Original Source
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
QUIXTAR: DESPERATION VIA EMAIL
Original Source
QUIXTAR: DESPERATION VIA EMAIL
Thursday, February 28, 2008
As if it wasn't enough to threaten all the diamonds at Diamond Cluster 08, now Amway has sent the email below. We at TEAM are all to familiar with Quackstar's prolific ability to send nasty emails. Talk about not letting go, I am convinced these folks will be talking about TEAM for years to come. I am reminded of a young boy I knew in my childhood. He would say, "When I was big," and then go on about how he used to work or drive a car. He was 6 years old. I can imagine Amway sending out emails titled, "When I was big!"
I won't waste time debunking all the lies in their latest publication. Their track record has always been the same. I remember other organizations going through issues with Quixtar. Every time this happened, TEAM would get information from Quixtar just like this. This always made people believe that the organization was at fault. We now know better. Much has changed now that things are not all hidden in arbitration like they prefer. The internet has done wonders to shed light on the conspiring evil that ferments in Ada.
One thing stood out to me. This email is from Steve Lieberman. He joined Quixtar in August 2007, yet is confident enough in the story tellers around him to make the following statement.
The "non-compete" clause was added to Quixtar’s Rules in 2004 with IBOAI input and recommendations. It was communicated broadly to all IBOs through various vehicles.
How can Steve be so sure? How can he say TEAM were a bunch of ongoing rules violators? He obviously can't be but no matter it appears he will fit right in with the rest of the folks and their revisionist history.
This email highlights Quixtar's scarcity mentality. If there is one thing I have learned as part of TEAM, it is not to have a scarcity mentality. Quixtar appears to think TEAM is just lurking, waiting for a chance to pounce on IBOs still afflicted or affiliated with Quixtar. While I must admit people wanting to be a part of TEAM is nothing new. The merging of the other groups into TEAM has been nearly painless. We appreciate our new friends. However, if I have heard it once I have heard it a thousand times, 300 million people minus the entire TEAM still equals 300 million people. In other words we operate with an abundance mentality. Because of this, it won't be long and we will be saying, 300 million minus the TEAM equals 299 million!
Click here to read the email sent by Quixtar.
Posted by The IBO Rebellion at 3:23 AM
QUIXTAR: DESPERATION VIA EMAIL
Thursday, February 28, 2008
As if it wasn't enough to threaten all the diamonds at Diamond Cluster 08, now Amway has sent the email below. We at TEAM are all to familiar with Quackstar's prolific ability to send nasty emails. Talk about not letting go, I am convinced these folks will be talking about TEAM for years to come. I am reminded of a young boy I knew in my childhood. He would say, "When I was big," and then go on about how he used to work or drive a car. He was 6 years old. I can imagine Amway sending out emails titled, "When I was big!"
I won't waste time debunking all the lies in their latest publication. Their track record has always been the same. I remember other organizations going through issues with Quixtar. Every time this happened, TEAM would get information from Quixtar just like this. This always made people believe that the organization was at fault. We now know better. Much has changed now that things are not all hidden in arbitration like they prefer. The internet has done wonders to shed light on the conspiring evil that ferments in Ada.
One thing stood out to me. This email is from Steve Lieberman. He joined Quixtar in August 2007, yet is confident enough in the story tellers around him to make the following statement.
The "non-compete" clause was added to Quixtar’s Rules in 2004 with IBOAI input and recommendations. It was communicated broadly to all IBOs through various vehicles.
How can Steve be so sure? How can he say TEAM were a bunch of ongoing rules violators? He obviously can't be but no matter it appears he will fit right in with the rest of the folks and their revisionist history.
This email highlights Quixtar's scarcity mentality. If there is one thing I have learned as part of TEAM, it is not to have a scarcity mentality. Quixtar appears to think TEAM is just lurking, waiting for a chance to pounce on IBOs still afflicted or affiliated with Quixtar. While I must admit people wanting to be a part of TEAM is nothing new. The merging of the other groups into TEAM has been nearly painless. We appreciate our new friends. However, if I have heard it once I have heard it a thousand times, 300 million people minus the entire TEAM still equals 300 million people. In other words we operate with an abundance mentality. Because of this, it won't be long and we will be saying, 300 million minus the TEAM equals 299 million!
Click here to read the email sent by Quixtar.
Posted by The IBO Rebellion at 3:23 AM
QUIXTAR: Email on 2007 sales, protecting the LOS, building for the future
Original Source
Important news from Steve Lieberman – 2007 sales, protecting the LOS, building for the future
To qualified Platinums, Sapphires, and Emeralds
Dear Leader:
Thank you for your ongoing commitment to the QUIXTAR® business opportunity. 2007 was a year of great change as well as great success for the QUIXTAR business, and 2008 promises to be no less exciting.
As you know, we took steps in 2007 to protect the integrity of the QUIXTAR business for all IBOs by terminating the businesses of 15 Independent Business Owners who refused to change unacceptable practices and/or blatantly violated our rules. The businesses affected were part of the Team training organization or other training organizations using Team’s training materials.
Certain leaders of these organizations recently announced their intent to align themselves with a competitive direct selling business. It’s important to remember that they remain subject to significant restrictions related to their termination from Quixtar and remain exposed to potentially significant sanctions should they violate them.
It’s critical that all QUIXTAR IBOs and former IBOs understand the importance of protecting the foundation of the QUIXTAR IBO Compensation Plan – the Line of Sponsorship (LOS). We have rules in place to protect the use of the LOS within your business, which provides significant value to the IBOs who are committed to the QUIXTAR business and the time and effort of IBOs in building the LOS. Quixtar’s Rules of Conduct require IBOs to wait six months after leaving Quixtar to join or start another direct selling business and prevents them for two years from soliciting other IBOs to compete with Quixtar.
The "non-compete" clause was added to Quixtar’s Rules in 2004 with IBOAI input and recommendations. It was communicated broadly to all IBOs through various vehicles.
We take LOS issues very seriously because the LOS is the root structure of the QUIXTAR business. If you or anyone in your group is approached by any former QUIXTAR IBO regarding another direct selling opportunity, please take the time to make Quixtar aware of this contact. You may email the details of any such solicitation to HYPERLINK "mailto:qbcr.department@quixtar.com" qbcr.department@quixtar.com
Your assistance in this matter serves to protect the integrity of the QUIXTAR business for all IBOs and helps ensure the long-term success of your independent business. The hard work and dedication of hard-working IBOs like you would be in vain if we did not make every effort to protect the LOS. We appreciate your partnership in preserving the LOS, just as we value all that you do for the QUIXTAR business.
The efforts of hard-working Independent Business Owners like you propelled Quixtar’s 2007 sales to more than $1 billion for the fifth straight year. Thanks to the sales you generated, Quixtar was the #1 online retailer in Health & Beauty for the fourth consecutive year, according to Internet Retailer magazine’s 2007 guide to the Top 500 on the web.
