We recently spoke to Marisol Quiroz, a Brand Influencer and Sales expert at Revital U. She shared her inspirational origin story and spoke about how she got into Brand Influencing. She also provides an insight into how she creates engaging content on LinkedIn.
Hello Marisol. Thank you for participating in this Q&A session. We would like to start by exploring your origin story. Please give us an overview of your background and career journey to date?
Marisol: At age 7, my family migrated from a place called Cotija, Michoacan (small town in Mexico) to Sacramento, CA. I still remember that 3rd grade year in Mrs. Sailor's class like it was yesterday. Lonely, lost, out of place, confused and sad. I did not know the language and there was a culture shock for sure. However, by 5th grade I was an honour student, fluent in English and one of the best students in class.
Today, I look back and I am grateful for that experience because it imprinted in my subconscious the importance of resilience and being confident that you can go from knowing nothing about a certain subject, language, or culture, to adapting, adjusting and learning it with fluency and proficiency. I graduated from Center High School ( class of 2005) and went to Sac State for 2 years. In 2007, my parents got divorced and my mom moved back to Mexico, and dad is in prison.
February 24, 2007, at age 19, I decide to move to NY all by myself. I was a full-time college student and making a living as a waitress. I picked up double shifts and worked my butt off to save up $4k, and that's all I had to my name at age 19 when I made the move. I sold everything I owned and packed my 2004 VW Jetta with special belongings, my clothes and shoes and I hit the road June 8th, 2007. A 46-hour road trip from Sacramento, CA to New Rochelle, NY.
In NY, I worked for an Orthopaedic surgeon, and worked on the weekends at a Salon washing hair. It was one of the most stressful years I have lived through but also one of the years that taught me the most about life. June 2008- I am broke and the country itself is going through an economic recession. I decide to move to Port Arthur, TX. I had friends in the oil and gas industry that told me they could help me get a job. So, I hit the road again in my Jetta and make it to Port Arthur on June 16, 2008. I got a job as a waitress at first, and I was shocked to find out that waitresses and waiters only got paid $2 hourly in the state of Texas, since they were expected to make most of their income from tips. That was tough.
I ended up getting a job as an Insulator helper at one of the local refineries, It was tough. Being a young girl (21 yrs. old) and working in a male dominated construction site, 7 days a week, on a 12-hour shifts, wearing a hard hat and steel toe boots, FR clothing and safety glasses. It was not exactly what I had envisioned for myself, but I trusted God's plans for me.
Now, during all of this, I was enrolled in college at Lamar University and end up getting my Bachelor’s in General studies with an emphasis in Sociology. I graduate in 2010 and with that Bachelor’s degree, I end up getting a job in the office as a Timekeeper for a company called Tracer Industries. I was no longer in the field and I also stopped working in the restaurant industry all together.
I was on LinkedIn growing my presence for the sole purpose of growing my Revital U business. Network Marketing introduced me to entrepreneurship, and it has helped me monetize my passion for health and wellness, and my love for teaching. I have been on a journey of self-discovery and learning to be a leader since I said yes to this amazing Revital U opportunity on October 26, 2017.
What key challenges have you faced in your career journey to date? Additionally how have you navigated these?
Marisol: The year I lived in NY I got the shingles at age 20 due to stress. That was an eye opening experience for me, that made me realize the importance of self care, mental health and how stress can truly create illness in your body. I have always eaten healthy and kept my body active through exercise, but that is not enough. Mental health and spiritual health is very important as well. Another big challenge I have faced is that, when I started my network marketing career and dove deep into personal development, and investing in myself, a lot of family members and close friends were not supportive at all. They are still not supportive at all to this day, including my husband and one of my best friends of 20+ years.
Today, I am actually going through a separation and I am no longer friends with that friend of mine, who I had been friends with since 3rd grade. I learned real quick that the road to seeking success, choosing to Dream Big, and believing in myself to pursue the desires the Lord has placed in my heart, can lead to a lonely road. But following that calling is absolutely worth it. My way to navigate through challenges has always been prayer and staying grounded, to follow my gut feeling of what feels aligned with my soul. Reading personal development books and listening to podcasts of mentors I admire has also helped tremendously.
