Initial Outfitters

Initial Outfitters opened its doors as a personalization company in 2006 in east Alabama. The old Direct Sales Aid profile credited three people with building it: Beth Reeves, Alicia Storbeck and her husband Jim Storbeck. Rather than design a fixed line and hope it caught on, they sold products that customers could make their own with monograms, names and symbols.

The company grew through independent Consultants who sold at home parties and online. Its blog, archived from 2010 onward, ran monthly customer and hostess specials, join promotions and a series of Consultant stories in 2017. Hostess offers were still running in January 2019. The company described its home base as Auburn, Alabama, near Opelika, where its personalization team prepared each order.

“IO opened its doors as a personalization company in 2006. Since, we have transitioned and changed as a company but our commitment to excellence in personalized products and stylish accessories has not.”

Initial Outfitters, About Us page — initialoutfitters.com, 2026

Everything in the catalog could be personalized, usually with a monogram, a name, a date or a favorite symbol. Customers chose the font, style and color.

• Jewelry: hand-stamped rings, bracelets and necklaces, initial pendants and charms, bangles and layered necklaces.
• Bags: monogrammed totes, crossbody bags, cosmetic bags, backpacks, lunch boxes and luggage.
• Apparel: monogrammed tees, sweatshirts and pullovers, plus dresses and accessories.
• Home and gifts: mugs, cutting boards, coasters, pillows, stockings and seasonal gifts for weddings, babies and graduations.

Prices were friendly for gifts. The old Direct Sales Aid profile listed jewelry from $16 to $99, home goods and clothing from $14 to $42, and bags from $24 to $69.

Sellers were called Consultants. They sold at home parties, at online parties run on social media and through a personal sales website. Each kit came with access to an online workstation. Hosts earned rewards through monthly hostess specials, and new Consultants could earn free jewelry through a quick-start plan. Ranks used the company's own name: Outfitter, Star Outfitter, Senior Outfitter, Outfitter Leader and Senior Outfitter Leader. Top sellers earned incentive trips, leadership retreats and recognition, and a few were chosen as catalog models.

“I was under the impression I was ‘just a mom.’ After joining, I rediscovered a part of myself I had forgotten, the part that was a friend, teacher, leader, and creative person.”

Stephanie, Senior Outfitter Leader — Initial Outfitters website (initialoutfitters.com, archived), March 2021

Starter kits

The kit changed over the years. Archived blog posts from 2015 promoted a $99 starter kit. The old Direct Sales Aid profile later described three choices: the $79 "You Know You Love It" kit with business supplies, the $129 "More to Love" kit with nearly $200 in products, and the "Love it All" kit with about $730 in products. Seasonal "Bonus Buy" add-ons were also offered.

Pay

Consultants earned 20% to 30% commission on personal sales and 7% to 14% on their team's sales, depending on the sales tier they reached, according to the old Direct Sales Aid profile. Some sales of children's monogrammed items supported Charlie's Lunch, and by 2021 the site said every purchase helped feed and educate children. The company listed itself as a member of the Direct Selling Association.

Initial Outfitters did not announce the end of its Consultant program publicly in any source we could find. The change shows up in the company's own website instead. On March 1, 2021, archived copies of the homepage still showed Host, Join and Find a Consultant links and a wall of Consultant stories. By August 2, 2021, the site had been replaced by a new online store, whose product catalog begins in late June 2021. It sells only direct to customers, with no Consultant, host or join pages. The company's About Us page now calls IO "an entire on-line boutique of personalized gifts and accessories" and says it has "transitioned and changed as a company."

By August 2022, the site's FAQ described a big "Everything Must Go Sale" with shipping times of about 30 business days. The newest items in its catalog were added in July 2022. The sale banner was still up in October 2026, and the store still took orders for personalized jewelry, bags, apparel and gifts.

Former Consultants can no longer sell IO products or earn commissions. Customers can still order from the company's website while stock lasts. People who liked the party format can look at live companies such as Paparazzi on Direct Sales Aid.