I‘m always intrigued to hear how people got into network marketing. Often times people do actually seek out an opportunity to work from home and they find the industry often referred to as MLM, Network Marketing or even Direct Sales however for many people – including myself, network marketing actually found US!
I did not grow up in an entrepreneurial family- and other than my grandparents being farmers and maple syrup producers, I didn’t see much ‘working for yourself’ or ‘being your own boss’ in my family. In fact, I 
never gave it a thought. Once in my early 20s I was introduced to the concept through an “Amway circle presentation”, but I had NO INTEREST at all. The concept of making money that way passed over my head and didn’t find me for another decade.
In my 30s I was a single parent who loved the idea of earning more money….but never did think of network marketing. Then one year when a friend did my tax returns I asked him how I could get a bigger tax return the following year and he told me two ways. 1) Earn more money 2) Get a home based business and use the generous tax advantages available for self employed entrepreneurs. He said I didn’t even have to make a profit to get the benefits. Really?
My friend thought I’d start a small fitness clothing business as a rep, or become a personal trainer as I was what one would call a ‘gym rat’ back then and had already worked in that industry for years.
Instead- network marketing and a bottle of a product called Km found me! 
Perhaps you have heard of Matol Botanical or a dark botanical drink called Km (for Potassium mineral supplement) ? Not me, I had never heard of either until I answered an ad in a local newspaper. Remember when placing ads were the way to get your phone to ring?
What is unique to this story is that the man who placed the ad in the newspaper was a man who I was trying to reach to sell advertising to. When I heard his recording say his name, I thought, I’ll go meet him and “sell him!” ha-ha. Not exactly.
In reality, he sold me on the concept of network marketing and I walked away with a bottle of this dark liquid that most people thought tasted ‘gross’. I was excited, maybe I had discovered my new way of earning income and getting the tax benefits my friend told me about…. in reality, I had no clue what I was doing yet somehow I still earned income (to the tune of $1500 a month at tops) and I won many contests that earned me free trips to exotic places, like Hawaii 2x, Palm Desert, and Orlando.
When I told my friend I had ‘joined a business’ he was less than excited that it was an MLM company, but for me it was just the beginning of a life long love for the industry.
Unlike many people in this industry, I am loyal to the companies I join- almost to a fault. I have joined a handful of network marketing companies in my span of 30 years, but several that I joined were based on a friend telling me to not miss the big WAVE, so I joined ‘just in case’.
Have you ever JOINED a company to not miss out by taking a position?
However there have only been a couple of companies that I could say I put my ‘blood sweat and tears in’. There was 1) Matol Botanical which had the “KM” (2- 3 years), 2) The Brain Garden (whole food product called pulse -3 years) 3) ForeverGreen which became FGX, mostly known for it’s FrequenSea product with marine phytoplankton and then PowerStrips (I was there 10+ years) and finally, now with 4) TAVALA. (Most known products are Tavala TRIM and the Quantum Relief Strips.)
Today, 2017 I feel blessed to have had the experiences I have. Have you noticed a trend? All the companies I have been with are Nutritional companies.
Along the way I feel the companies became a better fit as I grew in experience… and of course my understanding of the industry improved dramatically as educated myself on leadership and the industry.
It’s often said that Network Marketing is a business opportunity disguised as a business opportunity and boy are they right! You’ll succeed in direct proportion of to your personal growth.
Today I pride myself as a professional in this industry. Both Dave and I take our roles as leaders very serious and have become what we call “the up-line support we never had!” We love our team and they love us back.
There are many great books we’ve read to improve our leadership skills in network marketing and of course many videos and training we have immersed ourselves in. If you’d like suggestions we are happy to share what we have found to be the most useful for a FAST TRACK understanding in the industry.
Are you looking to get INTO the industry of Network Marketing or are you looking to join a company where you can become the best version of yourself? We love networking with people who are entrepreneurial and also driven for self-excellence.
I also would love to know if YOU found network marketing or did IT find you?
Dave and Joy/Global leaders with TAVALA
802-846-7530