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Transcription of interview with Gail Reynolds on October 22, 2012.
Douglas Goldstein, CFPÆ, Financial Planner & Investment Advisor
Gail Reynolds was once a single mom with two children living on benefit with no school
qualifications or job prospects.
Now, she is called in England the ìSix-Million Pound Mom.î
Douglas Goldstein, financial planner & investment advisor, interviewed Reynolds on Sheva Radio.
Douglas Goldstein: Youíve got a team of over 2500 Avon reps.
How did you get to where you are?
Gail Reynolds: It wasnít actually something that I was looking for.
In 2002, I moved home and I got myself a job and still have the two children and had a
boyfriend at the time, Bryan.
Weíve got ourselves a little flat so we settled in quite quickly but where Iíd moved from
was a place Iíve lived for 10 years and then I didnít really realize just what a good
network of friends Iíve got until Iíd left.
Iím talking about 3-hour drive so it wasnít like I pop in my car and so Iím going to
visit.
Avon for me was something that I kind of stumbled upon just so I could meet new people and I
just did a company.
My mom did Avon.
My nan did Avon.
I knew the product is safe.
I kind of stumbled into it.
One of the things Iíve learned over the 10 years is actually one of the key elements
to becoming successful in anything that you do.
You have to have an interest in it.
You got to have some kind of background or knowledge or experience within that industry.
I wouldnít be good in selling [tables] and house care and stuff like that because I never
really knew anything about it, but make up, I knew a lot about it and like I say my mom
and nan was in it.
Itís actually one of my top tips that if you cannot sell anything youíve got to have
at least an interest in that industry.
Douglas Goldstein: You stopped school at a rather young age about 15 and then you were
just working in the fruit and vegetable market.
Did you ever imagine that you would get to where you are today?
Gail Reynolds: I never did.
I donít know if you know but Iím one of I think 69 grandchildren and great grandchildren.
That was the last count back 3 months ago.
I was the eldest granddaughter and at the very right page of 9 and 10, I was also the
babysitter.
My momís brothers and sisters were popping babies everywhere and I was the one that looked
after all the babies so they could go and have parties and go out and celebrate.
From a very young age, I just wanted to be a mom and do the traditional, have a baby,
get married and settled down and be a housewife.
Actually, business was never in the forefront of my mind and if somebody had told me this
10 or 20 years ago, I probably would not believe them.
Douglas Goldstein: You would suggest that when people talked about you have to have
long-term plans in every step of the way, you need to know where youíre going to be
in 5, 10 or 20 years, but that may not actually be the case?
Gail Reynolds: Now I found the business that I would be in then I actually do believe in
that as a brilliant process to keep moving forward in your business.
When you kind of just stumbling along and youíll be the mom and housewife and you donít
really have that kind of mindset into growing the business then people just donít do it.
They plan some holiday and thatís about it.
They just planned one event of the year where I think once youíve got that business and
you start thinking about the business as a whole, I think planning ahead is crucial.
Douglas Goldstein: I know that youíve spent a lot of time teaching women who are looking
to go into business.
Is the advice that youíre going to give us today applicable to men as well?
Gail Reynolds: In certain years, my husband is also part of my business.
My husband who was my boyfriend when I first started Avon and I managed to save enough
money to get the ball and chain actually married in about two years later so that was my Avonís
savings, but actually after my second year, he saw my accounts and he was just absolutely
blown away.
My husband was 16 years in management and in my second year, I was earning more than
him and he was like, ìI need to see those accounts, let me see thatî because I was
still looking after the children and at one point, I was still working 20 hours a week
doing a job as well and doing the school runs and the washing, the drying and the ironing
but my husband came on board quite quickly when he saw
the money.
Douglas Goldstein: If you wanted to give one important bit of advice to a woman perhaps
who was where you were 5, 10 or 15 years ago, what would you suggest?
Gail Reynolds: Moms who are at home with children donít seem to have a lot of confidence in
themselves to actually just make the first step and start inquiring and looking out for
a work from home job.
I think one of the biggest tips I can give to anybody thatís interested in this kind
of business is do a lot of research.
You can do it now with the internet.
Five or six years ago, we didnít use the internet as big as we did today but I think
itís building your confidence as a woman.
Itís about listing what you can do rather than what you canít do.
When I went back to college at 25 years old, I went in and I said, ìI need to re-educate
myselfî and the lady said, ìWhat can you do?î and I said, ìI was good at Mathî and
she said, ìOkay, letís do a course in math.î It wasnít what canít you do, itís actually
what can you do.
One of the biggest tips I would say is probably looking yourself as a mom as well.
Youíve probably got quite a few skills that you donít even imagine youíve got.
As a parent, you always negotiate with the kids to make sure theyíre eating the broccoli
and the carrots so youíve got pretty good negotiation skill set.
Obviously again, youíve got to be good at organizing so youíve already got fantastic
skills at there and lots of moms coach and develop their children and they nurture and
thatís what this business need My biggest piece of advice would be look at yourself,
see what youíre good at, make some lists, what you know youíre good at rather than
focusing on what you canít do.
