by Debi G | May 22, 2011
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
by Debi G | May 19, 2011
Article date: May 27, 2010
By Rebecca V. Snowden
Melanoma
People who use tanning beds are more likely to develop melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, than never users, according to a new study from the University of Minnesota. The more regularly a person frequents tanning salons, the greater the risk, the study shows.
In July 2009, after a comprehensive review of the available research, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)elevated tanning devices to its highest cancer risk category – “carcinogenic to humans” (Group 1). Despite this risk, approximately 30 million Americans still visit indoor tanning salons each year. That may be at least in part because the tanning industry has pointed to limitations in previous studies and continues to tout the purported health benefits of tanning, including vitamin D production.
The new study, funded by the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society, was designed to help answer more definitively whether tanning bed use is linked to skin cancer.
“Most reports were not able to adjust for sun exposure, confirm a dose-response, or examine specific tanning devices,” said study author DeAnn Lazovich, PhD, professor of epidemiology, University of Minnesota School of Publish and co-leader of the Masonic Cancer Center’s Prevention and Etiology Research Program. “Our population-based, case-control study was conducted to address these limitations.”
What this study found
The researchers, led by Lazovich, collected detailed information on the tanning habits of more than 1,100 Minnesotans aged 25 to 59 who had been diagnosed with melanoma between July 2004 and December 2007, as well as a matched group of more than 1,100 people without melanoma.
The researchers gathered data on tanning bed use, including years of use, age at which use began, and the specific devices used, as well as other factors such as age, sunscreen use, and family history of melanoma.
According to their findings, people who had ever used an indoor tanning device were about 75% more likely to have developed melanoma. Frequent users – defined as using a tanning device for at least 50 hours, at least 100 sessions, or at least 10 years – were 2.5 to 3 times more likely to develop melanoma than those who had never used them. The risk went up with increasing tanning bed use, the study showed, and was elevated regardless of the type of device.
“We found that it didn’t matter the type of tanning device used; there was no safe tanning device,” Lazovich said. “We also found – and this is new data – that the risk of getting melanoma is associated more with how much a person tans and not the age at which a person starts using tanning devices. Risk rises with frequency of use, regardless of age, gender, or device.”
Lazovich and her team’s findings are published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Melanoma on the rise
The number of new cases of melanoma in the United States has been increasing for at least 30 years. The American Cancer Society estimates that about 68,720 new melanomas will be diagnosed in the United States during 2009. Melanoma is 10 times more common in whites than in African Americans. It is slightly more common in men than in women.
More than 2 million skin cancers are diagnosed each year in the United States. That’s more than cancers of the prostate, breast, lung, colon, uterus, ovaries, and pancreas combined.
Most skin cancers are caused by too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays. Much of this exposure comes from the sun, but it also comes from manmade sources, such as tanning beds.
Because of the popularity of tanning among young people, both the World Health Organization and the International Commission on Non-ionizing Radiation Protection recommend that the use of indoor tanning should be restricted in anyone under the age of 18.
The American Cancer Society recommends people avoid tanning beds altogether. For information on how you can lower your risk of skin cancer, see Skin Cancer Prevention and Early Detection.
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/news/news/study-links-tanning-bed-use-to-increased-risk-of-melanoma
by Debi G | May 1, 2011
Skin cancer is very slow to develop. The sunburn you received this week may take 20 years or more to become skin cancer. With regular use, the REVERSE Regimen reveals a smoother, brighter, even-toned complexion; however, there is no evidence that it reduces cancer lesions. Make an appointment with your doctor if you notice any changes to your skin that worry you. Not all skin changes are caused by skin cancer. Your doctor will investigate your skin changes to determine a cause, diagnosis and treatment.
Contact me at debi@skincarepartners.com if you would like to know more about our new — Formulated for all over the body use, ESSENTIALS SPF 30 Body Sunscreen is a lightweight, non-sticky and non-greasy broad spectrum sunscreen. It contains dimethicone to protect skin’s moisture barrier, antioxidant vitamins C and E to absorb damaging free radicals and anti-inflammatory ingredients to protect skin from environmental stress.
by Debi G | Apr 30, 2011
Did you know that SPF 15 blocks 93% of UVB rays; SPF 30 blocks 97% of UVB rays; and SPF 50 blocks 99% of UVB rays? They all can be effective. However, your answer lies in how much you apply and how often. The reality is that an SPF 
15 isn’t really a 15 if you only apply a thin layer. Therefore, we urge you to layer your sunscreen. Apply your sunscreen 30 minutes before exposing yourself to the sun. Let it dry down for at least 15 minutes and then reapply another coat just before your tennis match, mountain hike or other outdoor activity. Reapply every two hours to give adequate coverage and every hour if swimming or sweating. That way, you’ll have a fighting chance of achieving the full SPF rating and maximizing the potential UVA protection of your product.
As an FYI, a product’s SPF is measured in a laboratory setting. Subjects put on a certain amount of sunscreen per centimeter of skin and are then exposed to a solar simulator (a lamp that creates UV radiation similar to sunlight). It is important to note that the amount of sunscreen applied for this test is quite heavy, far more than most people ever use at the beach.
Contact me to learn more about our award winning products debi@skincarepartners.com
by Debi G | Apr 26, 2011
In the U.S., the labeling of sunscreens, regulated by the FDA, is measured according to the SPF (sun protection factor) grading system. The SPF number refers to the product’s ability to block out UVB (burning) radiation but does not pertain to the product’s ability to block dangerous UVA (aging) light. UVA rays destroy our collagen and elastin, causing wrinkles and sagging, stimulate pigment-producing melanocytes to release brown melanin, resulting in “liver spots” on the face, hands and chest, and can mutate your DNA, eventually leading to skin cancer. So, it is important that when you are looking for a sunscreen you look for one with broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection. We encourage you to check the active ingredients label on the back of the box or tube to be certain you are getting adequate protection. Look for these active ingredients in your broad spectrum sunscreen:
To protect against UVA rays:
Avobenzone (aka Parsol® 1789): chemical block
Mexoryl®: chemical block
Zinc Oxide: physical block
To protect against UVB rays:
Cinnamate: chemical block
Ensulizole: chemical block
Octinoxate: chemical block
Padimate A: chemical block
Padimate O: chemical block
Try our new REVERSE Environmental Shield SPF 55 it features SHIELD rf, a unique complex of
stabilized avobenzone and anti-oxidant/anti-inflammatory colorless carotenoids,
to provide prolonged broad spectrum protection and ensure that…read more here.
