A SUCCESSFUL venture in network marketing left current PM-International AG chief executive officer Rolf Sorg financially stable that he could have retired at the age of 30.
“When the company I was working for went under, I needed motivation to keep working and I wanted to give back to people what the industry gave to me, which is the ability to be financially free,” said Sorg, now 46.
In 1993, he started a company from scratch with only three people in the office, selling cosmetic products because that was what he was familiar with.
“I wanted to introduce products that are valuable to people’s life and my goal was to bring the best product for health, fitness and beauty into the market. My expertise has always been in sales and I figured if I can find the right people who believed in my vision, we can do a lot,” said Sorg, whose company was based in Germany.
The right match came when he met nutritional scientist Dr Gerhard Schmitt in 1994, who at that time was into developing anti-oxidant drinks.
Winning combination: Sorg (left) and Schmitt combined marketing and scientific knowledge for a successful partnership “I was working for a Swiss company and I developed a cell protection drink for them. Back then, no one was interested in anti-oxidants but I knew that it would be a big thing,” said Schmitt, 51.
Schmitt’s concern was to produce effective and safe products and his main focus was bioavailabilty, which was the transport of nutrients to the cellular level.
“You can formulate the best product and have the best labels but if the nutrients and ingredients do not reach the cells, you don’t get the effects. That’s why our products are in powder and liquid form, which makes it easier for the body to absorb the nutrients,” said Schmitt.
Over the years, PM-International AG have developed more than 30 supplement products under the Fitline brand, with 12 being sold in Malaysia.
Nicely packaged: Some of the products of the Fitline range. Sorg said their products were manufactured according to international Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards.
“We’re also the first company which voluntarily asked to be monitored by an anti-doping agency in Germany,” said Sorg.
This was to ensure that the product was safe for athletes with no risk of being tested positive for doping.
Currently, their top products are the Fitline Activize and Restorate, which are supplements taken daily.
The two personally take the Fitline supplements, a testament of faith in their own products.
When asked about their flushed faces before the start of the interview, Sorg explained that it was the effect of the Restorate product, which improves blood circulation.
“We have been in scientific conferences and trade fairs and people have tried to offer us their products to sell. The first question we ask is ‘How do you take your products?’ If they hesitate, we know that they don’t,” said Sorg.
With a focus on a complete healthy lifestyle, they moved on to creating a range of products for weight management, including the XXS capsules which was recently launched in Malaysia.
“We believe that weight management is a holistic concept. If you are over acidic, it’s hard to burn fats. That is why we combine some of the cell energy products to neutralise the acid, making it easier to lose weight,” said Schmitt.
Schmitt said their products were helping people live a healthier lifestyle and during seminars, they also taught people about how to eat right, to exercise and to relax.
Even with an influx of health and anti-oxidant supplements in the current market, Sorg felt that he had an advantage.
“Everything that we’re doing to make the product more efficient also has an effect on the pricing. That is why most companies are losing out because they want a product manufactured at a low price,” said Sorg.
Sorg believed that his company’s vision of manufacturing products of the highest standards from the beginning had put him a step ahead of the competition and would help him achieve his goal of becoming the market leader.
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