September 25, 2024 • 55 mins
Discover how Brenda Watson's personal health struggles with autoimmune issues in the 1980s became the catalyst for a groundbreaking career in the natural products industry. Brenda shares her journey from traditional medicine to the healing power of natural remedies, leading her to open numerous health clinics in Florida. With expertise in nutrition, colonics, and herbology, Brenda has transformed countless lives through her brand Renew Life Formulas, emphasizing the critical role of gut health in achieving overall wellness.
Hear the heartfelt story behind the creation of Vital Planet Pets, born from personal tragedy and a strong love for animals. Brenda recounts how she channeled her grief into a renewed focus on animal health, leading to the development of high-quality pet supplements. Witness the evolution of the pet wellness market and the shift in consumer behavior towards treating pets with the same care as humans. Brenda's commitment to supporting independent retailers shines through as she shares strategies for helping them thrive in a competitive marketplace.
Gain valuable insights into the unique strengths and challenges faced by independent retailers in the health and wellness industry. Learn from Brenda's extensive experience as she discusses the importance of consumer education, maintaining Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) policies, and the need for community engagement. Discover practical steps to boost sales and customer satisfaction, emphasizing the vital role of independent stores in offering innovative supplements and personalized care. This episode is packed with inspiration and actionable advice from a true industry leader dedicated to transforming lives.
Connect with us:
Email: info@naturalproductsmarketer.com
About Amanda Ballard
Amanda has worked in natural products marketing in the retail setting since 2016 and has a great understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities that retailers in this industry face. More than anything, she wants this industry to continue to boom and believes much of that success hinges on the ability of retailers to do well in their businesses and market their products effectively.
About Tina Smith
Since 2014, Tina has worked with multiple natural products businesses, discovering how to market their CBD products online, without having their payment processor shut them down, to letting customers talk about their health issues those products have helped them solve. She knows first hand how experts like you offer the best products and a superior customer experience, that is why she is committed to helping you find an easy way to grow your natural product business.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Brenda Watson (00:00):
A pet wellness is going to grow, I don't know 10
times better, more than human.
You know the whole shift withyou know the baby boomers and
their pets, and even millennials, and all that with their pets.
We love them, like, like I'vesaid, what's going to happen.
This is the, the, the.
Tina Smith (00:16):
What I'm reading is Welcome to the natural products
marketer podcast.
Amanda Ballard (00:24):
I'm Tina and I'm Amanda, and we're here to make
marketing easier for naturalproducts businesses, so you can
reach more people and changemore lives.
Tina Smith (00:34):
Hi there, brenda.
It's so nice to have you on thepodcast today.
We're looking forward to thisconversation.
Thank, you.
Brenda Watson (00:42):
I'm so grateful to be here.
I'll share my stories andeverything with you.
Amanda Ballard (00:47):
So most of you listening have heard of Brenda
Watson.
You've probably heard her speak.
You've sold her products foryears and years.
Brenda is definitely thedigestive queen of the industry
and we're so excited to have youhere, brenda.
One thing that we always loveto talk to our guests about is
how they got into the naturalproducts industry, because I
(01:08):
feel like most of us have asimilar story where we had some
sort of health crisis that gotus into that.
Are you in that boat or do youhave a different story?
Brenda Watson (01:18):
No, I have that story Just much further back
than some of the people in ittoday.
My story goes back into the 80s.
So, yes, I had a similar.
I'll share that with you.
Okay, yes, I started.
I was born with autoimmune anddid not know all the years that
(01:39):
all through my elementary school, high school, all that I was
sick all the time, given tons ofantibiotics as a result of that
.
I my elementary school, highschool, all that I was sick all
the time, given tons ofantibiotics as a result of that.
I didn't know it back then, butmy gut was ruined and about I
guess it was around 1986, 87, Iwalked into a health food store
one day down in South Floridaand said whatever's happened in
(02:03):
my life with traditional doctorsis not working anymore and I
need help.
And, believe me, back therethen there wasn't much you know
to help us with, but there wasinformation, there was diet
changes, there was juicing backthen, things like that that I
began to do personally formyself.
That changed my life.
You know.
It literally transitioned meinto another life and as a
(02:25):
result of that I'm like, hmm, Iwant to help others.
It just gave me that desire tohelp others.
So I went back to school in thelate 80s, early 90s, you know,
for nutrition, colonics, colonhydrotherapy, which is legal in
the state of Florida, and Iapprenticed in natural health
clinics over the early 90s andthen finished my schooling in
(02:49):
herbology and all of that andbegan to work with clients on
detoxification.
Specifically, I worked inclinics that we did the colonics
, the steaming, the wrapping thebody in clay wraps.
You know all the differentthings we did back then.
And as a result of that Iworked under an apprenticeship
for many years and I decided toopen my own natural health
(03:12):
clinics in about 92, 1992.
And I put in five naturalhealth clinics.
You know it was Palm Harbor,clearwater, tampa, sarasota and
Ormond Beach, over on the EastCoast, and I was a CEU provider
for the state of Florida.
So I taught a lot of thesepeople, especially women
(03:33):
transitioning into wanting to bein the natural health field and
I could certify them in likecolonics and different things
like that from the state becauseI was certified by the state to
teach.
And so as a result of that, allof these wonderful women ran
all my clinics and then, as Ibecame more involved in the
(03:53):
health food store industry, theybought those clinics and so
they had a life, a greatbusiness and a great life and
I'm so proud of that really.
And so transitioning into thatfrom my poor health and seeing
other people get better throughthe gut Remember when I started
(04:14):
actually lecturing for healthfood stores was maybe 1993.
I was terrified.
I mean, a store in Naples callsme one day and says we want you
to come down and teach ourcustomers about constipation.
And I went, oh no, I'm notdoing that.
No, no, no, no.
I work in a clinic.
You know I can teach you guysin the store about it, but I
(04:36):
don't.
Really, it's not my thingtalking to people.
But I did it and that was, youknow, when the student's ready,
the teacher appears.
And I did it that first timeand I couldn't stop.
And that's how I got involved inthe natural products industry,
because in a clinic see I am atthat time, you know, we had a
lot of single herbs and, beingan herbologist, I began to put
(04:59):
herbs together in formulas and Iwas using those in the clinic
with my clients.
Well, my husband said to me oneday you need to put that in a
health food store.
And I'm like, oh, okay.
So I boxed up my first kit,which was a parasite cleanse and
an enzyme and a fiber, and Iput it in a health food store
(05:20):
and Renew Life Formulas was bornfrom that and then I began to
get out in the industry andeducate the stores and consumers
.
For the last since 1995, 94, 95.
Wow.
Tina Smith (05:33):
Oh man, listen.
This is not on our list to ask,but just as you're talking
about it, I'm so curious.
You have such a wealth ofknowledge from the industry.
What's changed the most overthe years that you've been in
this industry?
Brenda Watson (05:47):
What's changed the most?
People are sicker than ever.
I actually had this vision whenI was younger that you know, as
we got along people would getbetter, but due to the with
pharmaceuticals and toxins andall that, they're much worse
because now our second, ourgenerations after us, are born
with autoimmune war and I thinkthat's a problem.
(06:08):
But what's changed with theindustry is is still the.
I took sort of the, the thinktank of you know the creativity,
whether it's a supplement orthe food or what it is, that's
still there.
What has changed and turnedover is a lot of the people,
kind of the people like me, whowere the founders of it, have
(06:30):
moved on, you know, retired,their children have come into it
and it's changed in a littlebit that because, you know,
private equity came in andbought everybody out to a great
degree and big businesses inthere and Amazon has, you know,
done what it's done to ourindustry.
(06:51):
The big change is I don't see asmuch of, I would say as it's
being passed down to differentpeople, that sometimes that I
don't know that kind of caringlove that I feel this industry
still has.
I don't want to say it does nothave, but I think it's people
(07:13):
like me and other people thatare still in the industry that
can pass that on to these newowners or new business people
that are independent retailers.
So that's what's changed.
What changed is Amazon privateequity.
And then I think, sometimespeople coming into this that
aren't like as like they didn'tcome from the poor health, you
know what I mean.
(07:33):
They came, they're coming fromit, from a business, which is
fine, you know what I mean.
That is fine.
You got to make money and havea life, but that's what I've
seen the difference in.
And putting that heartfeltenergy back into the stores is
what I'd love to see to theowners of it now, like we care,
you know the caring, and notthat they don't care.
(07:55):
I'm not saying it, but that'sthe.
There's a bit of a shift therewith that piece.
Amanda Ballard (08:00):
Yeah, yeah, I definitely see that and I'm, you
know, a rookie compared to you,but, you know, even just being
in the health food stores for,you know, eight years now, kind
of just seeing seeing how thattransition has taken place, I
definitely see it.
So you're spot on there.
Tell me a little bit more aboutyour journey into starting
Vital Planet, because I rememberthe first time that I heard
(08:25):
about Vital Planet you wereactually giving us a lecture on
the pet supplements and I thinkyou kind of started with that,
kind of led into that and thenadded supplements for the entire
family.
So I'd love to hear, kind ofwhat your thought process was
with that and how that has justblossomed into literally, I mean
, a brand for the entire family,which I think is just really
(08:48):
cool.
Brenda Watson (08:50):
Well, what happened is, as you and I, we
had Renew Life.
I had Renew Life and it wasabout 2015 and we had partners.
Things were dicey there and Ihad a personal tragedy which I'm
able to communicate now topeople I lost a child.
I lost my son in 2015.
And so I went into a veryterrible time in my life of
(09:14):
depression and Renew Life wassold, and I guess you could say
that I percolated on that forquite a few years.
My husband actually stayed bymy side and said Brenda, you
know, we've always loved animalsright, I've been an animal
lover forever and when we leftout of Renew Life, I had
(09:35):
non-competes.
Now I didn't even know whoRenew Life sold to, because at
that point in time I just had noability to really communicate
well.
And so my husband and myson-in-law came over.
We got this place where we arenow and we started the Vital
Planet Pets because of thenon-competes, and I thought, wow
, this is great, now I can focuson pets.
You know I can say more aboutpets sometimes than we can say
(09:59):
about human health.
And so we started Vital Planetand you know, I started getting
out there like you saw me out,teaching with pets.
And you know, guys, I went to acouple of the road shows that
Simpa organization puts onduring that time and this was
probably about, I think maybe2000, and was it 17, 17,
(10:21):
somewhere in there.
Yeah, at a, at a show, it'sretailers in the audience and
there's different people upthere presenting different
subjects, some of them help,some of them business practices
and different things.
And what I felt in that roomwith retailers was a bit of fear
, right, a bit of fear aroundAmazon, what's happening to the
(10:44):
industry.
And I knew map policy.
I knew map policy because I hadfought it at Renew.
And so as I heard these peopletalking, I said, well, at Vital
Planet, we're going to do zeromap.
And my son-in-law looked at meand I went no, we're going to do
zero math.
(11:05):
And so we came in with the petsand I thought I don't know if I
can ever go back in the industryagain because I don't know if
I've got it inside of me.
You know that that passion,that hope, that drive, that that
I've always had, I had, it hadkind of dwindled in me.
But when we got into the humanside and then all this science
(11:28):
was out there on gut health.
You know, the microbiomeproject was really clamping
along and I thought, you know, Iwould have never, guys, come
back in this industry with a MeToo product.
Really, I needed new scienceand I found the new science and
so from the animals I thought,wow, probiotics, they're in our
animals, they're in us.
(11:49):
How many of us love our animals?
I mean, I love my animals, Icherish them.
