North American Power works with charity organization Save the Children to help children like 8-year-old Charles in Zomba, Southern Malawi. Photo Credit: Save the Children – Amos Gumulira

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North American Power is a retail energy supplier whose rapid growth has been fueled by a different form of energy—the power of compassion.

Company Profile Launched: 2009 Headquarters: South Norwalk, Conn. Founders: Kerry Breitbart, CEO; Carey Turnbull, Chairman Products: Retail electricity & natural gas

Kerry Breitbart

Greg Breitbart

Launched in 2009 by Kerry Breitbart and Carey Turnbull, the company has already been listed at No. 57 on the December 2011 Forbes List of America’s Most Promising Companies. Now one of the fastest-growing companies within this $70 billion industry, North American Power does not measure its success through top-line revenue growth or even through bottom-line profit. Rather, it bases its success on how much it donates to charity.

“We launched a program called Mission to Millions, through which each of our customers can select their charity of choice from a list of featured partners, and every month we will give $1 on their behalf to support that organization,” says Kerry Breitbart, CEO of North American Power. “Our goal is to grow to the point that our customers are generating over $1 million per month for some of the most deserving charities in the world.”

“Our goal is to grow to the point that our customers are generating over $1 million per month for some of the most deserving charities in the world.”
—Kerry Breitbart, CEO

A Powerful Change in Energy Supply

North American Power emerged in 2009, after energy deregulation gave customers in 25 states the power to choose who supplies their energy. In most instances, customers are still billed and serviced by their local utility, but their energy supply can be provided by companies like North American Power. As Breitbart explains, “We are focused on saving them money and delivering additional benefits besides simply keeping the lights on.”

The company competes with traditional utilities by using their infrastructure to deliver energy that North American Power purchases in the wholesale market. With a senior management team that boasts more than 100 years of combined experience in the energy business, North American Power is aggressively expanding across the East Coast and into the Midwest. The company is based in Connecticut and currently serves customers in other deregulated energy markets such as Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

North American Power focuses on providing access to “homegrown renewable energy.” In fact, every customer who switches to North American Power automatically chooses 25 percent renewable energy and has the choice to upgrade to 100 percent renewable energy. In addition to helping their customers save money, the company is working to change the way that Americans power their homes and lives.

“The word save has multiple meanings for us,” says Chief Marketing Officer Greg Breitbart (son of CEO Kerry Breitbart). “Within our core product in the deregulated areas, it’s about the potential to save money. Our customers have saved around $5 million since we started service. However, it is also about saving the environment through our focus on wind power and renewable energy. This also supports our country’s future by relieving our dependence on foreign energy.”

From saving money to saving the country, North American Power is rapidly changing the way that retail energy suppliers operate. And with their integrated approach to corporate philanthropy, they are also transforming the way that direct sales companies can approach charitable giving.

A Transformative Business Model

Kerry Breitbart had previously managed an international brokerage involved in energy products such as crude oil, but had no experience in retail marketing prior to launching North American Power. But his previous success in the network marketing industry convinced him that direct sales could provide a remarkable opportunity for his new company.

He and Co-Founder Carey Turnbull hired a consultant to help build the network marketing component and launched North American Power as a direct seller in March 2011.

Kerry Breitbart says, “Our zero-risk, zero-investment model is all about creating a life-supporting business.”

CMO Greg Breitbart adds, “We see ourselves in our own segment. We are not just a retail electricity supplier or a network marketing program; we are a multi-level customer referral program. We took the pay structure of network marketing and tacked it onto the ease of a customer referral program.”

The approach has allowed North American Power to aggressively promote its core product to retail customers who are not interested in the referral program while also equipping each of its customers with the ability to share the company with their contacts. Greg Breitbart explains, “As we developed our messaging, it was very important that we kept the referral model while not putting off potential retail customers.”

This led the company to develop a very innovative approach to market segmentation—a retail site promoted through NApower.com that emphasizes the potential to save money on your utility bill, and a separate site through NApower.biz that promoted the business opportunity to those interested in building a network marketing organization. However, the interface for registration is the same for both customer segments, allowing those who are focused simply on purchasing the retail product to get exposed to a fast and free way to earn money through referrals. According to Greg Breitbart, “Every customer who registers is provided with a unique web page that they can share with others in order to begin earning immediately.”

Customers who successfully refer three friends or family members within 30 days can earn $50 and keep earning every time they share North American Power’s products. Additionally, customers interested in the business opportunity can sign on as independent representatives to achieve greater earnings.

