AMWAY: OVERCOMING ITS OWN REPUTATION

How does Amway overcome its own reputation? How do distributors overcome their own negative legacy?

These are questions that have been given real consideration in recent years. I have noticed a major shift in the marketing focus of both the corporation and the distributor leadership...

The Amway Corporation has definitely changed its approach. I like that their promotional videos and materials now focus on modest attainable rewards like "extra income", "flexible, part-time", enjoyable work, and the opportunity to have a true "family business". These are much more realistic rewards than, say, "going diamond" and becoming a millionaire...

And the leadership among business owners has changed its focus, as well. In the system that I'm a part of, one of the recently released videos talks about the potential to earn about "$2000 per year"... I love it! I believe that is exactly the kind of expectations a new business owner should have... $200, $300, $400 per month. Extra income, that's what a new distributor can truly work for...

Here's the thing... If a new distributor can learn how to do that the right way... earn $200 in real cash dollar bills... he can probably earn even more over time. But he cannot earn more by trying to skip the first steps. That's why I'm glad that the leadership is starting to showcase the modest incomes...

Well, will all of these adjustments work? Will they help Amway to go on progressing, as a world leader in the "multi level" or "network" marketing industry? I don't know...

Last year, Amway worldwide had its first down year in more than a decade... for the first time in more than ten years, Amway earned less last year than it did the previous year. This may be a hiccup. Or, it may mean that the appeal of Amway as a viable opportunity has finally started to peak... I'm not sure.

I am sure that the recent changes within the corporate and distributor leadership are long overdue... and they are most welcome. If this new approach holds, I believe the opportunity will only get better for a brand new business owner. If that new business owner is you, welcome and congratulations! I wish you all the success! If you're just checking things out, I invite you to do your due diligence. Check things out thoroughly. Ask a lot of questions. Get the info you need. It may be that now is one of the better times, in recent years, to get involved with the Amway business.

Give Me A Shout!

Hey guys!


A number of my readers have questions about one of my books, or maybe about a concept within one of them...


Perhaps, you do too!


Or maybe you are simply intrigued by either Amway or driving with Uber, and you'd just like to ask a question...


Feel free to shoot me a text message! I'll be glad to chat with you, and answer any question I can!


My contact number is 502-251-4294


I look forward to hearing from you! Take care, and many blessings!

Focus On Fast Track!

Focus On Fast Track... (Listen Here)

THE CURIOSITY APPROACH...

The Curiosity Approach... (Listen Here)

THE FORTY-SIX PERCENT...

The Forty-Six Percent... (Listen Here)

IF IT WALKS LIKE A PYRAMID...

If It Walks Like A Pyramid... (Listen Here)

So, What Do You Know About Amway?

Test your knowledge with a little quiz about this company called Amway...


TAKE THE AMWAY QUIZ HERE...


(Find The Quiz Answers Here...)

FAIL TO SUCCESS...

My wife's hairdresser, and good friend, has a daughter... Chelsea Ellis.

I remember Chelsea as a little girl... I remember her as a toddler...

Now, Chelsea Ellis is a young woman with something to say!

Check out her new book, FAIL TO SUCCESS... and the message she has to share... at Amazon!

http://www.amazon.com/Fail-Success-embrace-failure-success-ebook/dp/B013CIL5LY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1439872675&sr=8-1&keywords=Chelsea+Ellis

YOU GO CHELSEA!!

Amway IS a scam... but so is everything else!

I googled a topic related to "amway" earlier today. One of the ads that popped up was about a Web site titled, "amway is a scam"...

Well, of course it is. According to the online dictionary, a scam is "a dishonest scheme... a fraud." In my years of experience, I have certainly seen people in the amway business do dishonest things. And I have heard of different schemes, conceived by amway distributors, in an attempt to defraud other folks...

