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Up Your Brand Swag Game

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A well-planned and fully executed merchandise strategy makes your field more vested in the business and helps create a cohesive culture between the field and corporate team.

Branded merchandise can be a terrific way to promote your company, build your brand’s unique culture, and turn your business owners—your most important customers—into walking billboards. But creating effective apparel and merchandising strategy requires a lot more than just slapping a logo on some shirts. The goal is to give your company’s key customers items they want to wear, use and can easily incorporate into their everyday lives.

Chanel Holmes, Logo Merchandise Marketing Manager at USANA, orchestrates the company’s entire merchandise strategy, including themes, design, promotion and the logo store presence at USANA Live,
the company’s International Convention held in Salt Lake City, Utah. USANA develops custom branded apparel and merchandise for its customers to help them promote USANA and their businesses. Chanel says that putting thought and effort into creating affordable items associates want and are excited about supports the USANA lifestyle, aids in overall associate retention and creates brand awareness for an
otherwise cold market.

Chanel Holmes swag swatch

“It shows our business owners that we care,” she says. “Yes, it takes a long time, but it pays off. It’s a win-win—they get to advertise their business, and USANA gets its name out to the general public. Custom items allow for associates to pick and choose what works for them and their lifestyle and business.”

“I wanted to make sure everyone could leave with something. Even with lower prices and variable event attendance, our sales of logo merchandise have improved every single year for the past four years.”
—Chanel Holmes, USANA Logo Merchandise Marketing Manager

Before joining USANA, Chanel managed apparel at Utah State University, where she recognized a major difference in the buying habits of students and alumni. The alumni would spend more money, while the students wanted apparel but just couldn’t afford higher-priced items. Yet, students were the ones cheering at games and out in the community showing school spirit. They were the walking billboards for the school.
So, Chanel began focusing on lower-priced items the students wanted to wear.

She brought that strategy to USANA, recognizing that newer business owners brought the most excitement and were most likely to wear a variety of branded apparel. “I wanted to make sure everyone could leave with something,” Chanel says. “Even with lower prices and variable event attendance, our sales of logo merchandise have improved every single year for the past four years. The crazy thing is, we made logo merchandise appealing enough to where USANA corporate employees—and even the executives—are lining up to buy it with our customers.”

Creating Unique Culture and Experience 

A well-planned and fully executed merchandise strategy makes USANA business owners more vested in the business and helps create a cohesive culture between the field and corporate team. Branded apparel also can be a perfect conversation-starter, helping business owners make connections and ultimately close more product sales. “Our custom items are geared toward the product we sell,” Chanel says. “This way, associates are wearing the name of the company when they’re surrounded by like-minded individuals who would be interested in our products.”

As a health and nutrition company, USANA branded merchandise is created for a healthy, active lifestyle. Many items are created specifically to be worn or used in athletic and active settings, which creates high visibility in gyms and parks, and during indoor and outdoor sports and other healthy-living activities. “With logo merchandise, it gives people a reason to ask, ‘Oh, what’s USANA?’ It starts conversations about the
brand,” Chanel says. She says it’s important for each company to create apparel and other branded items that align with their unique culture and audience. This also is one of the most effective ways USANA creates long-term brand awareness and legitimacy.

Incorporating Top Trends 

One of the first steps Chanel takes in creating a new apparel line is researching current fashion trends, including colors, styles and design. A color palette is created that helps shape the entire apparel line. She says custom looks are trending. Much like current home décor trends, people want to feel like what they’re wearing is their own style with creations that represent who they are.

The general, universal look is fading. Variety and customization are the keys. “Being different is in,” Chanel says. “The stores that are thriving are more unique and individualized.”

Having a variety of merchandise, styles and fits allows customers to find items that naturally fit into their lives while showing their personality. Chanel points out that people won’t buy something just because it has a logo on it. “The merchandise has to grab a person’s attention and make them feel like they absolutely have to have it. You accomplish this by making unique pieces that can fit into a variety of individual styles.”

Chanel tries to match trends that people are shopping for in stores, paying attention to current styles in athletic and leisure wear. These styles have become popular everyday clothing, which Chanel refers to as “athleisure.” It’s comfortable, versatile, stylish, and available for every body type.

She orders samples of higher-end brands such as North Face, Lululemon and Under Armour, studying aspects of current styles to help customize the design or material for USANA. The goal is to create custom items that can’t be found anywhere else.

Promotion is Key

Understanding how to promote and launch a new apparel line is critical in creating excitement and buy-in. Each year USANA conducts a photoshoot to promote and illustrate the new apparel line, giving it context. It shows how the merchandise can fit into a healthy lifestyle, whatever that means to each associate individually.

Chanel also says a photoshoot communicates a certain vibe. It’s important to think of what you want the shoot to convey because it shapes how people perceive the company and culture. “Will the customer relate to the look, and how will they integrate that into their lifestyle? I want it to show that no matter who you are, you have a place with USANA,” she says.

A Facebook Live video about one month before the annual convention unveils new items to the field, explaining the thought process behind the clothing and showing examples of how each piece can be worn or combined. This creates excitement for the event and lets associates feel like they’re receiving insider information about what will be available at the convention store.

Rules for a Successful Apparel Store 

Setting up the merchandise at convention is much more than just throwing some shirts on a rack. Chanel says the most important thing is to know your market—the cultures, genders, age ranges and body types. USANA creates a shopping experience with different types of displays and uses several mannequins so people can see what items look like on a body. “We try to keep as many items as we can priced less than
$50,” Chanel says. “Many USANA convention attendees travel long distances and are already paying for flights, rental cars, hotel rooms, and food, so it’s important to keep the pieces affordable.”

Variety is key. She says it’s better to order smaller quantities, but a larger variety. People want to feel like they have a selection. They want to find something that fits their style and body type. It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach.

Each year the logo merchandise has a theme. For 2019, the theme was “Bold School”—a combination of “bold” colors and “old-school” throwback pieces for a modern yet retro style. She says styles from decades ago are making a comeback. This includes holographic and geometric patterns, large logos, and designs that are woven into the material.

Employees working in the merchandise area understand the brand and theme behind the apparel. They’re ready to answer questions about styles and how items can work together. USANA even has models walking around convention wearing the new merchandise, which helps spark excitement within the associates and drive traffic to the area.

Chanel’s 5 Must-Have Apparel Store Items

HIGH-VISIBILITY ITEMS: Gym bags, backpacks, water bottles, and business travel bags are portable and easily seen when at the gym or traveling.

ACCESSORIES THAT MATCH YOUR PRODUCT: Because USANA is a health and nutrition company, accessories match different product lines. There’s a selection of washcloths and small travel bags for skin care products, supplement sorters and travel containers for vitamins, and theme-specific Blender Bottles for shakes.

APPAREL THE FIELD NEEDS: Athletic apparel is always a staple at the USANA store, but Chanel says it’s important to provide basic items that match your field’s needs. Gym shorts and T-shirts are quick grabs that people use often.

CONVENIENCE ITEMS: Fanny packs, phone chargers and other small but helpful items are good sellers at convention. People need to charge their phones and need something to carry around small items.

VARIETY OF HATS: Hats are universal to women and men, so Chanel says a large variety is a must. Fitted hats, trucker-style and beanies are easy buys that also create high-visibility for the brand.

The Customer Conundrum

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We’ve all got them. We call them auto-assigned customers. The question is what do we do to maximize ROI and best capitalize on them?

We, as an industry, are in what I refer to as the war of the side hustle. Ours is no longer the only game in town when it comes to capturing the attention and imagination of entrepreneurs. Everyone these days, seemingly, is competing for the entrepreneurial activity of, well, everyone. I believe if there is disruption that occurs in our industry that it’s going to come from what I refer to as blitz-scaling companies—companies like Uber, Airbnb, and Shopify and the like. Frankly, it’s already happening. At first blush, these companies—and those like them—may not seem like head-to-head competition. Still, they’re revolutionizing the way business is conducted and creating legions of entrepreneurs in the process.