2008 is now in full swing and so is our business transformation, leading to unprecedented improvements in all aspects of this business opportunity. A major part of that transformation is rebranding our North American business to better leverage the awareness and power of the nearly $7 billion AMWAY® global business.
The rebranding is much more than just a name change. We’re looking at how we can improve every aspect of our business, including products, compensation, training, and reputation.
We’re creating more products that customers want to buy and that IBOs want to sell. We’re supporting these brands – and the business opportunity – by investing in a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign, and through high-profile sponsorships, podcasts, web ads, and other multimedia vehicles.
To help you make the most of the increased awareness of the QUIXTAR business opportunity and our product brands, we’re offering more training than ever before. QUIXTAR University offers both instructor-led and online training, along with our training, selling, and presentation kits, all designed to help your retailing efforts.
To better reward you for your efforts and incentivize you to take your business to greater heights, we’ve invested an additional $60 million in the QUIXTAR Business Incentives Program.
We’re committed to telling our story and sharing why this business should be the business opportunity of choice in North America. We’re proud of our global One by One Campaign for Children, through which more than $52 million and more than 800,000 volunteer hours have been donated to over 5.5 million children since the campaign’s launch in 2003. We’re proud to be a member of both the Direct Selling Association and the Better Business Bureau. And we’re especially proud of the 49 years of history behind our company and our proven sales plan. For all of these reasons and more, we’re creating a new Amway – one that you will continue to be proud to be associated with and eager to share with others.
Please look for more exciting news in the coming days and weeks about all the innovative ways we’re transforming this business, supporting you, and making this opportunity stronger and more profitable for all IBOs.
Thank you for your dedication. We look forward to working together to preserve and strengthen your business for years to come.
Steve Lieberman
Managing Director
Quixtar Inc.
Important news from Steve Lieberman – 2007 sales, protecting the LOS, building for the future
To qualified Platinums, Sapphires, and Emeralds
Dear Leader:
Thank you for your ongoing commitment to the QUIXTAR® business opportunity. 2007 was a year of great change as well as great success for the QUIXTAR business, and 2008 promises to be no less exciting.
As you know, we took steps in 2007 to protect the integrity of the QUIXTAR business for all IBOs by terminating the businesses of 15 Independent Business Owners who refused to change unacceptable practices and/or blatantly violated our rules. The businesses affected were part of the Team training organization or other training organizations using Team’s training materials.
Certain leaders of these organizations recently announced their intent to align themselves with a competitive direct selling business. It’s important to remember that they remain subject to significant restrictions related to their termination from Quixtar and remain exposed to potentially significant sanctions should they violate them.
It’s critical that all QUIXTAR IBOs and former IBOs understand the importance of protecting the foundation of the QUIXTAR IBO Compensation Plan – the Line of Sponsorship (LOS). We have rules in place to protect the use of the LOS within your business, which provides significant value to the IBOs who are committed to the QUIXTAR business and the time and effort of IBOs in building the LOS. Quixtar’s Rules of Conduct require IBOs to wait six months after leaving Quixtar to join or start another direct selling business and prevents them for two years from soliciting other IBOs to compete with Quixtar.
The "non-compete" clause was added to Quixtar’s Rules in 2004 with IBOAI input and recommendations. It was communicated broadly to all IBOs through various vehicles.
We take LOS issues very seriously because the LOS is the root structure of the QUIXTAR business. If you or anyone in your group is approached by any former QUIXTAR IBO regarding another direct selling opportunity, please take the time to make Quixtar aware of this contact. You may email the details of any such solicitation to HYPERLINK "mailto:qbcr.department@quixtar.com" qbcr.department@quixtar.com
Your assistance in this matter serves to protect the integrity of the QUIXTAR business for all IBOs and helps ensure the long-term success of your independent business. The hard work and dedication of hard-working IBOs like you would be in vain if we did not make every effort to protect the LOS. We appreciate your partnership in preserving the LOS, just as we value all that you do for the QUIXTAR business.
The efforts of hard-working Independent Business Owners like you propelled Quixtar’s 2007 sales to more than $1 billion for the fifth straight year. Thanks to the sales you generated, Quixtar was the #1 online retailer in Health & Beauty for the fourth consecutive year, according to Internet Retailer magazine’s 2007 guide to the Top 500 on the web.
2008 is now in full swing and so is our business transformation, leading to unprecedented improvements in all aspects of this business opportunity. A major part of that transformation is rebranding our North American business to better leverage the awareness and power of the nearly $7 billion AMWAY® global business.
The rebranding is much more than just a name change. We’re looking at how we can improve every aspect of our business, including products, compensation, training, and reputation.
We’re creating more products that customers want to buy and that IBOs want to sell. We’re supporting these brands – and the business opportunity – by investing in a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign, and through high-profile sponsorships, podcasts, web ads, and other multimedia vehicles.
To help you make the most of the increased awareness of the QUIXTAR business opportunity and our product brands, we’re offering more training than ever before. QUIXTAR University offers both instructor-led and online training, along with our training, selling, and presentation kits, all designed to help your retailing efforts.
To better reward you for your efforts and incentivize you to take your business to greater heights, we’ve invested an additional $60 million in the QUIXTAR Business Incentives Program.
We’re committed to telling our story and sharing why this business should be the business opportunity of choice in North America. We’re proud of our global One by One Campaign for Children, through which more than $52 million and more than 800,000 volunteer hours have been donated to over 5.5 million children since the campaign’s launch in 2003. We’re proud to be a member of both the Direct Selling Association and the Better Business Bureau. And we’re especially proud of the 49 years of history behind our company and our proven sales plan. For all of these reasons and more, we’re creating a new Amway – one that you will continue to be proud to be associated with and eager to share with others.
Please look for more exciting news in the coming days and weeks about all the innovative ways we’re transforming this business, supporting you, and making this opportunity stronger and more profitable for all IBOs.
Thank you for your dedication. We look forward to working together to preserve and strengthen your business for years to come.
Steve Lieberman
Managing Director
Quixtar Inc.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
QUIXTAR: Quixtar sues ... Mona Vie™
Original Source
Quixtar - The ex-girlfriend that won't die
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2008
OK. Now quixsand is just plain embarrassing itself. This has gotten WAY out of hand.
First they sue the leaders of Team. Then the bloggers... and anonymous commenters. Then the Team office. Then when Orrin's 6 months are up, they petition the judge for 45 more days trying one last time to stop the inevitable. And now... they sue Monavie!
Quixsand is the ex-girlfriend that just won't die!
You know the story. You have a relationship with a nice girl, things don't work out, so you break it off. There are some tears, some angry words exchanged, some heated arguments and accusations. But with every passing week, things seem to settle down. Eventually, you both find that special someone , and life goes on.
Of course, thats not how it goes when you dated a raving psycho rabbit killing butchers knife wielding stalker.
First, its a few notes left under the windshield wiper of your car in the middle of the night. The notes gets more venomous as the days pass, usually ending up at "I never loved you anyway! - Just go (TEAM)."
Then the phone calls at all hours of the night. Threatening emails blast across the internet. Then she informs you she is keeping all the stuff that you left at her apartment (bonus checks, earned trips).
