Stephanie joins the blog today to share how she got her start and what Initial Outfitters means to her. Friendships, sisterhood, reliability and FUN (Just like Stephanie, herself!!).

The first time I saw an Initial Outfitters catalog, I fell in love with the product line!  Then  I heard about IO Loves (specifically Charlie’s Lunch) and fell in love with the COMPANY! I had been a single mother at one point in my life, and I knew how hard it was to feed my own children.  Seeing a company that donates 100% of their profit on a lunchbox to feed hungry children… Well, that story tugged at my heartstrings. That was the moment I knew that I  wanted to be involved with  Initial Outfitters.

I love that this is a relationship business.  I grew up with 4 older brothers.  As a little girl, I remember  thinking how much I would love to have a sister.  Well, now I have a LOT of sisters!  That’s how I feel about the consultants in this business.  They are my sisters and they are so incredibly important to me.  We have a connection that’s filled with support, encouragement and love that I’ve never experienced outside of family.  We’re there for each other through our teams and across teams as well… We are all one big IO family!
For me, personally, it goes way beyond that.  The fact that my IO Sisters share their love of God on a daily basis, well, that really feeds my faith.  As a younger mother, I was involved in a MOPS program.  At that time in my life, that is what fed my faith.  I didn’t realize I was missing that so much until I joined Initial Outfitters and spent time with these amazing women.
I also love the relationships this company has allowed me to build with the women in my community. When I started Initial Outfitters, I was still pretty new to this area.  In working with women to have home parties, I have met so many people who have become my friends.
I have been in direct sales prior to Initial Outfitters, and while I worked hard at what I did, I still felt like just another consultant.  Initial Outfitters is fantastic at recognizing their consultants  and making us feel like we mean something. Since joining Initial Outfitters, I have been recognized by my upline sponsors but also at the corporate level.  Being recognized at the corporate level not only felt amazing and has boosted my confidence but has allowed me to grow my network and team!
There are so many things that stand out to me with IO.  The camaraderie among the consultant field, the product line, the amazing support from our home office… All those things are fantastic.  However, the thing that I believe makes Initial Outfitters shine above any other company is their heart for missions and giving back to others.  We do that every day through our IO Loves program.  In less than two years since I’ve been with the company, I’ve seen the IO Loves mission grow, they contributed to Music and Miracles (a foundation to help fund cancer research) and just recently helped those affected by recent hurricanes.  When I talk about Initial Outfitters these are the things  of which I’m most proud of.
Having the support of my husband and kids on this journey means so much to me.  For my  kids to see me as a success is so important to me.  I want them to know that with hard work and dedication, you CAN find a job that you love where you can make a difference in others lives.  To be able to do that AND keep my schedule flexible so that I don’t miss the important events in their lives makes the success I’ve had with Initial Outfitters even sweeter.
Thanks to Initial Outfitters, my husband and I have been able to dream about a tropical get away… Not only dream about it, but achieve it!   Our recent incentive trip on a Bahamas cruise was fantastic. We had so much fun with our IO family.   It was so nice for Aaron to be able to meet everyone and for us to have some much needed time away!   Now, we have our sights set on Mexico in February!