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Rodan + Fields

Gold Stevie Award Winner 2012, Click to Enter The 2014 American Business Awards

Company: Rodan + Fields, San Francisco, CA
Entry Submitted By: Melissa Sones Consulting
Company Description: Founded in 2002 and based in San Francisco, Rodan + Fields Dermatologists is the country‘s leading direct selling beauty company providing medically based skincare treatments for everyday skin concerns. Working through a growing network of consultants as well as directly through the Internet, its motto is “Changing skin. Changing lives.”
Nomination Category: Company / Organization Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Company of the Year - Consumer Products - Durables

Nomination Title: Rodan + Fields Dermatologists

Tell the story about what this nominated organization achieved since January 1 2012 (up to 525 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

Rodan + Fields Dermatologists continues to remake the skincare world – and raise the bar for entrepreneurial empowerment and self-esteem.

Their back story is legend: Katie Rodan and Kathy Fields meet as Stanford medical students, become friends, start dermatology practices, see a need for medically based treatment for acne, a skin condition that had plagued their patients (and each of them), develop and market that treatment (Proactiv Solution); and launch it via the infomercial channel because they wanted to reach consumers directly as they had done in their practices. Its mega-success created a paradigm shift, becoming the best-selling acne treatment in the world. 

After Proactiv’s success, the Doctors knew they could have an impact on even more lives. They started Rodan + Fields Dermatologists, focusing on other common skin issues - and suddenly found themselves scooped up by beauty giant Estee Lauder. Then -  in what may be one of modern business’s most audacious moves – they bought it back and sold directly through independent consultants nationwide. The Doctors believed they could reach more people using word of mouth than they ever could behind the glass counter. Today a handful of independent consultants generate more volume than the company ever did as a top-selling clinical skincare brand in retail.

January 2012 to March 2013 was a banner period for Rodan + Fields. Net sales went from  56 million in 2011 to nearly 108 million in 2012 (2010 was 24 million) and the growth continues in 2013.

The growth has been accelerated by the introduction of the REDEFINE MACRO Exfoliator – a patent-pending hand-held beauty tool that provides results akin to in-office treatments without the downtime and shock to the wallet. It broke new ground, at the same time selling out the initial order of 30,000 in less than three weeks.

The unique Rodan + Fields business model offers independent consultants the ability to build their own  micro-enterprises by leveraging the Rodan + Fields brand - via a suite of business tools, essentially a business in a box. 2012 witnessed the nationwide rollout of the award-winning Market Expansion Initiative that focuses on developing critical behaviors  essential to success; it increased monthly sales by 250%.

Consultant numbers skyrocketed from 17,800 in 2011 to a 30,000 in 2012; preferred customers from 41,900 in 2011 to 87,800 in 2012.

The jumps reflect another innovative Rodan + Field philosophy: a focus on building communities - online and off - rather than on “pushing products.”  Their offline mini-conventions (“skin-tours”) were sold out nationwide with more than 2000 at each. Their 2012 PerSKINality Program  launch - the industry’s only online program where consultants and consumers form online communities around common skin conditions - resulted in user adoptions and real users nearly topping 400,000 with an astounding 67% completion rate for one iPAD quiz alone.

Finally, there’s Rodan + Fields’ Prescription For Change Foundation (PFCF), a national charity created to help families and individuals lead more self-sufficient lives and, ultimately, raise their self-esteem. From January 2012 to March 2013 PFCF Partner Centers helped nearly 1000 homeless families leave the streets permanently.

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Provide a brief (up to 125 words) biography about the leader of this nominated organization:

Dr. Katie Rodan and Dr. Kathy Fields founded Rodan + Fields Dermatologists in 2002 to help people treat everyday skin concerns. Rodan + Fields quickly became a leading dermatologist brand in top-tier department stores. To broaden their reach and achieve their vision of bringing dermatologist-based skin treatments to everyone, in 2008 Rodan + Fields became the first prestige skincare line to  exit the department store and enter the direct selling market. Dr. Rodan and  Dr. Fields co-authored the national bestseller Write Your Skin a Prescription  for Change as well as UNBLEMISHED. Prior to beginning Rodan + Fields Dermatologists, Drs. Rodan and Fields created Proactiv Solution, the bestselling acne treatment system in the world. Both are Stanford-trained dermatologists and maintain private practices in Northern California.