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The Bravo Excellence Award is reserved for executives with a long history of leadership and integrity. This year the award was presented to Marjorie Fine.
Back in 1989 Marjorie sat down with Shaklee Corporation. Three days later, she had an offer she couldn’t refuse. Her career trajectory was forever changed to center on direct selling—something completely new to her—a unique world where she could simultaneously be an attorney and make connections to people in ways that impacted her, the lives of others, Shaklee and the industry as a whole.
Early on, Marjorie witnessed Shaklee’s earning opportunity changing lives, particularly those of women, of which 90 percent of their field was comprised. Most were homemakers with no practical business skills. Standing up in front of a room to lead a meeting was daunting, but with some training these women could motivate thousands. Marjorie came to see direct selling as a vehicle to personal development and creating community, both of which shaped her actions as a leader and mentor.
“I tried to be a model to those who worked with me. I tried to motivate them and to help their careers advance. When I helped others succeed, I found that I succeeded as well,” she remembered.
Years later, young children and travel requirements impacted her decision to turn down the position of Shaklee’s Vice President of Sales. In retrospect, Marjorie believes she made a mistake because sales is the heart of direct selling.
Once that became clear, she partnered with the sales team, became a regular speaker in the field and loved going to their meetings and watching them conduct their businesses at home. “I found that with anything I was responsible for, the more time I gave it and the more involved I became, the more I learned from it and the more I grew.”
Generational Leadership
In the mid 1990s, Majorie campaigned to institute the ability for field leaders to sell their businesses and to leave their businesses to members of their families or downline leaders. “It was something few if any other companies had, but I think it really helped us distinguish a direct selling career from a job. It also was a real incentive for our leaders to involve their children and grandchildren in their businesses; teach it to them; and help us develop the next generation of leaders.”
As a result, some Shaklee businesses have fifth generation leadership today. “It was really a positive move. I still receive calls from our field leaders to talk about how they go about planning for the future of their businesses when they are no longer a part of it. It’s wonderful to have those discussions and work with them on it,” Marjorie explained.
Impacting the Industry
Marjorie’s talents weren’t only applied at Shaklee. She reached outside corporate to become a representative and past president of the California Employment Law Council and a representative and Chairman of the Board to the Council for Responsible Nutrition.
But it was in her work with the Direct Selling Association where Marjorie hit her stride. Mentored by Neil Offen and Joe Mariano—whom she credits with teaching her the industry—Marjorie became the first chair of the DSA Ethics and Self-Regulation Committee at a time when the industry’s reputation was less than stellar. “It was important to raise the bar and teach people how to do the business ethically. We completely rewrote the Code of Ethics.”
She was elected Chairman of the Board for DSA, where increasing the participation of women was a top priority. So, Marjorie invited female executives from all member companies and launched DSA’s annual Women’s Retreat. “We had great attendance. We held work sessions during the day and socialized with a cocktail reception and dinner in the evenings. I viewed the retreat as a success because many of the women volunteered to join DSA committees and submitted their names as possible board members.”
Marjorie also coalesced direct selling executives around public policy issues affecting the industry, creating Direct Selling Day on Capitol Hill and urging participation in meetings with Senate and House offices.
“Most of the people we met with were not familiar with our industry or our companies. The meetings were really a very good way to introduce ourselves. Most of the participants were women who told their stories about what direct selling meant in their lives, which increased the impact tremendously.”
According to Marjorie, proactive interactions like these are equally vital today. “The policy meetings on Capitol Hill help. The meetings with leaders in the regulatory agencies help. It’s a never-ending challenge. The term multilevel marketing has a pejorative connotation. We must find a way to talk about the industry that helps us get over that hump.”
From the May/June 2025 issue of Direct Selling News magazine.
