It’s been a year of transition as direct selling companies and distributors continue to refine and redefine what it means to participate in the channel. While revenues for many companies remained flat or declined, several companies did report remarkable gains.
And—most importantly—companies across the industry continued to embrace and incorporate new methods of doing business to attract new people to the channel and to inspire current participants to expand their vision. There is much to celebrate.
And celebrate we did at the 14th DSN Global Celebration, a live hybrid event held on Tuesday, April 18, 2023 in Frisco, Texas. It was an exciting night hosted by DSN Chief Brand Officer Shelley Rojas and DSN Strategic Advisor Heather Chastain. Hundreds of people representing 53 companies from around the world attended in person. And thousands more watched the event via free livestream. Awards and honors were revealed in several categories, including a Lifetime Achievement Award, the Bravo Awards and the DSN Global 100 List.
Lifetime Achievement Award
For only the third time, DSN bestowed its Lifetime Achievement Award. This prestigious award was given to a true legend in direct selling, Rudy Revak.
Rudy is the craftsman behind multiple highly successful direct selling companies including Symmetry and Xyngular, which he founded in 1995 and 2009 respectively and was instrumental in the acquisition and rebranding of PUREhaven in 2016. He’s also the Chairman and Founder of Global Ventures Partners, an investment capital firm committed to creating opportunities for common people to achieve uncommon results.
Born in Germany and the son of a World War II refugee, he escaped to America when he was just five years old. He’s a living breathing example of the American Dream in its purest, most inspirational form.
When asked to reflect on his years in the industry and what it has meant to him, Rudy spoke eloquently of the impact direct selling has had on his life. “I’ve loved this industry for all these years. I’m still in it because I love it—not just for what it has done for me, but for what it continues to do for so many people. It provides the opportunity for people to reach their dreams. I would do it all over again, 100 percent.”
The two previous recipients, John Fleming and Stan Frederick, were on hand to warmly welcome Rudy into this illustrious club. To read more about Rudy’s enduring legacy, please see page 60.
The Bravo Awards
Each year the Bravo Awards panel recognizes companies for outstanding achievement and excellence in areas of leadership and the highest percentage of revenue growth. Specialty awards are also given to individuals and companies for their achievements in and service to the direct selling channel.
The Bravo Leadership Award is given to an individual, recognizing outstanding achievement and exceptional leadership of a direct selling executive. This year’s recipient was Rolf Sorg, Founder and CEO of PM-International in honor of his visionary leadership and strategic direction he has displayed throughout the 30-year history of the company. PM-International is now ranked #8 on the DSN Global 100 list with $2.55 billion in 2022 revenue and a presence in 45 countries.
The Bravo Global Good Award recognizes companies that take a proactive approach to environmental, philanthropic and social responsibility issues. This year the honor went to Arbonne. Arbonne is known for its passionate commitment to empowerment, transparency and sustainability. In 2022, Arbonne earned recertification for its B Corporation status. Among Arbonne’s recertification achievements are a reduction in water consumption globally by 60 percent; a 55 percent reduction in Scope I and II emissions since 2019; and a 42 percent decrease in electricity consumption since 2019.
DSN honored three companies with the Bravo Impact Award this year. The award recognizes the achievements of well-rounded companies that take a holistic, measured and incremental approach to growth, innovation and operational integrity and excellence. These companies positively impact their customers, distributors, staff, communities and the channel as a whole. They are helping to lead the way forward in shifting the public perception of direct selling.
The first award went to LegalShield. LegalShield has devoted the past 50 years to providing affordable assistance with everyday legal matters from wills and real estate to family law and consumer issues, as well as privacy management. LegalShield has served 4.5 million people and more than 140,000 businesses and taken over 50 million requests for legal services since its inception and has paid out over $1 billion in commissions over the past ten years.