This “zero-risk, zero-investment home-based business opportunity” is one of the three pillars of North American Power’s culture. Combined with the other pillars of sustainability and charity, this approach turned North American Power into one of the fastest-growing entities in its industry. The company experienced 400 percent year over year growth from 2010 to 2011—from $25 million in 2010 revenues to $124 million in 2011 revenues.

A Social Enterprise

With a degree in economics and a focus on social entrepreneurship, Greg Breitbart brings a slightly different perspective to his job than most CMOs. North American Power was initially launched without a formal corporate giving program, but his focus on “doing well while doing good” has led the company to integrate philanthropy into every aspect of its operation.

As he explains, “We knew we would donate, but we wanted to do it in a unique way. Many companies donate without it being noticed. We wanted to engage our customers in deciding where we donate. This way, we ensure that the giving program makes the greatest impact on our community while also connecting our customers to our company. We have found that our customers are more likely to stay with us because of our charitable giving program, and they are much more likely to share the business with others.”

He continues: “The deregulation of energy is the greatest opportunity to hit this industry, but it’s not connected to hearts—it’s a commodity. By connecting our business model to charity and to network marketing, we bring the heart component that is allowing us to build a compelling case for this commodity product.”

This image has also allowed the company to shift the way it promotes success among its representatives. While most direct selling companies celebrate earnings, North American Power celebrates their representatives’ giving. For example, at a recent gathering of top producers, a special acknowledgment was given to a representative in New Jersey whose organization was responsible for nearly $14,000 in charitable donations and is now on track to collectively contribute more than $150,000 in 2012.

This message of emphasizing “giving over receiving” is a critical element of the brand, according to Greg Breitbart: “When you feel that you’re sharing something good, it’s much easier to share than something that is just about making money.”

This has allowed the company to avoid making a distinction between their customers and their representatives. They want to focus on “giving everyone the opportunity to give.” Additionally, this provides representatives with the ability to focus on recruiting people to support their cause instead of simply changing their energy supplier. For example, says Greg Breitbart, a customer with a child who is suffering from a specific condition could steer her referrals to support the charity that addresses it.

Children who were helped by Save the Children share a story book during class in Zimbabwe. Photo Credit: Save the Children – Eileen Burke

Children play at a Save the Children Child Friendly Space in Ishinomaki, Japan, 13 days after the town was struck by a devastating tsunami. Photo Credit: Save the Children – Andrew Wander

Mission to Millions

The initial approach to corporate giving was Perpetual Giving, which was offered as a fundraising program for local charities, churches and associations. Aimed at smaller groups and with no dedicated staff to drive it internally at North American Power, the program struggled.

According to Greg Breitbart, “We quickly learned that the program could be more beneficial to larger organizations with a strong base that could support it, which led us to Mission to Millions. The pitch was much easier, and it was more successful for everyone. We even had nine of our nonprofit partners attend our last annual conference.”

Launched in April 2011 alongside the launch of the network marketing business opportunity, Mission to Millions is an ongoing philanthropic initiative that allows customers to direct $1 from North American Power’s funds to deserving charities each month when they pay their bill. In 2011, the company donated more than $100,000 to partner organizations, including Action Against Hunger, Malaria No More, Dress For Success and Little Kids Rock. The company is on track to exceed that amount of giving in 2012 just based on first quarter donations.

“The name of our philanthropic giving program is the implied goal—to donate $1 million per month,” says Amy Nelson, North American Power’s Director of Charitable Partnerships.

“We wanted to show the impact of the program, so we focused on organizations that could do a lot with a dollar,” she says. “When customers register, they can see national charities as well as a local list of charities that are only shown to people in their market. We utilize Charity Navigator to screen new charities to ensure that they are good stewards of the funds. We also focus on organizations that make a lasting impact.”

According to Kerry Breitbart, the initiative “took me an evening to digest at first, but made much more sense as I thought about it.” While it was initially intimidating to consider donating 15 percent of the company’s profit each month to charity, he confirmed that net profits have increased significantly, thanks to the program’s ability to attract new customers. Additionally, while Mission to Millions was intended to be simply a part of the company’s branding, it has now impacted “all other aspects of the business, including our focus on sustainable energy.”

Save the Children

One of the largest beneficiaries of the Mission to Millions program so far has been the international Save the Children charity, which works in 120 countries and eight U.S. states. According to Megan McLain, the Associate Director of Corporate Partnerships for Save the Children, “Our mission is to create lasting change for children. Our core focus is on health, HIV/AIDS, livelihoods and emergencies. We serve the whole child in all aspects.”

