Highlights from Plexus’s 2023 philanthropic initiatives include: 

• Donating more than 300,000 meals through Feeding America 
• Hosting the Pima Center Community Walk at the Plexus headquarters and contributing $127,000 in monetary and in-kind donations to the Phoenix Children’s Center for Heart Care 
• Partnering with Junior Achievement of Arizona in a three-year commitment to provide experiential learning for elementary students  

“At Plexus, we truly love to spend time serving the community by volunteering,” said Elizabeth Woods, Plexus Worldwide Senior Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility. “We are enthusiastic about increasing our volunteer efforts in 2024, continuing our giveback, and providing opportunities through community partnerships.” 

The post Plexus Donates More than $1 Million and 2,000 Volunteer Hours in 2023  first appeared on Direct Selling News.

After careful tallying, Plexus announced that it has officially reached its target milestone of donating 40 million meals through its partnership with Feeding America and collaboration with international organization Mary’s Meals. 

“Approximately 49 million people face hunger in America each year,” said Alec Clark, Plexus President and Co-Founder. “We are committed to making a difference in the lives of people, families and households to ensure they don’t go hungry. Plexus’s fight to end hunger is intentional and ongoing. We hope to impact millions of more lives for the better in 2024.” 

The post Plexus Reaches Milestone of 40 Million Meals Donated  first appeared on Direct Selling News.

“Our unwavering commitment to enhancing eXp’s agent-centric value proposition has attracted the finest professionals in the industry,” said Glenn Sanford, Founder, CEO, and Chairman of eXp World Holdings and CEO of eXp Realty. “I take immense pride in our ability to iterate and build on that commitment. By prioritizing the feedback and satisfaction of our agents and their customers, we have earned their approval and maintained our position as an exceptional workplace.” 

The post eXp Realty Named One of Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work  first appeared on Direct Selling News.

“We are deeply committed to supporting those affected by breast cancer,” said Alec Clark, Plexus Worldwide President and Co-Founder. “We align with organizations such as Cancer Support Community Arizona, and other similar charities because they play a crucial role in providing emotional and practical support to individuals facing the challenges of cancer.” 

Plexus also made an international commitment, donating to Cruz Rosa Guadalajara in Mexico, the Canadian Cancer Society in Canada and the McGrath Foundation in Australia. In total, the company has donated almost half a million dollars to breast cancer organizations since 2019.  

The post Plexus Supports Breast Cancer Awareness  first appeared on Direct Selling News.

On DSN’s 20th anniversary, we asked industry leaders and legends to share how past evolutions and current opportunities are shaping the future of the industry.

In 2004, Stuart Johnson, now CEO of Direct Selling Partners, Direct Selling News (DSN) and NOW Tech, held a clear vision: to create a monthly publication that offered timely and useful information to direct selling executives. Today, that vision has expanded beyond a print publication to include podcasts, workshops, executive forums and informative in-person events featuring the biggest names in the industry. The format and appearance of the magazine has changed throughout the years, but the original foundation of Johnson’s vision remains unchanged.

As we celebrate 20 years of innovations and insights, we take a look back on a few of DSN’s most important milestones. But even before DSN’s debut in 2004, Founder and CEO Stuart Johnson had an illustrious career influencing the channel. He founded VideoDirect in 1987, which ultimately became VideoPlus and then SUCCESS Partners. He launched SUCCESS Partners University, an education conference for direct selling corporate executives in 2002.

DSN, now in its twentieth year of publication, continues to be the go-to resource for well-researched global industry news, expert insights and interviews with the founders and executive leaders behind the channel’s legacy companies and rising stars.

Deborah K. Heisz, now Neora Co-CEO, and John Fleming, a DSN Legend and former Avon executive, were two of the original staff members tasked with assembling the publication’s flagship print issues.

“At the time, there was no real periodical resource for legitimate news and information for people who were leading and operating direct selling companies,” Heisz said. “People were hungry for a trade journal they could rely on, and we received feedback from dozens—if not hundreds—of executives and owners across the industry letting us know we had truly filled a need.”

From a simple eight-page newsletter to the robust, global magazine it is today, DSN remains committed to supporting, informing, connecting and challenging direct selling executives across the US and around the world.