Douglas Goldstein: Are there other companies like this or is Avon really the business that
youíre referring to?
Gail Reynoldsî There is tons of multilevel marketing businesses which is what I refer
to.
I say this business because I wanted to come across like as a whole.
There are many terminologies.
Youíve got MLM which is multilevel marketing.
Weíre also called the direct selling business but itís a network marketing business as
well.
This industry that I personally kind of stumbled into 10 years ago is open to anyone in the
world that has any kind of inclination about starting up a business from home around your
children and with little or even no education in business, you donít need it because thereís
a so much information out there.
Douglas Goldstein: As you mentioned, the internet is becoming more and more prevalent in our
lives.
Do you think thatís actually going to negatively impact the need for this kind of face to face
sales?
Gail Reynolds: I donít think it is.
Avon is out in a lot of countries already but Avon in the UK just developed an online
brochure where I can put that on my Facebook account, Twitter account and any social media
account that Iíve got and I can actually sell from sitting beyond my computer desk.
I donít have to do the old traditional going put a booklet into a door or going to hand
a book to a customer and I still do that and I still will continue doing that, however,
the generations of today, a [role] online got 500 friends on Facebook, but you probably
only see three of them.
For me, itís developing and embracing change and five years ago, Facebook wasnít heard
of, but now itís like 50-60% of my business.
Itís definitely something that has positive impacts on this industry.
Personally, I see it as a positive revolutionary way to build a network marketing business.
Douglas Goldstein: Facebook is about 50-60% of your income but it certainly doesnít take
50-60% of your time does it?
Gail Reynolds: No, Iíve got Facebook pages, groups and profiles.
Iíve got my own personal website which I write blogs, helpful tips, hints and ideas
on building the business.
Even things for customers, the brandy mascaras and face creams are coming out.
One of the things I taught myself was attraction marketing about 5 or 6 years ago and Iíve
actually used all the media platforms to do that so a lot of people can find me purely
through any of the social media platform now and when you type in Avon, nine times out
of 10, Iíll pop up.
Douglas Goldstein: Are you mostly today an Avon lady or are you a business woman?
How do you define yourself?
Gail Reynolds: I donít know.
I get confused myself to be honest with you.
First, I am the Avon lady and Iím very proud of that title, but Iím also called a senior
executive sales leader which is thereís many kind of ranks and levels that you go through
so you become an Avon representative first and you sell to your own customer base, your
friends, your family and your neighbors.
Then I got promoted into leadership and you can only do that once there are representatives.
It was so basic.
It was just, ìYou know what Gail?
Youíre a pretty good Avon lady.
What if you teach us to do the same?î and by doing that, Iíve earned a commission of
what they sell.
They earned their own personal income but whatever is left over, I get commission off
that as well and then you can climb through the ranks and earn more and more percentages.
Iím a senior executive sales leader.
Iím an author.
Iím a coach and I do guest speaking as well and make inspirational speaking for other
companies as well.
Douglas Goldstein: I want to go back to something you mentioned earlier which is you felt the
need to go back and get some higher education when you were 25.
You said you studied math.
Why did you do that?
Gail Reynolds: It was the only thing I was relatively good at and when I left school
and at the age of 25, I was left as a single parent for the second time.
At age 25, I had two babies.
I had 6-week old and my boy, he was 7.
I thought life isnít supposed to be like this.
Iím not supposed to be here.
Iím 25.
I was on income support.
I had no education.
I didnít drive.
I had a very low self-esteem and I decided that actually if anybody whoís going to change
my life, it was only ever going to be me.
I just literally push myself into the local college and everything went from there and
I was only good even at numbers so for me that was
the obvious choice.
Douglas Goldstein: How can people follow the work that youíre doing and learn more about
you?
Gail Reynolds: Iím on all the social media anything from Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and
you can just type in Gailís Avon and you can find me across the board on any social
media platforms.
I have two websites.
One is called www.gailsreps.co.uk and that is based on the Avon business, the multilevel
marketing, the sales leadership and how to build a business from that.
I also have a website called www.gailreynolds.co.uk and thatís more about working women.
Thereís even a community on there where we can show ideas with about 500 members literally
across the globe.
They could be nail technicians to hairdressers to a multilevel marketer like myself.
Itís got my books on there.
Iíve got books that Iíve written for the past couple of years and all dealing to this
very similar ideas and itís just a really nice community as well.
Douglas Goldstein, CFPÆ, is the director of Profile Investment Services and the host
of the Goldstein on Gelt radio show (Monday nights at 7:00 PM on www.israelnationalradio.com.
He is a licensed financial professional both in the U.S. and Israel.
Securities offered through Portfolio Resources Group, Inc., Member FINRA, SIPC, MSRB, NFA,
SIFMA.
Accounts carried by National Financial Services LLC.
Member NYSE/SIPC, a Fidelity Investments company.
His book Building Wealth in Israel is available in bookstores, on the web, or can be ordered
at: www.profile-financial.com (02) 624-2788 or (03) 524-0942.
Disclaimer: This document is a transcription and/or an educational article.
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