McLain says she has been deeply impressed by the team at North American Power, whom she describes as being “so passionate about this mission and making it an integral part of their growth.” Additionally, she explains that the company’s gifts of “unrestricted resources” are very unique among corporate donors, who frequently direct dollars to specific focus areas. Receiving unrestricted gifts “is vital to everything from keeping the lights on to running a program in East Africa.”

A Happy Surprise

Twenty years ago, Kerry Breitbart went to a physician who specialized in endocrinology at the time. After he launched North American Power, he was re-introduced to the doctor as someone who was interested in the work that his company was doing. The physician was intrigued by the deep impact that the company was making not only on its customers and on its charitable partners, but also on the happiness of its representatives.

The physician’s name? Dr. Deepak Chopra.

Having since emerged as an international speaker on the topics of spirituality, happiness and mind-body medicine, Dr. Chopra immediately recognized the difference within North American Power’s business model. He is now on the company’s advisory board. In a written statement, Dr. Chopra says, “North American Power offers a unique opportunity to create a life of abundance for anyone who wants to help create a sustainable and healthy world.”

Kerry Breitbart says, “Deepak has taught us that, while making money is important, how you make that money makes a giant impact on your happiness. Many of our reps were once in programs that were focused only on how much money they could get, and they are now focused on how much money they can give through North American Power.”

The CEO says he knew that the charitable giving program would make a big impact on its beneficiaries, but he was surprised by the impact it made on the company’s representatives. The company launched a Facebook page for its representatives, and most of the feedback has been focused on the charitable giving component.

“Deepak has said that our business model hits on four of the five pillars of happiness,” says Kerry Breitbart. “We have an opportunity to become a $1 billion company and to make an impact on what it means to be a good corporate citizen. We want to promote an enlightened form of self-interest in which giving is as important as receiving.”

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Company Profile Launched: 2005 Headquarters: South Jordan, Utah CEO: Corbin Church Products: Interchangeable purses and accessories

Ask any woman who has ever owned or encountered a Miche bag and she will tell you that it’s a bag with buzz. Women who carry Miche bags become walking advertisements for the product and its unique design. What makes it so unique? The fact that it offers the opportunity to change its outer design without having to change the bag’s contents. In literally seconds women can change their bag to match an outfit, choosing from hundreds of design possibilities.

Corbin Church

Jennie Platt

The concept was the brainchild of Michelle Romero, who spilled something on her bag and was frustrated with the thought of searching for a replacement and transferring the contents—something that virtually all women can relate to. Necessity, as they say, is the mother of invention. Spurred by an immediate need, Romero had an idea: Why not create a bag with changeable covers?

She created a prototype out of glue and some scrap fabric and showed it to a friend, Annette Cavaness, an accessories buyer. Together they launched Miche Bag LLC in 2005. Pronounced MEE-chee, the name stems from Romero’s nickname. She later brought the concept to serial entrepreneurs Corbin Church and his partner Chris Seegmiller, and Romero is no longer actively involved in the day-to-day management of the business.

“My childhood friend approached me in early 2007 and said ‘I have a product for you to look at,’ ” recalls now-CEO Corbin Church, who joined the company in 2007, and up until the spring of 2012, worked out of his basement with 19 employees. Initially, when he learned the product was handbags his response was lukewarm, but he says, “He proceeded to explain that it was a very unique handbag and unlike anything else out there.” And, indeed, Church says it was a unique concept. “It had the characteristics of what I look for in a product.” To test the concept further, Church turned to some women who represented different demographics and asked for their input. “They absolutely went nuts over this product,” he says. “They couldn’t believe what they were seeing. It was that shock or ‘aha’ factor that everybody gets when they see this product.”

Jennie Platt is the Chief Design and Production Officer at Miche Bag, the woman behind the trendy and continually evolving designs that keep customers coming back for more. “From a design standpoint what we do is really unique in that we have found a way to really help women find a unique product,” she says. For Miche representatives, she notes, “It gives them an opportunity to create a lifestyle inexpensively that is still very fashionable and fun. It has been really amazing to create a product that has given the opportunity to so many women to find ways to either support their families or to create additional income, whether for vacation or travel or to send their kids to college.”

Despite its youth, Miche has already evolved significantly from its initial launch.

