I haven't blogged in a long time,
but I feel compelled to write about something some of you
may see as self-serving.
I ask that you indulge me anyway,
because there is a lot of misinformation out there
and I believe I am uniquely qualified to address it.
Two years ago I started a network marketing business.
I have enjoyed great support from friends and family,
have become part of, and built a team of really abundant thinking people.
I have been able to tap into some of the best training I have ever had
I have also had several people tell me that my industry is a
pyramid scam (illegal btw, so take that off your worry list),
that few ever succeed, that it is slimy and that
that few ever succeed, that it is slimy and that
the only way to make money is to get people to join you in business or
bug them to buy your products.
bug them to buy your products.
I am willing to forgive them their ignorance.
They don't understand this business like I do and I want to tell you why.
My father spent 37 years as a franchisee of one of
the most recognized brands in the world.
I worked for him for 12 of them.
I have nothing but respect for the company, especially since it supported my family
growing up, but I watched him work hard for years and come out of it with less than he deserved.
When I started my own "franchise" via the network marketing model
I became acutely aware of both the similarities and differences
in this model and the traditional franchise model.
Most don't see network marketing businesses as a form of
franchise, but I sure do.
However...I tend to think of it as a franchise in the best sense of the word.
I was able to start my business for under $1000.
Most network marketing companies allow you to do this.
The initial fee to join and get a business kit is extremely affordable when you compare
it to a traditional franchise (which will cost anywhere from $100,000 to $1,000,000 depending on the franchise).
The initial fee to join and get a business kit is extremely affordable when you compare
it to a traditional franchise (which will cost anywhere from $100,000 to $1,000,000 depending on the franchise).
My dad's franchise fee was several thousand dollars even in 1971.
Once he got the approval of the company, he took out building loans, had to buy equipment, hire employees, buy the food, advertise and put in hours of work just to open the doors.
And then he still had to pay the company flat rent and a percentage of sales, a percentage for
national advertising, insurance, payroll, accounting fees, supplies, and on and on.
Over the years he was required to re-invest as operating systems and menus changed.
He had to rebuild three of his eight stores and remodel all of them at least every
seven years.
New menu initiatives meant new equipment and entire kitchen remodels,
often at six-figures per store.
After 37 years of living his American dream what did he have to show for it? A mountain of debt.
And he was a successful franchisee.
One who the company approved for additional stores over the
One who the company approved for additional stores over the
years and gave good ratings to.
Ty and I are now franchisees with a different restaurant, and while we love it, the same financial "stuff" applies...albeit on a much smaller scale. Cash flow is a constant concern for any small business owner. A week of bad weather, spring break when almost the entire town leaves, road construction in front of your store, etc., etc., etc., all have an impact on sales.
This is not a complaint. We love our business and the community we serve. It is reality however, and it makes me even more appreciative of my network marketing business.
Ty and I are now franchisees with a different restaurant, and while we love it, the same financial "stuff" applies...albeit on a much smaller scale. Cash flow is a constant concern for any small business owner. A week of bad weather, spring break when almost the entire town leaves, road construction in front of your store, etc., etc., etc., all have an impact on sales.
This is not a complaint. We love our business and the community we serve. It is reality however, and it makes me even more appreciative of my network marketing business.
With my network marketing business I get to tap into the same brand recognition
and integrity that my dad did.
But...I don't pay for advertising. I don't pay employees, insurance or loans.
My "investment" per month goes to my website fee and products I
use for myself or to let others sample...all of which I can write off.
My customers also benefit. They don't have to pay for all
the advertising and layers of management salaries
hidden in the cost of the product.
(Did you know that only a tiny percentage of the cost of a product on a store
shelf is actually the ingredients and packaging? The majority of what you pay is the cost of telling
you to buy the product and where to buy it).
My customers pay for the product and I get a commission from it.
They can even return it for a full refund if they are not satisfied.
That's it.
My customers also benefit. They don't have to pay for all
the advertising and layers of management salaries
hidden in the cost of the product.
