FreeLife: Difference between revisions

FreeLife International
Company type	Private
Industry	Direct Sales
Founded	1995
Headquarters	Phoenix, Arizona
Key people	Ray Faltinsky, Kevin Fournier, Earl Mindell
Products	Himalayan Goji Juice
Number of employees	200
Website	www.FreeLife.com

Browse history interactively

← Previous edit Next edit →

Content deleted Content added

VisualWikitext

Inline

Revision as of 16:36, 24 September 2007

This article is about the Direct Sales company FreeLife International.

FreeLife International, often called “The Himalayan Goji Company,” was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

History

In 1995, Co-Founders Ray Faltinsky and Kevin Fournier, along with a group of investors including Anson Beard of Morgan Stanley/Dean Witter, launched FreeLife International®, a direct sales company. The idea for the company was based on Faltinsky’s passion for nutrition. When he was 15 years old, Faltinsky witnessed his Mother’s cure of crippling osteoporosis through the use of nutritional supplements. Years later, Faltinsky wrote his graduate thesis on direct selling while attending Yale Law School, where the idea for FreeLife was born. In 1994, FreeLife signed a long-term contract with well-known nutritional author, Earl Mindell, to formulate their products.

FreeLife’s top-selling product is Himalayan Goji® Juice – a unique, proprietary functional beverage. FreeLife is the first and only company that has developed a Spectral Signature®, or fingerprint, for the goji berry’s unique polysaccharides. In 2003, FreeLife International launched GojiKids - a charitable giving program that supports children’s organizations worldwide. Every month, a portion of FreeLife’s profits are donated to help children in need. Since its implementation, GojiKids has contributed to more than 100 children’s charities worldwide.

Sales History

FreeLife was recognized by Inc Magazine as one of the fastest growing companies in the United States in 2000. Sales have more than doubled for each of the past three years due to three things – growing demand for Himalayan Goji® Juice, increased interest in selling Himalayan Goji Juice, and FreeLife’s entry into new international markets. FreeLife has had 15 consecutive quarters of record growth, and continues to be a profitable and financially solid company.

Products and business model

FreeLife is a privately owned company with more than 200 employees and more than 100,000 independent Marketing Executives. FreeLife distributes Himalayan Goji Juice in 24 countries worldwide.

FreeLife meets all BBBOnline Reliability participation and Better Business Bureau membership standards and is authorized to display the BBBOnLine Reliability seal. The company has been a member of the DSA (Direct Selling Association) since 1996.

International operations

In addition to the United States and Puerto Rico, FreeLife is currently open for business in Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Brunei, Canada, Dominican Republic, Fiji, Hong Kong, Macau, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, St. Kitts/Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Martin/St. Maarten, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Thailand, and Trinidad & Tobago.

Awards and Public Recognition FreeLife International and Co-Founders Ray Faltinsky and Kevin Fournier have been the recipients of numerous distinguished honors and awards:

• Inc. 500 List of Fastest Growing Businesses – FreeLife was ranked by “Inc.” magazine as one of the fastest-growing, privately held companies in America
• Success Magazine – Youngest Company on Cover
• House of Business – “Hottest Ever Nutrition Company”
• 2003 – Ray Faltinsky was invited to serve on the Board of the DSA
• The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation named FreeLife as their 2005 Corporate Honoree for their support with this organization

