True IBO Stories

From riches to rags to riches

From successful stockbroker in Korea, to a laundry worker in Canada, Sunki Kim was eager to get back on top.  His wife, Misun Yoon, was a Canadian citizen and lived there after their wedding while Sunki continued his career in Korea.  With a baby on the way, the distance became unbearable.

No one wanted to hire him as a stockbroker because he did not speak the language.  As a result, Sunki worked as a minimum-wage laundry worker. "I worked 14 hours a day and still could not make ends meet," says Sunki. Years later, an opportunity for change and success came by.

An old friend from Korea visited Sunki and hardly recognized his formerly successful friend. "He was sad to see the state I was in," Sunki recalls. "So he suggested that I get involved with Quixtar."  However, Sunki was quite hesitant due to his bias against the company.

"My bias against the business was actually quite deep and very strong," Sunki admits. "So I read loads of information about how the business worked over the next two months. Through that, I overcame my unproductive mind-set."

Sunki quit his laundry job in order to pursue Quixtar, which as led him to be a successful professional again.

"I originally got into this to support my family," Sunki says, "but now I am focused on helping others who have become like family to me.  And it's also been so rewarding to develop the mentoring qualities that I didn't even know I possessed."

A family affair

Overly involved in both of their careers, Frank and Barbara Morales were too busy for family.  However, with the Quixtar business opportunity, it has become a family affair.

Before they were introduced to the business, Frank and Barbara found themselves going separate ways pursuing their own success. As a result, they were drifting apart as a couple and parents.

With much success in her career, Barbara was hesitant when Frank showed her the business plan.  It took a lot of discussion and compromise for these Californians to decide it was time for change.  "I wanted to free myself from the corporate chain," Frank says. "I realized then that there had to be something else out there."

Frank and his wife Barbara left their successful careers in the corporate world to focus on their family, and their daughter Denice Morales Kennedy followed in their footsteps and also achieved great things with Quixtar.

 "When we got into this business, we found ourselves all working together, and the difference is that traditional business takes you away from your family.  We have spent many years now being able to spend time with our family while also helping other people," say Denice.

The Morales family believes this is one of the best decisions they have ever made and continue striving to touch the lives they encounter. "Our dream is not only to create more money for ourselves, but to share it with the family and those in need.  The future is what we make of it, and we are prepared to make a lot out of it, if you know what I mean," says Frank.

Do you have family in the business? Brothers? Aunts? Are you second generation?  We want to hear from you!

Quiz results and winners

Thanks to those of you who responded with guesses about the origins of the birthday song to Mr. Hood.

If you haven't figured it out yet, let's go back to ibofightback's comment, which read, in part, " ... I do like the Nutrilite link in the answer! Can Double X sing? :-)"

Check out the Double X ingredients: Calcium, Asparagus, Prune extract, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Alfalfa concentrate, Iron ... the list goes on and on. Of those, no one can carry a tune better than Alfalfa.

Here was Utah's answer:

It's Mr. Hood's "natal anniversary," and the wife has fixed a nice dinner for him. Just as he's about to get started, the gang shows up to sing him a happy birthday song and give him gifts (a frog, a duck and a cat). The boys have good intentions, but repeatedly succeed in keeping Mr. Hood from eating.

Google to the rescue..

So those of you guessed the Little Rascals, you're right. The first five correct responders were Utah, Tex, Bridgett, Tom in Atlanta and Don from Ohio. (ibofightback lives overseas, and passed on his prize.) 

The most original answer ("Robin Hood, Men in Tights" ) goes to Carrie M. Congrats!

Mark Garlock was the only other responder, so he, too, gets a product.

Bridgett, Utah, Mark, and Tom, send me your preferences and addresses via trueibostories@quixtar.com.

Thanks to all of you, responders and nonresponders alike!

 

 

Ruminations on birthday songs, with digressions hither and yon, and a quiz

The Opportunity Zone is having its first birthday. (True IBO Stories doesn't celebrate the big "1" until April 4, but I'll get to that later.) And so the OZ folks - bloggers, designers, IT people - are celebrating with a celebratory lunch, which is the kind of lunch to have when you're celebrating.  

I don't have the details, so I don't know what we're eating (my guess is pizza) or if we're having a cake. And if we're having a cake, will it sport a single candle, or a "1" shaped candle, or will the one be spelled out on the cake? Nor do I know if we'll be singing "Happy Birthday." And if we sing, which version? I mean, there's like dozens, right?

