Curious what it is really like to be a Beautycounter consultant (brand advocate)? I’m sharing what I honestly love about being an Advocate and the types of tasks I do week to week.
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If you want help thinking through if becoming an Advocate a good fit for you (it’s not for everyone!), fill out this quick form and I’ll email you back so we can chat. If you want to be added to my Beautycounter newsletter about the products + promotions, add your email here.
Why I Joined As A Beautycounter Consultant aka Brand Advocate
This spring marks four years since I committed to switching over to clean beauty and skincare and became a Beautycounter consultant (now called brand advocate). I only wish I had started sooner (so does my skin!)
Like most people, I said “no thank you” 20 times before I said yes. I knew it was a great company, and I had no doubt I would like the products. I loved Beautycounter’s mission, but I didn’t want another “thing” to have to do.
What I didn’t know yet was that the “thing I have to do” has turned out to be one of my favorite parts of KERF to work on!
Being an Advocate with Beautycounter isn’t as big of a deal as it might seem. You are simply an affiliate of the company, helping to make recommendations to clients, educate on ingredients and clean beauty, and providing basic customer service (that’s one of the best perks of shopping through a consultant!) As a thank you for sharing, Beautycounter rewards you with a commission of sales.
Beautycounter recently changed their language from Consultant to Brand Advocate, and I think it’s quite fitting as we are educating, advocating, and formulating better beauty for all.
Misconceptions
There are a lot of misconceptions in this industry that you “have” to spend money and you “have” to do certain things if you want to be a consultant. There are no monthly spending requirements or parties you have to host in your living room. You don’t have to grow a team to make money. There are no recruiting requirements and I would not have joined if there were.
The way you run your Beautycounter business is 100% up to you.
You decide who, what, where, when, how, and how much! You can have an entirely online business (like I do) or if you hate social media you can have a small circle of clients in your real life. People do it both ways. Some Advocates never sell to any clients and purchase enough themselves to keep their discount. That’s OK too!
What I Like About Being A Beautycounter Consultant / Beautycounter Brand Advocate
Now, four years in, I enjoy the Beautycounter side of my business even more than I imagined I would. I really enjoy: graphic design, writing emails, taking photos, making videos. Plus skincare and makeup is really fun (I am not sure I’d feel the same about marketing power tools…!)
Creative Work
Becoming a brand advocate has taken my creativity to a new level. Whether it’s designing educational email series or creating cute thank cards to send to my clients, I love that this feels more like play than work.
And I can decide to create something new when I feel like it – when an idea strikes. Being able to flow is so crucial to my personality type.
Beautycounter HQ provides brand advocates with an abundance of resources to run your side hustle/business, but I enjoy having the freedom to share things in my own way. I’m a Rebel and don’t like being told I have to do something a certain way 😉
The Beautycounter Community
I didn’t know I was craving this community until I was immersed into it. I’ve been a solopreneur for many years; I had just become accustomed to doing things alone.
But when you join as a brand advocate, know you’re not doing this alone. I instantly became a part of a larger team and quickly formed new connections with others that have turned into friendships. We even get to see each other in person occasionally.
It’s fun to feel like I have a touch of “office culture” while enjoying all the freedoms of working for myself: Zoom calls, team meetings, email updates, new product announcements, webinars, and daily Voxer chat with other women is all very stimulating. It’s the perfect blend of having the perks of a large company and working at home, when you want to. I LOVE being the first to know when a new product is coming out! (There are a few launching this summer!)
Learning New Things
One of the things I was nervous about when I started was that I didn’t know much about skincare. I tried to be as authentic as I could about the reasons I joined the company: I wanted to learn about skincare AND I admired Beautycounter’s mission to change the beauty industry for the better.
I now know so much more about skincare, beauty products and ingredients, and the problems and changes in the beauty industry, and it’s been an enjoyable ride along the way.
Beautycounter has SO much information and training available to brand advocates that if learning about safety and sustainability in the beauty industry is your goal, you’re in the right place.
The trip to DC I took to lobby for stricter regulation in the industry was a great learning experience.
You can also rely on a mentor and/or peers who know the ins and outs to answer your questions, and you’ll be connected with consultants with all kinds of backgrounds – from aestheticians to makeup artists to doctors to marketing/online people.
Earning Extra Income
The good news is you are helping people choose skincare solutions and getting rewarded at the same time with some extra income, so it’s a win-win. You obviously don’t just “strike it rich” or make a ton of money instantly. It takes time and consistency to build a client base.
