Doing my Research

A few days after our talk Skip came into the bank with a few small packets of Organo Gold coffee. He handed it to me along with a web address to a video that tells about the company. Skip asked me to contact him when I finished the coffee and video. He also mentioned to me that the coffee was supposed to be healthy due to an herb called Ganoderma that is in the coffee. I said thanks and he walked out the door.

I was happy up until the point he said it was healthy coffee. I've found that the majority of "healthy" food and drinks tend to taste bad if not awful. I've learned this through my moms various attempts to convert the regular products my siblings and I consumed while growing up into "healthier" versions. She has given us healthy cereal, healthier juice, and health bars, you get the idea. Anyway, most of these products tended to taste bad, especially when compared to the food or drink they were based off of. So I didn't care how healthy the coffee was, if it didn't taste good I wouldn't be able to sell it.

So I got home that day and decided to give it a try. I opened the pack, poured the contents into the empty cup, and added hot water. After mixing it all together I gave it a try. I gotta say it surpassed my expectations. I thought it tasted very good and beat the majority of the coffee I have had in the past by a long shot. This was a great sign to me because I felt that I should be able to sell this coffee purely on taste, the health aspect should just be an added bonus to the consumer.

I than looked up the video presentation online about the company. The presentation was done by the vice president of sales Holton Buggs, who is currently the number one income earner in the entire industry of network marketing. Mr. Buggs talked about the advantages of selling coffee, why he got involved with the company, and how Organo Gold distributors make their money. After the video was over I got in touch with Skip over the phone and we made an arrangement to further talk about the company at a local hotel.

I was extremely excited about the possibility of working with the company, but I wanted to see what other people were saying about them. Now I have never heard of a network marketing company that wasn't accused of being a scam, so I expected to find such claims. But if the claims against the company were too extreme, than that would definitely hamper my ability to grow my business.

 Fortunately, what I found was that the people who complained were usually ex-distributors who had entered the business with unrealistic expectations about how fast they would start making money and not putting in the effort or even understanding what it really takes to grow a business. This was not an issue to me because this is a common situation many new want-to-be entrepreneurs get themselves into regardless of the business they decide to start.

With that out of the way I was ready for my meeting with Skip at the hotel.

Being Introduced to Organo Gold

During my time at the bank I was in the process of a building few business ventures which I financed with my paychecks. I worked with my friend on his reality show as a producer, manager, and cast member. I ran a website where I wrote about entrepreneurship and investing. I bought into and grew a vending franchise. Lastly, I hosted talks shows both over the air and online.

While that may sound impressive I wasn't really making any money. The only thing that really brought me in a fair stream of cash was the vending franchise. However, it would cost me close to months pay to buy one. Even worse, most places weren't interested in putting one of my machines in their store or someone else had already beat me to it. I was referred to a property locator to help me find some spots, but after months of searching he was only able to successfully get me one location and it was out of state. Currently I have only three machines out there active. Which is stupid cause if not for all the time wasted searching for a new spot, I could easily have six to eight machines up and running right now.

Anyway, I was working the drive through teller window one day at the bank when a customer accidently sent in his business card. It said his name was Skip and he was an author and success coach. Loving to meet fellow entrepreneurs I asked him about his coaching and book. We talked very briefly cause he was in a rush, but he encouraged me check out his website. A few days later after checking out his site, I ran into Skip at the bank again. I talked to him, wanting to learn more about his coaching program. He said to give him a call after work and we could talk.

After work that day I called Skip on my cell and questioned him about his coaching. He explained that he helped people overcome their self doubt and limiting beliefs about what they can accomplish in life. When I told him about my various business activities he decided that I wasn't someone in need of his program.  However, we continued to talk and he ended up mentioning that he was involved in network marketing. I told him how I always had an interest in getting involved with network marketing and asked about his company. He told me that the name of the company was Organo Gold and that they sold coffee.

This peaked my interest because I love coffee and this is the only network marketing company that I'd ever heard of selling it. Most companies I'd learned about sold stuff like vitamins, health drinks, skin care, and energy, stuff I could care less about, which is why I never pursued working with them. After a bit more questioning he offered to bring me a sample of the coffee at the bank. I said I'd be happy to try it and that I looked forward to seeing him. After that we said goodbye and I hung up the phone.

