March 4, 2025 • 20 mins
What would you do if your direct sales company suddenly shut down? That’s exactly what happened to Jenny Hillenburg, a top leader in a large direct sales company that closed its doors in December 2024. In this episode, Jenny shares her journey of navigating uncertainty, building a backup plan, and launching her own business—on her terms. If you’re a direct seller, this conversation is a must-listen.
Key Topics Covered:
- Jenny’s 21-year career in direct sales and the abrupt closure of her company.
- How she started preparing for her next step before the announcement came.
- Why having a backup plan is critical for direct sellers (and how to create one).
- The importance of branding yourself and not just your company.
- The freedom of running your own business and how Jenny transitioned from direct sales leader to entrepreneur.
- Why systems are key for business success—and how Jenny helps direct sellers get organized.
Resources & Links:
🔹 Connect with Jenny: JennyHillenburg.com
🔹 Follow Jenny on Instagram: @jennyhillenburg
🔹 More Free Resources for Direct Sellers: Rachel’s Website
🎧 Loved this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review!
Hang out with me more!
Send me the message PODCAST over on Instagram at @rachelaperry and I’ll send you my "Parties-Optional Profit Plan!"
For Additional Resources for Direct Sellers:
www.rachelaperry.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to the Direct Sellers Podcast, the podcast
for direct sellers who are readyto get uncomfortable, build
their business and grow a teamwhile changing the face of the
direct sales industry.
I'm your host, rachel Perry.
Join me as we get real and talkabout all the things you need
to kick some serious directsales booty From overcoming
(00:26):
limiting beliefs to sharing theexact strategies you need to
attract the right people whobecome customers and beg to join
your team.
I've got you covered, girl.
I'm going to be your new BFFwhen it comes to balancing life
and kids while building yourdirect sales business with poise
, peace of mind and, of course,a good set of fake eyelashes.
Let's get started.
(00:48):
Hello, my friends, welcome backto the Direct Sellers Podcast.
I'm your host, rachel Perry,and you guys.
We are lucky enough today tohave a repeat guest, so welcome
back to the show, jennyHillenburg.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Thank you for having me.
I'm really excited to be withyou today.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
I am so excited to have you and I was thinking I
couldn't remember when you werelast on.
I meant to look, but I feellike it was like a year ago.
Was it a year ago, Was it?
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Yeah, I was trying to think about that this morning
too, but I think it was about ayear ago, okay.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
I'm like cause, literally, time just sort of it
goes by so fast for me and Ijust, but then at the same time
everything seems so long ago.
But anyway, things have changeda little bit for you since we
last talked.
Yes, they have Big time.
So I wanted to have Jenny comeback on, because, as you
remember, jenny was a top leaderin a rather large direct sales
(01:48):
company and now things havechanged because since we spoke,
that direct sales company hasshut down and Jenny is kind of
like figuring it all out on herown now.
So I kind of want to hear yourstory.
So can you pick up from wherewe left off, which was you were
helping us with systems, Ibelieve?
And so since then, just give usa little bit of your story.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Okay, yeah, so I have been in direct selling for 21
years and so for 21 years Iinvested all my time and energy
into my direct selling businessand built a very large
organization and my team was thetop selling team at the company
, the biggest organization inthe company.
(02:33):
So I loved what I did andunfortunately we had to close
our doors in December of 2024.
So basically I kind of knewthings were a little shaky for
about a year or so, reallywasn't sure which direction we
were going to go.
So in the meantime I hired abusiness coach and just tried to
(02:54):
figure out like what, what do Iwant to do outside of 31?
And it really wasn't because Ithought the doors were going to
close, it was really because Iwas burnt out and overwhelmed
and I just needed some type ofoutlet outside of my company.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Yeah, and it's a good thing that you did Right,
because then when and I'm sosorry because that that that is
such a massive loss for everyoneand it's such a time of I mean
like truly, you have to letyourself grieve and go through
that, because it truly isdevastating, and so I'm so sorry
(03:33):
that happened.
Yeah, thank you.
So then, so you have now sortof started your own business.
So you were already sort ofcreating and I'm calling
something that I'm teaching myaudience is built to build up a
kind of a backup plan, like havesomething else that you're
doing that is yours right, thatif something were to happen
because these things happensometimes without warning you
(03:55):
guys had a little bit of warning, but it still wasn't much.
