USANA Gen Now Week: Generation Now Summit

Generation Now Summit Speakers - Featured

USANA’s version of Ocean’s 11 — as coined by host and Ruby Director Soomin Kim in his opening remarks — spent two full days at a luxurious resort outside Las Vegas delivering practical, easily understandable and potentially lucrative advice to more than 160 hungry entrepreneurs.

As you may know, Danny Ocean — the mastermind behind the eponymous Ocean’s 11 — hand-picked his trusted Vegas crew based on each individual’s specific skill set.

USANA Ruby Director Soomin Kim did an incredible job hosting the Generation Now Summit. Thanks to Lukas Vertak for the photo.

USANA Ruby Director Soomin Kim serving as host of the Generation Now Summit. Thanks to Lukas Vetrak for the photo.

Similarly, the all-star lineup of Generation Now Summit speakers each possessed a unique expertise in building successful businesses centered on the world’s top-rated nutritional supplements.

And the enthusiastic crowd — some of which had driven 10 hours or more to get to the Hilton at Lake Las Vegas — soaked it all in.

Strapped for time? Check out this Storify of the event, thanks to David Baker.

Top 10 Takeaways

It’s almost an insult to limit the takeaways from such an event to a mere 10.

But as I learned, Gen Y, for the most part, tends to prefer short over long, to-the-point over drawn out and practical over philosophical.

Generation Now Summit Speakers - Featured

An all-star lineup of speakers treated Generation Now Summit attendees to two days of incredible training.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EybcvWdIvCU[/youtube]

If you’re unable to view the video, please visit the USANA YouTube channel

So these are 10 nuggets that stuck with me — a young-ish Gen Xer — in no particular order, following two full days of education and inspiration. I’ll be sharing others in various USANA publications, so keep an eye out.

Anna Lozano, USANA Ruby Director, at right in green, leads a leadership roundtable at the Generation Now Summit.

Anna Lozano, USANA Ruby Director, at right in green, leads a leadership roundtable at the Generation Now Summit.

  1. Understand the Power: Mix fun and business on social, said Michael Callejas, 1-star Diamond Director, but keep in mind that customers or potential customers could be taking notes. “People are watching, even if they don’t ‘like’ or ‘comment.’ Be conscious of what you post and what message you’re sending about yourself.”
  2. Run the Numbers: Diamond Director Nancy On laid it out for everyone. She noted there are 76 million members of Gen Y, which is equal to the number of Baby Boomers. If you’re not connecting with this generation, you’re missing a huge opportunity.
  3. Get to Know Your Audience: It’s about them, not about you, especially with Gen Y, stressed Anna Lozano, Ruby Director. Always ask, “how can I be of service?”
  4. Feed the Beast: Host and Ruby Director Soomin Kim kept the mood light, but he also did an excellent job of playing devil’s advocate and getting some honest answers. Of course, this is one thing that stuck with me: The Facebook newsfeed is like opening a refrigerator when you’re not hungry, he said, reciting a quote he’d heard elsewhere. I know many people who’ve been there.
  5. Commit: 1-Star Diamond Director Jordan Kemper, acknowledging that everyone thinks the USANA business is difficult at the outset, encouraged a deeper commitment. “You’re not going all in with USANA just in case it doesn’t work out,” was a common theme throughout several roundtable discussions. “Realize that we’re all skeptical at first, but my encouragement to you is to commit.”
  6. Get Better Skills: “The best time-management technique out there?” 1-Star Diamond Director Matt Chionis asked. “Have better skills.” He went on to do the math and it became clear that the more energy individuals devote to improving themselves, the more efficient and effective they’ll be in their business.
  7. You Are a CEO: Remember, said Lori Truman, USANA vice president of United States Field Development, you are the CEO of your USANA business. “Whatever happens is because of what [you] do. Don’t treat your business like a hobby.”
  8. Leave a Legacy: USANA Emerald Directors Brian and Jaclyn Bohlke are clear about their priorities: faith, family, business. “My kids will know good nutrition because they’re being raised in it,” Brian said. “My kids will know financial education because they’re being raised in it.” Set the example, and leave a legacy.
  9. It’s Deeply Personal: Late in the day on Saturday, Soomin Kim interacted with Brian Bohlke following his presentation. Understanding we’re looking at a cultural shift, Soomin painted a simple picture: “Your ‘why’ should be so powerful that if you don’t hit it, you will cry. And when you do hit it, you will cry.”
  10. Persevere: “Successful people often fail,” said Jordan Kemper as he closed out the Generation Now Summit. “But they never quit.”

If you attended the incredible event, what were your favorite takeaways or a-ha moments? Let fellow readers know in the comments so we can all learn from each other.

And then get yourself to the next live event. But you don’t have to take my word for it.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hB4Xg7dkUME[/youtube]

If you’re unable to view the video, please visit the USANA YouTube channel

[youtube]http://youtu.be/56RzeHOmV8A[/youtube]

If you’re unable to view the video, please visit the USANA YouTube channel

An all-star Generation Now Summit speakers' table. Special thanks to Lukas Vertak for snapping this photo and letting us share it here.

Generation Now Summit speakers’ table. Special thanks to Lukas Vetrak for snapping this photo and letting us share it here.

Did You Tag #USANAGenY?

If you are on Instagram, we hope you tagged your photos from the Generation Now Summit with the #USANAGenY hashtag.

We’re planning to pick a few of our favorites, highlight them in a blog post next week and possibly even surprise a few lucky Instagrammers with some sweet USANA swag.

Keep your eyes peeled — and keep on sharing photos that demonstrate #USANAGenY and #USANAlifestyle!

A USANA First

We had the opportunity on Friday to broadcast an exclusive panel discussion with several of the Gen Now speakers. Did you catch it LIVE? If not, take a look (please excuse the technical limitations — we’re still learning). But the content is solid.

Special thanks to Soomin Kim, Brian Bohlke, Anna Lozano, Michael Callejas and Jordan Kemper for helping us remain on the cutting edge.

We’re hoping to do more of these live streams, so be sure to bookmark our USANA Live page (and why not follow us on UStream so you’ll always know when USANA Social Media is on the air.

I also took my first crack at creating a Vine video (here and here).

Gen Now Slide 1600x900 - white

Generation Now Week

A Week of Learning

Even before wheels touched down in Las Vegas, we had read and watched — and interacted with — several stories discussing the importance of connecting with Gen Y.

Hats off to David Baker, communications writer, who masterminded the entire “Gen Now Week” series (and to Heather Romney, who created the look and feel for USANAToday.com). It featured cross-platform content — USANAToday.com, What’s Up, USANA?, Facebook, Twitter, UStream, and more! — designed to educate and entertain.

I encourage you to take a look around and incorporate the advice into your own lives as you continue to work with this extremely powerful — and influential — generation.

We’re proud to bring you the freshest content on the web! Follow USANA on Twitter, like our USANA Facebook page and enjoy the latest videos on the official USANA YouTube channel.

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