We have experienced periodic declines in both active distributors and executive distributors in the past. Our growth depends upon our ability to increase the number of active distributors and executive distributors. However, the number of our active and executive distributors may not increase and could decline once again in the future. While we take many steps to help train, motivate and retain distributors, we cannot accurately predict how the number and productivity of distributors may fluctuate because we rely primarily upon our distributor leaders to recruit, train and motivate new distributors. Our operating results could be harmed if we and our distributor leaders fail to generate sufficient interest in our business to retain existing distributors and attract new distributors.
The number and productivity of our distributors also depends on several additional factors, including:
In addition, we may face saturation or maturity levels in a given country or market. This is of particular concern in Taiwan, where industry sources have estimated that over 10% of the population is already involved in some form of direct selling. The maturity of several of our markets could also affect our ability to attract and retain distributors in those markets.
The Chinese government banned direct selling activities in China in 1998, subject to certain limited exceptions. The government has rigorously monitored and enforced this ban. In the past, the government has taken significant actions against companies that the government found were engaging in direct selling in violation of applicable law, including shutting down their businesses and imposing substantial fines. Although a few of our global direct selling competitors have authorization to conduct limited direct selling activities after the 1998 ban, we have not received such authorization. Consequently, we have not implemented our direct sales model in China. Instead, we have implemented a business model that utilizes retail stores and an employed sales force that we believe complies with applicable regulations. We also allow distributor leaders from outside of China to help us recruit, find, train and motivate our employed sales force in China. Frequently, individuals, including our competitors, complain to local regulatory agencies that our China business model violates applicable regulations on direct selling. As a result, we regularly visit with regulators to address their questions and concerns and explain our local business model. We also use our best efforts to train our China sales force on our business model.
The regulatory environment in China is evolving, and officials in the Chinese government often exercise discretion in deciding how to interpret and apply applicable regulations. We have made some modifications to our business model and policies in response to concerns expressed by governmental authorities prior to and since we opened for business in January 2003. In addition, some of our distributors living outside of China and some of our employed sales representatives in China have engaged in activities that violated our policies in this market and resulted in some regulatory concern and some adverse publicity. At times, these reviews and investigations by government regulators have obstructed our ability to conduct business and have resulted in several cases in fines being paid by us, which in the aggregate have been less than 1% of our revenue in China since we began operating there. We may incur similar or more severe sanctions in the future. Occasionally, we have also been asked to cease sales activity in some stores while the regulators review our operations. While, in each of these cases, we have been allowed to recommence operations after the government’s review, there is no assurance that this will always be the case.
Although we have worked closely with both national and local governmental agencies in implementing our plans, our efforts to comply with local laws may be harmed by a rapidly evolving regulatory climate, concerns about activities resembling direct selling and any subjective interpretation of laws. Any determination that our operations or activities, or the activities of our employed sales representatives or distributors living outside of China, are not in compliance with applicable regulations could result in the imposition of substantial fines, extended interruptions of business, restrictions on our ability to open new stores or expand into new locations, changes to our business model, the termination of required licenses to conduct business, or other actions, all of which would harm our business.
If regulators prevent us from hiring sales employees or opening new stores in China as quickly as we would like, our ability to grow our business there could be negatively impacted.
Because of concerns about the potential number of sales employees we could hire in some cities, regulators in a few cities in China initially recommended that we maintain a reasonable level of sales employees per store. If the level of employees that regulators determine to be reasonable is less than we anticipate or believe reasonable, or if regulators otherwise impose restrictions on the number of sales employees we may hire, our revenue could be negatively impacted, which could reduce our revenue or slow our growth rate in China. Additionally, regulatory provisions require us to obtain a license for each store that we operate in China, and regulators have broad discretion in approving these licenses. If regulators fail to approve licenses for new stores at a rate that meets our growth demands, this could harm our growth potential.
If China fails to adopt new direct selling regulations, or if these regulations are not favorable to us, this could harm our business.
Chinese regulators have indicated that they intend to publish new direct selling regulations within the next few months. There can be no assurance that these regulations will be adopted or, if adopted, that they will benefit our company. While we intend to apply for a direct selling license under any new proposed regulations and believe that one would be granted to us, there can be no assurance that this would be the case. Although we currently do not operate a direct selling business in China, our future growth could be harmed if the regulations are not adopted or are unfavorable, or if we are unable to obtain a license for direct selling under these regulations.
