Job Opportunities with Precious Memories for 2011

Precious Memories website at http://www.precious-memories.co.uk/

Job Opportunities for 2011




JEWELLERY MAKERS


Joining Fee is £100 plus VAT

• Role is to be involved with making Jewellery & Keepsakes


• Materials and Training Provided


• £rate given per product produced

Recruiting in the East Midlands ONLY

JEWELLERY AGENTS


Joining Fee – £150 plus VAT

Supplied with:-


• Materials and Training


• Marketing Collateral


• Web Presence


• Samples


• £ commission based salary


• Recruiting throughout the UK

Immediate areas needed to cover, Manchester, Nottingham, Norwich, Worcester, Lincoln, Essex, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire

 2D IMPRESSION FRANCHISE


£1,000 plus VAT paid in 2 parts.

Supplied with:-


• On-going Training


• Materials


• Frames


• Web Presence


• Exclusive Territory


• Opportunity to also be a jewellery/keepsake agent


• £ commission based salary

Immediate areas needed to cover Nottingham, Oxford, Liverpool, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Leicestershire






3D CAST FRANCHISE


£1,250 plus VAT paid in 2 parts.

Supplied with:-


• On-going Training


• Materials


• Frames


• Web Presence


• Exclusive Territory with a £ commission based salary


• Also eligible to be a jewellery/keepsake agent


Immediate areas needed to cover, Norwich, Oxford, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Derbyshire


IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN EITHER 2D OR 3D POSITIONS PLEASE EMAIL laural@precious-memories.co.uk

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BEING A FINGERPRINT AGENT PLEASE EMAIL janu@precious-memories.co.uk

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BEING A JEWELLERY MAKER PLEASE EMAIL alisons@precious-memories.co.uk

* Please note that all funds paid to join are non-refundable.

Happy 1st Anniversary to me

Precious Memories website at http://www.precious-memories.co.uk/

I cannot believe I have reached this milestone of my first anniversary since opening my Precious Memories studio in sunny (snowy) Huddersfield so I thought I would do a little blog to tell you how things have gone.

It’s hard to believe it was a year ago that I was waiting for my first client to turn up – 5 week old Tess Ledgard – with owner and trainer Glenda Hickmott at my studio. I had been shown how to roll the clay, take impressions….but I chickened out and allowed Glenda to do the impression whilst I watched!! Ha ha

How things have changed, fast forward a year, 144 casts later and I am thrilled, and honoured, to now be Operations Director the company, responsibly for training our new mums as they come on board in both 2D impressions and 3D casts. I work closely with Glenda and our hard work is paying off – we now have 13 locations across the UK offering our fab products with two more due to open in January 2011! We have exceptionally exciting and big plans for 2011 which will see Precious Memories moving forward but I won’t kiss and tell, you’ll just have to wait and see!

I love and adore my job. I love dealing with the clients that come to me, the thought that I am creating this beautiful handmade product they will have on their wall for years to come still amazes me. So far I have come across sleepy babies (who don’t stir whilst having their cast done), screamers (who scream blue murder whilst it is being done), gigglers (who just laugh either at me singing to them or the sensation of the alginate setting) and nonchalant babies who couldn’t care less! After starting with 2D impressions and progressing to 3D framed casts, I now offer the full range of luxury 3D items, from solid bronze through to clear resin, and our 2D casts have seen MANY MANY ex-Kindercast customers coming through the doors to have replicas done of their originals once more babies arrive in their families.

My favourite cast – hard to say because sometimes it’s not about the cast, it’s about the relationship between me and the client – there are some truly lovely mothers out there.
Worst moment – when opened a 3D cast to find all 5 fingers missing and the hand detached from the wrist – thank god for taking duplicate copies!!!
Funniest moment – chasing Glenda’s alsation around her kitchen whilst trying to hold the bag of alginate on his paw to get a 3D cast. Amazingly it came out perfectly!!

I have heard stories of absolute heartbreak and stories of pure miraculous joy. I have been pooed on, sicked on and had my hair pulled more times than I care to remember (I am generally talking about the children, not their parents!!). This job is not just about ‘taking a cast’ it is truly about creating a ‘precious memory’ and I love it. Here’s to the next year.

The things I wish I had done when my children were tiny…

Precious Memories website at http://www.precious-memories.co.uk/

My ‘babies’ are 3.5 years old and 15 months old. Time has just flown since they were newborn and weeny. There are SO many things I wish I had done when they were little – hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Now this blog is not about just pushing our products (which of course I think are wonderful) but just a few general regrets which have been triggered by all the organised parents getting their babies hand and feet casts done with me who are under 12 weeks old!!

