Give your Planet an Earth Day Present

Imagine the reduction in toxins if you stopped using harmful chemicals for spring cleaning and switched to Watkins all-natural home care products.

Get ready for Earth Day 2015! It falls on April 22 this year. What have you done recently to show your home planet you really care? Did you turn off the bathroom faucet when you were brushing your teeth or shaving this morning, rather than wasting all that water? Did you ask for paper rather than plastic when you checked out of your local supermarket? Did you divide your trash for recycling?

That’s all well and good. But this year, how about making a concentrated effort to help save the planet for your children and grandchildren? Now is a perfect time to start right in your own home. You are probably about to begin that annual spring cleaning to get your home ready for this new season. When you haul your cleaning supplies out from under your kitchen and bathroom sinks, take a moment to read the labels on the containers? We did about a year ago when we wanted to find out what was so powerful in those containers that made our whites whiter and bathtubs brighter.

 We were shocked! No wonder you have to use rubber gloves to avoid first-degree burns, and start choking if you forget to throw open all the windows before using some of these harmful chemicals.

Our planet needs all the help we can give it. That’s why we Big Bear Country Store managers were thrilled when we first learned about the Watkins all-natural home care product line. Our store now prides itself on offering these great products at the Big Bear Farmer’s Market every Tuesday from 8:30 am to 1 pm. But if you don’t live within driving distance of Big Bear, you can order these outstanding cleaning products through the following link:

 www.jrwatkins.com/consultant/gonatural. What’s so great about Watkins all-natural products? Many all-purpose cleaners contain toxins that can be inhaled. Ammonia-based cleaners can irritate the skin, eyes and respiratory system. Minimize your family’s exposure to these harmful toxins with Watkins.  The company’s Natural All Purpose Cleaners feature plant-based formulas that are:

• Ammonia Free

• Animal Ingredient Free

• Benzene Free

• Biodegradable

• Bleach Free

• Boron Free

• Diethylene Ether Free

• Dye Free

• Formaldehyde Free

• Isopropanol Free

• Kerosene Free

• Mineral Spirit Free

• Never Tested On Animals

• Non-toxic

• Paraben Free

• Petrochemical Free

• Phosphate Free

• Phosphoric Acid Free

• Phthalate Free

• Propylene Glycol Free

• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate Free

• Sulfuric Acid Free

There are a number of things that will make your spring cleaning a lot easier this year. Here’s just a few of them that relate to the Watkins All Purpose Cleaner:

• Spray a small amount of the all-purpose cleaner on a soft cloth and gently rub cloth over switch plates to remove smudges and fingerprints.

• Never dust using a dry towel, this method will only relocate dirt into the air or onto the floor. For optimal dusting, lightly dampen a micro fiber cloth or paper towel with the all-purpose cleaner.

• To naturally clean your microwave place a bowl of water with a few drops of lemon juice in the microwave and run on high for one minute. Next spray the all-purpose cleaner on the surface and wipe away crusted food and grease.

• To clean ceiling fans, use a long-handled brush dampened with the all-purpose cleaner.

If all of these tasks can be done with just one product, imagine how your entire house can benefit from using the wide variety of Watkins all-natural cleaning products while at the same time protecting the environment. Order your products today in time for Earth Day 2015 on April 22. Once again, the link to the complete line of home care products can be found at www.jrwatkins.com/consultant/gonatural.

Get Ready for the Farmers Market

The annual event returns to The Big Bear Convention Center parking lot April 7.

In addition to fresh vegetables and flowers, here’s your chance to buy Watkins all natural products. The event takes place every Tuesday April through October in Big Bear. That’s because the other months of the year bring snow to this mountain community. In addition to locals who flock to the farmers market, there are visitors who drive up the mountain to escape the spring and summer high temperatures that usually occur in the rest of Southern California. Sometimes, this is their first introduction to Watkins Naturals.

The farmers market is the location where we pitch our traveling All Natural Country Store tent and folding tables every Tuesday morning. We also have traveled to Palm Springs and Victorville, California, but Big Bear has been our most successful location. It is primarily our locals, who have come to see us as friends. That’s because we return every spring and summer to sell our Watkins products.

If you don’t live in or near Big Bear, you can still purchase Watkins Naturals through a local sales representative of our All Natural Country Store. You can find these individuals by going to our website, AllNaturalCountryStore.net.

Click on the tab “Find a Watkins Consultant Near You.” Some of these consultants are part of their local farmers market or street fairs. In some cases, they will even come by your home to present an array of Watkins products to you. Or they may review a copy of the Watkins catalog with you, and recommend our top-selling products. If there is not a local representative near you, we All Natural Country Store managers can mail you a copy of the Watkins catalog. Then you can call us at 888-881-7372. We will gladly submit your order online. The products will be delivered right to your front door in about a week.