Global political issues and conflicts could harm our business.
Because a substantial portion of our business is conducted outside of the United States, our business is subject to global political issues and conflicts, including terrorism threats, tensions related to North Korea, political tensions between the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan, and other issues. If these conflicts or issues escalate, or if there is increased anti-American sentiment, this could harm our foreign operations. In addition, changes and actions by governments in foreign markets, in particular those markets such as China where capitalism and free market trading is still evolving, could harm our business.
If we are unable to successfully manage rapid growth in China, our operations may be harmed.
As a result of Chinese regulations prohibiting us from implementing our direct selling model in China, we have opened over 100 of our own retail stores and hired a large and rapidly growing employed sales force. In addition, due to import restrictions in China, we have built and operate our own manufacturing plant to produce the products that we sell in our stores in China. As of June 30, 2004, we had spent approximately $10 million building our stores and factory and expect to spend an additional $7 to $10 million through the end of 2005. We have experienced rapid growth in China, and we cannot assure you that we will be able to successfully manage rapid expansion of manufacturing operations and a rapidly growing and dynamic sales force. We also cannot assure you that we will not experience difficulties in dealing with or taking employment related actions (such as hiring, terminations and salary administration, including social benefit payments) with respect to our employed sales representatives, particularly given the highly regulated nature of the employment relationship in China. If we are unable to effectively manage such growth and expansion of our retail stores, manufacturing operations or our employees, our government relations may be compromised and our operations in China may be harmed.
Intellectual property rights are difficult to enforce in China.
Chinese commercial law is relatively undeveloped compared to most of our other major markets, and, as a result, we may have limited legal recourse in the event we encounter significant difficulties with patent or trademark infringers. Limited protection of intellectual property is available under Chinese law, and the local manufacturing of our products may subject us to an increased risk that unauthorized parties may attempt to copy or otherwise obtain or use our product formulations. As a result, we cannot assure you that we will be able to adequately protect our product formulations.
Manufacturing and production cost issues associated with our laser-based scanner could negatively impact the success of our scanner program and our ability to make a sufficient number of scanners available to interested distributors, which could harm our business.
Our introduction of a laser-based scanner that measures the levels of caratenoid antioxidants in the skin has generated considerable enthusiasm among some of our distributors, particularly in the United States. We have not had experience in developing, manufacturing and marketing sophisticated technology products such as the scanner. As with any new technology, we have experienced delays and technical and production cost issues in developing and manufacturing a scanner that meets required specifications and performs at a consistent level. As of June 30, 2004, we were manufacturing 40 to 50 units each week at a cost of approximately $7,500 per unit. If we are unable to timely resolve technical issues or otherwise fail to deliver scanners that perform to a standard expected by our distributors or if we are unable to make a sufficient number of scanners available to interested distributors at reasonable lease rates, we could dampen distributor enthusiasm and harm our business, particularly in the United States where many distributors have been focusing their marketing activities around the introduction of the scanner. Because of the substantial investment in the scanner initiative, we may not be able to recoup our investment or may have to record an expense that would negatively impact earnings if the scanner program fails for any reason.
If our laser-based scanner is determined to be a medical device in a particular geographic market, this could inhibit or delay our ability to market the scanner in such market.
We believe that our laser-based scanner can be marketed as a non-medical device. However, the FDA in the United States has questioned the status of the scanner as a non-medical device. There are various factors that could determine whether the scanner is a medical device including the claims that we or our distributors make about the scanner. If the FDA were to make a determination that the scanner is a medical device, or if it determines that our distributors are using the scanner to make medical claims, we would be required to obtain FDA clearance to market the scanner as a medical device, which could delay significantly or otherwise inhibit our ability and the ability of our distributors to use the scanner in the United States. In addition, we are facing similar regulatory issues in other markets with respect to the status of the scanner as a non-medical device. If distributors make claims regarding the scanner outside of the claims authorized by us this could result in regulatory actions against our business or prevent us from marketing the scanner as a non-medical device.