We share more in common with these companies than we perhaps realize. For example, we know—most of us with firsthand knowledge—that Uber pushes customers to its drivers. As a company, we began wondering if we should do the same and drive customers to our people. So, we began experimenting. We took the artificial intelligence machine learning platform that we’ve been developing over the last several years and coupled it with our relationship with Real Salt Lake, Utah’s Major League Soccer team. As part of our jersey-front partnership, we receive radio, television, in-stadium, and other advertising perks, and, consequently, we get a steady stream of people visiting our website with interest in our company.

“LifeVantage developed a system of principles that guided how the company places unassigned customers—customers commonly referred to in the industry as “orphans”—to achieve maximum ROI.”
—Darren Jensen, LifeVantage President & CEO

You may be saying to yourself, “Well, I don’t have a relationship with a professional sports team.” Maybe not, but you do have “unassigned” customers—people interested in your products who may not yet have a distributor—coming into your company. We’ve all got them. We call them auto-assigned customers. The question is—what do we do to maximize ROI and best capitalize on them?

The First Dollar Principle

As we collect customers and take that first order, the question then becomes with whom along the distributor continuum do we place those customers as they come in? You could assign them to the most senior of distributors. You could assign them to brand new distributors. Or you could assign them anywhere in between along the continuum.

With the information that we have through artificial intelligence, we know the people who are engaged in the business—we can see the entire sales funnel. So, we came up with a series of rules about how these new customers are assigned to distributors. We also took into consideration some of our core principles that help govern our business. One of those driving principles is what we call the first dollar principle.

In analyzing this particular data set, what we found was fascinating. When distributors received $0.00 during their first seven months with the company, their activity rate hovered around 20 percent. That’s roughly industry average. But when distributors earned just $1.00 to $25.00 cumulatively during those first seven months, their activity rate jumped to 64 percent. Those earning $2,501 during their first 7 months—$357 per month on average—had a 97 percentactivity rate. When a distributor opens that first check or sees the initial deposit come through across their screen, they are a legitimate, fully-fledged business owner. At that point, it becomes official—that’s a powerful thing, and the numbers bear that out.

The Golden Window

One of the other factors we considered is what we call the “golden window.” This is the window of time between a distributor’s point of entry into the business and that distributor developing his or her first distributor or customer—and what effect the consumer sales resulting from engaging the distributor or customer has over the lifespan of the distributorship. What we found was that the earlier new distributors made a sale, the bigger their average check was throughout the lifecycle of their distributorship.

We also found that those who had achieved specific ranks during this study period made a sale very early in their business. About 35 percent of distributors who reached “Pro 1” made a sale within the first two weeks. Roughly 50 percent who reached “Pro 3” made a sale during those first two weeks. When our distributors reached the crucial leadership rank of “Pro 7”, 100 percent of them had made a sale during their first two weeks of business. We didn’t know if it was causative or correlative, but we did know that they were related.

“The earlier new distributors made a sale, the bigger their average check was throughout the lifecycle of their distributorship.”

Commitment to Build 

Lastly, we looked at the level of distributor commitment to building their business upon joining the company. New distributors who demonstrated a strong commitment to build from the outset took an average of 1.6 months to rank advance in our study versus 10 months for their less committed counterparts.

Committed distributors start working harder, and they do it faster because they want to make sure that initial investment pays off. Then that becomes cyclical. It feeds itself—distributors that are working harder and faster see success quicker, and that gives them the encouragement and confidence to keep working—which again leads to more success, more confidence, and on and on.

After applying these principles, we decided to assign these new customers to distributors that had been in our business 90 days or less. Then we began tracking them over a one-year period. We segmented them into three groups. The first group was made up of non-users of our digital artificial intelligence technology which hadn’t received an auto-assigned customer from us. The second segment was comprised of the technology users who had not received an auto-assigned customer. And the third group constituted individuals who were technology users and had received an auto-assigned customer.

Early Results 

What we found was that the first group (no customer, no technology) enrolled, on average, 1.31 people during the test period, compared to their technology-using counterparts assigned a customer enrolling, on average, 6.12 people.

We then looked at rank advancement. We began by looking at our level we call Pro 2 (~2,500 volume in their organization). Of those who didn’t use our technology and weren’t assigned a new customer, on average, only 7.3 percent achieved this rank. Conversely, nearly 30 percent of those who checked both boxes (technology user and assigned a customer) achieved the Pro 2 rank. Similar story with our Pro 3 rank (~5,000 volume per month), which we consider one of the base fundamental ranks in our business. Four times as many people were able to achieve the rank if they received an auto-assigned customer.

Those assigned customers also generated more sales volume—40 percent more. They’re sticking around longer in the short-term—90 percent of those assigned a customer and using our technology were still with the business after 6 months, compared to 49 percent not assigned a customer and not using the technology. And our algorithms are predicting they’ll stick around longer in the long-run as well.

Always Engage Early 

When it comes to driving and assigning new customers to distributors—and, specifically, newer distributors—our experience thus far is that the numbers speak for themselves. Whatever you decide is best for your business, making sure new distributors have the tools, support, and opportunity they need to make a sale as early as possible is critical.

This means helping them engage early and often. It also means reinforcing the idea of whether it’s enrolling a distributor or simply selling a product, it doesn’t matter because they are both equally as valuable. This takes time, training, and patience. But imagine the cumulative impact it would have on organizations if we saw this effect play out on a mass scale.

This isn’t just about increasing profits or building bigger organizations, however. Those are just byproducts. It’s about doing what’s right for new distributors. If we help each individual engage early, we’re helping place them on a trajectory that can change their lives.

Since being named President and CEO in 2015, Darren Jensen has transformed LifeVantage into one of the world’s leading publicly traded biohacking and nutrigenomics companies.

A Homegrown Opportunity Takes On the World

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Green Compass Global
Founded: 2019
Headquarters: Wilmington, NC
Top Executives: Sterling Cook, CEO, Meredith Cook, President
Products: CBD Oil Products

The sixth-generation farmers on the team at Green Compass Global know that it takes more than sun, rain and soil to grow a healthy harvest. It takes experience, resources and perseverance—but most of all, it takes family.

Cannabidiol. CBD. Hemp extract. All names for the same cannabis-derived product that has inspired what is expected to be a multibillion-dollar industry. But in an exploding market with endless CBD applications, how do you find clean, tested and responsibly sourced products? Just ask a farmer.

The 2018 Farm Bill passed in December of 2018 forever removed hemp from the federal government’s list of controlled substances, opening the near-bursting floodgates of companies ready to sell hemp-related products. But years before the Farm Bill was drafted, farmers across the country had already been working with hemp, including participants in North Carolina’s state-sponsored Hemp Pilot Program launched in 2014. That is where part of Green Compass’ story begins.

Family Owned, Family Inspired 

Following the birth of her first child, Meredith Cook just wanted to feel normal again. “I had postpartum depression pretty bad,” she says. “I wasn’t excited to see the sunlight, and I wasn’t excited to see friends.” Postpartum depression had stolen much of the joy of new motherhood, and Meredith knew she needed something to change. Her brother Brooks had been using CBD oil as part of his workout recovery regimen for years and suggested that Meredith give it a try. She saw benefits almost immediately and began looking for the highest‑quality CBD oil she could find.

“I found that the majority of CBD was from hemp grown in China, even though it’s ultimately manufactured in the U.S.,” she explains. “I realized that not all hemp is created equal.”

Adam and George Wooten, sixth-generation farmers and friends of Meredith’s, were participating in the North Carolina State Hemp Pilot Program, so she decided to go straight to the source.

