2019 - Tina SPENCE

There, now it's off It’s off there, now it won't make any noise That’s okay You know sometimes when you’re recording that could be annoying We've had interesting technological issues all day today So that’s no big deal Have you Oh okay So now you’relike,‘Oh, somebody who knows to shut the volume off’.Yes.So, thanks, Tina, for coming to talk to us.Now, you came down from Chicago?I did.Okay Yes, I did.You have better weather? Oh no. It's way better weather down here I had two flights canceled. I wasn't sure when I talked to will thatif I was going to make it in time. You know, like, who knew with all the weather that was coming in -it’s -26 there Yes. Yes. -26. And that's not the windchill So, when were you supposed to get here I was supposed to come in this morning And then, two canceled, and then you And I told her I will probably be just too exhausted at 4:30. I said,‘I'm sure I'll be just too exhausted’ So, I was supposed to come in at seven this morning and she's like,‘Well, you're not going to be recorded so it'll be okay if you look like a hot mess So, then I was going to come in at 8:15 last night And then, I intended to fly out at 8:15 last night, and then I ended up flying out at 4:15, and they stopped flying people ahead of 5:00 Wow! Yes Wow! Yes Wow! Yes. Absolutely It’s just getting too cold to be working Well, it's too cold for - I looked it up on the internet because there’s something with lift where if it's like, below a certain real temperature, which the windchill has to be factored into it, you can't get lift on the airplane Yeah, it's very serious. There are people that are trying to get here… That’s terrible …that are, yeah And then, Saturday, it'll be 40… above 0.A 30 degree spread I mean, 70 degrees spread Sure How crazy is that! It really is Yeah. Well, we're glad you're here So, let's get started if you're ready I am. Yeah Can you tell me a bit about when you joined and why? Well, I signed up 17 years ago, but I didn’t really - I just did it because I wanted to redo my kitchen, like, I wanted Modular Mates for my kitchen, and I really wanted Vent ‘N Serve, although I called it ‘Rockin’ Stuff’ because my girlfriend had told me that, you know, you could put chili and spaghetti sauce in there and it doesn't stain it And so, I'm a little OCD.For me, that did it for me. I'm like, ,‘Ah, I'm going to need some of that rockin’ stuff, and she's like,‘What?’ And, I'm like, ‘You know, chili and spaghetti sauce’, and she's like, ‘Oh’ And, she's like, ‘Rock ‘N Serve’, and she laughed and she - and she's like, ‘Well, that's the host gift special right now I'm like, ‘Fantastic! I'll have a party’ And, I had the party, and she - and five of my friends said that they would have parties And, Tammy - she's like, ’Great’ She's like, ‘Why don't you, you know, if you sign up, you can have those parties instead of me’ And, I was unintentionally a little snobby. I didn't even know it I didn’t even try to be snobby, but I was like, That’s okay, honey. You can have those parties’. Yes I looked back at that moment. It's so cringeworthy But I was a field director for a market research firm. I – You were set in your career I was - I completely worked out of my home office. I loved it. I didn't, you know, I just - I set my own time schedule for that as well So, I was really in a really comfortable position And, this was not even on my mindscape And then, I decided to go ahead and give it a try because I really wanted to redo my kitchen and then I was going to quit Well, spoiler alert, 17 years later, and I’m a 2 Star Director. I mean, you know, I fell in love with the company. I kept telling myself, ’Well, one day when I grow up – what do I want to be one day when I grow up?’, and, you know, I mean, I'm of the age - it's kind of almost hysterical that I say that And, I didn’t like - I just woke up one morning and I said, ‘I love what I do I love it. I love the people. I love the product. I love the company I love the flexibility Why do I have to figure something else out? Why not make this my thing?’ And, I changed my mindscape, if you will, at that time. I said, you know, this could be a big thing for me if I make it. It is what you make it because that's the nature of this company So, whatever you make it is your - it's your baby So, you decided to… You decide what it looks like …to quit your full-time job, make Tupperware your full-time Well, part of that decision was made for me Okay So, as a field director for a market research firm, that was -well, I started Tupperware 17 years ago - this was probably maybe 15 years ago I don't remember at what point this happened, but somewhere in that timeframe, like 14 to 15 years ago, the market took a real downturn and people stopped doing marketing They took a lot of their marketing in-house. We were an out - we were a contracted marketing firm And so, my employer, if you will, took a position with one of the companies that we contracted for and resolved the business Oh, okay And so, I was like,‘Okay. I didn't need to work anyhow’ Like, when I started working for her, I didn't need to take a job We could live off my husband's income, and I just - I thought, well, I'll