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Original title:
My Business of People, 20 Years Later.
Subtitle:
Secrets of success for a new generation of people who lead people.
© Copyright 2013. All rights reserved.
No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means - electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise - without written permission from Global Meanings Publishing LLC, except for referenced quoting from magazine reviews or educational media.
© 2013 Global Meanings Publishing LLC. All rights reserved.
Published and distributed by:
Global Meanings Publishing LLC.
San Antonio, TX, USA.
ISBN: 978-0-9911944-1-4
A motivational book produces joy.
An educational one produces wealth.
It was 6:07 in the morning when I woke up on a Tuesday, knowing that the time had come to write this book. My eyes opened almost in an instant, no longer sluggish, as if there were a force pushing me to finish my morning routine and start typing on my computer.
I knew I had to write about so many things, all which can be learned in a life almost entirely dedicated to a networking business. After all, exactly twenty years and two months ago, I set out on this journey that would take me on unimaginable paths. And twenty years dedicated to any activity is nothing to scoff at, especially when we are constantly told that the first year in a networking business is one of learning, delving, getting our feet wet… I disagree. The journey never ends; every year that goes by reveals magical things, and the more the years, the more magic is revealed.
After sitting up in bed, I walked towards the bathroom for my morning shower. I was reaching the end of the hallway when I saw something amazing through the window of my home office: tens of thousands of bright city lights were still shining with overwhelming clarity. The night did not seem ready to sleep yet, and the panoramic view from my house was as beautiful as always: brilliant, hypnotizing, impossible to get used to, even after a decade of living there.
While the water was flowing over my body, the movement of my arms was slow and my eyes seemed to be fixed on one point. My mind was restless. The ideas, the words, the anecdotes flowed incessantly. Every phrase that crossed my mind carried certainty, clarity, and the thoughts only got sharper as I imagined the effect this book could have had on me, if only I had read something like it twenty years ago.
How much time would I have saved if the information that I will share had found me at that age? Would I have reached absolute freedom before the ten years it took me to? Would I have been able to spend more time with my father before he got sick? Would I have gotten looks of amazement from my family after seeing me sell millions of dollars in my 20’s instead of in my 40’s?
I know a writer tends to immerse himself in an atmosphere that inspires him. Many use a specific type of notebook and pen that feel familiar, maybe the same they use to write all their work. Some tend to seclude themselves in a part of the world and a specific environment that allows them to connect with that inexhaustible source that is imagination. Then they let themselves go and start writing.
In my case, it only took a few more steps along the hallway to go by both doors - my office's and my bedroom's - to enter my favorite space right at the end of the hall: my music studio.
With the night still present, even though it was almost 7:00 in the morning, I opened the blinds behind what I call “the station”, which consists of a tripod holding a computer that is connected to a sound system, a synthesizer, an interface to record instruments, an effects pedal on the floor and a pair of guitars placed horizontally over pedestals, stored in cases that keep them beautiful. I treat them with the same tenderness one shows the woman who has stolen our heart.
From the walls covered with sound insulation, I was "observed" by the photographs taken with some of the musicians I have admired since childhood, some whom I have been able to meet thanks to the freedom I now enjoy. In particular, there is the picture of a very famous one whom I was able to invite to dinner when we both coincidentally dined at a restaurant in Ohio. Since he did not have a photo with him to autograph that day, he signed several foreign bills that now adorn my station.
Nothing like those reminders to start writing a book that describes how a middle class young man from an average family could one day become an entrepreneur; a businessman who achieved all his life goals and was now in full control of his circumstances. All thanks to a networking business.
Before I start, I want to say that I will be writing in almost complete anonymity. That is to say that I will leave out names, addresses or anything that could detract from the universality I intend this book to have, for it is my intention that EVERY person that reads it, does so knowing that the path towards freedom is EXACTLY the same, regardless of the company or type of business of people one has chosen.
Since I am not interested in promoting any particular company, I will do everything in my power so that the identity of the people and companies with which I have associated could be “anyone's”, letting the main character of this book be the EDUCATION, and not myself or even my businesses. Especially because even though some of them are a continuation of my first Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) company, one that has evolve into one of my strongest assets, today's circumstances allow me to venture into other type of projects. In that sense, this book is also a way to honor an industry which has allowed me to diversify.