“I planned to stay for two to three years, but I remained Publisher and Editor in Chief for nine,” Fleming said. “We started by building something relevant and, in many ways, it has become far more relevant than we ever envisioned.”

Twenty Years of Industry-Changing Trends

The past two decades have been host to some of the most dramatic shifts in the channel, including the proliferation of the internet; the broad adoption of mobile devices; and pandemic-induced social distancing that forever changed the way shoppers buy products and interact with brands. With each paradigm shift, the direct selling industry learned to evolve and adapt.

We asked these executives: In the last 20 years, what changes have had the greatest impact on the industry?

“The vast majority of companies started in the industry by sharing products at home parties. Now, we’re sharing the opportunity virtually and across the globe without concern for physical barriers. Digital platforms forced all of us to adjust, while opening up a world of opportunity.”—Mark Pentecost / It Works! Founder and Chairman

“The operating landscape has permanently changed. Millennials want their own gig, but the average direct-to-consumer venture lacks the ability to scale up the way a direct selling company can with sales organizations.”—Rick Goings / DSN Legend, Chairman Emeritus and former CEO of Tupperware Brands

“Twenty years ago, signups and applications required a stack of paper. Today, it’s all done digitally. Technology has enabled much more efficient point-of-sale transactions and created the ability to connect and communicate with more people.”—John Addison / Addison Leadership Group; Board Member for Primerica, LegalShield; Senior Advisor to Utility Warehouse

“The digital revolution of the early 2000s felt, at the time, like a once-in-a-lifetime revolution, but it proved to be just the beginning of an avalanche of technology and business models that would profoundly change the world around us. Through all of these changes–the rise of social media, gig platforms and AI, and the challenges of the pandemic—we have demonstrated that, as a channel, we can adapt and evolve quickly.—John Parker / Amway Chief Sales Officer

“Technology has been the biggest gamechanger for us. I believe you have to have a robust strategy in both automation and face-to-face interactions for success in today’s marketplace. It is a delicate balance. Simplicity and speed can be the difference between success and failure.”—Kevin Guest / USANA Executive Chairman

The Next 20 Years

Lessons from the past 20 years have illustrated that change is not only inevitable; it is a critical part of healthy evolution. It was by welcoming social media, ecommerce and a digital-first footprint that the industry was prepared to not only survive but thrive during the pandemic. And as industry leaders look to the horizon, it will be that same bold approach and nimble, open mindset that will prepare the next generation of direct sellers for success.

We asked these executives: What actions should leaders be taking now to prepare for the future?

“We need to remember what got us here. We have always been an industry that focuses on building people, and then those people go on to build our business. We can ensure our future success by remembering that the most valuable asset any direct selling company has is our loyal, hardworking distributor field!—Rudy Revak / DSN Legend, Founder of Symmetry and Xyngular

“As technology continues to create opportunities and disruptions, I believe the future of direct selling will have to be centered around community and the social dynamic in our businesses. Great products, compelling income opportunities, competitive customer and representative experiences will continue to be basic requirements, but the community and social experiences we offer can be real differentiators.—John Parker / Amway Chief Sales Officer

“We empower women and others to work a meaningful business in pockets of their day. That’s the best part of direct selling. That’s how we win. We must continue to create and emphasize this opportunity—the side hustle is always in style.—Sarah Shadonix / Scout & Cellar Founder and CEO

“Leaders in the channel should plan for growth. Those who stay current by investing in the technologies of today and tomorrow—including new ways to purchase, improve speed to customer and product value—will thrive.—Joni Rogers-Kante / SeneGence Founder and CEO

“Direct selling will continue to thrive where the exchange of value is ongoing and supportive—like in following a nutrition or fitness plan—because of the importance of accountability to achieve success, but we need to acknowledge that affiliate marketing will replace network marketing where the relationship is purely transactional.—Carl Daikeler / BODi CEO

“Personalization and integration of AI in customer service are trends that we find exciting and that we are integrating into our strategy. Direct selling is also very unique; we never work solely online or offline. The future is hybrid, and we are relying on hybrid solutions in our strategy and development to be active pioneers in our industry.—Rolf Sorg / PM-International Founder and CEO

Creating a Lasting Impact

DSN has always strived to stay on the cutting edge of direct selling trends, news and thought leadership through its educational initiatives and events. We asked these executives: How has DSN’s coverage and perspective impacted your businesses over the past two decades?

