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<<4>> - Well, sometimes I look back and I just wonder
<<7>> what were we thinking?
<<8>> What was I thinking?
<<11>> - We went for a long, long period of time with no resources
<<14>> and when I mean no resources,
<<16>> I mean no resources.
<<18>> - People told us we were crazy to go all in.
<<22>> You know, is this really going to work?
<<26>> I think some of the most beautiful things can emerge
<<29>> through trial and through difficult times.
<<32>> - I had been a physician for a long period of time
<<35>> and I'd had a patient who came to see me
<<38>> and then they would ask me,
<<39>> "Dr. Hill, what do you think about the essential oils?"
<<42>> And I made the mistake one time of saying
<<45>> I think that's one of the craziest things I've ever heard.
<<49>> She looked me right in the eye and she said,
<<51>> "I am so disappointed to hear that
<<54>> "because that's done more for me than you
<<56>> "or any of your colleagues
<<57>> "or anyone has ever done for me."
<<60>> And it intrigued me.
<<62>> And over time I became more intrigued,
<<65>> I became involved with essential oils
<<68>> and now for the last several decades
<<71>> this is all that I have focused on
<<73>> and all that I have done.
<<75>> - I remember when I first came in
<<76>> to the essential oil industry
<<78>> I thought they were imputed oil,
<<79>> I thought they were really, really strange.
<<81>> It wasn't long before I started using oils on my kids
<<84>> and I was amazed at what I was able to do
<<88>> and how it empowered me as a mom
<<90>> to take charge of my family's healthcare.
<<93>> - So I was a huge skeptic.
<<95>> Parents were educators,
<<96>> my father is a professor of physics,
<<98>> so I just wasn't raised at anything
<<101>> but allopathic, western medicine.
<<104>> But I learned over the years how effective they were
<<107>> and can be
<<108>> especially if they're pure.
<<110>> - when you make a claim that your product
<<113>> is a hundred percent pure
<<114>> and you don't know that it's a hundred percent pure
<<118>> that's an integrity problem.
<<120>> I sort of made this conscientious decision.
<<124>> You have to as a human recognize that you have an obligation
<<131>> to help and to serve other people.
<<134>> - After working 10 years in the essential oil industry
<<137>> I found myself leaving for integrity purposes
<<141>> because I knew that essential oils had to be pure.
<<145>> The desire of my heart was just to go home
<<147>> and raise my children.
<<149>> But I've tried all the essential oils out there
<<152>> there's nothing that meets the quality standards
<<154>> our family needs to use for our healthcare.
<<159>> And it was in that moment that I knew
<<161>> stop thinking with your head
<<163>> and start thinking with your heart.
<<165>> It all came together
<<167>> and I had such a grand vision of going out
<<170>> and finding the world's most pure,
<<172>> most potent essential oils
<<174>> and educating mothers like me
<<177>> how to take charge of their healthcare.
<<179>> So it was in that moment before fear took over
<<182>> that I picked up the phone and I called Dave.
<<185>> - And Emily Wright called me at the time
<<188>> and just said
<<190>> - What if we could go out
<<191>> and source the most pure essential oils on the planet
<<194>> and bring them to the world in a mainstream fashion.
<<198>> And he got really emotional
<<201>> and Dave doesn't get emotional.
<<204>> - And actually it was that right then and there
<<206>> that was the genesis for me
<<208>> and I just kind of felt strongly
<<210>> like yeah we're going to start a company.
<<215>> - So I hung up the phone with Dave,
<<217>> I picked up the phone and I called Dr. Hill.
<<220>> And as I called him,
<<221>> I still remember he kind of giggled.
<<224>> And I said, doc this isn't funny
<<227>> like I'm serious about this.
<<229>> What if we could go out and find these pure oils
<<233>> like we've always wanted to do?
<<235>> And what if we could educate people
<<237>> to really understand the power behind these oils?
<<240>> And he said, "no Emily I'm not laughing
<<242>> "because I think your idea's crazy,
<<245>> "I'm laughing because I was just getting ready to call you
<<249>> "and ask you the very same question."
<<252>> - It started with an initial little small meeting
<<255>> in an Italian restaurant.
