"On second thought... make that an income RIVER!"

It's Time to Plan Your Pivot: 

Income streams were great for pre-inflation days. In 2022 and beyond you need income RIVERS. Almost 10 years ago, I sold about $800 in products my very first month in business. I sold only to my Facebook followers list (it was a very small list). That income stream grew to become my family's main source of income for almost a decade! Today, you call it K.j. Naturals.

Now, we're setting you up with the Income River System: tools, skills & products to start a new source of income that starts small, but can grow very quickly (my sales doubled every other month in the first few months of selling in 2013).

The Well You Never Drew From:

Your friends list is a rich untapped resource that you probably have not yet figured out how to monetize. What's even better is that you can do that while linking people with wholesome products that resolve their skin's most stubborn issues. 

We're Paying Our Advertising Funds to YOU!

Last year we spent a small fortune on social media advertising. The ads were successful, yes. But if you ask any savvy business person what's the best form of advertisement, what will they say? Word of mouth is best. 

70% of You Are Looking for Extra Income

I recently read a mainstream news poll that said 70% of Americans are looking for extra income to offset the increasing cost of living. Then it hit me...instead of sending all that money to Mark Zuckerberg or whoever else for social media ads, why not hire my best customers for word-of-mouth advertising??? The customers would have a new income stream while new people still get to hear about our products online. 

This is how Mark's money got redirected to you, the Micro-Influencers! After your friends get the benefits of the products you recommend, you'll have what I like to call a 360 degree win. You win + they win + we win = 360 degrees of winning.

THAT is how this should work. Instead of replacing people with robots, we're replacing bots and algorithms with people!

So...What Is a "Micro-Influencer"?

I asked Webster and he said this (pay attention in particular to the 2nd definition highlighted below)...

An influencer is someone people listen to and interact with regularly which builds trust and familiarity. People prefer to buy after seeing recommendations made by influencers. So much so that it's very common for a person's bread & butter to come purely from their sponsored posts (if they know what they're doing). 

A micro-influencer can do that at any time, albeit on a smaller scale at first. If you and your family have benefited from K.j. Naturals products, why not say so while making extra cash in your spare time?

Being a Microinfluencer for K.j. Naturals- How It Works:

Typically, starting a new income stream involves taking risks and suffering potential losses. We created this Income River project so that WE take on all the costs and risks. You take on no risk or cost. 

First, we send you a commission up front. We also send you product reviews, product photos & videos, etc. and a suggested schedule for when to post them to your social media page(s).

When people see the posts they will ask to try them straight away. That's why we will keep you supplied with products to sell as often as you like. 

You collect payment for what you sell. You send those payments to us through a payment link we email you (an invoice). In addition to the commission you earn from us, you may also keep any fees you charge buyers for delivering their orders (if you choose to offer order delivery). 

Your pay = 30% Commission + pay for deliveries you might make (optional).

On average, your pay should work out to about $30-$40 per hour (not including delivery fees you collect). That's assuming you spend about 1 hour engaged in some kind of influential activity for every $100 of retail product you sell (not including time spent on deliveries- that's why you should collect a separate fee for it). 

We say that your pay is for "influential activity" (and hesitate to call it "work") because you might be posting on social media and responding to messages/comments in your PJ's while streaming Netflix. That won't feel very work-y. Making extra cash while relaxing on the couch actually feels like the total opposite of work:  AMAZING. 

The Process: 

1. We send you a shipment of K.j. Naturals products + your commission + a link to access the social media posts for those products that you will share online. 

2. You post the reviews & product photos from the link we shared with you, then collect payment when your followers place an order from you. You can ask them to  CashApp you or accept cash, VenMo, Zelle, check or whatever you prefer to collect payment for orders. 

3. When your products are sold, you forward us the amount you collected from product sales via the payment link we email you (Note: You keep the money you collected for deliveries if you made any).

That payment link will be sent via email invoice the day your product delivery arrives. You have 14 days to pay that invoice. Once the invoice is paid, if you want another shipment & commission, we'll send it ASAP and start over again. 

If the invoice isn't paid within 14 days, you won't be eligible to participate in the Income River Project again. We don't accept product returns in lieu of paying the invoice because we don't accept returns for any reason.

We won't resell returned items & I don't personally want to use products once they've been out and about.  I was a cautious germophobe way before COVID and I'm not ashamed of it. :-) 

4. When your invoice is paid and you're ready to receive a new commission payment along with a fresh set of products, simply drop us a line via LiveChat at Kjnaturals.myshopify.com.

FYI, we keep shipments very small so you can definitely sell it way before the 14 days is up. We will never send more than you can sell in 1-3 days. That way, if you sell quickly you can pay the invoice quickly and get more product, but if it takes a while you're still good. 

If at the end of 14 days, you haven't sold all that you have, you can still pay the invoice and take your time selling the rest. That way you remain eligible for Income River shipments in the future. 

