Click here to order the Direct Selling News issue in which this article appeared.

Company Profile:

• Founded: 1998
• Headquarters: Santa Monica, Calif.
• Top Executives: Chairman and CEO Carl Daikeler, President Jon Congdon
• Products: In-home fitness video programs, nutritional supplements and personal-care products

Transformation. It’s an important word with many meanings for direct sellers. But at Team Beachbody®, it’s the whole business.

Team Beachbody distributors, called Coaches, are brand evangelists who have transformed themselves by using the company’s in-home fitness programs such as P90X®, INSANITY®, Ten Minute Trainer® and Brazil Butt Lift® and have decided to pay it forward. Their personal transformations turn each Coach into a living billboard that opens the door to conversations about how they can help others get fit and healthy.

Both the company and its Coaches have benefitted from transformation. Beachbody got started in 1998, when Carl Daikeler and Jonathan Congdon, now the company’s CEO and President, respectively, opened a direct response marketing business that made heavy use of infomercials. They didn’t set out to own a health and fitness company. Daikeler says they just wanted to make successful TV infomercials. Within a couple of years, they were focused on fitness.

But over time they recognized what they viewed as a gap in the marketplace. Many people would watch their infomercials, be interested, recognize the Beachbody name, but never order. Beachbody experimented with offering videos at Target stores, but the trial had little success. Clearly, they needed a different approach. They decided to fill the gap and take advantage of Beachbody’s brand awareness at the same time by adding a network marketing arm to their business.

“When you advertise your products on TV with over $100 million of ads every year, there is a lot more awareness created than people who will actually order,” Daikeler explains. “We felt it would be better to put the opportunity for selling these products into the hands of people who had success with them, rather than put them on retail shelves. Our hope was that the network marketing business would grow to be bigger than the TV business.”

Motivation for Transformation

In 2007 the founders launched Team Beachbody. The response was dramatic. People who were already recommending Beachbody tools to their friends were excited to get paid for doing it—plus, they now had additional motivation to stay healthy. Today they have grown into a force of some 100,000 Coaches who have successfully used the products to transform their bodies.

“We’ve all experienced that it’s one thing to lose weight, but it’s a whole other thing to keep the weight off, especially when it’s done through hard work and good nutrition,” Daikeler says. “So having this additional layer of motivation and financial rewards turned out to be an ‘aha!’ moment for us that we never expected. That’s why we feel that network marketing is the perfect way to solve the trend of obesity in this country. Put the prospect of financial reward into the people who need the motivation for behavior change. That’s how this trend will end.”

Team Beachbody’s Coaches are the missing link to reversing that trend, the company believes. Not only do they offer products that keep workouts interesting and challenging, but they provide the accountability, encouragement, recognition and support that keep clients in front of their televisions day after day, week after week—not watching reality shows or playing video games, but exercising to exhilarating exhaustion with Beachbody fitness programs. The Coaches’ major daily tool for keeping clients engaged: challenge groups they run through social media. Challenge groups provide a comprehensive approach. They combine a fitness program and premium nutrition, plus peer support and accountability among people with similar goals. Coaches facilitate the groups, providing the framework that helps people get off the couch, get started and then keep going.

Daikeler illustrated how important Coaches are last year at VideoPlus University, the annual educational event for direct selling executives put on by VideoPlus. When he asked a roomful of direct sellers how many of them owned a P90X DVD program—Beachbody’s 90-day home fitness system designed to get users in the best shape of their lives—hands went up around the room. Then the kicker:  “How many of you have completed it?” he asked. Scanning the room and seeing very few hands in the air, he responded, “We’ve got work to do.”

That work is where Coaches come in. Team Beachbody makes the Coaching process about helping people first—“solving, not selling,” according to Daikeler. Challenge groups are one of their main methods.

Strength in Numbers

Daikeler says that the first challenge group consisted of Congdon, trainer Tony Horton and himself back in 2001. They worked out together to Beachbody’s first mega-successful fitness program, Power 90®, the predecessor to P90X—both created and led by Horton. The three held each other accountable for completing the video workouts over a 90-day period. Because they were using Horton’s video program, the emphasis within the small group, even for Horton, was on being an accountability partner.