just keep going with I'll keep going with this until I decide what I want to do And so, part of it - part of the decision was made for me because that company folded, but I've had opportunities to work for the college, I've had twice, two different times, to work for the college. I've had an offer to work for - I was made a corporate offer to work for an engineering firm So, in the time where I worked with Tupperware, I’ve had - and then I worked at a chiropractor’s clinic as their office manager - so I've had these other corporate positions where I've been helping other people out, but I go back home all the time. This is home for me So, yeah. I'm like, Okay, you guys got that now’ And, what's been the reason that you've wanted to make Tupperware a full-time career for you? Well, I started when my children were young And, for us, it was really nice that I was always there Like, the kids got home from school and I could be there for them Tupperware has paid for - I take the car cash instead of the vehicle, so I've used that car cash to pay for eight vehicles Wow! One of them was the Pontiac G6Hardtop Convertible that I earned for free And, I used the car cash to pay for the taxes that I would owe on the vehicle. And then, I took the rest of the car cash and I bankrolled it because that year Tupperware sent me to Hawaii and gave me a convertible, so I knew I would take a tax hit at the end of the year So, I just bankrolled my car cash payment through the end of the year. And, when it came the time to do my taxes, I wrote a check out… You had it right there …out of - I was $100 short Wow! I was - you know So, they've taken, you know, in 17 years, eight free vehicles, trips to Hawaii, trips to New York City, twice to Myrtle Beach I went on a cruise to the Bahamas; I went on a cruise to Baja, Mexico That was our company that did those things So, the flexibility and all of these outrageous - I shouldn’t use that - these amazing awards that Tupperware has given me, and the lifestyle that they've afforded me And, when when my brother-in-law had a - he had a heart transplant – Wow! - I was able to keep doing my business. When my… When my That’s okay When my daughter had her baby, my first grandchild, I was out there for a month being grandma I was like, Where in the world do you have – and there’ve there’ve beenother things where life has really happened to me Yeah, yeah And, you know, it never matters because at the core, I have my business, and I have my team, and I have my Tupperware hostesses, and I can just come right back and go to work And, life happened, and, you know, in a corporate position, I would be out of a job so many times I don't even know how many times I would be out of a job But now I'm a brand new grandma, and I can… Congratulations! …when I want - Thank you. In August - in August, I hadmy first grandchild So, at those critical moments in life… Okay, here's one more Okay. My son got really, really sick last year - my 25 year old.He's 25 now And, the year before, we had gotten news that - he's not terminal, by the way. I'll start with that. I'll lead with that We were told that he was terminal At 25…24… And, at that point at24. He might have been 23 And so, of course, I'm going to take care of my baby And then, we went to different doctors. Everyone was trying to figure out what's wrong And then, they're like,‘Oh no, he's not terminal’ Okay. Great! Wonderful! That's awesome! So, you got a second opinion and they told you the opposite And, they misdiagnosed him Wow! And then, he got very sick in the hospital And, I was at the hospital with him I had tax paperwork with me. I had my car - I had my - I worked my business from the hospital room with my son And, as an adult, and he had an infection that could have killed him if they hadn't figured it out. And so, you know,where in the world, I mean, a corporate employer - how would they deal with someone like me where my situation, where my family matters so much to me And, in one year, I have my son at the beginning of the year and my daughter at the end of the year And, sandwiched in there, I'm trying to work at some point So, I – This has allowed you to be where you need to be when you need to be there It has made my life - it has made the moments that matter make it so I could be where I needed to be at those moments when it really mattered So, I have been beyond blessed working with Tupperware, working for the company, representing a premier line. And, at the same time, when life happened and when my family needed me, I stepped out And I -becausethere are certain points, certain junctures in your life where you get one shot to do it right And, I felt like Tupperware made it so I didn't have to choose Yeah Tupperware doesn't make me choose. So… It sounds like your family has really benefitted a lot from Tupperware by having you there Oh, absolutely. Absolutely! When I have worked for corporate, my head - it's a little warmer in this room, and I don’t need… When I did work a corporate position to help out at the college, after two months of that, my husband I asked,‘Do you want to take a corporate position, sweetheart?’ And, he's like,‘Worst two months of my life. Please don’t’ So, Tupperwareis so in my blood stream that I would go to - I would go to work in the morning at the college, and then I would leave work, and then I would go to my parties.On the way, I would grab a bite to eat somewhere, not the healthiest alternatives I mean, what are you going to do And then, I would go to my party. I would come home and I would pack up my kit for the next day, enter my party, and get everything ready, and make my lunch, and do everything I had to do for the next day for my corporate position, while I was helping out at the college So, I did that for two months while he played - he worked his full-time job and took care of our children That’s a lot. That’s a lot. It was crazy. Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah. So, I've done all kinds - You know, I'm in the name of helping other people, I thought I would make a difference for them, but at the end of the day, Tupperware has made it so that I can put my family first And so, I did those helping moments for other people in other corporate positions… Have you had more time for you as well? Absolutely. Absolutely, when I need to take time off, I can look in the mirror and say,‘You know, boss, can I take the day off today or can I take off that week’, you know, or,‘I've earned the trip to Hawaii I'll be taking my husband to Hawaii for the second time on Tupperware’.And, I'll be doing that in April And so, I'm going to take that time off And, I do, I make time for myself. I'm very health conscious. I exercise five times a week. Wow! And, I watch my food - so I’m very health - you know, so – And, I feel like because of my business, I can incorporate that that can be a priority in my day. I'm not trying to do that at 5:00 or 6:00 in the morning just so that I can go to a corporate position So, I take care of myself.When my mother-in-law and my father-in-law were in the hospital, I needed that time for me because they hadbeen my mother and father-in-law for 31 years So,they’re mom and dad.And, I went to the hospital, and I spent time there, not because they needed me, because I needed to be there for them. So, that was me time, if that makes any sense at all Oh, of course, it does. Yeah. Sometimes when you're juggling so many things, like you mentioned for those two months, you don't really get a chance to stop and actually breathe. No. No. Not much breathing And certainly not make healthy food There’s no time for that Although I have the MicroPro Grill, which has been amazing Yeah, tell me about your parties and some of the things you like to demo Okay, well, I get really excited I actually went to one of Doug Politicos? Yeah. Am I saying his last name? Palenica? Palenica, thank you. I went to one of his leadership events that he did up in Milwaukee, and he demonstrated his 321Bowl Well, I've sent him thank you notes ever since because I've been doing the 321Bowl at my parties, totally reinvented my business, because after having the son who got so super sick and finally got better and then having my daughter and the grandchild, well, I really needed to - I really needed to kick my business in the, you know… Can you describe what the 321 Bowl is? Okay, so it's a big - that's a mango bowl. Sure And, I have it filled with different products, different Tupperware pieces - cereal bowls and a couple snack cups in a cute bag with curly ribbon on it It looks cute and it's filled with dating gift size products, so things that you might want that I can use to entice you to have a party with me And so, I'm going to tell you,‘Gosh, you know what, if you want to have a party with me, you can -and I’ve got the little keychain games; I've got curly ribbon with straws and keychains dangling off of them You're going to play my game where you're to play my straw game and you're going to get to pick one of those Tupper Minis because they're adorable, you know. So, you’re going to pick a Tupper Minioff of my game and that's going to be your free gift for playing my game, and it could say ‘party’ or it could say ‘free gift’ And so, whichever one you get, it's going to decide what you get to do with me Now, the 3 to 1 bowl comes in because that's your gift to take away with you today The 3 to 1 bowl is,gosh, if you decide that you want to have that party, and you played my keychain game so why wouldn't you want to have the party, right, then you're going to get to pick up to three gets out of my bowl depending on the day of your party So, if you're scoping out the bowl and you really see things that you can't live without, you might want to take a peek at that and be looking at your calendars, because we're goingto coordinate our calendars And, if you book your party within a week from now, you're going to get to pick three gifts out of my bowl And, if you do it two weeks from now, you know what, you’regoing to get to pick two gifts out of my bowl. And, if you go three or four weeks out, you know what, you're still going to pick a gift out of my bowl, and I'm going to bring that as one of the gifts that I'll be bringing to your party So, you're going to be - So, you look at your calendar, grab your calendar’ And, I really have a lot of fun with that because