So how?
How has that gone now, as youare?
So, when you found out that thedoors were closing, did you
just lean more into that?
How did that gone?
Now, as you are?
So, when you found out that thedoors were closing, did you
just lean more into that?
How did that happen?
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Yeah, so, like I said , I started coaching with a
business coach that she's a goodfriend of mine.
She knew my business becauseshe used to be with our company,
so she was like the perfectperson for me.
And when I first startedcoaching with her, I just knew I
needed something else like tofill my cup.
So I spent about a year alittle over a year prior to our
(04:32):
announcement of closing workingwith my coach and just trying to
figure out, like, how do I wantto fill my cup?
It wasn't like I wanted tocreate a whole new business or
anything like that.
I just needed an outlet.
And you know, there's certainthings about direct selling that
I really love, which is I lovedbeing able to be a mentor for
(04:54):
my team members and my leadersand teaching them things and one
of the great things I'm reallygood at is systems and so I just
started to follow this path.
But it was a very slow path.
I couldn't like quite naileddown exactly what I wanted to do
.
So through the process, I endedup reaching out to people like
(05:14):
you and being on podcasts andsharing my stories and other
things that I love to do, andthat was very filling for my cup
.
So I learned that I reallyliked doing podcasts and just
talking about my story.
But once we got to the actualannouncement in October of 2024,
I had, at that point, reallyfigured out what I wanted to do.
(05:38):
I narrowed it down to I want toteach direct sellers and small
business owners how to createsystems, or create the systems
for them and teach them how touse them.
So when the announcement came,I just kind of fast-tracked
everything, which was likebuilding a website, getting new
branding and new headshots andthere was a lot that happened in
(06:01):
about six weeks time, just so Icould like throw this all
together and have something oncethe doors close.
I didn't necessarily have to dothat.
Thankfully we've been smartwith our money.
But the thing is is I'm 52 andI just was not ready to just sit
at home and I yeah, I knew I Ididn't want to jump into another
(06:26):
direct selling company.
I wanted to take a pause fromthat.
Love direct selling.
I'm cheering on all my fellowteam members that have moved on
and um, but I knew just for meit was that was not my path and
it not to say it's never goingto be my path, but for right now
it's not my path.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Yeah, and I and I.
It was the same for me as well,and I wasn't building a
business in direct sales for aslong as you were by any means,
but it definitely reached apoint where I was like, okay, I
think I'm ready for the nextstep, and obviously we love the
direct sales industry.
We think it's great, we've beenthere, we're teaching direct
sellers.
We've been there, we'reteaching direct sellers Like we
love the industry.
(07:04):
Yes, the truth of the matter,though, is that it is changing,
and it's not as it's.
You don't own your business,which so many people are
learning the hard way we're.
So I'm assuming that there aresome people on your team, or
probably many people on yourteam, who were not in the same
position that you were, in, thatyou had a backup plan.
Was it pretty devastating forsome of them?
(07:25):
I mean, it was devastating foreveryone, but in a way that like
, oh my gosh, what am I going todo now?
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Yeah, oh, I saw a lot of that going on and complete
shock.
And I mean I always feel likethere were signs leading up to
it, like, if you're reallypaying attention, and maybe
people just didn't want tobelieve that it could happen to
us, even though we kept seeingit happen all last year over and
over again.
I know I didn't want to believethat we could be.
(07:53):
And it's sometimes I wake upand I'm like is this for real?
Like did this really happen?
Like it's still hard to reallybelieve and soak it in and
realize that it's gone.
That's a really hard thing.
So, yeah, I saw a lot ofdevastation and, you know, some
people jumped right back intodirect selling and I encouraged
(08:15):
a lot of my leaders before weclosed to lean into your
strengths of what are you goodat and what do you love to do.
Don't think that you can.
Your only next step is to jumpback into direct selling.
I mean that can be part of it,but what else can you do?
And that's something that Ithink is really important.
I like I mean I am not sayinganything bad of direct selling.
(08:37):
I am a supporter, I always willbe, but I just think that you
know, you just got to have morethan one avenue, just in case.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
It's so true, Just in case, Exactly.
And the beauty of it and directsales is that you can do more.
You can do your direct salesbusiness and also do something
else.
And you started slow.