“The more you succeed, the more everyone succeeds, because transformation attracts more people into the ecosystem.” —Carl Daikeler

“Over the course of 90 days, you need somebody to ask, ‘How’s it going?’ or even, ‘Have you started the program?’ ” Daikeler explains. “The value of any challenge group is that members will all contribute to helping everyone stay accountable and work toward the success of the whole. It’s great for network marketing because you’re not succeeding at anyone’s expense. The more you succeed, the more everyone succeeds because transformation attracts more people into the ecosystem.”

Daikeler says that the rate of success for people in challenge groups is much greater than among people who just buy products from a TV infomercial and choose to go it alone.

To provide even more incentive to help clients achieve their goals, Team Beachbody offers the Beachbody Challenge contest, complete with daily, monthly and quarterly cash awards, as well as a $100,000 grand prize awarded annually to the most inspiring male and female success stories. To enter, people who have completed any Beachbody fitness program simply submit their “before” and “after” photos, along with their transformation story. The most compelling stories are considered for prizes, and everyone who enters receives a T-shirt. A sister challenge is the Ultimate Health Transformation Challenge, which is open to people who use the company’s nutritional products such as Shakeology® or Beachbody Ultimate Reset™.

In each challenge, both the winning customer and their Coach are rewarded. More than 2 million people joined the Beachbody Challenge last year. Between the $500 daily prizes, the $1,000 monthly awards, the $5,000 quarterly awards—which also include a travel prize—and the yearly grand prize, Team Beachbody invests well over $1 million a year in the challenges.

One Beachbody Challenge Grand Prize winner, who has since become a Coach, was recently featured in People magazine’s annual “half their size” issue and appeared on Good Morning America, where he was quick to plug Team Beachbody for helping him lose 200 pounds.

Beachbody’s core purpose statement is proudly displayed in the Santa Monica, Calif. headquarters.

P90X

The “Shakeology Wall of Ingredients” displays the host of superfoods and ingredients found in every serving.

Products That Produce Results

The challenges also provide tens of thousands of additional success stories to promote Beachbody. “Before” and “after” photos go into infomercials, DVDs and on websites, helping to fuel the further success of Coaches, and of the company. And challenge groups themselves produce a collection of successful clients who have worked with a Team Beachbody Coach. Their success and enthusiasm turns them into a constantly expanding warm market for new Coaches.

“The most fundamental and important thing about our business is customer success,” Daikeler emphasizes. “Selling products is one thing, but for long-term business success and ongoing growth, customers have to get results.”

Clients take a multipronged approach to achieve their best body ever and to compete for awards. In addition to joining a challenge group, they choose from Beachbody’s catalog of fitness DVDs or classes at gyms across the country, designed to provide an appropriate solution for everyone, from the beginner to the competitive athlete. The DVDs feature fitness celebrities such as Tony Horton, Shaun T, Chalene Johnson and Leandro Carvalho, who lead video “classes” with their unique, results-producing workouts. The classes in gyms are run by Beachbody certified trainers, many of whom are also Team Beachbody Coaches.

But winning the war on weight isn’t about exercise alone. Nutrition plays a vital role in weight loss, ongoing fitness and in recurring monthly Coach commissions. Team Beachbody’s nutrition powerhouse is Shakeology, a low-calorie, high-nutrition meal replacement shake that is available exclusively through Team Beachbody Coaches, which helps boost Coach retention and commissions. Repeat Shakeology sales are at the heart of a Coach’s commission check. The strategy works. Shakeology is the company’s fastest-selling brand, with revenues that have grown from $6 million in 2009 to almost $200 million last year—all by word-of-mouth. Team Beachbody supplements those sales with its entry into the cleanse marketplace, Beachbody Ultimate Reset. Derm Exclusive™, Beachbody’s TV-promoted anti-aging skincare products, complements the growing product line as well.

The pipeline of new products, videos, challenges and online support, as well as the Coaches’ dedication to the company’s mission to end the trend toward obesity, combines to create a high level of Coach retention. Daikeler believes that the company’s strong brand plays a big role in retention, as well, and he says that Beachbody’s ongoing program of infomercials supports the success of its Coaches.

