How fun to showcase Rich Shafer’s story. A friend/man with a dream… who never considered how his dreams would happen- but never gave up creating what he wanted for himself and his family and in an amazing way, brought it to fruition. It is OUR pleasure to introduce you to Richard and Kathy Shafer…..
In HIS Own Words…
“I grew up in a blue-collar town where our family went through several financially difficult times. My mother managed the family budget. She was very thrifty shopping in second hand stores for everything and bought low cost foods. As a kid I didn’t know the difference because everyone lived just like us.
I had ADHD and was often the target of bully’s in school. I easily got bored, lost attention, and daydreamed. The hyperactivity caused a lot of class distractions. I found myself every year sitting with my desk in the corner of the class away from the other kids. I had a very active mind, always thinking of ways to earn extra pocket money. Strangely, that pocket always had an invisible hole in it!
When I graduated high school, my family didn’t have the money to send me to college. 
Thank goodness, because I didn’t want to go anyway. Living at home I had an eye for fancy things. My father once said, “Richard you have champagne taste with a beer wallet.” That stung! I thought, “What do you mean I have a beer wallet?” Well, I was then on a mission to have a champagne wallet.
My champagne taste and beer wallet lead me to accumulate over $10,000 in credit card debt that felt like a deep dark chasm with no way out. Ultimately, I filed for bankruptcy. Little did I know that later I’d earn double that a month for nearly a decade. I tried starting various businesses including a floor cleaning business, an apartment clean-out business, a copier machine repair business. Nothing seemed to earn enough to make a living.
In 1989 I was introduced to Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) or Network Marketing with NuSkin International. It was a dream come true or, so I thought. I didn’t apply what I learned, being over excited I “threw up” all 
over everyone about the opportunity and pestered people to join until they no longer answered my calls and avoided me when I saw them. I couldn’t figure out why everyone didn’t want a champagne wallet and make a GAZILLION dollars like I was going to make??!! I barely made $10,000 a year. My immediate upline fell away while the upline leaders worked hard and went on to earn a million dollar a year residual income. They still have it now 30 years later.
I stopped working NuSkin and taught myself how to program software.
I landed my first real consulting project and was paid $38.50 and hour. WOW! The following year I became the first in my family to solely earn a 6-Figure income. In 6 years I had become a high paid, self-taught, software architect engineer earning $115 an hour working about 50-60 hours a week.
In 2008 that came to end with the financial crisis. No one was hiring, and I was over qualified. On the verge of foreclosure, I started a medical equipment sales and service business and modified our mortgage to avoid foreclosure. I never made a 6-figure income again with that business. After six years of struggling to make ends meet I was ready to throw in the towel when our home eventually did go into foreclosure for most of the next 2 years. I was burned out, depressed, doubting my abilities and felt like I had let my family down as the sole income earner.
MLM to the rescue! In December 2016, we came out from foreclosure with another remodified mortgage. I wasn’t looking for an MLM opportunity, no one ever is, when a friend approached me about an MLM startup and offered a sample of the one (1) and only product they had. I said “No Thank You”.
While still talking, my mind was thinking “what if I miss this and recalled my previous upline in NuSkin and the extreme success they had?” Before the conversation was over I said “OK send me the sample, BUT I’m not going to promise that I’ll do anything!” 
Long story short, the sample really surprised me as well as the impressive packaging, especially for a startup. I said Yes, I need this!
In the first month with Tavala I hit 2 ranks – something I had never accomplished with NuSkin. In my first year I hit 5 ranks and was the 8th in the company to achieve that. I was able to become debt free, besides our mortgage, in 9 months after paying off $23,000 in credit card debit accumulated while in foreclosure. I earned the company’s all-expense paid 7-day cruise and 6 weeks after returning home earned the following years cruise. 
My wife, Kathy, and I have since traveled to the Bahamas to work with our fabulous teams in both Freeport and in Nassau. We are so excited to work with our team in all 50 states and around the world -in over 10 countries.
After one year we are one of the top leaders and income earners in the company. I love inspiring others that Network Marketing does indeed work and truly is the only business where you succeed by helping others!
I would like to give recognition and special thanks to those on my team who reintroduced me to this awesome industry and have been with me from the beginning. 
Alicia Bozza for reintroducing me to Network Marketing.
Dave DeBerardinis and his wife Joy Edgerton for all the coaching, mentoring and mastermind calls. Darlene Carson who is a gem and 24 Karat Gold leader all the way. Chantell Varence… yet another gem and 24 Karat Gold Leader who after 18 years in the industry had the faith never to give up and has now finally found her home- And to everyone else on the team who are stepping up and out, while growing and inspiring others that financial freedom is available to everyone who works hard and helps others. 
Special praise, thanks and recognition must go out to my beautiful wife Kathy for standing by my side during all the struggles and loyally supporting me through these years, I Love You!
Let me help you promote your strengths and transform your future into one you already envision … and deserve. Don’t wait another second, contact me at rgshafer@gmail.com or text and call me at +1 (908) 319-2248. www.Tavala.biz/richkat
In OUR own words….
“We don’t even know where to begin. When Richard reluctantly said YES to Tavala we had no idea where this would go. He is a top leader on our team and it has been so fun to see him flourish professionally in this industry! He selflessly gives to his team !!! We are thrilled that he and Kathy are top leaders with Tavala and earning the income they deserve and always wanted. WOW.
Let this story inspire you…. Network Marketing CAN work for you and it can with Tavala. Everything is in place and if you join with Richard and Kathy, you are in the finest of hands and with the best support. We adore them and are blessed they are on OUR Tavala Team.”
Don’t wait another second, contact me at rgshafer@gmail.com or text and call me at +1 (908) 319-2248. www.Tavala.biz/richkat
Dave and Joy/Global Leaders with Tavala.