There’s a New Bar Soap in the family of Watkins Products

Watkins has just introduced Castile Soaps to its growing natural body care product line.

There once was a time when Watkins produced a number of scented bar soaps. Then when soft soaps became popular, the bar soaps were discontinued, and Watkins introduced a wide variety of scents in the pump bottles.  More recently, Watkins added foaming hand soaps to its product line.

Now, because of customer demand, the company is bringing back the hard bar soaps under the name Watkins Castile Soaps. Castile is a name used in English-speaking countries for olive oil-based soap made in a style similar to that originating in the Castile region of Spain.

Enjoy the naturally pure-and-gentle lather of J.R. Watkins Castile. The natural bar soaps are made with coconut and olive oil -- your face, hands and body will thank you. Free from dyes, sulfates and preservatives, the soaps are 98 percent natural. Users are able to cleanse with a clear conscience.

The new Watkins Castile Soaps are being introduced in three scents:

Clary Sage, with notes reminiscent of common sage and a hint of mellow floral, is known to carry a herbal scent that uplifts and relaxes. This fragrance is also known for its ability to bring clarity and focus.

Lavender is a wonderful, nostalgic fragrance that makes you think of your grandmother’s linens or dainty purple flowers against a bright blue sky. Lavender soap soothes and refreshes—just perfect when you want to reset and unwind. You will wonder how something that detoxifies can be so intoxicating.

Peppermint is a wonderful scent that is known to offer anti-fatigue relief. It’s eye-opening, and provides an aromatic burst while tingling and reviving tired feet and poor moods.

The bars come in an 8-oz size for the retail price of $4.99. The new Castile Soaps are also available in a liquid format. The 11-oz bottle retails for $7.99. You can order these soaps by going to: JRWatkins.com/Consultant/GoNatural. If you would prefer assistance in placing your order, just call Alan, one of the two All Natural Country Store managers, at 888-881-7372. He also can tell you about some of the specials that are being offered this month from Watkins.

Finding a Country Store Rep Near You

As the size of our sales force grows, so does the possibility that we have a rep who could deliver Watkins products to your front door.

We love to reminisce about the early days of the J.R. Watkins when its sales representatives would travel through local neighborhoods in early model cars bringing with them a growing number of quality products produced by the fledging company.  They became known as the traveling Watkins men and women.

Today, that is impossible, particularly in large cities where there are a number of high-rise apartment complexes that post a “No Solicitors” sign outside the front gate. Then there are sections of cities where ringing a stranger’s door bell is asking for trouble.

Watkins prides itself as being the first direct-marketing company, bringing its products directly to the customer and eliminating the so-called middle man. These individuals – in an effort to build their businesses -- would mark up wholesale prices to retail, pushing the cost of their products out of reach for many people. Enter J.R. Watkins with his concept of creating a company built on a direct sales force, long before other organizations like Fuller Brush and Avon launched similar door-to-door sales teams.

However, Watkins has changed with the times. Today, the majority of its salesmen and women promote their home-based Watkins businesses through the Internet and social media. It is through these avenues that our Watkins All Natural Country Store has been able to grow every year since its foundation in 2009. Not only have we attracted customers from coast-to-coast and throughout Canada, we now have some 115 sales consultants spread out across the two countries.  Each consultant has developed his or her own customer base, composed of extended family members, personal friends and associates eager to help the consultant build a fledging home business. Yes, these friends can tell their friends about these new Watkins entrepreneurs, but it takes many others to propel a new business into a strong growth phase. 

This is one area where we All Natural Country Store managers have stepped in to help our new consultants. As part of the store’s website – AllNaturalCountryStore.net – we have created a directory that lists all of the store’s Watkins consultants by state and province. Simply go to the website, and click on the tab marked “Consultant Directory.” You may be surprised to find a sales representative in or near your home town. Give that person a ring. Like the Watkins traveling salesmen and women of yore, we’re sure that they will be more than happy to deliver our quality products right to your front door.

What Happened to those New Year’s Resolutions?

Remember, 2015 was going to be the year you were going to get going on your Watkins home business.

Scary isn't it? One look at the calendar and you'll realize that one twelfth of 2015 is nearly gone! What happened to all those great New Year's Resolutions you had 25 days ago? Have you forgotten them, or just decided to wait until December to start up a new list?

Come on, people!  We never would have won our Independence if our forefathers had kept saying, "Maybe next year would be a better year to revolt against Britain." Watkins would never have become a leader in direct marketing if those early consultants had given up after a series of doors were slammed in his face.

Today, give some thought to your unfulfilled resolutions and dreams for a better future. I'm reminded about an anonymous prayer I read somewhere that went, "Dear God, my prayer for the coming year is a fat bank account and a thin body.  Please don't mix these up like you did last year.''