“Our friends were growing hemp through the program and had a tiny extraction machine,” she recounts. “They’d already tested their plants and found it was some of the cleanest hemp they’d seen, so I asked them to make some for us. This one made me feel completely like myself again. I felt comfortable giving it to my kids and could tell a difference with them.”

Meredith and her husband Sterling Cook saw the potential of CBD and knew that their newfound passion combined with Sterling’s background in agriculture could lead to something big. They partnered with Adam and George Wooten to explore the possibility of growing hemp and manufacturing CBD products, giving birth to a new company—Green Compass Global.

“We were all over it,” says Sterling Cook, now CEO of Green Compass Global. “We didn’t know it was going to be a direct sales business, but we started growing hemp with the help of Adam and George. We did a deep dive into growing organically and the best practices to have the best product out there. As soon as we produced our first batch and gave it to friends and family, they immediately saw benefits. We were originally going to market to physicians and medical professionals, but saw that word-of-mouth was the most effective.”

“Our parents wanted to try it, and then our friends and then parents of friends,” adds Meredith. “It just snowballed, and I thought, ‘We have an opportunity here.’”

CBD With Integrity

As Sterling and Meredith watched their idea gain momentum organically, they knew that the direct sales model would be the best fit for their new business. But they knew they needed help and industry insight. They partnered with a direct sales consultant and made several key hires to round out their executive team, including industry veteran Sarah Nilsen as Director of Sales, Meredith’s brother Brooks Bailey as Vice President and Adam Wooten as Chief Operating Officer.

“We hired people that aligned with our values and set the tone for our culture from the beginning,” explains Meredith, Green Compass’ President. “Each person was a leader or expert in the area we hired them for.” Green Compass officially launched in February 2019, after the team had patiently waited for the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill. With a line of products, experienced team in place and the government green light—Green Compass was ready to meet the needs that were so personal to Meredith and her family from the beginning.

What started as a word-of-mouth, homegrown CBD business has evolved into something beyond what Sterling and Meredith could have imagined possible in such a short time. The company now offers a product line that includes full-spectrum CBD oils, CBD isolates, soothing and pain‑relieving creams and patches and a CBD oil for pets. With over 5,000 independent advocates sharing Green Compass in all 50 states, the company has already reached over 20,000 customers.

Prospective advocates can join Green Compass through two kit options—a basic kit for $49 that includes all the business materials they’ll need to create a successful launch, as well as a CORE Start Kit for $299 that adds approximately $600 worth of Green Compass products to the business materials offered in the smaller kit.

“The CORE Start Kit is by far our most popular option as advocates are excited to have product in hand to use personally and share with their friends and family,” explains Nilsen. “We have incentives in place for new advocates to encourage early production and the goal of earning their investment back in the
first 30 days.”

Once a new advocate is on board, he or she has access to training videos, literature and presentations, as well as Facebook groups for Green Compass advocates.

“In this volunteer-based industry, the field needs to feel confident in the brand, connected to the team and appreciated for their efforts, no matter how big or small,” adds Nilsen. “We’ve worked to provide the tools and resources an advocate needs to build a business, as well as a focus on the intangible aspects, making them feel they’ve found their home.”

What’s Growing At Green Compass 

Sterling and Meredith are encouraged by what Green Compass has accomplished since launching early this year, but realize that this initial success is simply sowing seeds for an even larger harvest to come.

“Everyone’s calling Green Compass the rocket ship,” jokes Sterling. “Right now, we’re focused on reinvesting into the company, our advocates and our customers.”

That reinvestment includes a continued focus on the community that Green Compass calls home, through partnerships with local universities to further explore the potential for CBD. One such partnership, with the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, is giving Green Compass the research and development capabilities to better understand the broad potential of CBD.

“The whole purpose [of our partnership with UNCW] is to learn more about the plants, possible delivery systems, and uncover new technology that’s yet to come to fruition in the industry,” shares Sterling. “Green Compass is trying to lead the way for farmers and for research here in North Carolina. Our state has been a leader in agriculture for hundreds of years. We’ve got great farmers, great resources and great land.”

Reinvestment also looks like new office space to house their growing operations, a new extraction facility that’s scheduled to be up and running by year’s end, new corporate team hires and organic certification for select products. And that’s all before Green Compass celebrates its first anniversary.

“We created a CBD oil company organically—no pun intended,” says Meredith. “Before we ever took a salary, we wanted everything in line with whom we wanted to be and
what we wanted our company to do. Our customers and advocates feel a sense of family with us and trust that they’ll be taken care of.”

It Should Always Be “Day 1”

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Our channel needs to resist complacency by continuing the vitality, curiosity and focus of a startup.

Jeff Bezos has written a letter to his shareholders each year since the company’s inception. These letters outline Amazon’s long-term mission, culture and values. His 2017 letter, however, stood out more than the others for me. Bezos defined what he calls a Day 1 company vs a Day 2 company.

Day 1 companies are:

  • Agile
  • Customer obsessed
  • Embrace trends
  • Make high velocity decisions

My translation for being a Day 1 company means always thinking like a startup, never being comfortable and content with anything you have at the moment. It means always looking ahead, never resting on what you have done in the past.

So, what does Day 2 look like? During an Amazon all-hands meeting in March 2017, he was asked this same question. His answer was “Day 2 is stasis, followed by irrelevance, followed by excruciating, painful decline, followed by death. And that’s why it’s always Day 1.”

Sounds pretty grim, right? He also notes that many larger companies can be Day 2 for a long time and not even know it until it’s too late. Decline isn’t always obvious—it can be subtle and stealthy for sure.

“…a Day 1 company means always thinking like a startup, never being comfortable and content with anything you have at the moment. It means always looking ahead, never resting on what you have done in the past.”

Yes, Amazon has 600,000 employees, and some may say it’s too hard to stay agile and nimble at that size of the company, hence Day 2 isn’t the end-all for them. But I disagree. It’s even more amazing that Bezos constantly drills this into his employees and culture.

So, the question is—where is our channel in this discussion? Are we Day 1 or Day 2?

“It’s always Day 1” is Amazon’s mantra, and that needs to be the direct selling channel as well. We need to resist complacency by continuing the vitality, curiosity and focus of a startup. I think we can all agree that Amazon is anything but complacent. They are at the forefront of almost every e-commerce and retail innovation and are never caught leading from behind.

So how do we as a channel keep the vitality of day 1 and fend off day 2?  In his 2017 letter, Bezos gives his Starter Pack of Day 1 Defense.

1. Stay agile by resisting proxies

A 2018 article from McKinsey & Company, The Five Trademarks of Agile Companies, says we are moving from an “organization as machine” model to a new business paradigm of “organization as organism.” The agile company is dawning as the new dominant organizational paradigm. Rather than the organization as machine, the agile organization is a living organism.

A machine is inflexible, unmoving, bureaucratic. A living organism is nimble and quick on its feet. It adapts to the environment quickly. If companies want to stay successful, they must act with agility and resist proxies.

Bezos says a common example is process as proxy. “Good process serves you so you can serve customers. But if you’re not watchful, the process can become the thing,” he says.  “This can happen very easily in large organizations. The process becomes the proxy for the result you want. You stop looking at outcomes and just make sure you’re doing the process right.”

2. Stay Customer Obsessed

  • Customers are always beautifully, wonderfully dissatisfied, even when they report being happy and business is great.
  • Even when they don’t yet know it, customers want something better, and your desire to delight customers will drive you to invent on their behalf.
  • Double down when you see customer delight.

Are You Listening to Your Customers?

There is a goldmine of information on your own social media channels. Customers are telling you what they want and what they like and don’t like.