One guy, who was in my upline for a few years (until he lost his business), was used to selling me duplicate copies of the same informational cassette tapes every few weeks. I was supposed to be purchasing new tapes, but he just copied old ones, sold me those, and pocketed the money... that was a dishonest scheme.

I've known another guy, though, for about fifteen years. He's also in my upline. He's still active in the business, and he's doing quite well... He's never taken a dishonest dime from me... even once... in fifteen years.

Isn't that how it is with any commercial enterprise you can think of?

Some of the people... in anything... will be dishonest. And many will be above board. We all know, or have heard of, dishonest attorneys, physicians, and accountants. We've seen the movies and documentaries about crooked stock brokers, or real estate agents... But, some of your family members work within these same industries, and they're probably doing just fine. In fact, some of my family I would trust with my very life... and some of my people, I wouldn't trust to bring back change from the grocery store!

That is a fact... and, that is how it is with everything.

There are some practices, among amway guys, that I disagree with. The Amway Corporation probably does not endorse them; and I don't practice those things. And, over the years, I've met plenty of honest... and a few dishonest... distributors. That's pretty much life... that's how it is... because, let's face it...

Amway certainly CAN be a scam... but so can everything else!

STARTER KIT & GRAND OPENING DISPLAY

When you start your business, you have the option to choose the Welcome Product Kit...

It's a great choice, because you can use the KIT to set up your first business Grand Opening. Your Grand Opening is your first opportunity to showcase a display of your products to potential customers...

The exact contents of the Kit change a bit over time,  but the basic products remain about the same. Click on the above pics to get a closet look!

Poor Jeanne...

I just dropped off one of my passengers, while doing my thing with Uber. Jeanne is what I would call a regular... I've transported her multiple times over the past few months...



Jeanne shared with me a story that just broke my heart. Apparently, her daughter has been searching for an automobile. Well, she found one... so she thought... on Craig's List...



The "owner" of the auto lives in Missouri. Jeanne's daughter saw a photo of the car on the Website. The price was affordable... $2500.00.



The "owner" gave instructions to purchase five Amazon gift cards, $500 each card. Jeanne's daughter did this. She was then instructed to send $2500.00 in gift cards to the "owner", at a particular address. The auto was to arrive this morning...



The automobile has not arrived.



What did arrive was an email. The email, addressed to Jeanne's daughter, explained that the vehicle had now arrived at the state border. And, in order to transport it across the state line, a $1000 "border fee" was being imposed (the words "border fee" were actually in quotations... Jeanne showed me the email)...



The email stated that two additional gift cards ($500 each) should be purchased and forwarded to the appropriate address. Not to worry, however... the "fee" would be reimbursed with the auto's final delivery (shaking my head now)...



Fortunately, Jeanne's daughter did not forward the "border fee". She did, however, lose $2500.00 to this obvious scam...



I hated hearing this news from Jeanne!



Injustice angers me. Abuse and mistreatment sicken my heart. I hate dishonesty and deceit!



There is not necessarily a lesson in every experience. But, if I had to draw one here, it would be...



Whatever it is... Uber, Amway, a new automobile, whatever... investigate everything thoroughly, BEFORE getting involved. And... for me... I must be sure never to treat anyone this way.

EIGHT-LEGGED LESSON...

I just got home from driving with Uber. It was a good night. Friday nights are usually pretty steady...


When I walked up to the back porch of my condo, I noticed two spiders and their webs. One spider had woven a very beautiful orb web... you know like the one in Charlotte's Web, or like Spider-Man spins to catch crooks, or maybe good guys when they're falling from the sky...


That web was very symmetrical, very pretty.


The other spider's web was not so beautiful. It was just a dense mass of webbing gathered together in one corner of the awning over our back porch...


It was not very impressive.


Well, I watched the two spiders for about thirty-five minutes, just to see if they'd catch any food...


The spider with the attractive orb web was zero for three with his attempts. Three times an insect flew into the web. But, each time, the insect was able to escape by flying through the gaps in the webbing... the holes in that spider's beautiful plan were just too big!