if you're going to have a party with me, I want it to start out fun I want you to walk away - I want you to have something for your hand right away So, you're getting a Tupperware Mini off of my keychain game, and then I'm grabbing one of those little polybags and I put your name on a label and this ticket on the poly bag. And, when you choose your gifts, I have you - I will hand you the gift so you can put them in your bag That’s great Well, because, you know what, it's your bag I haven't heard that one from Doug. It’s good Yeah. Well, he, you know, I may take it a little further than he does He gave me the idea of the bag and that the gifts go in the bag, but I'm always one step further. I'm like,’Gosh,you know what, it's your bag, so you have to fill it That’s a big part of the business,hearing ideasand adapting them to make your own Exactly. Exactly. And so, I took - last year, I did 46.6% of my business in the last three months of the year That's why you got my name So, how did you do that? I reworked my business with the 321 bowl Okay Coming back from - I wasn't focused on my business because I was focused on my grandchild And, knowing that I only had one shot to do it right and be there for my daughter, and I knew - actually I knew when I came back from Jubilee that I needed to hit the ground running So, my plan was to come back and really make phone calls and work my business and focus on getting parties short-term into my calendar.And, I had a plan to do that And then, I got the phone call that the baby was coming Well, of course, I dropped the world and - because when I came back from Jubilee, I didn't have any parties in my calendar, which was very unusual for me because I do a lot of parties And so, it just was a point of focus because whatever - if you really want to hit the target, you need to know what you're aiming for And, I needed to know what I was aiming for, and my goal was very simple and very direct. I wanted 8 to 10 parties in my calendar within the first five days coming back from Jubilee And, I knew I could do that, until I got the phone call And then, I helped, you know, I grabbed all my stuff and I headed to Maryland And then, the baby didn't come So, my husband had to go back home because he couldn't stay out there. He works corporate I, on the other hand, started a new consultant while I was out there Wow! And signed her up and did her go party and everything But in the meantime, waiting for the baby to come, I made connections at -they're expecting a child. I can't be there at the house Let's just call a duck a duck, right. I can't be there And, because what do you do, you stay three days - friends and family, after three days you stay, great So, I'm like,‘I need to leave’. Nicole’s like, ‘You don't have to go, Mom. You don't have to leave I said,‘Yes, I do Yes, I do. Can I please borrow the van?’ So, I would leave and I would intentionally have things that I had to do when Andy was getting off work And, my poor daughter, I’m like,‘You do know how babies come, right? She's like,‘Yes, mom, I do’. And, I'm like,‘Okay. I'm going to leave now’ And so, I would leave and then come back later so that the kids have their husband-wife time And so, I'm starting this new consultant, and then after the baby did finally come almost a month later… A month past her due date? A month past what her doctor said, ‘I've seen this so many times. I've been doing this for years.There's no way you're going to make it through this weekend’. Yes. Wait, so you were there for the whole month? I was there for a month, so I had to be very careful I left every morning, I did my walking I exercised. I came back. I made sure, you know, I, oh, I cleaned for her, I weeded her garden You know, I mean, I know that might sound like, ‘Oh, that sounds like fun’, but for me, it was amazing You were able to take care of her because… …because she couldn’t do it. Yeah And so, all the stuff -and she had to move a month before her due date So, she literally had been in her place for two, maybe three, weeks before I arrived I think it was two weeks and she was like, mortified,‘Mom, I’ve got all this stuff’.She's like, ‘I didn't get everything put away’. I said,‘Nicole, I'm in shock and awe at how much you've gotten done Wow! How did you do it?’ And she - I could see her visibly go, you know, she's like,‘It was a lot of work’ I said,‘I know’ I said,‘Tell me what you can't do that I can do for you ’And, when I left after a month of being there, I was terrified that she was going to be so, you know, like, ‘Oh my God, you're finally leaving’, you know, but she cried when I left. And, they were like, ‘You made such a difference with all the things that you did’. And, you know what, she doesn't live close; she lives 14 hours away And so, for me to be able to up and leave and go there to do my business, to work my business from Maryland, which is a car drive, 14 hour car drive, and then have her cry and say ‘Thank you so much for being here for me’, I didn't think I would get time - I didn’t think I would make it before she delivered the baby, so to then have that time to spend with her and enjoy her as her first pregnancy and be able to do all that, I