Chris Cicchinelli - The Secret is YOU

Advance Praise for
the secret is YOU

Pure Romance is a story about the power of a dream and the will to break down the barriers standing in the way of that dream. Chris tells the inspirational story of how a business that started in a basement turned into a global phenomenon. But maybe more importantly, he clearly reveals that the same principles that were born in that basement, the bedrock of his companys success, still positively impact his company, employees, and customers today. Those principles can help anyone bring their dreams to life.

Rob Lynch , CEO Papa Johns

Finally, a book that shows you how to embrace getting outside of your comfort zone and how coaching, passion, dedication, and hard work are the foundation for accelerated sustained growth.

Bob Sumerel , Founder Bob Sumerel Tire & Service

No business leader today packs more wisdom, energy, and inspiration per page than Chris Cicchinelli. At last, his unapologetic passion for helping people find their own personal greatness is captured in writing. This book will leave you on fire. Chriss energy is contagiousyoull love his voice, his story, and most of all, his ideas. Youll never look at yourself or your business quite the same way. Ive already benefited from the ideas in this book in my own work. So will you.

Sarah Klein , High Performance Business Coach and CEO Sarah Klein Consulting

Chris Cicchinelli is blessed with the rare combination of both high IQ and street smarts. Hes a charismatic, passionate, and extremely creative businessman as well as a marketing genius. I am continually inspired by who he is. Chriss book gives us all an incredible opportunity to get to personally know himand anyone who reads it will be richer for it.

Britney Ruby Miller , CEO Jeff Ruby Culinary Entertainment

Chris Cicchinelli has built a unique business that is knocking the lights out. He took the risks and now is reaping the rewards, as his business is growing exponentially. In the process of building his business, he has also assembled a great team. Their momentum through the pandemic has been amazing. America needs more Chris Cicchinellis.

John F. Barrett , Chairman, President, and CEO Western & Southern Financial Group

A POST HILL PRESS BOOK

the secret is YOU:

How I Empowered 250,000 Women to Find Their Passion and Change Their Lives

2021 by Chris Cicchinelli

All Rights Reserved

ISBN: 978-1-64293-713-8

ISBN (eBook): 978-1-64293-714-5

Cover art by Pure Romance

This is a work of nonfiction. All people, locations, events, and situations are portrayed to the best of the authors memory.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author and publisher.

Post Hill Press

New York Nashville

posthillpress.com

Published in the United States of America

To my mother Patty Brisben, who made all of this possible.

And to my wife Jessica and our children LC, Max, and Macie, who make it all matter.

Contents

I have been kicking around the idea of writing a book for at least five years, and Im pleased to have finally finished itbecause it turns out that this is the perfect time to release a volume embracing my business philosophy.

Why now? Because were just starting to crawl out from under a global pandemic that, as I write this, has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and tossed everyone and everything into chaos. Restaurants, hotels, retailers, companiesall of them have had to ride out a year-long storm that continues to pose significant challenges even as you read these words. Many havent made it. No one has emerged completely unscathed.

My company, Pure Romance, was as impacted as everyone elses when it all hit the fan in March 2020. Think about it: the core of the business is selling products at tasteful home-based parties. My job is managing the constant training and support of a remote workforce of thousands of women. Suddenly, with the COVID-19 crisis, people could no longer gather in groups, and for many weeks were not even permitted to leave their own homes.

And yet, we at Pure Romance somehow managed to successfully pivot and actually increase our business. Did this require a certain amount of luck? No question. But to a significant degree, we humans make our own luckand when disaster came knocking, we were prepared.

Its true what they say: what doesnt kill you makes you stronger. We emerged stronger than ever before, in a way that would never have been possible had the situation with the virus never materialized.

No, we didnt exactly have a pandemic plan in place. What we had was a CEO (me) who understood going in that 15 percent of my life, or my year, is always going to result in something unanticipated. Heres the deal: when coronavirus showed up at our doorstep, I was thinking, Hey, come on in. Weve been expecting you.

So, while too many companies focus only on growth, growth, growth, growth, growth, Im always imagining growth minus 15 percent to account for any unforeseen issues. I find that most people and companies arent prepared when that unexpected bill comes due.

Think about it this way. You have a washing machine. You know that at some point, its going to break down. You dont sit back and think, Gosh, now what do I do? I cant wash clothes anymore. I have to ponder this for a while. No. If you want to keep washing clothes, you need to have a plan in place for when the appliance stops working. You call a dependable repair professional, you figure out how to fix it yourself, or you toss your stuff in the car and go to a public laundromat. Or you buy a new machine. What you dont do is sit there paralyzed and twiddling your thumbs.

Thats why they say luck is preparation meeting opportunity. When the virus temporarily rendered Pure Romances longtime business model obsolete, we were ready to move into virtual parties without really missing a beat.

This was hardly an accident. In my world, at our company, there is zero chance for us to get lazy. Im always suspicious whenever anyone maintains they should feel comfortable at work. Nope. Being uncomfortable is part of the gig if you want to succeed. It is, in fact, all about getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. When youre uncomfortable, youre ready for anythingincluding a once-every-century pandemic.

Everyone today wants instant gratification, guarantees, ease of use in this fast-food society of ours. Its all part of our entitlement culture. People crave immediacy. They want drive-thru diplomas. They want it right now , not even an hour from now. But that isnt the way to carve out a business niche.

I find that people spend far too much time worrying about the outcome, how much theyre going to earn, how much their business will bill annually. But if you want to succeed, you have to understand the process that will achieve that for you and make it come to life.

Those who read this book will come away understanding that while change is inevitable, they must learn to flourish with each step they put into their business life and career.

Why should you listen to me? Well, for starters, Ive helped Pure Romance grow from a $1 million companypartnering with founder Patty Brisben (who happens to be my mother)to one valued at more than $350 million. Some 250,000 women have been empowered over the years to find their passion as independent consultants at our company. We have expanded not only across this country into all fifty states (as well as Puerto Rico), but also internationally, including into Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.