Switchaway For Freedom – with Shawn Williams – [Ep. 141]

Linda J. Hansen  

Welcome. Thank you for tuning in to this episode of the Prosperity 101 Breakroom Economics Podcast. My name is Linda J. Hansen. Your host and the author of Prosperity 101 - Job Security Through Business Prosperity: The Essential Guide to Understanding How Policy Affects Your Paycheck, and the creator of the Breakroom Economics online course. The book, the course, and the entire podcast library can be found on Prosperity101.com. I seek to connect boardroom to breakroom and policy to paycheck by empowering and encouraging employers to educate employees about the public policy issues that affect their jobs.

My goal is to help people understand the foundations of prosperity, the policies of prosperity, and how to protect their prosperity by becoming informed, involved, and impactful. I believe this will lead to greater employee loyalty, engagement, and retention and to an increased awareness of the blessings and responsibilities of living in a free society. Listen each week to hear from exciting guests and be sure to visit Prosperity101.com.

Thank you for listening today. I often say elections have consequences, which is true. We have midterm elections coming up soon in America, and the decisions made at the polls will determine the direction of our states and nation. The importance of voting in every election cannot be stressed enough. Your selection of candidates should be based on the values you hold, and your vote will make a difference.

Did you know your values can also be expressed in the ways you vote with your dollars? By that I mean the ways in which your money is spent, whether on products, services, or investments that can greatly impact our nation based on the values held by the companies or organizations you support.

Are you like me tired of supporting companies that are in opposition to your values? Are you frustrated when you learn that your hard-earned dollars have supported causes you oppose? This can be true for your business or personal spending. 

Would you like to learn ways to use your dollars to support the causes and values you hold dear? If so, you will love hearing from my guest today, Shawn Williams, one of the founders of Switch Away, an innovative solution for those who want to support American companies who provide American-made products.

Thank you for joining with me today, Shawn. Please share with the listeners what led you to starting SwitchAway. And then we can discuss how listeners can participate and support a company that supports their values.

Shawn Williams  

Thanks, Linda. I appreciate it. It’s great to be here today. SwitchAway really started shortly after the election. But really it was after the whole year of pandemic that we all got to live through. And a couple of articles came out that really struck me. The first one was the average workers around the world had last $3.7 trillion in wages during that pandemic for the previous year. And the very next day, an article comes out that says – do you remember that one from yesterday? Well, the billionaires of the world gained $3.9 trillion in wealth.

I don’t even think the average person can fathom what a trillion dollars is in reality. But when you think about all of the small businesses, I think one of the recent studies is now saying over 200,000 small businesses in America were closed forever during that. And all of the people they employed that were living in the communities that they cared about their employees, they’d invested their life savings into that business. And all that power got sucked into these conglomerates.

And that’s when it really struck me that we need to change how we spend our money. If we value freedom, then we need to give it to the companies that have it because companies that are controlled by shareholders and publicly traded, they’ve lost most of their freedom to do what they want. They’re beholden to their shareholders. And so, when you see all of these small businesses that are privately owned go under and everything go up to these conglomerates, it’s a scary situation for those of us that value freedom.

So, we decided to set out and let’s go find the companies that have refused to lose their freedom. And maybe that’s the best way to look at it. That have stayed family-owned, that are still private, that believe in making their products here in America. And we’re excited with what we’ve been able to find. So, that’s really kind of how we started.

Linda J. Hansen  

That’s such a great story. And your own background, you were in construction prior to this. Correct?

Shawn Williams  

Yes, correct. This was not – I didn’t know that this would be my life two years ago. But I’ve been a general contractor for years, I hurt my back really bad. And so, in all honesty, I was consuming way too much news while I was laying on the couch during the whole election and everything else, and just realize that you know what? We all need to step up and do something. If we feel there’s something wrong, we’ve got to realize that we’re the ones placed here to correct it. It’s not up to the government. It’s not up to anyone else. It’s up to us. And so, we’re doing what we can, and we’ve had a great time over the last year and a half doing it.

Linda J. Hansen  

Well, that’s just fantastic. And it is right. You know, we, the people, are the ones who are in charge of our government, in charge of our nation. And we need to exercise that authority and opportunity. We need to exercise that freedom in a variety of ways. You know, one, I mentioned voting at the voting booths, you know, voting in every election. But voting with our dollars is very important.