Although we are in the process of preparing an application for FDA clearance to market the scanner as a medical device in the United States in the event such clearance is required, obtaining FDA clearance or similar clearance in other markets could require us to provide documentation concerning the clinical utility of the scanner and to make some modifications to the design, specifications and manufacturing process of the scanner in order to meet stringent standards imposed on medical device companies. There can be no assurance we would be able to provide such documentation and make such changes promptly or in a manner that is satisfactory to regulatory authorities. We are also subject to regulatory restrictions that limit the claims or representations that we and our distributors can make about the scanner because we are not using it as a medical device, which could adversely impact our success in utilizing the scanner. Any delay, restriction or limitation of our anticipated use of this tool caused by regulatory issues could harm our business, particularly in the United States where we have experienced the strongest interest in the scanner.
Governmental regulations relating to the marketing and advertising of our products and services, in particular our nutritional supplements, may restrict or inhibit our ability to sell these products.
Our products and our related marketing and advertising efforts are subject to extensive governmental regulations by numerous domestic and foreign governmental agencies and authorities. These include the FDA, the FTC, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Department of Agriculture in the United States, State Attorneys General and other state regulatory agencies and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in Japan along with similar governmental agencies in other foreign markets where we operate. We also believe that the regulatory attitude towards dietary supplements in the United States, Japan and other markets is worsening.
Our markets have varied regulations concerning product formulation, labeling, packaging and importation. These laws and regulations often require us to, among other things:
| | • | | reformulate products for a specific market to meet the specific product formulation laws of that country; |
| | • | | conform product labeling to the regulations in each country; and |
| | • | | register or qualify products with the applicable governmental authority or obtain necessary approvals or file necessary notifications for the marketing of our products. |
Failure to introduce products or delays in introducing products could reduce revenue and decrease profitability. Regulators also may prohibit us from making therapeutic claims about products, regardless of the existence of research and independent studies that may support such claims. These product claim restrictions could prevent us from realizing the potential revenue from some of our products.
The recent discovery of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), commonly referred to as “mad cow disease”, in the United States could harm our business if we are not able to successfully implement contingency plans to address regulatory issues surrounding BSE.
Some countries, including Japan, have banned the importation or sale of products that contain bovine materials sourced from locations where BSE has been identified.
Approximately 40% of our Pharmanex revenue, accounting for over 18% of our total revenue, is generated from products that are encapsulated in gel capsules that are currently produced with bovine materials. We have been sourcing substantially all of our bovine materials, used primarily in the gel capsules of our nutritional supplements, from India and the United States, which were both BSE-free countries. At the end of December 2003, a single cow imported from Canada into the United States was found to have BSE, which has prompted some countries, including Japan, to suspend imports of beef and bovine related products from the United States as they review the situation. We have implemented alternative production plans for Japan to utilize gelatin capsules sourced from BSE-free countries or non-bovine gelatin capsules, and produce certain products in tablet form, in order to avoid material stock outages of our major products in Japan. If we experience production difficulties, quality control problems or shortages in supply, this could result in stock outages of key products or customer satisfaction issues in Japan, which could harm our business. In the event that the BSE issue is not resolved satisfactorily in the United States in a timely manner or if BSE becomes an issue in other countries, this could result in additional risk of product shortages or write-offs of inventory that no longer can be used. In addition, our business could be harmed if consumers become unduly concerned about the risks of BSE with respect to our bovine-sourced gelatin capsules or, alternatively, if consumers react negatively to our switching from capsules to tablets on some products as part of our contingency plans.
The sources and ingredients of our products are also subject to additional governmental regulations by numerous domestic and foreign governmental agencies and authorities regarding product ingredients. We may be unable to introduce our products in some markets if we fail to obtain the necessary regulatory approvals or if any product ingredients are prohibited, which could harm our business.
Recent negative publicity concerning stimulant-based supplements have spurred efforts to change existing laws and regulations with respect to nutritional supplements that, if successful, could result in more restrictive and burdensome regulations.
There have been some recent injuries and deaths that have been attributed to the use of nutritional supplements that contain ingredients that are controversial and have generated negative publicity. This publicity has resulted in efforts to adopt new regulations applicable to nutritional supplements that could impose further restrictions and regulatory controls over the nutritional supplement industry. Although we are committed to not market nutritional supplements that contain any stimulants, steroids or other substances that are controversial and could pose health risks, our operations could be harmed if governmental laws or regulations are enacted that restrict the ability of companies to market or distribute nutritional supplements or impose additional burdens or requirements on nutritional supplement companies as a result of public reaction to the recent injuries and deaths caused by supplements that do contain these controversial ingredients.