“DSN has challenged the way I think about our business and the future of our channel. It helps me sift through the hype and understand the real innovations and opportunities that will shape our future. I am so grateful for the connections and insights that DSN has brought to me and our industry.”—John Parker / Amway Chief Sales Officer

“What DSN provides is something critical for the industry: a collegial way to share best practices with one another. One of the great things about the direct selling industry is people’s willingness to share both their successes and failures. DSN gives executives a way to learn and grow their businesses.—John Addison / Addison Leadership Group CEO; Board Member for Primerica, LegalShield; Senior Advisor to Utility Warehouse

“DSN is a powerful source of knowledge, allowing companies to learn from each other and grow. DSN has always offered great insights and innovative ideas. When there can be criticism of our industry, it’s important to have a platform like DSN to speak of the positive impact we’re having around the world.—Mark Pentecost / It Works! Founder and Chairman

“DSN is an important forum for keeping abreast to fast changing forces and how others are approaching and adapting to remain vital and resilient.—Rick Goings / DSN Legend, Chairman Emeritus and former CEO of Tupperware Brands

“The DSN articles and DSU events have been an amazing asset to the corporate leaders of this channel. They both create opportunities to gain valuable information, ideas and strategies, and they give guidance during changing and challenging times.—Rudy Revak / DSN Legend, Founder of Symmetry and Xyngular

“DSN continues to be an important voice and resource for steering the direction of this method of sales and marketing. It’s easy for institutions and regulators to lose sight of the individuals who legitimately use direct selling as their livelihood. DSN helps us all remember who is most important in this industry, and it’s not the company—it’s the distributors and customers.—Carl Daikeler / BODi CEO

“When DSN started, I remember thinking: ‘Finally! One place to get timely, reliable and insightful information on other direct sellers.’ Before DSN, people had to constantly scan multiple sources. It was very easy to miss company announcements and releases because so many direct sellers were private or just starting out.—David Holl / Mary Kay Chairman and former CEO

“DSN is my ‘go-to manual’ when I have questions; seek insight; look for surveys; or simply look for inspiration when I need it. I never throw away a publication, as I know I’ll need to refer to it one way or another. It helps me stay informed and current with what is going on in our channel.”—Joni Rogers-Kante / SeneGence Founder and CEO

“The community gains so much strength when we all work together, and DSN makes that happen. They are invaluable to the ongoing growth and professionalism of this industry, and I am so grateful for their work.”—Michele Gay / LimeLife by Alcone
Co-Founder & Chairwoman

“The coverage of the direct selling landscape in DSN is like no other, providing a clear and nuanced view into an industry that thrives on personal connections and innovative strategies. The articles are a testament to the precise research and commitment to detail that the team embodies, making Direct Selling News an invaluable resource for anyone involved in or interested in the dynamic world of direct sales. It’s journalism that not only informs but enriches and compliments the conversation around this unique sector of commerce.—Rolf Sorg / PM-International Founder & CEO

Building a Legacy Meant to Last

Reflecting on the past 20 years, the DSN team continues to build and plan for an even brighter future with more events, global coverage, expanding platforms and an unflinching grasp of Johnson’s original vision. The next 20 years will expand on that relevancy and commitment, providing more insights, developing broader resources and presenting more opportunities to support the executives working diligently to strengthen and scale the one-of-a-kind entrepreneurial possibilities found within the direct selling channel. 

From the January/February 2024 issue of Direct Selling News magazine.

The post Cheers to 20! first appeared on Direct Selling News.

“Having our employees select us as a Best Company Culture means a great deal to us,” said Tracee Comstock, Nature’s Sunshine Vice President of Human Resources. “Simply put, every employee contributes to building a great culture at Nature’s Sunshine. Listening to our employees’ feedback has helped us build a stronger company with an inspiring culture. Congratulations to each member of our HR Team and all our employees for helping us be recognized for this award.” 

This latest recognition is one of 13 Comparably awards the company has received in the last three years. 

The post Nature’s Sunshine Named Best Place to Work  first appeared on Direct Selling News.