“I consider Beachbody and Team Beachbody to be one company, and the job of the advertising machine that falls under the Beachbody umbrella is to generate more awareness and more new customers that we can assign to our Coaches,” he says. “In network marketing the hardest thing for a new entrepreneur is to expand their prospect list once they’ve run through immediate friends and family. Through advertising and lead generation, we can expand their prospect list for them. It’s one of the things most exciting about our brands. A Coach can walk into Starbucks wearing a P90X T-shirt, and people start up conversations with them. I call it ‘wear and share.’ It’s been one of the most amazing aspects of this business for people who don’t like the idea of selling.”

Sometimes that conversation begins with the fact that the stranger already owns a P90X program—or other Beachbody fitness program—but has faced challenges.

“Every person who buys our program through TV will encounter the same challenge: ‘How will I get my nutrition under control now that I’m getting my exercise under control?’ The answer is Shakeology,” Daikeler says. “Even if that person in Starbucks is already doing the exercise program, let me help nutrition with Shakeology. Every time someone starts a conversation about one of the fitness programs because you’re wearing the logo, it’s an opportunity to help them solve the diet problem.”

All that opportunity is fueled by infomercials that sell fitness video programs directly to consumers, and Daikeler strongly believes that the channels are more synergistic than competitive. Even the Beachbody website cross-promotes Team Beachbody.

Motivated by Mission

The whole package helps attract and retain Team Beachbody Coaches, but the overriding key is the company’s mission to end the trend toward obesity.

“It’s one of the reasons we experience less turnover in our network,” Daikeler says. “People aren’t first attracted to the business because of any get-rich-quick potential. We don’t really preach the financial opportunity as much as we promote the health, fitness and life transformation opportunity. If people come through the door with the right intent—achieving that mission—they’ll be around for a long time because the products work. It’s also why we attract people who were never interested in network marketing before. Getting themselves healthy, fit, and then doing it for their family and friends is a big problem they want to solve. The fact that they can generate income is an outrageous benefit that often surprises people who really succeed in generating substantial interest.”

Daikeler describes a Team Beachbody Coach’s job as encompassing three vital behaviors. First, the expectation is for them to be a product of the product—work out and drink Shakeology to become a walking billboard for their own Coaching businesses. Second is to be visible and vocal about being involved with a fitness program, and to invite people to their challenge groups. Finally, they are expected to stay involved with personal development. Team Beachbody invests in Coach development by making a library of resources available in each Coach’s online back office.

All that investment—in Coaches, in advertising, in challenge rewards, even in philanthropy—is creating steady growth. The company plans additional technology investments to make its programs more accessible, as well as recognition and TV advertising that celebrate its Coaches’ achievements.

There’s a lot to celebrate. Team Beachbody has achieved strong, steady growth year over year among Coaches and revenues. Its mission to transform America from a nation where two-thirds are overweight or obese creates a substantial opportunity for Coaches who are committed to being part of the solution.

“Through our core mission and core values as a company, from the top down, we promote what our priorities are if you want to be aligned with Beachbody,” Daikeler summarizes. “The message coming from me and Beachbody is that we want to have a very positive impact on people around us and on society at large. It’s the basis for creating products, making changes to existing products, and for how we recognize the leaders in our business. In any business, it’s important to have consistent messaging on the things that are important. In our business, it’s about helping people fulfill their goals and transform their lives.”

Click here to order the Direct Selling News issue in which this article appeared.

Concerned about how California Representative Darrell Issa’s proposed legislation impacting disclosure requirements is related to documentation of independent contractors? Interested in staying on top of recent court cases and legislation that impact your success in the direct selling industry? Wondering whether your state legislature is considering a law that could affect your business? Need to know the legal definitions of direct selling terms? Curious about industry trends and research? The Direct Selling Association (DSA) has you covered.

The DSA’s mission: “To protect, serve and promote the effectiveness of member companies and the independent business people they represent. To ensure that the marketing by member companies of products and/or the direct sales opportunity is conducted with the highest level of business ethics and service to consumers.” Many company executives may not realize the wealth of information and resources made available by the DSA.

Joseph Mariano

Their goal is simple and simply stated. “The whole point of the organization is to demonstrate and deliver value to our members,” says Joseph Mariano, President of the DSA. If he and his colleagues had one big wish it would be that direct selling company executives were more aware of the wide range of benefits and services they have at their disposal. “We have the benefit of having a number of people who have worked many, many years here and have really devoted their lives and their careers to direct selling.”