I started very small, selling avery small, like a $19 product
that you don't have to start big.
(09:09):
It doesn't have to be likeyou're completely shifting.
And you touched on the part yousaid really you told your girls
to really lean into what they'regood at, and that is something
that's so important.
I talk about it all the time onhere.
It's like figure out what areyour superpowers, when do you
shine, what do you do that comesso naturally to you, and lean
into that, because there's somany opportunities out there.
(09:32):
What would you say?
Because you know I speak a loton branding too and I know you
and I had conversations aboutthis what are your thoughts on?
I know a lot of direct sellersare kind of confused as to like
what branding is and all thethings, but which is basically
you guys?
Just as a recap, I know if youlisten to my podcast, you've
heard me talk about this all thetime, but it's you just being
(09:59):
you and sharing more of you.
You are the brand, not yourcompany.
You represent your company, butyou are not the company.
So what would you like, whatwould your lesson be?
Or what would advice let's sayadvice would you give to the
girls, ladies who are in directsales now, who and listen, we
all want to believe that ourcompanies are okay and most of
them are probably, but we haveto be smart about it and it's
(10:21):
not in our control.
So branding yourself issomething that's very, very
important.
So I would love to know, like,if you have any advice to the
girls who are in direct salesnow, who don't have something
else, what would you say yeah,so yeah, that is definitely a
lesson that I have learned inthe last year.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
I I've had like Jenny Hillenburg, Jenny Hillenburgcom
for a long time.
So what I learned in the lastyear is how important it is to
talk about me as a person andwhat I love outside of my
company and it kind of.
I mean, people don't want tojust be sold to, they want to
(11:00):
know you as a person.
They want to know what yourinterests are and how they can
connect with you on a leveloutside of what you're selling.
So I think you know it's takenme a while to understand that
and listen to your podcast andother podcasts that really say
that, and but still, even ittook me a while to understand it
(11:23):
.
So now, after I've been throughthis whole process, I
understand how important it isto someone goes to my social
media.
It's not just about what I selland what I offer, it's about me
as a person and the things thatI love.
You kind of figure out likewhat that is and then you just
that's what you talk about andpeople either like it or don't
(11:45):
and will follow you or not,based on what you like.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
But it goes beyond what you're selling it really
really does, and that you saidthat so beautifully because it
really.
People want to know you, theywant to feel connected, they
want to feel seen.
Like how often have you watchedlike an influencer or someone
or not even an influencer, likesomeone with a small following
and they say something andyou're like, oh my gosh, me too,
right, like I feel so seen.
(12:08):
I thought it was just me, Ithought it was just my teenagers
or whatever.
So all those memes are all theselike mom memes that come out,
like I saw one recently aboutall I want for Christmas is all
my dishes back from my kidsrooms, and I was like that, yeah
, like not all three of my kidsdo that, but one of them in
particular does.
And I'm like, do you need acabinet up here?
(12:30):
Like what's going on?
Why?
So it's just like, but that'sso relatable, right, so that
that whoever put that out there,I'm like, oh my gosh, I feel
seen and that's what we want.
We want people to see us and go.
Oh yeah, and it's just littlethings.
Like it can be little thingslike what books you're reading
right now?
Like I know, like romanticistbooks are really big right now,
like people want to know thatit's so hilarious, but like, if
(12:52):
you, what are the silly things,things that you might hide, or
or and I don't mean like secrets.
You know what I'm saying.
But you know, like just what arethings about you that make you
you, and that's what people wantto know.
So I would love to know whatare you doing now?
And, yeah, tell us a little bitabout your business now.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
Well, so, like I said earlier, I love systems.
My brain works in processes andsystems and so I took the love
of a couple of things mentoringwomen and just helping them
through my whole journey with mycompany.
That was one part that I justreally loved.
(13:35):
So I decided to create abusiness it's called Simply
Structured Systems and Trainingso I can help direct sellers or
small business owners, help themfigure out, like, what systems
they need, because a lot oftimes I'm you know people just
don't even know what they need.
They want to get to this pointof consistency and being
(13:58):
organized, but they just don'tknow the path to get there.
So that's where I come in andhelp them by a series of
questions and worksheets andthings to get them to the point
of figuring out what they need.
And then I create the systemsand then I get them to the point
of figuring out what they need,and then I create the systems
and then I teach them how to useit.
