Considered to be an industry titan, Joni Rogers-Kante is the Founder & CEO of SeneGence®, a billion-dollar network marketing company and global leader in luxury cosmetics with a mission to empower women. Joni is the driving force behind the company’s vision - overseeing new product development and marketing, as well as establishing distributor training programs.

In 2020, The Orange County Business Journal named Joni one of the area’s most influential business leaders and the owner of the largest woman-owned business in the county.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I was born in a small town in Oklahoma and moved to California when I was 15.  At that time, I went to work for my Stepfather who was an Executive with Sav-On Drugs stores and learned about retailing and consumer behavior, inventory management, and operations.   I was truly a student in the school of real life and those lessons have served me well throughout my professional career.

What inspired you to start your business?

I married and had a son, however, that marriage ended and I took nothing from it but full physical custody of my son.  At that point, I knew I needed to not only support us but find a way to be present in his life. While holding him, he would snuggle and touch my face often as children do.   I found myself re-applying my cosmetics several times a day and thought, someone needs to create color cosmetics that stay put all day!  That was the beginning of what was to become my company, SeneGence.  We launched the very first long-lasting lip color LipSense ever to hit the market in 1999.

Where is your business based?

Our global headquarters are in Lake Forest, California, but many of our operations are based in my hometown of Sapulpa, Oklahoma. We also have offices and distribution centers in Australia, Canada, Mexico, and Hong Kong.  

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

First, I wrote a business plan outlining my idea of the perfect company and product line. Once I found a product formulator and product, it was a matter of “doing the leg work.”   I traveled for two years straight, attending tradeshows and vendor events selling LipSense.  The first month, I would take inventory from the formulator, sell it, pay him back for the inventory, and then take my profits and reinvest in more inventory to sell again the next week.  I fully self-funded the launch of SeneGence by ‘doing the work’ and to this day, have never taken on debt to launch or maintain the company in 23 years.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

As a company in the direct selling space our Independent Distributors are our best “advertising” for the company and our entire line of long-lasting color cosmetics and skincare, body care, haircare, and men’s line products.  Word of mouth is key!

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Continuing to be innovative and “first to market” is always a challenge.  We always want to lead the pack and be on the cutting edge of creating products that really work and live up to their claims.  We do this by having an entire product development team and lab on site where we can create and innovate new products on a continual basis.

How do you stay focused?

I find that consistency is key.  I have a calendar which is planned out a year in advance.  My meetings and events are scheduled well in advance and I stay accountable by assuring my first meeting each day takes place early so I am forced to get up, dressed, and ready to start my day.  Being accountable to others and showing up, keeps me focused and on track for all my commitments during each workday.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

As I mentioned earlier, we like to be “first to market”, on the cutting edge of product technology, and ensure our products always live up to their claims.  We are not in the business of “keeping up with the Jones’, we ARE the Jones!  

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Along with “word of mouth”, we find that education and demonstration are a major factor to our overall success.  Once a women experiences LipSense though a demonstration of the product, they are hooked.  This approach works both in person and online and has been a mainstay of our brand building efforts.  We call this approach “wowing” due to the reaction women have when they see how our products work.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Don’t wait until everything is perfect or you’ll never move your business forward.  Just get started.  You can continue to tweak and fix things as you go.  But waiting for perfection means waiting to experience success.  Keep moving forward and adopt a continuous state of improvement methodology.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

My favorite book that has been a mainstay of my business philosophy is “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill.  I have used this guidance to craft my own business practices, and as a training tool and book club reading for our independent sales team members.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

In today’s “post-COVID” reality…ZOOM has been a true lifesaver.  We have been able to continue to enforce and cultivate a strong company culture and keep our company thriving.  We continue to use these tools to expand our global reach with virtual events, trainings, and product presentations.  

Who is your business role model? Why?

I wouldn’t say my business role model is a person, it’s more of an outcome of success.  I work towards creating and modeling a successful company that gives back and offers an opportunity for those who associate with that company, to live in abundance.    

How do you balance work and life?

One word, planning.  I know it sounds boring but without planning, there would be no balance.  I would do the same thing that thousands of people do every day, let work take priority.  I schedule time for all the important things in my life; family time, personal development time, time to worship, time to work out, time to vacation, and time to focus on business.  By doing this I intentionally create balance.  It may not leave much time for spontaneity however, I am productive with limited stress.  

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

Family time is my favorite time.  We laugh, play games, travel, and plan our future together.  It’s my time to connect, dream, and enjoy my life with my favorite people. 

What do you have planned for the next six months?

I can’t really share all our exciting plans as they are TOP SECRET.  However, what I can say is expect more exciting, first to market product innovations from SeneGence!  

How can our readers connect with you?

Readers can visit our website at www.senegence.com to learn more about SeneGence and our products and connect with me through the “Contact Us” link.

2021 SeneGence Corporate Video - https://f.io/RcXyMl5m