---

“The whole point of the organization is to demonstrate and deliver value to our members.”

—Joseph Mariano, President

---

Importantly, Mariano points out, the DSA is not a company—it’s a trade association, which is not-for-profit and is engaged in representing the entire industry, providing significant benefit to its members and the direct selling industry at large. Mariano believes that many members and potential members may not be fully aware of the value DSA provides.

He credits the strong and long-term staff members of the organization for providing the exceptional value that the DSA has been able to offer over the years. And it has been many years that the DSA has actively represented the interests of sales professionals—over a century in fact. The organization was formed in 1910 and was originally called the Agents Credit Association. Its first 10 members included the California Perfume Co., which is now Avon Products Inc. After growing in membership and focus—and following a few name changes—the group now known as the Direct Selling Association was named in 1968 and moved to Washington D.C., where it remains today.

Big Benefits

Membership in the DSA provides a wide variety of benefits for direct selling executives, ranging from research services to education and professional development programs to peer networking councils to salesforce support. Some benefits are available to the general public, such as DSA’s informational website, www.directselling411.com, which provides factual information and addresses common myths about direct selling.

Mariano points out that membership in the DSA has significant benefits, especially in the areas of research and data collection. He says, “We use research primarily, although not exclusively, to support our industry advocacy efforts, with the participation of our member companies. The data in and of itself can be an extraordinarily valuable tool for larger companies, but certainly for the smaller companies trying to figure out how they compare to the rest of the direct selling marketplace.” The data can provide insights for direct selling professionals into:

• Where they should be focusing their resources for growth
• What other companies are doing and how they’re succeeding or not succeeding
• Whether their downturn or their upswing is a result of their own skill or is a factor, as it typically is, of trends that are affecting the entire industry

In addition to this targeted research, the DSA’s website, dsa.org, holds a vast storehouse of information that members can access to serve their needs, including such items as guidance on taxes for independent contractors and other IRS issues, information on the differences between legitimate direct selling companies and illegal pyramid schemes, as well as guidelines for offering prizes and gifts to both salespeople and end consumers.

Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) is the latest recipient of DSA’s Champion of Free Enterprise Award. The award was presented in September 2012 by DSA President Joseph Mariano (left) and the current Chairman of the DSA, Brent Chapman (right), Herbalife’s General Counsel.

DSA President Joseph Mariano (right) speaks with Beachbody CEO Carl Daikeler at DSA’s largest educational and professional development event, the DSA Annual Meeting in June 2012.

Government, Legal and Regulatory

Government relations is another significant focus of the organization, notes Mariano, and something that he feels members are not as fully aware of as they could be. While he recognizes and understands the tendency of many companies, especially smaller ones, to be not particularly interested in politics or government, he believes that the companies that don’t participate “are missing a great opportunity to develop relationships and a rapport with their own officials.” Those relationships, he says, “can ultimately really rebound to the benefit of that company tremendously in the local community.” Mariano encourages companies to reach out to the DSA for assistance in helping them forge these relationships.

In the last year the DSA has provided resources to voters and the general public that publicize the voting histories of politicians at national and state levels, and identify those “champions of direct selling” who support legislation and are regulation friendly to direct sellers. On the website www.legislativerecognition.dsa.org, DSA writes, “Promoting legislation is not a simple task, and often requires a great deal of time, effort and dedication to ultimately craft good policy. The DSA Government Relations staff and executives from member companies reach out to legislators and elected officials from both political parties. These individuals then engage and educate their fellow lawmakers on the benefits of direct selling, and the critical nature of laws that encourage entrepreneurship and economic growth.”

Visitors can click on an interactive map of the United States to see short profiles of the champion and what legislation or efforts they have supported.

Truly, the impact of DSA’s lobbying and legislative activities is chief among the benefits for the entire industry.

Truly, the impact of DSA’s lobbying and legislative activities is chief among the benefits for the entire industry. There are a multitude of governmental, legal and regulatory issues that impact those in the direct selling industry, from independent contractor tax issues to the regulation of door-to-door sales to a significant number of bills introduced in Congress. In fact, the DSA is currently monitoring dozens of issues and proposed legislation across the country. DSA keeps an updated listing of these issues; but even more important, the DSA’s Political Action Committee (DSAPAC) lobbies actively on members’ behalf to influence the outcome of these issues.