You may have your own brand fanatics: Super fans who know you inside out, love what you do, and even invest elements of their personal identity in your brand. Direct selling companies do a great job in recognizing our salesforce, but what can you do to delight, empower and learn from your customer super fans?

3. Cultivate a Distinct Culture

The next day one defense, according to Jeff Bezos, is cultivating a distinct culture. Culture is created slowly over time by people and events. If it’s a distinctive culture, it will fit certain people like a custom-made glove. Our Best Places to Work Program has given us a great window into our channel’s culture. You hear a lot about engagement. So why should we care about employee engagement? TIt can get very expensive if we don’t. Simply put, engaged workers show up and do more work, they care about your customers more, and are happy to invent on your company’s behalf, and they’re going to help you make more profits. Culture is not an accident, it happens by design. You can’t assign just one single person to take care of culture, it’s everybody’s responsibility, and it starts at the top. It starts with you.

4. Embrace External Trends

  • The outside world can push you into Day 2 if you won’t or can’t embrace powerful trends quickly.
  • Embrace them and you have a tailwind.
  • Fight them and you’re fighting your future

As we have talked about over the past few months, the Gig economy has put a lot of pressure on our channel by making it easy to earn income.

Are We Making Direct Selling Harder Than It Should Be?

Have you looked at your back offices or compensation plans lately? We are a very complicated industry. We teach that it’s easy to earn—you purchase, you share, and make money. What if left out is the calculus needed for new distributors to figure out complicated compensation plans?

If I’m an Uber driver, I know exactly how much money I’m going to make. Plus, the company is going to feed me passenger leads until I call it quits for my shift.  The model provides a high level of predictability and a clear path to the next dollar.

5. Make High-Velocity Decisions

  • Never use a one-size-fits-all decision-making process. Many decisions are reversible, two-way doors.
  • Most decisions should be made with 70 percent of the information, if you wait for 90 percent you’re being slow
  • If you don’t have consensus, disagree and commit to the decision

In Super Bowl XLIX, Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll made one of the most controversial calls in football history. With 26 seconds remaining, and trailing by four at the Patriots’ one-yard line, he called for a pass instead of a hand off to his star running back Marshawn Lynch.

“Staying in Day 1 requires you to experiment patiently, and accept and learn from failures as they come and course correct as needed.”

The pass was intercepted and the Seahawks lost. Critics called it the dumbest play in history. But was the call really that bad? Or did Carroll actually make a great move that was ruined by bad luck?

Pete Carroll was a victim of our tendency to equate the quality of a decision with the quality of its outcome, what poker players call “Resulting.” Even the best decision doesn’t yield the best outcome every time.

As executives you face difficult decisions that have to be made quickly. Go with the best intel you have at the time. Staying in Day 1 requires you to experiment patiently, and accept and learn from failures as they come and course correct as needed.

Direct Selling News is committed to helping you fend off Day 2 by talking about the topics needed to help your company keep the vitality of a Day 1 startup.

 

Todd Eliason is the Publisher and Editor in Chief of Direct Selling News.

Empowering the Leaders of Tomorrow

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A celebration of the powerful female founders who inspire, support and create accessible entrepreneurial paths.

Ready or not, the direct selling industry is changing. Pushy sales tactics, promotions and sales pitches are out. What customers want and expect from brands is an organic feel to all of their interactions and an Instagram-worthy customer experience. Word-of-mouth marketing has always been an essential part of direct selling, but the importance of the referral relationship has dramatically increased in today’s social selling landscape. Customers want to buy from brands and individuals that share their passions and experiences in a way that has mutual benefit. The key to thriving amid this shift will be to lean on the natural social sellers who already comprise three-quarters of the industry: Women.

Leading this charge are driven CEOs who know how to create A company culture that leverages the contribution of women and Understands the needs of their overwhelmingly female audience, who Now makes 70-80 percent of all household purchasing decisions. This year, direct selling news honors 17 women founders from all different backgrounds whose entrepreneurial spirit and drive for excellence in achievement has created companies whose monthly revenues exceed $50 million and impact millions of independent sales people. In our celebration of their triumphs, we also acknowledge the millions of women who fill other equally important roles within the industry—field representatives, mentors, and leaders—and commend the generations of women who went before us for the progress and momentum they set in motion.

Gregg Renefrew

BEAUTYCOUNTER

Gregg Renfrew

Clean cosmetics and safe skincare

What does it take to be a leader in the clean beauty movement? Just ask Founder and CEO, Gregg Renfrew. Rather than tout all-natural or organic, Renfrew has her sights on something even greater: making the entire beauty industry safer. To do that, she puts information in the hands of consumers one distributor relationship at a time, then follows it up with a disruptive omnichannel beauty brand. And disrupt she has. Beautycounter’s 2018 revenues reached $325 million, earning the company a spot on the DSN Global 100 list.

Beautycounter is a direct-to-consumer brand through multiple channels. While they do sell through an incredible network of approximately 50k consultants, it is also available on beautycounter.com, in retail shop locations and also through strategic partnerships.

Through Beautycounter, Gregg has found a way to provide safer products to consumers without sacrificing quality. But the result of her labor that may have an even longer lasting and important benefit: proving to the world that a company can be both safe and profitable at the same time. Formulate, educate, and advocate is the company’s motto. Thanks to Gregg’s vision, beauty may one day be safe for all.

Beautycounter’s 2018 revenues reached earning $325 million the company a spot on the DSN Global 100 List

BELLAME

Melissa Thompson

Beauty products that allow inner and outer radiance to meet

Melissa Thompson built her audience long before she built her company. With a blog and social media content, Melissa wrote about beauty, motherhood and social selling entrepreneurship. Her interactions and surveys with her online community became the blueprint she used to build BELLAME, even allowing readers to weigh in on decisions. “This is not just my company,” Melissa says. “It belongs to our tribe, too.”

Her social approach reflects a trend in successful direct selling companies, and one that comes naturally to many women. “I have been in this industry for over 20 years, and the one common factor that I have seen for successful women in the past two decades is this: they always put their team first,” she says.

Being “beautifully contagious” as Melissa describes it, means leading a company that is not overpowered by egos or drama, but instead heart. With her cosmetics and skincare lines, coupled with her community-driven atmosphere, Melissa pours into her leaders, who in turn pour into their teams “in a way that goes beyond the paycheck and hopefully straight to the

heart,” she says. “When a woman believes in herself, there is nothing she can’t do.”

“When a woman believes in herself, there is nothing she can’t do.”
—Melissa Thompson

CABI

Kimberly Inskeep

Clothing that provides connection

Kimberly Inskeep believes women are “relational connoisseurs” who are uniquely gifted to connect with others. That founding belief is what Cabi is built upon—the idea that when people are in relationship, they’re better—and in a highly relational business, those personal connections equal success. Cabi, Kimberly says, meets women “in their sweet spot,” where work and personal lives are built simultaneously.

With a background in finance and international management consulting for what is now Wells Fargo & Company, Kimberly firmly grasps the importance of cost management, but amid the

challenges of growing a business, picking profits over people has never been a shortcut Kimberly allowed. Instead, her leadership style is to show respect and grace to those around her, and to focus on helping the rest of her team to flourish. “Love is smart business,” she posted in 2018. “If it’s business, it’s absolutely personal—and the more personal, the better.”

“If it’s business, it’s absolutely personal- and the more personal the better.”
—Kimberly Inskeep


DAMSEL IN DEFENSE

Mindy Lin

Personal protection and prevention products

Empowering women is at the heart of the Damsel in Defense vision, but that empowerment goes beyond financial independence and success. Mindy Lin’s company has become a place of healing where women can process their personal experiences with domestic abuse or assault and move forward with confidence. “Our care of people and their stories has to be at the center of all that we do,” Mindy says. “People find healing and a community here that they wouldn’t have found otherwise.”

