good-bye to another job

A little over a year ago I join J.Hilburn (JH).

It was October 2014. The woman who recruited me, Joy C, is great. Smart, fashionable, knowledgeable, a good trainer and a good leader.

I also liked the company concept and product. Cut out the middleman and sell directly to men who traditionally don't like to shop. Custom shirts and suits. Door-to-door service. And a stylist who will handle any fit or quality problem.

None of that has changed. Joy is still amazing. JH pricing is still substantially below retail. And the fabric quality is comparable to (if not exactly the same as) the top Italian designers. 

I was excited when I started. I met some great men. Enjoyed the selling component. And felt good making recommendations that were genuinely appreciated.

I accepted having to pay for all the new fabrics every season. All the marketing materials. The annual dues. And even meetings to see upcoming product.

But then in May, the commission structure is altered under the guise of "exciting new changes." It used to be that my monthly commission, for example, on $2400 in sales, was 20%. The "new and better" plan drops it to 9%, less if some of what I sell isn't custom or made-to-measure. Now the only way to earn a decent commission is to recruit and train new stylists. This is not something I want to do.

In October some local senior stylists pay for a pop-up store in New York. Last year the company sponsored it.  If I want to meet one of my clients there for an appointment, I have had to pay $20.  I think this is the proverbial straw.

Since joining, I have spent $1,286 and have grossed $3,634 in commissions.  It doesn't take much analysis to conclude that this is not a productive endeavor.

I give my notice today. I'm left with a book of beautiful fabric samples that I'll probably give away, some styling experience, three relationships I intend to keep up, a new WWF formidable competitor, and no regrets.