Obviously, the fact that my name could be known and thus this book be a way of promoting myself (especially since it has been translated to several languages and is being sold in different countries) was pointed out to me. However, my intentions go beyond that. The thought that other companies might be able to build leaders and not just consumers, thanks to the lessons learned during my journey of twenty years, represents my modest contribution so that our industry can continue to evolve and adapt to the reality of our distinctly technological world.
Even though I will write remembering all the people that accompanied me during my journey towards freedom, this book is intended for a much wider audience. That is why I will not sacrifice the honesty with which some concepts should be broached and exposed, especially those that have been repeated religiously in our industry without someone deciphering them correctly.
Except for my intention of omitting names and specific places, I will speak the truths of a networking business openly and without concealment of any kind. Only in this way can someone make intelligent decisions based on facts, not on the fleeting motivation of the promotional events that characterize the industry.
All self-help books and motivational seminars are very positive, but this book is different. Sometimes I will speak of concepts in a very concrete and specific manner, but other times I will resort to anecdotes - some very personal - with the sole objective that the reader really learns something NEW. I strive to not only motivate, but to educate you.
I suspect that some of the information I will present may be so dramatic that when you finish reading the entire book, your mind will be buzzing intensely; so much so that you will want to start doing things "right" as soon as possible, and perhaps for the first time, do them “truly right”.
I want to be clear that the term “networking business”, in my opinion, does not only apply to MLM companies. Any business where networks of people are built and where benefits are distributed as a team is a networking business. Be it insurance sales, time-shares, direct sales, stock trading, real estate or public relations, all are businesses of PEOPLE. When you read a concept that seems irrelevant to your profession, keep on reading. You will find that by understanding the background of each situation, you will get vital and permanent lessons.
I also want to point out that in every chapter you will see words in capital letters, some underlined phrases, and paragraphs composed of concrete and concise sentences. I have done this on purpose because, being an avid reader, I have noticed that most sophisticated writing in which the author seems to be more worried about what a panel of literary judges would say, can be ineffective even if it contains valuable lessons. Conversely, I am not a writer nor do I make a living as one. I am an entrepreneur just like you, and I have achieved absolutely everything I possess by developing a business that is similar to the one you have chosen. The only convention of writing I obeyed is one that uses a rhythm, a form and a language that will help you to keep on reading. I want that when you pause due to your daily chores, at some point you remember that you are reading a book that stimulates you, and in that moment you will feel the desire to get back to it.
Lastly, I want to be clear that this book will describe my journey through network marketing, and I have written it trying to pave the way for other entrepreneurs who are also building a similar type of venture. However, the anecdotes, examples and concepts I will use are all ABSOLUTELY relevant for any type of business of people. And this includes one made up of just ONE person. If this describes your situation, I feel confident that by the end of the book, you will realize you have given yourself a "gift" made just for you; one that will help your relationship with yourself and with others to solidify, be more prosperous and generate different kinds of wealth.
Dedication
Many writers dedicate their work and thank their family, their literary agent, the muse that has come into their life or whoever showed them the way.
In my case, I dedicate this book to my “journey twin”, YOU, because even though I do not know you, I understand perfectly the adventure on which you are setting forth, and am quite familiar with the look of hope that now lights up your face. I know that somehow, you have come to understand the magnitude of your discovery: a way to achieve financial freedom through a business of people.
PART I: THE FOUNDATION
(Click forward arrow for chapters 1 - 3)
Since childhood, I remember being amazed with movies that were filmed in the desert. From the legendary 70’s productions - epic, shot in environments of biblical proportions - to the most recent ones like Babel (2006), in which a Hispanic woman almost loses her mind as she tries to survive her own dehydration and that of two children whom she was supposed to be taking care of. As the story would have it, these three characters end up lost in the same desert walked by thousands of immigrants who try to cross into the United States every day, with near-fatal results.
The desert makes us see things that are not there
My first encounter with network marketing happened when I was 20.
At the house of a college friend, a “reunion” was going to be held. I am unfamiliar with how many companies continue to use that term - reunion - but in my case, for twenty years I have simply called it “the presentation”.
