"You can't spread yourself thin or no one wins"
Jeanette Baack-Lowry Tweet
Are you tired of telling yourself ‘something’ has got to change but continue the cycle of insanity day after day? Are you trapped by the money, perks and prestige that your profession affords you yet continue living in quiet desperation yearning for time to enjoy life with those that matter most?
As the eldest daughter from a family of six kids, an older brother born with special needs and raised by divorced parents…, Jeanette Baack-Lowry learned independence.
In her early teens, her father taught her about residual income because their family benefited from his successful insurance company. She also saw the downside he had dealing with the headaches that come with traditional business ownership. When he retired early before most of his friends and she had experienced the lifestyle from his residual income it became clear Jeanette could never take the traditional career path working for someone else.
She sought out ways to have that lifestyle with both time & financial freedom but most important to her was that she wanted to make a difference in people’s lives! It had to be something that ignited her passions as a difference maker, family first, healthy living and being surrounded by a community of like minded peers.
That door opened September 1990 when a friend called her to share a business idea. This hour changed the direction of her life and she is forever grateful to Pam, who gave her the inviting call.
Jeanette started SJB Int’l Inc. in 1990 partnering with a $1 billion dollar wellness company and developed a residual income stream that allowed her to retire in 1998 to be home raising her two kids the next 20 years following an unexpected divorce.
As an empty nester, Jeanette finally said YES to a girlfriend who called her inviting her to look at a new option to help people! Centered in e-commerce with emotional consumable products shared through social selling this $1 Billion company got it right! Those ready to PIVOT part-time or full time to work from home / be their own boss can participate in the profit-sharing immediately without the typical vesting delay. She applauds the compensation as it allows ANYONE to earn week one!
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Table of Contents
Let’s learn a little about you and really get to experience what makes us tick – starting at our beginnings. Where did your story begin?
Jeanette Baack-Lowry: My story began as a 4th grader when my parents sat the 6 of us down on the fireplace landing to announce that they still loved each other but cannot live together. The prior year I was introduced to gymnastics at an afterschool tumbling class. Those two worlds immediately merged …. living in a chaotic home with a single mom and an older brother born with mental challenges (I was #2 born) AND my abilities & love for gymnastics.
To escape the chaos, I put my life in a bubble where I left school at noon and spent 7 hrs./day training at the National Academy of Artistic Gymnastics in Eugene, OR until I entered 10th grade in high school.
I opted out of the elite competitions and possible Olympic dream so I could compete High School gymnastics knowing the way to college was via a scholarship.
I did just that winning the State All Around my senior year, with a broken thumb, in 1979. I would never admit back then but I was a high achiever I suppose to gain attention and praise from my father whom I admired for his business prowess and who seemingly had a better lifestyle than we had. As I got older, I’ve developed a deep and profound respect for my mom who did the best she could with the hand dealt. She is where I get my love for people and especially my heart for helping those less fortunate. (Non profits I’m involved in)
I’ve developed a work ethic that’s fierce which I got from my father, I am a team player who cheers others success, I’m the one people call on when they need something done in a crunch…I’m the girl next door who is a friend to all….especially rooting for the underdogs….I’m a mother who invested her life into her kids and now a great blessing…..as of Sept 2021….I’m a ‘Nana’ to my granddaughter Ivy Nevae!
I’m a motherless daughter who lost her mom to alcoholism 26 years ago (2 weeks after my 2nd and last child Lexi was born) and a sister 6 years ago to the same disease.
My first marriage took me to Michigan where I found myself amongst a culture of people that was foreign to me. My former husband played in the NFL for 7 years….so those years I found myself expanding my wings and dipping my toes into: A variety of charities, Teaching fitness, Kids summer programs, Modeling, Traveling with Auto Shows, VP of Model of the Year, USA to name a few…. All things I involved myself with allowed me to stay independent…. select when I worked and whom I worked with while I grew as a person learning so much about life/business/people.
