The first thing you notice about Ginny Fiscella is her wide-as-the-Kansas-River smile.
The second thing is her jewelry—tasteful layers of stylish and bold necklaces, a slinky bangle bracelet, a large coin ring, earrings, another bracelet or two. Ask Fiscella where she purchased her trendy baubles and you’ll probably end up placing an order with one of Silpada Design’s top national directors for some of the most well-known fine sterling silver jewelry in North America. She’s that good.
Fiscella, a self-described former stay-at-home-mom who was going stir crazy, longed for a job where she could work from her house, keep her two children out of daycare and provide supplemental income to the family budget. She and her husband, Doug, a former Sprint executive, were raising a traditional family in Overland Park, but Fiscella craved more.
“I wanted ‘big people time,’” says Fiscella. “I knew that if I carved time for myself and developed a career, I would feel better about my role as a mom and wife.”
Introduced by a sister-in-law to Silpada Designs, a Lenexa-based company started by two Johnson County women in 1997, Fiscella made the decision to become a representative when she realized that halfway into the product catalog she had mentally spent $350.
Fiscella joined the ranks of Silpada Designs following a life-changing meeting with company co-founders Bonnie Kelly and Teresa Walsh. Today she has more than $650,000 in career sales and has personally recruited more than 200 representatives to sell Silpada through home shows, catalog parties and fundraisers. Fiscella is the second person in Silpada history to achieve the prestigious Silver Legacy award.
“I identified with Bonnie’s and Teresa’s passion and enthusiasm and Silpada’s mission of empowering women in their personal quest for success,” says Fiscella.
I started with Silpada in September 1999, and out of 30,000 sales representatives was promoted as the company’s first Silver Director. There are only two directors in the company. Requirements include having 16 leaders from across the country with sales volume of at least $600,000 per month. I have more than 1,700 representatives on my team with an annual sales volume of $10 million. I still go out two nights a week to help women feel pretty by playing dress-up with our jewelry.
My personal motto is from Zig Ziglar. I truly believe you can get everything in life if you just help enough people get what they want. My job is focused on women grabbing the silver ring of success. It’s not a difficult task when you have a product with enduring, hip and classic style and unquestionable integrity and work for one of the top direct-sales companies in the U.S.
Although I run the largest organization in Silpada’s history, my favorite part of my job is still doing the home shows and meeting the fantastic women in our community. I also get to offer this opportunity to other women. Working for Silpada allows me to save money for my daughters’ college and wedding funds, live debt-free and learn how to run an organization from the bottom up—just like a CEO.
My degree is in human development and family studies with an emphasis in early childhood education from Kansas State University.
I worked in hospice care for nine years, an experience that was the perfect channel for me to help others, before I chose to stay at home with Molly and Caroline. Success in life for me is defined by giving back to others and paying it forward. When I have that opportunity, it comes back tenfold. I support many non-profits as part of my business, including Back in the Swing, Tiny Tickers and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
I’m married to my best friend, who happens to work with me in my Silpada business. Doug has believed in what I’m doing from the first day. When I needed a business partner, it had to be someone I loved and trusted. Doug decided to leave Sprint and handle the business side including my team newsletters and sales reports. We co-parent; he carpools, loves to cook and shop. I can’t get enough of his eggplant parmigiana.
Living in Johnson County, I like to support the small business owner. I’m a boutique shopper—I love Frankie and Jules, Trendz and A’more. I’m a Pilates nut and help out on committees at my girls’ school and with cheerleading. We travel as a family and like Arizona as a destination—a resort where all of us find something special.
I am so lucky to have found a company such as Silpada that grows along with my interests, abilities and passions. I’m teaching my daughters how exciting it is to be an entrepreneur and follow your dreams. And leading by example every day helps me learn from my incredible team.
words: Kimberly Winter Stern
photos: Rachael Swetnam