The second Impact award honoree was Princess House. Celebrating their 60th anniversary this year, Princess House is marking this milestone with an unprecedented period of growth. They credit this success to creating a true partnership with the field. Their field, comprised mostly of Latina women, have embraced a new digital approach that has greatly expanded their reach. A streamlined product offering and a philosophy of training up has increased their overall order size by 40 percent.
Recipient of the Bravo Impact Award
The final recipient of the Impact Award was LimeLife by Alcone. Plunging ahead into the unexpected and refusing to fit in is part of this company’s DNA. Having started in 1952 selling stage makeup to Broadway performers, Alcone eventually grew into a nationwide leader in professional makeup for the television, film and theatrical industries. The company’s commitment to quality, DEI-focused strategies and passion for female entrepreneurship is nothing short of inspirational!
Two Bravo Growth Awards were bestowed on domestic direct selling companies. This prestigious award celebrates the direct selling company with the highest year-over-year revenue growth on the Global 100 List. One is given to a product-based company, and another is given to a service-based company.
This year’s product-based Bravo Growth Award was given to Princess House. This market leader in kitchenware and home goods grew 114 percent between 2019 and 2022.
The service-based award was given to eXp Realty for the third year in a row. The company has well over 85,000 independent agents worldwide and continues to grow at an exponential rate. In fact, this publicly traded company grew from $3.8 billion in 2021 to $4.6 billion in 2022. An $800 million-dollar increase representing 21 percent in year-over-year growth.
Two Bravo International Growth Awards were also announced. These were also given to one product-based company and one service-based company.
The product-based winner was no stranger to the Global Celebration stage. Based in Luxembourg, PM-International has enjoyed 29 years of continuous growth. They are on quite a run, growing from $1.7 billion in 2020 to $2.38 billion in 2021 and achieving $2.55 billion in 2022.
Utility Warehouse won in the service-based category. This UK-based company ranked #10 on the Global 100 this year.
DSN added two new awards to the Bravo line up this year. The first, the Bravo Innovator Award, recognizes direct selling companies that embrace and deploy the emerging technologies and future-focused strategies that propel the company forward and serve as an inspiration of what’s possible. The inaugural Bravo Innovator Award was given to FASTer Way To Fat Loss.
The final award of the evening was the Bravo Excellence Award, another new award this year. This recognition is reserved for executives with a long history of leadership, excellence and integrity. These individuals are champions of the channel and positive mentors to all who serve it. The award was given to John Parker, Chief Sales Officer and Regional President West of Amway.
For more in-depth information of our Bravo Award winners, please see our expanded coverage starting on page 66.
The Global 100 List
One of the most eagerly anticipated announcements each year at the Global Celebration is the unveiling of the Global 100 list. This list determines the top direct selling companies in the world for 2022. Inclusion on the Global 100 has become a point of much-deserved pride.
The List offers a unique perspective on the global impact of the industry by recognizing companies’ revenue achievements. Recognition for each of these companies is the culmination of months of research and the cooperation of many individuals around the world.
This year’s DSN Global 100 list acknowledges 53 companies achieving more than $100 million in revenue for 2022. Full coverage of the list as well as analysis on important and emerging trends can be found starting on page 114.
Oh, What a Night!
The DSN Global Celebration is the industry awards event of the year—a night designed to celebrate, inspire and motivate! If you missed the broadcast, you can catch it on replay at DSNG100.com for a limited time. Gathering together in person creates an incredibly positive sense of community and energy within the room—the magic of those moments is definitely must-see viewing for supporters of the channel.
From the 53 thriving companies on the Global 100 List to the 11 Bravo Award winners and our Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Rudy Revak, DSN recognized the best of the best of the channel we all love and believe in.
Congratulations to the winners and thank you to the hundreds in the room and thousands of viewers worldwide. And a sincere thank you to all our Supporter Companies and Supplier Sponsors for helping DSN provide this night of celebration, recognition and camaraderie.
From the June 2023 issue of Direct Selling News magazine.
