties and gushing over who looks fabulous in what! And combine that with snacks and drinks and its hard to beat. Plus, the hostess gets a ton of free jewels for having me over. Typically anywhere from $100 - $300 in free product of her choice!

I also do a lot of personal shopping. I have so many great customers that I have developed really special relationships with. These ladies will message me when they need help with something to complete their outfit, a gift for someone, or when they need me to help them track when and item comes back in stock. Having a personal shopper is such a luxury! I work with personal shoppers myself for just about anything I can because 1) it makes my life easier and 2) I get to support another business person! I enjoy helping people with personal shopping immensely. It makes me feel so special that they seek my advice and allow me to help them find the PERFECT item!

Each month I work coaching the sales team I lead. My team, the Chic Executive Officers, is made up of so many incredible women that I have the honor and privilege of mentoring and supporting in creating their own businesses. And I'm not saying that to be corny - I really feel lucky to be here to support them! I think one of the most rewarding things in life is helping someone achieve their dreams.

I spend time working with these business owners on my team in various ways. I maintain a Facebook group page where we communicate, post inspirational content, share ideas about the business and how to be successful, support each other and cheer each other on! I also am available for coaching calls and motivation when people on my team need it. I am there for the "things are going great and I want to celebrate with someone" calls and the "I hit a road block, help me figure out how to get around it" calls. My job is to help them find ways to be successful. While I can't walk the miles for them, I can tell them what I have found to be the best approach and offer them help and resources to make that mile seem like a breeze! I also team up with local leaders to put on trainings for our teams. We recently did one on launching your business as a new stylist! So exciting!!! I love watching people start something that I know can be such a powerful and positive aspect in their lives!

I have some administrative type items I take care of for myself - for example I check in on how my customers are doing (which is basically just an excuse for me to call and say hi and have girl talk!), watch for updates on product releases, and other things like that, but something I love about Stella & Dot specifically is that I don't have to deal with the headaches that usually come with business logistics. I am not responsible for keeping the website working, I don't ship things myself, I don't carry inventory so I don't have to manage that; I basically just get to do the fun part of it which is helping people find the right product and then squealing when they text me a pic of them wearing it!

I also spent time this week previewing our Fall Collection release (coming July 2016) and providing feedback to our design team on what pieces I loved and think will be best sellers! I love that I have a position within our company that allows me to be part of our design process.

So what else? What have you been wondering about my business and how it works? Let me know so I can fill you in!

XOXO,

Tegan

Tassels in Lincoln City









{Necklace: Eden Tassel, Earrings: Ear Climbers, Bracelets: Engravable cuff, Diamante Cuff, Renegade, Sunnies: Chevron Aviators, Shirt: Old Navy, Pants: Old Navy, Bag: Getaway}


Husband took me to the Lincoln City, OR, this weekend for a little getaway! This was the first non-business trip we've taken since our little one was born and it was so nice to have time to just relax and visit and hang out. There was no house to clean, no errands to run, nothing to do other than just spend quality time together visiting and talking about life. It was so incredibly peaceful and exactly what we needed!

The Oregon Coast isn't known for being super warm. We were extremely lucky to have a rain free weekend there! But even though it was only upper sixties, I still wanted to channel a summer vibe. I wore this lace tunic I got from Old Navy about a month ago. I went to grab a link for it and it looks like it's already gone! But its so easy to wear! It drapes just right so its breezy and flattering. I paired it with skinny jeans and my favorite summer tassel necklace. I swear, you just throw this tassel necklace over anything and suddenly you are summer ready.

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend! Now that I am back home I do have to get back to those errands! I've got a few 'welcome to team packets' to send some new girls who joined me this last month, some gift bags to grab from Target (it's Teacher Appreciation Week next week!), and some meal prep to do!

XOXO

Tegan

April Team Meeting



You know its a Stella & Dot meeting when you find a pile of gorgeous Stella & Dot bags. I couldn't help it. This needed a picture!

 

Delicious treats at the team meeting; cupcakes, fruit, veggies and hummus, cheese and crackers, and of course champagne! We also had sparkling cider for the preggo ladies.

 


Gorgeous arm parties galore! I always enjoy seeing the combinations other stylists put together. It makes for great inspiration.

 
{Amelia + Libby}

Amelia is part of my "upline" (that means she is a leader on another team that I belong to). She is a Star Director with Stella & Dot, which is pretty high up there! Basically at the top! She's been doing Stella & Dot for six years now and has so much experience and knowledge to share.

