We recently connected with Kristen Gonzalez and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Kristen thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Your ability to build a team is often a key determinant of your success as a business owner and so we’d love to get a conversation going with successful entrepreneurs like yourself around what your recruiting process was like -especially early on. How did you build your team?
I started from 0, twice. I was actually a third grade teacher when I stared my first health and wellness company in 2015. I had some support from people above me, however, it was up to me to build my own team. If it didn’t, I wouldn’t be paid. I was so excited and passionate that I ran like my hair was on fire. I went from A-Z on my Facebook friends list and told them , they should do it with me! I told everyone within 3 feet of me about what I was doing. I posted on social daily. Long story short, I recruited 300 personal people in 5 years and collectively we recruited over 8,000 team members. Fast forward to 2020, I decided to help start a new company start over from ground 0. I knew that if I did it once, I could do it again, bigger and better. When I got started in my new mental health, wellness and beauty company, I reached out to friends and acquaintances that I knew would love to be in the beginning stages of a new company like that. I made lists of my “top dogs” and “dream team”. Then I confidently voiced clipped them on messenger telling them about what I was starting. I emphasized, that I was building from scratch and that they would be at the top and beginning with me. If they had ever thought about joining what I did previously, they wanted to get in NOW because I was doing it again. It took guts, it took confidence, it took removing the fear of rejection. It was years of building relationships that paid off. It was me showing I cared about THEM.
I had a much better on boarding system. I had tools developed to plug them into like a Facebook group just for training, a Facebook group for prospects, holding weekly informational lives and 1 on 1 zooms. I had support from a friend above me that partnered with me and helped with answering questions. I recruited 300 personal people in 6 months. I am still in early stages and find people mainly through reels and tiktok now. We see ourselves as influencers that love a brand and their products so we make fun videos to attract the right people. Our branding is edgy, unlike other companies with bright colors, funky product names and unique supplements.
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?
My journey started when I was an elementary teacher. I was burnt out, tired, fluffy and found myself crying daily because I just wasn’t happy. Financially I was a hamster in a wheel; I could never get ahead. My friend told me about some products, that I was really skeptical about at first. I didn’t want a business and thought “those things never work.” I eventually gave in and tried. I was hooked, joined as a promoter and told everyone! I was able to leave my teaching career only 8 months into starting that business. I hit the top rank of that company 18 months in, earned 2 car bonuses, 15 vacations, and built a $20+ million dollar team with 125 car bonus earners, and multiple top rank earners.
I had no plan on leaving that company, until I was approached about a new company starting. Once I saw it, I couldn’t look away. Have you had one of those moments where you just know? Arieyl is a trending, viral mental health, wellness and beauty company. We strive to be different and prove that through our diverse product lines, lucrative compensation plan, bold ideas, steadfast faith, courageous leadership and collaborative culture. We encourage entrepreneurs to be their highest self. I knew our world needed that! And man was I right. We have had over $12million in sales our first year, rated #3 best start up NWM company in business for Home and adding top leaders daily. I extremely proud of myself for building a second million dollar + team with over 300 personal recruits in 6 months, and over 4,000 in my downline. All while home with my 2 year old and 4 year old.
Our products are a natural, plant based approach to mental and physical health. We help extreme sadness, worrying thoughts, stress, overwhelm, exhaustion, frustration as well as those who need better sleep, to lose weight, to gain muscle, to help their achey joints, to feel their highest self. Half of our products are hemp based with CBD and CBG, and half are without. We combine powerful nutrients to make our proprietary blends that no one has. We have become famous for our gummy ( especially the libido one. Look that one up on tiktok). You will see how different we are with our branding and attractive appeal. We were the first, and currently the only, direct sales company with delta 8 products. Follow me on Facebook to see how different we are, or on tiktok @yogapantsceo
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
December 2020, in the middle of a pandemic, I decided to completely start over. I closed down one business and opened a new one. Most people thought I was crazy with all the uncertainty of the world, but I felt a PULL in my heart to start completely over, from ZERO. There were a few reasons why. The first and foremost was my passion shifted. I believe in business you have to be passionate about what you do. Its hard work and if the passion isn’t there, your customers will feel that and it effects your whole business. I was still in the health and wellness space, however, my new emphasis would be on mental health awareness and natural was to help with what was going on in the body. I myself was suffering mentally. We had moved in February of 202, I had my second kiddo in March of 2020 and I also had a two-year-old, all while trying to work from home as well as my husband. I would find myself crying in the closet to escape it all and hide. I didn’t know if I even wanted to be a mom. When I found the new products I was going to represent, I had to jump on board. They were helping me deal with anxious thoughts, sadness and worrying. I knew a lot of other people felt the same.
Second, I like a challenge. I had full confidence I could start over and do it again! I had built a multi million dollar business with a very strong team that I loved and I knew I could do it again. I was inches away from an award that I worked five years to earn. I was about to finally be able to call myself a million dollar earner in that company. I was not planning to leave my situation. I was burnt out, yes, but I wasn’t actually looking for anything else.
God had different plans though. He tugged and pulled at my heart to some thing that I probably would not have seeked. I knew in every bone of my body that I had to say yes to what he was calling me to. Was it nerve-wracking? Absolutely ! What if my feet would fail? What if I would step out onto that big ocean that I was not familiar with and completely fall in? What if I would drown? Where fear could have been thousands of miles deep, I found Him in the mystery.
He gave me the courage to believe that I could build another successful team again. He gave me the strength to know that I was capable of becoming more. He gave me the belief in myself that I could help even more people on a whole Nother level. He gave me the confidence to lead a whole Nother team.
See, most people are way too terrified to even consider what I did. Most of them don’t have that courage. Most would stay comfortable, but with God, we can do anything. He wants us to have abundance, he wants us to live our best life, be our highest self.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Toxic positivity. Whats that, you ask? I have no Idea I was even partaking in this, I was just repeating what I was told and heard. Its defined as the excessive and ineffective overgeneralization of a happy, optimistic state across all situations. I only saw what I had done when I felt my position at my previous company. I would say things like, “no excuses! We get it done no matter what” or ” just hustle harder” or “if they don’t support you, you don’t need them.” Yes, I feel like we should be positive and look for the good in situations, but I don’t think we should be in denial of struggle and the hard times. I think those are important too. I have been able to completely improve my leadership abilities by recognizing when I am starting to be toxic positive. I talk to people through their hard times now, we recognize it and work through the hard and we HEAL! These past 18 months in my new company have been just that, a healing journey! I am now focused on the validation and hope. This looks like ” This is hard. You’ve done hard things and I believe in you!” “I know there is a lot that could go wrong. What could go right?” “All vibes are welcome here.” “Its pretty normal to have some negative in this situation.” Being on this level, makes people feel heard, appreciated, and cared for. Ignoring the negative is like shutting out their feelings all together. That will only push people away or create, a thoughtless community that just follows. I want to help people grow, and this way of communicating has been way more effective than the toxic positivity.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.whatisarieyl.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yogapantsceo/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristenmsather/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpfaoTGyAjgVTesZzVjAOmg
- Other: libidoloco.com