Many things from that day were unexpected: from the way I was invited to what ended up happening in the afternoon. I had been told that an international company would open a “branch” and that an important executive would be in town looking for key people to take over the expansion. College students who could occupy important “positions”; new talents who possessed a strong drive and were passionate about their professional growth.
It sounded like a unique opportunity that certainly diminished my feeling of uncertainty for not having a job, an awkward situation that other graduates I knew were going through.
My friend had the connections; he always did. Whether it was for concert tickets, discounted brand name clothing, or the first pocket cellular phone, it seemed like he was always a step ahead of us and there was no reason to distrust his invitation.
I did not ask too many questions so I changed my plans for that day, arranging to meet at his house where I was told there would be a “previous gathering”. I automatically assumed that a corporate van would be parked outside, stamped with some sort of international logo on the side, which would take us to our future workplace.
My friend had made me feel special: chosen, vetted by both him and his girlfriend - who, until that moment, had never taken much interest in me.
“What made her change her mind?... My raw talent, surely” – I deduced.
Thinking that was better than any other option, such as: maybe they were trying to recruit me into a Multi-Level Marketing company. It was impossible to know, since the words “Multi-Level” did not exist in my vocabulary. That concept was so foreign that if they had actually used the term, I might have been even more enthused thinking that it was a company that built some sort of luxury condos consisting of “various levels”.
The corporate van was not there, neither were BMWs or Mercedes. Just average cars parked outside and some seven people in the living room, while in the kitchen, my friend’s girlfriend was making coffee and preparing a cookie tray for the guests.
After a few minutes of socializing, one of the “executives” who arrived and had given me special attention excused himself and proceeded to look for something in his briefcase. It was a small portable whiteboard.
My mother was a devoted Catholic, which is why many times during my childhood, I witnessed how members of a different religion, or as she would call them, our “separated brothers”, ended up verbally defeated with the arguments she highlighted in yellow in many of her bibles. There were five or six at the house: the one always open in the living room, another two or three in the bedrooms, one with notes, and the newest one with the leather cover with Psalm 23 engraved in quasi-Hebraic letters.
Soon after the talk started, I excused myself from those around me and hurried to ask my friend’s girlfriend something. She was still in the kitchen.
It had been a few years since I stopped attending the youth group I had belonged to since I was 12 years old, and considered myself an “extremely” relaxed Catholic, to put it mildly. I felt tolerant enough not to make a scene at what I thought I was witnessing: “another gimmick from the Protestants to recruit me for their church”.
“I'm not sure if you knew I’m Catholic… Is there a problem if I’m here?” – I asked her.
In spite of how comically innocent my comment was, her haste to get me back to the talk and not miss the message, was greater than her laughter. She stopped what she was doing and took me by the arm all the way back to my seat.
I tried to pay attention.
By the end of the talk, the only images in my mind were those of the successful people they had promoted. Of course, the reunion had nothing to do with religion.
They mentioned names of people unknown to me, but they referred to them as if they were celebrities: almost with an assumed expectation that one should know who they were. Names of sales producers, leaders, successful couples, families succeeding within “the business”, homes, trips, luxuries, etc.
24 hours and $150 dollars later, I was a distributor in a network marketing company. Of course there were other reunions, and fortunately some were held in hotel conference halls or at the university, where one time I thought of using my artistic abilities to draw the company logo with chalk on a blackboard, preceded by “Welcome to”. Much to my surprise, my sponsor hurriedly erased it before people started arriving. The reason:
“Nobody must know who we are” – he said smiling.
It is incredible to see how the enthusiasm derived from a talk, regardless of how much it makes us dream, can fade away so soon when we face something so new and unpredictable, and in which we are instructed to hide what we truly are: an intelligent alternative of which we must feel proud.
Every reunion was planned at the area leaders’ discretion - sometimes in houses, other times in hotels. Very soon I started experiencing a feeling that it would take me “ages” to reach that financial freedom they had told me about.
Remembering those emotions so vividly is one of the main reasons behind my decision to write this book; because I am convinced that those feelings of hopelessness - unnecessary in my opinion - can be completely eliminated with the correct education, by making some adjustments, and without having to leave the network marketing company to which we belong.