To conclude (I will bet your asking when this ends :))…in 1990 when we moved back to Oregon after the NFL ended…. I knew I needed to find something I could pour my skills, passions, and time into…. I thank God every day I got a phone call from a friend Pam inviting me to try some skincare products. These products, superior in quality than anything I had purchased in high-end department stores, couldn’t be purchased retail (they’d be way too expensive with all the retail markups added) instead they came through word of mouth marketing…..today known as Network Marketing!
That phone call has changed my family’s life both physically and financially to this day. Today I help those who want to work from home taking advantage of the ecommerce boom, in the largest markets of healthy living and anti-aging while utilizing a Brand Partner that does ALL the investments into science, research, development of products, shipping and payroll. My only job is to share an incredible 20 year story of a successful company, the integrity of management, the track record for both physical and financial success both customers/associates have experienced and the proprietary -unique-‘must have’ consumable products they deliver. My perfect person is one who wants to feel/look better , join a tribe of inspired-contribution oriented people from around the world and have the choice to make either a side income or a legacy residual income you can will onto the next generation of family members.
Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? Did you ever consider giving up?
Jeanette Baack-Lowry: When I first started in Network Marketing I didn’t know that was the business I was in for the first year. I just knew there was a profound difference in my skin…and today my health….that I wanted to share with people I loved. If you eat at a great restaurant don’t you naturally share with a few people? Of course, we do.
I found myself in my closet one day, arms wrapped around my knees in tears when the chips seemed stacked against me due to some negative media (the news broadcast turned out to be a fake story made up from competitors )) but it took the wind out of me and I wasn’t sure if I should continue reaching out to people. I felt very alone….not plugged into people who could support me because I didn’t know any better early in my Network Marketing career. I remember getting a check that was more than my husband’s weekly NFL check then within days I got a call from the ‘upline’ associates who would help train me, steer my future, be positive reinforcement, friends and cheerleaders. Once I understood the team alignment in my company I never looked back.
There are always times that I’ll question my sanity…..but I’ve put on blinders for the next 5 years to help as many women as I can…….come home again to raise their kids AND contribute financially to the family. The greatest unexpected perk you’ll receive is finding a tribe of like-minded women (and men) who aspire to be the best they can be while contributing to the world both physically and financially.
Often leaders are asked to share the best advice they received. But let’s reverse the question. What’s the worst advice you received?
Jeanette Baack-Lowry: The worst advice I received was to diversify my efforts into more than one company to add multiple income streams to my portfolio. WRONG….I never did follow that advice, instead use the money earned to invest in diversified growth funds, market, property etc…. You can’t spread yourself thin or no one wins
Has the pandemic and transitioning into mostly online shopping affected your company positively or negatively?
Jeanette Baack-Lowry: The covid lock down has been one of the BIGGEST boosts aside from new product launches in the past 3 years. People are looking for options to the company they’ve worked for who many be changing the rules for a work-life balance. It’s fact that millions of women left the workforce as kids began schooling from home. There are many of those women who want to pivot from working a job to building a business in the pockets of their day. This industry offers the perfect balance.
In your opinion, what makes your company stand out from the competition?
Jeanette Baack-Lowry: I’m really glad you asked this question. All Network Marketing companies are not created the same. There are 5 things you need to consider before attaching your reputation to a company.
1. Who are the founders, their background and do they have HANDS ON EXPERIENCE in this industry? What type of character do they possess and are they in it for the long haul (generational income) or do they plan to sell/close shop in a few years. If it’s the latter…..RUN in the opposite direction.
2. Are the products UNIQUE, CONSUMABLE, and IN DEMAND? Are these products people will reorder month after month because they can’t get them anywhere else.
3. Are the products backed by REAL science….3rd party tested, peer reviewed and published in medical journals? There’s a lot of rif raff out there make sure you hang your reputation on proven data.
