Building a Team that Collaborates with Molly Fitch

This transcript was created using AI. Please forgive any discrepencies.

[Intro] Welcome to Easy Style with Sami. I’m your host Sami Bedell-Mulhern. Each episode, I invite a friend, family member or colleague or just someone I’ve met on this journey called life to come and share their personal style and approach to business, parenting, life and everything in between. You’ll hear motivational and inspirational stories that will help you refine and build your own personal style. Remember, style is easy when it comes from within.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] Hey, everybody, welcome to another episode of Easy Style with Sami. My guest today is the wonderful Molly Fitch Molly, thanks for being here today.

[Molly Fitch] Thank you for having me, it’s, it’s exciting to have a chat with an old friend, we’ve known each other.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] So we went to high school together, didn’t stay connected after that. And like two years ago, little over two years ago, you hosted a party with my best friend from Forever, Tabitha, and then she joined color street then hosted a party with me, and then I fell in love with it and joined. And I think for me, that’s been the biggest blessing with this business is just reconnecting with old people like we would have never connected again, otherwise. And now we get to be on the same team together and working and growing and loving this business together.

[Molly Fitch] It’s definitely an added perk that people maybe not don’t realize from the start is just this fun support system sisterhood that you kind of fall into. And you know, this crew of people is who I turned to for all aspects of life now. And it’s it’s the, you know, core group of people I never knew I needed in my life. So it’s awesome.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] Yeah. Well, before we jump into your incredible team, and more, most importantly, the culture that you’ve built, because I think it is unique. Why don’t you just share a little bit about who you are a little bit about your background, and why direct sales is something you jumped headfirst into? Sort of

[Molly Fitch] sounds good? Well, I am Molly, I am a mom of two little boys. I live in a small town in Iowa. And I just entered my 40s this year. And welcome. Yeah, it’s a great club to be in, I started my professional life as a broadcaster. So in my 20s, I worked in TV news, and did some anchoring and reporting. And it was just something that as we started to think of having a family, although I really enjoyed the work, it just didn’t really fit what I wanted. And the hours just were getting hard to manage. And I did a complete change and went into education. And I worked in special education. And I still do sub in the schools, and it’s so fulfilling. And then, you know, one of my former teachers that I worked with, messaged me one day and asked for my address and just said she had a surprise to send me. And I said, Okay, and here came this little sample of dry nail polish. And I didn’t use it, it kind of sat on my dresser. But she followed up with me and said, Hey, did you try that yet. And finally, I tried it. And it, it was mind blowing. I mean, I have a little bit of vision impairment and one of my eyes and so trying to paint my nails was always a hot mess. And although I loved having my nails painted, this really provided a solution for me. So fell in love with the product first and just kept thinking about it and just kept telling everyone and showing everyone how it worked. And she just kept telling me like, you know, why don’t you sign up? And then you know, you can make the commission if your friends and family decided to purchase it. So I did say no, probably a dozen times to her, then I’d say yes. And then I’d back out. And finally in March of 2018, I signed up and it’s just been the best thing ever. It’s it’s a bright spot in my day. It’s kind of something for me amongst this house. Yeah, it’s grown and the company is growing. And I just I believe in it so much. So I don’t know, I’ve had the best experience. I’m so grateful for it.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] I love that well and it shines through because I think when people hear drug sales, everybody has their own opinion, their own experience. They’re all like this is great, or that’s a scam yada yada yada. And not all teams are created equal. Because because of that stigma I think, you know some people are more pushy with their with their teams. But what I love about what you’ve done is you’ve built this community like you said at the beginning like the people that you did even know you needed in your life for certain things. So did that kind of come naturally to you? Or was that something you worked hard on? Is that something you got? inspired? I know, you’re really close to your upline? Like, how did you kind of build this culture in your team?

