#MyPoshJourney

by Molly G.

Back over the summer, I’d made a Facebook post about buying some products from a store that sales products for your bath and your body. My friend (and sorority sister) Katie commented on it asking if she could send me some samples. A little back story for this is Katie is an Independent Consultant for a direct sales company called Perfectly Posh. At this point I’d been invited to a few of the Facebook parties she was the consultant for, but I hadn’t tried any products. I hadn’t even really participated in the parties except say that “maybe” I was going (aka I wasn’t planning on even paying attention to the posts, but I wanted to be nice). When I saw her comment on my post, I said, “Sure, why not! I’ll message you my address!” I then sent her a personal message with my mailing address. Within a week, I had a sample pack via the mail at my house.

At this point in my life, I was working about sixty hour weeks at the Clyde M. York 4-H Center in Crossville. I needed something – at the time I didn’t know what – to help with my nasty looking feet and that would also make the rest of me feel refreshed and relaxed and clean after a day of wading in ponds and doing who knows what. When I received Katie’s sample pack in the mail, I was at camp, but I picked it up the weekend I was off and returned home for a couple days. I took it back to camp with me unused for a couple days. I then finally opened it and saw what all she had sent. The first product I pulled out was a body butter. I immediately used it on my gross, cracked feet. When I did and put on some socks, I immediately knew that I was needing to order me some of that. I then tried the rest of the products and weeded out the ones I knew I wanted and then finally looked at her website.

Upon looking at Katie’s website, I saw there was some other products for nasty, gross feet, and I placed an order. I signed up for the Perks program to start earning towards free products and immediately became hooked. I proceeded to order more products over the course of two more months. I had fell in love and was stocked up for a good long while. After I had placed my first order, I decided it was the time to talk to Katie about hosting a Facebook party – since I was at camp and didn’t want to arrange a home party. I hosted the party and fell more in love with the products and had started gaining knowledge. I eventually caught myself talking to people about it outside of the event and even answering people’s questions about products before Katie could. I was hooked. I was growing a passion for this company that I hadn’t felt towards a company before.

Over the course of the two months following my party, Katie and I talked more about Perfectly Posh and what it was like being a consultant. We messaged each other about it, Snapchatted about it. We did an assortment of things. We kept talking about it, and I kept saying I’d do it after graduation in May if I still felt like I should do it. Little did I know when I said that, the next day the starter kits were going to be on sale for half off.

The fears that I had about joining was that I was afraid I wasn’t going to be good at it. I’m generally an antisocial person and extremely introverted. I’m introverted to the point that when I know that I’m going to have to deal with big crowds (more than about fifteen people) I have to mentally prepare myself to try and not get mentally and emotionally exhausted. I knew that going into the direct sales world I was going to have to become more of a social butterfly. I was going to have to try and come out of that shell, and it terrified me. I was going to have to be social in a way that I was not used to being. I was terrified of that thought. I was terrified that I would end up with this and only be selling to my five friends and my parents and that I wouldn’t be successful. I had this vision of if I did this, I wanted to become really good at it. I also felt like it would take up a lot of my time, and I didn’t know if I could balance my time well with residency looming in my view. I quickly had to face these fears because something occurred that I hadn’t anticipated: the starter kits going on such a sale that I’d be silly to pass up a business opportunity like that.

The day the starter kits went half off, I was talking to Katie all day about it. I started talking to friends about it. I wanted to get the insights of the people who knew me best to see if they thought I could do it. My best friend Aleta told me that she thought I could really do it, because of my knowledge of the products already and my honesty. She said that my personality and care for others would really help with this. After talking to her at an hour I’d rather be asleep, I finally decided to take the plunge. At 10PM that evening, I submitted my order for a starter kit and received my replicated website. I didn’t know what I was really getting myself into in that moment. I just thought I was going to be sharing my love and passion for this company and products on Facebook and maybe having a party here and there. I just thought this was an easy way to earn some extra spending money and to have a hobby to help pay for the gas in my residency experience. Boy was I wrong.