If we are unable to expand operations in any of the new markets we have currently targeted, we may have difficulty achieving our long-term objectives.
A significant percentage of our revenue growth over the past decade has been attributable to our expansion into new markets. For example, the revenue growth we experienced in recent years was due in part to our successful expansion of operations into Singapore, Malaysia and Mainland China. Moreover, our growth over the next several years depends on our ability to successfully introduce our products and our distribution system into new markets, including further development of Mainland China and Eastern Europe. In addition to the regulatory difficulties we may face in gaining access into these new markets, we could face difficulties in achieving acceptance of our premium-priced products in developing markets. In the past, we have struggled to operate successfully in developing country markets, such as Latin America. This may also be the case in Eastern Europe and the other new markets into which we currently intend to expand. If we are unable to successfully expand our operations into these new markets, our opportunities to grow our business may be limited, and, as a result, we may not be able to achieve our long-term objectives.
Adverse publicity concerning our business, marketing plan or products could harm our business and reputation.
The size of our distribution force and the results of our operations can be particularly impacted by adverse publicity regarding us, the legality of our distributor network, our products or the actions of our distributors. Specifically, we are susceptible to adverse publicity concerning:
| | • | | suspicions about the legality of network marketing; |
| | • | | the ingredients or safety of our or our competitors’ products; |
| | • | | regulatory investigations of us, our competitors and our respective products; |
| | • | | the actions of our current or former distributors; and |
| | • | | public perceptions of direct selling businesses generally. |
In addition, in the past we have experienced negative publicity that has harmed our business in connection with regulatory investigations and inquiries. We may receive negative publicity in the future, and it may harm our business and reputation.
Although our distributors are independent contractors, improper distributor actions that violate laws or regulations could harm our business.
Distributor activities in our existing markets that violate governmental laws or regulations could result in governmental actions against us in markets where we operate. Except in China, our distributors are not employees and act independently of us. We implement strict policies and procedures to ensure our distributors will comply with legal requirements. However, given the size of our distributor force, we experience problems with distributors from time to time. For example, product claims made by some of our distributors in 1990 and 1991 led to an investigation by the FTC, which resulted in our entering into a consent decree with the FTC as described below.
Failure of new products to gain distributor and market acceptance could harm our business.
A critical component of our business is our ability to develop new products that create enthusiasm among our distributor force. If we fail to introduce new products planned for introduction, our distributor productivity could be harmed. In addition, if any new products fail to gain market acceptance, are restricted by regulatory requirements or have quality problems, this would harm our results of operations. Factors that could affect our ability to continue to introduce new products include, among others, government regulations, the loss of key research and development staff from our divisions, the termination of third-party research and collaborative arrangements, proprietary protections of competitors that may limit our ability to offer comparable products and any failure to anticipate changes in consumer tastes and buying preferences.
Government inquiries, investigations and actions could harm our business.
From time to time, we receive formal and informal inquiries from various government regulatory authorities about our business and our compliance with local laws and regulations. Any determination that we or our distributors are not in compliance with existing laws or regulations could potentially harm our business. Even if governmental actions do not result in rulings or orders, they potentially could create negative publicity. Negative publicity could detrimentally affect our efforts to recruit or motivate distributors and attract customers and, consequently, could reduce revenue and net income.
In the early 1990s, we entered into voluntary consent agreements with the FTC and other state regulatory agencies relating to investigations of our distributors’ product claims and practices. These investigations centered around allegedly unsubstantiated product and earnings claims made by some of our distributors. We believe that the negative publicity generated by this FTC action, as well as a subsequent action in the mid1990s related to unsubstantiated product claims, harmed our business and results of operations in the United States. Pursuant to the consent decrees, we agreed, among other things, to supplement our procedures to enforce our policies, to not allow distributors to make earnings representations without making additional disclosures relating to average earnings and to not make, or allow our distributors to make, product claims that were not substantiated. We have taken various actions, including implementing a more generous inventory buyback policy, publishing average distributor earnings information, supplementing our procedures for enforcing our policies, and reviewing distributor product sales aids, to address the issues raised by the FTC and state agencies in these investigations. As a result of the previous investigations, the FTC makes inquiries from time to time regarding our compliance with applicable laws and regulations and our consent decree. Any further actions by the FTC or other comparable state or federal regulatory agencies, in the United States or abroad, could have a further negative impact on us in the future.