(Did you know that only a tiny percentage of the cost of a product on a store
shelf is actually the ingredients and packaging? The majority of what you pay is the cost of telling
you to buy the product and where to buy it).
My customers pay for the product and I get a commission from it.
They can even return it for a full refund if they are not satisfied.
That's it.
I determine how well I succeed.
I get to share my business with others who want excellent
I get to share my business with others who want excellent
products or the same business opportunity I have.
I am invested in their success and would love nothing
more than to see them experience more success than I have.
THEY determine the pace of their work.
THEY determine how much or how little they want to work their business.
They are their own bosses, but I am there for support should they desire it.
Those who don't succeed either never start, or they quit too soon.
That or they just don't believe in what they are doing and
don't put in the effort to build their business.
Either way, it is their business and no one tells them what to do.
After 35 years in my dad's business the company told him,
post two major surgeries and lengthy recoveries,
that he needed to spend more time in the office and his stores.
He finally decided to sell and retire.
You can bet the company determined who he could sell to and how much he
could sell for.
And after that he had to pay off his large debt from required reinvestment.
With my business I can will it to my children and I never have to quit.
If I am willing to put in the work up front, I can relax and still enjoy
the fruits of that labor until I die.
The people on my team can make more money than I do
if they so desire. The beauty is that it is up to them.
Nobody has to ask for a raise.
Nobody has performance reviews or action plans.
There is no reason for a human resources department
in my business.
There is a reason this industry is gaining ground in this day in age.
There is a reason people are seeking something more from their work.
Something in the form of flexibility and possibility.
They are seeking a turn-key franchise opportunity
without all the hidden costs and debt-load.
They want a support system of individuals who
care about them and their success,
not just the bottom line.
Something in the form of flexibility and possibility.
They are seeking a turn-key franchise opportunity
without all the hidden costs and debt-load.
They want a support system of individuals who
care about them and their success,
not just the bottom line.
So...does this model work for everyone? No.
It won't work for those who are not self-disciplined and willing to
face rejection
(yes, people say no to me, but I don't take it personally)
It won't work for someone who wants a get-rich-quick scheme.
(it takes a solid 3 to 5 years for most to build a business that supports them.
Some do it in far less time, but that is the norm)
It won't work for the lazy, the unmotivated and
the person looking for someone else to do the hard stuff.
It won't work if you don't invest some time and effort.
They say entrepreneurs who succeed are willing to do the work
that others aren't willing to do, in order to live the kind of life
others won't be able to live.
The people who start their own network marketing businesses do it for a lot
of admirable reasons...
they want to supplement their incomes and/or build an income
that replaces their traditional job.
They may just want extra income for kid's extra-curricular
activities or their own fun money.
Many use their businesses to fund causes they are passionate about
and help those less fortunate than them.
Most network marketers are women. Many are mothers who
desire more freedom with their schedule to
be there for their families.
I have yet to meet a person in my industry who does this just to make money.
Their "whys" are much bigger than a paycheck.
They are working to live not living to work.
The next time one of your friends or acquaintances approaches you
about the products they love to represent, or the
business opportunity they are passionate about
please give them the benefit of the doubt and listen.
You may be helping them afford lessons for their child,
or fund their dreams to adopt,
or raise money for a special charity.
You may be helping a mother stay home with her children,
or a father keep from having to work hours in a second job
to pay bills.
These are your friends and neighbors. They are asking you to
consider putting money you
would all ready be spending on products you need, towards something
meaningful. They are asking you to keep your dollars local instead of
funding the salary of a big company CEO.
If your best friend opened a restaurant I am sure you would eat there
to support them and tell everyone you know to do the same.
This is no different.
YES,
this blog entry is self-serving.
I have a network marketing business and I have a desire to succeed.
I would love to have others join me in business because I love helping them realize their dreams.
I have found my passion is supporting and training others to have successful businesses of their own.
I would love for you to try my products because they have worked for me
and I am proud to stand behind them.