For women who are living in the shadow of a painful story, Mindy’s mission and products offer a bridge that crosses the chasm between the identities of victim and survivor. “So many people in my field say, ‘I can’t change my story, but I can prevent what happened to me from happening to other women,’” Mindy says. “There’s such a powerful moment that happens when we can take pain to purpose and allow the tragedy in our lives to be used as a triumph for good in this world.”

Creating security devices and personal protection products has brought the rewards of financial and spiritual growth, but for Mindy, success means one thing: “Seeing survivors find this mission in very broken places and watching them grow into incredibly confident businesswomen.”

“So many people in my field say, ‘I can’t change my story, but I can prevent what happened to me from happening to other women.”
—Mindy Lin

 

LIMELIFE BY ALCONE

Michele Gay & Madison Mallardi

Professional makeup and natural skincare

Limelife’s roots began in 1952 when Alvin Cohen displayed theatrical products for Broadway showgirls in Alcone, his pharmacy storefront. When Michele’s father purchased the store in 1980, a new family business was born. Michele, together with her niece, Madison, developed Limelife as an extension to the family brand that would allow professional makeup artists to become distributors. Their vision has expanded into 10 different markets, but it’s their small business legacy that defines their leadership choices. “Our sales field operates like a family,” says Madison, who leads the creative internal team while Michele connects with the field.

Working with a predominantly female workforce has given them insight into the array of roadblocks between women and success, like the cost of childcare and financial instability. It’s also the motivation behind their brighter together initiative, which helps female-led startups thrive. “Helping women understand their worth and having a compensation plan that allows them to get paid their worth is our why,” Michele says.

“Our sales field operates like a family.”
—Madison Mallardi

PAPARAZZI

Misty Kirby and Chani Reeve

Jewelry and accessories starting at $5

Sisters Misty Kirby and Chani Reeve have spent a lifetime creating together. So, as their living room craft project evolved into the Paparazzi powerhouse that it is today, the two intuitively entwined their strengths. Misty, a passionate problem solver who skillfully rallies the field, and Chani, an efficient leader who has a knack for streamlining complicated processes, say that working together, especially during tough seasons of growth and change, serves to strengthen the team. “The biggest obstacle we have faced and continue to face is growth,” Misty says. “Instead of a mountain of work, I see it more as a stepping stone and an opportunity to think creatively.”

Leading in an environment that prioritizes women empowering women means the sisters understand the push and pull of the work and home-life balance. Chani says finding that equilibrium has been her own greatest challenge. “Ultimately, I realized that there is no such thing as a perfect balance between the two,” Chani says. “You find the best of both worlds and make it work.”

Both choose to mentor in a team atmosphere where no one is an island. “When big risks or small changes are made as a group, the fear of failure is able to shrink,” Misty says. Chani agrees: “We succeed as a team or we fail as a team, there is no in between.”

“When big risks or small changes are made as a group, the fear of failure is able to shrink.”
—Misty Kirby

PURE ROMANCE

Patty Brisben

Inspirational intimacy enhancers and bedroom accessories

 Labeling Patty Brisben’s business a sex toy company would be a mistake. While Patty’s product line does focus on intimacy aids, her mission is much greater. Pure Romance empowers women to believe in themselves, and then gives them the resources and leadership training they need to become successful entrepreneurs. “I am incredibly proud of the meaningful work we’ve done that helps tens of thousands of women live the life they’ve always wanted,” Patty says.

What’s more, the Patty Brisben Foundation for Women’s Sexual Health educates more than 10 million women each year about sexual Health and wellbeing, funds important research, and helps women impacted by topics not often addressed, like sexual dysfunction after cancer treatments. What Patty has created is an innovative company that takes the home party experience to the next level of entertainment and fun, while empowering and educating women at the same time. “My hope for the future is more,” Patty says. “More consultants, more sexual health education, more change, more success, and more empowerment for women worldwide.”

“My hope for the future is more.”
—Patty Brisben

 

RODAN + FIELDS

Dr. Katie Rodan and Dr. Kathy Fields

Personalized skincare solutions

Teen acne treatment product Proactiv made Dr. Rodan and Dr. Fields a household name more than two decades ago, but it was their line of anti-aging products bearing their names that skyrocketed them to fame. Although the brand began in 2002, and was sold in department stores, the company’s true momentum began when it was introduced to the direct selling market in 2007.

The doctors’ personal wealth has simultaneously climbed. Forbes 2019 list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women placed the doctor duo in the 14th spot, well above financial powerhouses like Celine Dion, Donna Karan and Taylor Swift. Even still, the doctors are devoted to teaching at Stanford Medical School and maintain their dermatology practices two days per week.

“ FORBES 2019 list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women placed the doctor duo in the 14th spot, well above financial powerhouses like Celine Dion, Donna Karan and Taylor Swift.”

SCENTSY

Heidi Thompson

Wickless home fragrances products

Heidi is the heart of Scentsy—and wears her heart on her sleeve. If you’ve seen Heidi, you’ve seen her laugh and you’ve seen her cry, often at the same time. When she’s not inspiring others

to step out of their comfort zones, or sending hand-written notes of congratulations or condolence, or wading through endless combinations of fragrances to discover the ideal essence of a favorite childhood memory, she’s a dedicated wife and mom of five. Like so many women, Heidi knows what it’s like to juggle it all, seamlessly magnifying her faith, her family and her business.

She is recognized as the leader of the fastest growing consumer products company on the Inc. 500, an Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year, and Idaho Business Review woman of the year, but is most appreciated for her extraordinary gift of making people feel important, special and loved. She sees the good in others and knows how to bring out the best in them.

“Try to do the things that you’ve never done before.”
—Heidi Thompson

SCOUT & CELLAR

Sarah Shadonix

Clean-crafted wine

Sarah Shadonix is a risk taker who does her research. After leaving a career in litigation to pursue her passion for wine, she did a deep dive into the intricacies of the wine industry and discovered it lacked something she craved even more than the drink Itself: transparency. Armed with knowledge, she set out on a mission to develop clean-crafted wine and a company that would be built on five core principles: authenticity, transparency, family, passion and doing the right thing. “We came upon those core values because they are inherent to who we are,” Sarah says. “If we have a hard decision to make, we refer back to our core values to keep us consistent and grounded.”

With that foundation, Sarah has built a company that empowers its overwhelmingly female workforce and rewards them with a culture of trust and balance, like the unlimited PTO offered to salaried employees. “We don’t even track it,” she says. “People can come in late or stay home with a sick kid. Just get your job done. We want you to be happy in your personal life so you can perform your job well.”

As the company continues to grow, Sarah attributes persistence—an attitude she describes as “grit balanced by grace”—that she sees in herself and her team for their steady climb. “The people and the impact we’re making through them is my favorite part of the job.”

“We want you to be happy in your personal life so you can perform your job well.”
—Sarah Shadonix

SENEGENCE

Joni Rogers-Kante

Anti-aging and long-lasting cosmetics

When Joni Rogers-Kante was a single mother of a toddler, she knew two things: she wanted to devote her life to helping women build security for themselves and their children, and she wanted to create an income that would allow her to be present as much as possible for her son. Out of much research and planning, SeneGence was born. “SeneGence is about empowering women, and that’s true In every facet,” Joni says. “Without a doubt, we’ve proven a culture of likeminded, intelligent, kind women can indeed be inspiring and make what seemed impossible actualized.”

As a pioneer in the long-lasting color cosmetics category, the company has been propelled beyond the small business structure, and now operates globally. Even so, Joni is committed to never losing the personal touch and responsibility her company has with each individual distributor. “We’re here for the long haul—for the next generation of entrepreneurs and our children,” she says. “That is the approach we take at every decision-making crook in the road of growth and development at SeneGence, and it is an important part of my business plan.”

