By Jennifer Halliday
It wasn’t that long ago that the now iconic FIJI Water was just a glimmering idea in the mind of serial entrepreneur David H. Gilmour. Despite the crowded bottled water market, Gilmour successfully cultivated FIJI Water into the fastest growing premium beverage in the US in record-time. FIJI Water was not Gilmour’s first lightning bolt of success, nor his last. Audiophiles still covet Gilmour’s trend-setting designs of Clairtone Stereo, Barrick Gold Corporation is still the largest gold mining company in the world, and Zinio continues to lead the digital publishing industry. Since his entrepreneurial pursuits began some 60 years ago, Mr. Gilmour has raised 12 startups, from conception through success.
In 2011, Gilmour began what he says would be his crowning achievement, Wakaya Perfection. Borne of childhood memories and hand-cultivated in the pure volcanic soil of his privately owned island of Wakaya in Fiji, this startup launched by leveraging ancient health secrets with the hottest trends in health and nutrition today – ginger, turmeric, sea salt, & dilo oil. With the most efficacious products available anywhere, the world took notice. Oprah Winfrey added Wakaya Perfection products to her “favorite things” list, not once, but twice, while Dr. Deepak Chopra and The Chopra Center helped formulate its premium teas.
In a remarkable move, on January 1st, 2016, Gilmour plucked his 12th startup from the shelves of retail giants, such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Williams Sonoma – and put it into the hands of Todd Smith and their team of network marketing experts. As he identified a need for hands-on marketing and aggressive expansion, Gilmour sought to bring his ultra-premium brand from the tables of the wealthiest to the masses, enhancing millions of lives in the process.
The company’s MLM pre-launch began in March of 2016, immediately capturing the imagination of the industry, thousands of distributors and new customers. Smith and his team have been busy bolstering product offerings and adding Gilmour’s “Spices of Life” to everything from energy drinks to nutritional supplements and weight loss systems. The company officially launched in October 2016 and 3 months later it hosted its inaugural Founders Cruise with a staggering attendance of over 400 Independent Ambassadors from the US to Japan. In addition, Wakaya Perfection introduced a ground-breaking successful compensation plan that combined new and old-fashioned compensation principles and put the lion’s share of compensation in the hands of those closest to the customers.
The company’s success has been attracting a celebrity following. “People recognize when you’re doing something right, and they want to be a part of it” says company President William Andreoli. 17 time Men’s Health Magazine cover model and celebrity fitness expert Owen McKibbin is one of the few elite to meet the criteria of the company’s “Wakaya Way” philosophy, which is based on a strong ethical culture and a supportive community, and join the ranks as a spokesperson and fitness coach – leading the phenomenally successful bulaFITTM weight loss and fitness system. Wakaya Perfection continues to break growth records with its high impact products, unique culture while fulfilling its mission to enhance people’s lives. Visit www.mywakaya.com.
