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The Original Girl is Tonya Jackson (aka the Gabby Girlfriend)
Even though I've enjoyed working in the banking industry for over 26 years, I've also had the pleasure of operating my own home based business in direct sales doing home parties for almost 7 very interesting years. I absolutely love home parties for so many reasons; not only are they one of the easiest ways for women to become entrepreneurs, but because they're entertaining, fun, educational and they usually offer some of the best specials! (And like you, I just LOVE a good special!) I also loved doing vendor events because that's where I've met so many remarkable women entrepreneurs! I'm sure I spent way too much time at their booths; sampling their products, doing too much shopping, and learning about their businesses-some new, and some of the businesses had been around for years, and I had never even heard of them! There's something about discovering a different and exciting business with awesome new products and services that just made me want to tell everyone I knew, and shout it from the roof tops! (That's probably why I can honestly say that I've either been a consultant or customer of more than 43 major direct selling companies in the last 15 years!) Yes, it's true! I was a direct selling addict!!
My Motivation
The first direct selling company that I worked with and LOVED was a company called Petra Fashions, a home party plan company that sold beautiful lingerie for women of ALL sizes! That company started in the owners kitchen, and grew to thousands of consultants nationwide during their 26 year reign. Everyone affiliated with Petra Fashions loved it, but one sad day in 2005, out of nowhere we, the consultants received the dreaded email that the doors were closing forever! Without warning or time to prepare- thousands of consultants no longer had jobs! For the founding consultants, their lifeline was cut short- after all their time and effort in helping the owners build their companies, they were now left with nothing but memories. This aweful story is really no different from the other well known companies that have shared the same misfortune. Once successful companies like Home Interiors, Personal Preference, and Weekenders have also gone out of business, and combined (with Petra Fashions) these companies were around for over 130 years! It's not that the products weren't wonderful products; my guess is the sales force just did not generate enough sales to sustain them. Why? Because not enough consumers knew they existed and the consultants could not be easily found. It was evident there needed to be a way to solve this huge problem that all direct selling companies face!
While vendor events were and still are a great way to display the variety of quality product and service offerings, there was still something we, as women entrepreneurs in the direct selling industry needed to effectively promote our unique businesses. We needed an affordable, efficient way to let women in our communities know about the awesome products, services and business opportunities we had to offer! Word of mouth is great, but in this day and age, we still needed a consistent means of exposure that didn't break the bank! I myself had already wasted thousands (yes, thousands!) of dollars over the years with different advertising methods that simply did not work for the direct selling business I was in, and I felt strongly that there had to be a better way, and I was going to find it! My search came up empty, because most marketing and advertising options just don't cater to those in direct selling; it's almost as if they don't really consider direct sellers professional business people, and that we're not taken seriously.
My Solution
Since there did not exist a means of advertising to accommodate my direct selling business, I decided to create one myself- an online marketing/advertising service built around relationship marketing, combined with my love for networking, and my commitment to exceptional customer service! I wanted to give serious women entrepreneurs a unique platform and the freedom & creativity to really educate and display information about their products and services, without having to restrict content. Equally important, was to do it at a fair price with the potential for maximum exposure. And, to get that information out to the women in the communities where we live; after all, they're the ones who support our businesses- when they can find us, right? So now they can, with www.originalgirlfriendsnetwork.com!
To All My Girlfriends!
To all the fabulous ladies that I've met in the past and to those that I'll meet in the future, I simply can't THANK YOU enough! Your support and encouragement has been a big, bountiful, blessing! To my sister entrepreneurs, and the women that support us, this website is dedicated to ALL OF YOU- you inspire me! Keep putting your heart and soul into your passion, and together, we'll make it happen! I love and greatly appreciate all of you, and it is my sincere hope that the OGN will become a very valued resource for you and your girlfriends! Thank you in advance for your patience as I continue to make this website the best it can be for YOU!
Peace, Love & Bountiful Blessings!
Tonya Jackson :-)
Owner/Founder
Let's Get Together! LLC DBA
The Original Girlfriends Network
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