This is not the blog I planned or even wanted to write today, but it’s necessary.
A month and a half ago, I shared a lot about the genuine reasons behind leaving my previous company 25 months ago. I wasn’t sure anyone cared at this point, but I knew I needed to talk about it. The only reason I waited so long was that I had to.
To catch you up:
After I resigned in February 2021, I was sent several letters threatening legal action for choosing to resign from my position completely and work with a different company, to grow in the ways I had hoped to, and to lead and work from a place of integrity. I was accused in a final packet, sent by a law firm, of many things that I had not done, but it was clear that there were many loopholes and semantics that, should they genuinely choose to sue a stay-at-home mom, they could have.
I was in a challenging place, personally. While I don’t advertise the details of my life over the last few years, I have nothing to hide regarding it.
When I received the final, intimidating, packet, I was going through some difficult times in my marriage. I was broken, living with family while we did some hard work. My children’s lives were in upheaval, and the only thing that mattered to me was helping them get through everything the best I could, which meant sucking up the things being said about me, allowing the lies to be told, knowing that those who truly knew me would know better than to believe them, and also accepting that good people would probably fall victim to the lies, but that I would be ok. I was ok, my business proved to be exactly what I knew it could and would be as soon as I learned about it and realized what I had been trying to ignore.
I would serve my children, I would trust in God, I would be ok, but I wouldn’t put our family through any more than it had to go through. So I let it all go…until I was free to share again, which was officially in February of this year. It was on my calendar.
I’ve gone over so much in my previous posts. I know I’ve continued to upset people, but more importantly, I’ve shed much light on a decision that was not made lightly and I’ve been able to explain to my team, the ones who most deserved this explanation, what led to this huge and surprising decision. Through this sharing and the willingness of people to reach out, I have realized that there are several questions that I still left unanswered.
So today I will answer them, at least the first few I know that continue to circulate.
First of all, to those of you who have messaged me with an apology for believing things you heard, for disliking me for the decision I made and the things you were told, for anything really…I want you to know I do not hold any anger or resentment towards you. It means the world to me to hear from you, but I do not feel owed an apology at all; that said, I love hearing from you. I love getting to reconnect; I loved the people I worked with, even when I realized that I was no longer in the right place. Most importantly, though, I have always understood that when you are in a community that thrives on holding the same beliefs and is afraid of people looking outside, the things you are told and will be willing to believe are not your fault. It would not be your fault if you wanted to accept them. I’m not upset with anyone for participating in those conversations and sharing what they were told. I understand. I understand that you didn’t feel you had reason to question. I know you may have been told these things by people you trusted, and I’ve learned that people, businesses, organizations, and many other governing groups will do anything to protect themselves.
I will set the record straight though.
Feel free to fill out my anonymous question form if I miss something. I’m happy to answer anything.
Here we go...
“The Company is the “evil” and Re-Branded to Hide a Shady Past and Multiple Lawsuits.”
This has been a big piece of the storyline used to convince people that this company is untrustworthy, dangerous, and nefarious.
All of the information I am about to share is public information; it’s available…it’s all in a simple google search. It’s ok if you didn’t find it on your own, or even look into it, whether you believed the person sharing the information with you or just wanted to believe the stories, I understand, but it’s essential to know the truth.
The owners of the original Legacy company, Neways, surrendered executive control in 2002 and eventually sold the company completely in 2006, days before they began their prison terms after being charged and sentenced for Federal Tax Evasion. The company was purchased by a private equity firm specializing in flipping failing companies with solid products and bringing them back to life. In the purchase, they acquired all of the company’s assets, which included a broad array of naturally derived products, free of potentially harmful ingredients—about 3,000 in all, such as PEGs, SLS, phthalates, and parabens along with their production lines.
This is common practice in business acquisition. The founders made bad choices, including an additional lawsuit for including HGH in a product without disclosing it. That product no longer exists.
All that said, Neways was revolutionary initsr product development and emerged as one of the first clean-label companies with many happy customers worldwide, but yeah, the made some major mistakes. They are no longer a part of the company and have not been since it sold in 2006. Founder of Neways, Thomas Mower, passed away August 4, 2020.
The new company, under new ownership, kept those products that were safe and supported the new direction, then they got to work on creating a reenvisioned business. Social Retail and Modere set out to create a customer-centered business, an incredibly generous compensation plan, and a party + event-free business structure that would prove to be far ahead of its time and would disrupt an industry that was in desperate need of change. They set out to become the most viral clean living company on the planet, set a new bar for all companies (see Nike, Amazon, eBay, and more), and create a duplicatable system that not only fairly compensated marketers but honored and rewarded customers. Just to name a few.
Forbes:
The company is owned by Private Equity and Stakeholders, not a beautiful and happy family who vow to keep the “Mission” intact.
I get it. In Network Marketing, most all companies have founders who are the face of the company. They are most likely unique humans with good souls and hopes for everyone to succeed. They also help to preserve loyalty to the company; in some, they’re nearly worshipped. A company without that seems so different, and it’s easy to use this against it.
