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Kay Napier

CEO, Arbonne


Kay Napier built a career in blue-chip business. Thrust into a man’s world, or at least a man’s set of norms in the business environment, Napier adapted. It took a great deal of energy to learn effective approaches, strategies and styles, but she persisted. “You’re growing and developing every day but it’s important to grow in your core of who you are,” she says. “You have to be comfortable in your own skin and be the best you can be personally. Go with your gut and armed with good business experience and factual information.”Napier believes in checking out every angle, so when Arbonne came knocking three years ago she did her homework. Between increasing Internet capabilities and a declining retail sales model, direct selling made sense. She was also intrigued by the incredible talent direct selling was pulling from corporate America. “There are a lot of women, and now increasingly more men, who want balance to spend time with family. At one point, there were more women choosing to stay at home than have full-time jobs. I saw so many friends do this,” she says.
Most striking to Napier is the opportunity for personal leadership development. Direct sales transforms everyday people into extraordinary leaders, who are part of a broader community of support. “There’s nothing else like it. It’s an amazing phenomena—an opportunity for greater financial growth, which buys them all sorts of freedom and flexibility in their personal lives,” Napier says.
But a paradox exists with direct selling that reflects the broader business world. Women make up a small portion of corporate leadership positions. Napier says, “A lot of these companies were founded by men. At the time they were founded, women weren’t working full time and that created a culture of management by men.
“It’s changing in the broader world in which we live as people become more comfortable across cultures. The best people will get the jobs, whether they are male or female,” Napier says.
As for Arbonne, this CEO says, “The field seems to relate better to me being a woman because I understand what they are dealing with.”

Appreciation for…

Claudia Kotchka: “I’ve only had one female boss in my entire career. She came to be my boss after the birth of my first child, my daughter. She so believed in me and wanted me to succeed that she took projects off my plate and guided me.… She did it out of kindness, but it was a smart business decision. Me getting burnt out and quitting would not be good for the company. She made me feel valued and that was quite remarkable.”

This is the nature and beauty of this business and the people in it,   a network market filled with strong positive people and working on an international scale,   so proud to be a part of it :)