Our Soul Purpose Story | Soul Purpose

is to inspire and empower our Entrepreneurs to
realize their purpose, who in turn will do the same for others.
Together, we can all contribute to a better world.

Soul Purpose Lifestyle Company was founded in 2007 as a socially responsible and sustainable direct selling company with a mission of creating empowering business opportunities primarily for women of color. Our vision is to support individual purpose and vision through the marketing of exquisite, all natural, high quality products that illuminate body, beauty, style and spirit.

We believe Soul Purpose is a different kind of direct selling company in three ways.

First, it brings together a community of Entrepreneurs (distributors) who are committed to the brand and support both each other and individual wealth creation.

Second, we have received very positive media attention that regularly talks up the superior quality of our products and the packaging.

And finally, the exotic nature of our ingredients and fragrances sets our product line apart from other personal care companies in the industry.

Created by Nadine Abraham Thompson, who was born in the Caribbean, Soul Purpose is Ms. Thompson's second venture into the world of direct selling. As the Cofounder, President and CEO of Warm Spirit, Ms. Thompson became an expert in product formulation, growing the company's original six products to over 300 with a focus on fragrances, textures and ingredients that resonated with women of color. This ability to source and blend all natural ingredients into high quality products that nurture, pamper and support health and wellness has become a hallmark of Ms. Thompson's business-building expertise.

As an African-American woman who has suffered discrimination and public humiliation because of her race, gender and weight, a few years ago Ms. Thompson redefined her own life to become more empowered. This led to her tireless advocacy for others—especially women of color. She understands that black women have the lowest rate of employment in professional and managerial occupations excepting Latina women and that they are most likely to live in poverty.* Armed with this knowledge and her passion for changing others' lives, Ms. Thompson designed Soul Purpose as a vehicle to enable women of color to launch and sustain viable, socially responsible businesses that would help them create wealth, stimulate economic growth and revitalize minority communities.

*The Status of Women in the United States: Women's Economic Status in the United States. Institute for Women's Policy Research

Generating Profitable Business Opportunities
in A Socially Responsible Culture

At Soul Purpose, we believe profitability and social responsibility go hand in hand. While the company is dedicated to providing entrepreneurial opportunities and resources to empower women of color through the development and marketing of highly differentiated, all natural beauty and wellness products, we are also committed to enhancing these opportunities through socially responsible practices.

Our commitment to maintaining high social values pervades the entire organization, from product design and manufacturing to product delivery. The goal was, and continues to be, to create a "green" company from the ground up beginning with the product line. The products are all natural and botanically-based and contain no harmful additives or preservatives such as sulfates or parabens. Paper used is from recycled sources, the company uses vegetable-based inks and maintains a recycling program for its product containers.

In addition, Soul Purpose continually strives to collaborate with like-minded organizations when contracting for goods and services. Our wild crafted Shea butter and honey are sourced from a women's cooperative in Northern Ghana—a partnership that enables the women in this impoverished region of the world to support educational and medical needs within their communities. Over 70 percent of our products are manufactured by RainShadow Labs based in St. Helens, Oregon, a women owned and operated company that is powered with 100 percent renewable wind energy, and which provides employment opportunities to more than 95 individuals with autism, mental retardation and other challenges through its partnership with Riverside Training Centers, a local United Way agency. Soul Purpose is also proud to partner with a women's cooperative in India that provides us with our beautiful silk journals, a collaboration that enables the cooperative to provide employment for women who may otherwise be unemployed.