Attracting attention with online content can be challenging, but digital storytelling continues to be one of the most effective strategies for generating a loyal customer base and strengthening field retention. Here are eight key strategies to elevate your brand narrative.

1/ Create a Consistent Brand Narrative

Consistency is the cornerstone of successful brand building. Know your audience and understand their pain points. A cohesive brand narrative that permeates all your digital storytelling develops trust, which can be an uphill battle in direct selling. Whether it’s the tone of your content; the visual elements; or the underlying message, ensure that your brand identity remains unwavering across all platforms. Consistency leads to familiarity, and familiarity leads to trust.

2/ Be Emotionally Resonant

People are bombarded with messages, and they’re looking for emotional connection through all the noise. Infusing emotions into your stories creates a powerful bond with your audience. Whether it’s the joy of a customer or distributor success story; the empathy in understanding their challenges; or the inspiration drawn from your brand’s journey, emotional resonance is the secret sauce of effective storytelling. Craft narratives with relatable, real people and situations that conjure emotions, forging a deeper connection with your audience. It’s difficult for people to leave a company and brand they have formed a connection with.

3/ Create Interactive Content

The digital landscape is not a one-way street. Encourage engagement through interactive content. Leverage polls, quizzes, surveys and other participatory storytelling formats to involve your audience in the narrative. People want to feel like they are part of building a brand they love. Direct selling is still a relationship business, and interactive content transforms your storytelling into a conversation. Engage your audience in a dialogue; listen to their responses; and adapt your narrative based on their feedback.

4/ Utilize Multiple Platforms

You can’t just pick one platform these days because your customer base is using several. Be an omnichannel storyteller across various platforms, including social media, blogs, podcasts and video channels. Each platform offers unique strengths and caters to different audience preferences. A strategic mix ensures that your brand message reaches a broader audience, maximizing your impact and visibility. Repurpose a longer YouTube video for shorter Instagram Reels or TikTok videos. Take specific points from a blog post and turn them into an Instagram carousel.

5/ Leverage User-Generated Content

Authenticity is currency in today’s online commerce. Incorporate user-generated content into your digital storytelling by sharing customer testimonials, reviews and stories that highlight real experiences. This not only builds authenticity but also involves your audience in the narrative. Encourage customers to share their success stories or creative uses of your products, turning them into co-creators of your brand story. This still gives you control over what is published but leverages the creativity and genuineness of your loyal customer base.

6/ Showcase Behind-the-Scenes Content

Peel back the curtain and take your audience behind the scenes of your company. It’s all about humanizing your brand and being vulnerable. Introduce the people who help keep everything running; showcase your company culture; and provide a glimpse into your day-to-day operations. Record a day in the life of the founder; show what all goes into preparing for the national convention; or follow a product from manufacturing to packaging to shipping. Even show some of the mistakes along the way and how they were corrected. This transparency fosters a sense of connection and trust.

7/ Tell Stories across the Customer Journey

The customer journey is not a One-Size-Fits-All experience. Tailor your stories to different stages of the customer journey. Craft content that attracts new customers; nurtures leads; and retains existing ones. Personalize the storytelling experience based on where your audience is in their relationship with your brand. This targeted approach enhances the relevance of your narratives and deepens the engagement at each stage. Customers feel as if you are speaking to them individually and meeting their needs where they are.

8/ Measure and Adjust

Your storytelling data is your compass. Use analytics and feedback to measure the effectiveness of your efforts. Pay attention to metrics such as engagement, click-through rates and conversion rates. Analyzing this data provides valuable insights into what works and what needs refinement. It gives you a peek into the mind of your customers, showing you what is and isn’t important to them. And sometimes, this is a big surprise. Embrace a culture of continuous improvement by iterating your storytelling strategy based on feedback and performance metrics, ensuring that your narratives evolve with the changing dynamics of your audience and the market.

From the December 2023 issue of Direct Selling News magazine.

The post Storytime first appeared on Direct Selling News.

Direct selling has become an increasingly popular avenue for individuals to start their own businesses and earn income. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the perceptions surrounding direct selling, the Direct Sales Generational Engagement Study was conducted by Bridgehead Collective and carried out by The Center for Generational Kinetics, led by President Jason Dorsey.