So that's what I'm doing nowand I love it.
I love being able to like it'sjust me, I'm doing my own thing,
(14:22):
I'm my boss and not answeringto anyone else and can create my
own schedule, and it's amazing.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
I would love so that.
It's interesting that you saidthat, because when I went full
on it with the tag team, Iremember there was a freedom
somehow and I loved my, mydirect sales business and it was
very, a very hard decision togive that up to focus on tag
team.
But I remember feeling afreedom somehow, like a release,
(14:52):
if you will and I don't know ifthat makes sense, Cause it
sounds like I felt weighed downby my business but there's like
a freedom that comes from beingyour own boss, literally being
your own boss, Like not having,like you said, not having to
answer to anyone.
You make the rules, all thethings.
It's pretty, it's prettyawesome.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Yeah, it is awesome and I will say because I felt
like I was in this hustlementality but at the same time,
was trying to figure out like,okay, what am I doing when I
(15:37):
come to my office every day?
Like before I had a routine, Iknew what I was doing, I had a
schedule, but now it's like, ohwait, I need to redo my to-do
list.
I also had to have this mindsetshift of getting out of the
hustle, because this is not ahustle business.
(15:58):
It's much slower paced and thathas taken me a minute to get
used to.
But every day is new and I'mfiguring out oh, I need to add
that to my to-do list.
So it really is just buildingfrom the ground up and so I can
understand, like the relief I doI get that a hundred percent.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
And it's.
I mean, I don't mean to likeminimize, it's a lot of work to
build your own business, butit's just different.
And there is a hustle culturein network marketing and it's
not that I, but I agree that wesort of do it to ourselves in a
way, but there's thiscompetition and they're not
necessarily in your case, butlike there's just this, this,
this hustle Right, and it doesget exhausting and so now you
(16:42):
can sort of and you can alwaysmake your own schedule, but it's
different somehow, and so Ilove hearing this and I love
your business.
So many direct sellers needthat.
So many direct sellers needthat.
In fact, every time I would askmy girls, in whichever program
I was working in, it's alwayslike I need systems, I need more
systems, I need systems.
(17:02):
And I'm like well, I actuallyam not your girl for that,
because that is not my gift.
So where can people find you?
Because I know they're going towant to know how you can help
them or how they can work withyou.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
Yeah, you can find me on Instagram, facebook.
I have a website, it'sJennyHillenbergcom.
If you sign up for mynewsletter, I send a weekly
newsletter and it's all filledwith tips on systems.
So I'm just trying to give alittle tip each week that you
can implement right away, giveyou the steps to implement the
(17:35):
system and then, if you wannatake it a step further, you can
hire me to help you do whateverit is that you need, and that's
really custom to each client,right?
I love that so much.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
So, before we go, if there's one message that you
want every direct seller who'slistening to take away, what
would it be?
Oh my gosh, one message, like,based on what your experience
and your story I know you'relike well, girl, I don't have
all day and I have a lot ofthings that I want to share but
like if there was one thing thatyou, one piece of advice you,
could give direct sellers now,what would it be?
Speaker 2 (18:10):
I think if I go back to Nothing, you can put on the
spot I know because there's somany.
If I go back to the beginningof my business and who I was,
then if I could go back to thatperson and say put your
boundaries in place, beconsistent and, you know, figure
(18:30):
out what your work week lookslike and structure it to work
for your life, not your businesslife.
And you know, I think if you'rejust consistent and you
persevere, you're going to besuccessful.
And a lot of people give up andI hate it when that happens, but
you know it is frustratingbecause you know if you're not
(18:50):
getting the bookings or thesales or whatever, it's easy to
give up.
And so I think, consistency andperseverance and realizing that
it's going to be a slow processand that's okay, and I'm having
to tell myself that now with mycurrent business, it's the same
message.
But you got to show up each day, give it.
(19:10):
Your all ask yourself how youcan add value and be consistent
in doing that every day andpersevering through those hard
times.
That was not one message, thatwas multiple but I love it,
though.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
It was perfect.
It was perfect.
It was exactly what we neededto hear.
So thank you so much for beinghere, jenny.
Thank you for being willing toshare your story, because I know
it's still new and I know it'sstill raw, and so I just
appreciate you so much beingwilling to share that with me
and with the listeners, becauseI think your story is important
and I think it needs to be told,and I just appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
Well, thanks for having me on again.
