““Success requires a strong belief in yourself, the company, products and opportunity, and a willingness to put that belief into action!””
When my son, Zachary, was six weeks old, I left him with a babysitter so I could return to work. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. At the end of the day, my little baby looked at me as if he did not recognize me. Unfortunately, I had no choice. As the primary income earner in our family, we simply could not survive without my salary.
I had agonized over the situation for the entire nine months of my pregnancy. How could I possibly wake my 6-week-old baby every morning and bundle him off to daycare? How could I leave him knowing the staff would have other babies to care for and would not be able to respond to his every want and need? The only solution was to have a babysitter come into the house. Of course, we could not afford a full-time babysitter, so I worked out a deal with my employer — who conveniently, was my father — to work from home part time. That worked well as long as my son slept most of the day, but as he got older, I found myself sticking him in front of the TV so I could meet last-minute deadlines. I had always given my all to everything I did, but I suddenly found myself not doing anything as well as I should have. I was not the best employee, wife or mother. In fact, I was decidedly lacking in all three areas!
I had agonized over the situation for the entire nine months of my pregnancy. How could I possibly wake my 6-week-old baby every morning and bundle him off to daycare? How could I leave him knowing the staff would have other babies to care for and would not be able to respond to his every want and need? The only solution was to have a babysitter come into the house. Of course, we could not afford a full-time babysitter, so I worked out a deal with my employer — who conveniently, was my father — to work from home part time. That worked well as long as my son slept most of the day, but as he got older, I found myself sticking him in front of the TV so I could meet last-minute deadlines. I had always given my all to everything I did, but I suddenly found myself not doing anything as well as I should have. I was not the best employee, wife or mother. In fact, I was decidedly lacking in all three areas!
I tried to pull this off for a few months, but I was losing my sanity. On one particularly bad day, my sister, ERVP Michelle Peters, called. She had launched her Arbonne business just a few months prior. I had been to her business launch, but, quite honestly, did not realize how serious Michelle was, and had no idea what potential Arbonne held. That phone call changed everything. I was nearly in tears explaining how much I hated having to work, and that I just did not know how I was going to keep it up, when she finally said the fateful words, “Stephanie, why don’t you just do Arbonne?” I was taken aback. The thought had never crossed my mind. How could I possibly make the kind of money I needed with a part-time job selling skin care products? Michelle told me about some of the paychecks she had seen her upline receive. Suddenly, the clouds parted, the angels sang and all of my problems were solved!
I decided to start my business slowly — I would do one Presentation per month. I was already stressed about juggling my job and family; I could not possibly imagine adding more to my plate! I knew it would take awhile to gain my freedom, but at least there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Everything changed, however, when I attended Chris Robinson’s car presentation. While I listened to Chris speak, I imagined myself standing up there telling my story. I thought of whom I would thank at my car presentation and what I would say. And, when ENVPs Nancy Wilcox and Donna Weiser spoke, they exuded such success, happiness and well being, that I thought, “I do not know who these women are, or what an ENVP is, but I am going to be one someday!”
My belief in the company, product and opportunity exploded! However, I knew it would take more than belief to build my business — I needed to put that belief into action! So, I got to work, booking shows and telling everyone what I knew about Arbonne. My goal was to be an RVP by September of 2005. As I write this story, it is June 2005 and I am an RVP! Great things happen when you take your beliefs and put them into action!
There are so many people to thank for joining me on this awesome journey. First, I would like to thank my father, DM David Lear. As my employer, supporting my Arbonne business meant losing a valuable employee — and the person he had slated to take over his business. Yet, the same day I told him I wanted to go part time to allow more time for Arbonne, he bought his first skin care set!
Secondly, I want to thank my sister, ERVP Michelle Peters. Had she not said those fateful words, I would still be trying to cram a 50-hour a week job into babysitter visits and nap times, and then working until midnight every night to make up for what did not get done during the day. Michelle, by introducing me to the Arbonne opportunity, you have helped me become a better mother, which is the most important thing I will ever do in my life! You have been an awesome sponsor and a wonderful, supportive person. I never could have done this without you.
To my awesome DMs, Moni Lange-Smith, Jennifer Toering, Marla Ramirez, Jenni Manning, Shannon (Boogie) Gregory, Raina Alexander, Karen Morris and Lily Martinez: You guys are awesome and I am so glad to work with you! To our incredible DMs-in-qualification, Adam Chandler, Kristen Heiman, Paula Roddy, Donna Fahrner, Ellen Hughes, Michelle Lyon, and Theresa and Jason McPherson: I can already see you in your Mercedes-Benzes — I hope you can see it, too! And, to the many new and rising stars on our team: I cannot wait to work with you and get to know you better!
To NVP Heather Jones: I am a better person for having known and worked with you. Thank you for just being who you are.
To Janet Elliot, Chris Robinson, Nancy Wilcox and Donna Weiser: Thanks for being such wonderful inspirations!
Finally, to my husband, Ray: Thank you for the many nights you fed Zach, put him to bed and helped clean the house. I know it was not always easy for you. I appreciate your love and support so much!
The testimonials on this Web site reflect the actual experience of each individual, are anecdotal only, and may be atypical. The testimonials are not based upon any clinical study.