When someone affiliated to a networking business finally figures out the true nature of people, the right way to confront them, and the best way to motivate others, they will see no need to “trick” or manipulate anyone.
Re-motivating myself
A short time before I quit that company, I got invited to a convention held in a city four hours away. It was a highly promoted event, where top producers who had reached millionaire status were slated to speak.
Upon arriving, I entered a large hall full to bursting - with loud music and thousands of people yelling, excited to see these idols, unknown to the outside world, but so famous within that universe of selling products - that the atmosphere felt similar to that of a rock concert.
I observed from afar, feeling somewhat foreign at first, but then slowly inserting myself into the crowd. I was not reacting out of ego; rather I was feeling amazement at witnessing something so new. The only parallel experience I had to draw on was the event's similarity to the religious conventions my mother insisted I attend as a teenager.
Even though the speakers had not shared a great deal of educational concepts, they did give practical recommendations as to how to control the influences to which we are exposed daily. Not to watch television or read the newspapers were a few of them. However, the feeling that I had learned something “new” was sufficiently motivating to make me return with renewed spirits and give myself another chance in Multi-Level Marketing.
Here I must clarify that I would never blame any network marketing company for the way in which its distributors choose to run their business. Not even in the shape and content covered in an event like the one I attended. There are simply too many people, and as they say: to each his own. There is no way to control that many distributors, all coming from different life circumstances and carrying so many rooted habits. That is the price a company pays in the networking industry for working with "human assets".
However, it is a fact that every person in our industry DOES HAVE the opportunity to CHOOSE who to follow, who to learn from. Every individual can search for new knowledge, inside or outside his or her parent network marketing company.
Even then, I wonder how many people in our industry follow one same pattern: part time, unpredictability, a monthly consumption, discouragement from facing too much rejection, and a motivational event that keeps them hanging in there, dreaming that with perseverance and motivation, with more and more self-help books, the group will one day grow. Motivation which will make them consume, but without the education that will teach them how to persist.
In my case, the excitement from the event only lasted a few weeks before I decided to quit for good. Certainly, it was not my time. Metaphorically speaking, an apple that was not ripe had arrived at a somewhat improvised “kitchen”, where my “chef” friends still did not know how to prepare it best.
It seemed as if on the horizon of the desert, my desert of college uncertainty, I had an illusion which for a few moments seemed like an oasis. Getting there was not necessarily difficult; it only required a little cleverness on the part of my friends, in order to exploit my newfound yearning for freedom.
The difficult part was crossing the boundaries of the oasis, stopping for a moment, and contemplating a new horizon on the other side, one in which the desert that awaited me seemed even bigger.
The road looked endless. I feared I might die of thirst.
Few visual spectacles compare to the hot-air balloon festival in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Hundreds of height enthusiasts and adventure fans go there to witness how man’s ingenuity, long before airplanes were invented, had allowed him to conquer the skies. Although I am not quite sure the term “conquer” is the appropriate one.
After all, if a small balloon is capable of floating and brightening a child’s day at the park, a bigger one, inflated with heat, may not only float, but be controlled for longer periods of time and at a much greater height. It could even turn into a romantic floating balcony for a couple in love.
How much closer to conquering the skies can there be than that?
However, even though a balloon will definitely fly high, it can only do so if certain “external” elements permit it: if the conditions of the sun and the wind allow us to fly it - or better said, float it. A balloon makes us feel as if we have conquered the sky, but in reality we are just “floating”, and floating is not conquering.
Conversely, I will always feel excited about getting on a plane. I love the experience. Every time I board, I am still fascinated to see how such an overwhelming amount of steel is capable of traveling at 600 miles per hour.
I especially like to contemplate the wings’ perfect design: their precision and aerodynamics, and the way their flaps open when the plane lands. They make me feel protected. Perhaps it is their architecture or the fact that they represent absolute freedom to me. Airplanes make me prefer watching the clouds from the top, sitting on a comfortable leather seat with the air conditioning keeping me cool and knowing that in a few hours, I will be able to go from summer to winter on a flight from Dallas to Buenos Aires. I prefer that to being in a hot-air balloon six square feet basket, feeling that the only thing that separates me from sudden death is a bit of hot gas, or counting on the sky not to get cloudy right at the moment my balloon has gained some altitude.