[Molly Fitch] Well, I would say it just kind of happened organically because we started, it’ll be almost five years ago. And when we started, it was brand new. Yes, the product had been around for a long time, but it wasn’t something available through direct selling. And, you know, we were learning as we were going, and there was really nothing that we had, there were no resources. So everything we were learning, we’re almost like pioneers, in a way. So we tried an idea that worked, we were so excited to share with that small group that we had at the time. And it just kind of snowballed from there. We’re all really talented at different things. And I think that just sharing what our strengths are with each other, it gives everyone a chance to shine. And it’s it’s really built that team culture. So the name of our team is TEAM Manny, thanks, our larger team has called the dreamer squad. But that word, thanks, it’s just that, that word of gratitude and sharing. And you know, when one of us shines, all of this shines, it seems kind of cheesy, but I don’t think we’d be where we are, if we were all sharing different elements of the business, you know, one of us might be really great at creating graphics, someone else might have the best looking hands and nails ever. So they’re kind of pictures of the product that we can all use. And, you know, like Sammy, you’re so great at understanding marketing, and you teach us so much about how to market online and be social sellers. And, you know, I have that broadcasting background. So I feel confident in presenting information and doing live videos. And so when we all work together, it’s it’s really pretty magical, because we can pull from each other. And there’s really no sense of competition. I mean, I’ve always believed there’s enough, enough success for all of us. And you know, that, quote, girls compete women in power. And I just think that it’s so the case within this team.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] That’s so true. Oh, yeah, yeah, no, I agree with that. But I think the abundance mindset is something that we very much take for granted as norm. Because I think that is definitely something that you have facilitated in your team. But so many, especially being a leader in a company from almost its inception, I think it can be really easy to build an ego around, well, I’m so important. And I have, you know, achieved this amazing success. And you all need to just listen to me because I know how to do things. Like I think that’s a natural space for people to go to it’s, it’s not natural for people to be like, hey, everybody share because I don’t know things. So like, is that been your approach? Do you think in your careers in business in life, in general, it’s just like being a sponge and wanting to really understand more so that you can be better at insert, job role, personal and professional.

[Molly Fitch] I absolutely think that I think in so many aspects of my life, it’s that whole ignorance on fire, where, I don’t know, but I want to, I want to sit at the table with people that know what they’re doing, and I want to learn from them. And then maybe one day, I’ll be at the table where I know something, and I’ll share with everybody else. And there’s just no way I could have gotten here without that mindset. And I’ve just never really seen it as any other way or any other approach to do it. So I’m just gonna keep sharing and having like you said that abundance mindset.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] Yeah, well, and I also feel like you have a huge amount of patience. Because I think building the team the size you have is it requires a lot of patience because everybody comes to the table with a different skill set. Some people can’t read their emails, some people don’t know how to log into Facebook all the way up to some people are like, you know, Rockstar partiers and doing all the things and they’re just reaching out to you for you know, more high level strategy stuff. So like, you have to have patience on all sides. So do you think like, Are you a naturally patient person? Because same with going to school for special education and working in the special education classroom that also requires a lot of patience and grace?

[Molly Fitch] Yeah, you definitely do have to have the patience for it. But also just have that understanding of this business is not an escalator ride. You know if it was Just be gradually, slowly and steadily moving to the place you want to be. And it couldn’t be further from the truth. I mean, it’s, it’s a true business. So there are ups and downs and really low lows, and then really exciting highs the very next day. And I’ve kind of just come to love that, like thrill ride of it, because much more enjoyable than the boring escalator ride. And so I think there are times when it does get frustrating or discouraging. And you know, really do have to dig deep for that patience. But it’s just like any other job where if you take a little time away and truly disconnect for a couple of days, at least in my experience, I come back really refreshed and still so excited about it. And that’s the thing, when you, when you have a team, you can kind of assign different people with different skills. So we have someone brand new that really needs help learning the very basics, we have people that, you know, can do that and link arms with them within the team and also company wide, I think there’s more of an understanding of, of really meeting people where they’re at.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] Yeah, I think that’s true. And I think you are a master connector. Also, like, I think the thing that you have done that facilitates this culture is that you actually get to know the people on your team. People aren’t just a number. And also just understanding like who can be where and asking for help, like how much of this is asking for help when we need it so that other people on the team feel comfortable to ask for help. Because I think in life that’s really hard for people to do.

