Cathy from Beautycounter
What got you into using Beautycounter products and becoming a consultant?
I'd like to say that I'd always been focused on living mindfully and healthy but 3 years ago I really started doing more research into the impact my choices were having on my environment and my health. We had a little vegetable garden and were raising our own chickens and I became more mindful about the harmful ingredients that were present in processed foods. Slowly I shifted the way we consumed towards a cleaner and low waste lifestyle. Limiting processed foods and plastics in our home, switching to safer cleaning products,
small but impactful steps. The last thing I really thought about was how our personal care items affect our health.
You just assume that since it's on the shelves it's safe right?
When my husband and I were planning to start a family, I had already cleaned up our eating habits and the products we used around our home and the next step for me was to look at the products we were using on our body.
I was shocked to find the amount of harmful ingredients that were hiding in our soaps, shampoos, lotions and cosmetics. Our skin is our largest organ and absorbs harmful toxins so quickly and spreads them throughout the body. I quickly learned that laws in the United States are basically non-existent and companies can easily hide harmful ingredients from us.
Ingredients that have been linked to a number of health issues from allergies and headaches to more severe health concerns like cancer and infertility.
In my search for what companies to trust and how to make sure I was making the best choices for our growing family, I came across Beautycounter. Yes, a beauty brand, a clean and safer beauty brand, but also a company that fights to change the laws in the US and Canada and a company that works hard to ensure the products we use are safe AND high-performing.
This organization takes clean and safe to the next level, they focus on ingredient safety and transparency, sustainability in their supply chain and packaging and attack the issues in the beauty industry head on. Did you know that besides our everyday products harming us, the supply chain for various ingredients is shady to say the least.
Beautycounter is also committed to address issues concerning palm oil, mica and vanilla, that may not affect our health the but health and livelihoods of those sourcing these ingredients. To make an already long story short, I was so intrigued by the work Beautycounter is doing to change an industry that affects literally all of us (we all wash our hair and take showers right?!) that I HAD to do something.
The biggest agent for change is our $$ and even though the world does not need another beauty brand, commerce is our vehicle for change, quickly. A year ago I decided to join Beautycounter as a consultant and made it my business.
How did you become a consultant?
I started in November of last year. My daughter was about 5 months old and I was contemplating going back to work full-time but I was not ready yet to leave her. So I decided to start my own business on my terms. Honestly, I didn't know too much about direct sales or network marketing and I think Beautycounter approaches the business in a completely different way. I thought, and still think, if I can educate and advocate and help the people around me switch to safer products AND make an income, I have to give it a shot, I had nothing to lose.
I ordered a bunch of products (which you don't have to do, you can order as much or as little as you want) and dove in! I learned as I went and started taking people along with me in my journey, most of which were as shocked as I to learn what a mess the beauty industry really is. When you start out you get a personal website, where people can shop and learn about the products.
The great thing about Beautycounter is that you can shop it like any other website, you don't have to be a member, or order monthly or jump through a bunch of hoops to get started, it's as easy as shopping Sephora.
Same goes for being a consultant, you can build the business your way and spend as much or as little time on it as you want. You can share and engage with your audience in whichever way you feel you will make the most impact. Our consultants are the main way people learn about the mission and it's our biggest vehicle for change!
Can Beautycounter really create an income?
I'm not claiming this business is a one-stop to success and that the minute you start the orders will be pouring in. You have to put in the work and the time and not everyone will order from you, it took one of my best friends a year to place an order with me! I've hosted events where nobody showed up or engaged, I have done IG lives for 3 people (including my dad and my husband) and in the beginning it may feel like you are talking to a wall.
My main intention is for everyone to be equipped with knowledge and make the best decision for their family's health.
My biggest piece of advice is to keep going! Even if people are quiet, they are still watching and you are building something! If you believe in the mission and in the work that you are doing, success will come inshaAllah!
Allah put me on this path I believe in what I do I am changing lives for the better, one lipgloss at a time.
TIPS & ADVICE
Don't let fear hold you back! Yes, these types of companies have a bad reputation and you might feel like you'll be "bugging" your friends. Don't be scared of what people think! You genuinely care about the people around you and you want them to be safe right?
Think about a friend that constantly drives without a seatbelt, or crosses the street without looking, are you not going to say anything because you're afraid they might get mad? This job does not have to be all sales; think about it we all share great deals we find or products we love with the people around us right? Have you never asked a friend where she got that cute dress?
Educating and advocating for a change is completely different from "selling product" and people will see the difference between passion and greed in a heartbeat.
The great thing about this business is, is that you have everything you need to be successful at your disposal.
Amazing products,
A training platform that gives you access to any topic you want to improve on
An amazing community that is there to support and help you.
When I feel stuck or I'm not really sure what is next for my business I turn to my team and brainstorm ideas. We have a monthly kick-off call that discusses all the new things that are coming up and talk through challenges we might be facing.
You can be as creative as you want in this business and there are so many amazing women (and men) to help make your business a success.
We are all working towards the same mission, so there is this amazing sense of community and the willingness to help each other.
There is SO much out there concerning direct sales and how to be successful but I have found that being your authentic self is the best thing you can be in this industry.
How do you see the Beauty Industry changing in the next 5-10 years?
Right now the industry is barely regulated and only 30 ingredients are restricted or banned in the USA. California just passed a law adding 29 ingredients to that list and that's a HUGE step.
In 5 years we hope that the federal regulation has caught up and that the FDA gets more power to recall products that are known to cause adverse health effect (like they can do with food items at the moment).
Beautycounter has banned 1800 ingredients and as more research is coming out, the list is getting more robust with more reliable data.
I think that in 5 years, we'll be setting the gold standard when it comes to ingredient safety, sustainability and ethical sourcing. I know there is no company out there with our standards and our level of commitment, but to be known worldwide for this is something I see happening in the next 5 years.
Eventually I hope that "Clean Beauty" is not a thing anymore and that all products in the personal care aisle are safe!
Just do it! I say this all the time but especially in these uncertain times during the pandemic, to be able to build a business with this much flexibility is truly amazing!
I would say, get out of your own way and take a chance on yourself, I did and it's been an amazing experience!
Not only to provide income for my family, but the connections I've made, the people I've been able to help and the difference it has made on my health and skin, are all worth it!
JOIN CATHY'S TEAM
For more information on joining my team send me a message on IG: @tulipsandturnips or send me an email at cjvanlit@gmail.com You'll also find a ton of information about the mission, products, the job on my IG.
Purchase Beautycounter items here.