My Youngevity Story

As a Heritage Makers consultant for nearly a decade I became pretty good at telling a story- and the one I'm about to share is long one (really long); but to me, it's worth sharing and recording.  As an HM consultant I LOVED my "job", and was consistent with sales and sponsoring. I strived to be a good leader and worked hard to build a team of like-minded individuals who were also passionate about helping others. 

My "WHY" with Heritage Makers was always to Make A Difference- and I believed I was doing that through giving women an opportunity to be part of a great company helping them to earn an income and gain confidence through leadership, helping families connect and heal relationships through the Heritage enriching power of story, and also solve photo problems and help so many others record their stories. As I think back on my amazing journey with Heritage Makers- I feel blessed and honored to have experienced the journey. I never knew something was "missing" until given the opportunity to really GROW! 

Eight months ago (August 2013) Heritage Makers was officially acquired by Youngevity and become one of their brands.  Youngevity is a wellness company, with a focus on Dr. Joel Wallach's message of health. Youngevity has partnered with many brands over their 17 years as a large publicly traded company; included Ancient Legacy (essential oils), Youngevity Mineral Make-up, Go Foods, Beyond Organic, and Soul Purpose (bath and body scrubs). I wasn't sure what my "place" with Youngevity would be and I was anxious and excited for the future. From the first time I had heard about the possibilities with Youngevity, I was comfortable and confident that those who were at the head of company were people of integrity that I trusted. Of course, there were some tense conversations and misunderstandings during the transition period and also areas of confusion- BUT, my gut, heart, and head, always told me I was in the right place at the right time. I was prayerful in my decision to move forward with Youngevity- and once given the guidance that my family needed this company and to move forward as if on a crusade, I never doubted. 

This is the new Youngevity display we have at the Clothing Outlet-
it used to be strictly Heritage Makers and now we can appeal to a much larger audience! 

When the merger was announced at our HM Reunion in August there was a  variety of reactions from my team and others I had worked with for years.  In being completely transparent with this story, I will say that during this time we lost several leaders in our company who were disappointed and angry with the direction of Heritage Makers. Some felt like it was a sell-out (which it actually was- Heritage Makers sold to YGY to grow both the 90 For Life mission and the HM brand), some just didn't want to sell health/wellness products (they of course had the option to focus on solely HM and still make commission- in fact, all previous renewing sales had been "grand-fathered" in at a higher rate of commission which was AWESOME), and some felt like they had been cheated out of their business because it wasn't what they signed up for. I can't argue against their perceptions of the company- I just knew what worked for ME. For me, the Heritage Makers brand which I had poured so much energy, time, and effort into- was safe. With Youngevity we had a home that was protected and cared for, one that was respected and loved. A company that had an executive team of leaders who listened and learned and KNEW what we needed to grow.  Another key ingredient in place, was that the founder- Dr. Wallach, had committed his life to sharing with others his knowledge of health and wellness. He is a man who has fought not only for his company, but for the health of our nation! *BTW: Kirk had worked for a Network Marketing company for a few years when we lived in Utah and tried all sorts of products- non of which really worked, so we kind of thought maybe these products would be the same. However, after a few weeks of using the products we noticed a positive difference in the way we were feeling. 

One of the big perks of merging with Youngevity, was the fact that Kirk was now able to be a large part of the business. He was always supportive of HM, but it was difficult to talk about scrapbooks on the golf course and to his friends. With the new business model it was easier for him to jump into the business and start to build. Within two months he advanced to the rank of Director and was the first man to hit that rank in HM- of course, he was building through the Youngevity products- but we hadn't fully transitioned over so it was still considered an HM rank! 

At the August convention a new incentive was announced (and I'm never one to shy away from earning incentives) that the Top HMer's would have the opportunity to attend the Youngevity Cancun dream vacation in November. I went to work immediately and together with Angela Rydalch we earned a week in Cancun. It was an awesome vacation being able to enjoy the beach, all inclusive restaurants, and days in the sun; but the best part was the networking and learning from our new Youngevity family! Everybody was so kind and willing to share their stories. I was embraced and welcomed by leaders in Youngevity. I knew that they cared about my success and wanted to help me grow my business. There seemed to be no jealousy among top leaders and I only felt love and respect. Hours were spent between the six HM girls that were there and top leaders and corporate staff as they helped us to understand the new compensation plan, possibilities for growth, and opening our eyes to a broader vision of the future. 

How blessed we are to have Tom and Denise Chenault as our upline leaders and mentors.
 Not only are they smart and funny, but they know how to love like crazy.

After coming home from Cancun I was FIRED UP! I started hosting weekly opportunity meetings and talking to everybody I knew…. but then, something that I didn't see coming happened: I was rejected. A few people told me "No", and that I was wrong for doing network marketing, that Dr. Wallach is cRaZy, and that nobody really makes money in this industry. Even though I knew that I was in the right place, I was feeling discouraged. Christmas was fast approaching by this time and as any mother of three school age children, I was busy.  My business naturally slowed down a little bit in December, but by January I was again ready to hit the ground running. 

In February I went on another incentive trip- this one was earned strictly through Heritage Makers, and was one of the best trips of my life. It was an eight day cruise to St. Maarteens, St. Kitts, Peurto Rico, and Haiti. Spending a week vacationing with like-minded individuals was truly a memorable event.  During the cruise a few business meetings were held and several corporate Youngevity team members spoke. I again knew that this company was the right fit for me and my family. And Kirk, of course has found a great fit as he builds a career in this industry. The relationships and friends that he has made while on this journey together has been priceless. Watching him excel as a distributor and sharing his passion as he invite people to join him makes my heart happy. 

Hanging out on the cruise ship playing "Sardines/Shmee with some of my favorites. 

This last weekend we attended Youngevity's yearly convention. This was to be a turning point for many HMer's…. they were curious to see if Heritage Makers was really part of the company, and if the brand was important. WOW- Heritage Makers was shown such an incredible amount of love!!!! We received the largest time slot for break out sessions, front row seating, huge amounts of recognition, and during closing banquet Best of Heritage Awards were presented. 

Just spending time with MariLu Henner and Dr. Joel Wallach... no big deal :) 

With Bill Andreoli YGY President, Michelle Wallach YGY COO, Fashion Designer Marisa Kenson, Creative Memories Co-founder and now HM Consultant Rhonda Anderson, and Patti Gardner YGY VP of sales. What an honor for me to associate with people of this caliber! 

So, if you're curious about what I think about being part of the Youngevity family- there's my story. I'm 90 for Life- FOR LIFE! 

Receiving rank advancements awards and new GOLD JACKETS as new VPMD