When my side of the family celebrates a birthday, we sing the regular song, and at the end, the kids add, in singsongy fashion, "Pay your quarter now." It's a tribute to my late father, a Kiwanian, because that's how they do it at the Dearborn Heights Kiwanis Club. Those Kiwanians rival only the Rotarians for their zaniness.    

(The other family favorite is the version of "Happy Birthday To You" with a "cha cha cha!" after every verse.)

My top pick, however, was the one offered up at Chi-Chis. The whole wait staff would drop by. They'd stick a candle in that fried ice cream they made, drop a sombrero on your head, and sing the special Chi-Chis birthday song. It was to the tune of the "Glory, Glory Hallelujah" chorus from "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." And it went like this (at speed-metal pace and with clapping):

Hap-py Happy Happy Birthday,

Hap-py Happy Happy Birthday,

Hap-py Ha-py Happy Birthday,

To you, to you, to you. Ole!

(Elapsed time: 7 seconds)

But I digress, in a big way.

True IBO Stories will be 10 months old on February 4. Since its inception, we've had 49 posts and 363 comments. Blog topics have ranged from IBO success stories and first-time Achievers experiences to the Amway/Quixtar name change.

And as our seminal date approaches, this seems to be as good a time as any to ask you: What topics would you like to see addressed in this blog? What True IBO Stories would you like to see that you're not reading about ? What can we do to generate greater interest? What are you looking for? Please share your thoughts and comments, either as a comment to this blog, or by email, to trueibostories@quixtar.com.   

But once again, I digress. I'll close with one more Happy Birthday version, and let's make it interesting. Identify whence the following version came. (Yes, it's a quiz!)

Happy birthday, Mr. Hood.

Happy birthday to you.

To make your birthday turn out good

I give this present to you!

Send me your guesses. The first five respondents with the winning answer will get their choice of Nutrilite® Rhodiola 110, or a 60-tab bottle of Nutrilite Concentrated Fruits and Vegetables. (Don't forget to send your mailing address, and which supplement you want.) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A life-changing discovery

It was during a trip to visit her sister in China when Melody Lu Clegg found what she thought were the best dietary supplements she'd ever come across. As an acupuncturist and herbalist in Georgia, she combined the products with her patients' herbal regimens and acupuncture, and saw positive results. Her patients requested more, and Melody couldn't imagine a day without them. So she made several trips to China to buy them for herself and her patients.

All the while, Melody never realized that these breakthrough supplements were Nutrilite® products, made in the U.S.

One day, her husband Jim read the fine print on the bottles and discovered that they were Nutrilite products manufactured in California. "I couldn't believe it!" Melody said. "He told me you could buy this in America, and I was really surprised."

Soon after, Melody was introduced to the Quixtar business opportunity and became an Independent Business Owner in 2001, continuing to provide products to her clients. At one point, one of Melody's clients tried to save money by eliminating the supplements. "She came back right away," Melody said. "I told her that her health was worth more than the cost of the products, and she agreed. She bought some more Nutrilite that same visit."

What "aha" moments involving Quixtar products have you had, or learned about from your customers? We'd love to hear from you!  

Quixtar was the right medicine for this couple

He had a thriving medical practice. She was his office manager.  And while they worked in the same office, they never saw each other. That's when David and April Humphrey found a business opportunity that they could not pass up.

David entered medicine because he wanted to help people and make a comfortable living. In Washington, he established his own medical practice, and April joined him as office manager. Soon, however, David found himself working longer hours than he anticipated, and getting tangled in the red tape of dealing with hospitals and insurance agencies.

He also invested in real estate, and ended up losing money in a flat market.  

But events took an unexpected turn when he found himself in the right place at the right time.

"I met this lady who was a unit clerk in a local hospital," says David.  "She handed me a tape about the business. I was fascinated by the concepts and later attended an opportunity meeting."

"I became a sponge for books and tapes on success. Those principles even helped me improve my medical practice," says David. "I started seeing others who joined about the same time I did begin to enjoy great success. I had to get going."

It didn't take too long for David to grow his business to the point where he could reduce his patient workload. But April still had to deal with the pressures full time. "I got tired of the headaches," she says. So they decided to sell his practice.

"This business," says David, "allows me to help people sort out the difficult ‘symptoms' in their lives, whether they be health- or finance related, far more than I was ever able to in medicine. Quixtar combines mentorship, dreams and a system that works."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out the online Achieve!

A couple of months ago, we told you how we were rethinking, redesigning, reformatting, and reinventing Achieve Magazine to better serve IBOs with more recognition, more retailing information, more product articles – more of the kinds of content that keep IBOs inspired and help them build their businesses.

The new Achieve hit mailboxes earlier this month. And just this week, we’ve put the complete publication online so everyone heading to Quixtar.com can check it out. 