You do the right thing and don't date anyone else for six months hoping to just move on to a new chapter in your life. All seams well, until the raving lunatic keys your new girlfriends car. Next thing you know shes attacking her in line at the grocery store, "He's mine I tell you! Mine forever! We're meant to be together! If I can't have him, no one will!"
Quixsand. Go away. Please. You look like a desperate small time company trying to dive on a grenade that already went off. Its over. We're gone. We're not coming back. You can't stop us from pursuing another business. You can't stop Orrin from doing the same. We'll conform to your Nazi-like 6 month non compete that you slid under the door while no one was looking. But we will move on. The walls of your once great business are crumbling on your head - stop worrying about the people that left your business - It's time for you to get some "me" time.
Maybe take a few weeks off, to find yourself - your inner person. Maybe take a girls vacation to somewhere warm. Who knows, maybe you'll find some nice island boy to take your mind off your troubles for a while. Remember - what happens in Jamaica, stays in Jamaica.
But whatever you do, take our picture off the wall. Delete our number from your cell phone. And for goodness sake, please stop hiding in the bushes spying on us - its kind of annoying and VERY sad. (can you say "restraining order")
I just think if quixsand doesn't stop this foolishness now - when will it end?
Whats next - suing Berean Baptist Church for being a competing business?
Mohr: "Its is our intention to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Brean Baptist Church is in fact another competing business that Orrin and Chirs have joined. Fact: Our spies have seen Orrin and Chris dinking some sort of grape juice from some small plastic cup during church service (they used these small cups hoping our spies wouldn't notice.) They went as far as to make thier "pastor" act as if it was some "communion" nonsense."
"Orrin and Chris are well aware that quixtar has this very same product - a 3.5 oz juicy juice box - complete with bendy straw."
"Subsequently, our spies then noticed Orrin and Chris paying "Jesus" via some plate that got passed around. Another not so subtle attempt to disguise their intentions. Just how deep this massive conspiracy goes, we don't know, but we are willing to sue anyone and everyone to find out."
"Your honor, we rest our case. (We rest our case.. in this case.. but we have more cases your honor, lots more cases...so we'll see you next week.)"
POSTED BY DRINKXS.BIZ AT 2:56 PM
Quixtar - The ex-girlfriend that won't die
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2008
OK. Now quixsand is just plain embarrassing itself. This has gotten WAY out of hand.
First they sue the leaders of Team. Then the bloggers... and anonymous commenters. Then the Team office. Then when Orrin's 6 months are up, they petition the judge for 45 more days trying one last time to stop the inevitable. And now... they sue Monavie!
Quixsand is the ex-girlfriend that just won't die!
You know the story. You have a relationship with a nice girl, things don't work out, so you break it off. There are some tears, some angry words exchanged, some heated arguments and accusations. But with every passing week, things seem to settle down. Eventually, you both find that special someone , and life goes on.
Of course, thats not how it goes when you dated a raving psycho rabbit killing butchers knife wielding stalker.
First, its a few notes left under the windshield wiper of your car in the middle of the night. The notes gets more venomous as the days pass, usually ending up at "I never loved you anyway! - Just go (TEAM)."
Then the phone calls at all hours of the night. Threatening emails blast across the internet. Then she informs you she is keeping all the stuff that you left at her apartment (bonus checks, earned trips).
You do the right thing and don't date anyone else for six months hoping to just move on to a new chapter in your life. All seams well, until the raving lunatic keys your new girlfriends car. Next thing you know shes attacking her in line at the grocery store, "He's mine I tell you! Mine forever! We're meant to be together! If I can't have him, no one will!"
Quixsand. Go away. Please. You look like a desperate small time company trying to dive on a grenade that already went off. Its over. We're gone. We're not coming back. You can't stop us from pursuing another business. You can't stop Orrin from doing the same. We'll conform to your Nazi-like 6 month non compete that you slid under the door while no one was looking. But we will move on. The walls of your once great business are crumbling on your head - stop worrying about the people that left your business - It's time for you to get some "me" time.
Maybe take a few weeks off, to find yourself - your inner person. Maybe take a girls vacation to somewhere warm. Who knows, maybe you'll find some nice island boy to take your mind off your troubles for a while. Remember - what happens in Jamaica, stays in Jamaica.
But whatever you do, take our picture off the wall. Delete our number from your cell phone. And for goodness sake, please stop hiding in the bushes spying on us - its kind of annoying and VERY sad. (can you say "restraining order")
I just think if quixsand doesn't stop this foolishness now - when will it end?
Whats next - suing Berean Baptist Church for being a competing business?
Mohr: "Its is our intention to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Brean Baptist Church is in fact another competing business that Orrin and Chirs have joined. Fact: Our spies have seen Orrin and Chris dinking some sort of grape juice from some small plastic cup during church service (they used these small cups hoping our spies wouldn't notice.) They went as far as to make thier "pastor" act as if it was some "communion" nonsense."
"Orrin and Chris are well aware that quixtar has this very same product - a 3.5 oz juicy juice box - complete with bendy straw."
"Subsequently, our spies then noticed Orrin and Chris paying "Jesus" via some plate that got passed around. Another not so subtle attempt to disguise their intentions. Just how deep this massive conspiracy goes, we don't know, but we are willing to sue anyone and everyone to find out."
"Your honor, we rest our case. (We rest our case.. in this case.. but we have more cases your honor, lots more cases...so we'll see you next week.)"
POSTED BY DRINKXS.BIZ AT 2:56 PM
QUIXTAR: Quixtar Sues MonaVie and Brig Hart
Original Source
Quixtar Sues MonaVie and Brig Hart
Details are sketchy but it looks like Quixtar is suing MonaVie and Brig Hart, possibly related to the Team (Orrin Woodward & CO) leaders announcement of using MonaVie as a supplier.
Here is a link...
Quixtar v. MonaVie
Another poster at Get The Facts - The Truth About Amway and Quixtar added information found on the PACER web site:
January 29, 2008
Quixtar Inc. v. Hart et al FL Middle Adams Other
Petitioner: Quixtar Inc. Respondent: John Hart, Lita Hart
My question is...
How long can Quixtar attorney's force people to stay with a company that is in such chaos?
February 27, 2008
Quixtar Sues MonaVie and Brig Hart
Details are sketchy but it looks like Quixtar is suing MonaVie and Brig Hart, possibly related to the Team (Orrin Woodward & CO) leaders announcement of using MonaVie as a supplier.
Here is a link...
Quixtar v. MonaVie
Another poster at Get The Facts - The Truth About Amway and Quixtar added information found on the PACER web site:
January 29, 2008
Quixtar Inc. v. Hart et al FL Middle Adams Other
Petitioner: Quixtar Inc. Respondent: John Hart, Lita Hart
My question is...
How long can Quixtar attorney's force people to stay with a company that is in such chaos?