I really appreciate it and itwas so much fun to chat with you
today.
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (19:57):
That's it for this episode of the Direct Sellers
Podcast, but our fun doesn'thave to end now.
You'll catch me hanging outover on Instagram between
episodes and I'd love for you tojoin me.
So hop into my DMs.
I promise you're not gettingany hate girl messages and I
promise I'm not gonna be askingyou to weirdly buy anything.
Send me the message podcast soI can send you my free 90-day
(20:20):
action planner, because whodoesn't love a good template?
Welcome to the Direct Sellers Podcast, the podcast
for direct sellers who are readyto get uncomfortable, build
their business and grow a teamwhile changing the face of the
direct sales industry.
I'm your host, rachel Perry.
Join me as we get real and talkabout all the things you need
to kick some serious directsales booty From overcoming
(00:26):
limiting beliefs to sharing theexact strategies you need to
attract the right people whobecome customers and beg to join
your team.
I've got you covered, girl.
I'm going to be your new BFFwhen it comes to balancing life
and kids while building yourdirect sales business with poise
, peace of mind and, of course,a good set of fake eyelashes.
Let's get started.
(00:48):
Hello, my friends, welcome backto the Direct Sellers Podcast.
I'm your host, rachel Perry,and you guys.
We are lucky enough today tohave a repeat guest, so welcome
back to the show, jennyHillenburg.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Thank you for having me.
I'm really excited to be withyou today.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
I am so excited to have you and I was thinking I
couldn't remember when you werelast on.
I meant to look, but I feellike it was like a year ago.
Was it a year ago, Was it?
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Yeah, I was trying to think about that this morning
too, but I think it was about ayear ago, okay.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
I'm like cause, literally, time just sort of it
goes by so fast for me and Ijust, but then at the same time
everything seems so long ago.
But anyway, things have changeda little bit for you since we
last talked.
Yes, they have Big time.
So I wanted to have Jenny comeback on, because, as you
remember, jenny was a top leaderin a rather large direct sales
(01:48):
company and now things havechanged because since we spoke,
that direct sales company hasshut down and Jenny is kind of
like figuring it all out on herown now.
So I kind of want to hear yourstory.
So can you pick up from wherewe left off, which was you were
helping us with systems, Ibelieve?
And so since then, just give usa little bit of your story.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Okay, yeah, so I have been in direct selling for 21
years and so for 21 years Iinvested all my time and energy
into my direct selling businessand built a very large
organization and my team was thetop selling team at the company
, the biggest organization inthe company.
(02:33):
So I loved what I did andunfortunately we had to close
our doors in December of 2024.
So basically I kind of knewthings were a little shaky for
about a year or so, reallywasn't sure which direction we
were going to go.
So in the meantime I hired abusiness coach and just tried to
(02:54):
figure out like what, what do Iwant to do outside of 31?
And it really wasn't because Ithought the doors were going to
close, it was really because Iwas burnt out and overwhelmed
and I just needed some type ofoutlet outside of my company.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Yeah, and it's a good thing that you did Right,
because then when and I'm sosorry because that that that is
such a massive loss for everyoneand it's such a time of I mean
like truly, you have to letyourself grieve and go through
that, because it truly isdevastating, and so I'm so sorry
(03:33):
that happened.
Yeah, thank you.
So then, so you have now sortof started your own business.
So you were already sort ofcreating and I'm calling
something that I'm teaching myaudience is built to build up a
kind of a backup plan, like havesomething else that you're
doing that is yours right, thatif something were to happen
because these things happensometimes without warning you
(03:55):
guys had a little bit of warning, but it still wasn't much.
So how?
How has that gone now, as youare?
So, when you found out that thedoors were closing, did you
just lean more into that?
How did that gone?
Now, as you are?
So, when you found out that thedoors were closing, did you
just lean more into that?
How did that happen?
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Yeah, so, like I said , I started coaching with a
business coach that she's a goodfriend of mine.
She knew my business becauseshe used to be with our company,
so she was like the perfectperson for me.
And when I first startedcoaching with her, I just knew I
needed something else like tofill my cup.
So I spent about a year alittle over a year prior to our
(04:32):
announcement of closing workingwith my coach and just trying to
figure out, like, how do I wantto fill my cup?
