I don’t think circumstances determine who you are. I come from very humble beginnings: I lost my mom when I was 9 years old, and from that age I became part of the foster care system. I was determined to be more than just a product of the environment, so I found strength in people who believed in me, such as my aunt.
She motivated me to dream big, and encouraged me to set goals, play by the rules and work hard. Those learning experiences led me to push through, because one thought always sparked inside my mind: there is something more to life.
Eight years ago, I was waiting tables and struggled with the sensation of being stuck. Then, for the first time in a long time, I felt inspired. I learned about the opportunity to work in something that had been my passion for some time – nutrition and fitness – and became an Herbalife Nutrition independent distributor. My first client was my aunt, whom I helped lose 15 pounds in a month.* I was so proud to be able to help someone who had my back time and again!
I was excited to be part of this organization that believed in me and supported me. I knew my calling was to continue down this path of success. With that in mind, I decided to take the next step to build my own team and sales organization**.
I wanted to keep educating people on nutrition and support their efforts to get into the best shape of their lives. I also wanted to teach those interested in the business opportunity how to become entrepreneurs and to create the freedom they longed for in their professional lives.
Little by little, we began to form this team, and Nicole, Samson, Ali, and Kellie came on board. I’m so proud of the business we’ve built together, but I’ll hand it over to them to talk about how they’ve found success building their businesses.
Three Key Lessons on Business Mentorship
Mentors offer encouragement throughout a complex process
Samson: Building a business is not easy! When you come into something like this, it takes commitment and passion to move things forward. But having that mentor to support you along the way helps you stay motivated and keep going. A mentor doesn’t sugarcoat things – he or she provides you with tools to face the challenges that arise.
Mentors help you deal with negative responses
Ali: Working with people is always unpredictable, and that means you might sometimes get “no” for an answer. A good mentor helps you deal with rejection, overcome it, and learn from it. You improve your reactions to those moments, as well as your strategies to ensure that you get a “yes” more often than not.
Mentors help speed-up the learning process
Kellie:Â If someone else has been through it already, you might as well learn from them. Mentors like Style are so open with their business philosophy because it is a way to reduce the learning curve for new distributors. If we succeed, then they succeed too.
The Importance of Community and Team Work
Kellie: Style made us feel we were more like a family than a business. We felt recognized and heard. We learned about the importance of community and social support, which are essential to this business model. We don’t just sell people products and then send them on their way with a “have a nice day.” It’s essential to connect with customers along their journeys and follow up with them to make sure they stay on track.
Samson: Many of us utilize social media to work with customers. This is a people business, but what “face-to-face” means has evolved. We meet customers at nutrition clubs, but also talk with them through social media and chats. It makes it easier for them to reach out, knowing that they’ll get 24/7 support wherever and however it’s most convenient for them.
Nicole: Having support – whether it is a community encouraging your wellness journey or a professional mentor – helps you dream bigger and puts you in a position to expand your business. People may think that there can only be one winner in whatever space they’re in. Style’s mentorship has taught us that we can all win if we work together and support each other.
Growing as a Person to Grow Your Business
I am honored to lead such an amazing team. I’m so lucky to have found a group of hard-working, committed people that I trust and respect. What I love the most, though, is that every day I get to demonstrate that it doesn’t matter where you come from or where you went to school: all that matters is the pursuit of excellence and creating good in your community and the world.
Success isn’t just about what you can do for yourself, but how you can help other people change their lives.