I believe in the industry I have become a part of and
I try to support others who sell products through their own
home-based network marketing businesses...whether it is clothes,
bags, cookwear or supplements.
And I think you should too.
And no...when I signed up I didn't join a cult or
drink some funny Kool-Aid.
I took my experience in the franchise world
and I looked at what I do now through those eyes.
One final thought...
If you were hired by, say, Nike, and they asked you,
in your job description, to wear the clothes and shoes and
learn what you could about their company, then go out and recruit
people to hire.
They asked you to find people who would be great brand ambassadors to help
them increase their market share (as if they need to, but stay with me here).
When you did that, successfully recruited and trained people to work in sales for them,
you would be paid a bonus.
In addition, you could sell Nike apparel and make a commission of what you sell.
You might even get a raise if you were good at what you did.
You would think that was a pretty respectable job, wouldn't you!
I am doing the same thing.
only the up side...
I don't have to wait for someone else to offer me a raise.
I determine that all on my own.
Stepping off the soapbox now.
Carry on...
:)
It won't work for those who are not self-disciplined and willing to
face rejection
(yes, people say no to me, but I don't take it personally)
It won't work for someone who wants a get-rich-quick scheme.
(it takes a solid 3 to 5 years for most to build a business that supports them.
Some do it in far less time, but that is the norm)
It won't work for the lazy, the unmotivated and
the person looking for someone else to do the hard stuff.
It won't work if you don't invest some time and effort.
They say entrepreneurs who succeed are willing to do the work
that others aren't willing to do, in order to live the kind of life
others won't be able to live.
The people who start their own network marketing businesses do it for a lot
of admirable reasons...
they want to supplement their incomes and/or build an income
that replaces their traditional job.
They may just want extra income for kid's extra-curricular
activities or their own fun money.
Many use their businesses to fund causes they are passionate about
and help those less fortunate than them.
Most network marketers are women. Many are mothers who
desire more freedom with their schedule to
be there for their families.
I have yet to meet a person in my industry who does this just to make money.
Their "whys" are much bigger than a paycheck.
They are working to live not living to work.
The next time one of your friends or acquaintances approaches you
about the products they love to represent, or the
business opportunity they are passionate about
please give them the benefit of the doubt and listen.
You may be helping them afford lessons for their child,
or fund their dreams to adopt,
or raise money for a special charity.
You may be helping a mother stay home with her children,
or a father keep from having to work hours in a second job
to pay bills.
These are your friends and neighbors. They are asking you to
consider putting money you
would all ready be spending on products you need, towards something
meaningful. They are asking you to keep your dollars local instead of
funding the salary of a big company CEO.
If your best friend opened a restaurant I am sure you would eat there
to support them and tell everyone you know to do the same.
This is no different.
YES,
this blog entry is self-serving.
I have a network marketing business and I have a desire to succeed.
I would love to have others join me in business because I love helping them realize their dreams.
I have found my passion is supporting and training others to have successful businesses of their own.
I would love for you to try my products because they have worked for me
and I am proud to stand behind them.
I believe in the industry I have become a part of and
I try to support others who sell products through their own
home-based network marketing businesses...whether it is clothes,
bags, cookwear or supplements.
And I think you should too.
And no...when I signed up I didn't join a cult or
drink some funny Kool-Aid.
I took my experience in the franchise world
and I looked at what I do now through those eyes.
One final thought...
If you were hired by, say, Nike, and they asked you,
in your job description, to wear the clothes and shoes and
learn what you could about their company, then go out and recruit
people to hire.
They asked you to find people who would be great brand ambassadors to help
them increase their market share (as if they need to, but stay with me here).
When you did that, successfully recruited and trained people to work in sales for them,
you would be paid a bonus.
In addition, you could sell Nike apparel and make a commission of what you sell.
You might even get a raise if you were good at what you did.
You would think that was a pretty respectable job, wouldn't you!
I am doing the same thing.
only the up side...
I don't have to wait for someone else to offer me a raise.
I determine that all on my own.
Stepping off the soapbox now.
Carry on...
:)