So I started with the newscience in probiotics with Vital
Planet.
So now we have the digestivecure for the whole family, right
, and that's kind of how itclogged along with Vital Planet.
But I did it differently Becausethe map policies and what I saw
(12:13):
, the changes in the industry.
At the time I didn't feel drivenas much to do.
Before I loved the health foodstore and I was driven to the
health food stores, but now itwas a different level of being
driven.
I wanted to feel like I waspart in saving something, not
the person that saved it, but apart of it.
(12:35):
Because I can feel it.
I can feel it from you guys, Ican feel it from those of us who
care.
And that's what started drivingme was how can we protect the
independent retailer, how can webe a part of the solution, not
the problem, and so that pieceof it and me staying in
digestive care, which is my spot, you know what I know and I
(12:58):
intend to stay there, and that'swhat drove me on was the
passion to help the retailer andvendors and manufacturers also
to follow suit with what you'regoing for.
I just go for it and I knowthat everything I need will be
(13:28):
dropped in my lap whenever I'mready for it.
And so the new science inprobiotics came out and I said,
oh, I can get out now and trainthe new train, the health food
store retailers, on the newscience and a new way to help
our microbiome.
And then, of course, the wholecleansing concepts and all that
that I've had in my beingforever came about.
(13:51):
So that's, that's how?
Amanda Ballard (13:53):
Yeah, and I'm curious how.
How has the pet side of thingscontinued to grow, cause I I've
seen that just from the retailperspective that that category
seems to continue.
Have you added new products tothat line since you've started?
And kind of, where are youseeing the trajectory with pet
wellness?
Brenda Watson (14:14):
Pet wellness is going to grow.
I don't know 10 times better,more than human.
You know the whole shift withyou know the baby boomers and
their pets, and even millennials, and all that with their pets.
We love them.
Like I've said, what's going tohappen this is what I'm reading
is because we tend to want todo for our pets what we do for
(14:37):
ourselves.
Now, having said that, I want tosay something about Vital
Planet.
We sell supplements for pets.
We don't sell treatsnecessarily.
I mean we can take oursupplement and pretend it's a
treat to the dog because we dochewies and things like that.
However, our products and theproducts that are going to grow
in the pet industry aresupplements.
So, for example, you have aperson with you know joint
(15:00):
problems, you know and we know.
You know hyaluronic acid, weknow chondroitin, glucosamine
and all the things that we ashumans have used for years are
now we want to give them to ourpets who have hip and joint
problems and we don't want togive them fluff.
Most of the people out thereselling are selling treats.
There's very few sellingsupplements that are
(15:21):
therapeutically formulated, andso in Vital Planet, the
difference in us and what I seenow as a big trajectory in
what's going to happen withpeople in the field I mean
people that consumers is.
Oh, my dog has a gut dysbiosisor the gut's out of balance.
They need a strong probiotic,just like I do.
They need a strong hip andjoint, just like I do.
(15:44):
If they have diarrhea, theydon't need to go to the vet,
unless it's something in crisis,to get a diarrhea formula.
We've got firm stool you knowwhat I mean which is pumpkin,
which is natural, and it helpsthem.
So what I'm seeing is pet isgoing to skyrocket in the coming
(16:04):
years.
Now where are we in the industry?
You've got many retailers whohave tapped into this, many of
them in the independent retailer.
But there are hundreds outthere, amanda, who have not at
all.
And you go in and you speak tothem and they're like oh, the
pet stuff, it's over there inthe corner, if they even have it
(16:25):
right.
And I'm like you don'tunderstand.
You've got a customer coming inhere who wants to do just as
much for my Lily and Lacey, mylittle Lily and Lacey.
I want to do as much for themas I do for myself.
I don't want to see them sufferwith hip and joint problems.
I want to do something for me.
(16:51):
I've got the awareness.
I want to do somethingpreventively to them, you know,
so they don't end up with hipand joint problems.
You know what I mean.
So that consciousness is gettingready to really skyrocket
because what you see, even onAmazon and on the e-commerce
lines, are more treats.
But we've got to, you know,just, it takes education to the
consumer that there arecompanies out there that can
provide therapeutic supplementslike what we have in the health
(17:12):
food stores.
So my point is, if we could getsome of these independent
retailers to merchandise itcorrectly, to put some focus on
it, education on it, it would besuch a good, not only a revenue
stream, a new revenue streamthat's going to grow, but
something that helps, you know,really helps people and they
(17:34):
feel comfortable about helping,you know, their pets.
Tina Smith (17:38):
Well, and the thing I love about that too, Brenda,
is if they're already coming toyour store for supplements and
they have a pet, it's a one-stopshop.
They don't have to go somewhereelse to look for what they're
trying to provide for their pet.
And if they're talking to youabout their health which mostly
they are, because we have thisconsultative approach in the
independent market and sothey're going to talk to you
(17:58):
about their pets too, Like, hey,they scratch all the time.
Do you have anything that mighthelp?
Can we try that?
And people will spend so muchmoney on their pets for sure.
Brenda Watson (18:08):
Are you kidding?
Great, yes, they will.
And the thing of it is is, youknow if you've got a customer
coming in that understands joint, you know they go to this joint
, you know the joint section.
Here's another thing why notput your pet stuff,
cross-merchandise it?
Why don't you put it in thehuman joint place?
Why don't you put the pet Idon't know diarrhea formula in
(18:33):
your digestive care set?
Cross-merchandise that.
So it begins the awareness forthe consumer.
Right?
The consumer says, oh, that's asupplement.
Oh, okay, that's the way westart the process.
That's another way we'reteaching the independent
retailer too, like how tomerchandise these things, not
(18:53):
just sticking it in the cornerby the pet side but putting it
in the human side and begin toteach this consumer coming in.
There's supplements for youranimals, preventively, you know.
Or if they're having an acuteproblem, they've got a
supplement for that.
So it's very important, thatwhole education process to the
retailer.
Amanda Ballard (19:14):
Yeah, you know you've mentioned independent
retailers multiple times just inthe last few minutes and I
think one of the things thatstruck out to me the most when I
was on your website preparingfor this interview was that you
are probably the only brand thatI can think of off the top of
my head that has a find a healthfood store at the top of their
(19:36):
website, food store at the topof their website.
And you know other brands havestore locators but you have to
dig for them and all of that,but this is specifically for a
health food store.
It's not, you know, just any,any store that they could
possibly found in what?
What is it that makes theindependent channel so important
to you?
Because to me that just screamswe care about the independence.
Brenda Watson (19:57):
Well, what makes it so important is, you know,
going back to my history andseeing and I'm not talking.
It doesn't have to be a bigindependent retailer, it can be
a small mom and pop shop.
But for my story, my journeyinto health food, those people
supported me.
You know, they heard my story.
(20:18):
They heard my story, they heardmy experience, they listened to
me, they took on my concepts.
They let me into their storesto train their consumers as well
as their employees.
And I see that we can't losethat.
We can't lose that heart andsoul of our industry.
So that's what makes me movetoward the independent, because
(20:41):
of my journey.
That's who supported me allthrough my 20-something years,
25 years that I tromped acrossthis country Before you know.
You look at, say, sprouts.
Sprouts was a fruit stand whenI started.
I mean, I was back before WholeFoods was barely started.
You know what I mean.
So I come way, way back andthey supported me, they listened
(21:04):
to me.
The consumers I love theconsumers that come into
independent retailers becausethey're looking.
I call it the destination oflast resort because here's what
it is.
They have health issues.
They've tried to solve themthrough the medical model.
It has not worked.
That's what happened to me.
I tried to solve my problems,even though it was way back.
(21:27):
We didn't have a lot.
I mean, the only thing on theshelf back then was psyllium
husk I mean seriously and Sony 7.
There was no digestive care.
I built that digestive caresection, the SKUs and all of
that in there over a period ofprobably 15 years.
We came out and then othercompanies followed, which was
great.
You know, we got a wholedigestive care set across.
(21:47):
And so when I go back to youknow your roots, you go back to
who supported you.
You go back to who you want tocontinue to support.
It's because the consumercoming into those stores are
looking for answers, becausethey've been turned down in
every way, and we're there.
Tina Smith (22:08):
Man, I love that so much.
We are 100% behind supportingthe independent retail channel
and we want to help them grow.
Sometimes it feels like they'rediminishing and like some
people are not making it orthey're just slightly surviving,
and we would love to see thewhole channel thrive.
And it feels great to know thatthere are manufacturers out
(22:30):
there, like you guys that arefully supportive of that
independent channel.
And that makes me think, oh, goahead, sorry, go ahead.
Well, it just makes me thinkabout, um, what independent
channels could do to make iteven more attractive for people
like you to support them andwholeheartedly invest in that
(22:50):
channel.
Brenda Watson (22:53):
Well, you know, I'll tell you, I had a lot of
you know how you have the lightson and one of the things I
never until um, probably thelast, this must be about five
years ago and I was in my headI'm wondering like, how is this
going to happen to theindependent retailer with you
know, when I first cognited onthe map, policy and Amazon and
(23:13):
what we were going to do and how, I saw a lot of fear there and
so what I thought of is I go tothe store but I'm traveling out.
I'm now pioneering the newprobiotics into the independence
and I'm in Ohio and I walk intothis health food store that I'm
doing some training in,independent, been there 40 years
(23:37):
, you know children's thereadvice there, and I see that she
has totally revamped herselection of supplements and I
kind of didn't understand it.
I mean, she had a beautifulstore but what she had done, and
others like her have done, isthey have found lines Okay,
(23:58):
maybe some of them a little bitnewer, that you know, whether
it's a full line supplement or,like us, digestive care and what
they've done is they fill thestore with innovative lines that
aren't mass market lines.
Okay, this is my.
I did an interview this will goback to this.
I did an interview probably 15years ago and somebody brought
(24:19):
it to me the other day I thinkit's on YouTube and I was in
Toronto because, you know, wehad a big company in Canada and
I was in Toronto and someonestuck a microphone in my and
asked me this question and saidwhat do you see as the future of
the independent retailer?
And I didn't know what to saybecause back then we were
(24:39):
flourishing and everything wasgood.
But this is what I said musthave come from God, right?
What I said was I think thatthe independent retailer will
become the boutique of the world, in our world, in the US at
least.
I think that you will go therefor unique supplements, unique
formulas that haven't beenbought out by mass market or
(25:02):
that aren't on Amazon.
Where on Amazon, I mean, you'lltrade your probiotic for a $2
reduction in price, regardlessof whether you're getting a
supplement.
That's quality or not.
You're all about price, and I'mnot saying that I don't totally
have heart for people withfinancial considerations,
because I do so.
I went back to that store and Ithought, man, what a creative
(25:23):
woman that is, because what shedid was anything in there that
was heavily discounted online,or anything in there.
She found this wonderfulsubstitute for it in a better
formula, a better supplement.
You see what I mean?
And I'm like wow.
And that's when it came on tome that what I had said 15 years
(25:44):
ago was probably going to bewhat happens.
However, you said that a lot ofthese retailers haven't caught
on yet.
They really haven't.
They still think they've got tohave this and that and I can
name.
And I think too, on the vendorside of it, on the manufacturing
side of it, we need, like VitalPlanet needs, to work with this
(26:06):
company and this company andthis company together as people
holding the map policy, and ifanyone listening doesn't
understand that it's keepingyour discounts at whatever level
you determine, is your companyonline and you hold to it.
And so I was looking at it andthinking why don't we come
together as manufacturers?
(26:29):
You know what I mean On thatend of it.