In this first-of-its-kind study, Bridgehead Collective chose to partner with the Center for Generational Kinetics, which has led more than 100 research studies in all major industries. Their seminal annual study, The State of Gen Z, formed the basis for the best-selling book, ZConomy and has been consistently featured in national and global media including The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, CNN and many more.

I set out to discover America’s perceptions of entrepreneurship, the gig economy and—more pointedly—direct selling. Statistical significance was of ultimate importance in this analysis, so the study represents a wide-sweeping sample that is reflective of America, with an equitable mix of genders, demographics, employment status, education levels and location that allows for a 97 percent confidence level. This study aimed to explore the attitudes, motivations, limitations and beliefs about starting a business in America, as well as uncover perceptions of direct selling, recruiting strategies, onboarding methods, distributor retention and preferred payment structures.

We designed the study to provide actionable insights across 10 key categories:

• Perception of Industry and Channel
• Recruiting and Prospecting
• Motivations and Decision Criteria
• Onboarding and Getting Started
• Training
• Compensation and Value Proposition
• Recognition
• Incentive Trips and Events
• Retention
• Duplication and Role of Team Building

In this series, we are digging deeper into each of these categories, focusing this month on all things Training.

As we shared consistently throughout this series, the news surrounding all generations is that EACH generation is radically different in how they want to be prospected, talked to and approached about direct selling opportunities. We have highlighted that a “One-Size-Fits-All” approach simply doesn’t work anymore, and that feedback is amplified when it comes to Training.

Clear Blueprints and Guideposts

Last month we shared some shocking insights about Getting Started and Onboarding. Most of the shock factor came from the fact that an overwhelming majority of Younger Millennials and Gen Z preferred to be onboarded in person vs. online, or even working at their own pace. This is fueled by their underlying belief that they do not possess the skills necessary for success. The manifestations of this belief carry through just as strongly to what kind of training they believe is necessary for success and confidence in their new business. However, what we see transition a bit as we move from onboarding and getting started to ongoing training programs is a marked increase in the desire for “learn at your own pace” and other forms of on-demand training.

In fact, when we asked all generations which type of training would be the best to gain experience and confidence in direct selling in the first 30 days, the number one answer, in fact the number one choice of more than half of the respondents was:

“A clear training program that provides a roadmap for success, that I can review at my own pace, on my own schedule.“

This represents a clear differentiation in the data between how people want to learn at the very beginning and how they want to engage on an ongoing basis. Now, for followers of this series, you know we are all about putting data into action so that leads us to our first Action Item on this area of insight.

Action Item: Ensure that your training programs are easily accessible online; broken up into manageable segments of no more than 20 minutes; and in a format that can be consumed and worked completely on demand.

As we probed further into precisely what type of training all generations believed was necessary to give them confidence to build their businesses, I think two of the next three responses are going to surprise you.

The second most desired training is not a surprise, focusing in on “hard skills” training like how to place orders, get paid or engage with company technology (calling Captain Obvious). But after that, we start to see some of the really interesting generational differences come into play.

Rounding out the top five answers, we have:

• Being assigned a Trusted Guide in the business for regular answers, help and support.
• Soft skills training communication, sales, how to have conversations and speak to groups of people.
• Short training videos, LESS THAN ONE MINUTE EACH, sent to you daily from your colleagues, other successful people or your trusted guide.

Fascinating, right? What’s even more interesting is that when you break it down by generation, the desire for soft skills training leapt all the way up to number one for Gen Z. That’s right—the MOST requested needs for training for the future generation of direct selling leaders were for communication; starting and holding conversations; and how to speak to groups of people. Not sure about you, but most of the companies I work with don’t include this kind of foundational training AT ALL as part of their onboarding. Sales training, yes of course! Scripted exchanges for how to close a sale? Sure. But that’s not what we are talking about here. We are talking about very fundamental basics of how to hold conversations; how to follow up; how to engage with other humans in a professional way; and how to conduct meetings or communicate in business to small or large groups of people.

The data couldn’t be clearer—Gen Z (and to some extent, Younger Millennials) are crying out for help—and we would do well to listen.

