We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kim Washington a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Kim, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think it takes to be successful?
In order to know that success has been reached it is in truly in the mind of the person looking to reach that success. Everyone’s definition of success is different. I do however believe that in order to create success you have to put the work in. It is said that one must give at least 2 years of time into their business in order to see the results of any success. Now that doesn’t mean that baby steps are not success because they are. Those little steps lead us to the ultimate success. It does require us to have grit but it also requires grace. As a business owner for the last 23 years I have had to go through many challenges in order to reach my desired success. Making it past 2 years was a success milestone. Being in the industry for 23 years is a greater success milestone. One must take the good with the bad and be willing to learn and grow from any backward steps but also celebrate any step moving forward no matter how little.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I was introduced to the direct selling industry after moving to Florida from New Jersey back in 1999. I worked full time in the Human Resources field and then dabbled in some different direct selling companies while working full time. In 2006, I was introduced to Thirty-One Gifts. It was a brand-new direct sales company in Florida and its inception was 2003 in Tennessee. What got me excited about this company was that I was in need of a gift for myself and my family. We had a life situation that I know many can relate to – a sick child. As a newborn, my son Dean was sick A LOT. As his mother, I wanted to be there for him but at this season of my life, I had a Corporate America job as a Recruiting Manager that took me away from him and his big sister, Kaylie 40+ hours a week, not to mention the pager strapped to my side at all times. So one day, the phone rang….It was the daycare….Dean was sick again. Instead of being understanding, my boss said, “It’s time for Dave to pick him up.” That was the last straw for me – I was done. I resigned.
When I started with Thirty-One, I didn’t know where this journey would take me or my family, but I knew that I didn’t want to go back to punching a time clock. So – I worked my business. I did parties, I shared the Thirty-One opportunity with everyone. Notice I said ‘share’, not ‘sell’. It is all about sharing and recommending. I never claimed to be a salesperson and I don’t today. Finally, I began to build a team. Things were going really well for me. And then our family was faced with another challenge – the phone rang…. And it was Dave saying he got laid off. Instead of letting it negatively impact my business, we used it to our advantage. Dave being home now allowed me to work Thirty-One even more while he was able to spend more time with our young children. It allowed me the opportunity to propel my business to the next level as well as have consistency. I stayed with this company for 14 years and when Covid came a new opportunity presented itself. It was still in direct sales but with a new product line; jewelry. It was not an easy decision to make after I had built a huge organization over the last 14 years, but with compensation and other changes taking place with this company, I made the decision to take another leap of faith using my confidence and vast skills as a leader and entrepreneur to move into my next season with Park Lane jewelry. I have been with them for 2 years now and in the direct selling industry for 23 years.
One of the benefits of Park Lane is that they offer a Direct Appoint Program where they give you ‘credit’ for past leadership experience in a direct sales company. So, all the years I had at Thirty-One were considered in my interview process. I was able to come over at a Sales Vice President level and not have to start over again as a Stylist, starting brand new. We offer a variety of high fashion, hypoallergenic, reasonably priced jewelry of which many pieces are designer inspired. My passion is to give back and make a difference. Whether that be with giving back time, money or products to the community through charitable opportunities or helping empower and impact others with their business or dreams. I am proud to be an entrepreneur and CEO (Chief Empowering Officer as I like to call it) and a role model for not only my community and team but also my two now young adults. I am a small-town Jersey girl who many will tell you was extremely shy, would hold onto my mom’s leg and not speak much as a young child to now a woman and business owner who is perfectly imperfect and who has much more confidence because of being in the direct selling industry and having to step a lot out of my comfort zone to build a business.
What sets me apart from others is that I am not about the ‘sale’ when meeting people. I love connecting and building relationships first. It is through these relationships that I am then able to share and recommend our jewelry for them or as gifts. I can help women take their wardrobe from drab to fab by recommending pieces that would help level up their style. I am also very creative and like to be unique. I have branded myself as “Your Go to Sparkle Girl” and people remember that. Also, as I mentioned I have a passion for giving back. I have created my own Get One. Give One. jewelry give back program called “Project Happy Hearts” to help support mental health awareness. With a pair of heart earrings, it helps put some HAPPY in the hearts of someone else and together we can create more happiness with a sprinkle of sparkle. It helps me bring it to the surface when so many struggle with sharing openly. Both my two young adults suffer from depression and anxiety, so it is my way to honor what they have to deal with each and every day.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
What I learned from the Covid-19 Crisis is that people in general had previously taken for granted family and friends including myself. We live in a world of hustle and bustle and in busy seasons of life where we don’t take the time, we should to spend doing things we love and sharing time with others who are important to us. When the lockdowns began, it not only increased the need to ‘see’ people more and virtually (zoom, facetime, etc.) but it also increased mental illness cases; especially that of students. From a business standpoint, I learned that as an in-home party businessperson, I could pivot to share my business through social selling and virtually. I now how to learn even more how to social sell and level up to the different platforms to keep up with how shoppers were now pivoting their shopping, primarily to online. It meant I had to be even more consistent virtually to keep make sure my name and brand were being remembered since events and in home parties were not happening. It was a time for me to get to know my customers even better. Through virtual selling and ‘meeting’ new people through Zoom I got a closer look into their personality and even homes which was fun. I believe through down times, it does bring people closer together.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I have been rooted in my current community/city for 16 years. I have consistently immersed myself into my community by showing up at events, fundraisers, people’s homes and through giving of my time, products and money. It has kept my name and personal brand in the minds of others. With my previous direct selling company, I branded myself as Your Go to Gift Girl and when I pivoted to Park Lane, I switched to Your go to Sparkle Girl. My mantra is to Dream BIG & Make a Difference. I will always say that I am not about ‘selling’ but focus more on sharing and recommending the products I offer. It is important that I build the relationships and connections first and serve up my service and passion for helping others and the sales will come after. It also includes having exceptional customer service and making sure those I serve are purchasing items that meet their lifestyle and style needs as well as loving the jewelry once it is received.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.yourgotosparklegirl.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/sparkleinstylewithkim/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-washington-b37755/
Image Credits
Tracy Croushorn with Tracy Lynn & Company photography.