Ken Brailsford
Ken was born in Niagara Falls, NY and grew up in Utah and California. As a young man he spent 2.5 years as a missionary for the LDS church in Germany, where he devoted time to serve others. Later in life, he and his wife Linda served a total of 4.5 years as full-time missionaries/leaders. In his mid-twenties, Ken became an officer in the Army for 2.5 years which taught him discipline and organization. In 1969, he earned an undergraduate degree in Economics from Brigham Young University, which laid the groundwork for building prosperous businesses. He and his lovely wife Linda are proud parents of 6 children, 24 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren with more on the way. Presently, they volunteer their time to serve in their church and enjoy spending time with their family. They reside in Pleasant Grove, UT and Gilbert, AZ. In terms of numbers Ken:
- Generated over $10 billion in revenue through his businesses
- He has,along with his wife, contributed millions in philanthropic donations
- Created hundreds of thousands of global entrepreneurial opportunities
- Employed thousands of people worldwide
- Currently operates in 50+ countries through Zija International
- Invested in dozens of successful business ventures over the years
- He is father of 6 children and husband to his wife Linda
- Co-founded 3 successful network marketing companies (all still in business)
In essence, Ken is “Success Encapsulated”
Interview with and photos of Ken:
An entrepreneur since 1972, Kenneth Brailsford has earned a reputation as a pioneer in network marketing and the development of herbal supplements. He is the founder and president of Zija International, the company behind commercial sales of the nutritional powerhouse plant moringa. Kenneth Brailsford discovered the potential in this plant when Western science began catching up with traditional cultures worldwide, which have used moringa to sustain populations for thousands of years. Using the expertise of his scientific team as well as his own marketing and sales acumen, Kenneth Brailsford now makes moringa’s broad range of nutrients available to the public through Zija.
Before founding Zija, Brailsford founded and built KEB Enterprises. A lending entity as well as the holding company for several franchises, KEB Enterprises maintains a portfolio that includes seven companies and more than two dozen properties. Brailsford continues to serve as the firm’s managing partner. Brailsford began his entrepreneurial career in 1972 when he co-founded Nature’s Sunshine, the world’s first commercial producer of encapsulated herbs. By 1974, he had begun to focus the company on network marketing, a commission system based on recruitment and sales. The company expanded into publishing, as the co-creator of several herbal supplement and nutrition books, and a successful magazine.
Shortly after selling his interests in the company, Mr. Brailsford bought another herbal company, then known as Nature’s Labs. There, he focused on international development, and expanded the company into Europe, Asia, and Australia, before facilitating its sale. Kenneth Brailsford holds a Bachelor of Science in economics from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He is an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and a veteran of the United States Army. He and his wife Linda are the proud parents of six grown children.
The Zija story begins with one man viewing a documentary about a tree grown in faraway lands. His interest piqued as he observed people being sustained by consuming small amounts of this nutrient-rich botanical, called Moringa oleifera. This man is Ken Brailsford, a pioneer in the nutritional supplement industry, the “Father of Herbal Encapsulation,” and the Founder of Zija International.
Long before Zija International became a household name, Ken had already successfully started and run two multi-million dollar health and nutrition product network marketing companies. Although he was retired when he first learned of Moringa, Ken felt inspired by its potential to change the world. He came out of retirement and began learning as much as he could from the worlds best scientists, biochemists, botanists, pharmacologists and product formulators.
Ken also assembled an impressive executive team to help spread the Zija message and empower our Independent Distributors in every way possible. He chose Ryan Palmer to lead the company, with the goal of rapid and sustainable growth at the top of both of their minds.
“I’m looking forward to being in a more hands-on role for a company that I feel so passionately about,” Brailsford said. “Because of Ryan’s guidance, Zija has been able to maintain consistent and sustainable growth, and I’m excited to see where we can take the company working alongside one another.”
Before Zija became a household name, Brailsford had already started and run two multimillion-dollar health and nutrition network marketing companies. After learning of Moringa oleifera in 2005, he came out of retirement and founded Zija International, one of the first companies to bring Moringa to market.
“There isn’t anyone more qualified than Ken Brailsford to materialize our vision of becoming a true legacy company,” said Palmer. “We have laid out an aggressive growth strategy; we have validated, world-class products; and we have prepared the proper infrastructure to support our Zija Members in sharing their businesses across the globe. Zija’s future is brighter and clearer than ever before.”
In just over a decade, Zija has grown to operate in countries worldwide, has been recognized on fastest-growing and top-revenue lists by Inc. Magazine, and has recently aligned with prior direct selling companies XANGO, Qivana and EmzaGold.
“After nearly 50 years of experience in the industry, I recognize that Zija is entering an enormous growth phase that I want to be a part of,” Brailsford said. “We’ve cast a clear vision that will lead Zija to succeed for decades to come.”