Treasure Your Dreams

“Oh, it’s one of those pyramid things.” — by far the most common response I receive when I share my business with someone. I usually respond with a smile and the words, “Yes… kind of,” because what people usually mean is it is one of “those deals” where the person who gets in at the top makes all the money, and those who get in later do not.

And that is not the case at all!

Have you ever thought of this though? Isn’t everything a pyramid?

Take Corporate America for example… let’s say, McDonald’s.

The CEO is at the very top of the McDonalds Corporation. Obviously, as the person at the very top, he probably earns the most income.

Let’s jump down to the franchise owners — the owners of each individual McDonald’s store. Not quite as high up as the CEO, but not at the bottom either. Their income is somewhere in the middle.

Let’s look at the managers — below the franchise owners, so they will obviously make less than them, but they still earn more than…

The minimum wagers — the 16 and 17 year old kids who go to work for McDonald’s at minimum wage. Their at the bottom, so obviously they are making the least.

“Oh, but they have the opportunity to move up!” you say. That is true. Everyone has the opportunity to move up. But what are the odds that a minimum wager will eventually become the CEO? Sure, there’s a chance. But what percentage of them actually do that?

My guess is much less than 1%.

So let’s jump over and look at Network Marketing. I have a book, “Chicken Soup for the Network Marketer’s Soul.” that describes in its foreward one of the most incredible descriptions of our industry I have ever read. I would like to share an excerpt of that with you here, written by Bill Hyman:

“Since 1979, MLM has pretty much been my life. When I was first introduced to this industry, I knew nothing about it except vague rumors. Today I see it as the most powerful vehicle available to everyday people for transforming their lives. What other career path give you an active network of friends, time freedom, an income level you can control, residual earning, and deep, lasting personal growth?

Not the corporate world, last I checked.

When you realize you receive all of these benefits only by helping others achieve the same, you get a glimpse at what the industry is all about.

Call it MLM, Multi-Level Marketing, Network Marketing or Direct Sales; this industry is a force to be reckoned with. More than thirteen million people in the U.S. and more than fifty three million worldwide are involved in Network Marketing. In one out of ten U.S. households, someone is working in a Direct Sales or MLM company. U.S. sales are over $30 billion annually as of this writing and almost $90 billion worldwide.

Network Marketing affords you the opportunity to establish a business with an investment typically under $500, start out part-time, shift to full-time at your own speed, and build up a truly substantial income (provided you’re willing to put the work in), all while receiving hands-on training.

Network Marketing is like having a franchise, only better. It offerse many of the benefits of a franchise without the franchise headaches — no hefty franchise fee, no employees, and little or no inventory. The business is willable and saleable. Plus, if you build it big enough, you can actually retire and continue earning income.”

Wow. So THAT’S what I do!

Network Marketing is an arena where you are the only person in control of your future. Whether you succeed or fail is entirely up to you; whether you work until you’re earning $1000 a month or $30,000 a month is up to you; whether you work it 10 hours a week or 50 hours a week is up to you!

You have all the options of a business owner, with all the support of a franchisee — and instead of competing against others for job titles and pay raises, you support and are supported by others as you all strive for your goals together.

So in a nutshell, that’s what my business is all about. I’m in the business of helping others achieve THEIR dreams. It’s as simple as that!

The quote I leave you with today is one of my favorites, by Zig Ziglar:

“You can have anything you want, if you help enough people get what they want.”

Leverage. 

Man, I love that word. It is one of the reason I do what I do every day — one of the reasons I have fallen so completely in love with this industry we like to call Network Marketing.

Leverage is what makes our industry work — what makes it so unique from any other industry in the world.

In the corporate world, people try to bring others down — the excellence of a person below you threatens your job security; why would you want to help them?

In Network Marketing, the excellence of a person below you makes you better. Your excellence makes your upline better. The excellence of your organization as a whole makes the company better.

Leverage is the reason why, in Network Marketing, you are in business for yourself, but never by yourself. Leverage is the reason we have conference calls, and training appointments — the reason I help my downline get better; the reason my upline helps me get better!

Leverage inspires teamwork;
and teamwork inspires success.

If the “secret” to network marketing is truly duplication, which I believe it is, then leverage is the explanation of that secret.

Leverage is the reason why duplication is so important — because in duplicating what you do, and making it easier for others to do, you can better leverage the work of all those under you to create the success you desire not only for yourself, but for them as well.

Without duplication, leverage cannot be truly taken advantage of. Without duplication, leverage cannot recognize its true potential. It is for this reason that as a leader in Network Marketing, you must believe in duplication and implement it into your business.

I would rather sponsor 100 people, and have 85% of them be successful, than sponsor 1000 and have 8.5% of them be successful.

It is my dream to see the dreams of those in my downline be realized. It is my dream to help them become successful; because I know that in accomplishing that dream, the realization of my other dreams will come as well.

 I believe that you can have leverage without duplication; however, I believe that WITH duplication, leverage will come much more easily, and much more quickly. I believe that leverage and duplication are what this industry is about — and that leaders in this industry are responsible for creating duplication, which allows the full use of leverage, in their organizations.

So, think duplicate!

The quote I leave you with is this, I’ve used it before but it’s one of my favorites; by Zig Ziglar:

“You can have anything you want, if you help enough people get what they want!”

When I was little I used to take all of my dolls, set them up in chairs with papers and books and “teach” them. I LOVED playing school! Part of me has always wanted to be a teacher, at least of some kind.

I recently shared that story with someone and was posed with the question “Well, why didn’t you become a teacher then?”

I’ve often thought about this question… long before this particular conversation even took place. The conclusion I have reached is I AM a teacher! That is truly what I do, all day long, is teach!

If I am talking to prospects, I am teaching them about a business opportunity that has the power to totally transform their lives! How rewarding! My job, every day, is to share my story about a company, a product and an industry that I believe in — how many teachers can say that much?

I get to share, what I believe, is the best opportunity in the world with as many people as I can every day — how cool is that?

It goes further than that though… once a prospect DOES decide to join, I get to teach them how to own and operate their own business — something that most of them have never done before! I get to witness the excitement, the nervousness, the dissapointments, AND best of all the successes that every single one of my team members has as they make their journey with their new business!

I get to teach people the action steps they need to pursue a life of not only financial freedom, but the freedom of their time as well — I get to teach people how to reach their dreams!!

Lastly, I get to teach people (some not even on MY team) about goal setting, the power of visualization and positive thinking, how to personally improve their lives and theirselves to a point where most of them didn’t even realize was possible!

So, in short, my answer to that person’s question is; “I AM a teacher!! I teach all day long!”

I love what I do — I love everything about it, really. Not too many people can say that about what they do all day every day!

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes by one of the geniuses of our day, Zig Ziglar –

“You can have anything you want, if you help enough other people get what they want!”