“SeneGence is about empowering women, and that’s true in every facet.”
—Joni Rogers-Kante

STELLA & DOT

Jessica Herrin

Jewelry and fashion that empowers women

Jessica Herrin eschewed the advice of family and friends when she dropped out of business school at age 24, but her resulting wedding-gift registry site—which later sold to The Knot for $78 million—proved she was on the right track. She began Stella & Dot as a side hustle while working full-time for Dell and pregnant with her first child, and found herself in an exhausting juggling act that made her eager to reinvent the working life of a modern woman. Women could have both a family and ambition, she believed, and built Stella & Dot around that structure. Relational and flexible, Stella & Dot has continued to build on that early belief, and now includes a vibrant social media presence, including half a million followers on Facebook, and a #11 ranking on the DSN Global 100 List.

The company has seen incredible growth (paying out $500 million in commissions to date) under Jessica’s leadership and now includes two additional brands, KEEP Collective and EVER, but it has not been without its challenges, like its exit from the European market at the beginning of 2019. Through the ups and downs, Jessica’s ability to lead her company to strong growth without checking her opinions or heart at the door has given thousands of women across the world the opportunity to build a career and a life on their own terms.

“Stella & Dot has a vibrant social media presence, including half a million followers on Facebook and a No. 11 ranking on the DSN Global 100 List.”

THIRTY-ONE GIFTS

Cindy Monroe

Personalized bags, gifts and home decor

“It’s about helping these women,” Cindy says, when she reflects on why she founded Thirty-One Gifts in 2003. “I wanted to give women an opportunity to earn extra income while being able to stay at home with their children or have a second income with a flexible schedule.” Cindy’s love for the direct selling model began in college, when she worked as a distributor between classes to earn extra money. But that affection is balanced by her vision. She has made tough decisions—like removing some of the company’s C-suite executives to move herself and the vice presidents closer to the execution of key strategies—in order to prepare for the next growth cycle of the company, whether that includes an influx of younger women or an international expansion.

When she started the company at 28, she surrounded herself with other strong leaders, but admits that some of her early struggles came from her own insecurities. “I will admit that it was hard at times to lead and gain the respect of a mature team when you are a 34-year-old woman,” she says. Today, at the helm of a multimillion-dollar organization and sure of herself, she has watched what she once viewed as a weakness, transform into her greatest strength. “I believe in what we are doing and can share that confidence with others,” she says. “I love that I can empower others to chase their dreams.”

“I love that I can empower others to chase their dreams.”
—Cindy Monroe

YOUNG LIVING

Mary Young

Essential Oils

Without Mary Young, it’s likely that essential oils wouldn’t be the household name they are today. Alongside husband Gary Young, Mary was an influential voice in what became a movement that has attracted more than 6 million distributors across the globe. Her leadership style is team-focused and attacking problems with others to determine new and different possibilities thrills her. “It’s fun to hear all the different ideas as we brainstorm in an environment of creativity to develop new programs and plans for growing our business.”

This collaborative work environment has given Mary a unique insight into what makes a successful team tick, and with an overwhelmingly female workforce, she’s been able to pinpoint the traits that successful women often share. “They have a burning desire to learn, understand, and never let go of the direction they have chosen to go,” Mary says. “They are usually very focused and don’t allow distractions to take them from their goal.”

Surrounding herself with a highly skilled and dedicated executive team has been one of her key strategies for facing adversity. “My greatest strength as a leader is my ability to empower others, to believe in themselves, to discuss their ideas and recognize their value as part of our Young Living family and how important they are in carrying our mission to the world.”

“My greatest strength as a leader is my ability to empower others, to believe in themselves.”
—Mary Young

REFLECTIVE OF THE CHANGING CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE, almost all of these leading women would describe her organization as a social selling empire, rather than a direct selling company. While this change may be startling, progress is an inevitable part of a healthy ecosystem, and the direct selling industry is no exception. As these 17 women have proven, visionary leadership and a willingness to navigate changing customer expectations can result in extraordinary results— or, as these successful CEOs experienced, millions of dollars in revenue.

Youngevity Selected As Fit Week Company 2020, YGYI to Ring Nasdaq Closing Bell

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Youngevity® International, Inc. announced it will ring in the new year on January 7, 2020, at the Nasdaq Stock Market Closing Bell ceremony in Times Square.

In celebration of Nasdaq’s ninth annual “Fit Week,” Youngevity’s executive leadership will gather alongside company distributors as well as members of the Youngevity team and Celebrity Brand Ambassadors Marilu Henner and Dr. James Rouse to ring the closing bell.

“Although it may sound cliché, the beginning of a new year is an optimal time to begin your pathway to betterment, and we couldn’t be more pleased to be celebrating alongside Nasdaq in recognition of Fit Week,” said Youngevity President and CFO Dave Briskie. “Our outlook at Youngevity is truly unique when it comes to taking a holistic approach to betterment rather than focusing on the latest product and exercise trends that many times fail to provide sustainable results.”

YGYI will be featured on the seven-story Nasdaq digital tower with a video being played to onlookers. Nasdaq has informed Youngevity that it will be featured on Nasdaq’s social media properties, including Facebook and Twitter.

The Top Trends from Y2K to Now

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eBay recently took a retrospective look back at the top trends and events that shaped online shopping every year since Y2K, according to search and sales data.

From Pokémon and velour tracksuits to royal inspiration and fidget spinners, in between, each year’s biggest moments had shoppers searching online for their “must-haves” across millions of brands, products, gadgets and more.

In 2019, consumer shopping cart activity showed us that…

  • Sneaker dominance1 – A growing trend over the past decade, sneaker sales increased in 2019 from the previous year with Air Jordans claiming the top spot with 171% more sales than competitor brands on eBay.
  • We had pearl fever1 – With influencers flaunting their pearls on social, followers drove interest in pearl accessories. In fact, whenGigi Hadid was seen wearing a string of pearls, eBay saw a 21% uptick in sales.
  • We were watching Game of Thrones1 – With the airing of its final episode in May, show fans were shopping for GoT-themed collectibles from posters to ornaments and everything in between.
  • Queen Bey ruled her Throne – Commanding a different throne, with the release of “Homecoming” and “Lion King,” all things Beyonce were trending. eBay saw a spike in Beyonce vinyl sales around the release periods for both films.
  • The rise of micro bags2 – Last year the fanny pack was king but this year, we witnessed a growing popularity for crossbody bags, especially in miniature size. This year the mini crossbody bags, which have seen spikes in sales as high as 65% year over year, were the number one most wanted type of handbag heading into the holidays.

Looking back to the start of the new millennium, below are some of the most popular trends that influenced our online shopping on eBay.com since 2000 to present.