In addition, we are susceptible to government-initiated campaigns that do not rise to the level of formal regulations. For example, the South Korean government, several South Korean trade groups and members of the South Korean media initiated campaigns in 1997 and 1998 urging South Korean consumers not to purchase luxury or foreign goods. We believe that these campaigns and the related media attention they received, together with the economic recession that occurred in the late 1990s in the South Korean economy, significantly harmed our South Korean business. We cannot assure you that similar government, trade group or media actions will not occur again in South Korea or in other countries where we operate or that such events will not similarly harm our operations.
The loss of key high-level distributors could negatively impact our distributor growth and our revenue.
As of June 30, 2004, we had approximately 808,000 active distributors and preferred customers and 31,000 executive distributors. Approximately 311 distributors currently occupy the highest distributor level under our Global Compensation Plan. These distributors, together with their extensive networks of downline distributors, account for substantially all of our revenue. As a result, the loss of a high-level distributor or a group of leading distributors in the distributor’s network of downline distributors, whether by their own choice or through disciplinary actions by us for violations of our policies and procedures, could negatively impact our distributor growth and our revenue.
Laws and regulations may prohibit or severely restrict our direct sales efforts and cause our revenue and profitability to decline.
Various government agencies throughout the world regulate direct sales practices. These laws and regulations are generally intended to prevent fraudulent or deceptive schemes, often referred to as “pyramid” schemes, that compensate participants for recruiting additional participants irrespective of product sales, use high pressure recruiting methods and/or do not involve legitimate products. The laws and regulations in our current markets often:
| | • | | impose order cancellations, product returns, inventory buy-backs and cooling-off rights for consumers and distributors; |
| | • | | require us or our distributors to register with governmental agencies; |
| | • | | impose reporting requirements to regulatory agencies; and/or |
| | • | | require us to ensure that distributors are not being compensated based upon the recruitment of new distributors. |
Complying with these widely varying and sometimes inconsistent rules and regulations can be difficult and require the devotion of significant resources on our part. If we are unable to continue business in existing markets or commence operations in new markets because of these laws, our revenue and profitability will decline. Countries where we currently do business could change their laws or regulations to negatively affect or prohibit completely direct sales efforts. In addition, government agencies and courts in the countries where we operate may use their powers and discretion in interpreting and applying laws in a manner that limits our ability to operate or otherwise harms our business. If any governmental authority were to bring a regulatory enforcement action against us that interrupts our business, revenue and earnings would likely suffer.
Challenges by private parties to the form of our network marketing system could harm our business.
We may be subject to challenges by private parties, including our distributors, to the form of our network marketing system or elements of our business. In the United States, the network marketing industry and regulatory authorities have generally relied on the implementation of distributor rules and policies designed to promote retail sales to protect consumers and to prevent inappropriate activities and to distinguish between legitimate network marketing distribution plans and unlawful pyramid schemes. We have adopted rules and policies based on case law, rulings of the FTC, discussions with regulatory authorities in several states and domestic and global industry standards. Legal and regulatory requirements concerning network marketing systems, however, involve a high level of subjectivity, are inherently fact-based and are subject to judicial interpretation. Because of the foregoing, we can provide no assurance that we would not be harmed by the application or interpretation of statutes or regulations governing network marketing, particularly in any civil challenge by a current or former distributor.
Increases in duties on our imported products in our markets outside of the United States could reduce our revenue and harm our competitive position.
Historically, we have imported most of our products into the countries in which they are ultimately sold. These countries impose various legal restrictions on imports and typically impose duties on our products. In any given country, regulators may increase duties on imports and, as a result, reduce our profitability and harm our competitive position relative to locally produced goods.
Governmental authorities may question our inter-company transfer pricing policies or change their laws in a manner that could increase our effective tax rate or otherwise harm our business.