February 27, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
TEAM: BEHIND THE WALLS OF QUIXTAR PART 6
Original Source
BEHIND THE WALLS OF QUIXTAR PART 6
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Hey folks, I am just back from yet another blog filling lunch with two of my CWPF's (Close Warm Personal Friends) from Alticor / Amway / Quixtar. I must say I was very happy my friends wanted to eat for a change. The coffee routine was getting old. Even as good as the food was at filing my stomach it was nothing compared to the "MEATY" information my friends provided today.
There are two big stories to discuss in today's installment of Behind the Walls of Quixtar. The first story is straight out of Hawaii and the latest Diamond Club. The second is some big news on possible employee unrest within Alticor. Employees are keenly aware of the entire TEAM fallout and are starting to fear the ripple effect.
The biggest story is certainly out of Hawaii and Diamond Club. I am thinking they should really rename the entire event Diamond Cluster. It more appropriately describes it and the situation. In case you hadn't heard there was a mere 65 diamonds at this years Diamond Cluster. I am sure our friends in Ada will somehow find the silver lining in this. But really, is that all they could muster is 65 diamonds after 50 years of business? Quixtar reportedly went all out and hired the music group the Motels in recognition of their incredible shrinking company. Click here to hear the Motels performing at Diamond Cluster 2008.
With all that extra elbow room at the Grand Wailea I am sure it felt much more exclusive this year. How much extra elbow room you ask? Well in recent years there have been somewhere in the neighborhood of 260 diamonds or so. On the Alticor blog Ada-tudes there was a lot of conversation about the 160 or so diamonds for 2007. So as you can see Quixtar is now minus another hundred diamonds for 2008. At this rate of demise, well, you can do the math. Quixtar is involved in a complete free fall.
Another big story from Diamond Cluster 2008 was that Mike "MonaVie" Mohr addressed the diamonds in attendence. During his speech Mr. Mohr took the time to engage in MonaVie bashing from stage. Yes this is the same Mike Mohr who considers price comparisons to be disparagment. But somehow his conduct is just fine. Mr. Mohr, after trashing MonaVie, told the diamonds that if anyone approached their cattle with MonaVie, that they would have the full weight of the company behind them. This of course was code for, don't get any ideas or we will sue you! Mike Mohr is really Quixtar's version of Kathy Bates / Annie Wilkes from the movie Misery. Encouraging folks to succeed or, as in the movie get the book written, all the while waiting to break your legs so you can NEVER leave. In case you were wondering what it all looked like, here are some pictures for your enjoyment.
Picture 1, Picture 2, Picture 3.
Well enough of Diamond Cluster 08. The other big story from my CWPF's is quit alarming. Alticor has long been known as a great place to work with good pay. Well it seems that employees are trying to prepare for the worse. It was hinted to me that since the North American business continues to shrink that some employees are considering a union organizing effort in order to protect their jobs. I was almost shocked to hear such a thing. It wasn't clear in what part of the company these rumblings were coming from but I am sure it will be met with stern resistance.
Well that is it for this installment of Behind the Walls of Quixtar. Information continues to pour from inside the company so I will have more when the information merits your attention.
Posted by The IBO Rebellion at 1:51 PM
BEHIND THE WALLS OF QUIXTAR PART 6
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Hey folks, I am just back from yet another blog filling lunch with two of my CWPF's (Close Warm Personal Friends) from Alticor / Amway / Quixtar. I must say I was very happy my friends wanted to eat for a change. The coffee routine was getting old. Even as good as the food was at filing my stomach it was nothing compared to the "MEATY" information my friends provided today.
There are two big stories to discuss in today's installment of Behind the Walls of Quixtar. The first story is straight out of Hawaii and the latest Diamond Club. The second is some big news on possible employee unrest within Alticor. Employees are keenly aware of the entire TEAM fallout and are starting to fear the ripple effect.
The biggest story is certainly out of Hawaii and Diamond Club. I am thinking they should really rename the entire event Diamond Cluster. It more appropriately describes it and the situation. In case you hadn't heard there was a mere 65 diamonds at this years Diamond Cluster. I am sure our friends in Ada will somehow find the silver lining in this. But really, is that all they could muster is 65 diamonds after 50 years of business? Quixtar reportedly went all out and hired the music group the Motels in recognition of their incredible shrinking company. Click here to hear the Motels performing at Diamond Cluster 2008.
With all that extra elbow room at the Grand Wailea I am sure it felt much more exclusive this year. How much extra elbow room you ask? Well in recent years there have been somewhere in the neighborhood of 260 diamonds or so. On the Alticor blog Ada-tudes there was a lot of conversation about the 160 or so diamonds for 2007. So as you can see Quixtar is now minus another hundred diamonds for 2008. At this rate of demise, well, you can do the math. Quixtar is involved in a complete free fall.
Another big story from Diamond Cluster 2008 was that Mike "MonaVie" Mohr addressed the diamonds in attendence. During his speech Mr. Mohr took the time to engage in MonaVie bashing from stage. Yes this is the same Mike Mohr who considers price comparisons to be disparagment. But somehow his conduct is just fine. Mr. Mohr, after trashing MonaVie, told the diamonds that if anyone approached their cattle with MonaVie, that they would have the full weight of the company behind them. This of course was code for, don't get any ideas or we will sue you! Mike Mohr is really Quixtar's version of Kathy Bates / Annie Wilkes from the movie Misery. Encouraging folks to succeed or, as in the movie get the book written, all the while waiting to break your legs so you can NEVER leave. In case you were wondering what it all looked like, here are some pictures for your enjoyment.
Picture 1, Picture 2, Picture 3.
Well enough of Diamond Cluster 08. The other big story from my CWPF's is quit alarming. Alticor has long been known as a great place to work with good pay. Well it seems that employees are trying to prepare for the worse. It was hinted to me that since the North American business continues to shrink that some employees are considering a union organizing effort in order to protect their jobs. I was almost shocked to hear such a thing. It wasn't clear in what part of the company these rumblings were coming from but I am sure it will be met with stern resistance.
Well that is it for this installment of Behind the Walls of Quixtar. Information continues to pour from inside the company so I will have more when the information merits your attention.
Posted by The IBO Rebellion at 1:51 PM
Monday, February 25, 2008
TEAM: QUIXTAR & THE IBO REBELLION WORKING ON POSSIBLE PEACE ACCORD???
Original Source
QUIXTAR & THE IBO REBELLION WORKING ON POSSIBLE PEACE ACCORD???
Monday, February 25, 2008
After a flurry of posts and related comments in the last few weeks The IBO Rebellion received this comment that I have reprinted and placed at the bottom of this post. Being optimistic, as I am, I am hoping this could possibly be an attempt by Quixtar at ending this madness. Could this be an olive branch extended to TEAM and The IBO Rebellion? In the hopes that this is in fact Quixtar's way of asking for a truce then I will make the following pledge.
I, THE IBO REBELLION, pledge to completely remove this site under the following conditions.
Alticor and its related companies cease all legal action against the TEAM.
Alticor and its related companies cease all legal action against all former IBOs affiliated with TEAM, including all anonymous bloggers.