It wasn't like I wanted tocreate a whole new business or
anything like that.
I just needed an outlet.
And you know, there's certainthings about direct selling that
I really love, which is I lovedbeing able to be a mentor for
(04:54):
my team members and my leadersand teaching them things and one
of the great things I'm reallygood at is systems and so I just
started to follow this path.
But it was a very slow path.
I couldn't like quite naileddown exactly what I wanted to do
.
So through the process, I endedup reaching out to people like
(05:14):
you and being on podcasts andsharing my stories and other
things that I love to do, andthat was very filling for my cup
.
So I learned that I reallyliked doing podcasts and just
talking about my story.
But once we got to the actualannouncement in October of 2024,
I had, at that point, reallyfigured out what I wanted to do.
(05:38):
I narrowed it down to I want toteach direct sellers and small
business owners how to createsystems, or create the systems
for them and teach them how touse them.
So when the announcement came,I just kind of fast-tracked
everything, which was likebuilding a website, getting new
branding and new headshots andthere was a lot that happened in
(06:01):
about six weeks time, just so Icould like throw this all
together and have something oncethe doors close.
I didn't necessarily have to dothat.
Thankfully we've been smartwith our money.
But the thing is is I'm 52 andI just was not ready to just sit
at home and I yeah, I knew I Ididn't want to jump into another
(06:26):
direct selling company.
I wanted to take a pause fromthat.
Love direct selling.
I'm cheering on all my fellowteam members that have moved on
and um, but I knew just for meit was that was not my path and
it not to say it's never goingto be my path, but for right now
it's not my path.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Yeah, and I and I.
It was the same for me as well,and I wasn't building a
business in direct sales for aslong as you were by any means,
but it definitely reached apoint where I was like, okay, I
think I'm ready for the nextstep, and obviously we love the
direct sales industry.
We think it's great, we've beenthere, we're teaching direct
sellers.
We've been there, we'reteaching direct sellers Like we
love the industry.
(07:04):
Yes, the truth of the matter,though, is that it is changing,
and it's not as it's.
You don't own your business,which so many people are
learning the hard way we're.
So I'm assuming that there aresome people on your team, or
probably many people on yourteam, who were not in the same
position that you were, in, thatyou had a backup plan.
Was it pretty devastating forsome of them?
(07:25):
I mean, it was devastating foreveryone, but in a way that like
, oh my gosh, what am I going todo now?
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Yeah, oh, I saw a lot of that going on and complete
shock.
And I mean I always feel likethere were signs leading up to
it, like, if you're reallypaying attention, and maybe
people just didn't want tobelieve that it could happen to
us, even though we kept seeingit happen all last year over and
over again.
I know I didn't want to believethat we could be.
(07:53):
And it's sometimes I wake upand I'm like is this for real?
Like did this really happen?
Like it's still hard to reallybelieve and soak it in and
realize that it's gone.
That's a really hard thing.
So, yeah, I saw a lot ofdevastation and, you know, some
people jumped right back intodirect selling and I encouraged
(08:15):
a lot of my leaders before weclosed to lean into your
strengths of what are you goodat and what do you love to do.
Don't think that you can.
Your only next step is to jumpback into direct selling.
I mean that can be part of it,but what else can you do?
And that's something that Ithink is really important.
I like I mean I am not sayinganything bad of direct selling.
(08:37):
I am a supporter, I always willbe, but I just think that you
know, you just got to have morethan one avenue, just in case.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
It's so true, Just in case, Exactly.
And the beauty of it and directsales is that you can do more.
You can do your direct salesbusiness and also do something
else.
And you started slow.
I started very small, selling avery small, like a $19 product
that you don't have to start big.
(09:09):
It doesn't have to be likeyou're completely shifting.
And you touched on the part yousaid really you told your girls
to really lean into what they'regood at, and that is something
that's so important.
I talk about it all the time onhere.
It's like figure out what areyour superpowers, when do you
shine, what do you do that comesso naturally to you, and lean
into that, because there's somany opportunities out there.
(09:32):
What would you say?
Because you know I speak a loton branding too and I know you
and I had conversations aboutthis what are your thoughts on?
I know a lot of direct sellersare kind of confused as to like
what branding is and all thethings, but which is basically
you guys?
