Joni Rogers-Kante of SeneGence on Unwavering Consistency, Overcoming Direct Sales Stigmas, and Self-Funding a Global Empire

Some people were born with the proverbial silver spoon in their mouth. Even then, becoming a millionaire is still quite an accomplishment. But people who start from nothing, and especially women who start from nothing, who make it to the top to become millionaires, despite the pay inequalities based on gender, the confidence gap, with nothing but grit, hustle, resilience, and “stick-to-itness”, are on a whole new level. We want to share those stories and inspire other women. In this interview series, we’re talking to “Self-Made” women leaders who started with nothing (i.e. started without investors or trust fund or capital or even people believing in them) and have become millionaires.

As a part of our series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Joni Rogers-Kante, Founder, CEO, and Chairwoman of SeneGence

Joni Rogers-Kante is the visionary and driving force behind SeneGence®. Her dream of developing a company that gave women an opportunity to build their own business regardless of age, background, or education has become a phenomenal success, with offices in five countries and hundreds of thousands of Independent Distributors across the globe.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory” and how you grew up? Growing up, what were your early experiences and perspectives about money? Or we could say, what was the “money consciousness” in which you were raised? Can you please give an example of what you mean?

It wasn’t about being money consciousness, it was more about a solid work ethic when I was growing up. We knew if we wanted something we needed to work for it. My siblings and I took a great amount of personal pride in earning the things we wanted. It gave us a tremendous amount of empowerment and self-worth. I started working for my father at Sav-On drugs when I was 15 and have been working ever since.

Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Let’s talk about what you are doing now, and how you achieved the success that you currently enjoy. Can you tell our readers about the business you’ve created that helped you become a millionaire?

Right now, we have massive global expansion plan to bring SeneGence products and the business opportunity to more countries. As well, we are looking for new and exciting product categories to launch in 2022 and beyond. Innovation and expansion are at the core of our growth strategy, and we are excited to see what the future holds.

What was your vision when you started this business? What’s the WHY behind the work that you do? (Please share a story about this if you can.)

When I wrote the SeneGence business plan I was a new single mother who had taken nothing from the marriage but full custody of my son. I knew I had to provide for him not only emotionally, but financially. However, I wanted to be present and a part of his life. So, I knew I had to find a way to work from home, have scheduling flexibility, and create income. Direct sales was the perfect fit, but I couldn’t find a product line I was proud to represent. I wanted to know the products I was sharing “really worked”. So that is when I wrote the SeneGence business plan and started looking for products that “really worked’ and delivered on their promises. When I met the product formulator of LipSense… I knew we were destined for greatness and success.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?

There are so many that I can’t list them all, however the thing that stands out to me is how many lives SeneGence has transformed. With our line of Long-Lasting Color Cosmetics and Anti-Aging Skincare and other personal use products, we have created an opportunity for women to be in business for themselves, but not by themselves. They receive support, training, encouragement, and recognition from our SeneGence community on an ongoing basis. The story is lives we have changed and positively impacted over the last 23 years.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Again… you only want me to share one!? I think the funniest mistake I made turned out to be the most positive thing that could have happen in the company. After I wrote the business plan and found the flagship product, LipSense… I thought I needed investors. Go figure, no one was interested in investing money in a single mom selling lip color. So, in order to launch this company I had to take the products on consignment, go to trade shows and in home demos, sell the products, pay back the formulator and re-invest the profits to get more products to sell. While I thought I needed investors, I really didn’t and I have never taken on debit and fully self-funded SeneGence.

We’d love to explore the traits that help you achieve your success. What were the mindset obstacles that you had to overcome in order to reach the place of consistently earning a million dollars a year and more? Can you tell us what you did to overcome them?

People say I am the most boring person in the entire world. I do the same things every day. However, this gives consistency, predictability, and security to the company and our Independent Distributors. The obstacles I had to over come was that this trait didn’t make me boring, it made me successful. I lived up to all my commitments and created a structure our Independent Distributor and Corporate Employees could depend on.

What were the external obstacles that you had to overcome in reaching these milestones? And how specifically did you overcome them? (Please share a story or example.)

Direct Selling / Multi-Level Marketing tends to have a stigma to it. People often think this industry is a “get rich quick scheme”. By taking the time to educate our Distributors and Customers, being a member of the Direct Selling Association, and always basing our business practices in absolute truth, we have overcome the perceptions of an industry that has been around for over 150 years.

Was there ever a point where you wanted to give up on your journey to becoming a multimillionaire? How did you work through that panic point? Please share a story.

Giving up is not in my nature. There were often many people telling me to give up, pack it in, go live a much simpler life, but when you are as committed to helping women find the freedom and flexibility they need to have the life they want, you don’t just walk away. At one point we had lost our country manager in Australia, the easy thing would have been to shut down the operation. However, by partnering with our Independent Distributors we found creative solutions to keep our operations going and are still in that market today!

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

My father gave me an incredible work ethic and taught me how to create a business. My good friend Carmen Holladay helped care for my young son in the years I was traveling to earn the funds we needed to start SeneGence and my husband Ben Kante was one of our first employees who set up our computer platforms, accounting programs, and our marketing department. Without him there would be no SeneGence.

What were the most important resources, tools, affirmations, mindset strategies or practices that you used to build your business to where it is today?

Consistency, Consistency, Consistency. It’s important to show up to go up. The most important tool / resource is your mind set. Focus on success and the end result and never allow yourself to detour.

Are there any books, podcasts, apps, tech, or other types of products that helped you reach your goals? Are these still used today? Please share specifically and why.

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. I was challenged by Mary Kay Ash herself to read this book. She told me it would change my life and my business, and it did! We still have book club meetings with our Independent Distributors using this book and the insights included within it.

Out of all of the things you listed earlier, if you only had one resource that would help you grow your business and reach your next financial milestone, which would it be and why?

People. People can do ANYTHING. Your human resources are the most important asset a company has.

What do you think is the greatest challenge for women and creating wealth/abundance? What advice would you have for someone that is feeling blocked by that obstacle?

Women sometimes are not taken seriously. Women still face the real problem of more limited opportunities, unequal pay, and a much harder work life balance. My advice to women is “it takes a village”. Partner with family and friends to support you in reaching and achieving your goals.

Great! Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

1. Every success is shared, every failure is yours. You have to own what doesn’t work and praise others for what is successful.
2. Trust your gut. Don’t let other talk you out of what you know to be true.
3. Know when you need to bring in help and when you can’t do it all yourself.
4. If you think you know it’s going to be hard, multiply that by 1000%.
5. Nothing worth having comes easy, but the rewards will be vast.

We are sure that you are not done. What comes next? What’s your next big goal and why? What plan have you put in place to achieve it? Why is it a stretch for you? What will achieving it represent for you and for others?

A fun project from the heart is my husband and I are working to revitalize my hometown of Sapulpa, Oklahoma. We have purchased several buildings and we are opening an eatery, a drive in movie theater, an e-lounge, and have opened a boutique and events facility.

Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us and our readers. We know that it will make a tremendous difference and impact thousands of lives. We are excited to connect further and we wish you so much joy in your next success.