[Molly Fitch] And for me, when somebody asks a question, in my mind, I’m thinking, well, they’re serious about this, they want to learn and grow and get better. And I encourage it so much. And so I’m always thanking people, when they ask questions and telling them, please keep it up. And please never be afraid. But also on the flip side of that it’s that whole, teach someone to fish and you’ll feed them life. So not necessarily spoon spoon feeding them every single answer they’re looking for, but saying, Hey, have you checked this resource? And then maybe they find the answer themselves, and then discover that, oh, there’s a bunch of other great nuggets of information in that same spot. So it’s kind of teaching but also, you know, developing their skills to find answers on their own as well. And the next time the question comes up, maybe they’ll be willing to help that person who asked the question. So it’s, it’s kind of a nice circle that continues through the team.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] Yeah. How do you like, I’m just curious, your thoughts on like, now that things are opening up? And, you know, if somebody’s like, Okay, well, I want to get into direct sales, I want to have an extra opportunity for income. I want to do this, I don’t want to do that. I want it you know, like, there’s so many ways now I feel like post COVID that people are running their businesses, like what would you say to somebody about wanting to join and get in now?

[Molly Fitch] Well, I think that COVID really provided this shift, you know, so many more people are shopping socially and online and marketing online. And it kind of gave us all that understanding of how convenient it is. I have to leave our house for some of the basic things. And so getting together in person, it’s still so magical and enjoyable. But now there’s just this great hybrid of the two. And I think that there’s so many creative ways to be successful as a network marketer these days. And so I would say the chances are, and the opportunities are almost better than they were during COVID or before COVID Because we have such an appreciation for both, you know, in home and socializing now because we can do both.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] Yeah, no, and that because for me, it was a game changer like I don’t want to do in home parties. Like that was a non negotiable for me, because I like to have my evenings at home with my family. And so that is what had stopped me from joining direct sales before it wasn’t the business or the product. But it was I don’t want to be schlepping stuff around but some people love to do that and now you can get back out and do that. So I think that’s a beautiful thing. Um, but I wanted to just kind of ask you where you see like things going for you like what are your big dreams? Like what are you what kind of different things within direct sales? Are you excited to try and expand and test and grow like, what are you dreaming about?

[Molly Fitch] You Well, now I’m to this point where I would just love to kind of, you know, continue. But I will always grow and work my personal business that always comes first for me, and it’s my happy place, I love serving my customers and my VIPs. And, you know, just kind of showing others, here’s what I’m doing today, feel free to try this as well. So that will always be what I do, because I just absolutely love it with or without a team, I will be doing that until I can’t do it anymore. But really hoping that this kind of legacy continues and that new leaders will continue to emerge and kind of keep up that team culture of empowering each other and sharing information with each other and resources and, and so I think this is going to just continue to grow and evolve, and I have so much confidence in it.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] I love that. And I love that it’s for you, it’s not necessarily about well, I have to reach this level, or I have to do that it’s more about, I want to serve the people that are supporting my business in an authentic and real way. And I think again, just like reiterating that abundant mindset, like when you approach your business from that space, then the things come to you much easier and in a much more real way as opposed to like always having to chase that next thing.

[Molly Fitch] When I was still working full time in the school and started my direct selling business, I just always started with that clear. You know, they call it your why or what you know, what drives you or what you’re going to do with any extra income you make. And I was going to tuck away anything for just a some day vacation. And when I when I was able to do that, it just, you know, it inspired me, it motivated me to just keep that up, like it still hasn’t changed. It’s just, it’s a different different vacation now. Now my boys are getting older and I wanted to Disney World. So that’s my thing. You know, you always want to kind of have that reason why and like I said, if the team ever went away, I would still do it for myself and still save money for trips and memories and, and, you know, having so much fun while I’m doing it, that’s the thing. It’s It’s rough. It is work, don’t get me wrong, but it’s, it’s fun, and it’s fulfilling. And it’s, it’s a dream come true in a lot of ways. So