Just as a recap, I know if youlisten to my podcast, you've
heard me talk about this all thetime, but it's you just being
(09:59):
you and sharing more of you.
You are the brand, not yourcompany.
You represent your company, butyou are not the company.
So what would you like, whatwould your lesson be?
Or what would advice let's sayadvice would you give to the
girls, ladies who are in directsales now, who and listen, we
all want to believe that ourcompanies are okay and most of
them are probably, but we haveto be smart about it and it's
(10:21):
not in our control.
So branding yourself issomething that's very, very
important.
So I would love to know, like,if you have any advice to the
girls who are in direct salesnow, who don't have something
else, what would you say yeah,so yeah, that is definitely a
lesson that I have learned inthe last year.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
I I've had like Jenny Hillenburg, Jenny Hillenburgcom
for a long time.
So what I learned in the lastyear is how important it is to
talk about me as a person andwhat I love outside of my
company and it kind of.
I mean, people don't want tojust be sold to, they want to
(11:00):
know you as a person.
They want to know what yourinterests are and how they can
connect with you on a leveloutside of what you're selling.
So I think you know it's takenme a while to understand that
and listen to your podcast andother podcasts that really say
that, and but still, even ittook me a while to understand it
(11:23):
.
So now, after I've been throughthis whole process, I
understand how important it isto someone goes to my social
media.
It's not just about what I selland what I offer, it's about me
as a person and the things thatI love.
You kind of figure out likewhat that is and then you just
that's what you talk about andpeople either like it or don't
(11:45):
and will follow you or not,based on what you like.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
But it goes beyond what you're selling it really
really does, and that you saidthat so beautifully because it
really.
People want to know you, theywant to feel connected, they
want to feel seen.
Like how often have you watchedlike an influencer or someone
or not even an influencer, likesomeone with a small following
and they say something andyou're like, oh my gosh, me too,
right, like I feel so seen.
(12:08):
I thought it was just me, Ithought it was just my teenagers
or whatever.
So all those memes are all theselike mom memes that come out,
like I saw one recently aboutall I want for Christmas is all
my dishes back from my kidsrooms, and I was like that, yeah
, like not all three of my kidsdo that, but one of them in
particular does.
And I'm like, do you need acabinet up here?
(12:30):
Like what's going on?
Why?
So it's just like, but that'sso relatable, right, so that
that whoever put that out there,I'm like, oh my gosh, I feel
seen and that's what we want.
We want people to see us and go.
Oh yeah, and it's just littlethings.
Like it can be little thingslike what books you're reading
right now?
Like I know, like romanticistbooks are really big right now,
like people want to know thatit's so hilarious, but like, if
(12:52):
you, what are the silly things,things that you might hide, or
or and I don't mean like secrets.
You know what I'm saying.
But you know, like just what arethings about you that make you
you, and that's what people wantto know.
So I would love to know whatare you doing now?
And, yeah, tell us a little bitabout your business now.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
Well, so, like I said earlier, I love systems.
My brain works in processes andsystems and so I took the love
of a couple of things mentoringwomen and just helping them
through my whole journey with mycompany.
That was one part that I justreally loved.
(13:35):
So I decided to create abusiness it's called Simply
Structured Systems and Trainingso I can help direct sellers or
small business owners, help themfigure out, like, what systems
they need, because a lot oftimes I'm you know people just
don't even know what they need.
They want to get to this pointof consistency and being
(13:58):
organized, but they just don'tknow the path to get there.
So that's where I come in andhelp them by a series of
questions and worksheets andthings to get them to the point
of figuring out what they need.
And then I create the systemsand then I get them to the point
of figuring out what they need,and then I create the systems
and then I teach them how to useit.
So that's what I'm doing nowand I love it.
I love being able to like it'sjust me, I'm doing my own thing,
(14:22):
I'm my boss and not answeringto anyone else and can create my
own schedule, and it's amazing.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
I would love so that.
It's interesting that you saidthat, because when I went full
on it with the tag team, Iremember there was a freedom
somehow and I loved my, mydirect sales business and it was
very, a very hard decision togive that up to focus on tag
team.
But I remember feeling afreedom somehow, like a release,
(14:52):
if you will and I don't know ifthat makes sense, Cause it
sounds like I felt weighed downby my business but there's like
a freedom that comes from beingyour own boss, literally being
your own boss, Like not having,like you said, not having to
answer to anyone.
