Agel supplements started with dream

Agel Enterprises, a Provo-based maker of gel-based nutritional supplements, literally started with a dream.

Agel's founder and chief executive, Glen Jensen, had a dream in November 2004 that included a complete business plan for launching a company that made gel nutritional supplements.

Jensen woke up and got to work. Within six months, he had attracted venture-capital funding, developed five edible gel products, certified them kosher and halal, recruited a management team and implemented a business plan that included launching Agel in 10 foreign markets from day one.

Agel is a network marketing company, a category in which 99 percent of all businesses fail within the first two years. So far, the company is bucking that trend, operating debt-free in more than 40 markets.

One reason is that no one else is making nutritional supplements and cosmetics in gel form, giving distributors a chance to sell a product that is unique in the market. Another is that the company relies on technology, operating solely through a streamlined Internet infrastructure that gives quick entry into foreign markets.

The company also has contended with the challenge that some nutritional ingredients taste nasty. Through trial and error, Agel has found a way to mask the flavor of its ingredients with a pleasant-tasting gel. The company has manufacturing facilities in Utah, Australia and Minnesota.