Today starts our little vacation I’ll call it. We were able to attend Mike and Brandie Wagner’s Open last night at the Holiday Inn and it was ON FIRE. WOW. There is a reason why this market is on fire, because we invest time into people and build amazing relationships in and out of the business and we in succession are doing what the leaders before us have done. Every single person before us has built a successful business and we are literally riding the coat tails and soaking it all up. Just amazing. Last month another amazing couple entered their Emerald Qualification and it’s just leader after leader after leader. People wonder why there have not been many diamonds breaking in the last little while and that’s because people are just not wanting to step up. Well this market is, and you’ll see two new diamonds come from this market probably at FED 2011 and many more Emeralds including ourselves!
So Monday we fly to Seaside Oregon to attend moving up, I’ve talked a bit about it before and really I have no idea what to expect. I’ve heard some pretty amazing things come out of it from previous people that went and we are pumped to get the higher level of association and just get around people that are moving on in their business and see what it is they’ve done to create such success. I’m really excited to explore the Oregon coast though, I’ve heard it’s pretty amazing and cannot wait to get up and go for a run along the beach. Love it!
Friday we will head back inland to Portland where the Duncan Family Reunion will take place. This is where Lindsay went to her first function and where I almost didn’t let her go because of my stubbornness and scepticism. Now I’ll get to experience this function for the first time as official Eagles’ even though we are Double Eagles (we were not Double Eagle’s during qualification month for Family Reunion). Either way it will be nice to sit at the front of the stage and just be able to soak in the function from the front. I know we had a discussion earlier on this blog about it doesn’t matter where you sit its all the same information. That is 100% true it is the same information, however it’s how it’s delivered and for me personally I’d much rather be at the front where I can see the speaker live instead of via the screen and I get to feel more impacted because its like the speaker is talking to you. Same idea about concerts, why do people fight to get at the front of the row for a concert? They feel the experience is better right at the front where the musician is literally sweating over them. Same idea.
Its going to be a great weekend and week coming up and I could not be more excited to celebrate our growth but more importantly get as much information as we can coming out of Moving Up so we can share with our team and the leaders that are growing and riding our coat tails. We have a responsibility to our team to help build them into leaders so they can lead their own organization into greatness.
I love this market we are in and you betcha it’s different from anything you’ve seen. While others out there may have quit, or said it just didn’t work for them or what not, I’m sorry for that. However we’ve got something special out here which is why it’s catching the attention of World Wide Dreambuilders and even Amway Global Canada is saying “what are you guys doing out in Alberta??”. The answer really is being CORE and doing what other WWDB Leaders have done before us. Its working so why change it?
Hi Bridgett, good thoughts. Shaun, I was just wondering about the margins because I thought you posted a $500 check or something and I assumed that was your bonus. I know air travel right now is a bit pricey so I was just worried that your travel and I assume hotel fees ate up your earnings, but in retroespect, I apologize bacause I did not notice that this trip is also a vacation for you so I guess looking at it in a dual function, it’s all good, especially when you can write off the trip.
I hope you have a great time!
“Reason being we would pay retail at Safeway, Superstore, Shoppers Drug Mart, etc…so why not continue to do that from your own business?”
Because you don’t have to. It’s called a “perk” for being the owner of the business.
If you go talk to business owners outside the Amway Business, you’ll find that they don’t pay retail for the products/services they market. Even employees for retail outlets, many times get a discount as an employee perk.
Like I said, I have no problem people isolating that differential as a way to save money in which to give/loan to their business.
I’m just not a fan of the “business owner mentality” reasoning that I hear people use to encourage people to pay Suggested Retail Price, when business owners in other industries would find this practice odd.
Hi Shaun I hope you have a great time at Movin’ Up and Family Reunion! It’s a blast hanging out with people that excited and enthusiastic and fun.
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Regarding expenses: Hey, if it (a product, a function, a CD, whatever) is of value to you, great.That’s my thought on it. Use what you want and leave the rest.
Regarding the term “profit”: I know that your particular LOS within World Wide teaches to pay yourself retail on the products you personally consume. And then to use that money to fund your business. I’m totally fine with that, as long as IBOs know that that’s what they are doing–taking their personal money from a different line item in their household budget, to fund items that fall under the heading of their business.
Again, nothing wrong with doing this. It’s a way for an IBO do to things they want to do anyway, like you going to Movin’ Up, and creating a mini-savings account in order to have the funds in order to do that.
But in reality, the IBO Cost/Suggested Retail Price differential is not an actual business profit.
(which is a good thing, since you then don’t have to pay income tax on it!
Have a great time and remember your sunscreen.
You are right, however we have the mentality and teach like you said to pay yourself retail on the products we personally consume. Reason being we would pay retail at Safeway, Superstore, Shoppers Drug Mart, etc…so why not continue to do that from your own business? Makes no sense to rob from yourself. We then say we take that differential and reinvest it back into your business to either save for stuff that comes up or if people want to put it towards whatever they need it for. Our business builders know exactly where that money is coming from and where it’s being applied. So there is no false info there at all. Heck some people don’t and just pay IBO cost and that’s fine. They can do what they want however I find it’s better to pay the retail regardless and put that difference in another account so you can see it (more tangible that way).
Hopefully there will be sun! I see the weather is looking a bit cool, regardless we will enjoy it just the same.
Hey Shaun, sounds like you’ll have a great time. I hope you do.
Sorry for being a tad skeptical, but I don’t see how you manage to profit when you are taking long distance trips every three months, not counting the other smaller events that have a cost. I know the events have teaching and it’s great being with friends, but does the cost justify the expense?
I know you are at a high level but your followers are not so even if you are doing okay with these quarterly conventions, what about your followers? Sorry if I sound a bit skeptical but I’m doing the numbers in my head and they look red.
Hey Jed,
There is nothing wrong with a bit of skeptisism. Trust me I had MORE then my fair share when my wife first started this. I had the same attitude as you and was crunching numbers myself when she went away. The first major function depending on how you do it may take some cost out of pocket however with retailing and our own personal use using products we already use anyway we were able to slowly recover and also continue to pay for any other functions and smaller items from our business.
You won’t know what my business produces, how we retail, what our personal use is, how we get down to the functions (carpooling or flying), there are just so many factors that even if you did numbers yeah it would look like it was in the red. I won’t lie, there was a point when you start out that we were not making much profit and everything we did make went back into the business. Anyone that tells you different is lying. There is a very very small set of investment that happens right at the start and that’s why the Fast Track program is in place to help recover startup costs. There are always more incentives then what there were in the past and that’s why people who don’t built it now just keep that skeptical view. Things change.
So yeah our business will look different and is very profitable and we are helping our team members (not followers) build the same thing we did. They don’t “Follow” us, they did their reseach, we were very transparent with all the costs, and everything else. They know it takes hard work like the hard work we put in to build what we have now. To call them followers would be inaccurate because they are leaders.
Anyway thanks for your question, a very valid one but at the same time you’d have no idea what our business looks like so you can’t really say that is looks red. I’m excited to see at the end of the year what the numbers look like as I will be adding them up to see where the profit was and what the investment was.