References

External links

www.freelife.com

@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 | key_people = [[Ray Faltinsky]],
 [[Kevin Fournier]], [[Earl Mindell]]
-| industry = [[Multi-level Marketing]]
+| industry = [[Direct Sales]]
 | products = [[Himalayan Goji]] Juice
 | revenue =
 | operating_income =
 | net_income =
-| num_employees =
+| num_employees = 200
 | homepage = [http://www.FreeLife.com/ www.FreeLife.com]
 }}
+This article is about the Direct Sales company FreeLife International.
-'''FreeLife''' is a [[Multi-level Marketing]] company established in 1995 by Ray Faltinsky, a graduate from Yale Law School, who studied Multi-level Marketing and saw an opportunity to help others start a business.
+FreeLife International, often called “The Himalayan Goji Company,” was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
 ==History==
+In 1995, Co-Founders Ray Faltinsky and Kevin Fournier, along with a group of investors including Anson Beard of Morgan Stanley/Dean Witter, launched FreeLife International®, a direct sales company. The idea for the company was based on Faltinsky’s passion for nutrition.  When he was 15 years old, Faltinsky witnessed his Mother’s cure of crippling osteoporosis through the use of nutritional supplements. Years later, Faltinsky wrote his graduate thesis on direct selling while attending Yale Law School, where the idea for FreeLife was born.
-When Ray Faltinsky was young, he discovered that his mother was ill with osteoporosis and could eventually be confined to a wheelchair. The Faltinsky family was concerned until Ray’s older brother, who was deeply involved in nutrition, gave her a vitamin rich drink which she agreed to try. It is said that over a period of months, the pain eased, and her mobility increased.
+In 1994, FreeLife signed a long-term contract with well-known nutritional author, Earl Mindell, to formulate their products.
-This event inspired Mr. Faltinsky, and after studying Direct Sales and Multi-Level Marketing, founded Freelife International together with his friend Kevin Fournier in 1995.
+FreeLife’s top-selling product is Himalayan Goji® Juice – a unique, proprietary functional beverage.  FreeLife is the first and only company that has developed a Spectral Signature®, or fingerprint, for the goji berry’s unique polysaccharides.
-Freelife was backed by investors, including Anson Beard of Morgan Stanley/Dean Witter, and with leading nutritionist and author of the best-selling nutritional book, the “Vitamin Bible“, [[Earl Mindell]].  FreeLife has since grown into a large multi-million dollar international company, <ref>[http://www.onlyreviews.com/freelife.html The Truth About FreeLife International Review] - From an Internet Opportunities website</ref> and has been ranked by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest growing privately held companies in the nation.
+In 2003, FreeLife International launched GojiKids - a charitable giving program that supports children’s organizations worldwide.  Every month, a portion of FreeLife’s profits are donated to help children in need.  Since its implementation, GojiKids has contributed to more than 100 children’s charities worldwide.
+==Sales History==
+FreeLife was recognized by Inc Magazine as one of the fastest growing companies in the United States in 2000. Sales have more than doubled for each of the past three years due to three things – growing demand for Himalayan Goji® Juice, increased interest in selling Himalayan Goji Juice, and FreeLife’s entry into new international markets. FreeLife has had 15 consecutive quarters of record growth, and continues to be a profitable and financially solid company.
 ==Products and business model==
+FreeLife is a privately owned company with more than 200 employees and more than 100,000 independent Marketing Executives.  FreeLife distributes Himalayan Goji Juice in 24 countries worldwide.
-FreeLife's product line initially included vitamins, [[weight loss]] products, [[shampoo]] and personal care products.
+FreeLife meets all BBBOnline Reliability participation and Better Business Bureau membership standards and is authorized to display the BBBOnLine Reliability seal. The company has been a member of the DSA (Direct Selling Association) since 1996.
-In 1996, [[Earl Mindell]] met a prominent Asian healer who introduced him to [[wolfberry]]s. He then introduced a juice based on the [[wolfberry]] under the name of Himalayan Goji Juice in October of 2003.  Freelife has since focused its marketing almost exclusively on promoting Himalayan Goji Juice.
-<ref>[http://www.onlyreviews.com/freelife.html The Truth About FreeLife International Review]</ref><ref>[http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=2189422&page=1 ABC News highlights FreeLife's Goji Juice] Goji: Health Elixir or Pricey Juice?</ref>
