Lovely WFK Friends,
A number of followers of this blog have contacted me over the past six months to ask "what's happened, why aren't you updating your blog anymore!". I've of course answered everyone individually, but would like to explain the reason for my erratic radio silence to everyone.
In July 2011, after much ummming and ahhhing, I decided to take the plunge and become a Thermomix consultant, so I could share my passion for the Thermomix and how easy it made feeding a family. I was very skeptical about the idea - I didn't want to be the Tupper lady and, given that I'd taken 2 years before I finally bought my machine, I was pretty certain it would be difficult to make any sales.
In the end, I decided that I actually had nothing to lose except the outlay for the business kit and a few weeks of my time. So, off to training I went and I took to it like a duck to water.
For someone who loves cooking, this was a little dream come true - I was going to people's houses and just demonstrating how easy it was to use the Thermomix to make life simpler. I was teaching people how to cook better, which was more rewarding than I could have possibly anticipated. In my 60 day "suck it and see" period, I held 16 demos and had 14 sales (to be fair, one was my Mum and she shouldn't count!).
I was astounded at the sales, given there was no "selling" involved. In fact, it's almost like my training taught me not to sell - rather just to demonstrate how someone could benefit from the Thermomix, show them what it does and then leave the decision with them. The training was thorough, the support was extensive and the model worked.
Within six months, I had 41 customers that I was taking through a Thermomix journey and living on a high watching how my actions had helped their lives. It's corny, but as a consultant I really felt that I was changing people's lives - making their everyday meals easier and healthier. In the background, I was also gaining a massive amount of food knowledge from meeting all the different consultants in my area and absorbing all their advice. My own family's food and eating changed for the better (which I didn't realise was possible!) as a result of the knowledge I was constantly gaining.
By the time my Thermomix earnings paid for my boys' "Taj Mahal Fort to end all Forts" for Christmas, I realised what potential the business held for our family. I was able to work when I wanted to work, fitting in around our family's commitments. At first, I'd have gone to Mars to do a demo, but now I was able to be a bit more selective and chose to work only when it suited me. I'd sit down with my diary and Mr WFK each month and plan demo spaces, then fill them with the people keen to see what my little Thermomix could do.
Less than twelve months after starting, the opportunity came up for me to lead a team of consultants in my area. It was a no-brainer for me - Thermomix had already proven to be a successful consultancy model and I felt I could trust that the next step would be no different. Off I choofed to Melbourne and returned starry eyed, astounded again by the level of care and thoroughness the company provided to its' consultants to ensure there was support for them at every stage of the business building process.
Becoming a Group Leader took my Thermomix business in a very different direction. Whilst I still had the benefit of doing demonstrations and helping customers get the most out of their magic machine, I was also helping other people build their consultancies and having a direct impact on how their lives changed as a result of the business success, just as mine had. This was the factor I had never counted on - that I would get such value and fulfillment from the Group Leader role. The opportunity took me in a direction I never had imagined I would go and I loved it. Don't get me wrong - there was a lot of hard work there and days when I just wanted to stay in bed and turn my phone off, but they were few (and the beauty of working for yourself is that when you hit those days, you actually can stay in bed and turn your phone off!).
Whilst my Group Leader role ramped up, my ability to upload recipes and blog decreased - it was just a juggling of priorities. I'd always loved my blog and sharing my recipes with customers, but there were only so many work hours for me each day and the blog didn't really fit into my working day anymore. I found it easier during school holidays to upload recipes and was always touched when customers would mention how lovely it was to see some action on the blog again. It reiterated to me how lucky I was to have formed friendships with so many of my customers and that almost two years later they will still raving fans, looking for inspiration and new recipes.
Since that time, my role has changed again. I'm now the Junior Branch Manager for the North Brisbane branch which is a position I absolutely love. It's busy, challenging and rewarding and I am so grateful for the opportunity to share the Thermomix business with so many others and have a hand in the explosion of Thermomix popularity in South East Queensland. I've kept my blog, rather than hand it over to another consultant to run, because once things quieten down I would like to come back to it and continue to share my recipes. I promise you - my family still eats well, we're still converting old favourites and developing new ones that hopefully one day will be cooked in your kitchen too.
In the meantime though, I have a Thermomix branch to build with the help of 6 exceptional Group Leaders and 60 talented consultants - all of whom I count as friends. I spend my days surrounded by men & women who are passionate about food, about nutrition and about improving people's lives. The Thermomix community is full of people who love to share, who love to feed, who love to care. It is, to be honest, a dream work environment. I look back and am so utterly grateful to have given the Thermomix business a chance. It's proof, well and truly, that only the turtle who sticks out his head makes progress!
x
(PS - For more information on Thermomix consultancy and to explore the opportunity in your area, contact Thermomix Head Office - you never know where it will take you!).
Thank you so much for this post. I am also considering becoming a Thermomix Consultant after I save my pennies of course!
ReplyDeleteI love cooking and food and I think it would be a great job to fit around children and home. Your post is confirming a lot of things for me. I'm going to have a look at your recipes now:) Thank you for sharing your experience.
Thank you for your post. My training starts next week and frankly I can't wait to get into it! I love your expression "suck it and see" - that' exactly where I am at right now. Well done getting to where you are today, it i inspiring!
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