The DSA takes a position on each and every item—they could be Neutral, meaning there appears to be no impact on the industry; they could Support the item, or they could Oppose/Amend the item. When an item is opposed or needs to be amended, the staff works with lawmakers and others to help them understand the impact, sometimes unintended, of the proposed item.

Adolfo Franco

“A great deal of our activities has to do with educational issues, market access and a continually changing marketplace,” says Adolfo Franco, Vice President, Global Affairs, for DSA.

A lot of the challenges of regulatory work will always be ongoing, he says. Despite what may be good intentions at the federal or state level, a lot of regulatory activity has negative consequences for direct sellers. “We need to point those things out, correct them and promote the industry to show how we’re making a huge impact on the American economy.”

Franco also points out that some legislative or regulatory efforts may be honest attempts by lawmakers to accomplish other agendas, but will have a detrimental effect on direct sellers. “Then it’s incumbent upon us,” he says, “to step to the plate and take the leadership as the trade association speaking on behalf of our nearly 200 member companies and getting them behind us.”

It’s truly a never-ending process. Bills that would negatively impact the industry are constantly being introduced at both the national and state levels, and the DSA monitors each and every one of them for potentially adverse effects. There is a bill, for example, currently in the Massachusetts House Committee on Ways and Means (MA H 4118) that would provide municipalities with authority to require an annual licensing fee of $50 from every “residential commercial seller.” The DSA opposes this bill as it is written, as it would add undue burdens on all direct sellers.

Franco also says that the association is constantly facing challenges related to the definition of independent contractors, which has a significant impact on the industry. “Appropriately defining independent contractor status is paramount.”

Franco points out that there are some who believe independent contractors should be treated as employees. He believes that while this would not destroy the model, it would certainly impact it in areas ranging from withholding to unemployment compensation to benefits. The staff at DSA evaluates all legislation that touches on these issues and actively works through lobbying efforts, personal relationships and education to protect the independent contractor status.

The DSA has its eyes and ears attuned to any legislation that could have negative effects on the industry. In another example, WA HB 1440, a bill sponsored by Representative John McCoy (D-Wash.), has been introduced that would create a presumption that an employer-employee relationship exists when a person performs services for remuneration. The DSA has opposed this bill and has actively worked to raise awareness and support against it, because it could require that all direct selling companies treat independent contractors as employees until they prove to the Washington Department of Labor and Industries otherwise. Until that occurs this bill could require the companies to complete paperwork and withhold taxes and even collect worker’s comp and unemployment monies from their salespeople. Clearly this would impede or even cripple companies.

In contrast, the DSA supports House Assembly bill US H 6653—the Independent Contractor Tax Fairness and Simplification Act of 2012, which seeks to create a new safe harbor for companies using independent contractors and was sent to the House Ways & Means Committee in December 2012.

These are the kinds of issues that all direct sales professionals need to be aware of, but few if any have the time, resources or clout to successfully monitor—let alone influence—the outcomes of such actions. Fortunately, for DSA members and the entire industry, DSA does.

In addition to remaining up to date and working to influence policy and regulations, the association has a major focus on education—of members and markets—and most notably a focus on molding industry perceptions.

Molding Industry Perceptions

When an industry is represented by over 50 million independent contractors worldwide, and each has a personal touch incorporated into their selling methods, issues can develop that uniform brands such as General Motors or Coca-Cola don’t face. The fact that individuals from all walks of life can build independent businesses is one of direct selling’s greatest strengths. It can also create challenges with misinformation and misperceptions. The DSA plays a key role in the process of shaping industry perceptions; in fact, it is a major area of focus.

“Over the last five years, and particularly over the last two or three, I think there is an unprecedented understanding on the part of our members and certainly among company leaders that the industry as a whole has to get out there and aggressively address the perception of the industry,” says Mariano. “We’ve devoted more resources as an association to that than ever before in so many ways.”

