Can entrepreneurship be a weapon against a poor economy? Amway Italy and the Chamber of Commerce of Rome examined that question at a roundtable discussion last month titled: “Youth and Entrepreneurship: A Challenge Against the Crisis.”

The event was held in Rome’s Temple of Hadrian, not far from the Pantheon.

The discussion kicked off with a presentation of the 2012 Amway Entrepreneurship report and panelists included Amway Italy General Manager Fabrizio Suaria and representatives from business and government.  Each person spoke about their role in promoting entrepreneurship among young generations and how they would leverage that untapped potential against the current economic challenges.

The event received a great deal of positive feedback, including the positioning of Amway as an entrepreneurial incubator that can play a key role in encouraging the young generation.

The discussion also received a fair amount of media coverage, which was supplemented by interviews with three young Amway business owners who attended the event: Mattia Paternostro, Renato Iacopini and Anna Glapiak.

Paternostro, 21, was pleased with the event because it taught young people about their entrepreneurship options, including Amway. All three agreed that the Amway business opportunity provides wonderful experience no matter what they do in the future.

Paternostro said Amway teaches skills useful in any workplace. Glapiak called it “a real training ground for life.” And Iacopini said the business has improved his organizational skills and changed his outlook.

“Certainly the work that I am doing right now is greatly helping me for my future,” he said.

(Thank you to Ricardo Gastoni of Amway Italy for helping with this story.)

On Monday the New England Journal of Medicine published findings from a new study on the Mediterranean Diet. The study found that people who ate a Mediterranean diet that included fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts and olive oil were at a lower risk for heart disease.  In fact, according to the New York Times, the magnitude of the diet’s benefits startled experts.  

It’s not surprising that a diet of fruits, vegetables and nutrient dense foods has positive health effects. Yet global dietary patterns suggest that people are lacking in dietary variety and are getting their nutrients – especially phytonutrients – from a very limited number of plant based foods.  

If you like the idea of the Mediterranean Diet, there is no shortage of recipes available that leverage the fresh produce, healthy grains, lean white meat and seafood that make it so healthy. Eating in this style will help you get more of the nutrients your body needs, which is a good recipe for Optimal Health.

At Nutrilite we believe in taking a “whole foods” first approach to your diet, making sure you are eating a variety of fruits and vegetables. But we know it’s often difficult to get the nutrients you need from your diet alone, which is why phytonutrient supplementation can help you fill in any gaps.

If you want to learn how to create a global career, ask someone who has one. That’s what the Harvard Business School Women’s Student Association did when they invited Amway CMO Candace Matthews to be part of its Harvard Dynamic Women in  Leadership Forum February 23.

Candace joined Tata Consulting Services head Farzana Haque in a panel discussion about how they developed and navigate careers that span the globe.

Candace’s lesson for success on a global scale?  “You have to have a yearning for learning,” she told the group. “You must have the desire to learn about other cultures, what motivates them and how they define success.”

For those starting out she advised learning four key words and phrases – hello, goodbye, please and thank you - to show interest and a connection with other cultures.

After spending time with the students, Candace sat down with the Harvard Business Review (HBR) to tape a lesson for the HBR Channel on how to stand up for yourself in business.  It was a lesson she learned long ago and was happy to pass along to the next generation of business leaders.  The video lesson will be online in April.

Remember this video highlighting the wonderful accomplishments of our business owners and employees through 10 years of our Amway One by One Campaign for Children?  It has a chance to win an award and you can help.

It’s part of the film festival at Boston College’s Center for Corporate Citizenship. The website is recording public votes through March 1 for the best video.  Please vote and help us share our story! (Click here to vote.)

YouTube Direkt

While many of the ingredients for our supplements are grown on our own organic farms, some are not so easily attainable. For our new Cal Mag D Plus supplement, we traveled all the way to the glacial fjords off the coast of Iceland to harvest the naturally calcified seaweed found in our product.

The seaweed starts out as a purple plant called coralline red algae. As it grows in the Icelandic fjords, it forms reefs and naturally calcifies. The motion of the sea breaks off bits of the calcified portions. They are carried by ocean currents and deposited in Maerl beds deep under the sea where our crew harvests them. This calcified seaweed is one of nature’s most concentrated botanical sources of calcium and magnesium.

Even in the waters off Iceland we certify our supplier to meet Nutrilite’s high NutriCert standards, which ensure that sustainable environmental and agricultural practices are followed in the production of ingredients used in our supplements. The harvesting crews use advanced GPS technology to gather the seaweed while protecting other delicate sea life.

Check out the photo album at our Nutrilite Facebook page that track’s Nutrilite scientist Kevin Gellenbeck’s trip to Bildudalur, Iceland to certify the harvesting operation.

When you hold an ARTISTRY product in your hands, personalized skincare is literally at your fingertips.

Exclusive to the ARTISTRY brand, F.A.C.E.S. (Facial Analysis Computer Evaluation System) is an innovative, high-tech way to analyze your skin and select the best ARTISTRY skin care products based on that analysis.