Action Item: Go back to the basics—WAY back. Implement a fundamental communication training module as one of the very first elements of your training programs. If you’re not sure where to start, use the QR code at the end of this article to request information. Bridgehead has put some energy into designing a plug-and-play module that could help.

Fast, Frictionless, User Friendly

Now let’s talk for a minute about that last bullet. The ask is straightforward. Please send me—once a day—a short training video that will fuel my success from someone who has done what I need to do. Simple, right? Well, when’s the last time anyone at a direct selling home office created ANY training content that was less than one minute long?!? Right…thought so!

This speaks to the ongoing challenge of shortened attention spans and desire to engage in a fast and frictionless way.

Action Item: Issue a One-Minute Challenge to your top leaders to gather a TON of content to share out with everyone. Give clear instructions on a simple background, lighting, etc., and ask them all to share in ONE minute or less, their top tip for someone just starting out.

Then, put this into action! Take a cohort of new distributors (pick a month) and send them all one video a day for 90 days and compare their results to their performance from other months. What do you have to lose? The whole project will take little effort (remember, these are meant to be authentic and don’t need to be super polished). And it could yield tremendous results.

Another “wow stat” that emerged with this topic is the appeal of outside experts. Turns out, that virtual, live presentations by an outside expert on information that is relevant and helpful to build their business is most appealing to older generations, with 74 percent of Older Millennials and Gen X listing it in their top three, compared to only 24 percent of the younger generations. Something super interesting to consider when choosing how to allocate your dollars most effectively.

The Right Method for the Message

OK—that’s what each generation had to say about what KIND of training they were looking for, but what about HOW they want to be communicated with.

We all know the “what communication channel to use” struggle is real. Should we email everything? Text it? Post it? Push notification it? Put it in a Facebook group? Zoom it? Teams it? Or…worst of all…choose all of the above so they tune us out completely! We have seen so many companies wrestle with this issue, so we decided to get some data to help us sort it all out.

Turns out Americans have very different and distinct opinions on HOW they want to receive different types of information. That “One-Size-Doesn’t-Fit-All” axiom shows up again and again.

When asked “how you would like to be communicated with in each of the following situations in your first 30 days,” the answers were super clear—and very different for each type of communication.

There is a lot of information in that chart, so I encourage you to spend a few minutes digesting it, but here are some top-line highlights. Depending on the situation, Americans want to be communicated with very differently during their first 30 days as a distributor in direct selling.

Email is the preferred communication method when learning or receiving information.

Text is the preferred communication method for quick questions and check-ins.

Group video chat is the preferred communication method for meetings.

One-on-one video chat is a back-up communication method for most situations.

Action Item: Reorganize your Communication Plan by slotting different types of communication into precise and distinct channels based on this data.

Not only will it simplify your internal processes, but it will drastically increase your engagement and effectiveness, so all that effort spent crafting the perfect message is read, received and put into action.

Also, pay special attention to the strong preference for two-way, text-based solutions for both quick questions as well as high fives and recognition. You may want to consider how you are using text and ensure you are maximizing its effectiveness.

So that covers the training highlights, please look out for next month’s article where we jump into the crowd favorite and lifeblood of our industry: Compensation and Value Proposition.

I may have to see if I can get more pages for that one—lots and lots and lots to unpack so look for plenty of action items including a few proven quick wins that you can get up and running in less than 30 days.

With 20+ years of cross-functional experience in direct selling, Heather Chastain brings a solid understanding of sales, marketing, technology, manufacturing, operations and C-Suite challenges as well as a strong collaborative and relational style of leadership to the table. Heather has held executive roles at Shaklee, Arbonne International, Celebrating Home and BeautiControl. Heather also serves as the Strategic Advisor at DSN and is the Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Bridgehead Collective.

From the November 2023 issue of Direct Selling News magazine.

The post GENERATIONAL INSIGHTS / Preferred Training Methods first appeared on Direct Selling News.

This is the fifth year that the company has provided donations and volunteer hours as part of Hunger Action Month. This year, the company’s team members packed more than 14,000 emergency and senior food boxes, donated $10,000 to St. Mary’s Food Bank and packed and donated more than 64,000 meals. 

Through the company’s Nourish One initiative, for every Plexus Lean and Plexus Reset sold, a donation equivalent to ten meals and three meals respectively is donated to Feeding America.  