Amy Robinson

Amy Robinson has a significant impact here in her role as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for the DSA. She makes an important distinction between the initiatives and actions that members take to promote their companies and what the DSA does to promote the industry. While member companies all have their own unique products, programs and selling mechanisms, there are certain key issues that unite them. She says, “What we try to do as an association is to identify those things that unite all direct sellers on common ground. We focus on these things to help the public understand what direct selling is fundamentally all about. This allows the companies and their independent contractors to focus on their specific company and products, without having to explain the entire industry.”

---

“What we try to do as an association is to identify those things that unite all direct sellers on common ground.”
—Amy Robinson, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer

---

That difference in focus is not always clearly understood, acknowledges Mariano. But, as he, Franco and Robinson stress, as a trade association the DSA is focused on industry issues, not individual company issues. It doesn’t lobby on the behalf of individual organizations, but on behalf of the direct selling industry as a whole. However, through those efforts, individual companies ultimately benefit.

From an individual company standpoint, says Robinson, the goal is to help them focus on what they know best—their own products—rather than needing to be industry spokespeople or supporters.

Mariano adds, “We provide a fulcrum, a focus if you will, for company executives to come together, share information and make decisions.” Indeed, events over the last year have highlighted the value of the DSA’s work even more. From attacks in magazine articles to short sellers impacting stock prices by spreading misinformation, those opposed to the industry are seeking ways to be heard. The DSA’s efforts to strengthen public understanding of the industry and its many benefits have never been more necessary than now. “I think it’s clear that there are misunderstandings about the channel,” he says. “That hurts everybody and is a disadvantage to us in the marketplace.”

Franco says, “There is a difference between a company being under attack and the model being under attack. The role the association can play is by speaking as the trade association, as the entity charged with explaining not a company’s particular challenge, be it regulatory or otherwise, but exactly what direct selling is and why it’s legitimate.” That role, he says, is uniquely DSA’s as a trade association.

It’s an important role because laying the foundation for the industry as a whole ultimately benefits all. Mariano adds, “No matter how good your individual company brand may be and how much progress you’ve made in promoting your own company, if there is a question about the underlying business method then the industry really has to answer that cohesively and uniformly.” And that is what DSA is continually striving to do.

Global Impact

Though this article has focused on the efforts of the U.S. DSA, trade associations for direct selling are established all over the world. There are actually two groups that represent the various DSAs: the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations, and Seldia, the European Direct Selling Association. Over 58 countries have established a direct selling trade association within their borders to accomplish the same work that has been described here.

The staff at these associations, along with the member company executives who carry out much of the work and effort with them, take seriously their responsibility to protect and defend an entrepreneurial opportunity and way of life that we call direct selling.

Click here to order the Direct Selling News issue in which this article appeared.

Looking back over the last 20 years, it’s extraordinary how one decision has now led to over 50,000 independent contractors earning their income from It Works! Global each and every month. Many are now working toward their personal goals of complete debt freedom. I never thought debt free would be the new sexy; I just knew it was a sound philosophy for business and for life.

Before starting our company, being a math teacher and a coach gave me an edge whenever people pitched me on moneymaking opportunities. I turned most of them down on the spot, but finally, reluctantly, I gave one man a few minutes to share the direct selling profession with me. All it took was the math and I was hooked. I knew my teaching salary and even the extra coaching money I earned would never really allow me to get ahead. Heck, my wife couldn’t even go to the grocery store and actually buy what she wanted—only what she needed. After telling this man “No” time after time, I finally said, “Yes” and signed up with my dad in network marketing.

Little did I know that this one moment—this one decision—would not only change my family’s legacy but also the family tree of tens of thousands of others around the world.

Less than two years later after saying yes to network marketing so my wife and I could make an extra $500 a month and buy whatever we wanted at the grocery store, we became financially independent through network marketing. It became very clear to me that a quote I loved was very true: “Nothing is impossible. The word itself says ‘I’m Possible.’ ”

Years after that one decision brought us into this profession, one more decision has led us to where we are today with It Works! Global. Deciding to start a company of our own was not an easy decision. Some said it wasn’t a smart decision at the time, but we knew then, and we know now, that it was the right decision.

Over the last 10 years there have been many products and companies that came and went. I credit our focus on what we do best for not only keeping us around, but also keeping us relevant for well over a decade now.

---

I credit our focus on what we do best for not only keeping us around, but also keeping us relevant for well over a decade now.