  • 2000 – Pokémon-mania3 – We kicked off the new millennium chasing Pikachu on a small gaming device known as GameBoy, while the Pokémon series and films were on screens everywhere! Everyone was on a quest to ‘catch ’em all,’ especially the plush versions. Almost 20 years later, Pokémon has held onto its popularity and is the second most popular trading card game sold on eBay, with rare cards sold for upwards of tens of thousands of dollars each time one of them goes on the market.
  • 2001 – Please meet Xbox and iPod – In 2001, we witnessed the introduction of the first Xbox and iPod, which made these both the year’s must-have items. Today, both of these items have transformed into iterations of the originals that consumers could have only dreamed were possible.
  • 2002 – Cameras go cellular – This year we saw the introduction of the Nokia cellphone camera, the first cell phone with a built-in camera. Everyone wanted to update their phone to snap instant photos. Over the past 20 years, we have seen iPhone and Android up the ante with each new phone release. While users were once excited about the sheer capability of being able to take pictures on the go, now the competition is stiffer than ever with the super-technical capabilities of mobile phone photography.
  • 2003 – Velour tracksuits – In 2003 Juicy Couture was purchased by Liz Clairborne, infusing excitement into the brand’s signature velour tracksuits which became a mainstream trend, especially when Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie’s’ Simple Life series premiered. In fact, Paris Hilton recently was interviewed saying she still has an “entire closet that is only Juicy Couture.” The trend has already been making a comeback in recent years, and we expect this to continue in a big way into the new decade.
  • 2004 – Friends said goodbye1 – In May of this year, the popular TV series Friends bid farewell to fans when it aired its final episode. Fans snatched series merchandise as an homage to keep the series alive. This year, Friends celebrated 25 years of the beloved ‘90s TV series and eBay saw a 44% increase in Friends T-shirt sales in September, the official anniversary month.
  • 2005 – Reality TV gets real – Thanks to series like Survivor and American Idol (among others), fans were glued to their screens each week to see the latest elimination. With this peek interest for reality TV, fans everywhere were looking to own a piece of their series through auction items or fan merchandise. Did you know that current reality TV queen Kim Kardashian West had her first business venture in the mid-2000s on eBay? Under the username kimsaprincess, KKW would resell designer items she had sourced from celebrity friends’ closets and would take a cut of the profit as a means to fund her own expensive wardrobe taste.
  • 2006 – Tie-Dye becomes the new black – This was the year when everything we owned was taking a dip in tie-dye. Shoppers could find tie-dye apparel and accessories in just about any corner. Thirteen years later, tie-dye made another resurgence as it appeared on major SS19 runways—Prada, Proenza Schouler and Stella McCartney were three of the biggest names to capture the trends.
  • 2007 – The Simpsons4 – With the release of The Simpsons Movie, everyone’s favorite animated series was a cultural moment that inspired everything around us, including our clothes. In the month following the July 27, 2007 release, eBay sales for The Simpsonsmerchandise spiked an impressive 217%.
  • 2008 – We made bold shoe choices5 – In addition to going down as the year of the leggings, 2008 was a year when shoppers made UGG boots and Crocs their footwear of choice. It seemed like everyone was asking for UGGs for Christmas—sales were up 105%going into the 2008 holiday season. Crocs were most popular as a summer shoe, with 135 times more sales on eBay than the season prior.
  • 2009 – Guido goes haute – With the premier of MTV’s highly popular Jersey Shore series, so came the quest for guido-inspired fashion. 2008 was a year when oversized sunglasses were in along with animal prints, airbrushed hats and graphic T-shirts.
  • 2010 – The tablet is born – In 2010 we were introduced to the first iPad, thus ushering in a new era in technology for shoppers. The iPad sustained impression traction on eBay throughout its first year, peaking in December for the holidays. Today, we have seen tablets completely transform the way we use personal devices. As phone screens get bigger and tablets become sleeker, the line between the personal tech devices becomes finer. Items like the Samsung Galaxy Fold made major waves on eBay and in headlines in 2019.
  • 2011 – Royal fever – In 2011 we celebrated the union between Prince William and Kate Middleton, an affair we celebrated from beginning to end of year, toasting with our favorite royal-inspired or royal-printed tea sets. Fast forward to the highly anticipated wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, where Royal Wedding fever hit eBay again with sales for fascinators and floral crowns rising 47%. Meghan captivated Americans and Brits alike as she made her procession down the aisle in a custom Givenchy gown, spiking the fashion label to the top searched list on May 19, 2018. Today, we are equally as inspired by the royal family fashion, as seen clearly by eBay’s 300% increase in Strathberry crossbody bag sales in the past year after the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, was seen wearing the bag.
  • 2012 – British takeover – On the heels of the previous year’s royal-fandom, 2012 was a year where we celebrated all things British from One Direction to 007’s Skyfall film, and in between it all, London hosted the Olympics where the Spice Girls made a special reunion that had shoppers looking for union jack-printed apparel and home decor.
  • 2013 – The next generation – In 2013 we saw the newest iteration of a variety of tech and console devices including the iPhone 5S, PlayStation 4, Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC One, the iPad Air and many more. In December 2013, almost 300 Samsung Galaxy S4s were sold every hour on eBay. We’ve since seen new models come out every year and this year, the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone XR ranked in the top two spots for eBay’s best-selling electronics.
  • 2014 – Beauty influence – In 2014, Kylie Jenner launched her very popular lip kits thus igniting the age of beauty influencers and consumers quest for all the latest in lip kits/ cosmetics.
  • 2015 – 3D flower mania – 2015 will be the year of eternal spring as we witnessed 3D blossoms in everything from décor to clothing. In the last 6 months of the year, eBay sales for 3D flowers rose a staggering 1115% percent!
  • 2016 – Superheroes take flight4 – In 2016 we celebrated our favorite superheroes as we saw the release of popular films such as Deadpool, Suicide Squad, Batman, Captain America and more. It comes as no surprise that our favorite heroes and villains were the most popular costumes of the year and still today, Batman ranked in the top five trending Halloween costumes on eBay this year.
  • 2017 – Fidget fever5 – 2017 was the year where our fingers stayed busy with fidget spinners of all varieties and colors, and when we weren’t fidgeting, our fingers were searching online for the coolest one, where one was sold every 1.5 seconds on eBay.
  • 2018 – Welcome back fanny pack – The ‘80s classic had a comeback moment inspiring men, women, children and adults to turn to their favorite hands-free bag. The trend continued into this year where the Gucci Belt Bag outsold similar handbag styles by an average of 10x.

Until 2020 trends are officially upon us, shoppers can head to eBay.com to shop a wide selection of items from every era.

 

1Based on searches and sales on eBay US from October 2018 to October 2019
2Based on searches and sales on eBay US from January 2004 to December 2019
3Based on searches and sales on eBay US from January 2001 to October 2019
4Based on searches on eBay US from July 2019 to September 2019
5Based on sales on eBay US from May 1 – 7, 2017

USANA, Dr. Oz Open New Food-Packing Facility

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To combat child hunger in Utah, USANA recently opened a new food-packing facility with the goal of filling and delivering 1,000 backpacks each week to hungry children.

“Having acquired Kids Eat Utah and Kids Next Door this past summer, USANA has joined them with our charity, the USANA Foundation, and built a new facility to provide more food to Utah kids who face daily hunger,” said USANA CEO Kevin Guest.

One in five Utah children goes home to insufficient or no food every day, a fact that has caught the attention of Dr. Mehmet Oz of The Dr. Oz Show. Oz, who visited Salt Lake City to help officially open the new facility, invited the public to help pack backpacks for kids.

“I am honored to be a part of something that will help so many lives each day,” Oz said. “Join me as we open the brand new USANA Kids Eat facility so we can get more food in backpacks to give to kids because no child should ever go hungry.”

In Salt Lake Valley, 56,000 children qualify for free or reduced-price school lunches.

“With each backpack containing seven meals, we are filling and distributing 800 backpacks each week,” said Brian Paul, USANA Foundation president. “For long holiday breaks, we fill over 3,000 extended-break food kits so kids will have enough food. We welcome the public’s help to reach the goal of filling and distributing 1,000 backpacks per week, which will total 300,000 meals for hungry kids in our community in 2020.”

Since 2012, the USANA Foundation, a charitable arm established to ensure impoverished children and families reach their fullest potential by providing food and nutrition, has donated more than $10 million in 26 countries around the world to provide more than 40 million meals.

“We are very grateful we can expand operations at our world headquarters to help Utah children get the food they need,” said Guest.

 

Mary Kay Inc. Earns More Than 20 Prestigious Awards Throughout 2019

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In 2019, Mary Kay Inc. took home more than 20 coveted awards in the business, corporate citizenship and leadership categories from various reputable sources.