"Read me, Seymour! Reeeead me!"

You have to be a certain age to even get the joke in that pic. Ha!

But I HAVE to bring your attention to the fact that there's a list of questions below that you may have at this point. Before you're tempted to pop over to our LiveChat to ask them please READ ME, Seymour (me = FAQ list below)!

If you ask a question in LiveChat that we already answered in the list below we will refer you to that FAQ number (we won't call you Seymour but we will think about it LOL). If after you read the FAQs you have a question we didn't list, by all means please ask and we'll add it to this list. :-)

Note: For all the teenie boppers that don't get the joke, that graphic is from the 1986 movie Little Shop of Horrors where the monster says "Feed me, Seymour. Feed me". I pasted the ladies there because I TOTALLY forgot those "Martin" stars (Tichina Arnold & Tisha Campbell) were in even in the movie! Wowza! Time flies but they have aged very well. 

FAQs <--- (READ ME)

#1 Q: How much product will be sent to me during my first week? A: Your first week is for learning and getting familiar with your new venture. We will send a small shipment of $100 (retail value) of product in your first shipment. 

Example breakdown of $100 in retail product: 

(4) eczema creams, 2oz @ $15 each +

(5) bars of soap, various scents, 4oz @ $8 each.

That's $60 in cream + $40 in soap = $100 retail

Your commission for that is $30. 

#2 Q: How much can I earn in a month? A: We don't limit you. Whatever size your income river grows to is up to you. If you sell everything you get in a day, you're welcome to pay your invoice right away then we'll ship you more the same day. If you ever want to slow down or stop, that's fine too. The one and only thing we ask is that you pay the product invoice within 14 days of receiving it. Every email invoice will include the payment due date. 

#3 Q: What if I'm not active on social media? A: That works, too. You can text the pics of reviews, etc. to your friends. Also, if you have a way to distribute products that doesn't require the Internet that's fine.

You may be a hair stylist and intend to display products for your clientele. Or you may intend to offer products to members of your church or maybe your coworkers. You may even set up shop in a local market. As long as your invoice is paid within the 14 day window, you're good. 

 #4 Q: Do I have to make deliveries? A: No. You can choose to offer free local pick-up at a place of your choosing (we recommend daytime pick-up hours in a conveniently located public space such as a coffee shop or library). Note: We do not recommend that you SELL products in the library.

Rather, let customers pay you before your pre-announced order pickup day. Then simply hand off the order to them in a public meeting space (coffee shop, restaurant, etc). If you know the person you're selling to and you're comfortable meeting them in a private space that's ok, too. Just use good sense if you meet strangers. 

If you're not comfortable doing local pickups for people you don't know you can always collect a shipping fee and mail their order. Or you can collect a delivery fee and drop it off just like any other contact-less delivery service (i.e. Instacart, DoorDash, etc). 

 #5 Q: How much do I earn from deliveries? A: $30-$50 an hour if you do it efficiently. The least efficient way to deliver is to make one delivery at a time then go back home. If you set aside a certain time to do them all then you can use a free route planner app to prevent backtracking. You may charge whatever amount you want for each delivery but we recommend approx. $6-8 per delivery.

We also provide price charts to easily let your customers know these details. If you want to edit any of the posts we send you we'll give you one courtesy edit. Then you don't have type out answers to FAQs. You can simply message or text someone with a pre-made graphic list. 

In our guide to making deliveries (we will send this to you), we share how to map an efficient route using online apps so you can maximize your hourly rate. 

#6 Q: How much should I charge for products? A: We will supply a price list for the products you receive that you can post to your social media pages. We ask that you do not charge more or less for each item than the price we provide in the list. It's $8 for a bar of soap & $15 for a jar of eczema cream, 2oz size. 

#7 Q: Product Samples: How can I get them? A: We will ship free samples with your orders as they're available. Ideally, we will be able to ship samples with every order. We recommend that you offer these to customers as a gift with purchase. 

Typically, you don't have to give away free samples before a person orders, especially for eczema cream. Certainly you don't have an unlimited supply of samples. We find that most people are happy to get a sample of cream free with a purchase. 

For example: If a person asks to try a free sample of cream you might reply "Sure. Eczema cream samples are free with any soap bar purchase. Oatmeal soap is a sure bet for dry skin. Would you like to have that one?" 

But if you prefer to offer samples free without a purchase you can do that, too. At any rate, you don't owe us for any free samples we send. Those are to assist you in making sales. 

#8 Q: How do I ship from home? A: We have written a guide (with videos, photos and links) for how to print shipping labels from home and have packages picked up from home so you never have to leave your house to ship.

We also demonstrate the best way to pack an order and where/how to get free shipping supplies. We will share this guide with you before your first set of products arrive to you. 