I think most of the listeners would be familiar with stories of ways that their money has been spent to really support causes that they’re totally opposed to, all kinds of things that have been in schools and workplaces across America. We look at companies that you don’t get everything from China, and you know, our own natural resources, our products, and things coming from foreign nations. We become dependent on foreign nations for so many things. And then we don’t always know the quality of those products as well.

So, looking to support not only our American economy and support American jobs, but as we look to purchasing from American companies, we can have better control over the quality and the supply chain of those products. Can you touch on how you really searched for a place that could provide a variety of products and great quality for the consumer?

Shawn Williams  

Yeah, absolutely. So, when we went out searching, we really wanted to focus on the everyday needs of life. We saw that the economy was turning. And when the economy goes south, people lose sight of the extras. They focus on necessities. And we’re seeing that now more today than ever. The stores and shelves are stocked full of extras of life. And they’re having trouble keeping the necessities even on the shelf. But what we realized is let’s focus on that. Because we know that’s going to be something that people need good economy or bad economy. And it can really make a difference.

And so, as we went out, we found lots of great micro companies. It’s probably the best way to put it. You’ve got Sally making soap in her garage-type companies and obviously a little bigger than that. But the problem is they don’t have the ability to scale. And they’re not buying in big enough quantity that they can compete on price. So, it makes it really hard to say, “Hey, you need to go buy this $12 soap over here because it’s Made in America.” People can’t do that.

So, we were looking for somewhere that could scale and had the ability to fulfill demand. Because we’re not looking to switch a few hundred people, we’re looking to switch a few million people to start. This needs to be a big movement that we finally say, “Enough is enough.” And so, we were able to find one manufacturer and it’s not by accident that they’re still family-owned. It’s because they’ve refused to be part of that club now for over 30 years. They just won’t be part of it. They wrote into their charter that they can’t be sold or bought out because they know who their competition are. And when they started the company, they were told, “No one’s broken into this category in over 60 years, because if you get big enough, they either buy you out or they destroy you. They don’t allow competition because you can’t get shelf space.”

Linda J. Hansen  

This is great because not only do they provide this for their company, their employees, everything. But the products are so far-ranging that really there’s something for everyone. And when you talked about the essential products, the things that we use every day, you know, the cleaning products, the self-care products, all those different things that we use all the time, nutritional supplements.

This is something that is so useful to the consumer and knowing that we can purchase things that are Made in America, that are made with quality ingredients, that the skincare products and things will not have parabens, and all these harmful ingredients. But that we can also really provide for whether it’s children or the elderly in our family. You know, there’s something for everyone. So, could you give the listeners a little taste into what can be purchased through SwitchAway.

Shawn Williams  

Sure, sure, sure. So, they’ve got hundreds and hundreds of products, and they manufacture all of them in house, which for me meant a lot because they control what they make. And they do that for a reason. Because they want everything they make to be completely safe. They don’t use safety caps. They don’t have to because the stuff is safe. And to know that you can get your household cleaners and the skincare, the makeup, the snacks, the weight loss, the protein bars and shakes, the shampoos and conditioners, I mean hundreds and hundreds of items that we throw in the cart every month of our life at these big box stores.

And it’s just become normal to turn left into Walmart or Target on Fridays and get what you need. But we’re able to switch that over and take that market share away permanently. They’ve put the ball back in our hands now as Americans and we get to decide. And either we choose and make the difference, or we do nothing. And the other side will. And so, for us, now it’s time to it’s time for choosing. Are we going to just let things go on the way they have? Or just say, “You know what? No. Let’s start changing the way we do things.” And little by little, that’s how we can take our country back in my opinion.

Linda J. Hansen  

Well, it is. And through SwitchAway, not only can we purchase products that are Made in America and made with high-quality ingredients, and really have a great supply of variety. But through SwitchAway, people have an opportunity to earn income as well. Could you explain that opportunity?