The other spider, with the unattractive web, caught two insects in thirty minutes! His webbing was so dense, there was no room for the insects to escape... that spider's plan was airtight!


There are a lot of attractive careers we can pursue... ones carrying status, prestige, and the promise of a great paycheck! But in today's economic reality, that plan may have a few holes. It may not quite be working out as promised...


There are other pursuits, however, that may not be so attractive... maybe Amway or Uber, for example. But the endeavor may be worthy. There may not be prestige or any real status to speak of... but, the plan may be pretty solid, or airtight...


There are no guarantees for anything that we do... that's called life. But we should never discount the real opportunity that may exist with some of the less attractive, less glamorous pursuits...


After all, when it comes down to it... it's not how attractive your web is... it's did you catch any food!

SUCCESS LEAGUE...

Have you ever heard of a mastermind group?

A mastermind is a group of like minded individuals who support one another on the achievement of common and unique goals. They may share ideas and techniques, which can aid the others to be more effective in their own pursuits...

The following video highlights the value of our Amway mastermind, SUCCESS LEAGUE...

SUCCESS LEAGUE MASTERMIND

A Few Good Stories...

What can Amway mean for you? Here are a few couples who tell us what it has meant for them...
(pay close attention to Raquel & Fabian!)


Vinny and Dayna Pappalardo

Rashmi and Smita Jyotiprakash

Raquel Bueno and Fabian Reid

Does It Matter What You Do?

I was at an Amway opportunity meeting. The presenter had just explained the Amway Sales and Marketing Plan. After the plan, everyone was gathered together in a number of small clusters, listening to their mentors, or engaging in investigative Q&A sessions.

Doug, a young man in his twenties, was hanging around, listening intently to one of those Q&As. When I introduced myself, Doug was courteous enough in his reply... but he seemed a little cool, somewhat distant in his response.

I did my best to make him feel comfortable and welcome... I asked engaging questions... I listened attentively to his answers... I tried to explain the practical value of the business opportunity in plain English.

At the conclusion of the evening, I encouraged Doug to take a serious look at the business... I wished him all the success in his endeavors... and I invited him to give me a call if he needed anything...

Doug is now doing well with the Amway business. He's growing, making money, and having fun!

I asked Doug why he decided get started in Amway. He explained that he got started because of me. I was curious as to what he meant by that... was it my skill at answering his questions? ...or maybe the skill with which I actually asked HIM questions?

Not really, he said. Actually, Doug explained, he had simply never talked with anybody like me before...

Anybody like me before... hmm, like me how...

Well, like me in skin tone... you see, Doug was a young white man from Southern Kentucky. And I was a not so young black man from Louisville... and I was genuinely interested in him!

As strange as it may seem, Doug had never really had any positive interaction with a black man before... apparently there aren't that many black men where he's from. And the few that ARE there... well, let's just say, he's never had much of a positive experience with any of them!

So... I didn't really know what I did that day, the day that I met Doug. I thought I was expanding a business with a new prospect. But, I didn't actually know that I was doing much more than that...

I didn't know that I was making a real impact on Doug's outlook in life. I didn't know that I was changing his viewpoint about an entire race of human beings. I didn't know that I was exposing Doug to something that he didn't even know existed... the possibility of a warm connection to a positive black person.

So, let me ask you... when you do what you do, whatever it is... do you truly know what you are doing? Do you really understand the impact of your words, your actions, your attitude? Whatever it is that you are engaged in, does it really matter what you do?

If you were to ask Doug... he would probably say that it surely does.

Life Is NOT a Spectator Sport...

I consider myself somewhat of a Louisville Cardinal college basketball fan. Today, the men's basketball team was defeated by Michigan State University in the ELITE 8, the East regional final match.

