by Lauri Dodd
DirectSellingNews.com
The numbers are staggering. Since 2001, the energy drink market has experienced a dramatic rise in popularity—growing from an $8 million a year business to one totaling more than $5 billion in retail sales in 2007. Some experts even predict that the market could reach $10 billion by next year. Suffice it to say that energy drinks have earned their place in the history books, and the best may be yet to come.
Space on supermarket shelves is becoming increasingly more limited with every passing day, as beverage companies vie for our loyalty. With heavy hitters like Monster, Amp and Red Bull already household names, the challenge to gain our attention is daunting. And yet, in spite of that, there is one name that is shooting quickly to the top of the list. If you haven’t already heard of this hot new up-and-comer, you soon will. That name is efusjon.
A Better Beverage Company
More than one thing sets efusjon apart from its competition—not the least of which is healthy energy. In fact, very few of the energy drinks sold today are actually beneficial for consumers. And that has become a huge concern. “People are searching for a healthy energy drink that tastes good, and they are finding that in efusjon products,” says Robert Towles, Founder and CEO of efusjon.
Efusjon energy drinks are chock-full of good-for-you ingredients, such as açai berries and mangosteen. “We have packed our products with some of the most nutritious stuff around,” Towles says. “The word has gotten out about açai and how good it is for you. And these days, people are more intrigued by açai than they are with blueberries or grapes. So it really has a fun factor as well.”
As it happens, fun seems to be a common theme within efusjon.
The products are fun, with cool branding to attract a younger, hipper audience. That’s primarily because an estimated 65 percent of people who consume energy drinks are between the ages of 13 and 35.
Not only is efusjon a company young in spirit, but it is also a company young in appearance. That is due in part to the fact that about 85 percent of efusjon representatives are under 50, which is almost unheard of in the direct selling industry. The company has managed to maintain its youthful vibe. “You will never see a suit and tie in this company,” Towles says. “We’re having a blast doing this business. And the fun we have is reflected in everything we do.”
An Idea Is Born
With its official launch last fall, efusjon is still in its infancy, and the company is shaping up just the way Towles had envisioned so many years ago. Without knowing it, he began formulating his plans at an early age.
Indeed, the man at the helm of this energetic powerhouse is not one to stand still for very long or even slow down, for that matter. What is now efusjon is a product of Towles’ creativity and finely tuned business sense. Since his senior year of high school, the pattern of working hard at full speed took root with Towles. While most of his friends were taking stock of their lives and making plans for the future, after school every day, Towles was busy stocking the shelves and making a future for himself at Blockbuster Video. It was only the first in a handful of stops on his way to entrepreneurial freedom.
Married at the tender age of 21, Towles has long been dedicated to making a better life for his family. He consistently worked two full-time jobs—during the day, Towles worked for the U.S. Postal Service, and he spent his nights working his way up the managerial ladder at Costco.
But he soon realized that spending upwards of 80 hours a week on the job just wasn’t cutting it. “I worked all the time, and yet I never really felt like I was getting ahead,” Towles says. “I wanted to find a better way for my family to not just survive, but to really thrive.” Because he loved the idea of being an entrepreneur, he tried his hand at the restaurant business. However, owning an eatery was not all it was cracked up to be either. Eventually, he found the network marketing industry.
“I was attracted to the concept of residual income, and the potential it had to translate into long-term wealth,” Towles says. “I was fortunate to be mentored by one of the most respected names in network marketing. I learned a lot during that time—about what worked and what didn’t work within the industry.” He stayed at it for a couple of years before going into banking, where he once again started logging 80 hours a week at the office. It was during this time that Towles began planning his triumphant return to direct selling.
One Man’s Commitment
All the years of experience had finally started paying off. If you look closely at the efusjon model, you will see bits and pieces of many of Towles’ past endeavors. Even the “efusjon energy club” concept is a throwback to his days at Costco.
When the time came to build a team of executives for his fledgling company, Towles began searching for leaders who added unique strengths that complemented his own. “We have six executives who make up our team, and those who know us would never put us together,” Towles says. “We all come from vastly different backgrounds and have had very different experiences, and that has been a key ingredient to our success so far.”
More than anything, Towles and his team wanted to achieve transparency with efusjon. “For starters, our one-of-a-kind compensation plan is on one page instead of many,” Towles says. “It’s very easy to understand right from the start how to make good money. In fact, we strive for simplicity in every facet of this company. Our saying among the management team is, ‘No moving parts.’ What we mean by that is, if anything starts to become too complicated, we know we are going in the wrong direction.”
Efusjon certainly seems to have struck a chord with people. They’ve attracted more than 60,000 representatives since the beginning of this year, making theirs one of the fastest-growing direct selling businesses around.
What’s in a Name?
As you may have guessed, the name “efusjon” itself has special significance. While the management team was working diligently to carefully piece together a new breed of company, they were also searching for just the right moniker to brand them as an innovator in both the energy drink and network marketing industries.
The e stands for e-commerce, which comprises a large portion of the company’s business. And fusjon, Norwegian for fusion (one of their leaders is of Norwegian descent), means the same thing in both languages—a nuclear reaction when two nuclei combine, resulting in a powerful explosion. Just as its name implies, efusjon has exploded onto the scene, and has created a lot of energy in doing so.
Daring to Be Different
While other companies tend to follow a tried-and-true model for the most part, efusjon is determined to forge their own path to success. “We don’t have huge corporate meetings, nor do we plan to have them,” Towles says. “We have a lot of online traffic, and the field coordinates events with their teams.”
In keeping with their festive approach to business, when the representatives in the field do get together, the top leaders have one very strict rule: Never call it a meeting. “We call them parties,” Towles says. “It’s much more informal and creates an atmosphere of lighthearted fun. The field gets furious if you call them meetings.”
Most of the efusjon representatives have no network marketing experience at all. And while some may see that lack of experience as a disadvantage, it is something that the executive team sees as a positive step forward and takes great pride in sharing with others. “We are introducing new generations of people to the industry who may or may not have ever discovered it,” Towles says. “Whether they are drawn to our cool branding, our fun product or our unique way of doing business, we can help them make a better life for themselves.”
With two healthy energy drinks currently on the market, efusjon plans to introduce two more to their lineup this year. In addition, within the next six months, plans are underway to roll out new technology that promises to revolutionize the way efusjon does business. Whether through their beneficial energy drinks or their unique business opportunity, efusjon is definitely making a difference in the lives of others. “I am so happy to be able to say that we’ve helped people save their houses, or get back on track financially when they didn’t think it was possible,” Towles says.
“I have always been a hard worker, and that is never going to change, but like never before, I am passionate about what I do, because we are having a true impact on people’s lives.”
Even with all the personal success he has racked up over the years, Towles remains a self-declared “normal person.” He just happens to have a newfound mission to help people achieve the same balance between work and family life that he finally has. “I was at the skate park spending quality time with my kids yesterday,” he says. “I love being an entrepreneur. And my goal is to be able to share that with as many people as I can.”
Now, at 34 years old, Towles is admittedly young to be heading up a multimillion-dollar company that is breaking new ground in one of the hottest markets around. But his youth may also play a huge role in the success of efusjon. Not only does his age put him squarely within efusjon’s target audience, but it also helps him to stay one step ahead of his seasoned competitors, who could arguably tend to be more set in their ways. “We want to turn the direct selling industry inside out,” Towles says. “We’re here to shake things up and give the oldest and most established companies a run for their money. Just give us a few years. We’ll get there.”
