Some of you might be saying, "Whoa, wait just a second, I don't even know what ItWorks is to begin with."
Some of you have heard of the company and the products, but are skeptical. Like I was.
And so, I would like to explain what ItWorks is and why I have decided to be a part of this company.
What is ItWorks?
In 2001, Mark and Cindy Pentecost from the small town of Allendale, Michigan started ItWorks. Mark was a high school teacher and basketball coach. Cindy was a stay-at-home mom to their three children. Hmmm, I can relate to this as my husband Lawrence is an elementary teacher and part-time gymnastics coach. I used to be an elementary teacher and volleyball/basketball/track coach, but now stay at home with our two girls. To contribute to our family income I run an in-home daycare and teach childbirth classes, seeing as how a teacher's salary doesn't have a lot of 0's in it.
Back to Mark and Cindy... Their goal was twofold: increase their income so they could live out their dreams to the fullest and help other families do the same. They came up with the Ultimate Body Applicator and teamed up with Luis Mijares, the CEO of a top pharmaceutical company and university educator of phytotherapy (using plants for medicinal purposes) and world reknown herbalist. Together, the Pentecosts and Mijares created products with safe, natural ingredients.
Several years ago, a supplement line was added, providing customers with vitamins, daily greens, protein powders, and much more to help them maintain a healthy lifestyle.
ItWorks also offers skin care products such as defining gel, hydrating toner, lip & eye cream, a facial applicator and more!
For more information on ItWorks and their products, please visit my website:
Why did I decide to be a part of the ItWorks company?
Two reasons, really.
First, I like to do things that I am passionate about, that are important to me, that I enjoy.
Hence, I have an in-home daycare. I love teaching and miss being in the classroom, but staying at home with our girls is more important to me. BUT, if I can combine the two, why not? And so, I take care of teachers' kiddos -- playing with them, teaching them numbers, colors, shapes, etc. and having fun with my daughters in the process. Plus, I still get all the holidays off, have a Spring Break, and a whole month of summer vacation!
After Coralyn was born, I became quite passionate about natural childbirth. I am now a birth instructor and doula, and I am working on getting my certification as a lactation educator. I love helping people learn about birth, empowering them to make informed decisions, equipping them for a positive birth experience, and then working with them after their babies arrive as they adjust to the amazing adventure of parenthood.
Healthy living is another one of my passions. Our family eats fresh fruits and vegetables every day. I make all our meals from scratch, and we have very few processed foods in our home. Granted, because of my daycare I "have" to have quick snacks and lunches, but I make sure the kiddos get fruits and veggies too. I am trying to teach my girls from a young age to make healthy choices when it comes to what they eat. In addition to eating right, we exercise on a regular basis. Both Lawrence and I work out, and we make sure the girls stay active -- playing at the park, running around in the back yard, doing gymnastic tricks in the living room, etc. As a family, we go on hikes and bike rides. Again, we want them to learn from the get-go that taking care of the bodies God gave us is really important. And that doing so can be lots of fun!
I believe that by being a part of the ItWorks team, I can help other people live healthy lives. I can work with them to achieve their fitness goals, whether that be maintaining an already established lifestyle or starting the process for the very first time.
At first I was extremely skeptical about the products. Did they really work? Were they healthy? Do the results last? Was it affordable?
Honestly, I did't think it was right or fair for someone to be able to put on a wrap and just 45 minutes later see these amazing results.
I mean, I work HARD to lose my pregnancy weight, eat right, and exercise. There is no shortcut to health.
And so, about six months ago, when my friend Ashleigh approached me about joining her ItWorks team, I kindly declined but wished her the best of luck. Well, six months later she is making at least $6,000 a month with this business and seeing people change their lives.
Several weeks ago, I saw on facebook that another one of my friends was now an ItWorks distributor. This greatly surprised me because this friend is extremely health conscious, naturally minded (she's the one who invited me to take natural birth classes with her when we were pregnant together back in 2009), homeopathic when it comes to medicine, and all around "crunchy." When I realized she was selling ItWorks, I messaged her and questioned her about the company and their products. She informed me she too had been skeptical and done a YEAR'S worth of research on her own time. She discovered that the products have safe, all natural ingredients and how they work to help your body break up fat. She assured me using the products doen't replace eating right and exercising, but rather works in conjunction with them! Thanks to Melissa, I was beginning to think about this whole ItWorks thing in a new light.
A couple days later, another friend had ItWorks pictures on her facebook wall. Again, this was a naturally minded, health conscious, homeopathic, crunchy friend. Hmmmmm, what did Jess know that I didn't.... Maybe there really is something to this ItWorks thing after all?
Then, the next day, yet another friend was posting about her ItWorks launch party. Once more, this friend is naturally minded, health conscious, homeopathic, and crunchy. With Valerie's announcement, I decided there was definitely something to ItWorks and that I should pray about joining the team myself.