Sharing the black culture is another way we empower those who join Soul Purpose as Entrepreneurs. This year, in celebration of the International Women's Day Centenary, we highlighted the work of five African-American women who are strong, resilient and lead their lives in an effort to improve the quality of life of other women in their communities. We chose Ntozke Shange's For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf; Black Pain: It Only Looks Like We're Not Hurting by Terrie Williams; Iyanla Vanzant's Peace in Broken Places; Nikki Giovanni's Love Poems; and The Women of Plums: Poems in the Voices of Slave Women by Delores Kendrick. Because Soul Purpose believes a strong sense of community is vital to empowering each of us to lead healthier, happier and more successful lives, we created a candle and solid perfume set called For Colored Girls that we are encouraging Soul Purpose Entrepreneurs to sell along with copies of these five books. We also hope to feature the authors on our national conference calls to encourage Soul Purpose Entrepreneurs to share these powerful works with other women in the black community as they continue to build their businesses.

Helping those in need is also an important part of Soul Purpose's mission. We continually design product promotions and special events that support charitable organizations, including MaMa Africa, a project that works to improve the maternal health of at-risk mothers in the United States and Africa, Arc of Diego which provides employment for disabled adults, our Think Pink campaign to support breast cancer awareness and Viva la Diva, which supports Camp Diva, a project that promotes mentorship and extra-curricular opportunities for young inner city African-American girls.

Soul Purpose also supports the Thompson Foundation for Africa, created by Nadine and her husband, Reverend Robert Thompson. The Foundation's mission is to promote the restoration and development of Africa and the African Disaspora through education, health and economic development through community-based efforts.

To date, Soul Purpose has contributed over $60,000 through product donations and monetary contributions in its efforts to change the lives of people throughout the world.

Presenting a Powerful Message Throughout the United States

A successful direct selling company must have the highest quality products, a compensation plan that empowers individuals in numerous ways, sound IT and training capabilities combined with an excellent distributor support system, and the ability to tell its story–and tell it well and often.

Soul Purpose has been able to capture the national media's attention routinely since the company began enrolling Entrepreneurs in 2008. Our products, individual projects and joint ventures have garnered articles and mentions in publications such as Essence, Ebony, Heart and Soul, Sister2Sister, Average Girl, Shepreneur Magazine, Caribbean News, Black Enterprise Business Report, Blacknews.com, That Black Girl Site, and LA Beauty Beat.

In addition, the Company has entered into partnerships with well -known celebrities and companies to help promote its products and business opportunity. In 2009 Soul Purpose joined forces with renowned makeup artist to the stars, Ashunta Sheriff, to create a Glamour Collection featuring Soul Purpose's Youngevity® Mineral Makeup. Soul Purpose also partners with Hidden Beach Recordings to create special promotions, such as this year's Valentines' Day package, "Love, Passion & Other Emotions," that combined a CD featuring Hidden Beach Recordings artists with a Soul Purpose pure soy candle and massage butter. The package caught the attention of many media outlets which helped boost sales.

Soul Purpose has collaborated with Ashley Stewart and Urban Brands to create "Divas Night Out," special shopping nights at Ashley Stewart stores featuring spa treatments in the stores using Soul Purpose products. Other partnerships have been formed with Sony Music and Columbia Records and Terrence Howard, John Legend, Mary Mary and Terrie Williams. These partnerships not only help Soul Purpose Entrepreneurs promote their individual businesses by creating a little extra "buzz" about the company they are representing, they help Soul Purpose attract media attention—a valuable tool when it comes to adding credibility to both the company and its products.

Another way Soul Purpose combines social responsibility with operations is through our monthly e-letter and e-magazine. These publications—available online—are a great recruiting tool and an efficient way to lessen the carbon footprint we leave on the planet. Utilizing the Internet in this way also helps to increase the financial rewards we can offer to our Entrepreneurs, since we can eliminate the cost of producing hard copies.

The e-letter can be a customized, succinct version of the e-magazine that directs the recipient to a link containing the full version. It is an HTML that can also function as a stand-alone piece, and can be customized by Entrepreneurs with their contact information and a personal message. This tool enables Entrepreneurs to share their Soul Purpose business with others and highlight the products and features they especially love.
The e-magazine allows for extensive product information, lifestyle articles, success training features, recognition, testimonials and soft recruiting pieces. Each month we focus on a theme to highlight as part of the company's overall strategy. In the past year, the number of people who are utilizing the e-letter and e-magazine has [how it has increased] which proves to us the concept is both popular and effective.