#9 Q: Do I have to offer shipping to my buyers? A: No. We designed social media posts to communicate to your customers exactly which method(s) you offer for getting their items to them. Some posts include shipping and delivery while others don't. You may choose whatever works for you and share the posts that correspond with your choice. 

#10 Q:  How to route deliveries to make the max per hour? We highly recommend that you use your time efficiently if you're going to offer delivery service. We have created a guide for how to route your deliveries for free to prevent backtracking and wasted fuel. We have also included tips in the guide for making as much as $40 per hour while delivering packages.

Lastly, we include posts in your social media bundle to communicate pricing and availability of delivery to your buyers. This guide will be sent to you along with all other needed info before your shipment arrives.   

#11 Q: What if I don't sell all the products in my shipment in 14 days, but I want to be able to continue to sell in the future? A: If you haven't sold all the product, you can still pay the invoice and take your time selling the remaining items. That way, you're still eligible to receive more products when you're ready. 

#12 Q: Can I make a partial payment on invoices? A: No. Shopify doesn't have a partial pay feature on their email invoices. You either pay all of it or none of it. 

#13 Q: Will you send smaller invoices for partial payments? A: No. Because we will only send as much product as you can easily sell in under 14 days. Also, managing more than one invoice for one order can be problematic and confusing. 

#14 Q: Can I choose what products are in each weekly package? A: No. The boxes are pre-packed with items and quantities we choose for promotion. The social media posts you receive with each shipment were designed specifically for that set of products. That way, you're not posting about items you don't have on hand. 

#15 Q: Can I return unsold products instead of paying the invoice? A: No. In almost 10 years of business I can't remember a time we accepted returns. I won't resell any returned items so people may as well keep them. Even when we donate to shelters I send fresh new products. Either the invoice is paid for the products you receive in 14 days or we take a loss. But in that case our relationship will end and we go our separate ways. 

#16 Q: Can you make me a graphic with my QR code or phone number to post online to accept payments for orders? A: Yes. We will give you one courtesy edit of a graphic or make you one from scratch using one of our templates. If you want more than one let us know via LiveChat and we'll send you a payment link and forward your project specs to our graphic designer. 

#17 Q: What if the tracking number says my package was delivered to me but it wasn't? Or what if the contents were damaged/missing? A: Just let us know so we can file a claim and send you a new package. We don't send your invoice or your commission until you confirm three things: 1. You received the package 2. All the contents are there & 3. Nothing is damaged. 

It's not fair to start the 14 day invoice clock if you haven't even received your items. It's also not fair for us to pay a commission on something you don't have. When your box arrives then open it and message us via LiveChat letting us know you're good to go. Don't forget to include your email address in the message so we know who to send the commission and invoice to. 

#18 Q: Can I pre-sell (collect payment for orders before my package arrives)? A: Yes, but we prefer that you do NOT. Although we encourage you to start sharing social media posts before your products arrive, it's a whole other thing to accept payment in advance of your hands actually holding the products. 

If you insist on collecting payments before your package is delivered then we can't stop you. Just let your buyers know that it's a PRE-order. Meaning, you're still waiting to receive the items. Also let them know the expected delivery date. 

I would HIGHLY recommend that you not accept payments until you at least confirm (via your tracking number) that your items are en route to you. Otherwise you risk creating false expectations which is just not cool. You also risk frustrating yourself. 

I personally DO NOT pre-sell because it's more than I care to manage (mentally). After almost a decade of selling, I found out years ago how much it wasn't worth it (to me). Even though you may very clearly and politely communicate that you don't have the items before you accept payment, people may still become impatient. 

When they become impatient then you may become impatient with waiting for your package to arrive. Then everything becomes unpleasant when it didn't need to be.

I always advise people to operate in a way that makes things pleasant! As my grandparents would say "All money ain't good money". If you're stressing (or your buyer is), that ain't good!

#19 Q: Can I forward this to someone else? Is everyone eligible to be a Micro-Influencer for K.j. Naturals? A: No & no. Participation in the Income River Project is by invitation only. It's for the repeat customers that we've built a relationship with over time. That's why when you message us via the purple Chat button you need to provide the email address on your account.

We review purchase history, etc. to make sure you're actually familiar with the products so that you can make an honest recommendation. Promoting products you don't use is like a TV show host interviewing an author of a book they haven't read.

It's like...what are you even doing here? Then the TV host loses credibility. And it's annoying. In other words, yes you can talk about something you heard, but it's best to promote what you know first-hand!

Ready to get your income stream flowing? Do these 2 things now...

1. Message us via LiveChat. (Go to the home page if you don't see the purple "Chat" button on the screen now)

**2. Fill in the email address on your account with us in your LiveChat message (the email address where you first saw the "Help Wanted" message). You MUST do this step so we know who we're chatting with. 

 From there we will take the next step for the onboarding process!