As a U.S. company doing business in international markets through subsidiaries, we are subject to foreign tax and inter-company pricing laws, including those relating to the flow of funds between our company and our subsidiaries. Regulators in the United States and in foreign markets closely monitor our corporate structure and how we effect inter-company fund transfers. If regulators challenge our corporate structure, transfer pricing mechanisms or inter-company transfers, our operations may be harmed, and our effective tax rate may increase. Tax rates vary from country to country, and, if regulators determine that our profits in one jurisdiction may need to be increased, we may not be able to fully utilize all foreign tax credits that are generated, which will increase our effective tax rate. For example, our corporate income tax rate in the United States is 35%. If our profitability in a higher tax jurisdiction, such as Japan where the corporate tax rate is currently set at 42%, increases disproportionately to the rest of our business, our effective tax rate may increase. We cannot assure you that we will continue operating in compliance with all applicable customs, exchange control and transfer pricing laws, despite our efforts to be aware of and comply with such laws. If these laws change, we may need to adjust our operating procedures and our business may suffer.
The loss of suppliers could harm our business.
For approximately ten years, we have acquired ingredients and products from one unaffiliated supplier that currently manufactures approximately 39% of our Nu Skin personal care products. We currently rely on two unaffiliated suppliers, one of which supplies approximately 39% and the other of which supplies approximately 28% of our Pharmanex nutritional supplements. We obtain some of our nutritional supplements from sole suppliers in China. We also license the right to distribute some of our products from third parties. Because of the concentrated nature of our suppliers and manufacturers, the loss of any of these suppliers or manufacturers, or the failure of suppliers to meet our needs, could restrict our ability to produce or distribute some products and harm our revenue as a result.
We depend on our key personnel, and the loss of the services provided by any of our executive officers or other key employees could harm our business and results of operations.
Our success depends to a significant degree upon the continued contributions of our senior management, many of whom would be difficult to replace. These employees may voluntarily terminate their employment with us at any time. We may not be able to successfully retain existing personnel or identify, hire and integrate new personnel. We do not carry key person insurance for any of our personnel. While we have signed offer letters from most of our senior executives, we only have one formal employment agreement with Joseph Chang, President of Pharmanex. If we lose the services of our executive officers or key employees for any reason, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be harmed.
Our markets are intensely competitive, and market conditions and the strengths of competitors may harm our business.
The markets for our Nu Skin and Pharmanex products are intensely competitive. Our results of operations may be harmed by market conditions and competition in the future. Many competitors have much greater name recognition and financial resources than we have, which may give them a competitive advantage. For example, our Nu Skin products compete directly with branded, premium retail products. We also compete with other direct selling organizations. The leading direct selling companies in our existing markets are Avon and Alticor (Amway). We currently do not have significant patent or other proprietary protection, and our competitors may introduce products with the same ingredients that we use in our products. Because of regulatory restrictions concerning claims about the efficacy of dietary supplements, we may have difficulty differentiating our products from our competitors’ products, and competing products entering the nutritional market could harm our nutritional supplement revenue.
We also compete with other network marketing companies for distributors. Some of these competitors have a longer operating history and greater visibility, name recognition and financial resources than we do. Some of our competitors have also adopted and could continue to adopt some of our successful business strategies, including our Global Compensation Plan for distributors. Consequently, to successfully compete in this market and attract and retain distributors, we must ensure that our business opportunities and compensation plans are financially rewarding. We cannot assure you that we will be able to successfully compete in this market.
There is uncertainty whether the SARS epidemic could return, particularly in those Asian markets most affected by the epidemic in 2003.
It is difficult to predict the impact, if any, of a recurrence of a SARS epidemic on our business. Although such an event could generate increased sales of health/immune supplements and certain personal care products, our direct selling and retail activities and results of operations could be harmed if the fear of SARS or other communicable diseases that spread rapidly in densely populated areas causes people to avoid public places and interaction with one another.
Product liability claims could harm our business.
We may be required to pay for losses or injuries purportedly caused by our products. Although we have had a very limited product claims history, we have recently experienced difficulty in finding insurers that are willing to provide product liability coverage at reasonable rates due to insurance industry trends and the rising cost of insurance generally. As a result, we have elected to self-insure our product liability risks for our core product lines. Until we elect and are able to obtain product liability insurance, if any of our products are found to cause any injury or damage, we will be subject to the full amount of liability associated with any injuries or damages. This liability could be substantial. We cannot predict if and when product liability insurance will be available to us on reasonable terms.
