Blog - Kevin Guest

SWEET: Successful Women Empowering Entrepreneurs Together

February 11, 2020/1 Comment/in Blog/by Kevin Guest

Hundreds of successful female entrepreneurs gathered in San Diego last week for SWEET Retreat. The annual event, organized by the USANA United States Sales Team, is critically important.

SWEET, which stands for Successful Women Empowering Entrepreneurs Together, is designed to bring together entrepreneurs from all walks of life. Lori Truman, USANA’s Vice President of U.S. Sales, says the retreat helps “SWEET Sisters” empower one another and lift each other up.

It’s a unique event that I think is absolutely amazing.

Day one of SWEET Retreat is underway! We are so excited to hear from all of the amazing and empowering women who are speaking this weekend! ????‍♀️ pic.twitter.com/xUR7qr7aPB

— USANA, Inc. (@USANAinc) February 7, 2020

From what I saw on social media and in hearing from others personally, a strong lineup of speakers, including keynote and bestselling author Elaine Welteroth, were not only inspirational and motivational, but they also offered practical advice to help others succeed — in business and in life.

Members of the USANA management team, as well as top Associate leaders, offered personal insight on a range of topics. Communicating effectively, providing an exceptional customer experience, and creating a clear vision for your success were just a few of the presentations that seemed to resonate with attendees.

While I (obviously) didn’t attend (Dan Macuga and I did come close, several years ago…), I’m certain I could feel the energy emanating from SWEET.

SWEET: Learning, Empowerment

As I’ve traveled around the world so far this year, I’ve spoken a lot about the value of emotional intelligence. How do we as leaders connect with others in their space? More specifically, how do we better empathize with those facing challenges personally and professionally?

An event such as SWEET, which combines learning and empowerment and camaraderie and outright fun, is critical to USANA as a company. It’s who we are, and who we strive to be.

Direct selling in the United States is a $35 billion industry. And, according to the Direct Selling Association, women make up 75% of the direct sales force.

Continuing to recognize and empower our female leaders is of utmost importance. I’m grateful USANA has strong, talented women leaders who exhibit emotional intelligence and who encourage others, as I like to say, to live life in crescendo.

As Elaine Welteroth emphasized in her SWEET keynote, three keys to success are:

Have a clear vision
Have faith in yourself
Get support from other females

Judging by the popularity of SWEET over the years, and by the successful women entrepreneurs who have attended, I’d say we’re on the right path.

The three keys to success, according to @elainewelteroth:
1. Have a clear vision
2. Have faith
3. Get support from other females
4. Be Beyoncé (but if you can’t be her, just be consistent ????) pic.twitter.com/OJYuCzPf8v

— USANA, Inc. (@USANAinc) February 7, 2020

It’s the People You Meet

January 27, 2020/0 Comments/in Blog/by Kevin Guest

A jingle from a lifetime ago about people popped into my head the other day.

Oh, who are the people in your neighborhood?
In your neighborhood?
In your neighborhood?
…
Well, they’re the people that you meet
When you’re walking down the street
They’re the people that you meet each day.

That’s right — Sesame Street. It’s a song that introduces children to a variety of people and professions.

Meeting with members of the media in Beijing.

As you might know, I’ve been traveling non-stop since the first of the year. If you’re following me on social media, you’ve seen me post pictures from Taiwan, Beijing, and Korea. I’ve spent time in New York and Chicago, and now I’m home in Salt Lake for a few days.

A selfie with some of the people I met in Taiwan in January 2020.

Though they live outside my literal neighborhood, I’ve been thinking about the hundreds — possibly thousands — of people I’ve met over the last three weeks.

The people I’ve met.

Yes, many were familiar faces. But a lot were friendly strangers I met for the first time. It’s amazing how much I’ve learned from them — about their diverse cultures, their expertise in all aspects of life, and how they’re going about achieving their goals and aspirations.

Throughout the trip, I’ve spoken frequently about the value of emotional intelligence. How we connect with people “in their space,” so to speak. It’s what experts say distinguishes great leaders from good ones. Researchers have boiled emotional intelligence down to five key components, one of which is empathy.

Empathetic people are skilled at attracting and retaining talent, they have an ability to develop others, and they possess a sensitivity to cross-cultural differences.

Doesn’t that sound like the kind of person you’d like to be? It’s the kind of person I strive to be.

If you read my blog post from earlier this month, I spoke about kindness and how we each should try to be a little kinder to one another in 2020. Well, as I’ve traveled all over the world and experienced all sorts of cultures, I’m impressed by the people I’ve met — in terms of kindness and empathy.

It’s the people we meet each day that could have a major effect on our lives (and us on theirs). It’s the emotional intelligence we demonstrate in these everyday interactions that will have a lasting impact.

Here are a few more pictures from my recent travels. Thank you all for making me feel so welcome wherever I go.

So grateful for the individuals who attended my book signing in Taiwan.

A warm welcome in New York. Thank you!

Celebrating the grand opening of the new offices in USANA Korea.

A version of this post originally went to my e-newsletter subscribers. If you’re not yet subscribed, please do so here.

A New Year of Possibilities Starts with Kindness

January 13, 2020/1 Comment/in Blog/by Kevin Guest

A new year is upon us and with it a world of possibilities. Many of us make resolutions and set goals — lose weight, advance in our careers, eat healthier, etc. But at the start of 2019, I invited readers to join me in one important quest:

Let’s work toward becoming a little kinder, a little happier, and a little better in our relationships with others.

Now, at the start of a new year: How did we do?

Evaluate and Assess

Each December, I evaluate and assess what I accomplished in the previous 12 months. I’m also honest with myself and write down what I’d hoped to accomplish, but which I didn’t.

I wrote about my process in a blog post last January. That process includes a tactic I picked up from Benjamin Franklin. As a teenager, Franklin wrote down important things that he wanted to pattern his life after. We think of those as our values. For me, my goals and objectives are closely connected with my personal values.

So we write down our goals, but it’s not enough just to write them down and stuff them in a drawer. Rather, as Franklin did, we must track how we’re doing. Franklin tracked in his notebook how well he did in following one of the 13 virtues he considered to be most important to him. (Incidentally, a more in-depth description of this is included in All the Right Reasons. Not surprisingly, the chapter’s called The Ben Franklin Principle.)

Looking Ahead

Toward the end of 2019, I participated in an important challenge called Commit to You: 90 Days of Health. In addition to writing down my commitment, I recorded it on video and shared it publicly. I committed to living a life more present. To live in the moment rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.

And that’s how we circle back to the invitation at the top of this post. By committing to being more present, I became more aware of how my actions affected those around me. I instantly thought about how I could be a little kinder. Interacting with those I love and care about helped me to become a little happier. All of the above helped me to become a little better in my relationships with others.

But just because we flipped the calendar doesn’t mean we’re done. As we embark on another new year, I ask that we continue to strive for more kindness and happiness in our lives.

As Gary Vaynerchuk, who spoke at the 2019 USANA Live event, wrote on his social media: Kindness is the word of 2020.

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Let it be known! For all the ambitious, winners, warriors, people. This unique characteristic is a stunning unlock to all you’re looking for. It aint soft, it’s the hardest

A post shared by Gary Vay-Ner-Chuk (@garyvee) on Jan 1, 2020 at 1:21pm PST

All the Right Reasons includes 12 timeless principles for living a life in harmony. Book sales benefit the USANA Foundation to help ensure impoverished children and families reach their fullest potential.

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