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] Okay, one last question. If somebody’s listening to this, and maybe their upline is, it doesn’t matter what company you’re at, maybe your upline isn’t as supportive? Or maybe you feel like your team culture isn’t great. What advice would you have for somebody, because we talked about this a lot on our marketing podcast, like, you can be a leader at any level, regardless of what your title is, or your status or whatnot. But kind of what advice would you give to people to kind of take their own reigns and just worry about their own stuff? And maybe not worry so much about this upline? That’s above them if it’s not supportive?

[Molly Fitch] Sure. Yeah, I think that is, is a really important thing to talk about. Because when you sign up, you know, with a direct selling company, you’re also signing up for the business model, and everything that comes with it. So you might end up with an upline who isn’t supportive or a downline, who doesn’t want the things you want, but we have to embrace the model that we signed up for. And really, all we can control is our own personal business. I mean, it’s wonderful to have that extra support. But that being said, Just because you’re connected on some graphical tree or virtual office, you know, let that go. And don’t be afraid to reach out to sidelines and friends and other acquaintances within the industry to share ideas. And, you know, soak it all in because we can all learn from each other, regardless of work connected within the company. So I would say, look to people, you look up to look to people you are inspired by or get ideas from and just start connecting. And it’s an amazing thing when you collaborate.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] I agree collaboration is like my favorite word on the planet AI is how I built every single business that I have been involved in. Well, Mmm, good stuff. I love everything you’re sharing. I can’t believe it’s already been 20 minutes. Like it’s just you have such great nuggets of wisdom. So let’s hop into the last questions that I asked every single podcast guest Are you ready for these? Yeah. Where is your go to place for either personal development or business development? What resources do you utilize?

[Molly Fitch] Well Oh, I am such a visual person that I, I actually really love YouTube, I love to kind of be, you know, what people are sharing and how they’re organizing things and what they’re wearing and their makeup tutorials and advice for self care. And so I really love YouTube, it’s kind of like, the way I unwind at the end of the day is to watch a couple. And so a few that I really love are the small things blog with Kate, she breaks down so easily. And in terms of professional like one of my business idols is her name’s Kelly, France, she’s with color street, but the advice she shares can really be applied to any business or any goal you have. And so, so yeah, that’s where I go, and also these people that I follow on YouTube, you know, I get a lot of inspiration on style and makeup and hair and all the things as well. So it’s kind of just a one, one stop shop for me.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] I love it. Would you consider yourself an introvert or an extrovert

[Molly Fitch] I would say extrovert always that one trying to get people together and hang out and you know, collaborate. But during COVID I guess I developed a, a new appreciation for being home and cozying up and hibernating. So the older I get, I can really appreciate both. And I think that we’re always evolving and, and kind of circling between the two. But overall, I’d say extrovert.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] I love it. What is one thing that is on your goal list for the upcoming year.

[Molly Fitch] Let’s see lots of goals. But definitely like I love picking the word of the year. And so my word that I’m focused on for this year is within. So instead of feeling like this constant, need to learn the latest and greatest thing, or get the new, you know, step tracker or the new water tumbler, or the new dog harness to make it easier to walk my dog without her pulling me like I feel like I’m always constantly searching for more when I have a lot of what I need just within. So that’s what I’m focused on to just kind of mental, minimize a little bit and enjoy what what I already have within me and that there’s a lot of elements to that as well. But just just looking within for more this year.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] That is beautiful. And I think such a great practice.

[Molly Fitch] Because it’s going to take a lot of focus, that’s going to be

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] a lot of reminders. Yeah. Great.

[Molly Fitch] Yes, I’m printing out the word. I have it right above me right now. And I have to remind myself of it a lot, because I’m always searching for more and more more. And so that’s my goal for the year.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] I love that. What is a piece of advice you’ve gotten from someone that has stuck with you.

