Carolyn and Jim Kling
Nampa, Idaho

Carolyn and Jim Kling were among the first wave of people in the United States to discover the value of a green barley juice powder. When a friend shared a powdered barley grass juice mix with Jim in 1981 and convinced him that the product should be marketed in the United States, Carolyn was skeptical. But after learning about the nutritional benefits of such a product and experiencing those benefits herself, Carolyn joined Jim in the effort to get Barleygreen into the U.S. market. Jim presented the opportunity to his friend Dennis Itami, and American Image Marketing was born.

Through the years, Jim has pioneered other ventures. Carolyn, however, has remained single-minded in her passion for their AIM business, focusing especially on educating people about the role nutrition plays in health. "It is important to stay focused. We must concentrate on the health needs of others. It is understanding the needs that AIM products can meet that propels my business," Carolyn says. "Knowing that we have the best products in the world creates such a passion in me to get those products to people who need them—the business success is simply one of the benefits of that passion."

For 11 years, Carolyn faithfully took care of her large, deep organization. Her goal was to reach the Chairman's Club—someday, whenever it happened. This "relaxed" attitude changed in 1993 when Carolyn attended a Texas Distributors' Convention.

Carolyn was challenged to focus on reaching the Chairman's Club. At that point, she intensified her efforts and set her sights on reaching the Chairman's Club in three years. Carolyn explains, "I did have a strategy. First, I set out to become thoroughly educated on our products and nutrition in general. I read all the books and articles I could find relevant to our business, watched videos, and listened to audio tapes—anything that would help me learn. Second, I attended every function AIM offered, from the regional conventions and leadership conferences to Distributor-hosted meetings. Third, I began to hold more meetings myself. Besides home meetings for new customers and new Distributors, I held training meetings for my leaders to teach them how to lead their organizations. But most of all, I continued to focus on caring about other people's health. That's the key." Carolyn was truly on the road to the Chairman's Club.

Carolyn is particularly excited about a weight-management class she began offering through her church almost a year ago. By focusing on a change in lifestyle rather than a change in diet, Carolyn has seen tremendous improvements in people's health as they begin making healthy choices. "I understand that only about one-third of what causes people to be obese is due to a physical problem," Carolyn explains. "Two-thirds of our weight problems are caused by the lifestyle choices we make. The weight-management class helps people see the value of making good lifestyle choices and supports them in it. When people make wise choices, their health improves! It's great!"