But what I saw that woman did inthat store and I asked her.
I said you know you've done areally good job in here of
replacing anything that was onyour shelf.
That's now, you know, on Amazon.
She said I work at it.
She said I can find somethingin every category that's a
(26:50):
better product and that has,that has consciousness and
ethics behind what they're doingto help the people.
Because, ultimately, whatthey're doing to help the people
, because, ultimately, what arewe doing here?
We're here to serve ourbrothers and sisters.
That's what we come into thisplanet for.
And again going back to the,you know why we're here.
(27:12):
We're here to help people thatare lost, sometimes with their
health.
If you don't have your health,you have very little in life and
, believe me, I've been on bothsides of the coin with that and
I watch people over the years.
So what's going to happen?
We have to take the people whoare already doing this and make
them a model.
(27:32):
And here's the model, guys, andfor those of you still out there
that are still trying the oldmodel and I don't know whether
they're scared to change, Idon't know whether it's too much
work to go in and do all theresearch, but you've got guys
out there, you've got stores outthere now who have done the
research.
They don't even look.
You go into them and maybe yougo into one of the more chain
(27:54):
accounts that we you know thebig chains and you don't see
this product and that productand that product, but they got a
better product to replace itand the good thing that they
have is a loyal customer base.
So you walk into a health foodstore and you're a consumer,
right, and you walk in there andyou go okay, I've got I don't
know gas and bloating or I'vegot joint issues or I've got
(28:16):
headache, whatever they've got,you've got someone there
listening to them, listening tothem and helping them on their
health journey, and that's whatthis is about.
So if we don't come togetherand become a boutique, does it
take more work?
Because I'll tell you whatconsumers want.
(28:38):
Back to this point.
They want to walk into a store,they want to talk to whoever
somebody on the floor or theowner and they want to know that
.
They want to know what theytake.
They want to know what do youtake?
And that's what people say tome what do you take?
Well, this is what I take.
You know what I mean.
So they trust.
See, there's trust, and thetrust is where this is the crux
(29:01):
of what we have in this industry.
We have trust to a consumerthat they're going to walk in
there and I'll tell you how it'smanifesting.
Today I'm out talking aboutcleansing in the health food
stores and you know you wouldthink cleansing would be more
for the younger people or the.
You know I'm having people that, because it's trending on, you
know, on Instagram and Facebookand all that, I have people that
(29:24):
are 80 years old cleansing.
I mean I'm shocked.
I'm like cleansing, you know.
But the point of ideas is theysee cleansing on Instagram or
Facebook.
They don't go buy the cleansethat's on Instagram or Facebook.
They go to the health foodstore, go buy the cleanse that's
on Instagram or Facebook.
They go to the health foodstore, right, and they ask that
(29:45):
health food store owner whatcleanses do you sell?
Because they trust them,because buying some unknown
product there's probably ahundred of them a day online,
because I watch that veryclosely to see what's coming up
and not all of them.
I'm not saying all of them arebad at all, I'm just saying that
they don't trust that, but theytrust that independent retailer
.
We cannot let that go away andthat's where my passion and
(30:05):
journey is.
From what Vital Planet can do.
What I would like to see is usjoin together like what you guys
are doing.
You're doing a fantastic job ofgetting the message out there,
but we've got to get to theseindependent retailers who have
had I don't know earplugs in, Idon't know what they've been
doing, but they haven't seen itand they're still waiting on
things to happen.
(30:25):
Now that, have you know, withthese other companies that have
been bought out and gone massmarket and all that, they're
still thinking, oh well, they'rethe end, all be all and they're
not.
Their products have theirformulas have been down, you
know been, they're not as goodas they used to be.
Because you can't do the samemargins in, you know, mass
market as you can do in anindependent retailer.
And in the independent retailer,if you're setting up as a new
(30:48):
company or a new brand, you haveto put the model together.
Now the model is education fromus to the store.
Ok, you can't throw products ona shelf without going into the
store and educating, just likeyou guys know educating the
employees of the retailer onyour product.
(31:09):
So if you're going into thismarket, it's not a throw it on
like a Walmart or something,it's.
You know, I got to get in there.
I got to teach these people howto sell this, how this helps
the consumer and that's a bigpart.
I don't know if that's the partthat the new people understand
or not, but we do.
I do it some too on socialmedia.
(31:31):
I do that piece of it.
Now I'm trying to I'm trying toget myself better at that where
I can get to the consumer andexplain to them.
And you talked about finding theretailer online.
I don't have third partysellers on Amazon.
We have one site on Amazon.
It's us, and we sell at fullretail and sometimes over, so
(31:51):
they're actually getting abetter deal in the health food
store.
They're getting with us.
Now I can do that.
I can say I'm not, you know,say I'm not going into Walmart,
I'm not going into really WholeFoods and all that because I
don't need it.
If you do it correctly, you cantake, if we can get the correct
.
You know, I think the key isidentifying the market.
(32:13):
What's left?
And I probably think maybe,because I think probably maybe
10 to 20 percent.
Have, you know, clothes goneunder?
But there's still a plethora ofstores out there.
There are institutions you lookdown here in Clearwater,
florida, nature's Food Patchthat's never going away.
I mean, you know all thesestores Ed Nutrition World,
(32:35):
chattanooga, never going away.
These are institutions, they'recommunity, they're where people
go because they trust.
So this is where, if you'recoming into this market, I'm
suggesting that you have theeducation tools and you know you
have to develop that to get inthese stores and not only help
the retailer but help theirconsumer at the same time.
(32:57):
So you've got to kind of do allof it.
My husband used to say Brenda.
I used to ask Brenda what weneeded to do to promote the
product and she'd say everything.
Amanda Ballard (33:07):
Well you know it's interesting to me and I've
seen this play out in real life,where the exact thing that
you're talking about you knowthis brand they've, you know
they've been bought out, they'renot supporting the independent
anymore.
You, you do the research, youfind a replacement.
You know there's the brandsthat are going to always come in
(33:29):
and support the independent.
There are, there's always goingto be another, another
supporter of that channel.
That is oftentimes better thanthe brand that decided to leave.
And then the other thing that Ilove too, is that the
independent retailer they're,they're so strong in community
(33:49):
and they want everyone else towin, like they don't view each
other as competition, and soit's like I'm just, you know,
thinking back to those thoseSoho road shows where it's like
you have retailers just tellingeveryone their secrets of what
they do to do well, and they'relike do what I do, like it's
working for me.
They're more than happy to geton the phone with you for an
(34:12):
hour and tell you everythingthat they know.
No, because that's how we allwin is when all of these
independent stores startthriving, the whole industry
thrives and those brands thatsupport the independents they're
going to thrive.
And I love what you said aboutan alliance type thing with the
manufacturers that also supportthese brands.
(34:32):
I think that's.
The other thing is, whetherpeople know it or not, there's
this solid group ofmanufacturers that are always
going to support the independentchannel, and sometimes they
just get lost in the noise, Ithink.
So something that they could doto you know, kind of band
together.
I love that idea.
Brenda Watson (34:53):
I think you know, I was hearing a story about a
major company, mass market.
I was hearing a story about amajor company, mass Market, and
they cut a lot of their naturaleducators, salespeople in the
natural independent industrystores, and their thing, when
they laid off like 100 people,was we just can't afford that
business anymore and I'm like,oh my goodness, what a thought.
(35:19):
You can't afford to go in andtake a product that you've
developed that helps a humanbeing and go in and educate a
store on why it's beneficial.
That's really sad.
You know what I mean.
But I would love to be part andI feel like I am, but more a
part of an alliance, you know,more a part of carrying that
(35:40):
message Because, again, I thinka lot of them, you know it just
takes time.
You know a lot of them arewaking up, have woken up a long
time ago, but we've got a lot ofstores out there, guys that
have not, and we've got to getto them.
How we do it, I mean I know wedo it through, like the SEMPA
organization does a lot, butthey're regional.
You know what I mean.
You've got the Midwest, that'sregional, you know.
(36:03):
So you've got to.
You know, I've always wonderedyou know, in our organization,
like, for example, in SEMPA,using something like that
organization or any organizationso with you know their meetings
and your education things thatoccur in helping you know to
move into the direction, ineducation, of a different way to
(36:24):
a store.
And I know you know at theshows they do marketing and they
do this, but I don't know howwe get down into that nitty
gritty you know what I mean andstart saying, ok, what are you
doing?
You know, what are you doing asan individual to support the
industry and the vendors and theand the manufacturers that
(36:45):
really want to do the rightthing and help people?
That's that's why we're here,that's right.
Tina Smith (36:54):
Brenda, we feel the same way and it's so fun that
you are talking about this,because that's one reason that
we did this podcast.
We were like we need practicalsteps that people can do so that
they can start to grow theirrevenues, so that they can help
more people.
So you can't do it withoutmoney.
And we're working with a storeright now that's a little bit
smaller and she says to me likeI would give the supplements
(37:17):
away for free if I could helppeople, change people's lives.
But unfortunately I also have afamily, so there has to be some
revenue growth there as well.
But in the end, we are all hereto help people and change their
lives and give them somethingthat they haven't found before
in mass medical or mass market,right.
(37:38):
So we're we are trying to equipthese stores to be found and to
help them grow their revenuesso that they can touch those
individual lives.
Brenda Watson (37:48):
Right and I think , too, you know it's helped on a
lot of things.
I think if you get into pricingand things like that, that's
another concept you know they'relooking at.
You know having a line in therethat's heavily discounted, they
can buy it cheaper online thanyou can even sell it for.
You know what I mean.
So you've got to go in andteach them what we call real
margins.
What is your real?
(38:11):
Because?
Okay, so, for example, you'retaking a Vital Planet product.
We're not discounting.
We do give discounts to theretailers.
Obviously we want to.
We'd like to see, with thatdiscount that we pass on, that
they pass some of it on to theircustomers, which most of them
do.
I'm not saying that.
But their perception sometimesis that product that they've got
(38:33):
on the shelf, which is heavilydiscounted online, which they're
selling already at 30 or 35%off, whatever they're selling it
for is not the real moneythey're putting in their pocket.
Do you see what I mean?
Because we're operating on amargin that we give to them and
they're operating off of thatmargin.
That's more real, because theperson is not going online to
(38:57):
buy the product at a discountand that's the tragedy of it
that the customer goes in thereand will stand.
I've seen them stand right atthat counter get all the
education from that store andpunch that button and buy it on
Amazon.
And I said to a woman one daydo you know what that does to
this store?
What you just did?
Do you know what that does?
(39:18):
That puts them out of business.
Did you know what that does?
That puts them out of business.
I said they spend time, theyspend money and the other piece
of it is if we can get.
This is the other piece.
That's a bit aggravating is thefact that I have stores that
don't want to send theireducating.
They don't want to pay themoney for their employees to be
(39:39):
the hour that we might want todo or the 30 minutes that we
might want to do.
They're not going to pay theiremployees.
So now we're going in with gascards and, you know, a gift card
or something like that toincentivize them to be able to
give it to them.
Or I can give it to theemployee you know, to
incentivize them to get theeducation.
You know, to incentivize themto get the education.
(40:03):
That is the crux of this.
How willing is that retailergoing to be on letting their
employee be educated.
Now I understand the way of theworld now that people come and
they go and the turnovers there,especially in the smaller
stores.
But what I think with thesmaller stores that's critical
that they have, that some ofmaybe the larger stores don't,
is they have the ability to getinvolved with their community
(40:27):
and customer See, that, I think,could be a lot of the problem
that's missing here.
