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There is an unforgettable line in the movie, ”When Harry Met Sally”.  It is this:  ”I’ll have what she’s having.”  Do you remember it?

When I look at this girl in this photo to the left, I have that same thought… I want what she has. What I see depicted so beautifully … is freedom.

Freedom – more specifically time freedom, and financial freedom – is exactly why I got involved in network marketing.  Here’s my story:

At the age of 19, I stumbled into a career.  It was not purposeful.  It was not planned.  I call it my “accidental career”.  A college student at the time, I was looking for a part time job.  I landed an entry level position at a prestigious national bank.  Having a penchant for efficiency, and a love for people, I excelled.  And as good stories go, I was promoted. ..praised….rewarded.  Which made me work harder.  Which prompted more promotions.   A pattern which continued for the next two decades. 

Fast forward twenty years - the height of my banking career, I was earning a six figure salary, working with top level executives consulting on some pretty sophisticated assignments.  I had just received the banks highest honor, namely the “Award of Excellence”. And …

I was miserable.  

I had become tired of the rat race.  Tired of the demands, the stress, the time commitment.  My family was suffering.  I was suffering.  Increasingly I was starting to resent the box I was placed in.  I didn’t want to play the game anymore.  I didn’t want to conform.  I wanted to do what I wanted to do.  And I wanted to be paid what I was worth.

Do you know the feeling of being held hostage by a salary?  

When everything in you is screaming “LEAVE!”, but the pull of that “secure” paycheck  keeps you stuck.  Well if you’ve lived it, you know the hell of it. 

It took me another year to work up the courage to walk.  I had reached the point where the money was no longer worth the trade-off.  21 years, 2 months and 11 days after stumbling into my accidental career, I walked out the door.  Free!

Like so many corporate orphans who had gone before me, I made the enlightened decision to go into business for myself.  ”Build it and they will come”, I kept saying to myself… “build it and they will come.”  Yeah right.  Well what I had managed to build was a boutique service company, that only attracted people who didn’t want to pay me.     

It was then that I was exposed to my first networking marketing opportunity.  Which I promptly rejected.   The presentation was poorly done.  I was overwhelmed with facts, data, figures, reports.  And walked out of the meeting with my head spinning and more confused than when I walked in.  I did not understand it…AT ALL.   And had zero desire to go and figure it out. 

Still convinced that entrepreneurship was my gateway to wealth, my next business venture was to open a retail store.  Savvy business woman that I am (she says sarcastically), I invested $60,000 of my personal nest egg into a bricks and mortar business. (Insert gasp here.)  It collapsed within six months.  Overhead costs, inventory runs, employee payroll, advertising expenses, professional charges, and too few customers, had quickly eaten up my investment.  I sold it for a loss. 

Network marketing opportunity number two showed up.  This time the presentation was disguised as a “house warming party.”  I was the only guest who showed up.  Within an hour I was ganged up on, hustled, and insulted.  I left thinking, “I thought I was invited because I was liked.  But the opposite must be true.  Because who would ever do this to a person that they liked?!”

(psst network marketers, are you taking notes here?)

So, I did the only thing I knew how to do … trade my time for money.  I signed a contract with a national seminar company and travelled North America teaching professionals how to deal with people.  On the side, I created my own coaching practice. Yes I was an entrepreneur, but most entrepreneurs trade their time for money.  Yes, I was free to charge what I was worth, (in truth it was more like what I thought people would be willing to pay), but I did not yet understand the concept of leverage.  And I certainly had not found freedom. 

What I found was another hamster wheel. … stuck in a daily grind…..going nowhere, fast.  I wasn’t any closer to realizing the “American dream” and the wealth I desired and deserved.   Within two years I was out.   

I had failed….again. 

Tail tucked between my legs, and at a loss for what to do, I sought out the advice of the person who believed in me the most… my Mom.  Hoping for a little “get back on the horse rah-rah talk”, my very worried mother in her very worried motherly voice had this to say:  “Don’t you think you should try and get a job?  Maybe the bank will take you back.” 

Shudder.  (No disrespect intended.)

If you’ve been following my life path, what becomes painfully evident is that I am as stubborn as I am resilient.  I am not afraid to make mistakes.  I am not afraid to take risks (clearly).  I am not afraid of what other people think of me.   I believe in my own abilities.  And I will let nothing stop me from my dream. Not even my own stupidity.

I blindly rejected one more network marketing opportunity and stubbornly continued on my path. Alone!  Keep doing what you always do Deb, and maybe you’ll get a different result. (sigh) I struggled.  And persevered.  I struggled some more.  And persevered.  It was ridiculously arduous.  Until one day, I took a loooong hard look at all of it- one hard look at myself, and thought “there must be a better way.” 

It’s true what they say – when the student is ready the teacher will appear. 

Fortunately, the “teacher” that showed up for me, was Bob Proctor.  You may remember Bob from the movie ‘The Secret’.  He is a renowned personal development guru and wealth consciousness expert.  He encouraged me to look seriously at the business model of network marketing, and to open my mind to the possibility of it. It was my turning point.  

I followed his advice, did my due diligence on this industry, and with the objectivity of an open mind, this is what I saw…

A profession (yes a legitimate, noble profession), which would provide:  

• time freedom
• financial freedom
• the opportunity to contribute my talents in a meaningful way
• the opportunity to grow
• the opportunity to help others

And I realized:

• I don’t have to go it alone anymore
• I don’t have to trade my time for money (and limit my earning potential)
• I don’t have to worry about large start up costs, big investment risks and overhead expenses
• I don’t have to possess super human skills, or an advanced business degree
• I only need to have a willingness to work hard, and to be coachable.

It was all I needed to take the leap of faith.  I jumped in head first, and made a commitment to myself that I was going to go big or go home! 

I want to be very clear here.  I didn’t get into network marketing because nothing else worked.  I got into network marketing because my failures had taught me to recognize a good investment from a bad one…. a smart business model from a  foolish one.

The history of network marketing has stood the test of time and over the past 50 years has proven itself to be a successful business model for home-based entrepreneurs.  The industry itself is now currently being endorsed by many business leaders as a proven system for anyone who wishes to achieve financial success.

But more importantly, for me, network marketing is my FREEDOM vehicle.

So how does my story end?  You’ll have to stay tuned to find out : )

Your Turn

Right now, I’m interested in hearing from you.  What’s your story? Comment below : )

Success coach and speaker Deb Stewart teaches people how to build a mindset of success and indestructible self-belief, so that they can create the success they deserve. Learn more about Deb here http://debandjohn.net

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