We certainly believe in the power of prayer, but God doesn't make mistakes. We humans manage to do quite well on our own in that department. February is your month to get back on track. The kids are settled back into school after the holidays so we can't use that as an excuse. Summer vacations are months away so we can't use that as an excuse.

It’s time to get going on your own Watkins business. Quit trying to reinvent the wheel. Remember, the quickest way the start building sales is to throw a Grand Opening party for your new business, or a First Anniversary celebration, because you were so flooded with orders last year you didn't have time to host a party when you first became a Watkins consultant. (Okay, a little fib, but we all know how people love being associated with a winner). Invite your best friends, neighbors and nearby relatives to the party - people that will want to see you succeed (even further)!

Follow up with those who could not come by taking by another copy of the Watkins catalog you mailed them with your party invitation. If they tell you there were products they really wanted to order, but didn't have anything left over after paying bills this month, you have the perfect answer for them. Tell them they can get those products FOR FREE just by hosting a Watkins Good Tastings party or a Love Yourself This Valentine’s Day party in their own home. And you will do all the work!

Or we'll do all the work! If you happen to live in Big Bear, Palm Springs, Victorville or anywhere in between, Alan and I will even drive to your home and bring along our Watkins traveling dog-and-pony show. You can't even use the excuse you don't have any samples or know enough about the products to put on a presentation.  Everything is packed in our Watkins wagon and ready to roll. Already have a date in mind?  Call us at 888-881-7372.  We’ll help you get 2015 back on track.

The Watkins-Kemps Connection

These two companies combine their quest for quality into some great holiday products.

We all know the JR Watkins Company has been producing quality products since 1868. But we folks on the West coast in Big Bear, California -- where our All Natural Company Store is located -- are not that familiar with Kemps. That’s because the company is headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota. It operates five manufacturing facilities in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Since 1914, Kemps has been distributing its dairy products throughout the upper Midwest. From its beginnings as a small creamery in Southeastern Minnesota, Kemps has extended its roots to include the manufacture and marketing of fresh milk, premium ice cream, frozen yogurt and other quality products.

It was only natural (pun intended) that Watkins and Kemps would come together to create a number of specialized products. It is during the holidays that consumers throughout the Midwest are able to find Kemps dairy products on their market shelves enriched with Watkins spices and extracts. Those of us here in California can only imagine the zip that Watkins Pumpkin Spice, Mint, Vanilla and Cinnamon add to Kemps ice cream, egg nog and yogurt.

But leave it to some of us clever kitchen chefs to come up with our own recipes that combine Watkins with other dairy product companies found on the West coast. No matter how you mix them, Watkins spices and extracts are filling homes across the country with holiday treats that are becoming family traditions.  

So Much to be Thankful For

There are many blessings in our lives, including our successful home business.

As we gathered around of Thanksgiving table a few days ago, each one of us was asked what they recalled as being among the things they were most thankful for during the last year. Topping the list, of course, were family and friends, even the pooch waiting for any left-overs from the big feast we were enjoying. Must not forget our cat, who has come to expect to get her share of treats as well. Yes, there were many things to remember as we said thanks.

It wasn’t until I returned to my computer after the holiday that something else popped into my head – our Watkins home business that has grown substantially during the last year. I mentioned before how it was launched back in 2009 in the midst of the recession when my full-time position at a private business school was eliminated because of a decline in enrollment. Those first few years required a lot of work, building an inventory of Watkins products, putting out money for such essentials as tables and a tent for farmers markets and street fairs. Then we developed a website and started to use social media to attract more customers. This outreach also led to locating others who were also interested in starting their own Watkins businesses. In the last year, we have doubled the number of consultants who have joined what we have dubbed the Watkins Power Team. Already some of these consultants have started to grow their own teams.

We are truly grateful for this growth that has come our way. We never take it for granted. As Watkins managers, we continually offer guidance to our new consultants, and they have come to appreciate our sage advice. What about you? As this year draws to a close, perhaps you have started to think about your New Year’s resolutions for 2015. Sure, the economy has improved dramatically in the last few years. But every family could use a little bit more income to make ends meet. Right now, you can explore the possibilities of beginning your own home-based business by going to our website: www.AllNaturalCountryStore.net. Here you will learn more about our background, but more importantly, be able to request further information about the Watkins business opportunity, a copy of the company’s catalog with more than 250 all natural gourmet foods, body care, home care and apothecary products. You can also receive emails announcing monthly discounts on key products.  

If you would just like information on the business opportunity, you can go to our website: www.RespectedHomeBusiness.com/383372. 

After exploring the website and submitting your request, may also may want to talk to a manager of our Watkins All Natural Country Store. Just call 888-881-7372. We can answer any questions you have about this amazing 146-year-old company.