“It gives [representatives] an opportunity to create a lifestyle inexpensively that is still very fashionable and fun.”
—Jennie Platt, Chief Design and Production Officer

Early Marketing

Miche was not an overnight success—but it was close. Initially, Church sold the product through kiosks in malls, which provided the opportunity to demonstrate and explain the product.

“We opened the first kiosk in July 2007 and it exceeded our expectations by almost two and a half times,” says Church. “So right away, we got off to a good start, but we had the typical challenges of a new company.” Chief among these challenges was the economic downfall that hit its peak in 2008. “Malls became ghost towns, and it was a difficult time to try to be in a retail space to conduct business,” he says.

Faced with these challenges the company began to look at alternative sales channels. These included infomercials, home parties and web marketing.

Direct sales through home parties proved to be an important part of the mix for Miche, recalls Church. “Our home party business began to grow, and grow fairly dramatically,” he says. “So we started to embrace that, but we didn’t turn away from some of those other channels. We still had carts going, we still had the infomercial going, web was a big channel for us, retail was still a big channel for us—but home parties started to dominate our business, so our focus became home parties.”

By the fall of 2008, 80 percent of the firm’s revenue was being generated through direct sales. “We were seeing dramatic sales growth,” says Church. The company did about $200,000 in sales in 2007; in 2008, about $7 million; in 2009, $30 million; and, he says, this year they expect to approach $100 million.

The company did about $200,000 in sales in 2007; in 2008, about $7 million; in 2009, $30 million; and this year they expect to approach $100 million.

Secrets to Success

Why such significant success? “This is a big question,” says Church, who points to a few keys. First, the product. “Unlike other sales companies, our product is a walking billboard,” he says. “If you have a Miche handbag and somebody walks up to you—a total stranger—and says, ‘oh, that’s a cute bag,’ you don’t turn to her and just say ‘thank you.’ You say, ‘This is one of those really cool Miche bags.’

“You can carry any other bag and it’s just a great bag. It could be a Michael Kors or a Gucci and you make whatever statement you make. But there’s only one bag that makes a statement on its own, and that’s Miche.” The nature of the product itself is what has contributed to the company’s success, says Church. “It’s really been phenomenal for us. We are so unique. That puts us in this category pretty much all by ourselves. We’re pretty much all alone in the exchangeable handbag business.”

The other element of the company’s success, says Church, is an element of direct sales. “We change people’s lives,” he says. “Our business is very fun. The fun factor with us is very apparent—the fact that you’re in the fashion industry, in fashion accessories.” He says Miche is not a fad. “So many people have asked, ‘How have you kept this fresh and exciting?’ We constantly change our products and we are adding new styles every single month, which is a mammoth task.”

Over time, the demand for Miche has fueled continued growth, new designs and related accessories. Base bags are now available in six styles and range from the petite to the prima and demi. Base bags come in black or brown and some styles also offer interchangeable handles. An increasingly wide range of shells for the bags is continually updated and augmented with new styles and designs. Shells are attached to the bag with magnets. The product line also has been augmented with the non-interchangeable hip bags, wallets, coin purses, closet organizers, a purse organizer and bag charmers—key ring-like accessories that can be attached to the bags’ handles. The bags and accessories, says Church, are “an affordable luxury” for women.

Paying It Forward

In addition to pride over the impact that Miche has on the lives of its representatives, Church says that contributing in bigger ways is also important to the company.

Church lost his father to cancer in 2007, just two months before starting the business, he says. Cancer became a very personal issue for him. “I wanted to kill cancer,” he says. So, cancer has become the cause that Miche focuses on. And, in keeping with its product line, the focus has a direct tie-in with its products.

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“In the past two years … more than $2 million has been donated to cancer research from a very young, very small company.”
—Corbin Church, CEO

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Platt designed a shell that has become known as the “Hope shell.” The shell incorporates quotes from people who have been impacted by cancer. All of the profits from the sale of this shell, says Church, are donated to cancer research. “In the past two years that has amounted to more than $2 million being donated to cancer research from a very young, very small company. It has turned into an amazing program.”

The company provides opportunities for employees to make a personal impact on others’ lives as well. Miche does a humanitarian trip each year as a company and “everybody is invited,” says Church. Last year the company went to Peru for a week to provide basic education on hygiene at an orphanage. “We brought the children gifts and became part of their lives for a week,” he says. They also brought electricity to a wing of the orphanage. This year in June the company will spend a week in Ghana putting the finishing touches on a school dedicated to one village. “We’ve learned that these things are so important to show heart and meaning for a company.”

Finding Focus

As Miche focuses its efforts on making a difference in the lives of its staff, its representatives and people around the world, it is also finding focus in its approach to creating a sustainable business model for the future.