Shawn Williams  

Yeah, absolutely. So, when people go to switchaway.com/p101 for your podcast, what’s great is not only is this an alternative shopping, but they can partner with you because you need help in this mission. And what better way to earn some extra income in today’s world than to actually do something that’s noble, that’s good, that makes a difference. We have so much fun doing it. We’ve got well over 1,000 people onboard doing this work with us.

Linda J. Hansen  

Well, and that’s the thing is – so, for anybody listening, yes, you can go to switchaway.com/p101 – that’s all lowercase. And by purchasing items through there, you can support what I’m doing on this podcast and what I’m doing through Prosperity 101. But if you have an organization or a non-profit, or just your personal life that you’d like to support through SwitchAway, there’s opportunity for that, too. So, if people want would like to learn how to purchase the products – so, they go to switchaway.com/p101 and that’s all lowercase, then what will they see when they get there?

Shawn Williams  

What they’re going to see is just a brief explanation of our path to get here. What we learned that – “Wow. Are you serious that 11 corporations control over 90% of the items that sit on the store shelves today?” And those 11 corporations are then controlled by primarily three hedge funds that sit on the board, have the voting rights, install the CEOs. And we see all these woke decisions coming out of corporations, and it makes no sense financially as a company. And it’s because there’s a different agenda. But you’ll see that and then you’ll see we’ve got some articles about the harm that’s been done. We stand in line to hand these people our money, knowing that they harm a lot of people, and planet, and animals. And we’re, “Here’s our money because we need our stuff.”

Linda J. Hansen  

Well, and people don’t always know how many harmful chemicals are in products that we use every day. And for those of us who – you know, we’ve grown up using certain brands of detergents or soaps, or, you know, other types of cleaning products or self-care products. You know, we look at that and we don’t even realize that it makes a difference.

So, on this website, you’ll be able to learn some things that – you know, some harmful chemicals that have, you know, probably impacted your health and life or the health of family members for sure. And we really want to create not only a healthier economic environment for everyone but through these products, we want to make sure that people have healthier options for the products that they use every day. So, you have a less toxic environment in your home.

I mean, we don’t realize how much we breathe in, take in through our skin, everything through all of these various cleaning products, and to have something that’s safe. I’ve heard you say before, they don’t even have safety caps, because some of the cleaning products, I mean, they don’t have to have all those warnings, because they’re safe enough that someone could consume them, although we don’t want them to, but they could.

Shawn Williams  

Yeah. But people have and kids will. That’s the whole deal of it. There’s over 7,000 calls per day to Poison Control in America with most of it being consumer goods. There was a study done, real quick over in UK, they lasted 20 years. They followed – I can’t even remember how many people now – but they followed these people for 20 years, just with household cleaners. They use them once a week. And they wanted to see what the long-term effects of it were.

And what that study showed is that if you’re using your regular household cleaners – I’m talking bleach and Lysol and 409, nothing out of the ordinary once a week, it is the exact same damage to your lungs as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day –

Linda J. Hansen  

Wow.

Shawn Williams  

– for 10 years. And it just blew my mind that – wow. And they have let us do it.

Linda J. Hansen  

Well, and one of the things I think the pandemic did for a lot of people is help us refocus on really how to protect our immune system. You know, I’ve always been one promoting integrative health, like holistic, integrative, naturopath, health solutions where we get to the cause of illness and not just treating the symptom.

And so, one of the things we do to prevent causes of illness is to create a healthier environment. So, our immune systems can be healthy and strong. But there are wonderful products here that can provide great solutions. And if you’re listening, and maybe you have someone who struggles with different symptoms that, you know, are just unexplained, it may be great to try out these things because really, just cleaning our environment, getting a fresher environment really helps our immune systems helps our whole system to be healthier and stronger.

Shawn Williams  

Yup, absolutely does. And for me, this really came down to, if I know all of this, I have to choose. Do I continue doing what I’m doing? Or do I say, “You know what? I need to make a change, whatever that change might be.” And so, that’s how this started. And we’ve now got thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of people that have made the switch with us.

I’m excited because it’s something we can all do. It’s something that the prices are great. The products are great. It’s from a company that loves America. And refuses to be part of this club that we seem to be surrounded with today. And so, it’s really excited me.