They don't have those ways intheir head.
You know a lot of these peopleI've seen over the years in the
natural products industry thathave stores.
They're not good businesspeople and in some ways I think
that's why many of them havegone the way of the work.
Gone by the wayside is becausethey were in an industry that
(40:48):
was constantly growing and thenwhen it came down the rubber met
the road.
They didn't use the tools ortools.
They were taught to be able totake that business forward when
the times got tough, you know.
So the ones that are out thereleft and I think at this day and
age, anybody that's out thereleft.
They got to be pretty strong,you know, as an independent.
(41:09):
So I think what's needed is howdo we teach them to connect to
their market to come outside.
I've got people right now instores that I say you need to
put this sign there, this signhere.
You know, a simple thing,simple thing will give you
simple things.
So there's a store and they'redoing, they're plodding along,
(41:32):
you know, selling every month.
So I'm like, how can we usemarketing, how can we do
something to pull that customer?
Because, let's say, they're ina shopping center and there's
people walking by, right, maybethey come in the healthy store,
maybe they don't, but a simplesandwich board out on the front
(41:54):
that says got constipation.
Guess what?
The sales of that store in oneyear went from 16,000 to the
manufacturer to 46 one sign wowit wasn't a busy sign, but
people will react and want to dowhat helps them.
(42:17):
So if someone's got constipationgas and blo, bloating pain you
know got pain come inside andtalk to us about it.
That simple, it's notcomplicated.
So it's little things that Ithink they need to be taught.
Where they get real, you knowclosed in about it, or they're
not marketers, I mean, you knowthey're just not and that's
where people like you come inand teach them.
(42:40):
This is what you need to bedoing.
You need a newsletter.
I mean I've got a newsletter.
Guys that goes out to I thinkit's 30, 3500 people.
It's consumers that have signedup for our newsletter and then
it's retailers.
I've got a 49% open rate.
That's pretty high.
I had no idea we had that openrate on it, pretty high.
(43:02):
I had no idea we had that openrate on it.
That little piece of whether, ifit's an old timer that doesn't
have those types of technology,there's ways they can get that
and you know that that type oftechnology are they.
The other piece of it is rightnow on Facebook.
So I start doing videos andthen come to find out.
This store here wants my videoon their Facebook.
(43:22):
This store over here wants myvideo on their Facebook.
Oh, on their Facebook.
I must have 50 stores now usingmy videos from Facebook,
because I'm talking about, maybe, a concept of cleansing or, you
know, probiotics or somethinglike that, and they could put
that on their Facebook.
They've got to learn how to dothat.
It's pretty simple, you know.
So, getting them engaged withtheir I think, with their
(43:44):
community more and teaching themthe tools simple tools, they're
not complicated and you know,the best stores sometimes are
the ones out into in a ruralcommunity.
You know that, the best ones.
I've got some in Tennessee thatknock it out of the park, you
know, and they're in a ruralarea, a very rural area, and
(44:05):
that's what we've always had outin the middle of Nebraska, in
the middle of Nebraska, themiddle of Wyoming, because
they're institutions you knowwhat I mean and people go there,
but there is the small mom andpop.
They need help and they needideas, but they need to be able
to bring the ideas to fruition.
You know, it's like sometimeswhen you try something, I think,
(44:25):
and it doesn't work the firsttime, it's like you know you
sling everything against thewall that you can.
Everything's not sticking right, you got to accept that.
But we always learn frommistakes.
You know, that didn't work,let's try it this way.
That didn't work, let's try itthis way.
And sometimes I see people tryone something one time and it
doesn't work and they throw itout.
(44:47):
You know, and I think we got toteach them.
It's a little bit of apersistence, you know patience,
working through what works inyour community too.
You know, I think that's veryyou know.
Amanda Ballard (44:57):
Well, you know it's interesting that you
brought up the, the concept of,you know, not wanting to pay
your employees to sit through anhour-long training with an
educator um, that just kills me.
But you know, what's sointeresting is, you know, when I
first started in this industry,I had no knowledge of it, like
I I actually was.
I I refused to take supplements.
(45:19):
I'm like this I don't needthese.
You know, I'm in my early 20s,I don't need these.
You know, I'm in my early 20s,I don't need these.
And it was because of attendingthese mandatory trainings that
I had to go to.
It's like this is part of yourjob, you will get trained.
I started taking like 10supplements a day in a matter of
weeks because I was like thisis amazing and it sparked.
(45:40):
Well, I mean, you know, here weare eight years later still
still doing was like this isamazing and it sparked.
Well, I mean, you know, here weare eight years later still
doing this thing, which isfantastic.
But I think, at the end of theday, it's something that these
independents can do, that thesebig box stores are never going
to do.
They can invest in their peoplein as simple as here's an hour
off the sales floor to go listento a training and it shows a
(46:02):
level of investment in thatindividual that's also going to
benefit the store.
It's not just oh well, you know, if I send them off to this
training and what if they leavein two months?
It's like so what?
You could have made severalhundred more dollars because
they got educated on thatproduct Like.
To me it seems like a win-win,no matter what, even if they do
(46:23):
leave.
You know you don't have to flythem to all the trade shows and
all of that with you from theget-go, but it's investing in
those little moments that'sgoing to leave a lasting
impression.
Tina Smith (46:35):
There's an old adage that says you can either train
them and they might leave you,or you can not train them, but
what if they stay?
Brenda Watson (46:46):
That's a good thought and you know you're
right and what we do as acompany is, when we go in for
the trainings, we usually have abroker or we have someone with
us that can work the floor.
I tell them.
Tell me if you're concernedbecause you're pulling people
off the floor.
Tell me if you're doing thatand I'll put somebody on the
floor for you while we're doingthis.
(47:07):
Or the other piece that we'vedone is back to back.
So take part of the people offthe floor for now and then take
the next hour, take the otherhalf and break it up into two.
But the independent retailer hassuch a consultative role for
their customer that theircustomer wants to talk to them.
(47:27):
People want to talk to youabout their health, especially
if it's failed you know what Imean and they're having failure
in it.
They want to try.
I do believe people do want totry to get better and I think
the independent retailer this iskind of the crux of who we are
is having that information andhaving employees have that
(47:50):
information to be able to passit on to the customer.
Amanda Ballard (47:53):
Yeah, so we're getting close to the end of our
time here, and I wanted to askyou what are some of the things
that you think that independentretailers need to be paying
attention to over the next, youknow, three to five years, as it
relates to just the industry ingeneral, but also just to the
digestive category, since that'syour, your area of expertise.
Brenda Watson (48:14):
Well, I think, overall, in general, they need
to be finding ways and, like youwere saying, trade shows.
You know our trade shows havejust become disastrous.
I mean, expo East is prettymuch gone or it's going to
Colorado, and Expo West is sobig the average person can't go
to it.
So I think what they need to belooking into as an independent
retailer is what events arebeing put on where they can go
(48:39):
in and travel and not pay a hugeexpense and get educated.
They've got to watch out forthat, you know, and keep that on
their radar.
Where you know the SIMPAs andthe Health Fest and the Health
Quest and all of these.
Where can they go and geteducation?
Where can they take advantageof companies like Vital Planet,
(49:00):
who will put on an event, youknow as a company, where they
can travel to send theiremployees to and we absorb a lot
of the cost for them.
That needs to stay on theirradar, absolutely on their radar
.
As far as looking forward, thenumber one thing I think that's
really important is what westarted talking about in the
(49:21):
beginning is the pet industry,because if you go into, let's
say, a PetSmart, they don't knowan enzyme from a probiotic and
most of the supplements in thereare window dressing.
There's nothing in them.
So I think, developing thatconversation with their customer
cross-merchandising some ofthese supplements especially.
(49:42):
You know, the number oneselling supplement for pets is
hip and joint and we'veintroduced the probiotics.
So I think, looking on thehorizon, what's new?
Keeping the internet is good fora lot of things, you know.
Looking at the trends, likeright now, for example, I
started in cleansing in 1989 or1990 for myself and now I watch
(50:05):
cleansing, go do-do-do-do-do.
And then about 2008 and 2009,go do-do-do-do-do.
I used to not walk into ahealth food store or any
consumer that they didn't have abadge on that said have you
cleansed?
Ask me how Right?
And that's coming back.
See, that's a trend.
And like, like I said, peopleare seeing it online.
The things are seeing online.
But they could go into a storeand get more education on it.
(50:27):
Watch the trends.
All you need is a is a phone oran ipad to go on facebook or
instagram or tiktok or whateveryour whatever it may be, and
just watch it.
There's a lot of.
I say there's a lot ofinformation, a little knowledge.
That's the way I look at it.
Still, it's looking at thetrends and following those
trends.
And then in digestive care, Ithink we're getting now into
(50:51):
more knowledge about the humanmicrobiome project and how
science has moved along and, Ithink, coming up looking now at
more innovative products.
We're gaining awareness inpostbiotics and we have a new
one coming out with parabiotics,which is the new element of
science coming along and beingable, in digestive care, getting
(51:14):
into motility issues andunderstanding the vagus nerve
and all the things wrappedaround motility and
understanding the vagus nerveand all the things wrapped
around motility, because a lotof the problems these people are
having are like motility, wherethere's IBS and SIBO and all
these conditions and being ableto, you know, help people as we
learn more.
Then the formulas will beformulated through learning and
(51:36):
the practitioners help us withthat, you know, because they're
in the trenches too with seeingconsumers, and that's where my
benefit comes from.
I'm still in a functionalmedicine clinic all the time.
You know what I mean.
I'm seeing what's going on andI think with the digestive care
category, we're just going tosee more growth in specific
formulas is what I'm saying.
Specific formulas targeted with,you know, probiotics being more
(52:00):
targeted, your motility issuesbeing more targeted, your fibers
, being more distinguishedbetween what this fiber does and
that fiber does and that fiberdoes, which we're currently
working on, so it makes iteasier for the consumer to pick
something, especially in fiber,because it's so vital for us in
(52:21):
moving forward.
So I see digestive care growing.
It's not going away, for sure,and it's not shrinking.
It's definitely going to grow.
But I think that area, but alsothat pet area, and us giving
them some ideas on how todevelop that, because they close
their mind to it.
You know, oh, I don't sell topets, there's a PetSmart over
there.
Well, that PetSmart over there,guys, knows nothing, nothing
(52:46):
and they don't even have asupplement over there they have
treats.
Amanda Ballard (52:53):
That's the difference.
Yeah Well, this has beenabsolutely fantastic.
Brenda, I really reallyappreciate your spending your
time with us today and wouldlove to have you back on for
another episode at a later date.
This has just been absolutelyfantastic, Everything that I
thought it would be.
You met my expectations andexceeded them, so thank you so
much for your time.
Brenda Watson (53:09):
I love it.
When I found out this is whatI'm doing, I was like, oh okay,
great, I'm so excited about thisbecause this is really where my
heart is, what you guys aredoing.
I love this and I think I'vecome from enough experience,
from day one through my journeyhere, to be able to offer
something you know to as well,to consumers as well as to the
retailer out there.
(53:29):
That's got to change.
They have to change and change.
We don't we don't like change,but it's the only thing on this
planet that's constant, right,Yep absolutely, brenda.
Tina Smith (53:41):
This has been such a pleasure, and if someone did
want to get into the petcategory, I'm sure they now want
to start with Vital Planet.
So how do they get in touchwith you?
Brenda Watson (53:51):
Well, you can go to vitalplanetcom and we have on
the website pets and everythinglike that.