After the game, I thought about the loss all day... I watched the video recap on the NCAA app... I watched the ESPN analysis commentary... I watched the post game interviews and press conference footage... I even read the game summary and analysis in the local newspaper...

and after all of that... I was completely frustrated! I did not really see how the Cardinals lost the game... and I did NOT feel any better about the loss! I marinated in my misery and my hurt over the loss a little while longer... until it hit me...

I didn't really have a right... or even a reason... to feel that much pain over the result of this basketball game. I'm not a student at UofL... I don't work at the University, or at the University Hospital... for sure, I am not a player on that basketball team (I'm 5‘6", and I don't even shoot basketball!)...

So, why was I, a mere spectator, so hurt by the outcome of this game? Why was I placing so much of my own happiness on the success or failure of someone else?...

You know who had the right to be hurt by this loss? ...the players on the University of Louisville basketball team. You know who had that right?

Montrezl Harrell... Junior, and Power Forward on the team. He had the right to be hurt...

There is serious talk about moving on to the NBA for this Louisville big man. So, the heartbreaking loss today may very well mark the end of Harrell's college career...

Wayne Blackshear, Senior Shooting Guard and Small Forward for the Louisville Cardinals...

During the game, he suffered complications from Asthma. He had a bloody nose... and at the half, he was in the locker room, vomiting like nobody's business!

Blackshear played through the pain like an MVP, scoring 28 points, including 100% (12 for 12) from the foul line! He muscled through like a tank, absorbing those body shots, with an already weakened constitution, in order to take the ball inside and create critical plays for his teammates. Wayne Blackshear literally left it all out there on the court... and they still came up short...

He certainly had a right to feel hurt by the Cardinals' loss today!

But I... I certainly did not... I was merely a spectator.

Now, don't get me wrong...I will likely always be affected by the outcome of a game for the Louisville Cardinals! But, I was reminded of an important life lesson today...

When you play the game, you will win... and you will lose... guaranteed. But, the key is to play the game, to actually participate in the process. That is what gives you the chance to win at something... and it is what gives you the right to feel the pain or pleasure of your results.

I was at a Bible education conference today. One of the speakers said, when it comes to spiritual success, if you "stop moving, you die"... you may not always do the right thing, and you may not always do things right...

but keep moving! ...stay active!

So, whatever you do in life... Amway, Uber, Bible education work... whatever...

Keep Moving! ...Stay Active! ...Don't Just Sit There... Participate!

...because life is definitely NOT a spectator sport!

The Only Thing We Have To Fear...

CLIMACOPHOBIA: fear of climbing...


BATHMOPHOBIA: fear of stairs or slopes...


I don't know which one she had, but one of my passengers tonight suffered from one of these extreme fears! She is simply terrified of climbing stairs!


Her name is Cheryl... As I was driving with Uber tonight, I picked up Cheryl from Norton Audubon Hospital on Poplar Level Road. She seemed quite nervous, and she wished that she could have remained in the hospital for the night... but no luck with that.


On the ride home, Cheryl and I talked about many things. However, as we got closer to her son's home (she is living with him and his wife), all of her thoughts turned to those stairs...


Cheryl began to explain her extreme fear of climbing and descending stairs. And her son lived above a pawn shop...


The stairs were made of wood... though they were stable enough, the stairs had no backing; and you could see between each step exactly how high you were...


This was not going to be easy...


As we got closer to home, Cheryl got more and more nervous. Her nervousness became real anxiety. And when she saw those stairs, Cheryl was on the verge of a bonafide nervous breakdown!


I wanted to help her up the stairs; I offered to do so, and she gladly accepted my offer. But, then her son came down the stairs to help Cheryl. And I could clearly see one of her challenges...


Cheryl was getting no love from her kids on this matter with the stairs! Her son told her to calm down. He grabbed her by the hand. And he proceeded to basically drag her along up the stairs to the first landing...