I wish I had spent the time and money on a few fabulous brand newborn photographs. I work closely with quite a few photographers in different areas and some of the work is absolutely breathtaking of tiny babies. One of my clients last week had her 5 week old twin boys photographed professionally and showed me the results on her i-phone. They were amazing. It had taken 6 hours to get the shots perfect (the photographer came to her house) but the results were breathtaking.

I wish I had got our video camera out more and captured the very very early days. All I have is a few grainy videos on my mobile phone.

I wish I had enjoyed the early days more and not been so keen to rush on to each stage (parents of first born children will DEFINITELY relate to that).

Finally, I wish I hadn’t waited 8 months to have my first son’s hand and feet prints done with Kindercast and had done it earlier, I then wish I had joined Precious Memories before the birth of my second son so I could have done a 3D cast of him just days old. My youngest client to date has been 3 weeks old – now THAT is organisation for you!

Meadowhall casting day fun!

Precious Memories Make a Lasting Impression in Sheffield!
http://www.precious-memories.co.uk/

Sheffield (well Rotherham technically) was the home of ‘Kindercast’ – the baby impressions company who used to be in Debenhams. So what better place for us to be than in Sheffield.

The place? Boots in Meadowhall – in the childrenswear department to be exact.

This was our second month in there, we are in there monthly now and it was lovely today seeing client’s from last month coming in to collect their casts. One mother – an ex-Kindercast customer after a matching cast for her little boy Harry – was thrilled to pieces when she had a peek at her finished frame when I gave it to her.

Anyway, Jan was kept busy taken fingerprint jewellery orders off clients who flocked round to admire the gorgeous sterling silver jewellery we had on display. There were whispers of the words ‘Christmas presents’ in the air as people priced up potential gifts from us.

The people Jan chatted to loved the fact that once the print was taken it can be reused to 18 months without having to come back to us to have another print taken…

Anyway, that is for Jan to blog about, I was too busy enjoying my castings. From Lewis, aged just 7 weeks and having his feet cast in 3D, to Brianna – a 17 month old having her hand and feet impressions taken into clay – all the clients were adorable. Even little Isaac who promptly drooled all over his clay impression once I had taken it – don’t worry, the drool and cast are just fine!

(in fact, so excited was I that upon unpeeling Lewis’s cast this evening to discover he had his toes curled up JUST like his mum had hoped for, I had to give her a quick ring to let her know how well they had turned out!!!!)

At about 4pm we packed up and headed home happy and tired. Problem is, I am writing this blog when I should be pouring plaster into those casts…..

Would you like to be a WAHM? Working at Home Mums we need you!

Precious Memories website at http://www.precious-memories.co.uk/

Just one of the exciting positions on offer at Precious Memories

2D IMPRESSIONS BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

Laura Lambert – Impression Artist

What made you decide to open a Precious Memories studio?

“In 2009, I wanted to have a matching 2D cast done to match my first son’s but the company Kindercast, who did my first son’s cast had stopped trading. I came across Precious Memories, was so impressed with their products and service that I enquired whether they wanted a Northern studio opening. They did and here I am!

I now trading full time as Precious Memories in Huddersfield and the surrounding area. I love my job, I get to meet lovely people young and old, build on my creative streak and earn my own money whilst having the support of the Precious Memories HQ and other team members. With two young children myself I can organise my own hours to suit me and offer clients a relaxed, home from home environment – much more relaxing than being stood in a department store having a cast done as I did with my first son!”

What have you needed to invest?
“Initially I was a little reticent about joining a ‘franchise’. However, what appealed with Precious Memories, was the opportunity to be a working mum at home PLUS unlike traditional franchise fees which start from approximately £5,000 I only needed to pay a small joining fee of £1,000. I get continued support from the HQ who are always available to help, any time of the day and late into the evenings sometimes!!”

What do you get for the £1,000?
o one-on-one training, which is very relaxed and has been adapted to my needs
o the materials needed to create fantastic 2D impressions
o a marketing pack and ongoing marketing resources
o publicity via precious memories website and advertisements
o An exclusive territory which guarantees no one else will be taken on within this area

The time it has taken me to be fully trained was very quick and now I am slowly building up my own client/customer database.

What I enjoy the most about my job is that I can:-

o work from home with my children around!
o choose my own hours
o have no pressure with sales targets
o earn great money from creating personal gifts

Working for Precious Memories has made me realise, you can work and still do the most important job – be a mum!

PRECIOUS MEMORIES ARE KEEN TO OPEN STUDIOS AS THE DEMAND FROM FORMER KINDERCAST CLIENTS IS RISING DAILY

So If you are interested in joining the Precious Memories team – then please contact Precious Memories on 01296 399 280 or info@precious-memories.co.uk