The awards, which range from Forbes “Best Midsize Employers for 2019” to “Best in Show” at Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship Film Festival, highlight Mary Kay’s business values and its dedication to the principles defined by the brand’s legendary founder, Mary Kay Ash.

Awards in 2019 include:

Excellence in Business

  • Best Employers for Diversity, 2019 – Forbes
  • Best Midsize Employer, 2019 – Forbes
  • Gold Ranking in Educational Category – Spring 2019 OMNI Awards
  • Top 50 U.S.-based Companies in Household and Personal Products Industry – HAPPI Magazine
  • DSA Empowerment Award, 2019 – Direct Selling Association
  • Most Reputable Global Employers in 2019 Global Workplace 100 Study – Reputation Institute
  • 2019 Compliance Award – EXPANSION
  • Top Brand, 2019 – VIP Magazine
  • Women Entrepreneurship Award – Woman Who Matters Forum
  • Best Magazine for Clients, Mary Kay Russia Applause® – Media Leader
  • Best Client Media: Web Media, Mary Kay Russia MirrorMe™ App – Corporate Media Awards

Excellence in Corporate Citizenship

  • Fan Favorite, video: Mary Kay’s Commitment to Ending Domestic Violence – Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship International Corporate Citizenship Film Festival
  • Best in Show – Small Company Category, video: Mary Kay’s Commitment to Ending Domestic Violence – Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship International Corporate Citizenship Film Festival
  • 2019 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Certification – Mary Kay Richard R. Rogers Manufacturing and R&D Center
  • Best CSR Brand and Best CSR Strategy Award, Mary Kay China – CSR China Education Awards

Excellence in Leadership

  • 10 Most Reputable CEOS in the World, David Hall, Mary Kay CEO, RepTrak 2019 Study – Reputation Institute
  • 2019 Most Powerful Women in Corporate America, Sheryl Adkins-Green, Chief Marketing Officer – BLACK ENTERPRISE Magazine
  • 2019 Most Powerful Women in Corporate America, Julia Simon, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary – BLACK ENTERPRISE Magazine
  • 500 Most Influential Women in Spain, Gema Aznar, Mary Kay Spain General Manager – Yo Dona Magazine
  • Most Powerful Female Business Leaders, Claudia Maria Cardona, Marketing Manager, Mary Kay Colombia – ALO Magazine
  • Manager of the Year, Alla Sokolova, Mary Kay Russia General Manager – Russian Business Guide
  • Top 250 Best Top Managers, Alla Sokolova, Mary Kay Russia General Manager – The Association Managers of Russia and Kommersant Publishing House

USANA Founder and Chairman Myron W. Wentz to Retire from Board of Directors

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USANA Health Sciences, Inc. recently announced that the company’s founder, Myron W. Wentz, Ph.D., will retire from the position of Board chairman and director.

Dr. Wentz will retire at the company’s May 1, 2020 Annual Shareholder Meeting and will transition to chairman emeritus and be succeeded as chairman of the Board by Kevin Guest, the company’s chief executive officer. Guest currently serves as a director and his appointment as chairman is the result of a systematic and comprehensive succession plan undertaken by the board.

Dr. Wentz, 79, founded USANA in 1992 and has served as chairman of the Board since that time. Under his leadership, the company has evolved and grown from a small, U.S. nutritional supplement company to an international leader in cellular nutrition with annual sales in excess of $1 billion to customers in 24 markets around the world.

“The pursuit of excellence in the life sciences, health and cellular nutrition has been my life’s work and mission,” said Dr. Wentz. “I founded USANA 27 years ago and, since that time, USANA has been instrumental in carrying my vision and work to the world. It has been my great privilege to work with so many dedicated and talented individuals to advance USANA into what it has become today—one of the foremost leaders in cellular nutrition and product innovation. I have complete trust and confidence in Kevin Guest, as well as our exceptional board and management team, to continue the USANA vision of improving the health and wellness of individuals and families around the world. While I plan to continue offering guidance to USANA as a major shareholder, honorary board member and scientist, I welcome the opportunity to devote more time to my many humanitarian pursuits and various philanthropic projects. I will be turning 80 in 2020 and there is still so much I must do.”

Kevin Guest, the company’s CEO, said, “Dr. Wentz has served and led USANA with great distinction for more than 25 years. His vision, dedication and commitment have been immeasurable. It has been my privilege to work with and learn so much from him. On behalf of the company’s management team, employees, and customers, I want to convey our sincere appreciation to Dr. Wentz and commitment to continue carrying his vision to the world.”

Tupperware Brands Appoints Aedhmar Hynes to Board of Directors

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Tupperware Brands Corporation recently announced that Aedhmar Hynes has been elected to its Board of Directors, effective December 16, 2019.

Hynes has been ranked among the 50 most powerful communications professionals in the world by PRWeek, which also named her a Global Professional of the Year in 2018 and inducted her into its Hall of Fame in November 2019.  She is the former chief executive officer of Text100, one of the world’s largest digital communications agencies across Europe, North America and Asia. She serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Rosetta Stone Inc. and The IP Group plc.

Hynes is also the chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Page Society, the industry body for chief communications officers of Fortune500 companies; a member of the advisory board of the MIT Media Lab; a Board Director of the non-profit Technoserve; and a 2008 Henry Crown Fellow of The Aspen Institute and member of The Aspen Global Leadership Network.

“We are pleased to welcome Aedhmar to the Tupperware Brands board as we continue our efforts to enhance brand awareness in the digital age, drive increased profitability and deliver value for all of our stakeholders,” said Susan M. Cameron, chairman of the Tupperware Brands Board of Directors. “Her deep experience developing and leveraging branding, purpose and cultural change to drive customer engagement and brand loyalty will be valuable to the company as we continue to execute against our strategic priorities. We look forward to tapping into her expertise in digital transformation and technology disruption.”

“I am pleased to join the Tupperware Brands board at such an important time in the iconic brand’s history,” said Hynes. “I look forward to working closely with my fellow directors and the management team to shape the Tupperware of the future, having worked with some of the world’s largest and most influential brands over the course of my career.”

The election of Hynes brings the Tupperware Brands Board of Directors to 11 members, with board member Chris O’Leary currently serving as interim CEO of the company.

MONAT Gratitude Gives Back to Local Communities Through a Global Initiative to Encourage Giving

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Over 1,500 MONAT Market Partners and Employees around the world hosted events to celebrate the fifth-annual Gratitude Week.

This December, MONAT Gratitude, the philanthropic movement behind MONAT Global Corp (MONAT), hosted its fifth-annual Gratitude Week by impacting local communities around the world. Over 1,500 Market Partners and employees of the Miami-based company joined forces around the globe by organizing and hosting efforts to benefit local non-profits or spread gratitude in communities throughout the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and, for the first time, Ireland and Poland.

One of the largest efforts that took place during Gratitude Week was a holiday lunch at Miami-based Lotus House, an organization that is dedicated to improving the lives of homeless women, youth and children. The MONAT team transformed the dining area into a fine dining experience and served over 200 women that live in the shelter. Guests enjoyed live music and a gourmet menu prepared by Recipes for Change, and they each received two products from the MONAT Skincare line.

Other events include:

The first Gratitude Week took place five years ago when Sr. Luis Urdaneta, chairman and co-founder of MONAT, asked that, in celebration of his birthday, everyone take action and make a positive impact in their community. Each year, the event takes place during the first week of December, and it has quickly become one of MONAT Gratitude’s signature events.

“Gratitude Week is the most beautiful week of the year for us because it shows what MONAT is really about: making a positive impact. Each year, we challenge ourselves to impact more communities than the last,” said Lu Urdaneta, Chief Culture Officer. “Our Market Partners have shown their creativity and willingness to help others by organizing efforts and putting their plans into action.”

MONAT Gratitude has been an integral part of the MONAT Global company culture since its inception in 2014.