Spearheading Soul Purpose's frequent moments in the spotlight is Nadine Thompson. Frequently requested to be a guest speaker throughout the country, Ms. Thompson offers vibrant presentations about the power of direct selling and her passion for empowering women of color before such noted organizations as The National Black MBA Association, Essence magazine's Women Who Are Shaping the World Leadership Summit, the National Organization for Women, Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference, Columbia University School of Business, Women of Vision Alliance, and National Coalition of 100 Black Women and The Department of Justice.

Thompson has also been recognized as a business leader and social entrepreneur, garnering awards such as the Onyx Woman Economic Empowerment Award, Global Diversity Network Trailblazer Award, Madam C.J. Walker Award for Leadership and Entrepreneurship (Los Angeles Black Expo), 2006 Rhode Island House of Representatives Outstanding Woman Entrepreneur of the Year, and the 2008 African American Empowerment Weekend Legacy Award. She has been named to Direct Selling Live's Power 50 for the past three years, capturing position number 20 for 2010 as well as being named number eighth in the 2010 Women of Power 30.

She is an active member of Social Venture Network (SVN) and is the coauthor of Values Sell: Transforming Purpose Into Profit Through Creative Sales and Distribution Strategies (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., San Francisco, 2007), one of a series of books about social responsibility produced by SVN.

A Journey of the Senses

The Soul Purpose product line was created and developed by Founder, President and CEO Nadine A. Thompson, who envisioned an artistic collection of products that would be both beautiful to behold with intriguing, lush packaging and equally as beautiful to touch, smell, feel and experience. Her goal—with each product she develops—is to redefine the notions of beauty from a multicultural perspective, focusing on four categories: body, beauty, style and spirit.

The Soul Purpose collection was developed with a global vision in the hope of utilizing earth friendly and socially responsible vendors from around the world, as well as using the highest quality natural ingredients and extracts. The line is filled with exquisite fragrances that we call a Journey of the Senses, all inspired from various parts of the world and the ingredients found in these regions, such as Brazilian Jackfruit, Hawaiian Tuberose and Haitian Vetivért Pepper.

We are also mindful that people of color have different needs when it comes to taking care of their skin. For example, dark-skinned people do not absorb the same levels of vitamin D as the rest of the population due to the high melanin content in the skin. For this reason, we include vitamin D in our formulas to help provide our Customers with an extra infusion of this powerful antioxidant, along with vitamins A and E. We also fortify our formulas with our exclusive antioxidant blend of acai berry, Oregon grape, red wine and green tea.
We constantly look for healthy additives and new ways to bring our Customers the benefits of anti-aging without the use of harsh chemicals. And of course, our products are synthetic-, sulfate- and paraben-free, vegan and never tested on animals.

From solid perfumes, Shea butter balms, body custards, body washes, body lotions, scrubs, foot and hand care to therapeutic salves, Soul Purpose offers products—and an experience—that is hard to find in other direct selling personal care product lines. We aim to take care of people as beautifully and joyfully as possible while remaining mindful of our fragile planet. We believe that we can help people love the body they have while taking good care of it. We believe that love makes people beautiful, in a way that lip gloss never can—but we believe in all natural, delicious, therapeutic lip gloss, too.

Soul Purpose Offers Joy and Prosperity

The Soul Purpose compensation plan is designed to give Entrepreneurs a platform for success—however each individual defines that success. In fact, we believe our soul purpose is to bring Entrepreneurs joy and prosperity. Because different people have different ideas about what success means, we help our Entrepreneurs earn the income they need, whether it is working the business part-time or devoting all of their efforts to building a business that gives them unlimited income for years to come.

We're committed to making the dream of business ownership a reality through an exciting and financially rewarding compensation plan. From earning immediate cash to building long-term residual income and lots of money in between, we've placed the financial motivators in just the right places to inspire and reward participation. In a revolutionary move, our Entrepreneurs' demonstrated commitment to success is rewarded with shares in Soul Purpose Lifestyle Company—a venture we are committed to building together.