I can only hope that Quixtar and friends really do want peace. If not, this blog will continue. Though it may be difficult to maintain an effective blog while also building an exponentially expanding MonaVie buisness, I will do my best. Oh, and by the way Quixtar.... I never signed a contract with a non-compete agreement. As you very well know this was inserted without my knowledge. So what do you find most unfair this blog or what I just described?
Anonymous said...
Posted by The IBO Rebellion at 8:39 PM
QUIXTAR & THE IBO REBELLION WORKING ON POSSIBLE PEACE ACCORD???
Monday, February 25, 2008
After a flurry of posts and related comments in the last few weeks The IBO Rebellion received this comment that I have reprinted and placed at the bottom of this post. Being optimistic, as I am, I am hoping this could possibly be an attempt by Quixtar at ending this madness. Could this be an olive branch extended to TEAM and The IBO Rebellion? In the hopes that this is in fact Quixtar's way of asking for a truce then I will make the following pledge.
I, THE IBO REBELLION, pledge to completely remove this site under the following conditions.
Alticor and its related companies cease all legal action against the TEAM.
Alticor and its related companies cease all legal action against all former IBOs affiliated with TEAM, including all anonymous bloggers.
I can only hope that Quixtar and friends really do want peace. If not, this blog will continue. Though it may be difficult to maintain an effective blog while also building an exponentially expanding MonaVie buisness, I will do my best. Oh, and by the way Quixtar.... I never signed a contract with a non-compete agreement. As you very well know this was inserted without my knowledge. So what do you find most unfair this blog or what I just described?
Anonymous said...
Dear TEAM,
THANK YOU for leaving. We would like to be quiet but apparently YOU folks never wanted to leave quietly.
Since you continue to maintain sites where you bash the corporation because they forced you to adhere to the rules of conduct you signed, well, you must then realize that there are folks who view that as unfair, and will not just leave you alone.
Why should we - and allow you to continue a one sided debate?
February 25, 2008 7:13 PM
Posted by The IBO Rebellion at 8:39 PM
Thursday, February 21, 2008
TEAM: MONAVIE: THE RIGHT CHOICE
Original Source
MONAVIE: THE RIGHT CHOICE
Thursday, February 21, 2008
We have all had a bit of time to sleep on the revelation that those associated with TEAM will be pursuing a business relationship with MonaVie. Maybe you couldn’t sleep thinking about the possibilities? Maybe you couldn’t sleep because you were expecting something a bit different? The current situation begs for the proper perspective and reframing. Here are my two cents.
After reviewing some comments online I would caution you not to be led by emotion but instead by your intelligence. Those expecting the Walmart of the internet should not be disappointed. It is clear that remains the vision. Current circumstances dictate a plan B approach. It is times such as this we need to remember all we have learned in regards to leadership. As you hopefully recall GOALS are written in stone but the GAME PLAN is written in sand.
As Major League Baseball’s spring training has begun I can’t help but draw a parallel to baseball. It’s as if Orrin was batting in the bottom of the ninth of a World Series game. Orrin, known to all as a power hitter who loves fast balls steps into the batter’s box with a full count, and two outs already on the board. The winning run is on third base. What is Orrin to expect, a fastball, a curve, a slider, who knows? This situation would not be a time to try and be the super star. To swing away would be selfish. The advice given most often in this situation is “choke up” and “hit’em where they ain’t.” That is exactly what Orrin and the TEAM leadership did. As much as some of you might have been confused by the decision to align with MonaVie, I am sure Quixtar and their cattle counting legal department were more confused. I could almost picture Amway preparing to attack our fledgling company with their mouths watering. Instead, they find themselves peering across the foggy terrain at yet another billion dollar company. So if MonaVie wasn’t what you expected, remember it wasn’t what the enemy expected either.
As I read comment after comment on the blogs, I couldn’t help but be compelled back to the foundation of TEAM and the Launching the Leadership Revolution book. I thumbed back and forth examining and reexamining the trilateral leadership ledger. I was trying to locate what I felt many people were lacking in their comments. Certainly Quixtar’s fingerprints (attempting to create doubt) could be seen among the many posts but I felt there was a degree of shock among the troops. What was lacking was what I call moxie or grit. Some people call this kahones! I have no intention of offending anyone I am just being strait with you. We have come too far to get weak in the knees my friends. I know the kahone-less is a very small group but it is the leader's job to bolster this group. Our eyes remain on an incredible future and I have full confidence MonaVie can and will be a large part of that.
The ability to launch immediately into a Walmart model would have been great. I am sure Orrin feels the same. But the alliance with MonaVie provides TEAM with a great product and a great compensation plan as well safe harbor while the war with Q-star continues. MonaVie is directly in line with the health and wellness trends the TEAM has taken advantage of in recent years. The health benefits of the acai berry are as well documented as the outrageous prices at Quixtar. I don’t have exact pricing on MonaVie as if yet, but would say that it falls into what Quixtar would call a “premium” product. Though MonaVie doesn’t meet the Walmart pricing expectations it does provide a retailable product. You won’t find a MonaVie like product at Walmart but will find everything from Quixtar at Walmart for pennies on the dollar.
One of the most important aspects of the TEAM / MonaVie alliance is that business owners will have an excellent compensation program. The monthly expense for a MonaVie distributor is far less than doing the suggested volume at Quixtar prices. MonaVie distributors also recognize true savings for case quantities, something that was not possible with XS Energy. The most important thing is that new distributors can make money early on. There is full disclosure of the incomes attainable and what it takes to reach those incomes. If anything is somewhat imposing it is being new all over again. Taking the time to learn all the fine details of the MonaVie compensation plan will take a bit of time but will be worth it. In the end it comes down to return on investment. MonaVie is far superior to what we have all endured for years. Here is a link to the MonaVie income disclosure statement.
As Orrin stated in one of his writings, “We will build the perfect business one brick at a time.” MonaVie is a logical choice on that pathway. We could easily maintain a relationship with MonaVie all the while beginning a new venture that embraces the Walmart pricing the market craves.I was excited to see Chris Brady expound upon the ultimate vision of the TEAM in discussing Community Building, Always Competitive Pricing, and Field Profit Only on our way to creating the #1 Business in North America. This would place the product side of the business in line with what has already been created in the remarkable Leadership Service Provider portion of TEAM.
This brings me to a point that demands to be made. For sometime I have wanted to further clarify the facts surrounding profit sharing on the TEAM. Without getting into specific formulas and or levels I want to just look at the big picture and for yet another reason the TEAM departed Quixtar. Critics attempt to claim the high ground by making the claim, “They make more from tools than products.” While I acknowledge that TEAM profits sharers made more from TEAM than from Quixtar, this is not an indictment of TEAM. The indictment lay squarely on Amway / Quixtar for there anemic returns to IBOs.