“Hunger affects millions of Americans daily,” said Alec Clark, Plexus Worldwide Founder and President. “In participating in Hunger Action Month and programs like Nourish One, we hope to play a critical role in providing food banks and community programs with the resources families and individuals need to thrive.” 

The post Plexus Doubles its Donations to Support Hunger Relief Efforts  first appeared on Direct Selling News.

Founded | 2008

Headquarters | Irving, TX

Top Executive | Jay Shafer, Founder and CEO

Products | Health and Wellness

Everyone loves a good glow-up. And as makeovers go, Zurvita’s is particularly extreme. Originally launched in 2008 to a room of 300 people, Zurvita began with service-based products. It was in 2011, when Zeal for Life was introduced, that Zurvita launched into exponential growth. Now nearly a decade later, despite management changes, a global pandemic and technology pitfalls, a new era of leadership with a united team and passionate field have prevailed and pivoted to take Zurvita on its next phase of success.

Positive Vibes. Positive Change.

Zurvita was founded on three founding principles. First and foremost, to build an organization that would honor and glorify God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Second, to develop a company with humble leadership. And finally, to create an environment where people could win at every level.

In 2011, Zurvita entered the health and wellness arena, with the unique proposition of Zeal for Life, a clean nutritional powdered drink featuring stabilized rice bran and gamma oryzanol. “We decided to make a significant impact on people from all walks of life by offering clean, nature-based products and life-changing opportunities, where anyone can succeed,” recalled Jay Shafer, Zurvita’s Founder and CEO.

“Zeal is an all-in-one nutritional drink mix that combines essential vitamins, superfoods, adaptogens, antioxidants and botanical extracts in one simple solution—and it gets results,” said Dr. Scott Vanlue, Chairman of Zurvita’s Scientific Advisory Board. “It’s one of the most comprehensive functional food supplements on the planet, filling inevitable gaps in your diet—like nutritional mortar for your health.”

These incredible benefits began generating incredible results. Zurvita consultants loved the product and so did their customers. And just like that, Zurvita had found a way to help people win.

The Game Changer

With health and wellness being an extremely crowded space. Through extensive research and clinical trials, they found product differentiation through the incredible health benefits of a surprising ingredient: stabilized rice bran. And through its proprietary and delicious formula, Zeal for Life was birthed.

“When rice bran is amended with the key functional compound gamma oryzanol, the combination offers diverse benefits and supports the body in a variety of ways,” explained Scott. “This includes overall cardiovascular health, cholesterol management, immune function, antioxidant activity, blood glucose control and weight management. While rice bran contains over 100 balanced nutrients like oils, fibers and proteins, gamma oryzanol is a uniquely rich source of antioxidants and anti-inflammatories.”

Known as “stabilized rice bran,” the rice bran and gamma oryzanol combination is an unstoppable superfood that is the driving force behind Zeal. A peer-reviewed, published clinical trial showed that in just 28 days of drinking Zeal twice daily, 85 percent of people felt better, with a 23 percent increase in vigor and energy and improvements to overall mood. Fatigue was down 10 percent; anger was down nine percent; and anxiety was down 11 percent.

“The study showed that Zeal is an ideal foundational food, offering an impressive combination of health-boosting ingredients per serving, including 56 whole food nutritional elements and over 120 vitamins, minerals and antioxidants,” said Scott. “In fact, we tested it and noted it would take 55 pills to replace the nutritional power of one single scoop of Zeal.”

“With the success of Zeal, we made stabilized rice bran the golden thread in all our functional-food clean nutritional products; Zeal, Zundora, Zurge and our Zurvita Protein all spotlight the benefits of rice bran as a unique differentiator. Zurvita is the only company in the world that offers this unique approach to maximizing rice bran’s tremendously diverse benefits,” added Jay.