Her and her hubby were in town for the weekend and she threw together a local team meeting for all her Stella & Dot babies who are in the Portland area. It was so much fun to get to see her and catch up and pick her brain! All of us leaders have different approaches to our business; it's one the things I love most about being a stylist! We are all different people with different goals and styles, but we all find success with Stella & Dot. I love comparing notes to see what works well for others, what they are focusing on in their business, where they are working to grow to, and of course what their favorite pieces from the collection are.

 
Amelia providing valuable training for the team! She went over more history about the company (I always learn something new!), her favorite pieces to style for summer, tips for growing your business strong over the next three months, and more!

 
Clearly we were a captive audience. I mean, she brought champagne.


{Similar Chair Hammock
}


We were all IN LOVE with this amazing chair swing at Courtney's house. It was way too much fun. I'm pretty sure if I had one I would spend all my time in it. 



Delicious cupcakes from a local bakery. A must have at all our meetings.

 


It is always so much fun to get together with everyone. I spend all week texting and chatting with them on Facebook, that sometimes I forget how long it's been since we've seen each other in person. Actually, there was a fabulous girl there that I didn't even realize I hadn't met in person before because I spend so much time talking with her on Facebook and praising her for how amazing she is doing! It wasn't until she said "nice to finally meet you" that I realized OMG - this IS the first time we've actually met in person! Because I feel like I know her so well and we are already best friends! It's crazy how many amazing people this business brings into your life and how you feel like you've known them for years. 

XOXO 

Tegan

Insta Lately



Welcome to my instagram round up! Instagram is one of my favorite social media platforms. I love seeing all the cute pictures people post and looking back at the collections and feeds. Here are some of my favorites of mine from the past week or so.


{Shirt: Old Navy, Vest: Old Navy (similar), Jewels: Engraved Necklace, Rebel Pendant, Renegade Bracelet, Watch}

I have this thing about my arms. I don't know why. I figure we all have something we dislike about ourselves. But anyhow, I cannot wear a sleeveless shirt without a vest over the top. I feel like the vest makes my arms look better. It probably doesn't make sense to anyone else but me, but I am telling you - I will be wearing this vest ALLLLLL summer.



I went to a totally adorable baby shower last weekend for my friend Lisa. It was at this brewery in NE Portland, and the buildings around there were so beautiful! Look at the paint colors on this one? Generally I decorate my house in neutrals, but sometimes I secretly want to just go buy a bunch of bright colored textiles and paint and go to town! But then again, I change my mind on things so much that it's probably a bad idea to commit to a color that strongly.



So these are the party favors they had at the baby shower. HOW CUTE IS THIS LITTLE PLANT!!?? It has a space of honor next to my kitchen sink. It shall by my mission not to kill it. I accidentally drowned my last succulent. Did I mention I am horrible with plants?



I scored these Coach shoes at a sample sale. There is a little hole in the wall called Barbara Johnson and they have an entire wall of Coach shoes for around $50 a pair. The Coach sample size use to be a size 6, which fit me perfectly! But I guess they recently switched to a sample size 7, which is way too big on my little feet. I was so sad!! I went in to stock up and they had all these beautiful shoes and none in my size! But my loss is your gain. If you are a size 7 you should really go check them out!


{Shoes: Free People}

I had my eye on these shoes for a few months, and my super sweet parents picked them up for me as a gift. They are beyond beautiful in person. The detail on them is amazing and they are honestly the most comfortable flat I have ever worn. I love the pointed toe, which elongates your leg and makes you look taller. And bonus, the cute detailing up top vents air to your feet so you can wear them in warm weather without roasting!



Can't stop, won't stop. This bracelet combo is officially my favorite for summer. I am wearing it here with a pair of cute wedges I scored from Nordstrom BP last year and a little shirt dress from Target (also last summer). This may be my office uniform this summer.


{Pineapple Candle: Target, Necklace: Lotus Tassel Necklace}

I am still in the process of getting my office put together. Basically one half of it is set up with all my pretty furniture and jewels, and the other half has a guest bed thrown in there with random items piled around. Once it is all finished I will be posting pictures, but until then, check out how cute my desk is! Last winter at Stella & Dot Directors Summit we were gifted this beautiful autographed sketch from Blythe of the Lotus Necklace, which just so happens to be one of my favorite necklaces. This gorgeous picture has a special place on my desk. I love looking at it and knowing I am a part of something so wonderful!


{Bracelet: Wishing Bracelet}

My friends are teasing me, but I totally gave this to my accountant to thank her for working on my taxes. I guess you don't generally need to "tip" your accountant, but I just really appreciate NOT having to do my own taxes. Seriously, SO GRATEFUL. And I think it's sweet to surprise people with a special token of gratitude. I am sure most tax accountants don't get presents from their clients.

If you don't follow me on instagram, you can find me over here! Pop on by and say hi!

XOXO

Tegan