You can call us, but mostlyjust go online and we'll be able
to have someone help you withyour pets and look at our
supplements and we're gettinginnovative in those two,
probably going to get organicwith them A lot of things going
on.
So I thank you so much, ladies,for having me here.
(54:13):
This was just really good forme.
I really enjoyed this more thananything that I can tell you.
I've really enjoyed this morethan anything that I can tell
you.
Tina Smith (54:21):
I've really enjoyed this Us too.
It's so refreshing to hearmanufacturers that are fully in
support of this independentchannel, and so we're delighted
to have you.
Amanda Ballard (54:30):
Thanks so much for listening to the Natural
Products Marketer Podcast.
We hope you found this episodeto be super helpful.
Make sure you check out theshow notes for any of those
valuable resources that wementioned on today's episode.
Tina Smith (54:45):
And, before you go, we would love for you to give us
a review.
Follow, like and subscribe onApple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube
or wherever you're listeningtoday, and make sure you join us
for our next episode, where wegive you more marketing tips so
that you can reach more peopleand change more lives.
A pet wellness is going to grow, I don't know 10
times better, more than human.
You know the whole shift withyou know the baby boomers and
their pets, and even millennials, and all that with their pets.
We love them, like, like I'vesaid, what's going to happen.
This is the, the, the.
Tina Smith (00:16):
What I'm reading is Welcome to the natural products
marketer podcast.
Amanda Ballard (00:24):
I'm Tina and I'm Amanda, and we're here to make
marketing easier for naturalproducts businesses, so you can
reach more people and changemore lives.
Tina Smith (00:34):
Hi there, brenda.
It's so nice to have you on thepodcast today.
We're looking forward to thisconversation.
Thank, you.
Brenda Watson (00:42):
I'm so grateful to be here.
I'll share my stories andeverything with you.
Amanda Ballard (00:47):
So most of you listening have heard of Brenda
Watson.
You've probably heard her speak.
You've sold her products foryears and years.
Brenda is definitely thedigestive queen of the industry
and we're so excited to have youhere, brenda.
One thing that we always loveto talk to our guests about is
how they got into the naturalproducts industry, because I
(01:08):
feel like most of us have asimilar story where we had some
sort of health crisis that gotus into that.
Are you in that boat or do youhave a different story?
Brenda Watson (01:18):
No, I have that story Just much further back
than some of the people in ittoday.
My story goes back into the 80s.
So, yes, I had a similar.
I'll share that with you.
Okay, yes, I started.
I was born with autoimmune anddid not know all the years that
(01:39):
all through my elementary school, high school, all that I was
sick all the time, given tons ofantibiotics as a result of that
.
I my elementary school, highschool, all that I was sick all
the time, given tons ofantibiotics as a result of that.
I didn't know it back then, butmy gut was ruined and about I
guess it was around 1986, 87, Iwalked into a health food store
one day down in South Floridaand said whatever's happened in
(02:03):
my life with traditional doctorsis not working anymore and I
need help.
And, believe me, back therethen there wasn't much you know
to help us with, but there wasinformation, there was diet
changes, there was juicing backthen, things like that that I
began to do personally formyself.
That changed my life.
You know.
It literally transitioned meinto another life and as a
(02:25):
result of that I'm like, hmm, Iwant to help others.
It just gave me that desire tohelp others.
So I went back to school in thelate 80s, early 90s, you know,
for nutrition, colonics, colonhydrotherapy, which is legal in
the state of Florida, and Iapprenticed in natural health
clinics over the early 90s andthen finished my schooling in
(02:49):
herbology and all of that andbegan to work with clients on
detoxification.
Specifically, I worked inclinics that we did the colonics
, the steaming, the wrapping thebody in clay wraps.
You know all the differentthings we did back then.
And as a result of that Iworked under an apprenticeship
for many years and I decided toopen my own natural health
(03:12):
clinics in about 92, 1992.
And I put in five naturalhealth clinics.
You know it was Palm Harbor,clearwater, tampa, sarasota and
Ormond Beach, over on the EastCoast, and I was a CEU provider
for the state of Florida.
So I taught a lot of thesepeople, especially women
(03:33):
transitioning into wanting to bein the natural health field and
I could certify them in likecolonics and different things
like that from the state becauseI was certified by the state to
teach.
And so as a result of that, allof these wonderful women ran
all my clinics and then, as Ibecame more involved in the
(03:53):
health food store industry, theybought those clinics and so
they had a life, a greatbusiness and a great life and
I'm so proud of that really.
And so transitioning into thatfrom my poor health and seeing
other people get better throughthe gut Remember when I started
(04:14):
actually lecturing for healthfood stores was maybe 1993.
I was terrified.
I mean, a store in Naples callsme one day and says we want you
to come down and teach ourcustomers about constipation.
And I went, oh no, I'm notdoing that.
No, no, no, no.
I work in a clinic.
You know I can teach you guysin the store about it, but I
(04:36):
don't.
Really, it's not my thingtalking to people.
But I did it and that was, youknow, when the student's ready,
the teacher appears.
And I did it that first timeand I couldn't stop.
And that's how I got involved inthe natural products industry,
because in a clinic see I am atthat time, you know, we had a
lot of single herbs and, beingan herbologist, I began to put
(04:59):
herbs together in formulas and Iwas using those in the clinic
with my clients.
Well, my husband said to me oneday you need to put that in a
health food store.
And I'm like, oh, okay.
So I boxed up my first kit,which was a parasite cleanse and
an enzyme and a fiber, and Iput it in a health food store
(05:20):
and Renew Life Formulas was bornfrom that and then I began to
get out in the industry andeducate the stores and consumers
.
For the last since 1995, 94, 95.
Wow.
Tina Smith (05:33):
Oh man, listen.
This is not on our list to ask,but just as you're talking
about it, I'm so curious.
You have such a wealth ofknowledge from the industry.
What's changed the most overthe years that you've been in
this industry?
Brenda Watson (05:47):
What's changed the most?
People are sicker than ever.
I actually had this vision whenI was younger that you know, as
we got along people would getbetter, but due to the with
pharmaceuticals and toxins andall that, they're much worse
because now our second, ourgenerations after us, are born
with autoimmune war and I thinkthat's a problem.
(06:08):
But what's changed with theindustry is is still the.
I took sort of the, the thinktank of you know the creativity,
whether it's a supplement orthe food or what it is, that's
still there.
What has changed and turnedover is a lot of the people,
kind of the people like me, whowere the founders of it, have
(06:30):
moved on, you know, retired,their children have come into it
and it's changed in a littlebit that because, you know,
private equity came in andbought everybody out to a great
degree and big businesses inthere and Amazon has, you know,
done what it's done to ourindustry.
(06:51):
The big change is I don't see asmuch of, I would say as it's
being passed down to differentpeople, that sometimes that I
don't know that kind of caringlove that I feel this industry
still has.
I don't want to say it does nothave, but I think it's people
(07:13):
like me and other people thatare still in the industry that
can pass that on to these newowners or new business people
that are independent retailers.
So that's what's changed.
What changed is Amazon privateequity.
And then I think, sometimespeople coming into this that
aren't like as like they didn'tcome from the poor health, you
know what I mean.
(07:33):
They came, they're coming fromit, from a business, which is
fine, you know what I mean.
That is fine.
You got to make money and havea life, but that's what I've
seen the difference in.
And putting that heartfeltenergy back into the stores is
what I'd love to see to theowners of it now, like we care,
you know the caring, and notthat they don't care.
(07:55):
I'm not saying it, but that'sthe.
There's a bit of a shift therewith that piece.
Amanda Ballard (08:00):
Yeah, yeah, I definitely see that and I'm, you
know, a rookie compared to you,but, you know, even just being
in the health food stores for,you know, eight years now, kind
of just seeing seeing how thattransition has taken place, I
definitely see it.
So you're spot on there.
Tell me a little bit more aboutyour journey into starting
Vital Planet, because I rememberthe first time that I heard
(08:25):
about Vital Planet you wereactually giving us a lecture on
the pet supplements and I thinkyou kind of started with that,
kind of led into that and thenadded supplements for the entire
family.
So I'd love to hear, kind ofwhat your thought process was
with that and how that has justblossomed into literally, I mean
, a brand for the entire family,which I think is just really
(08:48):
cool.
Brenda Watson (08:50):
Well, what happened is, as you and I, we
had Renew Life.
I had Renew Life and it wasabout 2015 and we had partners.
Things were dicey there and Ihad a personal tragedy which I'm
able to communicate now topeople I lost a child.
I lost my son in 2015.
And so I went into a veryterrible time in my life of
(09:14):
depression and Renew Life wassold, and I guess you could say
that I percolated on that forquite a few years.
My husband actually stayed bymy side and said Brenda, you
know, we've always loved animalsright, I've been an animal
lover forever and when we leftout of Renew Life, I had
(09:35):
non-competes.
Now I didn't even know whoRenew Life sold to, because at
that point in time I just had noability to really communicate
well.
And so my husband and myson-in-law came over.
We got this place where we arenow and we started the Vital
Planet Pets because of thenon-competes, and I thought, wow
, this is great, now I can focuson pets.
You know I can say more aboutpets sometimes than we can say
(09:59):
about human health.
And so we started Vital Planetand you know, I started getting
out there like you saw me out,teaching with pets.
And you know, guys, I went to acouple of the road shows that
Simpa organization puts onduring that time and this was
probably about, I think maybe2000, and was it 17, 17,
(10:21):
somewhere in there.
Yeah, at a, at a show, it'sretailers in the audience and
there's different people upthere presenting different
subjects, some of them help,some of them business practices
and different things.
And what I felt in that roomwith retailers was a bit of fear
, right, a bit of fear aroundAmazon, what's happening to the
(10:44):
industry.
And I knew map policy.
I knew map policy because I hadfought it at Renew.
And so as I heard these peopletalking, I said, well, at Vital
Planet, we're going to do zeromap.
And my son-in-law looked at meand I went no, we're going to do
zero math.
(11:05):
And so we came in with the petsand I thought I don't know if I
can ever go back in the industryagain because I don't know if
I've got it inside of me.
You know that that passion,that hope, that drive, that that
I've always had, I had, it hadkind of dwindled in me.
But when we got into the humanside and then all this science
(11:28):
was out there on gut health.
You know, the microbiomeproject was really clamping
along and I thought, you know, Iwould have never, guys, come
back in this industry with a MeToo product.
Really, I needed new scienceand I found the new science and
so from the animals I thought,wow, probiotics, they're in our
animals, they're in us.
(11:49):
How many of us love our animals?
I mean, I love my animals, Icherish them.
So I started with the newscience in probiotics with Vital
Planet.
So now we have the digestivecure for the whole family, right
, and that's kind of how itclogged along with Vital Planet.
But I did it differently Becausethe map policies and what I saw
(12:13):
, the changes in the industry.
At the time I didn't feel drivenas much to do.
Before I loved the health foodstore and I was driven to the
health food stores, but now itwas a different level of being
driven.
I wanted to feel like I waspart in saving something, not
the person that saved it, but apart of it.
(12:35):
Because I can feel it.
I can feel it from you guys, Ican feel it from those of us who
care.
And that's what started drivingme was how can we protect the
independent retailer, how can webe a part of the solution, not
the problem, and so that pieceof it and me staying in
digestive care, which is my spot, you know what I know and I
(12:58):
intend to stay there, and that'swhat drove me on was the
passion to help the retailer andvendors and manufacturers also
to follow suit with what you'regoing for.
I just go for it and I knowthat everything I need will be
(13:28):
dropped in my lap whenever I'mready for it.
