Who says selling cosmetics doesn't make substantial profits? I did not know it at the time, but, looking back on 5 years experience working for Avon Products, there were 2 key factors that helped me land an Avon job and trek through 5 successful years of working at the high powered Avon manufacturing plant, as Quality Assurance Technician.
Today, I run my own business, and I still value those initial Avon experiences that helped shape how I approach my entrepreneurial endeavors today.
Perspective Wake up every morning and decide that today is going to be a purposeful day.
It's the perspective that drives success each day.
If the right perspective isn't in place, you may actually be accomplishing a lot but don't even realize it! It may sound funny that an Avon Lady did not wear makeup, but I stopped wearing makeup years before I started working at Avon.
One thing I personally struggled with at Avon was that I was devoting 40 or 50 hours per week in the quality and manufacturing side of products I did not use.
It wasn't until I spoke with my cousin - who is a nurse - who told me that my work was meaningful because there were skin burn victims who needed makeup to help them get on with their lives.
It's all in the right perspective.
With the right perspective, it was very easy for me to work the first, second, and third shifts.
When Avon decided to institute a 12 hour shift, I volunteered for the night shift, and learned a lot about what went on at night at a manufacturing facility.
The Avon shampoo you use today may have been produced during one of those evening shifts, at two or three in the morning.
The person who produced that product may have worked the night shift so he could drive his kids to school after he got off work at 7 a.
m.
The woman who approved the microbiology clearance of the eyeshadow you wear today may have been working one of those night shifts, too.
She probably worked all night while her sister stayed home with her child who was fast asleep, waiting for mom to come home.
Everything depends on perspective.
Decisions Just as important to how you make an entrance and maintain relationships, the exit is equally important.
The decision to leave was due to my values and the path I wanted to drive my life down not being in alignment with Avon's direction.
It had little to do with anybody or anything other than my own self.
By the time I left, I had helped make enough body lotion, shampoo, hand cream, eye shadow and foundation to last a lifetime.
I now know that it is really important to read ingredient lists and to never pay a fortune for these products because no matter who is making the product, they are all pretty much the same.
I now know that marketing and pretty packaging mostly determines product sales in the cosmetic industry - rather than the ingredients themselves.
I now know that understanding target market research is very important, because, no matter how great the product, without research and understanding trends, business will fall flat.
A decision to leave a company is an empowering act.
A decision to stay and make what you have work is also empowering.
Taking a leap into an entrepreneurial endeavor is a big decision, and, the bottom line is that it is your decision.