Where did you grow up?

We moved around a little bit throughout my childhood but I was raised in Cranford, New Jersey and lived there until I was 12. My whole family is from New Jersey; my parents grew up there and most of my extended family is still there. When I was 12 years old, my Dad received a job transfer and we relocated to Plano, a suburb of Dallas, TX. He worked in logistics for an overseas shipping company and it was time for them to shift their corporate culture, so they moved their headquarters. So, we lived in Plano for 5 years until he got another relocation package. He was with the same company throughout most of his career, we just had multiple moves. While we lived in Plano (6th grade until the end of my junior year in high school), I actually met my husband. We’ve known each other since the seventh grade. That seems rare in today’s times. Then came another move. The summer before my Senior year in high school, my Dad was relocated again. This time, it was from Plano, TX to Charlotte, NC. I ended up graduating high school in Charlotte and attending and graduating college there. Proud UNCC 49er here!

Do you have any siblings?

Yes! I have two siblings, actually. I have a younger brother and sister. They’re fraternal twins (I’m the oldest by 4 years). Even though we’re all grown with our own families and children, we’re all still super close. They still live in Charlotte, NC as do my parents. My sister Sarah had a successful career in Event Planning which she recently left within the past year to start her own business. Her husband is an app developer and they have one son that’s almost two. My brother Edward owns his own IT company. He’s married to a former Carolina Panther Cheerleader and Radiologist, Brooke. Together they have two children. It’s hard living in two different states but we visit as much as we can and the cousins all have a tight bond, which is important.

Name one quality your parents/families instilled in you at a young age.

My parents were both hard workers. My Dad completed his Associates Degree after I was born and had a lucrative desk job in overseas shipping & transport. It allowed for my Mom to stay home with the three of us. To her credit, she left an amazing corporate job in order to sacrifice and stay home with us. They’ll both tell you that it wasn’t easy to live on a single income, yet they made it work. I would have to say that they instilled a strong sense of family and also work ethic in all of us.

It was extremely important to my parents that all three of us not only go to college, but graduate too.

In fact, that was said over and over and OVER in our house. 'You need to go to school so you can get a good job'. That gave us all a strong sense of independence, too. They never wanted us to depend on anyone and wanted us each to be successful. My mom never had the opportunity to pursue a college degree but if she did, she probably wouldn’t have stopped until she got her doctorate. She’s one of the smartest ladies I know. After we were grown, she found her niche in residential real estate and was extremely successful. For the most part, my childhood was pretty idyllic. It was kind of 'Ward and June Cleaver' if I had to paint a picture. Having said that, there was a monumental transition period. We watched our dad go to work everyday.

He showed up, even through a few of the tough times. We watched him go through a soul-crushing layoff. He landed on his feet, but the dynamic was forever changed. It’s still a period that’s not talked about often in our family. That layoff (the white elephant) is the catalyst that forever changed things. He hasn’t been the same person since the time that happened; it was a learning curve for all of us. However, the values that we all have today and integrity we maintain can most certainly be attributed to him and his incredible work ethic.

Tell us a fond memory from your childhood.

Vacations! Every summer my family made it a priority to go on a week-long vacation. When we were little, we used to drive to Ocean City, New Jersey and spend a week at the beach. We’d get up early in the morning and take a bike ride from one end of the boardwalk to the other; stopping for donuts, miniature golf, and video games along with way. One particular sunny morning, we were riding our bikes on the boardwalk (my parents used to like for us to ride in a single file line.) Looking back now, that’s kind of funny.

But my brother, sister, and I used to like to jockey for the first position behind my parents’ bikes. You know, kind of like a badge, or in this case ‘bike of honor.’ Well one morning while riding with my family, I veered off (really me not paying attention) and went straight into a trash can. To this day, I am still occasionally called Oscar (as in the grouch that lived in the trash can from Sesame Street). I’m 41 now and was like 10 when that happened, but that doesn’t matter when it comes to families lovingly teasing each other! I just had to share the Oscar story because it made me laugh when I recalled it. Those vacations were really amazing though.

We’d spend the afternoon at the beach, have dinner, then cap off the evening with thrill rides and all of the junk food that you could imagine (ice-cream, taffy, popcorn, you name it). We’re talking Jersey shore here! Our vacations were always the best.

When you were a little girl, what did you want to be when you grew up and why?

My parents often stressed the importance of job security even from a young age. So, when I was young, I wanted to be either a teacher or a nurse. A teacher seemed practical, it was what I knew. I loved (well most) of my teachers growing up. One of them had it out for me, just ask my Mother – haha. That’s another story. But being a teacher seemed fun. I have a type-A personality. So being in charge of a classroom really appealed to me. Until college. I actually went in to college for a teaching degree.

The College Years

Halfway through the end of my second semester, I quickly realized it was not for me. Nursing was something else I thought of often. I’m a helper and have always loved to help so I did consider that too for a brief period. Already in school for teaching and then discovering it wasn’t the route for me caught me (along with my four year plan) off guard. I did still graduate college in four years, but I ended up with a Bachelor’s Degree in English because it’s where my heart was.