-FreeLife operates as a Direct Sales company where commissions are paid on multiple levels for recruiting others to buy and sell the product.  Getting started includes an initial financial investment plus getting set up on a monthly 4-pack shipment of Himalayan Goji Juice for about $129.95 +taxes & shipping (about $200.00 per month).  By recruiting others to buy and sell the product, an individual can reduce their product expenses and earn additional revenue.
 ==International operations==
-In addition to the [[United States]] and [[Puerto Rico]], FreeLife is currently open for business in [[Antigua]] and [[Barbuda]], [[Australia]], [[Bahamas]], [[Barbados]], [[Bermuda]], [[Brunei]], [[Canada]], [[Dominican Republic]], [[Fiji]], [[Hong Kong]], [[Macau]], [[Mexico]], [[New Zealand]], [[Philippines]], [[Singapore]], [[St. Kitts/Nevis]], [[St. Lucia]], [[St. Martin/St. Maarten]], [[St Vincent]], [[The Grenadines]], [[Thailand]], [[Trinidad]], and [[Tobago]].
+In addition to the United States and Puerto Rico, FreeLife is currently open for business in Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Brunei, Canada, Dominican Republic, Fiji, Hong Kong, Macau, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, St. Kitts/Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Martin/St. Maarten, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Thailand, and Trinidad & Tobago.
-==Controversy==
-[[Image:Mindellcbc.jpg|thumb|Earl Mindell accosts CBC reporter [[Wendy Mesley]].]]
-Freelife's spokesperson, Earl Mindell, has made several claims about the health benefits of [[wolfberry]] juice (commercially known as "goji" juice) on behalf of his partner company, FreeLife. Mindell's claims regarding goji juice include supposed benefits for cancer patients.
-In a hidden-camera investigation and an interview by [[Wendy Mesley]] on the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] consumer television program ''Marketplace'' (aired 24 January, 2007), H. Leon Bradlow, the author of a study that Mindell cites as support for this anti-cancer claim, says that his original research does not, in fact, show that goji juice has any anti-cancer properties, and states "I don't have proof that it would have that effect in a tumor in a mouse, let alone a person."
-In addition, Bradlow's study was carried out at [[Hackensack University Medical Center]], not the "prestigious" [[Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center]] as Mindell had repeatedly claimed.
-Mesley then went on to confront Mindell, whom Freelife refers to as "Dr. Mindell" about the validity of his Ph.D from [[Pacific Western University]] and whether or not he is a medical doctor. Mindell asserted that his degree is "accredited in every state in the Union", a claim that is clearly contrary to fact <ref>[http://www.GojiJuiceNewsCenter.com Goji Juice News Center] - A partial transcript from the CBC Freelife Report</ref>. Shortly after this comment, he ejected Mesley and her crew from his house and threatened to call the police.<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2007/01/goji.html CBC Marketplace Freelife and Goji Juice Report] Getting Juiced</ref>
+Awards and Public Recognition
-Freelife has disputed the information revealed in this investigation.
+FreeLife International and Co-Founders Ray Faltinsky and Kevin Fournier have been the recipients of numerous distinguished honors and awards:<br /><br />
+•	Inc. 500 List of Fastest Growing Businesses – FreeLife was ranked by “Inc.” magazine as one of the fastest-growing, privately held companies in America<br />
+•	Success Magazine – Youngest Company on Cover <br />
+•	House of Business – “Hottest Ever Nutrition Company” <br />•	2003 – Ray Faltinsky was invited to serve on the Board of the DSA <br />
+•	The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation named FreeLife as their 2005 Corporate Honoree for their support with this organization <br />
 == References ==
+*[http://www.inc.com/app/inc500/viewCompany.jsp?cmpId=2000296 The 2000 Inc. 500]
-{{reflist|1}}
+*[http://www.onlyreviews.com/freelife.html The Truth About FreeLife International Review]
+*[http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=2189422&page=1ABC News highlights FreeLife's Goji Juice]
+*[http://www.amazon.com/dp/0446607029 The Vitamin Bible]
+*[http://www.freelifefacts.com FreeLife Facts]
+*[http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2007/01/goji.html CBC Marketplace]
+*[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez www.pubmed.gov]
 == External links ==
@@ Line 53: / Line 57: @@
 * [http://www.freelife.com/ www.freelife.com]
-[[Category:Multi-level marketing]]
+[[Category:Direct Sales]]