don’t even know what your first question was, but -Oh I do. I do - I can go back to it, but that for me - then when I did come back, I knew that to save my business, I needed to work my business, because I'd been there for my family and I'd been doing what I needed to do I wouldn't get a second chance on that And, I have no And, I have no regrets. Good. It was so amazing.And, I came back and I’m like, okay, 321 Bowl it is And, I just went to my parties and I had one party in my calendar, and I took that one party and I sold like, what was $15000 or $17000 worth of Tupperware in three months’ time off of one party. Wow! And, working my business and really incorporating and taking that 321 Bowl to heart and using it, and sending thank you notes to Doug ‘Thank you for giving me…’ You know, you can hear the determination in your voice You took the time to do what you needed to do, and then you really got to work It was - it made all the difference And then, I was able to work with my new director and promote her out too,so I promoted her After that, your – No, when did I promote her –Oh, no, she was already promoted, I’m sorry But I was able to work with her as a new director and do the recognition, and,kind of, just incorporate and pull back into my business.And, I called my I called my director team and I simply said,‘I'm back I'm back and I'm going to do what it takes to support you. And, I want to thank you for being there for me through all of this’ And so, I have I have a couple of directors that are just fantastic and we love to plan together and do stuff together and we have our meeting, our recognition meeting, together.So - and the one gal, my second director that I promoted, when I promoted to a director back in April of 2007, she was so there for me. She would - ‘What do you need?’‘What - What do you need to get there? I would call, you know, when I would be talking to her, I'd be like,‘Well, this is our goal’ And, she's like,‘Okay’ Yeah, she's a director today She was always there for me, so yeah So, I've got just amazing people Sounds like you have a great support, both in your family and your team. I do. I do You know, we have our moments, we're all women Sure. Of course. However, we come together and I think that's critical because if you can come together and work toward it - and this year, we're working toward Elite. Ooh! Yes. So, we have big goals So, so far, what's been your biggest achievement in Tupperware or your most proud moment, not necessarily an achievement, but…? I've had so many I’ve had so many Okay. Can it be multi-answers? Sure. No rules Okay. All right. Okay, because when my team came together and we promoted to a directorship, it was surreal because what happened, it's actually pretty powerful what happened, because I'd been working toward a directorship back in the old program when you had to have, I mean, you had to give your first born to become a director, you know And, that's a little exaggeration, but it was really hard And so, I have longevity because I was put in the fire till to become a director. But what would happen is I finally, after trying and trying and trying and failing, I'm like,‘Well, maybe it's not for me Maybe I'm not supposed to be a director, you know Maybe it's somebody else's dream. And, maybe I need to step back from that right now’. So, I was like a month away from it and it was pretty insurmountable because of the team count, because you had to have 36 on your team at that time, and we had monetary goals we had to hit And, I just said,‘You know what, if it's not supposed to be it's not supposed to be So, month end, month before we're supposed to promote to directorship or start over again, in which case, I might have given up because I was like,’Huh’ I said,‘You know, I wonder…’ And so,I picked up the phone and I didn't care about me, and I said - I called people and I said, ‘How's your business? Where are you at with your business and where do you want to be, and how can I support your efforts to get there? And, what does that look like for you? What does success look like for you? And, I put it all on carts for their individual people because I wanted to mean what I say, and I think you should mean what you say and say what you mean And so, I wanted to grab a hold of their dreams and help those happen, because if it wasn't going to happen for me, I wanted it to happen for them. I'm like, you know - And so, I did that, and the most amazing thing happened I got like, because I let go of me and made it about them - I'm looking at –I was looking at what they want and I'm like, ‘If everybody gets what they want, we'll be a directorship’ And, I'm like,‘Do you guys realize that if you all get what you want…’ and it wasn't - at that point, it still wasn't about me.I was just like - I was just working with them to help them get it when it hit me… Together you could I’m like,’Together…’ Yeah. And so, we hit our numbers for our directorship goal and people kind of stayed on track, ‘Here's how I'm doing on my goal’. And I’m like, ‘I really want to help you get there’ And so, I had let go of mine and completely embraced theirs Holy cow. That for me was probably the biggest epiphany