Commercial Real Estate

Fast forward to finding a job. Many of those jobs were teaching; for a summer, I felt stuck. I ended up taking a job as an Administrative Assistant for a commercial real estate company in Charlotte and fell in love with it. For me, it wasn’t enough. I wanted more. I wanted to be bigger. I wanted to be better. I wanted to quickly move up the ladder. So I studied, and went ahead and obtained a few industry related designations. I was proud when I received my RPA (Real Property Administrator) and FMA (Facilities Management Administrator) through BOMI (Building Owners and Managers institute, International). Those were the best industry related designations you could obtain at the time. I also went ahead and got my Real Estate Broker’s license, because, why not? I ended up having about a ten year career in commercial real estate, which I loved. In Charlotte, I managed high rise buildings as a Property Manager and it was a dream job. My first building was just under 500,000 sf and the second building I managed when I switched companies was over 1 million sf.

When my husband and I were ready to relocate back to Dallas, I was able to find a job in commercial real estate. However, instead of office buildings, I found a job within the medical portfolio. I had several smaller medical buildings in the North Texas area that I managed. I was settled in my career until I became pregnant with my second child.

It was a complicated pregnancy and I ended up leaving the industry altogether to stay home with my (then) two babies.

Today, my kids are older – Noah is 11, Emily is 9 & Faith is 6. They’re all in sports. To say we’re a busy household is an understatement. But aren’t we all?

Professional Photography

In between leaving Corporate America and staying home I fostered my passion for photography. I have always loved photography and am proud to say that I am self-taught. I ran a thriving Photography business for about 5 years when a little sample of coffee changed my life and led me straight to what I am currently pursuing, which is a career in network marketing.

Tell us more about your passion!

During the peak of my photography career, a fellow photographer, who had just moved from the Dallas area to Wisconsin, reached out to me to talk business. Halfway through our conversation, she mentioned wanting to send me a sample of what she was calling 'smart coffee.' I politely declined and told her 'No, Thank You.' First of all, I’m super picky about my coffee.  Second of all, there is a Starbucks (with a drive thru: score!) within a mile of my house.  She went on to tell me a few benefits of this smart coffee and I have to admit that I was intrigued. Low and behold, I tried a sample and wowzers!

I had never experienced energy that lasted like that. I wasn’t jittery, but I got things done like a boss that day.  I lost a little weight too. And the only thing I changed was a cup of coffee, so it definitely got me thinking. I started thinking about demographics. I started thinking about how many people NEED more energy. Tired parents, overworked and overstressed adults that just want to FEEL good.  It really got me thinking.  I have a lot of friends in the direct sales industry but never thought it was for me.  

I’d happily support all of my friends (and I’m a great customer) but the sales side of it just never appealed to me. I used to tell everyone that I’m an introvert and in my mind that just didn’t equate to being a ‘good’ salesperson. But then I realized I was labeling myself and that wasn’t going to work. I can do and run this business just as good as anyone else. That mindset took over and I took off! At first, I just wanted to make a little extra rainy day or vacation money for our family. Little did I know it would take of in to the career that it has become.

The business itself has a unique business model. It’s called sample, story, sort. We simply offer free samples of product to anyone that would like to try.

They try it, we ask what effects people felt and what they liked about the product; encouraging honesty. If they didn’t like it, we want to know that too; it’s perfectly ok. Then we tell our story and what the product or business opportunity (or both) have done for us. Then we sort them to decide if they want to become a customer or join the business. It’s that easy. However, what I never expected was to REALLY connect with other people and form deep friendships and find a sense of community that I didn’t know I needed. Like I mentioned, when I joined, I was interested in contributing a little more to our family’s bottom line.

I didn’t expect how I would help people in unexpected ways.

For example, one of my first customers lost over 50 pounds from the product. Will everyone? No. But her knees had been hurting for years and they don’t hurt any longer. Fun fact, every pound you lose alleviates four pounds of pressure from your knees. So she says she got her life back!

She’s out doing things with her kids that she wasn’t able to do previously. How can you put a price on that? Is it just about weight loss? No.  It’s about feeling great.

I have another friend to which I introduced the business that was donating plasma to make ends meet.  She’s a mom of 3-year old twin boys that had just moved in to her first home (her dream home). A few months after she moved in, her home was flooded and they experienced over $30,000 in damage (from a rare 100-year flood that insurance didn’t cover).  She was struggling terribly.  She hopped on board with the business (donated plasma to cover the cost to join) and has been successful ever since. All because of this company, her family has repaired their basement and covered all the costs of damages from the flood.

Again, how can you put a price on that? She walked across the stage for a rank promotion at our last convention and pointed her finger (at me) and said “that girl (me) has single-handedly saved my life”. 

I just burst into tears.

That’s powerful!