A new way
Two semesters shy of graduating with a double major, I lost the only job I had found after quitting that Multi-Level Marketing company. The institution I worked for was missing a manager, and after months of trying to make myself shine, the company ended up ignoring my enthusiasm and dedication, and decided to hire an inexperienced outsider.
I went from months of dedicating more time to my job than my contract required - something I never paid attention to because I was passionate about my job - to taking orders from someone less knowledgeable than me. Due to the stresses, as well as the ineptitude of my new boss, I wound up leaving much sooner than I had anticipated. Enough of a debut for someone who intended to enter the work force.
If the feeling of uncertainty experienced in MLM had lessened after finding that job, it was now growing exponentially since I did not know where I would be once I graduated. A sense of urgency filled me with anxiety.
It was then that looking through the wanted ads, and after several failed attempts at finding jobs through friends and acquaintances, a very distinctive advertisement caught my eye: one that offered growth opportunities and education, but did not give away that many details.
It looked different from the ones related to businesses, but at the same it was not offering a job per se. Now I understand that it was written with intelligence and creativity. Its text was informative enough to get people to call, but vague enough to pique curiosity.
At the other end of the line, a young man answered my questions and asked me about my work experience and education, which kept me entertained talking about myself. Once I heard the address and ways to get there, I felt excited after realizing it was located in a professional-level commercial district. The interview was not at a corporation in Silicon Valley, but it was much better than a reunion at a house.
When I got there, I drove around in the parking lot while my excitement grew at confirming that the interview would be held at a very professional, corporate, commercial location. I parked near the address, fixed my tie and went in.
The reception was furnished tastefully and there were other people dressed in suits and ties, which made me think they also were looking to “place themselves”. They were holding beige folders with their résumés, and like me, they all looked somewhat intimidated for being in such a professional environment.
The person whom I had spoken to on the phone showed up and got close to where I was comfortably sitting. I was trying to exude a confidence I did not feel. The crossing of my legs was similar to that of a therapist who listens to his patients without expectations, but in reality I felt anxious after seeing I was not the only candidate they would evaluate.
With a smile, a firm handshake and a relaxed demeanor, my recruiter invited me to go to the “presentation room”, where I would get a general briefing about the business as well as details about the industries into which that innovative company was venturing.
Upon my entry, I encountered a room full of people talking to each other. At one end I could see a neatly set up product display, a white board at the center, and a large TV, which could be seen from any location in the room. The noise coming from prospects talking to other recruiters eased me, while the questions my recruiter was asking me, this time face to face, kept me from suspecting it was “one of those” businesses.
However, a few minutes into the talk, a feeling of discomfort got a hold of me and I almost instinctively felt the need to get up and find the door again.
Oddly enough, even though the talk had not begun with questions aimed to stimulate the dreams of a person, it was the speaker's nervousness that gave it the feel of a “sales pitch”, enough to discourage me from listening any further.
“Another pyramid deal” – I thought.
Without a friend to make me feel guilty about leaving the room this time, I got up from my chair and walked out immediately.
As soon as I crossed the threshold, the only "obstacle" stopping me was the smile of another recruiter, one who, although I was unsure of how he could have known, called out my name and asked me to wait. He tried telling me something but I interrupted him.
“I know what this is about and it’s not for me” – I warned.
He never took his eyes away from mine despite being a considerably shorter man. With an almost perfect smile he said:
“Do you think it’s wise to evaluate any type of information without seeing 100% of its content?”
He never stopped looking at me, as if he were giving no other choice but to answer.
Ha! He could have challenged me on any other subject - any - but to do it by testing my intelligence was the most effective thing he could have thought of. It is sad but true that we all have pre-programmed responses when our intellectual capacity is called into question, especially after so many years of schooling in which at all costs we try to avoid feeling less capable than others.
The strategy worked.
It took longer for me to say “excuse me, excuse me” while finding my way out, than it did to return, sit down again and pay attention to the talk. I wanted to prove that I was indeed an intelligent listener.
