Laurie, I’m excited to learn more about you and your career path. Can you tell us a little more about what you do and your journey in business so far?

I’ve worked in direct sales for about 20 years in total. I now represent ONEHOPE Wine, the Napa Valley Winery that gives back!

That sounds interesting - wine + a way to give back! What have you learned about people from working in the Direct Sales industry? 

Overall, folks are good. The people drawn to ONEHOPE tend to have huge hearts. They’re passionate about giving back and enjoying WINE! Two of my favorite subjects!

In this hellish time of the world, it would be easy to believe that people aren't good. But they are good, and I’m surrounded by these folks daily. When I walk into someone's living room to help them experience what a Napa Valley wine tasting might feel and look like, knowing that they are raising money for something very near and dear to them, I feel whole. I know I am helping, even in that small way, to improve the world. I’m helping to nurture the future, and that feels amazing!

Do you want people to know anything about ONEHOPE as an organization and what sets them apart from other businesses? 

Any business model involving direct sales can have a lot of misinformation about them. But ONEHOPE is different than most. The salespeople are primarily women trying to find a stream of income that allows them to be home with their families while offering time flexibility. This industry is so flexible regarding how much or little a person wants to work and, ultimately, how much they want to earn. The financial possibilities are endless, and I love that growth plays a huge role in what we offer as a business.

I’d also love to set the record straight about the misconception that ONEHOPE might be a pyramid scheme. That word gets thrown around easily, but pyramid schemes are actually illegal! ONEHOPE is 100% ethical and gives back to non-profits, which I adore. 

It sounds like ONEHOPE is a great opportunity for self-driven people to begin an awesome career. What challenges have you faced in growing your business, and what strategies have you used to help your business succeed?

Because I am an entrepreneur, I am very clear on the responsibilities and requirements of running a successful company. Unfortunately, most of the women I meet along my path in the Direct Sales/Social Marketing world are not as familiar with what it takes to run a business like this and rock it.

Success in this industry takes hard work, commitment, energy, and resources. It takes showing up every day -  day in and day out, no matter what. It takes every ounce of fortitude you have not to quit. In our industry, Covid really made us think outside the box. 

Our business brings the Napa Valley wine-tasting experience into people's homes. So when Covid hit, suddenly, we weren't doing that anymore. While hundreds of people in our organization jumped ship, the top leaders in our company came together with a plan to create smaller bottles of wine and package them into a 4-pack for Zoom tastings! Suddenly people could enjoy their wine tastings safely over Zoom calls from the comfort of their homes, and our business flourished! 

This was a perfect example of learning to pivot, rebuilding, and learning to work with other teammates who were also ambitious and like-minded! Ultimately, I saw my business grow 4x during the Covid period.

Wow! That’s incredible and a brilliant example of figuring it out! I'm sure that has to be one of your biggest lessons as an entrepreneur. Do you have any others you’d like to share? 

I think the most important business lesson is understanding the big picture. Once I decided to be ALL IN, no matter what, my business changed. My attitude changed. My focus changed. The small stuff no longer derailed me. 

My mantra is to put my head back down and get back to work.  

For context, I worked for another company early in my direct sales career. I kind of had one foot in and one foot out the door. One day I realized that unless I put myself 100% in, I’d never get anywhere. So I told my husband that for one solid year, I would pour myself into the business no matter what. About a month later, I had five cancellations and complained to my husband. He asked, “Has it been a year?” At that moment, I knew I had to put my head back down and get to work. And that’s what I did until the business closed four years later. I continue to approach my business that way. NO. MATTER. WHAT. 

Being all in - no matter what is excellent advice! Thanks for sharing that story. What advice would you give someone else entering Direct Sales as a newbie?

For anyone just starting out in the Direct Sales space, or really any entrepreneurial space...give it a minute! You won’t be successful unless you give it some time and your undivided attention.  That means you commit to the job - a year, five years, whatever you feel it will take to get to a place you consider successful. For every person, that definition of success looks different.

And no matter what, be ALL IN during that commitment phase. In the Direct Sales/Social Selling space, something always looks like a hotter item, or the grass looks greener on the other side. But the truth is, your grass is already gorgeous! But you have to tend to it and take care of it for it to grow. If you’re always looking elsewhere, you won’t be able to tend to your own business. 

Your commitment to success and growth MUST BE IRONCLAD - even on the worst days. 

Knowing you’re doing all you can to ensure your business thrives is the key to success. And if the business fails (I’ve been there), you will know that you honestly did everything possible to make it work. And that’s something to be proud of!

Gosh, I love all of your advice. I know you have a strong work ethic, and I appreciate your honesty. I think many entrepreneurs need to hear it! With so much work and life experience under your belt, how do you measure success? And has that changed over time? 

How I measure success has changed so many times. At the beginning of my career in Direct Sales/Social Selling, success meant I could take a trip to Target and spend $100 without fighting with my husband. From there, it grew into the ability to send my parents on an all-expenses paid trip to Hawaii. It looked like me earning ALL the titles and awards and always being in the top spot for everything. 

Then success looked like being able to help our kids as they bought cars, went off to college, and needed money to live on. While my kids all paid for their college tuition, and some even got jobs as RAs so they wouldn't have to pay for housing - THAT felt like a success, too! It was proof that my husband and I had set good examples of working for what you want in life.

Now, at 62, success looks like time freedom! It means I can make a schedule that works for me and travel as I please. Success is feeling great about who I am as a person, mentor, parent, daughter, and so much more. There’s so much satisfaction in embracing who I am today and knowing how hard I’ve worked.

Success looks like feeling proud of our team of women, the company I represent, and the financial impact ONEHOPE has had. We’re talking nearly $10 million in donations to over 35,000 local nonprofits! That’s pretty astounding! And *I* got to be part of that success! 

Today, success looks like loving the opportunity we offer at ONEHOPE for anyone to have all they ever wanted. Success also looks like beaming proudly as women I have mentored and worked with take those top spots I used to hold. I know I’ve had my time in the spotlight; now it's their turn to shine! There is such joy in knowing who I am, what I want, and where I'm going! 

Laurie Probsdorfer, National Executive Director ONEHOPE Wine. You can connect with Laurie and learn more about ONEHOPE at her website: www.onehopewine.com/myshop/withlaurie

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