Inc. 500 Hall of Fame

Each year in mid-October, Inc. magazine releases its Inc. 500 issue, which lists the fastest-growing privately held U.S. companies. You may already know that Melaleuca has been listed in Inc. 500 an incredible five times. Now, Inc. magazine has added Melaleuca to the prestigious Inc. 500 Hall of Fame.

At the time of Melaleuca’s recognition, only 55 companies had ever been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Melaleuca is one of the few companies on the list that has maintained an “A” profit rating each year—and the only company to do so for five consecutive years—indicating a healthy, growing and vibrant organization.

Melaleuca attributes its growth and success to an outstanding, unique product line, and the hundreds of thousands of households that have joined  Melaleuca’s mission to “Enhance the Lives of Those We Touch by Helping People Reach Their Goals.”

In the October 2004 issue of Inc. magazine, Melaleuca CEO Frank VanderSloot detailed the history of The Wellness Company in his Hall of Fame Profile. He discussed the importance of reputation and gave business advice based on his experience shutting down a failing company, Oil of Melaleuca, in 1985 and building Melaleuca from its ashes.

“I’ve learned that the bleakest of times is often the best opportunity,” VanderSloot said. “The best advice I can give is that bad news doesn’t always equal bad results. If the original company, Oil of Melaleuca, had been even a marginal success then we wouldn’t have been tempted to plow ahead. It’s just because Oil of Melaleuca was such a disaster that Melaleuca has become a success. If something isn’t working, don’t be afraid to plow it under and start over.”