Over time Miche had developed multiple channels of sales and distribution—retail sellers, national distributors, and independent representatives of two types—those who purchased through a distributor and those who carried their own inventory. The multiple channels created overlap and competition, though. That, and the obvious potential afforded through Miche parties, prompted the recent change, which is being phased in as retail outlets and distributors are phased out.

In August 2011, Miche Bag announced a new business model that launched it firmly into the direct sales industry. Miche Parties now provide thousands of representatives around the world to reach out and personally connect with women who have quickly become enthralled with a simple idea—purses that can be transformed in seconds through interchangeable shells in a wide array of colors and styles.

In August 2011, Miche Bag announced a new business model that launched it firmly into the direct sales industry.

“We became a full-fledged party company on Feb. 1 this year,” says Church. “There were a lot of questions about who and what we were as a company because we were in so many different channels. We decided that since party plans represented over 80 percent of our revenues that we needed to become a true party plan company and provide our representatives with the growth opportunities and the resources they need to succeed.”

To support this shift, he says, retail has been entirely cut out of the mix, and he admits this wasn’t a very popular move. “We had a number of distributors that were selling our products around the country. The representatives that formed our company were representatives under these 300 distributors. That was a very difficult decision to figure out how to give these representatives what they needed to grow and flourish, yet take care of those distributors. We built in programs so that everybody could be happy.” But, he adds: “Is everybody happy? No. But I think we found a good balance in getting the company to where it needed to be.”

And it was a move supported by the company’s sources of demand for its products. “The end result is a company that is more appealing to a broader group,” says Church. With the change, Miche is shifting focus to its representatives exclusively, he says. “We brought on a software system that gives our representatives all of the tools that they need to be successful, and an income opportunity they had never seen before.” Previously, he says, representatives could earn a commission on their sales, but now they have the opportunity to build and support a team to enhance their income opportunities. “That’s a huge development for our company in the last three months,” he says.

Early results suggest the shift has been a wise one. “It’s exciting to report that our company is 25 percent ahead of its projections,” says Church. “We’re growing more than we expected and it is very exciting.”

A Bright Future

Jayma Woods

Church says the company at 5 years old is still poised to present tremendous opportunities for its very newest representatives. “Most people still have not heard of a Miche bag,” he notes. “There is a lot of opportunity yet—not to mention that the customers we bring on stay very, very loyal to us.”

The future holds opportunity and innovation as Miche continues to focus on what matters most—its customers. “We spend so much time doing trend analysis and research, not only from a marketing perspective but also from a customer perspective,” says Chief Design and Production Officer Platt. “It’s very important to us to really understand who our customer is, what she wants and what her needs are.”

Jayma Woods, Executive Vice President, Domestic Distribution, agrees. “Providing this unique experience is unlike anything I have ever been involved with in retail before. As we’ve made this transition to a true direct sales model we have really seen how impactful it can be in somebody’s life. To be a part of that has been an honor for us.”

Students at the Community Based Childcare Center in Malawi, Africa, become healthy, well-fed, and better learners at school after receiving nutrition such as VitaMeal each day for lunch.

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Xiao Bai He, an orphan in Hengshui region, China, who suffered from severe malnutrition, is happy and healthy after receiving VitaMeal for several months.

According to UNICEF (State of the World’s Children, 2008), “Every day, on average, more than 26,000 children under the age of five die around the world, mostly from preventable causes. … In up to half of under-five deaths an underlying cause is under-nutrition, which deprives a young child’s body and mind of the nutrients needed for growth and development.” If only a small percentage of the population was willing to contribute two meals per day, millions of lives could be saved.

Ten years ago Nu Skin took action to address the tragedy of childhood hunger with our Nourish the Children (NTC) initiative. This innovative social enterprise applies the rigor of successful business practices to provide a consistent and growing supply of nourishing food to the children in the world with the greatest need. Since it was established, the Nu Skin family has donated more than 250 million meals to malnourished children in more than 50 countries.

Direct Selling News recently honored Nu Skin and our NTC initiative with the Bravo Award for humanitarian leadership at its Global 100 awards gala. We were deeply honored they selected us and noted our innovative approach to world hunger.

Nu Skin’s Mission: Be a Force for Good

Our success at Nu Skin can be attributed to many things—great products, great leaders and great markets. But there is an additional critical element—the giving, nurturing, generous culture that we have built with our distributors. This unique culture is so central to our success that it is built into our guiding company mission statement:

“Our mission is to be a force for good throughout the world by empowering people to improve lives with rewarding business opportunities, innovative products, and an enriching, uplifting culture.”

