My Story
In the mid eighties I was a sales trainer and personal development coach for Results in Sales and Marketing, we promoted Tom Hopkins .
I traveled throughout the United States and met hundreds if not thousands of successful people from all walks of life. It was the eighties, so we ran fast and hard. That time was very interesting!
One common thread that I found amongst successful people was that they were all into personal development and empowerment. They were the ones constantly trying to improve themselves and learn new things. I found that most of them worked their tails off to achieve their success. You know, 70-80 hour work weeks, going out to eat dinner at 9 pm...
Then something interesting happened.
We were started doing some small meetings for a company by the name of A.L. Williams. They were totally different from any company that I had worked with in the past. Instead of a 50 story corporate office, I was showing up at someones home. I still remember walking into the 1st training session I did for one of their groups, I think it was in California somewhere, and here I was in this Hugo Boss $1000 suit with all the trimmings, walking into a room of about 20 people who looked liked they didn't have a dime. I won't bore you with all the details but one thing that I found out, was that the guy who was running the meeting was earning over a million dollars a year. His name was Hector LaMarqe. That company went on to become Primemerica the largest financial marketing service in North America. They were the 1st network marketing company that I had ever heard about. One thing I learned from them , they were not only about money, but they were about people and lifestyle. They worked hard and they cared about the success of everyone around them. The more successful the people around them became the greater their success became. That was the first company that I saw that there were no limits for anyone. And fortunately, I got to know many of them. And I came to understand residual income. The rich understand this formula. Here it is:they would rather have 5% of a 1000 peoples effort then 100% of their own effort.
One more thing always stuck with me also: And to this day it still amazes me: If you would come to work for me today I will pay you $10,000 dollars per day, or if you wish I will start you on day at 1 cent, but I will double it everyday for the next 31 days. You choose?
Of course I chose the $10,000 a day, I'm not stupid. Or was I? I found out that 1 cent turns into something like $1,400,000 vs $310,000.
That is quite a difference. And that is the principal I found that network marketing was based on. The power of duplication. I was hooked but just to damn busy making a living.
This book was published in 1988
So, that was my 1st shot. Missed that one! Then a few years later I was in Salt Lake City, Utah and a friend of mine wanted to take me to dinner with someone who he had met who wanted to go over a new business they were starting called Nu Skin International. I did not really want to go but decided to anyway. Long story short, met a guy he told me about a company, I smirked, he went on to make millions. That company did $1.3 billion in sales last year. Missed that one too!
That same theme continued over the next 20+ years. I went on to be successful at my job and several of my friends went on to become millionaires and travel the world whenever they wanted , without a boss or board of directors to control their lives.
I dabbled in and out of network marketing over the next 20 years, using it primarily for a tax write. Home based businesses are great tax write-offs.
Then something changed. I woke up one day and I was approaching 50, oh no. Gas shot up to $4.00 a gallon and the world was going bankrupt. I saw hundreds of people getting laid off to cut expenses, we saw pay cuts to keep the company afloat. My 401k lost most of its value. And the biggest investment we own, our home lost most of its value. That changed me, that changed the world. We realized none of us are safe. The more we make, the more we are at risk. I saw 1st hand what I already knew. Corporate America is about Corporate America, not about people! It is about stock prices and profits, not about you paying your mortgage or sending your kids to law school. It is not about longevity, it is about profitability. Now, do not get me wrong. I am a capitalist 100%. But I realized it is my own ass on the line and I better do something to protect it. My financial destiny is in my hands and I should not rely on someone else. They should teach that in grade school. This was a giant wake up call for me. I had fallen asleep at the wheel and become everything I was against. I traded 15 years of my life for a paycheck. Now, granted it was a nice paycheck, but I had lost contact with the most important people in my life, my friends who I grew up with. I was working 80-90 hours a week and rarely had time to take a vacation. So you lose contact.
Well, believe it or not, I am glad the economy crashed because it got me back to here. A place, where I know what I want and I know how to get it. The Internet and Social marketing has opened doors for many of us. It offers us a way to create a passive residul stream while heling others. What could be a better combination. I hope you join me and lets get rich together!
0 comments:
Post a Comment