To my surprise, it was precisely the “intelligence” of the presentation, its content - regardless of the speaker’s ability to communicate - that gradually enticed me. Every point, as well as the way in which they were presented, lessened any negative sensation I had experienced at the beginning.
Looking back, I can clearly see that by combining a place specifically prepared for presentations, with a well-structured briefing, and strengthened with a team who knew how to work together, a very effective environment had been set.
I had found a company that not only provided an opportunity to an overwhelming amount of part-time people, recruiting and selling from their homes while keeping their day jobs, but it had figured out a way for those who wanted to do it full-time to set up a well-thought-out structure, similar to a franchise, that allowed them to work as a team.
It was like having the best of both worlds.
That company seemed to have figured out a way to combine “warm market” recruiting - of friends and acquaintances - with the sometimes difficult “cold market”, comprised of people that come to our business through advertisements, Internet or unaffiliated recommendations. This is a market that, despite coming in droves - especially because of the publicity tools we can use nowadays - tends to bring with them a great deal of skepticism.
Even so, few things make us grow and mature as entrepreneurs in a networking business like working with people that do not know us and whom we must “convince”. It is like the song “New York, New York”: if you make it there, you can make it anywhere. If we manage to master the recruitment of cold market, we can master any.
Of course, the network marketing industry has been characterized as one of “people who know other people”; friends inviting friends. However, due to today's technologies which allow us to push the envelope a bit further, we can recruit a market that, if we learn to manage well, can become a SPEED generator for our business.
It really does not matter if at the time you are reading this book, you are building your network part-time or full-time. The lessons shared here are as relevant to those who are solely committed to building their business as to those who still have another source of income.
Besides, far from what one might think, the fact that a person still keeps their day job does not place them at a disadvantage, especially if they are willing to redefine it in terms of what it might become: a tool with which to leverage their business. This has occasionally come up in casual conversations at social events, when friends of people close to me who have recently entered another network marketing company, realizing most of my businesses come from MLM, ask me the almost obligatory question: "What's your advice for someone who wants to build their business full-time?"
Notwithstanding that their question usually refers to whether they should open an office instead of conducting business in hotels or at home, many people are surprised that my answer is simply: “team up with others and maintain consistency. That’s all”.
Putting together a team of distributors committed to constantly inviting new people, and counting on a location that people can identify as a “home base” where the business can be easily found - regardless of whether this is a location dedicated to presenting the opportunity, or a product-try-out club - will be enough to create a structure that facilitates duplication. The only thing left to do would be choose between searching for prospects from home, or having a dedicated space for this task as well. That decision would depend on each person.
I built my business full-time and this book details a lot about that process. Explaining the specifics of my strategy can be very beneficial for part-time people as well as for those who go in full-time, since a person with a part-time schedule who enters the "universe" of someone who has done networking full-time for more than two decades, will have more clarity in terms of determining when and under what circumstances it is best to make changes, and whether it is convenient to do so.
Working full-time in the business has nothing to do with being successful. Doing it right does.
That decision comes to each person in due time. It depends on what our mind reasons, what our instinct tells us, and most importantly, on what our spirit yearns for, regardless of what others say we should do.
By the end of this book, once you have 100% of the information, you will know what your spirit yearns to get from this fascinating business comprised of people, and which way YOU will bring your business to life.
For now, I thank you for the journey we will go on together. I want you to know that I feel fortunate that we are connecting through this book, without me knowing your face nor you knowing mine. Just know that I have written “My Business of People, 20 Years Later” so that you get the maximum benefit from your networking business, with the greatest stimulation possible, and in the shortest amount of time. That is my sole intention and I want you to have that in mind when reading each chapter.
Impacted
The educational system developed by that company was evident. There was a structure to follow and a place in which to exercise a routine: a dedicated space where one could copy those who knew best, almost similar to a “gym” where we could exercise our entrepreneurial muscle. Some people spent the whole day working there, while others arrived in the afternoon. It did not matter. When it came to inviting people and presenting the business as a group, everyone joined efforts and became a team.
There was a schedule for presentations and another for education where we could train ourselves and other distributors. Videos made by the owners of the company, who had made millions of dollars in the industry, were constantly being played. Each video taught different subjects, basic as well as advanced. There was a whole system in place and it was much more intense than the one offered by the company I had seen at my friend’s house.
