Premium French Skin Care With Votre Vu

Go ahead and tell Harold Zimmerman that he can't succeed in the cosmetics industry.

He dares you.

The entrepreneur from Naperville knows that the notion of success isn't sold easily - sometimes it has to be proven.

So he is feeling pretty good about raking in more than $1 million in sales since launching his new company.

Votre Vu, which translates as "your you" ("vu" is a play on the French "vous") - and it is all about you - buying it, selling it and loving it. The luxury skin care company is counting on its product and its direct sales model to cater to women's wants and needs.

The model is tried and tested - just look at Mary Kay, Avon and Arbonne. So when Zimmerman came across a French company marketing their high-end creams to spas, the wheels were turning.

He said the goal became "to create something that gave people dramatic results," and "making money was a by-product."

"We are passionate. This is nowhere near the definition of a job," Zimmerman said. His zest and eagerness are essential to the company's long-range goal of $100 million in sales in the next four years.

Zimmerman had already struck out on his own in the late '90s to co-found Next Wave Logistics, a $15 million company and the leading provider of business and software solutions for direct-selling firms.

He was on a mission to develop a new kind of direct sales company - one that breaks down the traditional barriers and builds on its own.

"I had the fire in my belly," he said. So he "publicly untangled" from Next Wave and became the chairman and CEO of Votre Vu, a premier direct sales company offering French-made, natural skin care products.

A premium product

Votre Vu boasts 50 skin care products; all but one are made about an hour outside of Paris. A family of artisans who have been in business for 80 years handcrafts the botanically based gels, serums and crèmes.

"France is central to all things good," Zimmerman said.

However Votre Vu's top seller is made in the states. The refreshing SnapDragon beauty beverage comes out of Kentucky and nourishes with seven daily vitamins plus a mix of plant derived extracts, fruits and minerals that enhance energy.

The drinkable concoction brings a different twist to beauty care, Zimmerman said. He added that it is yummy for skin, hair and nails. It costs $39 for a 4-pack of 30 oz. bottles.

The French-made products are shipped over on drums by boat and make their way to Sugar Grove after being packaged. The local facility on Heartland Drive is the company's fulfillment center. It employs 15 people.

Les Sorbet is one luxurious product that is sent from the Sugar Grove location, but this frozen treat is not for ingestion. The ice bath for your face is full of anti-aging superstars, like marine elastin and collagen, which claim to protect your face from free radicals while firming and toning. Shipped on dry ice, 1.01 oz. is $165.

Anti-aging tonics, firming balms and slimming crèmes are all part of a skin care line that is largely intended for the baby boomer woman.

"The products sell themselves. You just put samples in their hands," Zimmerman said. "People are coming back in droves."

Innovative, not 'pushy'

After working with direct sales companies for nine years, including Pampered Chef, Lia Sophia and Creative Memories, Zimmerman and his business partner, Dave Proctor, dove into the direct sales industry in March 2007.

It took a year and a half of brainstorming and working with the French lab before they put their products into the hands of adoring women. The official Votre Vu launch was last month.

"Looking good and feeling good is sort of core to everyone," Zimmerman said.

The fun part was taking the "ick" factor out of direct sales. No more drudge work and no more "pushy consultant" could mean no more stigmas.

"We knew a lot about (direct sales). We studied it from the inside out," he said.

The team found new ways to connect customers and consultants by arming sales consultants with their own personal Votre Vu Web sites. They also added ease by taking out the need for consultants to carry inventory.

"Where else can you start a business for $99?" Zimmerman asked, referring to Votre Vu's "startMEup Pak" that includes samples, products, business supplies and tools.

Zimmerman is confident in his business prospects, even in a tough economy.

"You have to be careful with the word "recession-proof," Zimmerman said. "In these times ... this is a very beautiful opportunity to augment income quickly."

"There are virtually no limits."