<<257>> - In the far corner
<<258>> and we met for five and a half hours
<<261>> until they finally kicked us out of the restaurant
<<263>> because we weren't buying food anymore
<<266>> and we just started to dream.
<<270>> - We would meet anywhere we could find some space to meet.
<<273>> And it was in some strange places.
<<275>> Of course the basement library was one.
<<278>> - [Emily] We got too rambunctious
<<279>> and they finally kicked us out of the library.
<<282>> - Sometimes it was in the basement of our homes.
<<285>> - I remember not telling my kids, you know
<<289>> that I was unemployed and starting a new thing
<<291>> but that dad was working on a project in the basement.
<<295>> As I did the business plan
<<297>> I started to realize that this was going to be big.
<<301>> I just knew that with such a good team and product
<<306>> that had changed our lives,
<<309>> we felt like this was going to be significant.
<<313>> - So as we began in the spring of 2008,
<<316>> that's when we had a massive falling out
<<319>> with the housing market in the United States.
<<321>> - And there was a lot of panic and a lot of fear.
<<325>> We looked at starting this company,
<<327>> the first thing you think is I gotta raise money,
<<330>> I've got to get capital.
<<331>> And we set out to do that initially.
<<333>> And I actually ended up the four of us
<<337>> back in New York city
<<339>> visiting with some very high profile people.
<<342>> - And as we gathered together that next morning
<<344>> and that conference table
<<345>> and we've got, you know all of these Manhattan style
<<348>> managers that are meeting with us
<<350>> and they quizzed us for hours.
<<352>> Finally, at the end of the day
<<354>> they looked at us and they said
<<357>> we believe that your business model is going to work.
<<360>> We believe that you will be successful
<<362>> and we want to fund your venture.
<<364>> - We'll give you $5 million.
<<367>> And we are all of course felt extremely elated.
<<373>> - They were willing to fund the company,
<<375>> but of course they were interested in 51%
<<379>> and control.
<<381>> - And I just remember the feeling we had
<<383>> as we walked away from that conference table.
<<387>> And the four of us found ourselves
<<388>> in front of the statue of Liberty
<<391>> and I remember looking across the water.
<<393>> - Almost as if on cue,
<<395>> as I recall we all just grew somewhat silent.
<<401>> - And as we looked out over the water
<<403>> I looked at the statue of Liberty
<<404>> and what rung true to me is
<<406>> we're doing this to give people freedom.
<<409>> And if we take their money,
<<412>> we can't make people free.
<<414>> And we can't make this dream that we have a reality
<<417>> because they'll never allow us
<<418>> to bring the quality of essential oils
<<421>> that we know we have to have to light.
<<424>> Because there'll be looking for an exit strategy,
<<426>> they'll be looking for a return on their investment
<<429>> and that can't be part of the equation.
<<432>> - I remember standing right next to Dave Stirling
<<434>> and Dave looked at me and then kind of
<<437>> a somewhat shocking way.
<<440>> He asked me, "how much money do you have doc?"
<<444>> And I said, I don't know.
<<446>> He said, "how much can you pull together?"
<<448>> And I said, I don't know.
<<450>> And he asked each one of us in succession
<<452>> and before we left the park that afternoon
<<457>> we had made the decision
<<458>> that we were unable to take any resources from anybody
<<462>> and instead we would all leverage everything we have.
<<466>> - We took the equity out of our homes,
<<469>> we cashed out 401ks,
<<470>> we liquidated everything we owned
<<473>> in order for this dream to come to fruition.
<<477>> - And so as I expressed this to my wife
<<479>> I remember very clearly
<<481>> she just looked at me and said,
<<483>> "well, I trust you.
<<485>> "You'll take care of us and we'll be fine."
<<490>> - Yeah and we had family members even come to us to say
<<493>> you're foolish.
<<494>> Your family is going to be homeless.
<<498>> So we went all in everything,
<<500>> we didn't hold anything back.
<<503>> We thought it would be for just a couple of months
<<505>> that we went without any income,
<<507>> but it was 13 months.
<<508>> Those final months,
<<510>> I mean we were eating almonds and yogurt
<<513>> and telling our kids they can't go to dance practice
<<516>> and they can't play sports
<<517>> because we don't have enough money.
<<520>> But having that belief that it was all going to be worth it.