And so the new science inprobiotics came out and I said,
oh, I can get out now and trainthe new train, the health food
store retailers, on the newscience and a new way to help
our microbiome.
And then, of course, the wholecleansing concepts and all that
that I've had in my beingforever came about.
(13:51):
So that's, that's how?
Amanda Ballard (13:53):
Yeah, and I'm curious how.
How has the pet side of thingscontinued to grow, cause I I've
seen that just from the retailperspective that that category
seems to continue.
Have you added new products tothat line since you've started?
And kind of, where are youseeing the trajectory with pet
wellness?
Brenda Watson (14:14):
Pet wellness is going to grow.
I don't know 10 times better,more than human.
You know the whole shift withyou know the baby boomers and
their pets, and even millennials, and all that with their pets.
We love them.
Like I've said, what's going tohappen this is what I'm reading
is because we tend to want todo for our pets what we do for
(14:37):
ourselves.
Now, having said that, I want tosay something about Vital
Planet.
We sell supplements for pets.
We don't sell treatsnecessarily.
I mean we can take oursupplement and pretend it's a
treat to the dog because we dochewies and things like that.
However, our products and theproducts that are going to grow
in the pet industry aresupplements.
So, for example, you have aperson with you know joint
(15:00):
problems, you know and we know.
You know hyaluronic acid, weknow chondroitin, glucosamine
and all the things that we ashumans have used for years are
now we want to give them to ourpets who have hip and joint
problems and we don't want togive them fluff.
Most of the people out thereselling are selling treats.
There's very few sellingsupplements that are
(15:21):
therapeutically formulated, andso in Vital Planet, the
difference in us and what I seenow as a big trajectory in
what's going to happen withpeople in the field I mean
people that consumers is.
Oh, my dog has a gut dysbiosisor the gut's out of balance.
They need a strong probiotic,just like I do.
They need a strong hip andjoint, just like I do.
(15:44):
If they have diarrhea, theydon't need to go to the vet,
unless it's something in crisis,to get a diarrhea formula.
We've got firm stool you knowwhat I mean which is pumpkin,
which is natural, and it helpsthem.
So what I'm seeing is pet isgoing to skyrocket in the coming
(16:04):
years.
Now where are we in the industry?
You've got many retailers whohave tapped into this, many of
them in the independent retailer.
But there are hundreds outthere, amanda, who have not at
all.
And you go in and you speak tothem and they're like oh, the
pet stuff, it's over there inthe corner, if they even have it
(16:25):
right.
And I'm like you don'tunderstand.
You've got a customer coming inhere who wants to do just as
much for my Lily and Lacey, mylittle Lily and Lacey.
I want to do as much for themas I do for myself.
I don't want to see them sufferwith hip and joint problems.
I want to do something for me.
(16:51):
I've got the awareness.
I want to do somethingpreventively to them, you know,
so they don't end up with hipand joint problems.
You know what I mean.
So that consciousness is gettingready to really skyrocket
because what you see, even onAmazon and on the e-commerce
lines, are more treats.
But we've got to, you know,just, it takes education to the
consumer that there arecompanies out there that can
provide therapeutic supplementslike what we have in the health
(17:12):
food stores.
So my point is, if we could getsome of these independent
retailers to merchandise itcorrectly, to put some focus on
it, education on it, it would besuch a good, not only a revenue
stream, a new revenue streamthat's going to grow, but
something that helps, you know,really helps people and they
(17:34):
feel comfortable about helping,you know, their pets.
Tina Smith (17:38):
Well, and the thing I love about that too, Brenda,
is if they're already coming toyour store for supplements and
they have a pet, it's a one-stopshop.
They don't have to go somewhereelse to look for what they're
trying to provide for their pet.
And if they're talking to youabout their health which mostly
they are, because we have thisconsultative approach in the
independent market and sothey're going to talk to you
(17:58):
about their pets too, Like, hey,they scratch all the time.
Do you have anything that mighthelp?
Can we try that?
And people will spend so muchmoney on their pets for sure.
Brenda Watson (18:08):
Are you kidding?
Great, yes, they will.
And the thing of it is is, youknow if you've got a customer
coming in that understands joint, you know they go to this joint
, you know the joint section.
Here's another thing why notput your pet stuff,
cross-merchandise it?
Why don't you put it in thehuman joint place?
Why don't you put the pet Idon't know diarrhea formula in
(18:33):
your digestive care set?
Cross-merchandise that.
So it begins the awareness forthe consumer.
Right?
The consumer says, oh, that's asupplement.
Oh, okay, that's the way westart the process.
That's another way we'reteaching the independent
retailer too, like how tomerchandise these things, not
(18:53):
just sticking it in the cornerby the pet side but putting it
in the human side and begin toteach this consumer coming in.
There's supplements for youranimals, preventively, you know.
Or if they're having an acuteproblem, they've got a
supplement for that.
So it's very important, thatwhole education process to the
retailer.
Amanda Ballard (19:14):
Yeah, you know you've mentioned independent
retailers multiple times just inthe last few minutes and I
think one of the things thatstruck out to me the most when I
was on your website preparingfor this interview was that you
are probably the only brand thatI can think of off the top of
my head that has a find a healthfood store at the top of their
(19:36):
website, food store at the topof their website.
And you know other brands havestore locators but you have to
dig for them and all of that,but this is specifically for a
health food store.
It's not, you know, just any,any store that they could
possibly found in what?
What is it that makes theindependent channel so important
to you?
Because to me that just screamswe care about the independence.
Brenda Watson (19:57):
Well, what makes it so important is, you know,
going back to my history andseeing and I'm not talking.
It doesn't have to be a bigindependent retailer, it can be
a small mom and pop shop.
But for my story, my journeyinto health food, those people
supported me.
You know, they heard my story.
(20:18):
They heard my story, they heardmy experience, they listened to
me, they took on my concepts.
They let me into their storesto train their consumers as well
as their employees.
And I see that we can't losethat.
We can't lose that heart andsoul of our industry.
So that's what makes me movetoward the independent, because
(20:41):
of my journey.
That's who supported me allthrough my 20-something years,
25 years that I tromped acrossthis country Before you know.
You look at, say, sprouts.
Sprouts was a fruit stand whenI started.
I mean, I was back before WholeFoods was barely started.
You know what I mean.
So I come way, way back andthey supported me, they listened
(21:04):
to me.
The consumers I love theconsumers that come into
independent retailers becausethey're looking.
I call it the destination oflast resort because here's what
it is.
They have health issues.
They've tried to solve themthrough the medical model.
It has not worked.
That's what happened to me.
I tried to solve my problems,even though it was way back.
(21:27):
We didn't have a lot.
I mean, the only thing on theshelf back then was psyllium
husk I mean seriously and Sony 7.
There was no digestive care.
I built that digestive caresection, the SKUs and all of
that in there over a period ofprobably 15 years.
We came out and then othercompanies followed, which was
great.
You know, we got a wholedigestive care set across.
(21:47):
And so when I go back to youknow your roots, you go back to
who supported you.
You go back to who you want tocontinue to support.
It's because the consumercoming into those stores are
looking for answers, becausethey've been turned down in
every way, and we're there.
Tina Smith (22:08):
Man, I love that so much.
We are 100% behind supportingthe independent retail channel
and we want to help them grow.
Sometimes it feels like they'rediminishing and like some
people are not making it orthey're just slightly surviving,
and we would love to see thewhole channel thrive.
And it feels great to know thatthere are manufacturers out
(22:30):
there, like you guys that arefully supportive of that
independent channel.
And that makes me think, oh, goahead, sorry, go ahead.
Well, it just makes me thinkabout, um, what independent
channels could do to make iteven more attractive for people
like you to support them andwholeheartedly invest in that
(22:50):
channel.
Brenda Watson (22:53):
Well, you know, I'll tell you, I had a lot of
you know how you have the lightson and one of the things I
never until um, probably thelast, this must be about five
years ago and I was in my headI'm wondering like, how is this
going to happen to theindependent retailer with you
know, when I first cognited onthe map, policy and Amazon and
(23:13):
what we were going to do and how, I saw a lot of fear there and
so what I thought of is I go tothe store but I'm traveling out.
I'm now pioneering the newprobiotics into the independence
and I'm in Ohio and I walk intothis health food store that I'm
doing some training in,independent, been there 40 years
(23:37):
, you know children's thereadvice there, and I see that she
has totally revamped herselection of supplements and I
kind of didn't understand it.
I mean, she had a beautifulstore but what she had done, and
others like her have done, isthey have found lines Okay,
(23:58):
maybe some of them a little bitnewer, that you know, whether
it's a full line supplement or,like us, digestive care and what
they've done is they fill thestore with innovative lines that
aren't mass market lines.
Okay, this is my.
I did an interview this will goback to this.
I did an interview probably 15years ago and somebody brought
(24:19):
it to me the other day I thinkit's on YouTube and I was in
Toronto because, you know, wehad a big company in Canada and
I was in Toronto and someonestuck a microphone in my and
asked me this question and saidwhat do you see as the future of
the independent retailer?
And I didn't know what to saybecause back then we were
(24:39):
flourishing and everything wasgood.
But this is what I said musthave come from God, right?
What I said was I think thatthe independent retailer will
become the boutique of the world, in our world, in the US at
least.
I think that you will go therefor unique supplements, unique
formulas that haven't beenbought out by mass market or
(25:02):
that aren't on Amazon.
Where on Amazon, I mean, you'lltrade your probiotic for a $2
reduction in price, regardlessof whether you're getting a
supplement.
That's quality or not.
You're all about price, and I'mnot saying that I don't totally
have heart for people withfinancial considerations,
because I do so.
I went back to that store and Ithought, man, what a creative
(25:23):
woman that is, because what shedid was anything in there that
was heavily discounted online,or anything in there.
She found this wonderfulsubstitute for it in a better
formula, a better supplement.
You see what I mean?
And I'm like wow.
And that's when it came on tome that what I had said 15 years
(25:44):
ago was probably going to bewhat happens.
However, you said that a lot ofthese retailers haven't caught
on yet.
They really haven't.
They still think they've got tohave this and that and I can
name.
And I think too, on the vendorside of it, on the manufacturing
side of it, we need, like VitalPlanet needs, to work with this
(26:06):
company and this company andthis company together as people
holding the map policy, and ifanyone listening doesn't
understand that it's keepingyour discounts at whatever level
you determine, is your companyonline and you hold to it.
And so I was looking at it andthinking why don't we come
together as manufacturers?
(26:29):
You know what I mean On thatend of it.
But what I saw that woman did inthat store and I asked her.
I said you know you've done areally good job in here of
replacing anything that was onyour shelf.
That's now, you know, on Amazon.
She said I work at it.
She said I can find somethingin every category that's a
(26:50):
better product and that has,that has consciousness and
ethics behind what they're doingto help the people.
Because, ultimately, whatthey're doing to help the people
, because, ultimately, what arewe doing here?
We're here to serve ourbrothers and sisters.
That's what we come into thisplanet for.
And again going back to the,you know why we're here.
(27:12):
We're here to help people thatare lost, sometimes with their
health.
If you don't have your health,you have very little in life and
, believe me, I've been on bothsides of the coin with that and
I watch people over the years.
So what's going to happen?
We have to take the people whoare already doing this and make
them a model.
(27:32):
And here's the model, guys, andfor those of you still out there
that are still trying the oldmodel and I don't know whether
they're scared to change, Idon't know whether it's too much
work to go in and do all theresearch, but you've got guys
out there, you've got stores outthere now who have done the
research.