I worried about what people might think of me if I joined the ItWorks team. Would people think I was crazy? Would they question my reasons? Would they doubt my ability to be successful? But, then I realized I respect and look up to these three women as wives, mothers, and people in general. My view of them didn't change negatively when I discovered their role in the ItWorks company. Rather, I was excited for them.
Not to mention, I teach NATURAL childbirth classes and for certain not everyone agrees with my position or passion in that area. I am quite sure quite a few people like I am crazy that I willingly give birth without any type of drugs or medication. BUT, I don't really care because I have done my research, made informed decisions, and feel confident about my choices.
The same goes for my relationship with Jesus. People may think I am crazy, weird, or whatever for loving Jesus and doing things like selling our house in response to our family's desire to live all out for Jesus even if it doesn't make sense to our finite, human minds. I don't let people's opinions stop me from loving Jesus.
And so, I prayed about whether or not this was something God would approve of me doing. I felt like it was okay to proceed and learn more about ItWorks and how I could be a part of this growing business. By becoming an ItWorks distributor I could live out one of my passions -- helping people maintain a healthy lifestyle!
My second reason for joining the ItWorks team was for the financial benefit.
God has been so faithful to provide daycare kiddos for me to watch and childbirth students to teach and doula clients to help during their labors. I am so thankful for His goodness in taking care of our family in that way. I have prayed for daycare kiddos, childbirth students, and doula clients. God hears those prayers, the cries of my heart to help my family and others in the process. And He blows me away with His answers -- I will have all of my daycare spots filled come the start of the 2013 school year. I just finished a childbirth series with FIVE COUPLES, the maximum amount of people my living room can comfortably hold. I have FOUR COUPLES registered for my next series of classes that will begin next week, plus one couple I am working with privately due to some health issues on mom's part. I have already worked one doula job and have FOUR more lined up from now until July!
So, why do I need to have yet another business, you might wonder. I am so glad you asked!
As most of you know, we are moving (in TWO WEEKS!) to the area where Lawrence teaches school. We are moving for the sole purpose of being "missionaries" in the neighborhoods, reaching out to his students and their families, plus the some 600+ other elementary kiddos and their families! We want our house to be a place where these boys and girls can come hang out and play and have fun, but in the process see and hear about Jesus. We want to have Backyard Bible Clubs, invite people over for supper, host Parents Night Out evenings, and much more. All of these things require additional funds in our budget. When kids come over to play ping pong or run around in the back yard or play video games, they might want a snack to eat or something to drink. That means extra groceries. Which in turn means a bigger grocery bill. The same goes for "toys" like a ping pong table, athletic balls and equipment, and other such items we will use for various ministry outreaches. Since money doesn't grow on trees, and Lawrence isn't going to get a huge raise (no matter how much he might deserve one), I have been looking for ways to contribute to our family's income.
Furthermore, we have been becoming increasingly more crunchy ourselves. That happens when you watch documentaries on Netflix :) I really, really, really want to eat only organic foods, but that is expensive! Our grocery bill right now is already higher than I would like, but the benefit of eating fresh fruits and vegetables and making all our food from scratch is PRICELESS, as we will have healthy bodies, be able to enjoy the outdoors as a family (hiking, canoeing, swimming, bike riding, playing in the yard, etc.), and live longer. We have a pretty high deductible for our insurance because we feel that by eating right and exercising we are being PREVENTIVE and won't have to go to the doctor all that often. And as I said, I would like to be even more preventive by eating only organic foods. Which means a bigger grocery bill. If more money is going to be leaving our bank account, then more money has to first come in! Dave Ramsey says so. And we believe him.
All that to say, being an ItWorks distributor provides me an opportunity to still work from home and earn some extra income. How much extra I make will depend on how much time I put into this particular business. The average ItWorks Distributor makes around $1,200 a month. That's a nice chunk of change! Not to mention, if you reach that level in the company in a certain time period, you get a $10,000 bonus! They pay you an extra $400 a month for 25 months. I don't know about you, but I would personally love to get a bonus check of $400 in the mail for over two years! I can think of a lot of things to do with the extra money: pay extra on our mortgage, save for a family vacation (my mom wants to take a cruise or go to Alaska someday), buy organic food, have extra snacks and drinks for kids who come over, send a care package to one of our missionary friends overseas, donate to someone going on a missions trip, set aside money for birthday and Christmas presents. The possibilities are endless!
So, there you have it. Now you know what ItWorks is and why I have decided to be a part of this company (who just so happens to be Christian-based, debt-free, and one of the fastest growing businesses).
That's a wrap!
Unless, of course you want to know more about our products, would like to try them personally, host a party, or become a distributor yourself. I would LOVE to chat with you! E-mail, text, facebook, or call me!
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