The day after the starter kits were on sale, I realized that I had been added to three different Facebook groups. I had been added to Posh Talk – the group only for consultants company-wide to talk about topics that are posted each day. I then noticed I had been added to a group that was for Erica’s downline (everyone below you in your team). Erica at the time was a Premier leader in the company, and she was the one who I was to go to for advice and to ask questions about things I was unsure of. I then noticed I had been added to Sarah’s group. Sarah was pushing for Premier that month. I wasn’t the only one added to those groups, though. There was so much growth in that short time frame for all of the groups. I then realized that a lot of people signed up to get the starter kit with all the products and not to actually sell, unlike me.

Over the course of the next couple of days, I started posting about it on Facebook and started interacting in the groups. I talked to some friends about it, but nobody seemed all that interested in purchasing. I made some sample packs and did a lot of things to try and build my business. I made a VIP Facebook group and even ordered business cards. Nothing seemed to be working. I was getting discouraged, but then my team leader Sarah sent me a message saying she was glad I joined her team. I at the time brushed it off, because I thought she was just being nice. I was wrong. Sarah meant it. She offered me so much encouragement my first few weeks in that I will never be able to repay to her. I learned what the core value of doing direct sales was you’re not on your own. You always have a team. I realized that my upline would be my support system through and through. They are the rocks that I needed to start building my business upon. They were the foundation of all the knowledge I have gained so far and are helpful in trying to find my own answers to situations I have encountered in my business.

I started changing my attitude about it my business due to not feeling I was being successful like I had wanted to be. I started Poshing everyone with samples. I kept on posting about it, but I was realizing that I wasn’t using my own voice. I was trying to sound like the company. At this point, I discovered the Prep Academy videos which is business training. I started watching those and completing what I needed for that. I devoured them. I watched a whole ninety days’ worth in a week or two. I was devouring all that I could to be able to make my business better. I was so focused on sales that I wasn’t focusing on the theme of the company – people deserve to pamper themselves. People deserve to take time out of their busy day for themselves. I was becoming self-centered. I wasn’t doing what the core values were. I had to take a step back.

When I was taking my step back, one evening I got on my virtual office after school to see that one of my mom’s co-workers and family friend had placed an order. I immediately sent her a text message and thanked her so much. She was my first sale. She was the first person to make me realize that sales can come from anyone. I fixed her a thank you note and sent it with my mother to school the next day along with a sample pack thanking her so much. For you see, she was my only order my first month in. I sent her a product at the end of the month that I thought she would enjoy as a thank you and to show her how much I love and appreciate her, both in my business and out.

The next month started becoming a little better. Sarah was still pushing for Premier, and Erica was about to be ready to give birth to who she calls #Boy4. At this point, I had donated some items in a pack for a silent auction. A friend won the bid on them and told me how much she loved them. A mutual friend of ours in almost the same breath booked a party with me. I was beginning to gain momentum. I was also a nervous wreck. I had only ever attended Facebook parties. I had no idea what I was doing. I went to my team leaders for support and guidance. After many comments and messages later, I realized that I really just needed to be myself. At the time, I was excited about that, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that was a joke. I, of all people, who is not super girly, is ridiculous thinking I can sell pampering products, but I did it. I hosted that party with everyone present placing orders. I was super excited. I was almost to my goal that the company had pre-set out for me in sales for a time frame. I sent them all thank you cards and updated my upline on how everything went.

The next couple of weeks or so after that was a little slow, I was starting to become discouraged, but I kept working my business. I had even made an Instagram account to maybe reach folks that way. I wanted to help out my upline by making sales and helping them reach their promotions. I was still very much caught up in sales and posting graphics instead of making this business mine. I was trying so hard to hide behind a façade of a person that I wasn’t business wise. I slowly started coming out of that. I started watching training that was posted in the groups. I started to get to actually know my team members. I started realizing that what I was doing was bigger than sales.

Over the course of the next few weeks following that, my uplines didn’t reach their promotions, and I didn’t have any sales. My mom kept telling me it was just a slow time. I had a hard time believing her. Then the next thing I know, the company decided to start doing Podcasts. I started listening to those weekly and my fire came back. I started to get passionate about it again. I started contacting people and doing followups and seeing if anyone needed anything. I started having conversations with people I hadn’t talked to in ages. I started posting more in my VIP group content that wasn’t Posh related. I started posting engagement posts to get folks pumped up. Then, it happened. It was the end of November. I kept feeling it in my toes that something was going to happen, and boy it did.