This is business, though. Having a strong CEO is important, and having a strong corporate team is important. Having money is very important. This is not (or should not) be about hero worship; it’s about strength, innovations, technology, science-backed products, strong systems, and the safety of being owned by an equity firm with funds that most other companies could only dream about with the strength of a corporate team that drives the product and business innovation through patented products, clinical based research, and unparalleled systems is only made better with an incredible financial backing. Our CEO runs our company and does it beautifully, earning awards and accolades far outside the Network Marketing World. See Bottom of article for more on CEO, Asma Ishaq.
Most companies have a lovely story but are actually run by a board of directors. Find out who yours are.
“I was told, by important people, that you were given a team and a bridge (money/salary) to go to Modere.”
This one actually hurts my soul, no matter how much I try to brush it off. First, because it’s not just false, but a blatant lie; second, because it was told by people who were completely aware of the fact that they were making it up and that others would believe them due to their proximity to me and their position in the company.
I was not shopping for companies. I did not even know that there were companies that would pay people to leave and take their teams with them. I’m not exactly bashing it, but we’ll get to that in a minute. It’s not what I did.
I know that there are so-called gurus who teach people how to do “social-selling” and grow their MLM business. They make all kinds of suggestions on how to do things I’m not even sure they have done themselves. “Sign under someone who is at the top of the company,” “Shop offers,” and “Shop leaders.”
I didn’t know about these things, and I’m glad I didn’t because I don’t agree with any of them. You should learn as much as possible and go where feels best, but I am so proud of my story and how it was done, who I am with, and where I have gotten. To have thousands of people be told lies about that and have my character be brought into question, well, it’s just one of those things that are so not ok that you know that you just let go and let God because the truth is there and will become clear. Those people know the stories they spun, that can’t sit well, but if it does…I suppose that makes me even more proud of my decision.
I signed with my cousin. She had never done direct sales. She bought a lot of Norwex from me and signed with a friend at Modere who was starting over after leaving a different health and wellness company where she was grossly underpaid, underappreciated, and overworked for over a decade. Sarah, my cousin, signed with her as a friend because it’s scary to start over.
I didn’t know anything about Sarah’s upline. I didn’t care. I was signing with her no matter what. Sarah lost her son a few years before; I always dreamt of getting to do something together, I always knew she would have a massive impact on the world through her story and her courage. I signed under her…she didn’t know anything about what she was doing.
I have not had a single person, let alone a team member, given/placed/handed to me since the day I started here. It’s not a thing; I’ve not heard of anyone getting that. It does happen in other companies in order to entice leaders, it’s not how it goes down here, and it certainly didn’t happen to me.
I was not offered any salary, monthly stipend, lump sum, or guarantee of success outside of what the business held. THAT WAS ENOUGH.
My uplines all agreed to split and pay me 10% of my volume in my first month. It was a total of 14 days, which amounted to $2700. It was nice, it was more to help my husband feel a little better, but I had earned what I needed on my own. The next month, with nothing but my "little" growing from the bottom business, I earned 150% of my highest-paid month at my previous company on the team I grew from scratch, which was 1/13 the size of my previous team. So it was hardly necessary.
I'm not saying everyone will come in and do the same thing, but the fact that I did means it's more than possible, and I've seen far greater things happen here.
If you begin a company with something like a salary, a leg, or a way to make you feel like you’ll be as successful or more so…how does that translate to those who follow you to that business?
I left because I was tired of watching good people work hard only to continue to struggle in a business that was hard…but would become far more difficult with the changes occurring in the E-commerce world. I had tried to make that business and company see the changes, I tried to help everyone on and off my team, make online selling successful. I saw the coming shift and the downfall of the party structure, I was tired of people doing “all the things” and not earning or growing. I was tired of the grind I was in, and I was no longer feeling ok with encouraging others to get to where I was…not just because it was hard, but because I knew it would be nearly impossible.
SO if someone had offered to hand me a business that was already built, money I hadn’t earned, something more than I could turn around and offer anyone else…I would never have even considered it, not only because of the strings that are always attached, but because it's not what I came for. I came here because the business, products, and systems were so sound that I knew I could succeed without handouts, but more importantly, so could others.
Our company will not fly you to visit the CEO to woo you; we don’t need to. We won’t offer a bridge, and you won’t be given a team.
I’ve since been offered these things by other companies who do regularly seek top leaders and entice them with a new business. You’d die if you heard some of the offers thrown at me.
No thanks. I so appreciate it though. Which, interestingly enough, are the exact words I gave my daughter when she came to me with tears in her eyes at about 3 years old and asked what she would do if someone asked her to marry them and she didn't want to.
Getting to start over from nothing was invaluable in every way.
