Photo: Jim and Kathy Coover, Isagenix Co-Founders
This Q&A is part of the August 2018 Company Spotlight featuring Isagenix.
What have you been mainly focused on this year and why?
Jim: We’re always focused on creating the best possible customer experience possible. You can’t sign up as an associate without first being a customer. Knowing that their journey, in essence, begins at the very first experience with the company, we want to make that as convenient and as productive as possible.
We also recognize that technology is changing the way people live and the way our Associate family does business, so we’re doing a lot of investing in terms of upgrading our technology platforms.
I really love your “Today is the Day” series that you have on your website. What inspired that campaign?
Kathy: Many people put things off and so we wanted just to reinforce today is the day for people to get started. Today is the day to improve their health. Today is the day to start their business. So it’s just like, “Let’s do it now.”
How do you define value?
Jim: Well I think, first off, we recognize that we’re in the relationship business. Relationships, ideally, shouldn’t be one-sided. They should be a win-win opportunity for everyone. We realize there are many people out there looking for specific health issues to address, whether it be weight wellness, performance, healthy aging and wealth creation. We believe with the solutions we offer and with the culture and community we influence, we’re in an ideal situation to build value in people’s lives.
Why do you think being authentic and transparent is essential in business today?
Kathy: In today’s business climate if you’re not authentic you’re not going to survive. People are sick and tired of all the hype. They’re tired of the pretenders, and they want somebody to tell them the truth. People can see right through you. Especially millennials. You can’t fake them out for very long. You have to be upfront, authentic and transparent in all that you do. I think that’s just the way business is going to have to be done, or you’re going to be kicked to the curb.
What do you feel is the biggest threat we face in the industry. Is there any one thing you can point to?
Kathy: While it’s not a new phenomenon, number one is that while good news travels fast, bad news travels faster in the 24-hour media cycle we live in. Also, very few people understand our channel of distribution. Anything that we can do collectively—not only as an organization but as an industry—that can elevate people’s perceptions is in everyone’s best interest.
Pick up your print copy of the August 2018 issue in which this article appeared.
Any advice you want to give your fellow peer CEOs?
Jim: My advice is to operate from a position of integrity, and don’t ever take for granted the people who align themselves with your company. They are all independent contractors. They don’t have to be doing this. So your number one obligation is to continue to fulfill on assisting them in reaching their goals because I think that’s the only way. What I love about our industry is the way you succeed is by helping other people to be successful. We don’t have to feel that we’re competing against one another, there’s enough business to go around for everybody.
What does success look like for you two at the end of the day?
Kathy: Well success to us is, we want to keep growing and expanding and impacting more people’s lives. Our goal is to impact world health, so we’re not stopping. We want to keep growing, expanding, and delivering the promise that this profession has for people. To show them that they can create something, a safe home for themselves. Something they can count on.
Jim: Part of my goal in building a world-class management team, frankly, is so that Kathy and I can spend more time in the field. We know that’s where the rubber meets the road and having come from the field ourselves, not only do we always want to stay connected with them that but we always want to continue to learn and grow with right alongside them.
