How to Build a Billion-Dollar Business

CHAPTER 9THE POWER OF CELEBRITY

I thrived on the dynamic energy and passion that propelled the Swisse team during this exhilarating period of rapid growth. One aspect from my Village experience that was definitely missing, however, was the influence of celebrity power in driving sales. The movie business was sexy and the celebrity factor generated excitement about upcoming events: ‘What's Brad Pitt really like?’, ‘When's the next Mission Impossible coming out?’ and the inevitable, ‘Can you get me some free tickets?’

I noticed this phenomenon when I talked to people at social events. I used to be able to wax lyrical about Hollywood and superheroes; now I was talking about health and wholefoods, and nobody was that interested. Here's how the conversations at a Sunday BBQ generally went now:

‘So, what do you do?’

‘I work at Swisse.’

‘The embassy?’

‘No, the vitamin company.’

‘Gee, is that the time? Gotta run.’

And off they'd go.

If I managed to hold their attention for an extra moment, I'd try to keep the conversation going by finding out a bit about their health. I'd ask them, ‘What vitamins do you take?’ If they took anything, it was always Centrum. ‘Why do you take that?’ I'd ask.

‘Because the champion runner Rob de Castella recommends it, so it must be okay,’ they'd say.

The only reason they remembered what they took was because of the brand ambassador who promoted it. By this stage, they were inching to get away from me, fearful that I was going to ask them about their Irritable ...