From my business partner and colleague, Bridget, who is a life-long advertising agency professional whose famous last words were “you’ll never see me doing direct sales” does some myth-busting about network marketing and the power of branding.
Innovation, trying new things, entrepreneurship and leadership are central to my beliefs. If you care about these things too, you might enjoy reading this.b Thank you, Bridget, for putting this article together.
Trust your instincts. In 20 years of consulting with entrepreneurs and start-ups, if there’s one thing I’ve learned, the wildly successful entrepreneurs have a habit of repeating themselves. I know something good when I see it, and so do you. What the doctors did for the acne market is nothing compared to the innovation and credibility they will bring to the anti-aging, a market soon-to-be worth $5 billion
Empowerment is contagious and may cause insomnia. Because we’re first with our products and first in the company, because we can build anywhere and as big as we want, I find myself losing sleep over the financial and personal growth for me, my family, my team. Warning, if you want a low-adrenaline, hobby-money business, this may not be for you.
The W-2 is over-rated. We’re living in a 1099 world and the faster we all ween ourselves from the corporate-as-safe-haven myth, the better. We see this play out in the national media daily. I’ve learned that independent business ownership and having control over my time and my income is the only security we truly have. This might just be the reason that 16.1 million people in the US are involved in a direct sales business making it a $28.3 billion industry.
Drivers wanted You will never experience so much autonomy and creative freedom than you will in this business. If you’re not a self-starter and you need someone to tell you what to do each day in your job, you may want to click back to Facbook. You’ve got to want to be in business for yourself. You’ve got to be driven, but the great part here is that you’re in business for yourself, but not by yourself and that makes a HUGE difference. With the tools, the training and unlimited earning potential, you are now in the driver’s seat if you want to be.
People matter. Who doesn’t need more support, more collaboration, more friends, genuinely good, inspirational professionals in your corner, cheering you on, pulling for your success? I’ve had an amazing career with Ogilvy and BBDO and my own agency, and have met quality people through out, all over the world. But with Rodan + Fields, I get to work with amazing professionals every day just like me who want more than a paycheck, they want to see what they can aspire to. So, that being said, not only do you have to like people, but you have to find joy and fulfillment in helping others reach their goals.
Branding is everything. For those of you that chose this business model in the past, with other products and companies and got burned, I’m sorry. If you think direct selling is “beneath you”, you need to ask why Rupert Murdoch, Donald Trump, and two Stanford educated dermatologists are redefining this industry. Plus, product is king. You have to have a superior product and service to thrive in this business and we do.
Wealth is created through leverage Most of us in salaried or hourly positions have never experienced the power of leverage and exponential growth. In the W-2 world, no one earns more than the person above them. Our earning is capped by a “market price” or seniority. Venture capitalists, developers and investors understand leverage as do the myriad of self-made millionaires in network marketing.
It’s not about the money and it’s not about selling. Despite what I said above about creating wealth. I’ve learned that to be successful in this business is to put yourself in the service of others — your team, your friends, your family, your community. When you do that, you become a brand unto yourself and then it’s not about selling, it’s about storytelling. Which as we know, a great story is the DNA of all great brands.
This business is not for everyone. You have to have self-confidence, you must enjoy people and working with others. You need to be able to devote some time. This isn’t get-rich-quick, but it grows exponentially if you grow it right. If you say, “the timing isn’t right” or “I’m not interested”, I respect that. But the only way I’ll meet other self-starters is if I share this with who I know who may tell someone else. My amazing business partners are attorney’s, teachers, real estate agents, retailers, moms, beauty professionals, marketing professionals and business owners of all kinds. It’s not for everyone, but for the right person, it can be life changing, like it has been for me.
If one or any of these 9 points resonate with you, then let’s chat over coffee or over the phone. If not, that’s okay. Maybe you’ll think of someone in network of friends and colleagues looking for exponential, non-traditional, entrepreneurial. And I would love to meet them and talk about their goals and dreams too because that’s why we do this business to build something bigger than ourselves.
To your dreams,
Debi Granite
Level V Executive Consultant
Rodan+Fields Dermatologists
debi@skincarepartners.com