and the biggest moment because it wasn't about me, never has been And, if I want to be successful, it can't be about me It has to be about them But it has to be about my hostesses who graciously welcome me into their home And, I make sure that they know of it I’m like, ‘Thank you for letting me do this for you Thank you for welcoming me into your home’ And so, my team, Wednesday night, we had our numbers I get off the phone When I realized I'm looking at it and I stopped and I looked at my husband, and I’m like, ‘Jeff, we did it’. We did it! And,he takes one look at me and I'm still not grasping that it's happened, and he grabs me in his arms and I burst into tears because it’s happened, and it didn't feel real, it felt very surreal. And, it was almost that same story when we earned the G6Convertible, except we were two months out from that when I realized that my life was a little out of balance and I was all about Tupperware And, you know, it's a long program to get to the convertible And so, I was really out of balance, and I looked at my husband and I said, ‘I am so sorry I have neglected you, and I'm going to tell you right now that if you want me to stop worrying about this convertible because you are far more important than any car, I will stop focusing on that right now. I will let go of that dream, and I will let it go without any reservations’ And, I said,‘And I will just do Tupperware and balance out our life’ And, he looks at me, he’ssuch a sweetheart He’s like,‘You're two months from a goal that you’ - cause back - it was like a year-long program, and then another six months. So, I was sixteen months into an 18 month program And, he looks me in the eye and he says, ‘You finish your convertible. And when you’re done, I'll be here for you’ He's like.‘You finish your goal, you're so close, you can almost touch it’ What a great support Great support. So, the convertible was another big deal, and I didn't ever think it could get any better Like, I thought this is so amazing And then,I promoted my first director And thenyou got to watch their excitement And I got to watch her become the director.And, to me, I’m like you know, it's one thing when you hit goals and accolades for yourself The directorship, me being a director, was – it was always about the team And, when I earned the convertible, that was about the team I gave them so many fun gifts I threw big parties for them, you know, and gave them good stuff when I did that But then when I promoted my first director, it was - it was it was so much deeper It was so much more powerful because now I was giving the bigger gift, the bigger share, and I had a lot of people that I really felt could get there, and they had come and gone And then, when I had my first person that I helped all the way to that juncture, and then to watch her-and then she's been alive Connie now for several years in a row. Wow! And so, I watch her do all that and then be live Connie, there's something about watching your babiesin Tupperware do these things Well, you put so much of your own time and energy and everything in. It's your life force. Yes. You know, and you give that gift away, and then it comes back like that. So, I’ve had a lot of really powerful moments in Tupperware that have made all the difference in my world and others. So, yes. So, it’s like your Tupperware career has been quite a positive rollercoaster. Yes, it has been It's been amazing. I love it Thank you for sharing so much That was great. I really enjoyed hearing your story Oh, thank you. Thank you for listening to my story Is there anything else you want to add before we wrap up? It wouldn't be possible without the support that I get from corporate. Oh, it’s good to hear I mean, if you think about everything we do every day, to have the support system, to have the Platinum services, and I have so many friends in Platinum, like they, you know, I call them and they love to hear from me and they love to help me and support me And, I feel like we couldn't do it without - I couldn't be where I am without the consultants on my team I wouldn't need to be an organization leader without consultants, managers, directors But I also wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for what corporate does and gives down, and the way that they gift us and give back to us, and give us all the tools and promotions to promote So, thank you to you guys for what you do I mean, that's a big deal. I mean,I don’t know if you think about it, but where would we be without you That's how we feel about you We wouldn't have jobs if it weren't for you. Right So, I guess, yeah, that would be my addition, would be to say there is so much and so many people when you look around, when you when you work a business like I do, that you're surrounded by all these pivotal spokes in your wheel that your business can turn on those spokes and you just have to decide how you’regoing to turn the wheel, in what direction are you going to go I choose up.So, thank you We can't wait to see where you take it from here Yeah, it's going to be exciting I don't know, Elite this year. Elite - that's it We got to do this. We'll be rooting for you for sure. Thank you.