I’ve been using Beautycounter products for about a year now (you can read my “why Beautycounter” blog post here and all of my product posts here), and then I signed up to become a consultant in October 2018.  Truthfully, I was hesitant to do so.  The thought of working in direct sales kind of weirded me out (I’m definitely not a sales person or particularly outgoing), but after only one month I realized that I’d just made an incredible decision for myself and our family.

So today I thought I’d share a little bit about what it’s like to be a Beautycounter consultant and answer some questions I’ve received recently.  But first things first, I’d like to share my personal experience with you.

Beautycounter products I’m wearing here:

Countermatch Adaptive Moisture Lotion | Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer in No. 3 | Touchup Concealer Pen in Medium 1 | Romantic Eyeshadow Palette | Volumizing Mascara | Brilliant Brow Gel in Medium| Sheer Lipstick in Orchid | Mattifying Powder | Radiant All Over Bronzer in Dune Non-Beautycounter Products: Glossier Cloud Paint in Beam | Rimmel Waterproof Eyeliner in Brown

Outfit details:

(earrings here | dress is sold out but I’m linking it here in case it comes back in stock, as well as all the other pieces in this same beautiful print: toile tie-detail dress | toile pleated dress | toile bodysuit | toile maternity top | toile blazer | toile tube top)

What It’s Like to be a Beautycounter Consultant

When I signed up to be a Beautycounter consultant I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I knew I loved the products and figured it was worth giving it a shot.  Skincare and makeup have always been interests of mine so combining it with business seemed to make sense!  I would never jump on board with safer products if they didn’t work well too, so the fact that they are high performing and effective is what really sold me on the company.  I want to make safer choices but I want results too!  I announced the news on this blog post here and shared my genuine reasons for choosing the company for my own personal use.  I talked about it on Instagram too, despite being nervous about how it would be received.  Turns out many of us are trying to make healthier choices for ourselves and our families so there was immediate interest once I started talking about the company and sharing how well the products had worked for me.

I’ve gone through all of the online training that is available to you once you sign on as a consultant (it’s very thorough and sets you up to build a strong business and it educates you on the company and the products), and I refer to the tools and informational files frequently, especially when I receive questions about products or ingredients.  I’ll often get asked for recommendations for specific skin types or help people select makeup shades that will work for them.  I’ve learned so much about skincare and makeup since I joined and I’ve truly been surprised by how much I enjoy helping women make safer skincare and makeup choices.  Occasionally I’ll send out samples and I’ve been able to get a few clients that way.  I’ve also let a friend try my personal products and she fell in love so that helped me expand my client base too.

I didn’t think I would want to build a team, but after I had a feel for the company I decided to present the opportunity to a few women and now have the honor of having three wonderful women on my team.  Turns out I actually enjoy leading a Beautycounter team!  Answering their questions if they have them and sharing ways to grow a business has been really rewarding to me, which is why I wanted to write this post today in case any one else is interested in learning more or possibly joining my team (I’d love to have you on board!).  One of my team members primarily signed up to take advantage of the 25% consultant discount (totally understandable) but the other two have managed to make their 6 month goals (read more about that below) by building their own client base!

products seen here:

Overnight Resurfacing Peel | No. 2 Plumping Facial Oil | Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer in No. 3 | Romantic Eyeshadow Palette | Brilliant Brow Gel in Medium| Sheer Lipstick in Orchid | Radiant All Over Bronzer in Dune

Now let’s talk details:

How exactly do you become a consultant?  You sign up online and you can click here to read more about it on the official Beautycounter website.

There is a $98 fee to sign up and that covers you for the first year (if you’re already a Band of Beauty member the $29 fee you paid will go toward that amount).  The $98 gets you:

• a personalized website (looks and works exactly like a non-consultant Beautycounter website except it says “You are shopping with ___” on the page and you’ll receive commission if someone shops on it)
• a website “back office” called Behind the Counter and it’s where you can view and manage all of your clients, contacts, orders, etc.
• two “hero” products (I believe I received the Countermatch Adaptive Moisturize Lotion (now a must-have for me each morning) and a Sheer Lipstick (love them!))
• some materials for handing out during socials or events (includes a great tote bag and a makeup bag I now use daily)
• Access to a customized training platform (I was surprised at how fantastic the training was.  They offer so much information in the “tools” section)

You don’t have to make a certain amount of sales each month, you just have to have $1200 in sales in the first 6 months, or you’ll be reverted to Band of Beauty.  Your own personal purchases (which will all be 25% off) count toward that $1200.  As a consultant you make 25-35% commission on sales when people shop through your site, and that number moves from 25% to 30% to 32% to 35% depending on your monthly volume.  You don’t have to recruit others under you if you don’t want to.  You’re primarily rewarded for your own work, so building a team is nice but not required to build a solid business.  (For example, I have 3 women on my team and I make 5-9% on their sales (not including their own purchases), and I make much more on my own sales as a consultant.)  I’m also a member of two very helpful facebook groups for consultants on the larger “teams” I’m a part of (and anyone who signs up to be on my team will get access to these groups too).  Consultants ask questions there if their clients need recommendations or if they’re having issues or looking for advice and it’s simply a great way to learn and keep up to date on things.  Lots of business strategy talk too.  I rarely participate in the discussions but always enjoy browsing and learning from the posts!

Now on to a few questions I received from my Instagram community:

Q:  How much do you pay yearly?

