8 Things I Learned at Shaklee’s New Director Conference

We just got home last weekend from California. I had earned a FREE trip to California from Shaklee for the growth of my business. My wonderful upline and  mentor, Barb Lagoni had asked me if I would speak on a conference call to over 200 people this morning about what I walked away from the New Directors Conference with. She had read my post about everything we did at the conference but said that was more of a timeline – and wanted me to share what I learned.

This question has been laying heavily on me. I of course had my answers that were the more “basic” answers but the more I thought about the question the more I realized how much that conference had really changed me.

Here are the top 8 things I learned at the New Directors Conference:

1. It’s Not A Race…but Rather A Marathon

Roger Barnett, Owner & CEO of Shaklee spoke to us about the Tortoise and the Hare. Some people identify with the Tortoise, growing their business at a slow and steady pace – and that some people identify with the Hare, growing their business at lightening speed. However, at the end of the day both the Tortoise and the Hare are winners. They both are working towards the very same goal. There’s no losing in Shaklee. You grow your business at a speed that works for YOU, not anyone else. And in the end you WILL be rewarded.

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2. Residual Income is REAL

Presidential Master Coordinator (the highest level in Shaklee) Charlene Fike shared with us that she took 16 years off of the business!! Yes, 16!! But during that time she still earned a paycheck and when she came back to the business her business was even better than when she left off! This is complete proof that the work you do today will pay for years and years to come.

3. I’m Afraid of Failure

During the conference we had a short period of time to write down our goals. I will be 100% honest and say that I was not very ambitious with my goals. I committed to things that should be a breeze to accomplish. Thankfully with a little self reflection I was able to recognize this problem and talked it though with Barb. I come from a family of high achievers and high pressure (well from one parent) – no matter how well you do at something there is always room for improvement. I have always succeeded at everything I’ve done … and the few times I haven’t been the “best” I make excuses for myself. I like to “de”flect rather than “re”flect and see what I could have done better (my husband will totally testify to this, lol). . .In some ways being in this kind of business can be really hard for people like me – when people say “no” or are not interested or if you don’t reach a certain “rank”, earn the car payment, earn that incentive trip, etc it can be really hard to swallow.. But I’m really learning that I have nothing to ever feel I failed at. Why? Because there is nothing you can fail at in Shaklee!! At the end of the day there is always someone I helped overcome some health issue, someone become more financially secure, helped someone find purpose in their life outside of their dreaded day job. As long as I remember that, I realize there is no chance for failure.

4. I NEED Shaklee In My Life

Bonnie & Scott Donahue shared their testimony and it brought me to tears. My story is very similar to theirs. Clayton and I both went to college, got our degrees and then got married first chance we had after graduating. Our goal/dream was always for me to stay at home with our kids. Luckily I was able to quit working and be home full-time with my 3 kiddos almost 6 years ago now. When I was first able to stay home it was amazing. I loved every moment of it. I was the poster image of a 1950s housewife…and then time and more kids set in 🙂 My new freedom wasn’t as fun as it once was. I needed something for me, and only me. I needed to feel accomplished, successful, important. Now don’t get me wrong, I totally felt those things just from being a mom but it was in a different sense. So over the years I have tried my hand at several different businesses based around my hobbies: a cake business, an embroidery/sewing business (and Etsy shop), a wedding business, and of course this ol’ blog. All of these were successful (to some degree) but at the end of the day it was more stressful than enjoyable and I was losing money, tons of money in each! When the opportunity for a Shaklee business came about I really took some time to pray about it. I wasn’t sure that it would be a fit for me nor did I want to step on anybody’s toes …and most importantly didn’t want to have to meet certain expectations because I just wanted to be lazy about the business. After 1 year in the business I can whole heartedly say that I NEED Shaklee. It gives me a sense of importance, a sense of need. My team needs me and depends on me for support, encouragement and tools to make them successful. My customers need me and depend on me to share the information I learn to help them feel better. My kids need to see that Mommy is more than “just a housewife”. Plus the WHOLE reason I’m even in this business is because of my son, his health was drastically changed from Shaklee. I do this business BECAUSE of my family.