We have more than 25 F.A.C.E.S. units placed around the world using clinical-grade image technology to analyze an individual’s skin and send that data back to our researchers. This allows our Research and Development team to see how actual customers care for their skin and understand what they’re looking for in a product.

It also serves as a tool to help lead product development to ensure we’re at the forefront of skincare innovation.

ARTISTRY Senior Research Scientist Jesse Leverett explained the technology recently at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City.

Are you putting your best face forward?

You may know your IQ, but do you know your NQ?

NQ stands for Nutrition Quotient.

In partnership with the Korean Nutrition Society, Amway Korea made a long-term commitment to help children by developing a list of 19 questions aimed at evaluating a child’s diet and eating habits and coming up with an index score it calls the NQ.

The questions span five areas: balance, diversity, moderation, regularity and practice.

They ask children how many kinds of vegetables they eat with each meal, whether they eat breakfast regularly and how long they play video games or watch TV each day. They also ask how often children eat sweets, instant noodles, fast food and fruits, among other things.

The questions are based on the results of two studies that looked at the Korean Dietary Guidelines and evaluation tools being used or studied in Korea and elsewhere. The index is used to evaluate and improve a child’s eating habits and overall nutrition.

Women Dong, a monthly magazine in Korea, recently reported on the NQ, highlighting the importance of balanced nutrition in childhood.

What do you think your NQ would be?

Last night, cosmetics industry professionals gathered at the Beyond Beauty Gala in New York City to support the James E. Marshall OCD Foundation, which raises money for education and research into Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Clubhouse International, community centers for people living with mental illness, will also benefit.

The disorder affects millions of people worldwide and is considered among the top 10 most disabling diseases in the U.S. — more than diabetes, heart disease and cancer combined.

That’s why the cosmetics industry is taking a stand to expand its concept of beauty beyond physical attributes to include the beauty from within — and we’re proud to support this cause.

Congratulations to the Beyond Beauty 2013 co-honorees Nicolas Mirzayantz of IFF and our very own George Calvert, Ph.D, vice president R&D and supply chain at Amway, for their work to bring attention to this cause.

“We are proud of our association with this tremendous organization and the great work that it does in OCD awareness and research,” Calvert said.

Welcome to a new feature at the Amway Insider: 5 Minutes With…

Occasionally we will choose an interesting person connected to Amway or the direct selling industry and ask them a few quick questions. We’re very excited about our inaugural guest, Zac. We’ve written about him before, but this is the first time we got Zac to sit down for an interview. Thanks to Antonia Krunes of Amway Australia and New Zealand for tracking down the jet-setting stick figure.

How does it feel to be Amway’s unofficial “social mascot”?

Great! I love my Amway business and the great opportunity it offers. It’s so much fun being in my own videos and attending all the exciting Amway Achievers events. I love connecting with people through social media – it helps me share my great experiences with Amway!

What do you think about your social counterpart, Carlos, helping spread the word about Amway in Latin America?

Carlos is a legend – he’s doing a fantastic job at letting people in Latin America know about the best business opportunity in the world.

How many languages do you know?

I speak English, Spanish, Portugese and most of the other major languages. I’m a quick study!

Can you tell us about your latest video?

Sometimes people ask me if Amway products are worth the price tag. I know that nothing compares to Amway’s quality products – but I’m not sure how to tell others! So in my latest video I go on a journey to discover what makes Amway products world-class. I find out about the rich history of Amway’s products. They don’t manufacture to the lowest cost, but produce the best value. Watch it here and find out why “Nothing Compares to Amway!”

Can we find you on Facebook?

Sure can! I love Facebook and often pop up on the Amway Australia & New Zealand Facebook.

What do you think about fellow Aussie ARTISTRY Global Face Teresa Palmer.

Teresa is an Aussie beauty and a brilliant actress – she is taking Hollywood by storm! She is the perfect embodiment of ARTISTRY. Go, Teresa, go!

What stands out about your trip to Amway World Headquarters last year?

I definitely remember getting caught up on all of the episodes of “The Office” during the 14-hour airplane ride. Aside from that, so many things! I got to meet Amway Chairman Steve Van Andel and sit his office, which has an amazing view of the “flag promenade” where Amway displays the flags from every country where it does business.

I also loved touring the beauty research and development labs. They even gave me my very own lab coat! Walking down the Hall of Achievement was another eye-opening moment. If anyone reading this gets the chance to visit Ada, I’d highly recommend it – it was the experience of a lifetime.

Well, Zac, thanks so much for your time, and we look forward to your next video.

My pleasure, G’day!

We announced record sales this week of $11.3 billion for 2012. That very big number is representative of the many wonderful people and products behind a successful year:

• 21,000 employees.
• More than 900 scientists and technicians.
• 65 research & development labs.
• More than 1,000 patents granted, 800 pending.
• 2.7 million volunteer hours.
• 10 million children helped through the Amway One by One Campaign for Children.
• $3.5 billion in bonuses and incentives.

Watch the video to learn more. We look forward to another successful year!

YouTube Direkt