You might be thinking 'Seriously? You are excited to share a couple new webpages?' The journey to create these pages has taken almost 10 years and actually longer — and it is a story Russ and I would like to share with you.
A dream we'd almost stopped dreaming
For a couple decades we have had this dream of creating content that would help you use our products like we use them. Our products are part of daily life here — for us, for our staff, our family, our neighbors and our friends. Our challenge: how can we help you use our products to their fullest, while staying within the walls our governments have created?
We envisioned guides, a website, videos — all created with you in mind. But envisioning isn't what does the work of manifesting — imagination & heart can set the stage — but it is people with talent & heart that are needed to create.
Our last graphic designer left behind a legacy of branding beauty and our now 'older' website. That website went live in 2009.
Russ & I at SOTA.
Knocking on every door
We started looking right away for someone to replace her — we tried a few contractors — and while their hearts were beautiful it is hard to experience the passion of our products if you are not on staff; hearing from customers; seeing what we do; catching the heart of SOTA. We advertised; we tried a couple agencies; we kept changing the position title —
We interviewed many but that knight in shining armor never arrived.
In between, Amber, who has been with us 23 years, stepped in to do minor design work. If you've seen any of our Quick Start Videos you'll recognize Amber as the person demonstrating the products.
Were we disappointed? Yes, of course – we're human.?? Could we have hired someone who would have created something for us, even if it wasn't exactly what we wanted? Yes. But that isn't our way. Everything we do, we do to the best of our ability so that you will have the best experience you can — whether it is Russ improving one of our products, or in this case, creating materials to help you use them better.
Why we waited instead of settling
After looking under every rock and knocking on every door ... we decided to let it go and trust in divine timing. Russ and I live our lives with the understanding that sometimes we have to knock on a lot of doors till that right one opens and so we do our best to enjoy the journey. When we have knocked on every door we can think of, then what? The choice is settle for something less or know when the time is right the door will open. We have learned the hard way, that settling causes a lot of discord, difficulties and challenges – because settling is forcing our will when it is not the right time.
When we are willing to wait, when we are willing to allow something greater than us to manifest what we need, that is when miracles happen. And we've learned the timing of it all, is rarely ours to choose. But the more miracles we experience, the more we learn to trust & surrender both the outcome and the timing.
And here is the thing — SOTA has grown for thirty years by you sharing us with others. We learned a long time ago that advertising & marketing weren't SOTA's path. Our path was creating the best products we could to help each of us live the best life we can — and word spread through you. It is because of you - appreciating having the products in your life and wanting to share that with people you care about - that SOTA exists at all.
We knew our website looked dated — but a lot of love was in it and we knew it was still being of service. We also knew it was the products that we all value the most and thanks to Russ they keep improving all the time! So we surrendered the timing to Spirit.
She applied for the wrong job
Then 3 years ago our miracle arrived.
We needed someone in Customer Experience and placed an ad as we usually do. Two of our team had a "Meet & Greet" over Zoom with a candidate named Geeta, and they liked her right away: kind, smart, thoughtful, quick to laugh, a big heart, and she loves being of service in whatever she does. All the things we look for at SOTA.
They shared her resume and I couldn't believe my eyes!! She wasn't a Customer Experience person at all. She was a graphic designer — and not only that, a web designer; a photographer; a video editor; and she had experience as a Marketing Director, organizing people to pull it all together.
Looking at her resume, was one of those moments where a dream you've almost stopped dreaming suddenly appears in front of you. Could it be? I calmed down and reminded myself that designers have their own tastes and styles — just like cars — we could love a sports car and she might love an antique. Her resume was the first step. Could she create for SOTA was the question in all our minds.
So I asked her if she had a portfolio? (Yes). Could we see it? (Yes).
She sent it that afternoon.
I had to sit back and take a breath … she is the one we've been waiting for.
This was July 2023. Geeta and her son had just moved from India to join her husband here in our small city of Penticton! We called and offered her a job encompassing our website, graphic design and marketing. I haven't asked Geeta but I imagine a dream of hers must have come true too – living in a small city like ours, there are not a lot of jobs in her area of expertise. It was a perfect match for both of us.
Geeta, who applied for a completely different job
And then we told her no
When Geeta started the first thing she wanted to work on was the website. We told her No. The Quick Start Videos and the SOTA Wellness Program Guide came first – hands-on knowledge about how to use our products – the website could come later. Plus, we know at SOTA we do not follow Marketing 101 and she would need time to learn about SOTA; to learn about what we can say; what we can't say; to learn about our history and to really become immersed in SOTA.
We were right ... time was needed.
She would suggest things — the things every marketer is taught, in India, here, everywhere: packaging things in a way to influence you to buy. We don't do that here. We would talk about the importance of people having their freedom — we do not want to manipulate your feelings, emotions or beliefs to make you feel pressured to buy. We want you to be able to come to us, to learn about our products and feel completely free to decide whether our products are something you want to bring into your life or not. For some of you maybe 5 years down the road you will remember us and revisit us; some will buy now and some won't — we want everyone to have that freedom, including you!
In the meantime, friends of Geeta in India would ask about her job and she wouldn't give out our website — she didn't want them seeing our website!??
At our weekly Creative Meetings, Geeta would ask 'Can I start on the website now?' She probably heard at least 30 No's ... but earlier this year the answer was 'Yes'.
Geeta transformed into our most amazing knight in shining armor. She gets what SOTA is; what we want; and she surpasses our capability to dream. She is at the helm now, directing us. And we love it and we love her. We are so grateful for her, because she is creating things that we have always wanted to help you learn about our products so that you can use them with confidence.
A dream started all these years ago is now manifest.
And that is why Russ & I are so grateful to be sharing these two web pages with you. This is the beginning of something wonderful:
We hope you find them useful to you. There is more to come in the days ahead.
And Geeta hasn't done it alone — our writer, our web coder, and our editors have all put their hearts into these pages.
You know sometimes we have a dream and it is important to not let that dream go — we need to do our part to try and manifest it and then release it to Spirit, to God, Higher Power, the Universe — whatever you may like to call it. Because often when a dream manifests it does so in ways we could never have dreamed and far better than we could ever imagine.
Thank you for being you and for being on the planet at this time. We are all needed here. And thank you for allowing us to be part of your Wellness Journey!
Lesley
P.S. Stay tuned — next time I'll be back with a short survey. We'd love your thoughts on how we can serve you better.