---

All those years ago we decided to stay true to ourselves, our debt-free philosophy, and our 45-minute tightening, toning and firming Crazy Wrap Thing.

Since the beginning of It Works! Global, we have seen consistent growth but never experienced true momentum—or anything resembling it—for many of the first years we were in business. Nevertheless, we stayed focused, kept refining our message, and stayed true to our people and our culture. With my math teaching background always in the back of my mind, I knew the compounding effect of consistency would start showing at some point and the momentum we had personally experienced in our first company would take hold in It Works!.

I’ll never forget that day near the end of 2011 when I met with members of our team—both corporate and in the field—and we made one decision that will forever be a milestone in our company history. We set a goal to double the company in 2012. That was a big goal. That means we would create over $100 million in sales in the next 12 months. Our team was committed. We created a vision and a mission for our company: One Team. One Mission. $100 Million.

---

We set a goal to double the company in 2012. We created a vision and a mission for our company: One Team. One Mission. $100 Million.

---

It caught on like wildfire. People want to be a part of something big, something with passion, something they can believe in. It was obvious we had a big goal and accomplishing it would take everyone coming together around that goal and keeping our core philosophy of debt freedom at the forefront.

More importantly, reaching that team goal meant everyone involved increased their businesses.

We didn’t achieve our $100 million goal in 12 months; we achieved it in seven! The unifying force of a group of likeminded people believing in something sparked something big. We sparked a culture that was our own. A culture that was passionate, driven, unified. A culture that, apparently, was indeed cool. A culture that generated and achieved more success for everyone, corporate and in the field.

After ending 2012 with over $200 million in sales, and more than doubling our initial goal, we continue to stay focused and unified. We continue to make one decision—and stick to it.

Staying focused on our goal empowered and unified the field and corporate team. We diligently wanted to avoid having a copycat mentality of seeing something work somewhere else, and thinking it will work for us. Sometimes it does, but more often than not it doesn’t.

Why? Because it’s not something that you’re truly passionate about. It’s not something you can “sell” to your field as innovative, unique and yours.

We believe that in today’s marketplace people want to feel uniqueness and innovation in a company. That’s empowering.

We believe that in today’s marketplace people want to feel uniqueness and innovation in a company. That’s empowering. It gives them an edge that they have something to offer their customers and prospects that is only available through them. Having a unique selling proposition sometimes is all your field needs to accomplish 10 times more than they could have without it. Couple that with a unified message that you engrain into the culture of your entire company and you have a powerful force that is unstoppable: a culture that is unbreakable and sales that follow.

Be true to yourself, your field and corporate teams. Get behind something that you all believe in. When people told us that debt free wasn’t sexy, that didn’t stop us; it empowered us even more to prove that it was.

We knew freedom was sleeping in a house that was paid for. We knew that getting a zero balance each month on your credit card statement created relief. We knew that driving a car that was paid for was sexy, and so did our people.

If you are reading this right now and thinking that imitating what someone else is doing is the best—and maybe safest—way to go, I would challenge you to ask yourself if you can really get behind it. Can you truly rally your field and corporate team to the goals you want to achieve by only doing what everyone else is doing? Leaders don’t follow the masses. They lead them.

Start out simple. Make one decision for this year. Make it personal. Share your vision with your corporate team. You will see that, with that decision, your vision, your passion and your direction will light a fire in them to carry that flag all year. Then share it with your field. Shout it from the rooftops! Make the decision to say “no” to all the other “cool” things that may come your way. They may sound good at first, but they can derail your goals, your team, your culture, and, ultimately, your sales.

Let that one focused decision lead to another, then another, then another until you reach your goals. If you are like us, there’s no stopping you. Even after achieving $100 million in sales five months early, we didn’t stop making goals or focused decisions—we just started making bigger ones.

Knowing that your company, your culture, and, ultimately, your cash flow depend on decisions you make as an executive, as the leader of your company, why not make that one decision right now that can take your business to the next level?

My one decision to write this article was based on one thing: the hope that it would impact one executive, one company, one owner to make the one decision that will make you unique—the one decision that will rally your team behind your mission and put you on the map as an innovative company in direct sales.

Mark Pentecost is Founder and CEO of It Works! Global.