While some women have build a client base or team large enough to leave their jobs, obviously that isn’t typical. Most people are making a few hundred (maybe a thousand) extra dollars to support their lifestyle: buy their skincare, pay for a babysitter, a weekly date night, vacation fund, pay off debt, bulk up savings, etc. etc.
Earnings as a Beautycounter Consultant in the U.S. may vary significantly and depend on many factors, such as dedication to selling/mentoring. Not all Consultants will earn money. To see more about the earnings and costs of Beautycounter Consultants, please view the 2020 Income Disclosure Statement at www.beautycounter.com/ids
Do I need a blog to see success?
You absolutely don’t have to have a large following or online presence to be successful at this – most people are not bloggers. But just like the influencers you probably buy from online, if you’re to love something you use so much you recommend it to your BFFs IRL, you might as well get a kickback for that referral! More and more companies are realizing that social selling is just as valuable as big traditional marketing campaigns and investing in affiliate programs.
Weekly Things I Do As A Beautycounter Consultant/Beautycounter Brand Advocate
What do you actually DO as an affiliate for Beautycounter? The work varies day to day, week to week, but that’s what keeps it interesting!
These are some of the things I may have on my to-do list any given week:
- Mail out samples (and design a Google Form to collect interest)
- Create individual, customized skincare regimens for clients
- Design and write email content and newsletters
- Schedule (online) events and craft copy and materials to use during the event
- Send thank you notes or email reminders to clients
- Share video tutorials on Instagram or Facebook (join my private Facebook group here!)
- Participate in a team call
- Listen to a new product training video or call
- Take product photos or make graphics
Again, this work looks different from one consultant to the next.
Play to your strengths: if you’re a social butterfly, you may excel at executing social events. If you’re into the digital space (like me), you might find yourself deep into emails, videos, and graphics. You can do all of these, or none of these things. It’s totally flexible!
Beautycounter Consultant FAQs
Do consultants get a discount?
You bet! We get 25% off of everything and opportunities to get a deeper discount on new product launches and the holiday collection.
How much does it cost to sign up?
$50. Yes, really – that’s it! For $50, you get a Digital Enrollment Kit which includes your personal website and backend office + access to our extensive training platform. You’ll also get me as your mentor, and immediate access to the 25% consultant product discount.
Are there any minimums or requirements?
There are no monthly minimums. As a brand advocate, you can purchase what you want, when you want. There is only one activity requirement to maintain your consultant status which is $750 in volume every 6 months. This includes anything that people buy through your link as well as anything you purchase. They do this so every single person doesn’t get a perpetual discount forever. That wouldn’t be a very smart business model! But you can hit the $750 minimum forever 😉
And I know what you’re thinking: if you don’t get to $750, terrible things happen, right? NOPE there is no penalty. You just get converted to a Band of Beauty member (with great perks!). And you can always join again if you want to go it another go when the timing is better for you.
Literal worst case scenario: you paid $50 to get 25% off for six months (and if you already use the products yourself you saved way more than $50!).
Is this sort of like being an affiliate with other companies?
Yep, but with a much higher affiliate cut. As a blogger, I’ve worked with a lot of different brands and affiliate programs, and Beautycounter’s commission is by far the best. You earn 25-35% commission on everything you sell, plus more if you decide to build a team.
Other companies pay out more like 2-10%. You don’t hesitate to recommend your favorite clothes or restaurants to your friends and family – why not recommend your personal care products too!?
Do I have to have a blog or big following?
MOST Beautycounter brand advocates are not bloggers (there’s just a small percentage of us who are). Utilizing social media really helps, but you don’t have to have a huge online presence to be successful. While being active online helps you reach more people faster, you can also tap your talents as a natural connector in your real-life community to help you build your business.
How much time do I need to put in each week?
The good news is you can decide! It’s simply about being consistent. Whether you have one hour a week or one hour a day, showing up consistently over time pays off. There are brand advocates from all backgrounds and walks of life — everyone from a mom of three juggling homeschool schedules to a full-time physician has found success. You work when you want to (that’s the best part!).
I find that while some people hit the ground running, a lot of people also go through “watch and learn” phase where they just kind of cruise before they’re feeling confident enough to start talking the talk. That’s cool too!
The two most simple things you can do it get started are to share videos / photos on social media and hand out samples.
Okay, I am intrigued!
If you’re interested, shoot me a message through this form and we can get a conversation going to see if this would be a good fit for you.
Or if you wished you had started yesterday, you can sign up here any time! Just make sure to select “Katherine Younger” as your mentor so I can follow up with next steps and help you get the ball rolling.