They don't even look.
You go into them and maybe yougo into one of the more chain
(27:54):
accounts that we you know thebig chains and you don't see
this product and that productand that product, but they got a
better product to replace itand the good thing that they
have is a loyal customer base.
So you walk into a health foodstore and you're a consumer,
right, and you walk in there andyou go okay, I've got I don't
know gas and bloating or I'vegot joint issues or I've got
(28:16):
headache, whatever they've got,you've got someone there
listening to them, listening tothem and helping them on their
health journey, and that's whatthis is about.
So if we don't come togetherand become a boutique, does it
take more work?
Because I'll tell you whatconsumers want.
(28:38):
Back to this point.
They want to walk into a store,they want to talk to whoever
somebody on the floor or theowner and they want to know that
.
They want to know what theytake.
They want to know what do youtake?
And that's what people say tome what do you take?
Well, this is what I take.
You know what I mean.
So they trust.
See, there's trust, and thetrust is where this is the crux
(29:01):
of what we have in this industry.
We have trust to a consumerthat they're going to walk in
there and I'll tell you how it'smanifesting.
Today I'm out talking aboutcleansing in the health food
stores and you know you wouldthink cleansing would be more
for the younger people or the.
You know I'm having people that, because it's trending on, you
know, on Instagram and Facebookand all that, I have people that
(29:24):
are 80 years old cleansing.
I mean I'm shocked.
I'm like cleansing, you know.
But the point of ideas is theysee cleansing on Instagram or
Facebook.
They don't go buy the cleansethat's on Instagram or Facebook.
They go to the health foodstore, go buy the cleanse that's
on Instagram or Facebook.
They go to the health foodstore, right, and they ask that
(29:45):
health food store owner whatcleanses do you sell?
Because they trust them,because buying some unknown
product there's probably ahundred of them a day online,
because I watch that veryclosely to see what's coming up
and not all of them.
I'm not saying all of them arebad at all, I'm just saying that
they don't trust that, but theytrust that independent retailer
.
We cannot let that go away andthat's where my passion and
(30:05):
journey is.
From what Vital Planet can do.
What I would like to see is usjoin together like what you guys
are doing.
You're doing a fantastic job ofgetting the message out there,
but we've got to get to theseindependent retailers who have
had I don't know earplugs in, Idon't know what they've been
doing, but they haven't seen itand they're still waiting on
things to happen.
(30:25):
Now that, have you know, withthese other companies that have
been bought out and gone massmarket and all that, they're
still thinking, oh well, they'rethe end, all be all and they're
not.
Their products have theirformulas have been down, you
know been, they're not as goodas they used to be.
Because you can't do the samemargins in, you know, mass
market as you can do in anindependent retailer.
And in the independent retailer,if you're setting up as a new
(30:48):
company or a new brand, you haveto put the model together.
Now the model is education fromus to the store.
Ok, you can't throw products ona shelf without going into the
store and educating, just likeyou guys know educating the
employees of the retailer onyour product.
(31:09):
So if you're going into thismarket, it's not a throw it on
like a Walmart or something,it's.
You know, I got to get in there.
I got to teach these people howto sell this, how this helps
the consumer and that's a bigpart.
I don't know if that's the partthat the new people understand
or not, but we do.
I do it some too on socialmedia.
(31:31):
I do that piece of it.
Now I'm trying to I'm trying toget myself better at that where
I can get to the consumer andexplain to them.
And you talked about finding theretailer online.
I don't have third partysellers on Amazon.
We have one site on Amazon.
It's us, and we sell at fullretail and sometimes over, so
(31:51):
they're actually getting abetter deal in the health food
store.
They're getting with us.
Now I can do that.
I can say I'm not, you know,say I'm not going into Walmart,
I'm not going into really WholeFoods and all that because I
don't need it.
If you do it correctly, you cantake, if we can get the correct
.
You know, I think the key isidentifying the market.
(32:13):
What's left?
And I probably think maybe,because I think probably maybe
10 to 20 percent.
Have, you know, clothes goneunder?
But there's still a plethora ofstores out there.
There are institutions you lookdown here in Clearwater,
florida, nature's Food Patchthat's never going away.
I mean, you know all thesestores Ed Nutrition World,
(32:35):
chattanooga, never going away.
These are institutions, they'recommunity, they're where people
go because they trust.
So this is where, if you'recoming into this market, I'm
suggesting that you have theeducation tools and you know you
have to develop that to get inthese stores and not only help
the retailer but help theirconsumer at the same time.
(32:57):
So you've got to kind of do allof it.
My husband used to say Brenda.
I used to ask Brenda what weneeded to do to promote the
product and she'd say everything.
Amanda Ballard (33:07):
Well you know it's interesting to me and I've
seen this play out in real life,where the exact thing that
you're talking about you knowthis brand they've, you know
they've been bought out, they'renot supporting the independent
anymore.
You, you do the research, youfind a replacement.
You know there's the brandsthat are going to always come in
(33:29):
and support the independent.
There are, there's always goingto be another, another
supporter of that channel.
That is oftentimes better thanthe brand that decided to leave.
And then the other thing that Ilove too, is that the
independent retailer they're,they're so strong in community
(33:49):
and they want everyone else towin, like they don't view each
other as competition, and soit's like I'm just, you know,
thinking back to those thoseSoho road shows where it's like
you have retailers just tellingeveryone their secrets of what
they do to do well, and they'relike do what I do, like it's
working for me.
They're more than happy to geton the phone with you for an
(34:12):
hour and tell you everythingthat they know.
No, because that's how we allwin is when all of these
independent stores startthriving, the whole industry
thrives and those brands thatsupport the independents they're
going to thrive.
And I love what you said aboutan alliance type thing with the
manufacturers that also supportthese brands.
(34:32):
I think that's.
The other thing is, whetherpeople know it or not, there's
this solid group ofmanufacturers that are always
going to support the independentchannel, and sometimes they
just get lost in the noise, Ithink.
So something that they could doto you know, kind of band
together.
I love that idea.
Brenda Watson (34:53):
I think you know, I was hearing a story about a
major company, mass market.
I was hearing a story about amajor company, mass Market, and
they cut a lot of their naturaleducators, salespeople in the
natural independent industrystores, and their thing, when
they laid off like 100 people,was we just can't afford that
business anymore and I'm like,oh my goodness, what a thought.
(35:19):
You can't afford to go in andtake a product that you've
developed that helps a humanbeing and go in and educate a
store on why it's beneficial.
That's really sad.
You know what I mean.
But I would love to be part andI feel like I am, but more a
part of an alliance, you know,more a part of carrying that
(35:40):
message Because, again, I thinka lot of them, you know it just
takes time.
You know a lot of them arewaking up, have woken up a long
time ago, but we've got a lot ofstores out there, guys that
have not, and we've got to getto them.
How we do it, I mean I know wedo it through, like the SEMPA
organization does a lot, butthey're regional.
You know what I mean.
You've got the Midwest, that'sregional, you know.
(36:03):
So you've got to.
You know, I've always wonderedyou know, in our organization,
like, for example, in SEMPA,using something like that
organization or any organizationso with you know their meetings
and your education things thatoccur in helping you know to
move into the direction, ineducation, of a different way to
(36:24):
a store.
And I know you know at theshows they do marketing and they
do this, but I don't know howwe get down into that nitty
gritty you know what I mean andstart saying, ok, what are you
doing?
You know, what are you doing asan individual to support the
industry and the vendors and theand the manufacturers that
(36:45):
really want to do the rightthing and help people?
That's that's why we're here,that's right.
Tina Smith (36:54):
Brenda, we feel the same way and it's so fun that
you are talking about this,because that's one reason that
we did this podcast.
We were like we need practicalsteps that people can do so that
they can start to grow theirrevenues, so that they can help
more people.
So you can't do it withoutmoney.
And we're working with a storeright now that's a little bit
smaller and she says to me likeI would give the supplements
(37:17):
away for free if I could helppeople, change people's lives.
But unfortunately I also have afamily, so there has to be some
revenue growth there as well.
But in the end, we are all hereto help people and change their
lives and give them somethingthat they haven't found before
in mass medical or mass market,right.
(37:38):
So we're we are trying to equipthese stores to be found and to
help them grow their revenuesso that they can touch those
individual lives.
Brenda Watson (37:48):
Right and I think , too, you know it's helped on a
lot of things.
I think if you get into pricingand things like that, that's
another concept you know they'relooking at.
You know having a line in therethat's heavily discounted, they
can buy it cheaper online thanyou can even sell it for.
You know what I mean.
So you've got to go in andteach them what we call real
margins.
What is your real?
(38:11):
Because?
Okay, so, for example, you'retaking a Vital Planet product.
We're not discounting.
We do give discounts to theretailers.
Obviously we want to.
We'd like to see, with thatdiscount that we pass on, that
they pass some of it on to theircustomers, which most of them
do.
I'm not saying that.
But their perception sometimesis that product that they've got
(38:33):
on the shelf, which is heavilydiscounted online, which they're
selling already at 30 or 35%off, whatever they're selling it
for is not the real moneythey're putting in their pocket.
Do you see what I mean?
Because we're operating on amargin that we give to them and
they're operating off of thatmargin.
That's more real, because theperson is not going online to
(38:57):
buy the product at a discountand that's the tragedy of it
that the customer goes in thereand will stand.
I've seen them stand right atthat counter get all the
education from that store andpunch that button and buy it on
Amazon.
And I said to a woman one daydo you know what that does to
this store?
What you just did?
Do you know what that does?
(39:18):
That puts them out of business.
Did you know what that does?
That puts them out of business.
I said they spend time, theyspend money and the other piece
of it is if we can get.
This is the other piece.
That's a bit aggravating is thefact that I have stores that
don't want to send theireducating.
They don't want to pay themoney for their employees to be
(39:39):
the hour that we might want todo or the 30 minutes that we
might want to do.
They're not going to pay theiremployees.
So now we're going in with gascards and, you know, a gift card
or something like that toincentivize them to be able to
give it to them.
Or I can give it to theemployee you know, to
incentivize them to get theeducation.
You know, to incentivize themto get the education.
(40:03):
That is the crux of this.
How willing is that retailergoing to be on letting their
employee be educated.
Now I understand the way of theworld now that people come and
they go and the turnovers there,especially in the smaller
stores.
But what I think with thesmaller stores that's critical
that they have, that some ofmaybe the larger stores don't,
is they have the ability to getinvolved with their community
(40:27):
and customer See, that, I think,could be a lot of the problem
that's missing here.
They don't have those ways intheir head.
You know a lot of these peopleI've seen over the years in the
natural products industry thathave stores.
They're not good businesspeople and in some ways I think
that's why many of them havegone the way of the work.
Gone by the wayside is becausethey were in an industry that
(40:48):
was constantly growing and thenwhen it came down the rubber met
the road.
They didn't use the tools ortools.
They were taught to be able totake that business forward when
the times got tough, you know.
So the ones that are out thereleft and I think at this day and
age, anybody that's out thereleft.
They got to be pretty strong,you know, as an independent.
(41:09):
So I think what's needed is howdo we teach them to connect to
their market to come outside.
I've got people right now instores that I say you need to
put this sign there, this signhere.
You know, a simple thing,simple thing will give you
simple things.
So there's a store and they'redoing, they're plodding along,
(41:32):
you know, selling every month.
So I'm like, how can we usemarketing, how can we do
something to pull that customer?
