“I can’t wait for tomorrow,” says Craig. “You can do anything and be anything you want.” In starting up a company that helped others conquer their weight issues, Craig did exactly what she wanted to do. She just happened to make millions of dollars along the way, too. How did this one-time overweight mother of two become not only a successful entrepreneur but also the hero of millions of people around the world?
Marketing: “I was open to anything that was available,” says Craig. When it came to promoting her company, no option was too far-fetched for this entrepreneur. From advertising in international cricket matches to using celebrity endorsements, Craig used whatever avenue she could to get word of her company out there.
Merchandise: Craig had a unique talent to be able to recognize new potential areas for profit. That is what she saw in creating a line of prepared foods for her customers. If she was going to counsel her clients as to what foods to eat, why not make them herself? Craig decided to focus not just on providing a counseling service, but on exploiting the opportunity to its fullest, and providing the support products as well.
Personal: Where other weight loss programs were impersonal and rigidly structured, Craig sought to make hers as personal and flexible as possible. From individual counseling to group support sessions to an interactive diet guidebook, Craig engaged her customers and made them the centre of her program’s focus.
Perseverance: After Craig’s freak accident, she wondered what kind of quality of life she would have from thereon out. “I thought, you know, you have so many positives in your life, you have a wonderful family, you have good health, you have had wonderful success in business, why focus on the one negative thing?” she says. “So I just kind of gave myself a talking to and said look, you know, get this thing done. You can do it.” From learning to speak again to running her business, Craig demonstrated that perseverance can get you through even the hardest hurdle.
Training: From day one, Craig wanted to make sure her company was at the forefront of both industry trends and customer service. To that end, she made sure employee training was a central part of her program. From orientation sessions to continuing education courses, Craig has ensured that her staff are both current and courteous to her clients.
“I am an extreme optimist,” says Craig, “while [My husband] likes to play the devil’s advocate. He wants to know the worst thing that can happen. I don’t even want to think about the worst case. I provide the discipline and stick-to-it-iveness.” Craig stuck to her business even through the criticism to grow it to what it is today: both a leader and a trendsetter within the industry. Today, Jenny Craig Inc. is one of the two largest diet firms in the world. “I really love what I do,” she says. “It’s extremely motivating to me.”
Changing Lives One At A Time: How Jenny Craig Made Millions By Helping Millions of Others
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