System failures could harm our business.
Because of our diverse geographic operations and our complex distributor compensation plan, our business is highly dependent on efficiently functioning information technology systems. These systems and operations are vulnerable to damage or interruption from fires, earthquakes, telecommunications failures and other events. They are also subject to break-ins, sabotage, intentional acts of vandalism and similar misconduct. In April 2002, we adopted a Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery Plan, which is in the process of being implemented. All of our data sets are archived and stored at third party, secure sites, but we have not contracted for a third party recovery site. Despite any precautions, the occurrence of a natural disaster or other unanticipated problems could result in interruptions in services and reduce our revenue and profits.
Risks Related to Our Class A Common Stock
The market price of our Class A common stock is subject to significant fluctuations due to a number of factors that are beyond our control.
Our Class A common stock closed at $14.10 per share on July 1, 2002 and closed at $25.49 per share on July 1, 2004. During this two-year period, our Class A common stock traded as low as $8.40 per share and as high as $25.91 per share. Many factors could cause the market price of our Class A common stock to fall. Some of these factors include:
| | • | | fluctuations in our quarterly operating results; |
| | • | | the sale of shares of Class A common stock by our original or significant stockholders; |
| | • | | general trends in the market for our products; |
| | • | | acquisitions by us or our competitors; |
| | • | | economic and/or currency exchange issues in those foreign countries in which we operate; |
| | • | | changes in estimates of our operating performance or changes in recommendations by securities analysts; and |
| | • | | general business and political conditions. |
Broad market fluctuations could also lower the market price of our Class A common stock regardless of our actual operating performance.
As of June 30, 2004, our original stockholders, together with their family members, estate planning entities and affiliates, controlled approximately 42% of the combined stockholder voting power, and their interests may be different from yours.
The original stockholders of our company, together with their family members and affiliates, have the ability to influence the election and removal of the board of directors and, as a result, future direction and operations of our company. As of June 30, 2004, these stockholders owned approximately 42% of the voting power of the outstanding shares of Class A common stock. Accordingly, they may influence decisions concerning business opportunities, declaring dividends, issuing additional shares of Class A common stock or other securities and the approval of any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. They may make decisions that are adverse to your interests.
If our stockholders sell a substantial number of shares of our Class A common stock in the public market, the market price of our Class A common stock could fall.
Several of our principal stockholders hold a large number of shares of the outstanding Class A common stock. Any decision by any of our principal stockholders to aggressively sell their shares could depress the market price of our Class A common stock.
As of June 30, 2004, we had 72,073,135 shares of Class A common stock outstanding. All of these shares are freely tradable, except for approximately 28 million shares held by certain stockholders who participated in our October 2003 recapitalization transaction wherein we repurchased approximately 10.8 million of our shares from our original stockholders and their affiliates and facilitated their resale of approximately 6.2 million additional shares to a group of private equity investors. Under the terms of our repurchase, our original stockholders agreed that they will not sell or otherwise dispose of any shares of Class A common stock on the open market or without the prior written consent of a majority of our independent directors prior to October 22, 2005. This agreement is subject to the following exceptions:
| | • | | certain charitable donations to religious organizations; |
| | • | | transfers of common stock to immediate family members or related persons who or estate planning entities that agree to be bound by similar restrictions; |
| | | • | | transfers pursuant to an existing call option for 2 million shares granted by one of our original stockholders, Sandra Tillotson, or an existing put option for up to 3.5 million shares obtained by Ms. Tillotson in a recent transaction with the selling stockholders named in this prospectus; and |
| | | • | | the pledge of shares as security for loans up to $10 million, provided certain conditions are met, including our right to purchase any shares upon the occurrence of an event of default at a price equal to 50% of the average closing price for the 15 days immediately prior to the event of default. |
These stockholders also agreed that, after the expiration of the two-year lock-up agreement in October 2005, they will be subject to certain volume limitations with respect to open market transactions. In the event these lock-up restrictions were removed, the resulting sales could cause the price of our Class A common stock to decline.