<<526>> And I remember a day that we had $5,000 left in our account.
<<532>> $5,000 because we had just put together
<<534>> this big oil order.
<<537>> And we didn't know how we were going to make payroll,
<<538>> we didn't know how we were going to make commissions.
<<541>> And just to see how doors open every single time,
<<546>> as long as we continue to step forward,
<<549>> that doors open.
<<554>> - People ask me sometimes you know how
<<556>> how were you guys able to do what you did?
<<560>> And you know, but everybody rolled their sleeves up
<<562>> and we did every job.
<<563>> We did this job, this job, this job.
<<566>> - I was supposed to go out and find these precious oils.
<<571>> So I started calling people
<<573>> and every single person would say
<<575>> of course our oils are a hundred percent pure.
<<577>> And that's when I realized
<<579>> almost all essential oils that are sold out there
<<581>> are sold through brokers.
<<583>> - But these brokers were very smart people
<<585>> often having very sophisticated labs
<<588>> and the oils were almost always changed.
<<591>> Most were not pure.
<<593>> Most work synthetically created.
<<595>> - I had probably a hundred plus different samples
<<599>> that had been sent to my home.
<<601>> And every time we would meet,
<<602>> you know Dave, Dr. Hill would say,
<<605>> "Emily, have you found the oils yet?"
<<608>> I'd have to say, not yet.
<<610>> Like are we going down the right path?
<<612>> Is this really what we're supposed to do?
<<615>> I remember one beautiful day I opened up my doorstep
<<619>> and five oils showed up all in the same day.
<<623>> It was frankincense, lavender,
<<625>> tea tree, lemon and peppermint.
<<627>> As I smelled these bottles I called up Dave
<<630>> and I called up Dr. Hill. and I said,
<<634>> I found the oils.
<<636>> - I brought my camera
<<637>> because that was going to be a moment
<<640>> that I wanted to capture.
<<642>> And we pulled the lid off and smelled it
<<644>> we were confident
<<645>> that these were the purest oils on the planet.
<<649>> - I remember that first discussion we had
<<652>> we talked about the culture of the company.
<<655>> What type of soul do we want doTERRA to have?
<<659>> And we realized that these oils are experiential.
<<662>> And we realized it had to be a person to person model,
<<665>> we had to bring people together.
<<669>> We've got to have a culture of giving back.
<<671>> We have to have a culture of caring,
<<673>> locking arms with the people
<<675>> who are putting the seeds in the ground,
<<677>> who are harvesting these products.
<<679>> It's making sure that their needs are met.
<<682>> - As I look back on it today with doTERRA
<<685>> it's overwhelming to me
<<688>> to see the impact it is around the world.
<<691>> There is a lot of sacrifice,
<<693>> but again those are days we look back on,
<<697>> you know with some pride.
<<699>> Sacrifice is a really important piece.
<<706>> - Today we've empowered nearly 8 million families
<<709>> all around the globe.
<<711>> We're now filling 315,000 bottles of oil every single day.
<<718>> And just to think about it on that scale
<<719>> it just warms my heart
<<721>> knowing that every single bottle
<<723>> is changing somebody's life
<<726>> on both sides of the bottle.
<<730>> - I believe every single person in this world
<<732>> needs essential oils.
<<734>> Essential oils are the great equalizer.
<<737>> - We have single handedly
<<740>> changed the acceptance of essential oils
<<743>> in science and in medicine.
<<745>> - We are so committed to this work,
<<747>> we are so humbled to be stewards
<<751>> of what nature has created so perfectly for us.
<<755>> And we're so grateful for all of our amazing employees,
<<758>> for all of our amazing wellness advocates,
<<760>> for all of our amazing customers all around the world.
<<765>> - We haven't changed in our mission.
<<767>> We haven't changed in our purpose.
<<769>> We're still true to those things
<<771>> that very early on were important.
<<774>> If doing the right thing was important then,
<<776>> doing the right thing is important now.
<<779>> If helping and giving service to other people
<<781>> was important then,
<<782>> it's important now.
<<784>> If sourcing oils differently
<<786>> and doing what had not been done before
<<788>> was important then,
<<790>> it's important now.
<<794>> We feel like,
<<795>> as crazy as it sounds,
<<798>> we're still just beginning.