[Molly Fitch] I think like my husband ended up losing his job during COVID. And it was a really unfortunate situation. But the way he handled it really was really inspiring. He just handled it with such grace. And you know, the quote was, you know, you can control you can’t control what’s happening, you can control your response. And that’s where your power is. So in all situations, just taking a deep breath, if it’s a huge, you know, life change, or something that’s really got you fired up, take a few minutes or days or hours to really process and think about how you’re going to respond. And it just gives you that control back. And I don’t know where it’s been just a quote, but it’s it’s really stuck with.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] No, and that’s been a huge practice for me because especially during COVID When all my clients are all virtual, and you know, like the text messages come in, the emails come in, and I take that email and I’m like, Oh, crap, this client is pissed at me. Like, I’m in so much trouble, like, I go into this whole like mine. And then I get on the phone with them. And they’re like, Hey, could you just like change this real quick for me? And they’re totally fine. So it’s like, yeah, taking that power back and being like, you know what, like, I have to say to myself, I’m good at my job, I’m good at what I do. If they’re mad, I can fix it. And it’s not a big deal. But like we have to train ourselves into into stop telling ourselves all these negative things

[Molly Fitch] that practice and it’s something that you know, we have to really, really work at but you know, we can control our response. Everything is figure equitable,

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] right? Yes, yes. 100% Well, is one non negotiable in your life?

[Molly Fitch] Well, I would say coffee for sure. And not just coffee. But the act like that morning ritual of try to get up a little earlier than the rest of the family just to have that sometimes it’s 10 minutes. Sometimes it’s 30 minutes. Sometimes it’s two minutes, but it’s that time when I’m not on my device, I’m not doing anything except, you know, when when weather allows here in Iowa, just stepping outside and having that quiet moment to myself to kind of set my intention for the day. And it’s definitely a non negotiable because you wouldn’t want to talk to me if I haven’t had

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] to, and I liked it. Yeah, but I liked it is tied to a bigger ritual. And I think I recorded another podcast where they were talking about how they’re struggling with like setting the habits that they want. And so something like that is great, because like, you know, you’re going to have your coffee in the morning. So I’m going to attach my ritual of setting my intention to the day to that because I know I’m not going to give up my morning coffee. So that’s a great tip. Like if there’s something you really want to add into your day, like attach it to something that isn’t non negotiable in your life.

[Molly Fitch] Yes, I think that’s called habit stacking. And it’s something that isn’t part of like the atomic habits book or the Miracle Morning. I don’t know where I first heard of it. But it’s it’s so true. Those things that you want and need to do every day to make your life better. Think of a little habit you can stack to it just to improve your day to day and it’s part of taking care of yourself, which is so important.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] Well, Molly, thank you so much for being a guest today and sharing your insights on how we can I think even if you’re not in direct sales, like how to build that culture, that team and trust yourself is relevant across all business channels. So if people though want to connect with you learn more about you. How do they do that?

[Molly Fitch] Well, Facebook and Instagram you can find me it’s just facebook.com/mrs Molly Fitch or Instagram, same thing, Instagram, this is Molly Fitch. And you know, I’m not just going to throw color street down your throat, I share a lot of things. You know, recipes. Boy, mom life, I like to drink Bush loving and every day is an adventure. So if you ever want to connect, we love to laugh and have fun every day. So join me anytime.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] Big thank you again to Molly for joining me on this episode of the podcast. If you’ve been thinking about direct sales, or if you’re struggling with your direct sales, this episode just share so much insight in ways to kind of build a thriving team and approach it from an abundant mindset. And I love that and I love just the culture. And I just want to reiterate that having teammates and having partners and growing and building in a collaborative environment has been one of the best things for me when it comes to this business. So all of these things of course, you can take into whatever business that you’re in. But I just love the way that Molly approaches all of these things. You can grab more information about the resources she talked about, at easy style with cnn.com/five. And make sure you subscribe wherever you listen. We have new episodes coming out on Thursdays, and I hope you’ll give us a review while you’re there. But for now, we’ll see in the next one