Why did you get into Brand influencing?
Marisol: I would say I didn't get into brand influencing. It's almost like brand influencing grew on me. I said yes to Revital U with ignorance on fire. I knew I was excited to share these natural beyond organic supplements with everyone I knew. I also knew that ever since I was a little girl I had always envisioned myself as a teacher. Not exactly in a school setting, but I loved pretending like I was in front of an audience, teaching about the importance of health. Being a thought leader has always fascinated me. I would gravitate to those kind of people. Today, I connect the dots and I realize that health, teaching, speaking and using my presence to influence others in a positive way, has always been a passion of mine. Revital U has been the perfect vehicle that has allowed me to develop all those passions, and turn them into skill sets, and a stream of leveraged residual income.
You work as a Brand Influencer at a company called Revital U. What is the value proposition of Revital U?
Marisol: Revital U is the idea of getting paid in leveraged income. Plugging yourself into a system that anyone and everyone can do. To teach people how to become influencers in the most natural of ways. It's a way to leverage social media, technology and your traditional word of mouth recommendation, that we all do on a daily basis. Anyone can build an income here and without the high risk of traditional business.
What do you do as a Brand Influencer at Revital U?
Marisol: I'll answer these in two parts. Part one: What I do is simple. I talk to everyone I cross paths with, virtually or in person, about our products. I bless them with samples to try, whether it's handing them out in person or utilizing the app on my phone. The company does all the shipping for me, and I just follow up. I send my link, they order and I get paid. Instant pay, which is amazing. No overhead, no inventory, no monthly rent to pay, no office to show up to.
I work the business from anywhere and everywhere as long as I have internet and my phone. I have over 500 customers to date, and I am one of the top sales leaders in the company. I have customers from November of 2017 still ordering from me on a monthly basis. Now, if people are looking for more time freedom and a leveraged residual income, we can talk about the business opportunity. I am looking for people that are looking for me. I don't waste my time and energy on convincing anyone about this. I just share my knowledge, passion and enthusiasm, then let them make the decision. I have grown a team teaching people the Sample-Story-Sort system, and that's the leveraged part.
Part two: Being a Brand Influencer comes with the notion of You vs You. It is an opportunity that has taught me so much, and allowed me to spread my wings and grow as a business woman, leader, mom, friend, and just a human being overall. It is a company where everyone has the equal opportunity to start from zero. You can network like I did and grow to become a positive influence, empowering people to become healthier and wealthier. Personal development is a high part of being a brand influencer at Revital U. It's all about becoming the best version of yourself.
You create a lot of great content on social media. How would you describe the content you create on LinkedIn?
Marisol: Thank you! It has definitely become a passion of mine to sprinkle my uniqueness in the world of social media.
I would describe my content as educational, empowering, optimistic and faith driven. My motto is "Becoming a catalyst for positive change". I want to plant the seed in people's mind to become better, and make healthier choices when it comes to taking care of their mind, body ,and spirit. Along with having an abundance mindset.
What process do you go through to ensure that the content you post is ethically considerate?
Marisol: Being part of a health and wellness company, we make sure we don't make medical claims, and I don't. I simply share my knowledge about nutrition, since I am also a certified functional nutrition coach, and I share information and testimonials about our products. I keep my content inclusive to everyone, and I stay away from politics. I don't post about controversial topics. It's just not my thing.
Before concluding this interview, what advice do you have for entrepreneurs and business leaders, on how to create engaging content on LinkedIn?
Marisol: Stay consistent with your message and with posting. Through consistency you build credibility. Know about the algorithms and understand them. Utilize the features that these social media platforms put out there for you to use. Listen to the people following you and consider what they want to hear more of! Stay aligned and authentic to what is right for you, and post with a mindset of : 'this is not about me, its about empowering others through my message.'
Thank you Marisol for participating in this Q&A session, and we wish you all the best
Marisol: With gratitude, I thank you. It was an honour to do this, and a great experience for me.
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