Think about that – it’s not something to be taken lightly. Had I never offered her the opportunity, where would she be? That’s powerful. When people say that opportunities like this are life changing, generally there’s a story behind it that really is.  Something else that is a by-product of this industry is self-confidence.  I have seen so many men and women that take the opportunity seriously and take themselves seriously to really shift their mindset.  I’ve seen people break through their own personal barriers and out of their own self-imposed mental constraints.  That is powerful. I was introduced to my company in September of 2017; which is coincidentally when they launched.

They’re a Dallas, TX based network marketing company that has been trademarked 'The Sample First' company.  So, I’m coming up on 2 years.  I only mentioned coffee, because that’s the sample that I was offered and was the flagship product for a long time.  Since then, other products have been introduced.  Currently, there is smart coffee, smart cocoa, and smart caps (capsules) that all have the same active ingredients.

What are some things that make your brand unique?

This company teaches people how to create passive income by using an App on their phone to market products. This automated digital platform technology is one that few companies have and it is so simple to use. It’s also designed so anyone can do it and works for the masses. Not only that but it’s not the stereotypical approach for network marketing. We are literally giving something away with no expectations. It’s a gift – a few days’ worth of extra energy, focus and appetite suppression. It’s a freebie. With that being said, it’s not an invasive approach (or salesy as some would say) and comes from an abundance mentality that people in general have an easy time getting on board with.

Why is it important for clients to buy what you sell?

I talked a little about this earlier and the fact that you can’t put a price tag on feeling good. So many people are tired, and this is a healthy supplement that really helps with that. We all deserve to feel well. This product is easy; conveniently and affordably priced for the consumer.

To you, what does it mean to be self-employed?

Oh, where should I start? It’s liberating to be perfectly honest. To be able to make an incredible income while having the flexibility to work my business from anywhere is fantastic. Right now, it’s summer and all three of my kids are home. Whether we’re poolside, at a movie, at sports practice or wherever we are, my business is literally in my pocket because I can run it 100% from an App. It’s flexible enough that I can set my own hours. So, during the time we’re at a movie, we are at the movie and I’m not working. I’m an early riser so I get the bulk of my work done in the morning and then I’ll work on and off throughout the day depending on what’s going on. Having that time freedom and flexibility while raising a family is priceless. After working in both corporate and network marketing, I wish I had learned about network marketing earlier.

Being able to be there for my family is priceless.

Have you always had a passion for what you do now?

No, not at all. In fact, I was always happy to support my other friends in direct sales (I’m one great customer), but never had any interest in pursuing the business side at all. I think partly because I have introverted tendencies, and also because I didn’t see the value. Timing and finding the right fit and products for you are super important. For me personally, it was perfect timing, a great fit and the “at-home” opportunity that I’d been searching for but didn’t know I needed (if that makes sense.) I have always wanted to work from home and accomplished that with Photography but scheduling clients, meeting on location, and setting up design consultations were time consuming and hard on our schedule.

What specific advice do you have for young women who want to be their own boss?

• My biggest piece of advice would be to not let the weight of other people’s expectations weigh you down and don’t be afraid to fail. You’re going to fail, that’ how you learn. Each time you try something and it doesn’t work, try again and you will get better, just don’t give up.

• I think women in particular fear judgement. If I could go back 20 years and give my younger self some advice, it would be DO THE THING! Take the Risk! At the end of the day, what you’re going to remember that you DID it. So, take that risk and fail forward.

• Just remember, failure is the price you pay to achieve success. Every successful person has been through it. Just don’t give up on yourself or your dreams because the first thing you tried didn’t have the outcome you desired.

• One of the hardest things for some women to accept is that not everyone is going to like you. That’s ok! You simply won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. So, don’t put all that stress on yourself of trying to please everyone because you will burn out. If it feels “good” and “right” for YOU, trust your gut!

• Meanwhile, don’t let those fears get in the way and stop you from what’s going to make you great. You’re going to have to do some things that are scary. Do what’s uncomfortable and hard but pays off in the long run and stick to it!

Also, I would love for young women to know how powerful their mind is! Mindset is everything! Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right. Focus on what you can do, not what you can’t. Take some time and focus on YOU. Invest in personal development early on because it really goes a long way. Dig deep, think about what you could accomplish, DREAM BIG and GO for it! I want young women to know that they have the power within themselves to EMPOWER themselves.

Where do you see your business trending in the next 5 years?

Oh, the possibilities are endless. We just launched the United Kingdom in May of 2019 and Canada is in the pipeline. My team has been growing like wildfire as word is spreading and this company is starting to make waves. The United States isn’t even saturated. However, for the next 5 years, I see a tremendous amount of growth and building really laying down a foundation to thrive. I believe that a lot of European markets will open up within the next few years and quite a bit of my time will be spent traveling, mentoring & teaching which I’m really looking forward to.

What's next for you?

We moved to McKinney, TX ten years ago with a 6-month-old and a dog in tow. Since then, we’ve built a wonderful (and sometimes chaotic yet beautifully blessed) life with three amazing children, and another dog named Lucky.

What's next? Stay tuned!