Linda J. Hansen  

Well, it’s really a positive alternative. And for listeners, if you love America, you love your family, you love the opportunity that America brings to build prosperity – I mean, when I talk about prosperity, people often think Prosperity 101 means you know how to take care of your finances, I truly believe prosperity is way more than that. It means human flourishing. It means how we can thrive, how we can have freedom, opportunity, better health, opportunity to create wealth. And this is just one step.

And so, for those of you who are tired of supporting woke corporations that use your money in ways that you do not want them to, I really invite you. Go to switchaway.com/p101. Again, it’s all lowercase switchaway.com/p101. And I’m excited that SwitchAway has become, you know, basically a sponsor for Prosperity 101, the podcast, and the work that I do with Prosperity 101. So, thank you, Shawn. And I’m excited for that partnership.

But I’m also really excited to offer this to the listeners because it is truly an innovative, proactive alternative to supporting causes that we just do not hold dear and that aren’t good for America or for our families. So, I just really think this is great. So, thank you for doing the research, finding a company that you could work with that provides all these products.

So, listeners, if you go to switchaway.com/p101, you will find what Shawn talked about. You’ll learn about all of these companies that really control the market for so many of the products we use every day. You will learn about some of the ways those products have not been in your best interest. And you’ll learn alternatives, like what types of products could you use in place of the products that you’re used to using all the time, but that could be supporting not only the values you believe in but also encouraging better health for you and your family.

Shawn Williams  

Yeah, absolutely. And just a real quick note, as we finish up here. We do do business differently –

Linda J. Hansen  

Yes.

Shawn Williams  

– than the current world. And we’re proud of that, to be honest. Because I don’t like the direction the current world is heading in for most everything. But we actually talked to people. People are going to fill out the form. We’re going to contact them and actually have a conversation, give them the details, answer their questions so they’re not stuck wandering around a website or on hold somewhere. We believe in customer service.

And we absolutely hate all this isolation and division that’s been pushed on us. There are so many mental health issues coming from that, that aren’t being talked about today. And the only way to push back on that is just don’t participate. So, we don’t – we actually enjoy talking to people. So, just understand, we’re going to reach out. We’re going to be friendly and nice, have a conversation, tell you all about it, and no pressure, no sales, just a conversation. So –

Linda J. Hansen  

That’s great. So, when you go to switchaway.com/p101, like I said, you’ll see those things. But then when you fill out the form, you’ll be contacted. And there will be a video that you can watch that explains how this all works. And you’ll have the opportunity to switch away. You can switch away from supporting companies that do not support your values, that do not support your nation. And you can switch to supporting a company that does support your values and is great for America and for your family. So, thank you, Shawn. If people want to reach out to you, how should they do so?

Shawn Williams  

Let’s have them go through your link. I’m happy to chat with them. And just let us know and we’ll go from there.

Linda J. Hansen  

Well, that’s great. Thank you. And thank you for the innovative approach. I’ve mentioned that a couple of times on here. But, you know, sometimes God works in mysterious ways. And you having a back injury, giving you a lot of time to think, brought up something that will help hopefully millions of people to switch away. And we can take our money, vote with our dollars, in support of the values that we hold dear.

So, thank you, Shawn. And we look forward to serving the listeners. And to any listeners out there who want to switch away, again, go to switchaway.com/p101, all lowercase, and that can get you started. And by doing so, you help support this podcast. You help support the work I’m trying to do with Prosperity 101, which is to help people become informed, involved, and impactful by understanding foundations of prosperity, our basic opportunity to create prosperity here in the United States, what made America great, you know, the policies of prosperity, helping people understand basic economic policies, and then how to protect their prosperity by becoming informed, involved, and impactful. We can be impactful in how we spend our money. So, this is just another way to help every individual to make better choices for themselves and for their nation. So, thank you, Shawn.

Shawn Williams  

Thank you. God bless.

Linda J. Hansen  

You, too.

Thank you again for listening to the Prosperity 101 Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share, and leave a great review. Don’t forget to visit Prosperity101.com to access the entire podcast library, to order my newest book, Job Security Through Business Prosperity: The Essential Guide to Understanding How Policy Affects Your Paycheck, or to enroll you or your employees in the Breakroom Economics online course. You can also receive the free e-book, 10 Tips for Helping Employees Understand How Public Policy Affects Paychecks.

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