The graph above attempts to illustrate the size of each pot of money in terms of ratio. Here is how I determined my results. A TEAM member, involving themselves in the TEAM training system, would invest approximately $75 per month for the basic system. If he or she brought their spouse to seminar their investment would rise to $100 per month. This person or couple would then spend $300-$500 dollars to reach the suggested volume of 150 pv. In this example the IBO would spend three to five times as much money on product as they would the training system. TEAM should make no apology for having a generous profit sharing plan. After all, books and compact discs are also products. Incidentally, the books are sold at cover price or less and cd's are a mere $6. Could you imagine Border's apologizing for selling books? Quixtar is clearly guilty of hoarding the profits. This example also does not account for the economies of scale Quixtar enjoys in providing their overpriced goods. TEAM profit sharing is currently running in line with the Field Profit Only model. All profit sharers are paid for current performance. There are no special deals, not even for the founders of the TEAM. Quixtar on the other hand continues to utilize the eye dropper approach to compensate IBOs. Quixtar should be embarrassed. They probably are and this is why they have repeatedly attempted to hide tool income from IBOs or have encouraged sharing only for the largest pins. This is their track record.
Lastly, it really gets down to common sense. In any business what are your expenses and what are your potential profits. MonaVie offers improvements in both catagories. The ability to make more income from products has arrived. The critics will simply find another red herring to point to. We on the TEAM have prided ourselves on our ability to build market share through our communities. We will continue our dominance in this arena. We will continue to move toward the vision of the Walmart of the internet. In this time of transition you should demand your best. If not for you and your family then for the leaders who so willingly continue to plot the course towards our goal regardless of what's in the bottle.
Posted by The IBO Rebellion at 6:11 AM
MONAVIE: THE RIGHT CHOICE
Thursday, February 21, 2008
We have all had a bit of time to sleep on the revelation that those associated with TEAM will be pursuing a business relationship with MonaVie. Maybe you couldn’t sleep thinking about the possibilities? Maybe you couldn’t sleep because you were expecting something a bit different? The current situation begs for the proper perspective and reframing. Here are my two cents.
After reviewing some comments online I would caution you not to be led by emotion but instead by your intelligence. Those expecting the Walmart of the internet should not be disappointed. It is clear that remains the vision. Current circumstances dictate a plan B approach. It is times such as this we need to remember all we have learned in regards to leadership. As you hopefully recall GOALS are written in stone but the GAME PLAN is written in sand.
As Major League Baseball’s spring training has begun I can’t help but draw a parallel to baseball. It’s as if Orrin was batting in the bottom of the ninth of a World Series game. Orrin, known to all as a power hitter who loves fast balls steps into the batter’s box with a full count, and two outs already on the board. The winning run is on third base. What is Orrin to expect, a fastball, a curve, a slider, who knows? This situation would not be a time to try and be the super star. To swing away would be selfish. The advice given most often in this situation is “choke up” and “hit’em where they ain’t.” That is exactly what Orrin and the TEAM leadership did. As much as some of you might have been confused by the decision to align with MonaVie, I am sure Quixtar and their cattle counting legal department were more confused. I could almost picture Amway preparing to attack our fledgling company with their mouths watering. Instead, they find themselves peering across the foggy terrain at yet another billion dollar company. So if MonaVie wasn’t what you expected, remember it wasn’t what the enemy expected either.
As I read comment after comment on the blogs, I couldn’t help but be compelled back to the foundation of TEAM and the Launching the Leadership Revolution book. I thumbed back and forth examining and reexamining the trilateral leadership ledger. I was trying to locate what I felt many people were lacking in their comments. Certainly Quixtar’s fingerprints (attempting to create doubt) could be seen among the many posts but I felt there was a degree of shock among the troops. What was lacking was what I call moxie or grit. Some people call this kahones! I have no intention of offending anyone I am just being strait with you. We have come too far to get weak in the knees my friends. I know the kahone-less is a very small group but it is the leader's job to bolster this group. Our eyes remain on an incredible future and I have full confidence MonaVie can and will be a large part of that.
The ability to launch immediately into a Walmart model would have been great. I am sure Orrin feels the same. But the alliance with MonaVie provides TEAM with a great product and a great compensation plan as well safe harbor while the war with Q-star continues. MonaVie is directly in line with the health and wellness trends the TEAM has taken advantage of in recent years. The health benefits of the acai berry are as well documented as the outrageous prices at Quixtar. I don’t have exact pricing on MonaVie as if yet, but would say that it falls into what Quixtar would call a “premium” product. Though MonaVie doesn’t meet the Walmart pricing expectations it does provide a retailable product. You won’t find a MonaVie like product at Walmart but will find everything from Quixtar at Walmart for pennies on the dollar.
One of the most important aspects of the TEAM / MonaVie alliance is that business owners will have an excellent compensation program. The monthly expense for a MonaVie distributor is far less than doing the suggested volume at Quixtar prices. MonaVie distributors also recognize true savings for case quantities, something that was not possible with XS Energy. The most important thing is that new distributors can make money early on. There is full disclosure of the incomes attainable and what it takes to reach those incomes. If anything is somewhat imposing it is being new all over again. Taking the time to learn all the fine details of the MonaVie compensation plan will take a bit of time but will be worth it. In the end it comes down to return on investment. MonaVie is far superior to what we have all endured for years. Here is a link to the MonaVie income disclosure statement.
As Orrin stated in one of his writings, “We will build the perfect business one brick at a time.” MonaVie is a logical choice on that pathway. We could easily maintain a relationship with MonaVie all the while beginning a new venture that embraces the Walmart pricing the market craves.I was excited to see Chris Brady expound upon the ultimate vision of the TEAM in discussing Community Building, Always Competitive Pricing, and Field Profit Only on our way to creating the #1 Business in North America. This would place the product side of the business in line with what has already been created in the remarkable Leadership Service Provider portion of TEAM.
This brings me to a point that demands to be made. For sometime I have wanted to further clarify the facts surrounding profit sharing on the TEAM. Without getting into specific formulas and or levels I want to just look at the big picture and for yet another reason the TEAM departed Quixtar. Critics attempt to claim the high ground by making the claim, “They make more from tools than products.” While I acknowledge that TEAM profits sharers made more from TEAM than from Quixtar, this is not an indictment of TEAM. The indictment lay squarely on Amway / Quixtar for there anemic returns to IBOs.
The graph above attempts to illustrate the size of each pot of money in terms of ratio. Here is how I determined my results. A TEAM member, involving themselves in the TEAM training system, would invest approximately $75 per month for the basic system. If he or she brought their spouse to seminar their investment would rise to $100 per month. This person or couple would then spend $300-$500 dollars to reach the suggested volume of 150 pv. In this example the IBO would spend three to five times as much money on product as they would the training system. TEAM should make no apology for having a generous profit sharing plan. After all, books and compact discs are also products. Incidentally, the books are sold at cover price or less and cd's are a mere $6. Could you imagine Border's apologizing for selling books? Quixtar is clearly guilty of hoarding the profits. This example also does not account for the economies of scale Quixtar enjoys in providing their overpriced goods. TEAM profit sharing is currently running in line with the Field Profit Only model. All profit sharers are paid for current performance. There are no special deals, not even for the founders of the TEAM. Quixtar on the other hand continues to utilize the eye dropper approach to compensate IBOs. Quixtar should be embarrassed. They probably are and this is why they have repeatedly attempted to hide tool income from IBOs or have encouraged sharing only for the largest pins. This is their track record.