Click here to see the online Achieve. Then come back and answer this one question: Whaddya think?

Hitting a wall, and finding financial freedom

Everyone has a limit, and Matt and Jaime Staley of Maryland hit theirs. Matt had been laid off three times. Jaime was miserable at work. Strangely enough, Matt and Jaime, both of whom are deaf, were once convinced that their disability would prevent them from financial stability. Talk about your self-fulfilling prophesy.

In June 2002, Matt and Jaime were introduced to the Quixtar business opportunity by a friend, and soon after they became IBOs. "We had no idea how much our lives were about to change," Jaime said. "The business model is quite simple and has the perfect criteria for any successful business." Now the couple, in their early 30s, are financially free and enjoy working from home.

They admit that the Quixtar business requires a lot of effort. "With this opportunity we all work smarter, not harder. Duplicating the business model is a vehicle to financial success, and the key is our persistence. Driving the business model is how we achieve," Matt said.

They knew that a lifetime of freedom was on its way, so Matt and Jaime didn't mind putting in extra time to start up their business. They weren't alone either; a team was there to guide them. "Matt and I could not have succeeded on our own, but with the support from the team, we did," Jaime said. "It is an independent business, but with a team mentality. It was something we could start part time, and our part-time activity eventually replaced our full-time job salaries. Talk about leveraging your time - and we still do this part time. Now, that's the perfect business!"

A final look at Achievers--by Alex Garrett and Meg Abele

We invited first-time Achievers Alex Garrett and his fiancee, Meg Abele, to blog about their experiences at Achievers.

here is the last day of our trip....

We woke up early today so we could get down to breakfast before our shuttle left at 9:30 for the airport.  Our flight left Miami at 12:10 and we got into Baltimore around 3:30. 

After looking back at the trip, we had a blast!!  It was so much more than we expected it to be.  The corporation is awesome!  We couldn't believe all the free stuff and products they gave us - how generous.  Alex's favorite part was the free round of golf on the corporation at one of the top 100 courses in America - what an experience.  Meg's favorite part was laying out on the beach - in December - and it was hot!!  We had so much fun spending time with friends, relaxing on the beach, playing golf, and eating great food.  We are definitely looking forward to next year in Las Vegas.

Alex & Meg

Day 4 at Achievers-by Alex Garret and Meg Abele

Alex Garret and Meg Abele are first-time Achievers and have agreed to blog about their experiences. Alex and Meg are from Lititz, Pennsylvania and are engaged to be married. They are attending Session 3 (there are four sessions in all) and here's their post for Day 4.  

Alex
We had a great day hanging out at the pool and the beach.

I played in a golf tournament this morning with our uplines and a few others buddies, it was a gorgeous course. We played pretty early so they had breakfast provided which was great.

Meg
I went on the millionaire yacht cruise and saw a ton of beautiful homes!

We hit some traffic on the way there but it was a lot of fun. They even had sparkling cider with strawberries for everyone and we rode around for maybe an hour and a half or so. We didn't stay for the shopping, we wanted to get back to the beach for our last day!

Alex
That's pretty much where we stayed for the rest of the day. Now we're getting ready for the final night dinner. We're kind of sad to leave but I'm ready to get back to work -- it's been a nice break.

Meg
I'm not looking forward to the cold weather and the snow! I heard we got 5 inches back at home!

Alex
Well, we better get going, we're starving! We'll write once more when we get back to Pennsylvania.

Some more final thoughts on Achievers--by Charla and Paul Nadeau

Charla and Paul, who blogged about being first-time Achievers, are back home in Vermont. Here's one final post from the couple:

Well, we left Florida at about 750 am (December 3) with mixed emotions. We were sad to leave the fun and sun of Florida for the cold white blanket that Vermont will be for the next 5 months but at the same time we were happy to get back to our beautiful little girls and excited to get back to work building our business.

We were both overwhelmed by the how much fun and excitement Quixtar could build into 4 days. There was not one detail overlooked. I even commented when we went on the fan boat trip that I wish I would have remembered water then after our boats returned we were met by Quixtar employees with ice cold water bottles and cold wet naps. Once again they met our needs and then some.

Seeing John Maxwell at the final evening supper was the cherry on top of an already perfect "Sunday". I am a big fan and that was the first time I had ever seen him speak. What a treat!

Going forward we are both extremely excited about the amount of money being put into advertising, and new incentives. Over 500 million by 2010 is a ton of money. Charla says she got an even bigger picture of what we can achieve with this business. Walking amongst all the diamonds we have come to admire was at first a little intimidating but by the end of the weekend we really started to realize that they are just normal people and we really can be diamond too. We both agree that we owe it to others to do everything we can to help them get to Achievers. Thank you to the Van Andels, Devos', and the whole Quixtar family. We will see you again next year at the Venetian in Las Vegas.

