“Create a vision, build a team, prepare for sacrifices and do not let excuses get in the way.”
Many of us would say the Arbonne path is not the path we would have seen ourselves going down. When I thought of what a “career” looked like, I did not think of a home based business. After being extremely skeptical of Arbonne and network marketing, it took me eight months to begin my journey. I thought that you had to be a pushy person to be successful and I did not want to be that person. I thought that you had to know a ton of people, and I did not. The last thing that I needed to add into my already hectic and busy life was one more thing to spend time on. Quickly, I realized that you do not have to be pushy, you need to be driven, you only need to know a few key people, and time is a priority.
I do not know a ton of people. I have moved around my entire life. I attended nine different schools as a young person and have had 11 different phone numbers as an adult. The longest I have ever lived anywhere is my current town. I have not lived in the same state as my parents since I was 18. When I started Arbonne, I did not have family to host Presentations or to watch my kids. I was working part-time, raising two children and managing a life where my husband was gone for two weeks out of every month. What I recognized was that nothing about my life was going to change unless I changed it.
I did not have a huge circle of people to pull from, I had zero understanding of the network marketing industry and I had never been the CEO of a million dollar business. What I did have was the vision that Arbonne was something that I had been waiting for my entire life. I knew that if I worked this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I could make better choices for my life and for my family. I decided to take responsibility and stop letting life just “happen” to me. I used to play the lottery and dream of Oprah coming to my house with one million dollars. Then I hit my lottery with Arbonne, and now I dream of the people whose houses I will show up at with “a million dollars.”
I took myself seriously from the beginning; therefore, others took me seriously. I am a business owner, not a hobbyist. I have never “tried” Arbonne. I do Arbonne. Once I made the choice to join this company, I jumped in with both feet. I followed the successful people before me and did what they said. I did not and still do not switch methods of doing business. I continue to do what works. I did not reinvent the wheel. I knew that I wanted to become a Regional Vice President and drive a white Mercedes-Benz and that is where I focused. Our team made it to Region in five months and we could not have been more excited.
Even after making it to Regional Vice President, there were bumps in the road getting to National Vice President. I still find it hard to pick up the phone. I get nervous talking in front of people. I have Presentations where I am the only guest. The more you do it, the better you get and the more comfortable you become. I still get that knot in my stomach when I know what I need to do but I just do not want to do it. The road to Nation is paved; we all know what to do to get there. It is a matter of making the choice and creating it.
We made it to Region so quickly that I thought Nation would be a walk in the park. It took me two more years to become a National Vice President. I kept asking myself what I was doing wrong. Why was I not there yet? Then it hit me; it is not about me. It is not about thinking, “if I can just sign them up, I will be that much closer to my dream of being a National Vice President.” This business is about helping other people to achieve their dreams. It is about being confident enough to know that right now this is too good to be true. So what? Arbonne is the opportunity of a lifetime for most of us. This company is the most talked about company in network marketing today. We are the people who get to take this company global. How many of us have ever had that kind of an opportunity?
Jump in and do what your upline tells you to do. You have to work – but the payoff is absolutely worth it. This is happening right now, and once I realized that and knew that I did not want to be left behind, I knew this was the path for me.
The Arbonne culture emphasizes self-growth. In the beginning of my journey I could not see the importance of self-growth. I did not realize how important self-development is to being a successful person with any career. It did not occur to me that self development was not an “Arbonne thing;” it is a “becoming successful in life thing.” I received many books as gifts and probably would not have read half of them if they had not been given to me. Thank you, ENVP Nadja Shipley for being so generous with your gifts of books. I also thought that meetings were for people who needed friends. Now I see that successful people surround themselves with people who are attending these meetings to encourage and help them achieve their goals.
Becoming a National Vice President seemed like more than I deserved in this life. Again, I reminded myself, it is not about me; it is about what my team deserves. I was holding back the dreams of my team by holding onto my own fears. We owe it to our team to promote to National Vice President. This is not my business; this is the business of my team. If we have the faith that it will happen for us, we can watch our dreams and the dreams of others become a reality. Dreams are the destination, and goals are the way to get there. Once I believed that National Vice President was my destination, I set my goals to get there. The only way to fail is to stop.
First and foremost, I want to thank God for guiding me on this path even when I fought to stay off of it. To whom much is given, much is expected of. Thank You for trusting me with much. Thank you, Pastor Buddy, for your sermons on abundance, and for letting God speak to me through your talents.
Thank you to all my friends and family. Every day is such a blessing. Thank you, Dad, for all of your advice in my business. Thank you, Mom, Joyce, Bob, Sara and Richard for being so genuinely happy for me.
Addison, you are an amazing daughter. You know what to say to me when I am down and when I am up. I want you to know that you can accomplish anything in life. You get to decide. Thank you for helping me to accomplish my dreams.
Owen, thank you for pushing me along my path. You never let me give up. I learned to see Arbonne more simply through your eyes. The love that you show me every day is exactly what I need when I am having a bad Arbonne day. Thank you for all the hugs and kisses.
Dan-O, I love you so much for supporting me and loving me to this place. You are God’s favor in my life. We have an amazing life. Now with Arbonne, we will share an out-of-this-world extraordinary life. How awesome is that? Thank you for all of it. I could not do it without you.
ENVP Andrea Rohrwasser, thank you for being my sponsor. I am blessed to call you my friend. Thank you for the countless hours of listening and advising that you have given me.
Thank you to my RVPs. Nobody gets to the top of Arbonne alone. Without your help and support I could have never made it to ENVP. BJ, you were my first builder and my first RVP. You keep me on my toes and show me how to stay consistent. Armae, you help to keep me grounded and focused. I aspire to become a better person because of you. Aldis, it has been my honor to get to know you through Arbonne. You are a special person and soon all of Arbonne will recognize you. You all are ENVPs-in-qualification, it’s not a matter of if, it is a matter of when.
Thank you to all of my Area Managers and District Managers that will become VPs one day. I am truly grateful to each of you for adding value to my organization and helping me achieve this dream. Know that without you, there would not be a Nation. I am nothing without my team.
Many people have touched my life and helped me to the top of Arbonne. Thank you for what you added to me and for your help. Thank you, ENVP Nadja Shipley, without you I would not be living out my dreams. Thank you, ENVP Lisa DeMayo, I am honored to have you as my first NVP and blessed to have the chance to learn from you. Thank you, Michael Clouse, you are my mentor and friend.
Along the way I reached out to several successful NVPs for advice, and they were generous enough to guide me on my path. Thank you, ENVP Cecilia Stoll, ENVP Donna Johnson, ENVP Bonnie Erickson, ENVP Phoebe James, ENVP Marybeth Relyea, NVP Laraine Segar, and ENVP Jennifer Jerry for what you have added to my success.
Thank you to all the Clients and Consultants who make this possible. Thank you to the Arbonne staff. Without the great management team in place we would be just another mediocre company. Instead, we are a company of champions.
Why are you waiting? Arbonne is exploding into the global market. If you can read, follow instructions, and talk to others, you can join me in my success with Arbonne. You deserve success.
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.