Learning About Network Marketing

After that summer I went on to get my bachelors in communications at a four year college. During that time I read multiple books on investing and entrepreneurship. I attended quite a few seminars so that I could learn about investing and business from those actively involved in it. I also started and managed my own investment portfolio and tried my luck at a few entrepreneurial projects. My best friend and I even went down to Florida to see if we could invest in some real estate, but duo to our lack of income we were unable to get a mortgage from the bank. By the time I graduated I had quite a bit of experience under my belt.

After a failed attempt at breaking into a professional career in radio, even though by that point I had interned for three different stations, I decided to continue my entrepreneurial education by getting a job in sales. I had read over and over that the number one skill you must have as an entrepreneur is the ability to sell. If you can't sell your product or service, than you can't make a profit. And if your business can't make a profit, than you go broke.

Another thing that I kept reading about was the benefits of starting a network marketing business and how it's the perfect business for the 21st century. This is due to the fact that you have the benefits of owning and growing your own business with far less risk than a traditional business. A network marketing business is reasonably affordable to start and has the potential to make you massive income over time. But like any business, it takes a lot of time and effort to get things moving and profitable. And since your job is to convince people to join your team or buy your product, it would probably help to have some sales experience.

So I did my job as a representative to get some real world sales experience, but kept my eyes open for opportunities in network marketing. The problem was that I could never find a company or product I cared about enough to start. I had been invited to an Amway event, but I could honestly care less about the products they were selling to people so I turned the guy down. They just didn't gel with me.

I ended up leaving my job due to the fact that I was basically going broke working for the company. I spent more in gas money driving around territories than what little I made on commissions. I soon jumped to another sales job. Unfortunately I was eventually fired because I was unable to meet my goals.

It really stunk because each of my sales bosses would tell me in training how I showed the potential to be the best salesman on their team. This was due to my fearless attitude when it came to approaching different prospects and being able to quickly build a rapport with them. However, my struggles were when it was time to close the deal. It was always that last objection that screwed things up for me. Worse, I could only sell one time to one person and would never be able to contact them again. So I could never capitalize on the brief relationship I developed with them by making repeat sales or getting referrals. Their wasn't any residual income attached to my sales either. I always had to start from scratch again each day.

After spending some months doing odd jobs to make money, I eventually landed a position as a bank teller. At that point I didn't think I'd ever enter the world of network marketing, but I was wrong thankfully.

How I got Interested in Entrepreneurship

It's interesting to think back how while growing up I never had any intention of running my own business. That was especially odd since my dad, during that time, ran a successful car instillation business which many people assumed I would take over. I never had any interest in cars, so I had no desire to take over his business. I guess in a way that was a good thing since he ended up having to close his business down after twenty years due to his small business not being able to keep up with current technological trends.

Anyway, it wasn't until after spending four years at a two year community college that I accepted that I had a problem. At that point I had gone through two college major changes and at that point was interning at local radio station as my final course for graduation. I was thrilled and had a blast doing it. However there was a problem, the guy who was in charge of me at the station seemed to do everything he could to convince me to get out of the radio industry. He would complain to me about the long hours and of course the low pay.

This was the same problem I ran into whenever I had asked people about pursuing a career in their field. Instead of trying to convince me to pursue a career in their field of work, they told me that I should avoid it at all costs. While their complaints varied, one common thing they all said is that if I chose their field as a career, I would be poor or broke for the rest of my life. It always came down to not making enough money. Now here I was on the verge of graduation being told the same thing yet again. 

It was during during that summer that I really struggled with what I was going to do. It seemed like if I could somehow overcome this problem of not making enough money, I would be free to pursue whatever I wanted. But I didn't know what I could do about it. Than one day sitting at home that I noticed a book on our shelf, the title of the book was "Rich Dad Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki.

I was instantly hooked and devoured the book. It was after reading "Rich Dad Poor Dad" that I dedicated my life to the pursuit of financial freedom.