Lastly, it really gets down to common sense. In any business what are your expenses and what are your potential profits. MonaVie offers improvements in both catagories. The ability to make more income from products has arrived. The critics will simply find another red herring to point to. We on the TEAM have prided ourselves on our ability to build market share through our communities. We will continue our dominance in this arena. We will continue to move toward the vision of the Walmart of the internet. In this time of transition you should demand your best. If not for you and your family then for the leaders who so willingly continue to plot the course towards our goal regardless of what's in the bottle.
Posted by The IBO Rebellion at 6:11 AM
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Mona-Vie™
So with all the talk of Mona-Vie™, I wanted to get some more info. Here are some helpful links I found:
TV News article on Mona-Vie™ Active
Mona-Vie™ Income Disclosure Statement
Main Mona-Vie™ website
Mona-Vie™ Compensation plan
TV News article on Mona-Vie™ Active
Mona-Vie™ Income Disclosure Statement
Main Mona-Vie™ website
Mona-Vie™ Compensation plan
Saturday, February 16, 2008
TEAM: Mona Vie Update
Original Source
Taken from: A History Lesson - Winston Churchill
by Orrin Woodward on Sat 16 Feb 2008 07:45 AM EST
Content omitted
Update: In just over three years MonaVie has nearly matched what Quixtar/Amway has accomplished in almost 50 years in North America. There is a reason for this and when I can share the benchmarking study you will know why. I am not a gambling man and prefer safer incremental improvements - with an eye to the future, than a "Swing for the Fences" gamble that puts the vision at risk. We ALL want to be the "Walmart of the Internet" except a dozen lawyers at a competing company. Michael Dell said, "The community is the key to the internet." Therefore; a leaders number one job is to keep his community alive so we can fight another day - this we have done! I have learned in leadership to play the hand you are dealt. Like the old saying goes, "If you knew what I knew, you would do what I do." I believe in the product and leadership team at MonaVie and know they play a part in our long-term vision. I have put all on the line for this vision: my life, my fortune, and my sacred honor. You choose what you will put on the line for this vision. Thanks, Orrin
Taken from: A History Lesson - Winston Churchill
by Orrin Woodward on Sat 16 Feb 2008 07:45 AM EST
Content omitted
Update: In just over three years MonaVie has nearly matched what Quixtar/Amway has accomplished in almost 50 years in North America. There is a reason for this and when I can share the benchmarking study you will know why. I am not a gambling man and prefer safer incremental improvements - with an eye to the future, than a "Swing for the Fences" gamble that puts the vision at risk. We ALL want to be the "Walmart of the Internet" except a dozen lawyers at a competing company. Michael Dell said, "The community is the key to the internet." Therefore; a leaders number one job is to keep his community alive so we can fight another day - this we have done! I have learned in leadership to play the hand you are dealt. Like the old saying goes, "If you knew what I knew, you would do what I do." I believe in the product and leadership team at MonaVie and know they play a part in our long-term vision. I have put all on the line for this vision: my life, my fortune, and my sacred honor. You choose what you will put on the line for this vision. Thanks, Orrin
Friday, February 15, 2008
TEAM: Mona Vie - The Beginning of Making the Vision a Reality
Original Source
Mona-Vie Website
Mona Vie - The Beginning of Making the Vision a Reality
by Orrin Woodward on Fri 15 Feb 2008 10:12 PM EST
Here is the long awaited announcement from Chris and Terri and Laurie and I. Thank you to Chris Brady for his incredible servant leadership in writing the final article! This is the first step on our journey to our destiny! God Bless, Orrin Woodward
A Long Term Vision
Here is a bit of a vision for where we think the industry can, should, and must go! This won’t all happen tomorrow, but it is ripe for the picking, and we plan on doing it, when the timing is right!
The Hedgehog Concept of the Future
Author Jim Collins writes about what he calls a “Hedgehog Concept” in his book Good to Great. He represents this as the core competency at which an organization can become the best in the world. He said it would be the intersection of several other competencies. Using Collin’s model, let’s look at what could and should be done in this industry.
Collins asks three questions:
What are you deeply passionate about?
What can you be the best in the world at?
What drives your economic engine?
Let’s dig into these questions.
Community Building
Community building has been our passion; building communities in order to make a difference in people’s lives. A business to us is about people, and it’s the lives of people we want to affect in a positive way. We want to figure out how to serve the most people possible to help them prosper and get what they want. To do this, we’ve had to think systematically. How could we make success more systematic for everyone? Michael Gerber in the book E-Myth wrote, “It is literally impossible to produce a consistent result in a business that depends upon extraordinary people. Develop a system that leverages your ordinary people to the point where they can produce extraordinary results over and over again.” That’s exactly what our community building philosophy is all about. Helping people earn, change, and grow internally is the key to helping them become effective externally.
Field Profit Only
It doesn’t get any better than a company that keeps NO profit for itself and instead puts it ALL back out to the field. Don’t get us wrong. There are many companies that have very fair compensation programs and share liberally with their business owners in the field. But the best, craziest scenario for the future would be to go all the way to the extreme and share ALL the profits with the field. Perhaps the company itself would simply be owned by the field. We’re not sure; it’s never been done. We call the concept “Field Profit Only,” because the field would be the only place where there would be Profits. Others have called this “Open Source,” drawing a parallel to free-access software that is better served by everybody having access and control of it rather than a company at the top. Whatever the name for it, the concept is one that should be attempted. As Sir Edmund Hillary said in response to the question of why he climbed Mount Everest: “Because it was there.”
Always Competitive Prices
A philosophy of competitive pricing means that an organization will be willing to make up in volume what they lack in margin. Instead of small sales with high margins, the model would require large sales with small margins, akin to the Wal-Mart philosophy. This, of course, would be enabled by the Field Profit Only component described above, where all “middle men” have been eliminated and there is more room to push prices lower. Think about it: prices are lowered because everyone wants a successful business and that has to be driven by customer sales. Since everyone is sharing in the profits, anyway, it makes total sense. The more competitive the pricing, the easier it is for the average business owner to make retail sales. The easier the retail sales: the higher the volume. The higher the volume: the higher the rewards to the business owners.
Continual market analysis could be used to keep product pricing on track and in line with market forces. This would eliminate “competitive drift,” where a product that was once competitive gets left behind by price decreases in the market.
We have talked about three possible core competencies. Intersecting these three areas forms a new Venn diagram, as shown below:
Look at where the three competencies overlap. That area is what Collins calls the Hedgehog concept. He writes, “A hedgehog concept is not a goal to be the best, a strategy to be the best, an intention to be the best, a plan to be the best. It is an understanding of what you can be the best at. The distinction is absolutely crucial.”