By that time, the daughter-in-law was loudly repeating "you're doin' this to yourself!"... her son was threatening to just pick her up and carry her the rest of the way... and Cheryl was petrified!


To be fair, I can understand the frustration of the children... they have to deal with this unusual fear every single day. But right at this moment... when Cheryl is standing there, frozen on the landing and wailing with terror... right at this moment, Cheryl did not need frustration. What she needed is understanding.


I asked the son to let me help her the rest of the way...


I wrapped my right arm around Cheryl's waist. I took her left hand into mine. And, with her right hand, Cheryl held tightly to the banister. I spoke calmly, and I said, "OK Cheryl, you ready? ...then, here we go."


Slowly we climbed together... one step... two steps... three steps... and so on. Eventually, we made it to the top. It was kind of weird, but immediately, Cheryl's body completely relaxed!


I put my arm around her shoulder, and I said, "you did it!" She hugged me and said, "WE did it! Thank you so much!"


The son offered me a tip... this time I did not accept. I just said, "no worries sir... glad to help"...


Some people say that fear is an illusion. Cheryl's daughter would say, "we are doing it to ourselves"...


We may or may not be doing it to ourselves... but fear is no illusion... it is an absolutely real thing!


And, just as it was the case with poor Cheryl, what we may need to conquer the fear is NOT for someone to say, "it's all in your head"...


What we may need is a little understanding... a little patience and support from someone who cares.

It Ain't a Pyramid, That's For Sure!

Recently, for tax purposes, I was reviewing our annual business records. Let me tell you about three people that I recruited into the Amway business about a year ago...

Tom did not want to build an Amway business, but he said that he wanted to support MY business. So, he registered for free, as a retail customer, at my Personal Retail Website. Over the past year, Tom never purchased a product. He never used a service. And he never referred any other person to be a customer.

How much money did I make to recruit Tom as a customer? ...Nothing ...Zero... Not One Cent.

And then there's Jeff...

Jeff WAS interested in becoming an Amway Independent Business Owner (so he said). I offered to accompany Jeff and his wife to one of the business conferences put on by successful business owners. I paid for their tickets... they were $135 a piece.

Jeff said that he was more interested in selling products, than in recruiting other people into business. So, I gave him several CDs focused on different selling techniques. And I gave him other helpful literature resources as well... I paid for all of them.

Over the past year, Jeff never sold any products. He never used any products for himself. And, true to his intentions, he never recruited any business partners.

How much money did Jeff earn this past year?
...Nothing.

How much did I make for recruiting Jeff?
...about -$450.00!

Now David was a little different...

I also paid for his ticket to a local seminar, and for other business resources too. And David never did sell a product, or recruit anyone. But, over the past year, he did use some of the products.

How much money did I make off of David?
...only about -$250.00 this time!

A pyramid scheme pays people to recruit others into the scheme...period. It does not matter whether the recruit sells anything or not... in a Pyramid, you make money when you recruit others into business.

In Amway, you will not earn any money to recruit others into business... ever... period. In fact, you will earn income ONLY when you sell products or services... to either your customers, or to your recruits and to their customers... that's it.

Over the past year, I made absolutely no money on several of my recruits... in fact, I lost about $700.00!

People say many things about Amway... And it is certainly not a perfect company...

But it is NOT a Pyramid, that's for sure.

Life Happens... Are You Insured?

This is just a random plug for a colleague's new insurance service...


"Tony" Tytorrial Threets

Modern Woodmen of America

kznking98@yahoo.com

502-802-4646


Life, Health, & Disability Insurance,

and Retirement Planning


Listen, life happens! We want to be prepared financially. And we want to be covered outside of that...


Check him out!

Multiple Streams of Income...

Last night, we had a big snow in Louisville Kentucky.


I am at home with my wife right now; we are about to have breakfast...


It is 11:30 am on a Monday morning.


There are some benefits to having multiple streams of Income (I have four distinct income streams, all of which are self-employment related)...