While Zeal remains the company’s flagship product, many other successful products have been added to the lineup since 2011. However, this year has been particularly busy for Zurvita, with the launch of three innovative products featuring stabilized rice bran as an essential ingredient:

• Zundora is a blackberry-flavored collagen gel packed with exclusive, powerful ingredients that help restore skin to its youthful glow. The proprietary nutrient complex features Verisol hydrolyzed collagen peptides, which are clinically proven to improve the health of hair, skin and nails; reduce wrinkles; and increase skin elasticity as well as exclusive golden tomato extract, Lumenato.
• Zurge is a proprietary coffee blend that sharpens memory and increases mental clarity with potent ingredients that support brain health. In addition to stabilized rice bran, Zurge’s exclusive blend includes CognatiQ®: a natural, patented extract which is clinically proven to increase focus while reducing brain fog. It also includes Coffeeberry Cascara, also known as the coffee superfruit. Finally, Zurge includes Lion’s Mane Mushroom, which is the only mushroom clinically shown to support nerve growth for cognitive and neurological health.
• All-Natural Advanced Protein Formula contains 20 grams of isolate and concentrate whey, as well as pea protein and superfoods like stabilized rice bran. This science-backed protein formula is available in both chocolate and vanilla flavors. It accelerates metabolism to help burn calories, controls appetite to help you feel fuller longer, helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels and speeds muscle recovery after a workout.

“We’re committed to bringing our customers the most powerful ingredients and superfoods available,” said Dr. Van Lue. “Our products have built a following with those eager to share the goodness of better health. People are seeing their health restored, building healthy habits and ultimately sharing wellness with others. The testimonials and results I hear are incredible. It’s truly humbling.”

Change Agents

From the beginning, Zurvita’s founders sought to implement their core values in the field and beyond. “Our first founding principle is about honoring and glorifying God,” explained Jay. “We do that by loving on people, which is key to an incredible culture internally and through our thousands of Consultants within Zurvita. Our mission is to empower people to believe in themselves and take control of their health and happiness. “We strive to be a company of provision, for our consultants to provide for their families, put food on the table, pay their mortgage, etc. We want our customers to achieve better health—and, as we do this, we give back. That is the foundation of our Zeal for Meals initiative. Our goal is to feed one million and beyond.”

Globally, it’s estimated that 10 percent of the world’s population—about 828 million people—go to bed on an empty stomach each night. “Our goal is to provide one million meals to hungry families,” said Jay. “To reach this goal, we’ve partnered with SERV International. Through this program we donate three meals for every Zeal canister sold, and in May we added Zundora and Zurge as giveback products as well. Zeal for Meals is our effort to give back to the community—locally and globally—by fighting hunger and providing other life-giving services to those in need.”

Zeal for Meals is dedicated to bringing hope and healing to communities like Turkana, Kenya. As a pastoral community, they depend on rain to keep their livestock alive, but a five-year drought has caused dehydration, starvation and death. “Our teams recently went to Turkana. We brought food, shelter, medical help and the word of God to the locals,” explained Jay. “We were able to give them hope. Our entire Zurvita family made it possible. Our philanthropic mission is to feed hope and spread compassion. So we are looking to expand our partnership with SERV International beyond feeding the hungry. Our field is a very kindhearted community. Every time we hit 200K meals, we will also be sponsoring a child from House of Hope in addition to the feeding the hungry.”

To date, Zurvita has provided over 900,000 meals to communities in need and is inching closer to their million-meal goal.

Making Change

Having reinvented themselves, overcoming major changes and garnering some really big wins over the last decade, Zurvita’s team is proud of how far they’ve come and is driven to keep the momentum going.

“Staying faithful to our founding principles has enabled our success,” said Jay. “Zurvita continues to be a family-owned brand led by faith that aims to provide a way for others to transform lives with an easy and accessible way to better health.”

Just this last year Zurvita has expanded their product portfolio and introduced a new antioxidant collagen gel with exclusive and clinically tested ingredients in its beauty blend formula and a brain-health coffee featuring Lion’s Mane Mushroom.

The team has focused on their strategic growth pillars, and a new VIP Perks Loyalty Program was introduced at their national Convention, Zurvita Fest, this past May. It has quickly garnered incredible results, especially towards retention and reorder rates, helping the field keep happy and engaged customers.

“We are consistently driving toward positive change, so our focus will always be on loving people and impacting lives for the better,” concluded Jay. “We know we are in the relationship business. When we keep our field and our customers as top priority, together we will thrive.”

From the October 2023 issue of Direct Selling News magazine.

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