 

Sincerely,

Paul & Charla Nadeau

 

Day 3 at Achievers-by Alex Garret and Meg Abele

Alex Garret and Meg Abele are first-time Achievers and have agreed to blog about their experiences. Alex and Meg are from Lititz, Pennsylvania and are engaged to be married. They are attending Session 3 (there are four sessions in all) and here's their post for Day 3.  

Meg
Today was great! I went to the pool with the girls and Alex went golfing with a bunch of guys.

Alex
Yeah, there were about 16 of us in all -- we played out at Hollywood Beach so that was cool.

We played in 4 groups of 4 and the winning team got golf shirts...we won as always!

Meg
We went back to expo today to see everything again and get our Nutrilite t-shirts. And then we hit the beach for the diamond dig! I didn't find anything but it was still fun...one of the girls in our group won a shirt.

I can't believe how many people were there!

Alex
The rest of the afternoon we hung out at the pool and played some more football -- the team we beat yesterday wanted a re-match. But we shut them out again!  

Meg
And now we're heading out to dinner with our uplines, and to a late night movie. Tomorrow I'm going on the yacht cruise and Alex is playing in a golf tournament.

Alex
We'll write again before the final night dinner!

 

Day 2 at Achievers--by Alex Garret and Meg Abele

Alex Garret and Meg Abele are first-time Achievers and have agreed to blog about their experiences. Alex and Meg are from Lititz, Pennsylvania and are engaged to be married. They are attending Session 3 (there are four sessions in all) and here's their post for Day 2.  

Meg
We were out kind of late last night so we slept in this morning and then went to the business luncheon.

The food was great, and the ice sculptors were amazing! We also got to hear all about the new business transformation from Doug DeVos and Steve Lieberman.   

Alex
Wow! What awesome speakers! It was great to hear about the new changes happening within the company.

After lunch we got to take pictures with some of the leaders and hit the beach for some sun and a little football.

Meg
Yeah, some tackle football! It got a little aggresive but no one got hurt!

Alex
Now we're going to check out all the new stuff at expo. I'm going golfing tomorrow and Meg is spending the day at the beach. We'll talk to you later! 

Day 1 at Achievers - by Alex Garret and Meg Abele

Alex Garret and Meg Abele are first-time Achievers and have agreed to blog about their experiences. Alex and Meg are from Lititz, Pennsylvania and are engaged to be married. They are attending Session 3 (there are four sessions in all) and here's their post for Day 1.  

Alex
We got here at about 10:30 this morning - just in time to unpack a little, play some volleyball, and make a day of it.

Meg
We are totally excited to be here...it's so cold at home and I'm really looking forward to spending time with some of the leaders in the business - we don't usually get to see them.

 

Alex
Yeah, this is going to be a great break. We're getting married so this will be a good chance for us to just get away and spend some time together.

Meg
And this hotel is gorgeous!

Alex
It's unreal. I was swimming out in the ocean today and had to remind myself that it's December! But it's been great, and we're just looking forward to the whole experience.

Meg
We'll write again soon!

Day 4 at Achievers-By Paul and Charla Nadeau

Paul and Charla Nadeau are first-time Achievers, and have agreed to blog about their experiences. The Nadeaus, from Island Pond, Vermont, are attending Session 2. (There are four sessions in all.) Here's their post for Day 4.  

Charla: Last night we went to a restaurant that's owned by the brother of one of our crosslines. There was live entertainment, a singer, and three birthday celebrations. The food was great and the dance floor was packed.

We got home at about 10:30. It was a long day, and we went right to bed.

This morning, I got up early and studied.

Paul: I slept in.

We went to the Everglades today, and saw an 11-foot alligator. And I wrestled one.

Charla: He wrestled a two-foot-long baby alligator.

Then we went shopping at the Sawgrass Mills Mall.  There were all these great outlets - the Gap, Victoria's Secret, Versace - and 15 shoe stores.

Paul: We didn't buy anything, because our suitcases are already exploding with all the things we got at Achievers.

Tonight's the final night dinner, and we leave early tomorrow.

Charla: I could take three more weeks of this. But we miss the girls.

When I first started in this business, I thought it was stupid. But now, I'm so blessed to be in it.

Paul: Earlier, we were sitting on our wrap-around balcony, and I said to Charla, "How's this for a stupid business opportunity?"

We've had a great time here!