Because, let's say, they're ina shopping center and there's
people walking by, right, maybethey come in the healthy store,
maybe they don't, but a simplesandwich board out on the front
(41:54):
that says got constipation.
Guess what?
The sales of that store in oneyear went from 16,000 to the
manufacturer to 46 one sign wowit wasn't a busy sign, but
people will react and want to dowhat helps them.
(42:17):
So if someone's got constipationgas and blo, bloating pain you
know got pain come inside andtalk to us about it.
That simple, it's notcomplicated.
So it's little things that Ithink they need to be taught.
Where they get real, you knowclosed in about it, or they're
not marketers, I mean, you knowthey're just not and that's
where people like you come inand teach them.
(42:40):
This is what you need to bedoing.
You need a newsletter.
I mean I've got a newsletter.
Guys that goes out to I thinkit's 30, 3500 people.
It's consumers that have signedup for our newsletter and then
it's retailers.
I've got a 49% open rate.
That's pretty high.
I had no idea we had that openrate on it, pretty high.
(43:02):
I had no idea we had that openrate on it.
That little piece of whether, ifit's an old timer that doesn't
have those types of technology,there's ways they can get that
and you know that that type oftechnology are they.
The other piece of it is rightnow on Facebook.
So I start doing videos andthen come to find out.
This store here wants my videoon their Facebook.
(43:22):
This store over here wants myvideo on their Facebook.
Oh, on their Facebook.
I must have 50 stores now usingmy videos from Facebook,
because I'm talking about, maybe, a concept of cleansing or, you
know, probiotics or somethinglike that, and they could put
that on their Facebook.
They've got to learn how to dothat.
It's pretty simple, you know.
So, getting them engaged withtheir I think, with their
(43:44):
community more and teaching themthe tools simple tools, they're
not complicated and you know,the best stores sometimes are
the ones out into in a ruralcommunity.
You know that, the best ones.
I've got some in Tennessee thatknock it out of the park, you
know, and they're in a ruralarea, a very rural area, and
(44:05):
that's what we've always had outin the middle of Nebraska, in
the middle of Nebraska, themiddle of Wyoming, because
they're institutions you knowwhat I mean and people go there,
but there is the small mom andpop.
They need help and they needideas, but they need to be able
to bring the ideas to fruition.
You know, it's like sometimeswhen you try something, I think,
(44:25):
and it doesn't work the firsttime, it's like you know you
sling everything against thewall that you can.
Everything's not sticking right, you got to accept that.
But we always learn frommistakes.
You know, that didn't work,let's try it this way.
That didn't work, let's try itthis way.
And sometimes I see people tryone something one time and it
doesn't work and they throw itout.
(44:47):
You know, and I think we got toteach them.
It's a little bit of apersistence, you know patience,
working through what works inyour community too.
You know, I think that's veryyou know.
Amanda Ballard (44:57):
Well, you know it's interesting that you
brought up the, the concept of,you know, not wanting to pay
your employees to sit through anhour-long training with an
educator um, that just kills me.
But you know, what's sointeresting is, you know, when I
first started in this industry,I had no knowledge of it, like
I I actually was.
I I refused to take supplements.
(45:19):
I'm like this I don't needthese.
You know, I'm in my early 20s,I don't need these.
You know, I'm in my early 20s,I don't need these.
And it was because of attendingthese mandatory trainings that
I had to go to.
It's like this is part of yourjob, you will get trained.
I started taking like 10supplements a day in a matter of
weeks because I was like thisis amazing and it sparked.
(45:40):
Well, I mean, you know, here weare eight years later still
still doing was like this isamazing and it sparked.
Well, I mean, you know, here weare eight years later still
doing this thing, which isfantastic.
But I think, at the end of theday, it's something that these
independents can do, that thesebig box stores are never going
to do.
They can invest in their peoplein as simple as here's an hour
off the sales floor to go listento a training and it shows a
(46:02):
level of investment in thatindividual that's also going to
benefit the store.
It's not just oh well, you know, if I send them off to this
training and what if they leavein two months?
It's like so what?
You could have made severalhundred more dollars because
they got educated on thatproduct Like.
To me it seems like a win-win,no matter what, even if they do
(46:23):
leave.
You know you don't have to flythem to all the trade shows and
all of that with you from theget-go, but it's investing in
those little moments that'sgoing to leave a lasting
impression.
Tina Smith (46:35):
There's an old adage that says you can either train
them and they might leave you,or you can not train them, but
what if they stay?
Brenda Watson (46:46):
That's a good thought and you know you're
right and what we do as acompany is, when we go in for
the trainings, we usually have abroker or we have someone with
us that can work the floor.
I tell them.
Tell me if you're concernedbecause you're pulling people
off the floor.
Tell me if you're doing thatand I'll put somebody on the
floor for you while we're doingthis.
(47:07):
Or the other piece that we'vedone is back to back.
So take part of the people offthe floor for now and then take
the next hour, take the otherhalf and break it up into two.
But the independent retailer hassuch a consultative role for
their customer that theircustomer wants to talk to them.
(47:27):
People want to talk to youabout their health, especially
if it's failed you know what Imean and they're having failure
in it.
They want to try.
I do believe people do want totry to get better and I think
the independent retailer this iskind of the crux of who we are
is having that information andhaving employees have that
(47:50):
information to be able to passit on to the customer.
Amanda Ballard (47:53):
Yeah, so we're getting close to the end of our
time here, and I wanted to askyou what are some of the things
that you think that independentretailers need to be paying
attention to over the next, youknow, three to five years, as it
relates to just the industry ingeneral, but also just to the
digestive category, since that'syour, your area of expertise.
Brenda Watson (48:14):
Well, I think, overall, in general, they need
to be finding ways and, like youwere saying, trade shows.
You know our trade shows havejust become disastrous.
I mean, expo East is prettymuch gone or it's going to
Colorado, and Expo West is sobig the average person can't go
to it.
So I think what they need to belooking into as an independent
retailer is what events arebeing put on where they can go
(48:39):
in and travel and not pay a hugeexpense and get educated.
They've got to watch out forthat, you know, and keep that on
their radar.
Where you know the SIMPAs andthe Health Fest and the Health
Quest and all of these.
Where can they go and geteducation?
Where can they take advantageof companies like Vital Planet,
(49:00):
who will put on an event, youknow as a company, where they
can travel to send theiremployees to and we absorb a lot
of the cost for them.
That needs to stay on theirradar, absolutely on their radar
.
As far as looking forward, thenumber one thing I think that's
really important is what westarted talking about in the
(49:21):
beginning is the pet industry,because if you go into, let's
say, a PetSmart, they don't knowan enzyme from a probiotic and
most of the supplements in thereare window dressing.
There's nothing in them.
So I think, developing thatconversation with their customer
cross-merchandising some ofthese supplements especially.
(49:42):
You know, the number oneselling supplement for pets is
hip and joint and we'veintroduced the probiotics.
So I think, looking on thehorizon, what's new?
Keeping the internet is good fora lot of things, you know.
Looking at the trends, likeright now, for example, I
started in cleansing in 1989 or1990 for myself and now I watch
(50:05):
cleansing, go do-do-do-do-do.
And then about 2008 and 2009,go do-do-do-do-do.
I used to not walk into ahealth food store or any
consumer that they didn't have abadge on that said have you
cleansed?
Ask me how Right?
And that's coming back.
See, that's a trend.
And like, like I said, peopleare seeing it online.
The things are seeing online.
But they could go into a storeand get more education on it.
(50:27):
Watch the trends.
All you need is a is a phone oran ipad to go on facebook or
instagram or tiktok or whateveryour whatever it may be, and
just watch it.
There's a lot of.
I say there's a lot ofinformation, a little knowledge.
That's the way I look at it.
Still, it's looking at thetrends and following those
trends.
And then in digestive care, Ithink we're getting now into
(50:51):
more knowledge about the humanmicrobiome project and how
science has moved along and, Ithink, coming up looking now at
more innovative products.
We're gaining awareness inpostbiotics and we have a new
one coming out with parabiotics,which is the new element of
science coming along and beingable, in digestive care, getting
(51:14):
into motility issues andunderstanding the vagus nerve
and all the things wrappedaround motility and
understanding the vagus nerveand all the things wrapped
around motility, because a lotof the problems these people are
having are like motility, wherethere's IBS and SIBO and all
these conditions and being ableto, you know, help people as we
learn more.
Then the formulas will beformulated through learning and
(51:36):
the practitioners help us withthat, you know, because they're
in the trenches too with seeingconsumers, and that's where my
benefit comes from.
I'm still in a functionalmedicine clinic all the time.
You know what I mean.
I'm seeing what's going on andI think with the digestive care
category, we're just going tosee more growth in specific
formulas is what I'm saying.
Specific formulas targeted with,you know, probiotics being more
(52:00):
targeted, your motility issuesbeing more targeted, your fibers
, being more distinguishedbetween what this fiber does and
that fiber does and that fiberdoes, which we're currently
working on, so it makes iteasier for the consumer to pick
something, especially in fiber,because it's so vital for us in
(52:21):
moving forward.
So I see digestive care growing.
It's not going away, for sure,and it's not shrinking.
It's definitely going to grow.
But I think that area, but alsothat pet area, and us giving
them some ideas on how todevelop that, because they close
their mind to it.
You know, oh, I don't sell topets, there's a PetSmart over
there.
Well, that PetSmart over there,guys, knows nothing, nothing
(52:46):
and they don't even have asupplement over there they have
treats.
Amanda Ballard (52:53):
That's the difference.
Yeah Well, this has beenabsolutely fantastic.
Brenda, I really reallyappreciate your spending your
time with us today and wouldlove to have you back on for
another episode at a later date.
This has just been absolutelyfantastic, Everything that I
thought it would be.
You met my expectations andexceeded them, so thank you so
much for your time.
Brenda Watson (53:09):
I love it.
When I found out this is whatI'm doing, I was like, oh okay,
great, I'm so excited about thisbecause this is really where my
heart is, what you guys aredoing.
I love this and I think I'vecome from enough experience,
from day one through my journeyhere, to be able to offer
something you know to as well,to consumers as well as to the
retailer out there.
(53:29):
That's got to change.
They have to change and change.
We don't we don't like change,but it's the only thing on this
planet that's constant, right,Yep absolutely, brenda.
Tina Smith (53:41):
This has been such a pleasure, and if someone did
want to get into the petcategory, I'm sure they now want
to start with Vital Planet.
So how do they get in touchwith you?
Brenda Watson (53:51):
Well, you can go to vitalplanetcom and we have on
the website pets and everythinglike that.
You can call us, but mostlyjust go online and we'll be able
to have someone help you withyour pets and look at our
supplements and we're gettinginnovative in those two,
probably going to get organicwith them A lot of things going
on.
So I thank you so much, ladies,for having me here.
(54:13):
This was just really good forme.
I really enjoyed this more thananything that I can tell you.
I've really enjoyed this morethan anything that I can tell
you.
Tina Smith (54:21):
I've really enjoyed this Us too.
It's so refreshing to hearmanufacturers that are fully in
support of this independentchannel, and so we're delighted
to have you.
Amanda Ballard (54:30):
Thanks so much for listening to the Natural
Products Marketer Podcast.
We hope you found this episodeto be super helpful.
Make sure you check out theshow notes for any of those
valuable resources that wementioned on today's episode.
Tina Smith (54:45):
And, before you go, we would love for you to give us
a review.
Follow, like and subscribe onApple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube
or wherever you're listeningtoday, and make sure you join us
for our next episode, where wegive you more marketing tips so
that you can reach more peopleand change more lives.
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