A:  $98 is the fee you pay the first year and then it’s $50 per year after that.  If you decide it’s not for you just don’t renew.  If you’re already a Band of Beauty member the $29 you paid to join will be applied to the $98 fee!

Q:  Did you buy a lot of products to start your business?  That’s what’s holding me back.

A:  Nope!  There are a number of bundles you can buy with heavily discounted products, but I knew that most of my business would be online so I didn’t want to invest in that.  (Though my amount of personal products has grown and grown because I’ve loved everything I’ve tried!)  I’ll occasionally send samples of items I happen to have on hand if someone asks for them, but you don’t have to buy an expensive bundle to get started (something I appreciate!).  (I buy these sample containers on Amazon and they work great and are nice and affordable.)  The nice thing about Beautycounter is that there is a 60 day no-questions-asked refund policy, so if someone orders something that happens to not work out they can easily make the return with the label that is included with every purchase.  If you think you’ll be hosting in-person events or giving out samples frequently a bundle may be helpful though.  It’s all about what kind of business you plan on running!

Q:  What if I don’t think I’m a good “salesperson” or a “pushy” person?!

A:  I think that authenticity is incredibly important when it comes to a company like this.  Genuine excitement about the products and the company’s mission to reform the entire beauty industry can make people curious about trying it for themselves!  Truthfully, I haven’t really done a whole lot of in-person discussions about the company because that’s not my typical comfort zone, however, when I have a conversation with a friend that happens to organically turn to skincare or makeup or how to look less tired as a mom (aren’t we all looking for that? lol) then I think that’s a great time to mention products like the Overnight Resurfacing Peel, the Flawless in Five makeup set or the new Countertime anti-aging skincare line that is currently shaking up the beauty industry with its plant based “retinatural complex” that rivals the effectiveness of retinol, while being much safer.  I also think that the whole thing about actions speaking louder than words can definitely ring true for being a Beautycounter consultant.  A bright face (thank you, peel!) or an easy yet pulled together makeup routine may just spark a conversation you don’t even have to initiate yourself!

Q:  What are the ingredients?  Pregnancy safe?  Why do you love it?

A:  Beautycounter lists every single ingredient here (nothing hides behind the “fragrance” or “perfume” term), and their “Never List” can be found here.  I blogged about why I tried and fell in love with the company in this post here.  The main thing the led me to try the products was because everything is pregnancy and breastfeeding safe.  I’ve spent a good part of the past 5 years either pregnant or nursing babies, so this was a huge draw for me.  The products are incredibly effective (the Overnight Resurfacing Peel has greatly reduced my melasma and acne scarring) yet it’s all screened rigorously and safe for anyone to use!

Q:  I’m interested and would love to know more about how I could do it without strictly being on social media.

and in the same vein

Can someone without a large social media presence be successful?

A:  You absolutely can!  My “mentor” Anna (the person who is above me in the company that is a wealth of information for me) does not have a very large social media presence and she has built an incredibly robust and successful business (she’s been blogging for a long time and shared her experience as a consultant here).  She hosts successful online Facebook events and in-person socials that are fun and informative for women in her community.  She sends out samples (she’s a family friend and this is how she introduced me to Beautycounter) and she often loans out products to local friends if they’re interested in trying things.  Her business has grown through friends and family, their referrals, “product of the week” deals (like I’ve started running on my @stripesandwhimsyliving Instagram page), by building a team, and by simply building a community of loyal customers who love the products!

I think it’s important to know your personality when it comes to Beautycounter.  Truthfully, I don’t think I wouldn’t have signed up without my already established online presence.  I know my personality and seem to do better sharing via the internet than in person with people I know.  Meanwhile, most of Anna’s clients are local to her, and she’s an incredible hustler and networker and community builder.  There are ways to make this business work for every personality and situation, you just need to be aware that the businesses look a bit different.

Q:  Financial and time commitment vs. reward?

A:  I’d say I commit 2-8 hours a week to my Beautycounter business (though every week is different).  Much of that time is spent answering questions that clients or potential clients may have, sharing little bits and pieces on Instagram, working on my newsletter (when I can remember to send them out), blogging about new products I love or a new routine, and taking care of the promotions I run (I’ll occasionally offer a percentage or amount back on purchase so I take care of the refunds by paypal or Venmo…these promotions can only be announced in a closed setting though, thus my newsletter and closed Instagram page.)

Q:  How financially beneficial has it been?

A:  Incredibly!  Though I will say that most of my clients come from Instagram and my blog because I’ve been able to build a lot of trust by authentically sharing my heart on these platforms for the past 5 years.  If I didn’t have my online presence I believe I would have seen much slower growth.  I will say that right as I left the active duty Army in 2014 I purchased a house near the beach with my parents and I (not Tom) am responsible for half of the mortgage.  Every month is different, but Beautycounter typically covers half to all of my monthly mortgage payment and this has been such an incredible blessing.

Well I hope this was a helpful post for those of you who have been curious about what it’s like to be a Beautycounter consultant!  If you have any questions I’d love to hear them in the comments below or feel free to shoot me an email at stripesandwhimsy@gmail.com.  And if you’re interested in becoming a consultant yourself I’d absolutely love to have you on my team.  Every consultant has a different experience and every consultant’s business is unique, but I can truly say that making the leap and signing up has been one of the best choices I’ve made to help support our family while I stay at home and raise my babies.  Thanks to all of you who have supported my business by trying products through my Beautycounter site!  I do a little happy dance every time I see a sale go through and I’m incredibly appreciative of your support and trust.