A few short years ago, I was totally MISERABLE. I was in government accounting with a company that downsized from 2500 to 700 over just 3 years prior. It was a depressing environment, where they walked 50 people out each Friday, and people became scared for their future.

You know... that never happens when you work for YOURSELF!

I've never been a slacker, but the work load became horrendous. I wasn't too worried about me being the next one since I had picked up 2 additional full time jobs, and sometimes worked till 9 or 10:00 at night... or even weekends! Everyone was expected to do more with less... and we were taught to welcome CHANGE. It WAS good training. I became accustomed to changes... and they no longer bothered me.

I knew if I stayed there, I'd probably be fine for a few years, but with the defense industry on the decline, losing millions every year... how long would they be in business? While the salary was fair, the stress level was intolerable, and I was looking for a better way.

I searched for 2 years for a new job, but I had been with my old job for over 11 years, making excellent wages, and most places wanted to offer half my wages, in spite of my tons of experience!

Then... I started to read about Network Marketing... and I thought GEE... I can do that! I had received a letter from a gal in North Dakota, pitching a nutritional company, so we hooked up and I started part time, while in my day job.

Neither of us had any experience, so it was the blind leading the blind. Our upline instructed us to mail out a few thousand canned letters, with our id# and their 800 number and since we were not experienced, they would take the calls for us and build our downline. All we needed to do was mail the letters. Right. I bought mailing lists from them, and faithfully mailed over $3,000 worth of letters, but that downline never seemed to materialize. One day a co-worker, who I had handed a letter to, and told to call in, came in and asked about a company I never heard of. Investigating, we found when she called, our upline sent her info on another company they were involved in. Hmmmm... FIRST LESSON: NEVER trust your leads to Anyone else!

At the time, I was extremely shy, and almost gave up. The only reason we got involved was because the mailing was easy to do, and we did NOT have to go to meetings or talk to anyone. My counter part, also was upset, and suggested WE try taking our calls. Well SHE did a GREAT job... she's a talker... and we wound up sponsoring a bunch from all over. We thought things were looking up, but we soon found that it was IMPOSSIBLE to build all over the US (no internet then) and keep in touch. When I found the internet and started experimenting... things started looking up again.

In the meantime... I jumped ship. I found another DAY Job, where the grass looked a LOT greener and ONLY had to take a $10,000 cut in pay but there was NO overtime (or so they said) and good benefits. I thought gee, I'm building this network marketing thing, so it's worth giving up the pay to have the time to build.

About the same time, I'd switched Network Marketing companies to a telcom that looked too good to be true. Well... any time you think that... IT IS!! The sponsor I had, came to me with a REAL DEAL, that was a well known major company. She assured me she had thoroughly checked out and it was in PRELAUNCH, yet "a sure thing". Why... she knew the people running the show... and we'd get in and get rich! I LISTENED.

On the job side, it was not going well. I'd jumped from a company that had STATE of the art computers, and all kinds of software, back to a major USA corporation without even EMAIL, no network, and everything was MANUAL. An accounting department, that hardly knew how to use a spreadsheet. It was incredible. They used to show up Friday at 4 PM and say it was MANDITORY that you come in Saturday. (The same company that stressed no overtime!) Every chore was tons of paperwork. I worked hard for a year, and transferred every task I had into a database, or a spread sheet and automated the thing. After 6 months... enter NEW boss. The new boss convinced the company he knew everything and was a software KING. He ended up having me teach him Paradox, Access, and other software packages.

Basically, he took credit for EVERY good thing anyone in our department did and if there was anything wrong, everyone took the blame but him. He doubled everyone's responsibilities and cut out the overtime. He believed you should do 2 jobs, for peanut wages, and be grateful, in today's society that you had a job. It was a huge company, with good benefits, yet they treated people with no respect. They belittled everyone and treated them horribly.

I had an opportunity to go to an MLM convention in Atlanta, and at the time had NEVER been any place so I was thrilled. I booked plane tickets, since it was 3 months in advance and I had 2 weeks vacation on the books. Never once did it cross my mind that I would NOT be allowed to go!! I requested ONE day off, when I returned to work, and because my boss KNEW I wanted to go to a seminar, he refused to let me go. He told me, if I took the day, he would consider it my notice. So, tired of coming home in tears every day, I told him I was taking the day... they forced me to resign... which I did happily. Now... I would NEVER advise ANYONE to do what I did. It's not smart, but... there comes a time when enough is enough. I walked away and never looked back.

I ended up, over time, spending a LOT of my life savings, and went through several really BAD choices. Had a rotten partnership deal, and several really stupid choices of companies. I was almost to the point of giving up and saying this was NOT for me. (Some of you may be there right NOW!)

However... I've ALWAYS believed that if ONE other person could do this business and make it work, then I could to! I am just NOT a quitter. I believe that quitters never win and winners never quit. Having teamed up with Jack Bastide (who also had made several bad choices before I met him), I now had to consider the fact that not only would I be giving up, but I'd be letting down another person, so quitting was just NOT an option.

If you click below... you'll see where riding out the bad times, never surrendering your integrity, and hanging on to your dreams... WHATEVER THE COST... can take you to!