The last week of the month I had the most sales ever along with the biggest order ever placed. I encouraged my fellow consultants in my upline and team. I started encouraging them by telling them that they were rocking it. I started telling them how awesome they were. I started telling them that I wished I could be like them because of their level of fabulous. The thing is – I meant every word. I’d been encouraging these awesome ladies the whole month, but I felt this new energy and drive to really do it. I had this fire in me that was wanting to spread the encouragement to the people being business-wise productive and were feeling downtrodden. It was the least I could do when I couldn’t find any more sales to make. I started encouraging and being pumped up for everyone. I had this new desire. What was funny, was that I had been receiving this from everyone, but I had only been kind of giving it back. I hadn’t fully committed yet. But, at this point, I had. I had finally committed to rocking the encouragement train for everyone. I wanted everyone to feel like they were the best consultant there was.

Little did I know that that encouragement would be what pushed Sarah to Premier. It also pushed Erica to Gold Premier (for she had reached Silver the month before). I realized that being a cheerleader and encouraging folks made them believe in themselves more and work even harder. I realized that maybe that’s my role at that point. Maybe I was just everyone’s cheerleader, who knows. I was satisfied with that. The universe had other plans. Since all my sales were at the end of the month, I had qualified for some giveaways from Erica and Sarah. From Erica, I won the drawing for a laptop. Yes, you read that right – a laptop. I had won a laptop. From Sarah, I knew I was going to be getting a pink, fluffy headband, but I didn’t realize that I was also going to be getting a keychain, as well. This keychain is a pink turtle to symbolize Sarah’s business. The thing is, is that I felt like I didn’t deserve any of this. I hadn’t been working my business like I should. I was just an encourager.

Over the course of November, I realized the ways in which I was going to need to fix my business. I started becoming more client centered. I started including personal reviews and stories about products. I started going LIVE to tell folks about the products I loved and the exciting things that were happening. I started caring more about the people and how my face and personality fit into my business. I started realizing that there was so much more to this company than simply selling products. 

During the course of the encouragement I had given to my fellow team members at the end of the month, I was on the way to finding my voice again. I was finding out who I actually was in this company. I was finding out what I wanted my business to sound like. I started finding out how I wanted to sound on social media. I started figuring out the person I wanted to be to my clients. I was finding the voice I needed to encourage people to trust me when I recommended products. I started finding the voice I realized I had squashed down at the beginning because I was embarrassed to be myself. I quickly realized that being embarrassed about myself was not going to get me anywhere. I acquired a way in which I can be myself and show that even if I’m not the girliest person, that I love being clean and taking care of myself. I found a way that I can go about explaining this difference to people.

Three nights ago, I finally decided on my personal brand. Something that is uniquely mine. I decided on Prima Posh with Molly. The prima comes from my love of dance. I’ve danced my whole life, and I’m glad to be implementing that into a part of my life that is more public. Being a prima means that I am at the top of my game. I’m one of the number one ballerinas in the studio. It means that I am showing my customers that I am doing the best I can to give them the service they deserve. I’m excited to be beginning this journey of having a brand. I’m excited that I have found my fire again. This last weekend, I made ELEVEN sample packs. I started working on my second launch party. I started figuring out when I can schedule in my business around my busy life. I’m glad that I started finding myself again and that I can finally breathe. I’m glad that I’m finding a place in which that I can show my interests and influence others. I’m glad that I’m finding a way to have control of my own life and am making the decisions I need – business and personal life alike. Who knows, maybe in the next three months something exciting will happen in my Posh life. We’ll see. Until then, this is my journey so far, and I’m glad that I’m on that experience. I regret nothing, and I want to keep looking forward.

Plus, right now I’m having the opportunity to win a trip to Greece. I might win it; we’ll just have to wait and see. We’ll see where the New Year takes me and my new found courage in myself.