Nu Skin’s force for good culture is not just a slogan we can point to when telling others about the business. Our commitment to improving lives is an integral part of who we are and what we do at Nu Skin. That is why we launched our Nourish the Children initiative—it made sense because being a force for good was in our DNA.

Why the Nourish the Children Initiative

Consider the fact that every day more than 15,000 children die from malnutrition. That is 105,000 children a week and 450,000 children each month, which means every year, 5.5 million children die because they do not have enough food to eat. One child starving would be too many—hundreds of thousands is an untenable blight on civilization.

Through NTC we are helping children in a very innovative way. It is an entirely new approach to helping children. Nourish the Children is a free enterprise approach to alleviating starvation among the world’s most vulnerable people—its children. NTC combines the rigors and efficiencies of successful business with the inherent goodness of Nu Skin’s employees, distributors and customers to address the epidemic of hunger and malnutrition.

In 2011 alone, the Nu Skin family purchased and donated more than 20 million meals for malnourished children in nearly 20 countries.

Nu Skin makes a special food for malnourished children called VitaMeal®. It is developed by Nu Skin nutritional scientists and collaborators. Specially formulated for malnourished children, VitaMeal features 25 vitamins and minerals, as well as a careful balance of carbohydrates, protein, fat and electrolytes. Our employees, distributors and customers purchase bags of VitaMeal the same way they purchase any other Nu Skin products. The product is then donated to one of our nonprofit charity partners, who distribute the meals at no cost to the children with the greatest need. Regular VitaMeal shipments are sent to feed hundreds of thousands of children in places such as Africa, China, the Philippines, Thailand and South America. In 2011 alone, the Nu Skin family purchased and donated more than 20 million meals for malnourished children in nearly 20 countries.

Making a Difference in Malawi

Malawi is one of the many places that Nu Skin is making a difference in the lives of children. A couple of years ago, I accompanied a group of Nu Skin distributors on a trip to Malawi. The African country has a population of about 12 million people, 2 million of whom are AIDS orphans. One morning we drove a couple of hours out of Lilongwe to a village, which houses about 100 of these AIDS orphans in a little one-room, red-brick schoolhouse where we would help serve VitaMeal. As we arrived and entered the school, the kids were wall to wall, sitting cross-legged on the floor singing songs. There was no furniture. They sang with such enthusiasm that you almost wanted to protect your ears.

Outside there was a wood fire, built of branches broken off of nearby trees. Soon there was a large pot of water on the fire being mixed with VitaMeal.

A line formed as bowls were filled and passed with spoons to the front children, and then deeper into the room. I was in the back of the room surrounded by 100 little bodies vibrating with excitement. The sweet smells of VitaMeal filled the air, just like in your mother’s kitchen.

I stepped outside for a minute to catch my breath and gather myself, and I leaned against the back wall. I looked out and saw in the distance women in every direction running and pushing their children ahead of them. Word had gotten out that there was food in the village, and they came running for miles. I went back inside and word trickled to us in the back of the room that we were running out of food. There were still a dozen kids without a bowl. Our hearts sank as the last portions passed through our hands.

The children saw that the food was running out, and then this amazing thing happened. As the last four or five bowls were handed out, the children who received those bowls walked through the crowd, spread themselves out in the back of the room, dropped to the floor, and instead of eating, pushed their bowls out in front of them and invited others to sit down, then passed spoons around and shared. Everyone got some spoonfuls. Soon the children were back to singing and laughing.

As I looked around the room, I realized we were the only ones crying. The children were fine. They were used to this—were used to making the best of things. It occurred to me that even in this difficult place there were more smiles than tears. Lots more.

Later that day we took a truck full of VitaMeal and distributed that to the parents in this village, and those mothers who I had seen running through the countryside were now celebrating and returning home with enough food to keep their families healthy for a while.

Through the years I have had the immense privilege of witnessing the difference Nu Skin is making in people’s lives, particularly through our distributors’ kindness and generosity. I have seen our distributors’ goodness, offering a hand of hope to children who stood helpless with disease, hunger and poverty. I have looked into the children’s faces and seen their gratitude because of the support of the Nu Skin family. At its heart, this is what this business is all about—lifting people, helping them to become more than they thought was possible, and then inspiring others to do the same.

Steve Lund is Nu Skin Vice Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of Nourish the Children.