You make the rules, all thethings.
It's pretty, it's prettyawesome.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Yeah, it is awesome and I will say because I felt
like I was in this hustlementality but at the same time,
was trying to figure out like,okay, what am I doing when I
(15:37):
come to my office every day?
Like before I had a routine, Iknew what I was doing, I had a
schedule, but now it's like, ohwait, I need to redo my to-do
list.
I also had to have this mindsetshift of getting out of the
hustle, because this is not ahustle business.
(15:58):
It's much slower paced and thathas taken me a minute to get
used to.
But every day is new and I'mfiguring out oh, I need to add
that to my to-do list.
So it really is just buildingfrom the ground up and so I can
understand, like the relief I doI get that a hundred percent.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
And it's.
I mean, I don't mean to likeminimize, it's a lot of work to
build your own business, butit's just different.
And there is a hustle culturein network marketing and it's
not that I, but I agree that wesort of do it to ourselves in a
way, but there's thiscompetition and they're not
necessarily in your case, butlike there's just this, this,
this hustle Right, and it doesget exhausting and so now you
(16:42):
can sort of and you can alwaysmake your own schedule, but it's
different somehow, and so Ilove hearing this and I love
your business.
So many direct sellers needthat.
So many direct sellers needthat.
In fact, every time I would askmy girls, in whichever program
I was working in, it's alwayslike I need systems, I need more
systems, I need systems.
(17:02):
And I'm like well, I actuallyam not your girl for that,
because that is not my gift.
So where can people find you?
Because I know they're going towant to know how you can help
them or how they can work withyou.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
Yeah, you can find me on Instagram, facebook.
I have a website, it'sJennyHillenbergcom.
If you sign up for mynewsletter, I send a weekly
newsletter and it's all filledwith tips on systems.
So I'm just trying to give alittle tip each week that you
can implement right away, giveyou the steps to implement the
(17:35):
system and then, if you wannatake it a step further, you can
hire me to help you do whateverit is that you need, and that's
really custom to each client,right?
I love that so much.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
So, before we go, if there's one message that you
want every direct seller who'slistening to take away, what
would it be?
Oh my gosh, one message, like,based on what your experience
and your story I know you'relike well, girl, I don't have
all day and I have a lot ofthings that I want to share but
like if there was one thing thatyou, one piece of advice you,
could give direct sellers now,what would it be?
Speaker 2 (18:10):
I think if I go back to Nothing, you can put on the
spot I know because there's somany.
If I go back to the beginningof my business and who I was,
then if I could go back to thatperson and say put your
boundaries in place, beconsistent and, you know, figure
(18:30):
out what your work week lookslike and structure it to work
for your life, not your businesslife.
And you know, I think if you'rejust consistent and you
persevere, you're going to besuccessful.
And a lot of people give up andI hate it when that happens, but
you know it is frustratingbecause you know if you're not
(18:50):
getting the bookings or thesales or whatever, it's easy to
give up.
And so I think, consistency andperseverance and realizing that
it's going to be a slow processand that's okay, and I'm having
to tell myself that now with mycurrent business, it's the same
message.
But you got to show up each day, give it.
(19:10):
Your all ask yourself how youcan add value and be consistent
in doing that every day andpersevering through those hard
times.
That was not one message, thatwas multiple but I love it,
though.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
It was perfect.
It was perfect.
It was exactly what we neededto hear.
So thank you so much for beinghere, jenny.
Thank you for being willing toshare your story, because I know
it's still new and I know it'sstill raw, and so I just
appreciate you so much beingwilling to share that with me
and with the listeners, becauseI think your story is important
and I think it needs to be told,and I just appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
Well, thanks for having me on again.
I really appreciate it and itwas so much fun to chat with you
today.
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (19:57):
That's it for this episode of the Direct Sellers
Podcast, but our fun doesn'thave to end now.
You'll catch me hanging outover on Instagram between
episodes and I'd love for you tojoin me.
So hop into my DMs.
I promise you're not gettingany hate girl messages and I
promise I'm not gonna be askingyou to weirdly buy anything.
Send me the message podcast soI can send you my free 90-day
(20:20):
action planner, because whodoesn't love a good template?
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