I get to say that I did that. I got to watch others do it. People who had struggled in this industry for years. I get to share an opportunity that is so good; none of that is needed. That’s our flex here. That’s the greatest and most important flex there is. It should be the first thing top leaders look for. I know that it’s scary, all the thoughts that fly through and the self-doubt that creeps in, and that’s why those offers are so enticing. It feel good to feel like you are being honored for your great success; that’s not what it is, though. You can do the big things, you already have.
People change companies for a lot of reasons; top leaders leave for a lot of reasons. I do not doubt plenty of these offers do make good sense. I do not mean to shame anyone who chooses this path. I left because I wanted to stand strong in my leadership and know that I felt good about the business I was offering anyone who chose it; because of that, I needed a company where anyone could succeed. That meant there should be no need for offers.
I needed a company that would allow me the ability to build my own business, become the things I had dreamed about outside of a product, and allow me to be myself and feel proud of what I did both in and out of the business I chose. I wanted to go Level After Next.
If you've read this far, I thank you. I will resume my stories and podcasts on leadership, clean living, mental health and wellness, parenting, building businesses, diversifying income, and all the other things now. I had to share these things, and I will answer any questions anyone has with complete transparency now and forever. You need to ask. Be willing to learn.
So while we are on the topic, I will not-so-shamefully let you know that the newest Patent-Pending multibillion dollar launch has happened this month.
See below for all the things. I'm always here, I'm always learning, and I'm always hoping to share valuable things.
Excited for this weeks's podcast with Lin Rivers, a woman more well-versed in the MicroBiome and its incredible impact on our lives. Be sure to check out last week's episode with the Author of 5 Stones for Slaying Giants, with professional speaker, professor, author, VP of Sales for a multibillion-dollar company, and podcast host Curt Toefurt.
Stay tuned in to the blog for some great sales on my Amazon Favorites and everything else Level After Next.
Thank you for being a part of this journey with me.
Yours always,
Katie B.
MODERE OVA™ + MODERE OVA™-M
Intuitive Nutrition for Optimal Hormonal Health
WHAT MAKES OVA DIFFERENT? Modere Ova™ is a new, patent-pending women’s health line formulated for women, by women. Ova does more than target a collection of normal menstrual and menopausal symptoms. It supports optimal hormonal health — and it does this without hormones or soy isoflavones.
HOW DOES IT WORK? It’s formulated based on emerging science that links normal menstrual and menopausal symptoms to fluctuating levels of key micronutrients in the body. By syncing to your cycle, it targets the body’s responses to these fluctuating nutrients, providing optimal support when you need it most.
Asma Ishaq is the Chief Executive Officer of Modere’s, a global, live clean lifestyle brand whose advanced science portfolio of beauty and personal care, health and wellness, and household products is currently sold in 44 international markets. Ms. Ishaq pioneered the collagen/HA dietary supplement and skincare markets when she co-founded Jusuru International in 2009 with a blue-ribbon product line based on Liquid BioCell®, a highly successful, premiere line of patented liquid collagen and hyaluronic acid nutraceuticals, nutricosmetics and skincare products. Ms. Ishaq led Jusuru through its acquisition by Modere in February 2017 and was appointed Modere’s CEO less than one year later in January 2018.
Ms. Ishaq was named Chairperson of the Collagen Stewardship Alliance, the collagen trade association created by the Trust Transparency Center, in March 2020. She is also a committee member on the Council of Responsible Nutrition, an active member of the Committee of 200 (C200) and the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), a Zenith member of the Women President’s Organization (WPO), and serves on the Board of Directors of the DSA, DSEF and CEO Council of the World Federation Direct Selling Association (WFDSA).
In 2021, Ms. Ishaq catapulted Modere to no. 1 on the 50 Fastest Growing Women-Led Companies list after having debuted at no. 3 on the prestigious list in 2020. Her stewardship also led to Modere’s ranking on Newsweek’s 2021 list of 100 Most Loved Workplaces. NutraIngredients named Ms. Ishaq NutraChampion in 2020, honoring her lifetime achievement and contribution to the nutrition/natural products industry.
A sought-after speaker on industry stages including the Asma Ishaq is the Chief Executive Officer of Modere’s, a global, live clean lifestyle brand whose advanced science portfolio of beauty and personal care, health and wellness, and household products is currently sold in 44 international markets. Ms. Ishaq pioneered the collagen/HA dietary supplement and skincare markets when she co-founded Jusuru International in 2009 with a blue-ribbon product line based on Liquid BioCell®, a highly successful, premiere line of patented liquid collagen and hyaluronic acid nutraceuticals, nutricosmetics and skincare products. Ms. Ishaq led Jusuru through its acquisition by Modere in February 2017 and was appointed Modere’s CEO less than one year later in January 2018.
A sought-after speaker on industry stages including the World Collagen Conference and NutriCosmetics Summit, Ms. Ishaq’s work has earned recognition and awards from organizations such as SupplySide West, New Hope and the DSA. She has also appeared on Fox, CBS, ABC, NPR, and in Forbes as a go-to expert.