I did not have to 'call in' this morning. I can still do some measure of work at home. And I was able to work a little more this week, in order to get ahead of the snow financially (I made more money earlier in the week, so that I would not miss the income loss from the snow)...


To be sure, I am NOT rich... but I do have the benefit of being IN CONTROL of my own income.

Which Sounds Better To You?

When you tell everyone that they can make millions... and almost none of them do... is that honest? Well, you be the judge of that...

But, might it be a better approach to tell them that they can earn a little bit extra... and then help them to do exactly that?

In the video below, I wanted to touch on my broad philosophy on this. Check it out...

Which Is Better?

Just Be Yourself!

Sometimes we are encouraged in Amway to act like we are already successful in business. We are told to 'have the right posture' when dealing with potential business prospects...

I wanted to come at you face-to-face on this one. Check it out below...

Fake It Till You Make It?

Have We Lost The Message?

The Amway company was founded on four fundamental principles...

1. Support the fundamental FREEDOM of people to determine their own future.

2. Allow the time and resources to protect and nurture FAMILY.

3. Offer HOPE to individuals.

4. Present the opportunity to receive REWARD in proportion to individual efforts.

These are the four principles of Amway... in print on the Amway literature... inscribed in stone at the Amway headquarters. This is what the company is all about.

Many Amway leaders readily tout these fundamentals in inspirational rallies, and in recorded speeches on CD. Most are very eager to promote the value of personal and financial freedom... the ability to do what you wish to do, when you wish to do it... no boss to tell you otherwise. And many leaders will encourage their business team to "dream big"... to visualize the ultimate reward that awaits them... world travel, fancy cars, the best wardrobe, and all the rest. But wait...

Look again at the Amway fundamentals. What do they state about freedom and reward? Rather than an exclusive focus on personal financial freedom, Amway supports the freedom of every business owner "to determine their own future"... each person should determine his own goals; decide his own objectives for the business. So, maybe you want to "go Diamond"... become the next millionaire in your family... if so, fantastic! But maybe you just want to pay  your mortgage... or the daycare... or the electric bill. Maybe you just want to save for a rainy day... for a vacation... or for the holidays. Many of the Amway leaders would have you believe that "Diamond is where it's at!" ...that you have to "flush that stupid job" in order to be a winner at this thing. Well, maybe these leaders have lost the message... because the founders of Amway want us all to choose our own path, to "determine their own future"...

And look again at Amway fundamental # 4. The founders were committed to giving all business owners the "opportunity to receive reward in proportion to individual efforts". That word "opportunity" is interesting... it doesn't mean "guarantee", for sure. And it doesn't even mean "possibility" really...

According to the dictionary app on my device, the word opportunity means "a situation in which something can be done" or "a good chance for advancement or progress". Here's a question: Have the Amway leaders... the ones who praise the value of 'going Diamond'... have they created "a situation in which [Diamond] can be done?" Have the leaders created an environment in which someone has a "good chance for advancement" toward that goal? Hmm...

The possibility of Diamond exists. And all Amway leaders will tell you that "you can do it!" But, when Amway literature says that less than one half of one percent of all Amway Independent Business Owners earn Diamond income (not quite one out of a thousand average $100K in North America)... do you really have "the opportunity to receive reward", "a good chance for advancement" toward this goal? Again, hmm...

Maybe, just maybe, by focusing almost exclusively on Diamond, many of the business leaders have lost the message. Because the founders of this company want you to have "the opportunity", "a good chance" to be rewarded in this thing. The founders want you to get your reward for all of your hard work...

So, maybe an environment that encourages you to set your own goals is the key... an environment where you can actually learn how to do what you really want to do, not what someone else wants you to do. Maybe 'a situation' where you have the best chance to reach smaller goals... rather than little chance to reach the top... maybe that makes more sense. It certainly is in harmony with the mission of the founders... it certainly is the message of Amway.