What I Learnt doing Business with Oriflame

Perhaps you have heard about Oriflame, or you may still not have heard about it; whichever the case, I would like to share with you some lessons that I have learned as a mom running it as my online beauty & wellness business, and I hope it inspires you as you read.

I have done several other businesses as well apart from Oriflame. I have done Kindle book publishing, Affiliate marketing, network marketing for another company, etc.

However, one thing I have realised is that every business has its hard ground, and you need to break through; there is no easy or soft business out there.

You still have to work on yourself first because it is you who will break that hard ground when you face it. No business has a mind of its own, but the mind of the business owner who runs it.

This hard ground is not about the business; it is about me, my mindset, my mentality, my limitations, which I needed to overcome, because every business that works is not about the business itself, but about the man behind the business working it. Our limitations in running our business successfully come from our mindsets that limit us from taking the right actions required or making us quit when we face a roadblock..

So, coming back to Oriflame was because I was broke and down, I was tired of going from one business to another looking for a quick fix, a quick rich business.

So I made up my mind, I was going to settle for one and fix my mindset, and when I hit the roadblock, I will work on it until I break through. I needed to make that first decision to ensure my conviction because the truth is that many distractions will come, and I know myself, and I know I also need money.

I just thought if I could stay with one and break through, then I could tell myself I was successful, even if it is at one thing. Because if I keep going from one business to another, it will take me longer to succeed because I keep quitting and changing and not staying to build till success. How long will I live to build something to success if I keep doing that.

I believe that if others can do it successfully, I can as well.

So I resolved I will build on the long term and not quit even in 10 years.

The truth is, not every business blows up in its first year of starting. I was reading the story of Canva design yesterday of how they were looking for investors and they got soooo many rejections, the only thing they had was family support and the drive they would never give up, but they kept asking.

So my desire is to build for the long term, because the truth is I did not want to work a job all my life at 60 years, I want this business to still be paying me, engaging me, and my kids taking over if they want to continue, which is possible.

Like our Diamond Director Funmi mentioned, she built the same Oriflame business in Nigeria, and she is still earning half a million naira every month, even though she is not actively building there anymore.

That is why I chose to stay, and the beginning will require a lot of sacrifices from you, as the business owner.

My advice, if you are just starting your Oriflame business and you have people that are dependent on you for money as a mom, have your job on the side, don't make Oriflame your sole income. Oriflame is a flexible business you can do from anywhere, even while you work your job. Just make sure you don't forget your business (Oriflame) while you do another man's job.

Also, you will need to buy the products and use them to gain the confidence to keep sharing, and at first, you may not earn or may not earn much at the start. It is possible, I did not earn anything for a long period as well because I was not meeting the campaign point, even though I have a team, so Oriflame only pays you if you are active in sales.

But I did not give up, I was also using that time to learn how I could sell better, even though I was not earning yet, I was depending on the support of money from my hubby, and other Gig jobs I was doing.

So don't be discouraged, remember you are building for the long term, and don't compare yourself, some people come into the business and rock it like they were made for the business, while some build slowly, just keep moving and don't stop, each action you take towards your business keeps adding up.

Oriflame has existed for over 50 years, it will not collapse in your own time, and when we work it as a team, with team spirit and togetherness the business continuity will sustain even more generations because the truth is the products are great and it is our combined effort that will sustain the business even though it has great products.

I have also learnt that the Oriflame business can be built to focus on 2 things:

Either as a

Beauty Entrepreneur

Or as a

Wellness Entrepreneur

Either way, both require you to invest in knowledge to help you build a trusted community and make you an authority in any area you choose. But be sure both niches are needed in the marketplace.

I told you I was broke and I needed money, but the more I kept treating my business hungry to make commissions, I was not growing because I was not helping people, I was after the money.

So it is better you come into the business or any business at all with the passion to help people find a solution.

If you choose the wellness part, invest in knowledge, teach people how they can have great health, and give them valuable resources to help them.

Don't just post products that they should buy. Why should they buy? What is in it for them? Give them value.

Show them how they can enrich their lives using the product, and the way you show them is when you use it and other people's testimonials.

The hard ground I faced in my business was when I exhausted my warm audience, and I don't like the fact that I will have to be begging them to buy, so i knew it is time to start networking, building more relationships and a larger community After all, it is called network marketing.

I was scared to reach the cold audience. the cold audience is not the problem, but my limiting mindset. I was too scared of being rejected, which is a major mountain every salesperson has to overcome. if you can overcome the limitations of rejection, nothing can stop you in sales.

So I ran ads, got no result, then I got discouraged, not about the business, but what I could do.

Just like I said about the Canva story of how they had many rejections, they did not stop.

So I envisage I will keep doing it until I break through, even with the rejections, ads failure, and also keep learning.

I am sharing this so you know, everyone goes through challenges when building a business, only the fighters win, only those who don't give up on themselves and the business win.

Another thing I should say is, LOVE YOUR BUSINESS. Love it so much and look into it daily. Because on this journey, people will talk you out of your business. I have heard people say Oriflame does not work, but remember it is your business, not their business, and anything you don't love, you will struggle with it.

I love Oriflame, I love the company, I love the brand, and I love the products and the Spirit of innovation and support that drives the passion behind the company, and I use the products every day.

I have decided within me to stick to this one, not because there are no other companies out there, you can't just be everywhere, choose one and stay there inasmuch it favors you, Oriflame is not perfect, just like there is no perfect company out there, but I choose to love Oriflame with its imperfections just like you will love your husband with his imperfections too.