5. The Best Business Partner I Need

Before the conference my husband Clayton really wasn’t “on board” with the business. He used the products I recommended on a daily basis and never discouraged me from doing the business…However…he wasn’t supportive by any means. When I would have phone calls, webinars, meetings, etc it was more of a burden on him and he wasn’t always shy about telling me. He would always preach that I didn’t have to do this, we didn’t need the money and that he worked very hard for me to be able to stay home and focus 100% on our kids. Even though I had built a big team and experienced success very early on in my business — and even though I was brining in a paycheck each month, he wasn’t on board. However, that all changed at this conference. He totally saw the light. Not only did he understand why I was so passionate about Shaklee he saw the benefits of a Shaklee business…and what it could and would do for our family. He decided at the conference that he was going to join me in the business. He was going to help me and be supportive of me. In fact, his first day back to work I received a text from him saying “work sucks I’d rather be at a Shaklee conference where it’s fun!” He also volunteered to come with me for my very first Health Fair that I did our first weekend home! I can honestly say it was so much easier to be at the fair with him there! My biggest comfort in life was there supporting me … and actively helping me grow OUR business! (I just love that about Shaklee! It’s a business that appeals to men, women, kids, old people…you name it! It’s not just a business for women, nor just a business for men. There’s something for everyone! and you can be a #shakleefamily!

6. Shaklee Truly Cares About ME

Being apart of the Shaklee Moms Group has allowed me so many opportunities I would have never had if it weren’t for this group. Getting to have a private surprise lunch with Roger Barnett, Owner & CEO, was so amazing. He truly is invested in our group and wants to make sure we have what it is we need to succeed. The awesome part is it doesn’t just stop with Roger, the support and love trickles all of the way down the Shaklee corporate team, down to the Master Coordinators down to the Distributors. Shaklee “people” really do want the best for you and want you to be the most successful you possible can be! I’ve worked for a bunch of companies in the past and I can honestly say that this is definitely not the norm in the corporate world. All the more reason that I “need” Shaklee in my life.

7. Everyone Needs A Team

There were some SUPER STARS at the conference. I mean literally super stars. Regardless of the amount of success they each had, they still needed guidance and a team. There is power in a team – there is power in friendships. To be successful you need both. The friendships I made at this conference will last a lifetime!

8. The Power of Envisioning & Planning

I can honestly admit that I have been very fortunate in my Shaklee career. I almost feel that I have gotten lucky to have so much success so early on. I am not the best planner – so the fact that my business has been able to grow and maintain is truly a blessing (and miracle on most days). I’m busy with 3 young kids (3 dogs, 1 bunny, 1 frog, and 5 caterpillars waiting to turn to butterflies! hahaha). We live almost 800+ miles away from family so I don’t have a babysitter and we are amidst a whole kitchen overhaul that we are doing ourselves and is taking forever (so over it!!). I always say I am good at doing 50 billion things all at once, but at the end of the day I’m really not. Nothing ever gets finished all the way and I’m totally running around like a crazy person all day long. I am really learning that planning is the way to go! My entire time in Shaklee I have heard people say “create your dream board”. I will be honest, I always thought that was kind of dumb. Something that “I” did not need to do (probably because I was afraid of failing). But guess what? I’m at the point in my business where most of my time is spent coaching my team. I’ve really seen that if you do not have a goal or a plan then there is nothing for you to accomplish. So in an effort to make the change for my own destiny I finally created my own dream board. I am so excited to work towards these goals!

This conference was life changing and I’m so thankful to have been able to earn it!!

If you are looking for something more in your own life, you want to feel wanted/needed/successful or you are looking for extra income or looking to better your health I encourage you to consider joining my amazing team. We love what we are doing and as you’ve seen – Shaklee is the way to go!!