With two semesters left to go before getting my bachelor’s degree, it was not possible to do the business full-time. My available schedule consisted of afternoons only, although I quickly learned to do a few of the presentations during my moments there. They got good enough for the leaders to ask me to do more of them. I grew so comfortable in front of an audience that very soon I was even preferred over others with more experience.
Due to my school activities, however, I only had time to sell to friends and family in my spare time, and invite acquaintances to the occasional briefing. I was doing lots of presentations, since I enjoyed doing them, but too often I would not bring new prospects into the opportunity.
My mornings became saturated with more studies after I decided to take the last two semester’s worth of classes in order to graduate in just one. My enthusiasm for a job related to my major had vanished. I wanted to finish college by whatever means necessary, simply to give my parents the satisfaction of having a son with a college degree. I wanted to be free to work on the business full-time and emulate the people who had reached higher “ranks”.
The day came when the company announced an educational seminar in the area. In spite of my initial reluctance to go (since it cost $300 dollars), the conviction with which the organizers spoke of the event was such that I got enthused and decided to find the way to attend. It may have also been the “fear of loss” I felt after seeing that my other associates had paid the fee. I conveyed my enthusiasm for the seminar to a family member and convinced him to help me cover the cost.
To this day, I can say with absolute certainty that my first real investment was not the inventory I acquired, which amounted to almost $1,000 dollars. The best investment was the $300 dollars for my new education.
Few things compare to learning NEW concepts, especially if these are so powerful that one feels as if their head were being shaken without being able to do anything about it, but at the same time, happy to realize that they begin to understand the “whys” of poverty and wealth. Learning new concepts related to money changes our life, allowing us to explore worlds of knowledge that are not available in the school system most of us come from.
In contrast to the presentation I went to with my friends years before, where there was abundant motivation but a lack of education, this new two-day seminar had been so impactful that it kept me thinking, meditating, motivated by the idea of building my business, many months afterwards.
With the knowledge I now had, and especially because the leaders of the area were very effective in getting some of the few friends that joined my business to attend as well, for about six months after the event, the feeling of “progress" did not seemed to weaken. With each week that went by, a sense of discovery and novelty stayed with me.
“In a few months I’ll be able to do this full time, and in a year tops, I’ll reach the highest level” – I thought.
During those six months going only in the afternoons, my days were full of “activities”. Ever since I was 12 years old, I had been enrolled in all kinds of church ministries, activities that consumed lots of time, regardless of whether they were making an impact in the life of those we were trying to help. Filling my schedule with “more activities” felt perfectly familiar. In the mornings I was busy attending lots of classes, and in the afternoons I was getting recognition from other colleagues in the business for my constantly-improving presentations.
As the months went by, I started losing interest in recruiting new people, mainly due to the overwhelming amount of "tasks" I now had. I became a kind of star for group presentations to the degree that, at some point, several colleagues wrote a letter about me and sent it to the corporate offices to share my story. They wanted it to appear in the monthly magazine.
“There is a young man who has not graduated college, but has decided to take two semesters in one… amazing!... He is willing to do anything to be able to work the business full-time. And not satisfied with that, he has learned to do some very motivating presentations. We want you to publish his story” – The letter expressed something of that sort.
The story was so romantic that no one wondered why I had stopped inviting new prospects; nobody seemed to notice that, in spite of my enthusiasm, some bad habits were starting to arise, the same ones I now identify as the main cause of poverty for millions of people. Habits which I will explore in greater detail later in the book.
Let me be clear that when I speak of "poverty", I am not referring to those panhandlers who roam the streets. When I say poor, I am talking about the millions that have a college degree, but in spite of it, have not been able to establish financial security. Professionals holding "a title" but with no residual income coming in, all due to a simple fact: they do not know how to generate it. I label as poor all those who, like myself at that time, fill themselves with unfruitful activities and boast an academic level that only feeds their ego and need for appreciation, all while their bank accounts remain empty.
It is amazing to see how even those involved in the business can easily get caught up in activities that distance them from their initial motivation. It seems as if an "external" force pushes us in the opposite direction, driving us to act, as the phrase says:
“Penny wise and pound foolish”.