We recently connected with Liz Trokey and have shared our conversation below.

Liz , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Almost every entrepreneur we know has considered donating a portion of their sales to an organization or cause – how did you make the decision of whether to donate? We’d love to hear the backstory if you’re open to sharing the details.

The main purpose of being a health and wellness advocate is to help others learn how to read their personal care products labels and make better choices for their families. I am an advocate and leader with Beautycounter. I also share tips and tricks that I have learned over the years from other cleaner companies besides Beautycounter with my clients. That is a service I provide for my Beautycounter clients. I donate a portion of every Beautycounter sale of products to the Siteman Cancer Center for the prevention and awareness of Ovarian Cancer.

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?

Beautycounter is a movement I became passionate about in 2016 after my mom was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer. It is an education based company that takes banning over 1800 ingredients in their high performing products seriously. The average American woman puts between 12 and 20 chemicals on their skin 365 days a year. Sounds shocking, right? But stop for a moment to think about what your skincare routine involves each and every day: shampoo, soap, lotion, cosmetics — the list goes on. Beautycounter focuses on quality products, safer ingredients and building a movement to level the playing field in our industry today. My goal is that you will take away information to empower yourself to make safer choices and learn some information you never knew about the personal care product industry.

I will be one of two Beautycounter Consultants in April 2022 to advocate for cosmetics reform first-hand through meetings with Members of Congress in Washington D.C. We’ve supported the passing of major bills, rallied thousands of Consultants to meet with their state officials, and inspired countless people to switch to safer products. To date, we’ve collectively sent over 200,000 emails, made over 16,000 calls, sent over 175,000 texts, and held over 2,100 meetings.

I am very proud of how I lead my business with integrity and passion. I learn new things everyday I can share with my clients whether that is a less toxic dish soap I love or a less toxic toothpaste I am obsessed with at the moment!
A lot of my clients come to me with skincare or cleaner makeup needs and turn into friends.
Customer service is number one for me. I set myself apart with avid communication and take care of issues that arise promptly,

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I started my Beautycounter business over 5 years ago before the Instagram, Reels, or Tik Tok craze. I had experience from a previous career building a Facebook business page from 0-45,000 followers so this was not a new realm for me.

The most important thing I think when you are creating content for your viewers is to think of it like dating your followers. You are not asking them to get married on the first date. I like to create content that shows about what I am trying to share but also a little about me! They need to Like, Know, and Trust you before they can buy from you! I also try to think what is setting me apart? What makes me memorable? Find your niche.

I know the last thing that people want to do is usually go LIVE, show their face, make a video, or reel. But, it is so important for others to hear from you! Don’t worry about the UH’s or UM’s you may say just show up! Show up messy. Show up with passion. The more you show up the better you will get!

The most important things for businesses that are starting with social media is to stay consistent, be you, and have a clear message of what you are trying to sell or share.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I will share a very personal story of when I had to pivot in life and business and spare the long details. I was married for 12 years with 2 kids and owned a canvas manufacturing company with my spouse in Montana. He left one day in December and was not coming back. He wanted to start a new life and we were not going to be a part of it.
We divorced and I walked away from the business that had been in the family for 3 generations and a home in Montana of 20 years. I went through a long court battle to get full custody of my children so they were in a safe environment to grow up and thrive. We moved to a Texas and finally Arizona in 2018.

I think the huge pivot in my life was changing careers when I thought my story was written with another life, business, family, friends, and state.
I decided to start a career at 40 that meant something to me.
I needed to have a job with a purpose. I needed a job with a mission and I knew the rest would fall into place with hard work. I wanted to be affiliated with Beautycounter for the mission and also the flexibility of being my own boss.
I educate men and women on less toxic choices and also help other women who want to start a small business or side hustle with Beautycounter. It is up to them what they do with the opportunity but I am supportive every step of the way.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.beautycounter.com/liztrokey
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/saferchoices.healthyfamilies
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saferchoiceshealthyfamilies
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-trokey-512555184
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbhgXJSqD6v-_5FsM-wRkig

Image Credits
Crystal Hernandez Beautycounter