4. Leadership in the field working the business day to day that provides coaching to new members just starting.
5. Compensation Plan. Is the compensation stuck in the old model of Multi Level Marketing whereby your income gets cut off after a set level…..or does it allow for EVERYONE to get paid because the various payouts provided. In my company for instance, you can get your products paid for within the first week by simply sharing with two people. You can make a few hundred a week or you can aspire to be one of the next set of ‘370 millionaires already in the company’.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success?
Jeanette Baack-Lowry: Hmm this is a hard one because there are many character traits that are interwoven at any given time depending on the situation. However, I have always believed in Servant Leadership, looking for solutions with the glass half FULL and always with enthusiasm on fire!
I learned of Servant Leadership over a decade ago taking a business course. I never knew the term but feel that is the way I have always done business. I love finding people’s unique gifts/talents/strengths, drawing them out and nurturing these traits until they become automatic. In my business, it is to my advantage to help make people better than me in all categories…. because the essence of ‘walk away’ residual income is to make myself unimportant in the day-to-day tasks.
Second, I have always been an optimist so finding solutions even if I must color outside the lines (keeping it all legal and moral of course) …I am into creative thinking always looking through a glass half full NOT half empty.
Finally, I once heard from a mentor that enthusiasm will set you apart from others. “People will come for miles to watch you burn with enthusiasm.”
Contagious Energy/Enthusiasm I believe are one in the same.
Being a CEO of the company, do you think that your personal brand reflects your company’s values?
Jeanette Baack-Lowry: My personal brand absolutely reflects the company’s values. I couldn’t put my name on a company that didn’t reflect my morals/values.
The company has a VISION statement “to impact world health and free people from physical and financial pain, and in the process, create the largest health and wellness company in the world. I get to see this vision play out in front of me one person at a time….I feel blessed to be a small part of the whole.
How would you define “leadership”?
Jeanette Baack-Lowry: You are only a leader insofar as you have followers who are buying into your vision and will enthusiastically work in unison to accomplish goals bringing a vision to fruition. I think personality traits play a small part in leadership (you have to have an inclusive attitude) but I would exclude titles and ranks from being important in defining a leader.
How many of us have met a senior manager who has zero leadership skills? Leaders often have an innate ability to rally others to their highest potential when working towards a mutual goal.
What would you say is the main difference between starting a business at the time you started yours and starting the business in today’s age?
Jeanette Baack-Lowry: Wow, this is an obvious one. When I started as a professional Network Marketer in 1990, we only had landlines, videos, and cassette tapes. Communicating the business and product to a ‘potential partner or customer’ took weeks to mail videos or cassettes hoping they would be turned on then sent back to start the cycle over again. Today, communication is instantaneous with many resources at our fingertips including social media platforms,
Thirty years ago, we did most of our calls at night when people were home…after dinner…calling on the landline. Today, we live on our cellphones and at times wish they were never invented. 🙂
Back then, meeting with people was in person…. belly to belly….in a restaurant, home, or hotel meeting and subject to only a few hours during the day when people were off work. Today we can connect all over the world …in multiple time zones various tools including my favorite Zoom,
Finally, back then we had to keep inventory for customers and either ship or deliver. This was time consuming and expensive. Today, customers and associates all have direct access to the company ordering platform and products get drop shipped wherever you want them delivered.
What’s your favorite “life lesson” quote and how has it affected your life?
Jeanette Baack-Lowry: My life quote is a famous one by Eleanor Roosevelt, “The Future Belongs to those who Believe in the Beauty of their Dreams”
It’s been one of my favorite life quotes from as young as I can remember. I was a born ‘dreamer’ with a go-getter attitude and a work ethic to accomplish almost everything I set my eyes on.
My father was an influencer as he always had framed pictures in his insurance office (a house converted to an office….a trendsetter before anyone in town thought of it) This WordArt hanging on his walls made an impact on me which lead me on a path to reading ‘self improvement’ books while my siblings read Nancy Drew.
I truly believe when one stops dreaming….they’re on their way to perishing!
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Jeanette Baack-Lowry for taking the time to do this interview and share her knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Jeanette Baack-Lowry or her company, you can do it through her – Linkedin Page
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