Monday, March 19, 2012

Getting Started

As some of you may know, I have partnered with a wellness company called Melaleuca. I'd like to share a little background on how I became part of this company, and why.

One random day, my friend, Jessica asked me if I had plans for the following Saturday at 10:30am. I was a little suspicious, but I truly had no plans, so I agreed to meet her for, what she called, "a wellness presentation". When I arrived at the coffee shop (an odd place, I thought), she explained to me that it was also a promotion for a wellness company, but to not feel any obligation to buy the products.

I was introduced to a woman named Suzy, who had just come from her morning run but looked like she had been enjoying a leisurely Saturday morning. I was impressed. Once everyone had their coffee in hand, she started the presentation. Melaleuca is a wellness company - they offer cleaning products, skincase, nutrition, etc. There were cleaning and nutrition products scattered on the tables. At first, I was apprehensive. I have sat through many different presentations - make-up, skincare, etc. But, as I continued to listen to Suzy, I was intrigued. What she was saying made a lot of sense. Her background added to her credibility (Master of Science and Registered Dietitian). Now, not only was I impressed with her as a person, I was impressed with her company. The research this company put into their products was incredible. When she said they had never had a product recalled, I was hooked. Where do I sign up? Oh, wait...how much does it cost? I go to Walmart often, but do I really buy that many cleaning products? I wanted to try the company out, but I was still worried. I hadn't even spoken to my husband about it. Suzy went through the pricing, and I was impressed yet again. One of Melaleuca's big selling points is that they do not ship water. Everything is concentrated so that you get the most and best product for your money. And, because they do not pay for commercials, celebrity endorsements, or share a profit with stores (like Target and Walmart), they are able to keep the prices extremely competitive and lower than your average household cleaners. Plus, if I liked the products, then I would get a few bucks on the side just for telling my friends about it. Hmmm..

So, I developed a little plan. Here is what I did:

I filled out the forms to sign up, and asked Suzy to hold them until my next paycheck that Friday. This gave me an opportunity to do a little research. I pulled up the Melaleuca website under one tab and Walmart under the other. I went "shopping" at Walmart for products I buy on a regular basis - Windex, Scrubbing Bubbles, Lysol, etc. I added all of those items to my basket. Then, I went on the Melaleuca website and added the equivalent of those products from Walmart to my Melaleuca basket. Once I had a product-for-product equal basket, I checked the totals. My Melaleuca basket was $30 cheaper than my Walmart basket. So, I can save money AND avoid Walmart?  I emailed that to Michael, my penny pinching husband. He called me up and we spoke a little more about it - How often do I need to order? Will this really save us money? Could this truly become a side business for me?  We decided to switch stores, and to take this one step at a time. So, we ordered the Value Pack.

There are a couple of reasons that I ordered this specific pack. Mainly, I checked out the Melaleuca online store, and saw that I was a little overwhelmed with everything that was offered. I did not necessarily need all of the products at that very moment, but I wanted to try a few. The Value Pack gave me a nice variety, and saved me even more money than buying the products separately. I was also able to try out a few things I would not have thought to try, like the chap stick, vitamins and fiber packets. The other reason I decided to go with it was the fact that if I did decide to make this into a business venture, then I would double my bonuses along the way. Plus, if I didn't like the products, then I could send them back for a full refund. I saw it as a win all around.

The products arrived, and Michael immediately started separating them into items that we are saving money on, items that are relatively the same prices, items we may not need/buy again, etc.  It was kind of cute.  I did not throw my other cleaning products in the trash right away.  Instead, I just pushed them to the back and put the Melaleuca products up front for immediate use.

I will post other blogs with reviews of the different products, but for now, I would like to go into why I decided to go with this company, other than the above mentioned reasons.  Since giving birth to Ethan, I have been concerned with the safety of the cleaning products in our house.  Babyproofing is like a parent's right of passage, but shouldn't we also be concerned with our own safety?  Obviously, I do not want my son to down a bottle of Lysol or Melaleuca's Tub & Tile, but my mind rests much easier knowing that if he did ingest a Melaleuca cleaning product that he would be ok.  I could call poison control, and they would probably tell me to take a deep breath, give him a glass of water and watch him.  No trip to the emergency room would be necessary.  I feel confident saying this because I have investigated it.  No child has ever been hospitalized or died from ingesting Melaleuca products - I don't think Clorox can say that.

I realize there are lots of companies out there trying to "go green" and make safer products.  I am choosing to go with a company that has a proven track record.  I encourage you to do some research (honest research - you have to wade through a lot of crap on the internet), and find what works for you.

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