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I grew up in a very modest, two bedroom home as the son of a homebuilder. I was the only child in that home, and there were no other homes with kids within view of my front porch. Because of the limitations of my childhood, I had some very specific desires for my adulthood. More than anything, I want a big family.
I always wanted brothers and sisters, and when I married Kelly, I gained a brother and two sisters. With all of my new cousins, aunts, and uncles, it became common for there to be holiday gatherings that included over fifty family members. I loved being a part of it, even if I was the quiet one in the corner most of the time.
A few years later, I was working as a staff member at a church, making about $30k/year. We lived in an apartment with our daughters who were both under two years old, when Kelly talked to me about joining Scentsy. She had just been a part of another direct sales company that had been completely canceled and absorbed into a traditional retail model. After that experience, I was nervous about trying another direct sales company, and to be honest, it didn’t seem like wax and warmers could ever produce a legitimate business for our family. But it only cost a hundred bucks to join, and it seemed to make Kelly happy, so I figured it was worth a shot.
What came later was exactly what I didn’t expect.
Almost immediately, Kelly was able to fill her schedule with home parties. One of the first things I noticed was how simple the whole thing seemed. With her previous business, she purchased at wholesale, sold at retail, and we had to keep track of inflows and outflows at a tedious level, the company only paid her from the credit card transactions that were made, and in the end, it just never felt like she was making much money. With Scentsy, she submitted the payment to her workstation and they sent her back a percentage for commission on a monthly basis. It was easy to see the profitability of the business, and it became clear to me that we were already in a much better business model for direct sales. As we continued, I learned about how Scentsy keeps a commitment to consultants by making sure all sales come through an Independent Consultant.
Soon, we found out that Kelly was getting close to earning a trip. For the first several months of the qualification period, we hadn’t even considered it a possibility, so we didn’t even check on her points until the last two months. She quickly put together a handful of extra Scentsy parties and earned a trip for our family to go to Disney.
I never thought I’d be able to take my family to Disney on the salary I was making, but Scentsy brought it within reach.
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While in Disney, we met a bunch of new consultants. We heard from the corporate leadership and met the owners of the company. Everyone was so genuine. They were so kind. They loved Scentsy–not because of the product–but because of the people. Scentsy was providing a legitimate home business to families who needed a greater purpose. We heard stories just like ours–people who were finding more than scented wax–people who were finding purpose and value in themselves. And as I watched my wife get more involved, I found out that this wasn’t about wax and warmers–it wasn’t about paying bills–it was about purpose. Kelly was finding her purpose in Scentsy by helping other people start their own businesses at home. She was finding ways to add value to people who thought they would never be able to be successful business owners. Our downline grew as people began coming to us to be a part of this incredible journey, and our hearts grew as we found purpose for our family that stretched far beyond the walls of the church we served in.
Seven years later, things are so different.
We now have four children. I dream of days in the future where we have fifty kids, grandkids, and great grandkids gathered at our own home for Christmas. We own a home. We have a reliable car. And at the beginning of September, we took a giant leap of faith.
As I watched Kelly’s own business grow from an idea to a hobby to a business, I marveled as it grew from a business that that helped our family to a business that helps other families. It became about more than just our four walls. It became all about adding value to other people.
Three months ago, I quit working full time at the church we had served in for eight years to follow a calling that took a great deal of faith. I left a full time salary with benefits to help a good friend start a brand new church and start my own businesses building websites for churches and businesses. For the last three months, I’ve made a fraction of the income I used to make, but it hasn’t stopped us from following this calling, and it’s all because our Scentsy business has the ability to carry our family.
A few weeks ago, I watched one of my closest childhood friends get baptized in this new church. Lives are being changed because of the sacrifice our family is making, and we wouldn’t be able to make that sacrifice without our Scentsy business there to provide a foundation.
Scentsy has taught us how to grow a business. It’s taught us how to give more than we take. And it has given us the ability to start new things that bring hope to new people.
Today, we celebrate a choice that was made seven years ago. Thank you, Kelly, for working so hard at this business to give our family the ability to do great things.
Happy Scentiversary, Kelly!