2010

What I earned: Our total profits from Network Marketing in 2010 were $12,846.54.

Number of Hours I worked/Activities: Right from the start I was putting in 20-30 hours a week on top of my current full time job. This was dialed in/focused time, and I was extremely motived and really desperate at the same time. In September, I lost my main source of income and became full-time with Network Marketing, working 50-60 hrs a week. I was newly married with an infant at home and was EXTREMELY motivated and desperate to make something happen now.

How I got involved with Network Marketing: One of the things that really attracted me to the business opportunity was having already had first-hand experience with their products. For three years prior to working with them, I was using their products, and got amazing results. Even after achieving great results and loving the company and products, when I first heard about the opportunity to work with them, I blew it off. At the time I was really against Network Marketing and I thought I was too good for it. I had heard bad things about the industry in general, and in my mind, it was “icky.” Thankfully, the thought kept creeping into my mind to look deeper into it. I soon learned the enormity of the opportunity and I was “ALL IN.”

Why I got involved with Network Marketing:  I did it for my family. Prior to working in Network Marketing, I was working a job where I would leave at 5:30 in the morning and not get home until 7 or 8 at night, and as much as I loved my wife and our daughter, Dakota, (one child at the time, now 3) I had nothing left to give them at the end of the day. I was desperate and I needed to find a way out. I was earning good money, but the lifestyle was literally killing me. It left me drained and sad and depressed. When I really learned what the Network Marketing opportunity was all about, I prayed on it for a long time. After a lot of prayer, my wife and I decided to do it. We understood there was going to be a big learning curve and that we wouldn’t be making that much $$ in the beginning, but we had faith in ourselves and the business opportunity.  We knew we wanted to build a life doing what we want, when we want, with who we want, and we knew this was the opportunity.

What was my intention and plan when I first started work with Network Marketing: My first goal was to earning enough income so my wife didn’t have to go back to work and she could stay at home with our daughter. She’s a school teacher and loves it, but it was really important to us and the lifestyle we wanted to create to have the ability for her to be a stay at home mom. It was really hard and really tight that first year; we drained all our savings but she was able to stay home with our daughter. That really was my sole focus at the beginning of our business. After we got to the point of making enough money to cover all our bills, we really set our sights on financial freedom. We wanted to truly be able to design our lives from the ground up, to do what we want, when we want, with who we want.

What I learned in that first year: The biggest thing I learned was that in order to earn passive income, I had to make sure I DIDN’T focus on selling. This was confusing to me at first, but the way the business model works, it rewards people for focusing on helping other people. The business is really about helping other people who are looking to improve their health and fitness (hello, pretty much everyone!) and also people who were looking to make additional income and earn passive income. I also really deepened my faith. I knew that God put this business opportunity in our path but believing that and actually having the faith to follow through with things when the personal self doubt kicks in are two totally different things.

What I planned on doing different at the end of 2010: I knew that I needed a mentor. I was doing OK with the business, but if I wanted to be a professional, I needed to act like a professional. I needed someone who knew how to build this type of business. It was very different than anything I had ever done and I needed someone to mentor me.