One of the keys to our Entrepreneurs' success is our Lifestyle Party concept that allows individuals to present Soul Purpose products and the business opportunity in a relaxed, home spa-like environment. Here we invite guests to unwind for an hour or two as the Soul Purpose Entrepreneur offers foot and hand massages and gives everyone the chance to de-stress as they enjoy the soothing aroma of a Soul Purpose candle, listen to relaxing music and experience firsthand our amazing array of products. With just $20 in product orders, Lifestyle Party Hosts become eligible for shopping credits and 50 percent off products—the greater the order, the more rewards the Host receives. Our Lifestyle Parties are popular ways for our Entrepreneurs to build their businesses since they demonstrate to everyone attending how much fun (and profitable) it can be to share Soul Purpose with others.

We also make membership simple, and realize that many people cannot afford an expensive product package to start a business. That's why Soul Purpose Entrepreneurs can get started with a $35 basic kit. Entrepreneurs have seven ways to be paid, and can earn commissions on 12 levels or more. There are no breakaways in our plan, but there is compression, weekly 30 percent Quick Start Bonuses, up to 30 percent Retail Profits, Personal Purchase Rebates, Level Overrides up to 8 levels, Leadership Bonuses of 2 percent, Dream Bonuses from $600-$1,000, and a Revenue Sharing Pool.

We believe recognition is not only critical to maintaining motivation, but it is an instrumental part of our day-to-day operations. Each month we honor Entrepreneurs for their efforts in the areas of sales, recruitment, leadership and promotion.

To help our Entrepreneurs maintain and build their businesses, we offer online state-of-the-art business management tools including personal Web sites, e-cards, contact manager, online ordering, online enrollment and our Soul Purpose e-letter and e-magazine.

A Culture Designed Around the Importance of Community

One of the most significant aspects of Soul Purpose is its strong reliance on building a strong community of like-minded individuals. Of course we are tasked with empowering women of color and helping them enjoy financial independence, but we also know that a true community includes people of all ethnicities, and we strive to include everyone into our company as we continue to grow.

The beauty of direct selling is that an individual cannot be successful unless he or she helps others become successful. The same is true for a company in this industry. Soul Purpose was created to empower individuals to be healthier, happier and wealthier but we realize our job is to take steps every day to ensure that we are giving our Entrepreneurs the training, technical and management support, and products they need to build successful businesses. Like a building, if any of those components are weak, the structure may collapse. Our Entrepreneurs cannot reach their goals without us, and we certainly cannot continue to grow as a company unless we pay close attention to the needs of our sales force.

In addition to providing the business support our Entrepreneurs need, we also make sure we give them information that will improve their lives on a personal level. Whether it's reminding them of the importance of self-care and wellness or creating special charitable or healthcare events that we encourage our Entrepreneurs to participate in, we take the idea of community very seriously to heart.

We also know that communication is key when it comes to building a strong community. If the leaders cannot be reached, how can those on the team possibly grow? That's why all of us at Soul Purpose, from Nadine Thompson to each member of the executive team, make our personal home and mobile telephone numbers available to our Entrepreneurs. A code of ethics is only as strong as those adhering to it, and at Soul Purpose we believe "support" has no limits.

Soul is defined as "the immaterial essence, animating principle, or activating cause of an individual life" and "the quality that arouses emotion and sentiment." Purpose is your intention. One is powerful but combined they are indomitable. Soul is the spark and purpose is that gust of wind that causes the fire within to burst into an incredible force that can make an incredible difference in people's lives.

To be this Soul Purpose in the world is our goal, and we are proud to be helping our [number] (and growing) Entrepreneurs define and empower their soul purpose as we continue to work together to build a company and an opportunity that is extraordinary in every way.

Soul Purpose

Join the Conversation