“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” Audrey Sommerfeld, Founder and the CEO at Jump To Health Inc. shares her favorite quote.
Audrey herself is a dreamer and big-time achiever. From growing up in a small town in Minnesota, today she has come far as an entrepreneur of several successful ventures. Throughout her journey, she believes that her mentors have played an important role in crafting her path, “And if it were not for the support and encouragement of high school teachers, I would never have found a way to put myself through college or graduate school, in pursuit of my dreams,” she said.
Audrey is a product expert in nutrition and skincare, with a history of about three decades of helping people look and feel good. With the same mission, she launched Jump To Health in 2018. She realized that there was no nutrition education in the schools, and even the physicians received only 8 hours of training in nutrition. Thus, through Jump To Health, Audrey is aiming to provide meal plans and education on eating healthy for different lifestyles and health concerns. These meal plans are backed by an industry leader Dr. Steve Witherly, a Ph.D. Nutritionist with 30 years’ experience in helping people globally. Her vision is to provide education, tools, and products to help people live healthier lives. “Our big hairy goal is to end sugar addiction, obesity, diabetes, inflammation, and all health challenges that can be improved by good nutrition,” says Audrey.
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Currently, the market is filled with people who are lacking knowledge of nutrition. To get insights about the industry and her journey we engaged in an interesting conversation with Audrey. Here are the snippets,
- How will you define your success throughout the journey? Is there any special mention of achievements the reader should know about?
I believe that success is defined by the process, the journey. Also, my success does not belong to me alone but my team. Notably, we have grown tremendously in 2020 with 10x sales and this is all because of the team members we have in the field and in our company. I can say that our greatest success is being one team, working together on a common goal, with the shared values.
- What do you think has been the secret to maintain such a fruitful bond amongst the team?
Culture—it plays a key role in any organization. At Jump To Health, the culture matters as much as the products and revenue, and we focus on creating a culture that cares and supports one another, and yet allows thoughtful challenging of beliefs.
- As a woman leader, your career trajectory has been impressive. What are your thoughts on the issue of gender disparity?
Gender and Racial inequality still exist in the world, and I’ve experienced harassment and discrimination during my career, like so many others. However, if you have the opportunity to bring change then you should do something about what bothers you. Falling prey to the issues of gender disparity I made sure that my company values diversity in gender, ethnicity, age, religion. I think that when we can value our differences as well as our similarities, we will succeed in serving others better.
- Considering the popularity of Jump To Health’s products, what is that unique quality which separates you from the other companies?
We offer better “Products, Prices, Pay, Perks” than other companies, which is the ultimate distinguisher. Besides, our membership includes access to a free ‘savings’ portal for shopping at major retailers, savings on hotels and travel, and savings on entertainment including movies, concerts, and amusement parks. With better nutritional products, at better prices that deliver results, plus this free benefit has helped us increase our popularity and value among the customer base.
- How did you tackle the COVID-19 outbreak? Are there any special measures you undertook?
The pandemic has affected not just the supply chain but also how we sell and share our products. To tackle this we have partnered tighter with our suppliers to ensure we have ample stock of products. And also, knowing that the virtual platforms have picked up the pace we are providing more social telling tools, mobile apps and focusing on more B2C communications.
- Did remote working affect the operations of your company?
Our company has been ‘cloud’ based since we started, so we did not have many issues with remote working. Also, by lifting the geographical limitation we have open up opportunities to hire the best people for the job without any limits for the talent to those who will relocate.
- So how are you maintaining the social connect amongst the teammates?
We have frequent team meetings, calls, zoom calls, and check-ins with our teammates. While remote working, the most essential factor is trust. Trust amongst the teammates ensures that the tasks will be completed smoothly without any hurdles. We trust each other do our work for the greater good. And despite the anxiety surrounding us, the shared values of wanting to end nutrition-based illness keeps us focused and motivated every day.
- What are you anticipating for the future of the industry?
I am anticipating growth in the gig economy and increasing popularity growth in remote working. Keeping in sync with the trend, we will continue to offer innovation in our four pillars of Health, Wealth, Living, and Giving—and continually help offer the opportunity for a better life for all those we touch.
- Lastly, what is your opinion is the most important quality for becoming a successful women entrepreneur?
It’s about perseverance, determination, a sense of humor. Being an entrepreneur is about long hours, days of doubt, followed by the joys of small accomplishments that lead to bigger ones. It is focusing on the journey and the overall goal, and keep going. Take a leap, and just JUMP!
Message for the readers
Also read: The 10 Revolutionary Business Women Leaders, 2023