In this case, where we believe the industry can, should, and must go is to a point where these three core competencies intersect and provide people with their absolute best shot at the life they’ve always wanted. As Victor Hugo said, “An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come.”
A Virtuous Cycle: The way this all works together is called a Virtuous Cycle. See the diagram below:
A virtuous cycle is basically a situation where things are done right, in the right way, for the right reasons, and because of this the cycle rotates faster and faster. When Sam Walton was running the Wal-Mart virtuous cycle, his limiting factor was multi-million dollar stores that had to be built. The only limit is one’s vision for a brighter future. Sight is seeing with the eyes, vision is seeing with the mind.
First Things First
Obviously, the question of what to do next in our lives has been a big one! The biggest visions still require a first step. Neither of us wanted to take any steps without careful consideration and considerable research. Our chief goal was to make sure our energies went into an activity that would be rewarding, fun, significant in the lives of others, and glorifying to God. We have been blessed, and it is heavy upon our hearts to use the gifts we have been given to do something worthwhile and positive.
Several possibilities were considered. Some involved creating something brand new, from scratch, and launching it when we were able. However, circumstances being what they are, and considering timing and quality of implementation, allegorically this would be a 100% opportunity with a 50% chance. Obviously, it would be much better to take an initial step with 100% chance as a first step in the direction of the overall vision. In turn, this would be a step upon which to build.
This line of thinking led to the idea of getting involved with something already existing. Orrin Woodward’s benchmarking experience came in handy, as we learned to consider the leadership, focus, timing, product, pay plan, and competitiveness of a wide variety of ventures. We wanted something duplicate-able, built on “b-type” business strategies, and with a heavy focus on people and sharing. We also wanted to take advantage of some of today’s biggest trends, such as the wellness industry.
Our Choice
After considering many, many fields, opportunities, and companies, we finally selected, as our choice for future personal involvement, a company called Mona Vie, (www.monavie.com) which satisfies all the areas we were interested in. We have been very impressed with the company’s founders and leadership, and many other aspects of Mona Vie, including:
their Binary pay plan is easy to understand, teach, duplicate
their Binary pay plan is fair, rewards teamwork and “depth,” and leaves no one behind
the levels of STAR and STARMAKER are extremely duplicate-able and easy to teach for everyone
the compensation plan, including the 8 ways to make money, is the most exciting we could find in the industry
50% of the product revenue is paid back out to the distributors in the field. Not only is this one of the highest totals we could find in the entire industry, but it is an ACTUAL 50%, not a THEORETICAL 50%, this is because:
there is no BREAKAGE in the pay plan (Breakage is where there is earned bonuses that don’t make it into the paychecks of the distributors, this can happen any number of ways, and most MLM pay plans have multiple layers of breakage that benefit the parent company). In part, this is made possible because:
Any left over volume that doesn’t get figured into a distributor’s bonus in the current pay week, automatically gets applied to the next week.
people are experiencing financial success with this pay plan
the product is exactly in line with the wellness trends of today
the product creates excitement of its own in the marketplace and has a tremendous following of individuals who have experienced benefits
the product is being used successfully to contact others about the business itself
the product tastes absolutely great!
harvesting of the product protects trees in the rain forest and preserves the environment
the marketing and integration of Mona Vie as a company are world class
there is a plethora of brochures, magazines, and other such aids provided by the company that do a wonderful job of explaining their product and opportunity
Mona Vie’s website is top notch and specifically designed to help distributors sell its product, including a free “personalized” website interface to be used with customers.
there has been a lot of press about the product from famous business figures to professional, championship level professional athletes
their policies and procedures are fair, honest, and understandable
when sharing the business opportunity, Mona Vie mandates the display of their Income Disclosure Statement. This statement not only shows average incomes, but it shows them clearly at each level in their business. Further, it shows highs and lows at each level. And finally, it shows exactly how many individuals are currently qualified at each of those income levels. This amount of clarity and disclosure, as well as the success that it represents, is extremely exciting.
their pay plan pays its distributors WEEKLY. We love this idea and think the average distributor can benefit a lot from an idea like this.
weekly payment is credited to a ready-to-use Mastercard.
qualification periods are either weekly or, for larger levels, monthly. This is nice for anyone setting goals to be able to reach them in a short, reasonable time-frame.
there are incentive trips, lease luxury cars, jet travel time, diamond rings and pendants, money toward motor coaches, and conferences for achievers
the product volume (PV) is easily calculated (100PV represents one case of four bottles) which makes the entire pay plan extremely easy to understand and teach
there are bulk order discounts which allow for increased profits on retail sales
there is an excellent Preferred Customer program
the business can be built in many countries without any complicated procedures. In essence, volume is volume, no matter which participant country it is generated in
the company founded and supports the MORE project dedicated to helping the orphaned children of South America.
Because of these reasons and many more, we have decided to become involved in the Mona Vie business, once we are free to do so. (A court injunction was recently extended 45 days which, to the best we can interpret, precludes our taking such a step at this time, and obviously, we disagree with this extension and our lawyers are filing paperwork to that effect).
We are extremely excited about our upcoming participation in the Mona Vie business. We can’t wait to build Mona Vie businesses that span the continent, and beyond. Our goal is to impress the excellent leaders at Mona Vie with our efforts, results, and contribution to their vision. And at the same time, we are keeping our eyes on a vision of the future that just might get a little crazy!
Update: I will give an analogy for all the people desiring to know the method to our madness. When Winston Churchill was in a battle with Nazi Germany, he did not bother to build new cities. One, it takes capital that was needed in the war effort. Two, why bother building something that will be blown apart by the enemy. Winston knew the logical thing to do was to feed the troops and defeat the enemy. When this is done, there will be plenty of time to build the dream city. Thanks, Orrin
Mona-Vie Website
Mona Vie - The Beginning of Making the Vision a Reality
by Orrin Woodward on Fri 15 Feb 2008 10:12 PM EST
Here is the long awaited announcement from Chris and Terri and Laurie and I. Thank you to Chris Brady for his incredible servant leadership in writing the final article! This is the first step on our journey to our destiny! God Bless, Orrin Woodward
A Long Term Vision
Here is a bit of a vision for where we think the industry can, should, and must go! This won’t all happen tomorrow, but it is ripe for the picking, and we plan on doing it, when the timing is right!
The Hedgehog Concept of the Future
Author Jim Collins writes about what he calls a “Hedgehog Concept” in his book Good to Great. He represents this as the core competency at which an organization can become the best in the world. He said it would be the intersection of several other competencies. Using Collin’s model, let’s look at what could and should be done in this industry.
Collins asks three questions:
What are you deeply passionate about?
What can you be the best in the world at?
What drives your economic engine?
Let’s dig into these questions.
Community Building
Community building has been our passion; building communities in order to make a difference in people’s lives. A business to us is about people, and it’s the lives of people we want to affect in a positive way. We want to figure out how to serve the most people possible to help them prosper and get what they want. To do this, we’ve had to think systematically. How could we make success more systematic for everyone? Michael Gerber in the book E-Myth wrote, “It is literally impossible to produce a consistent result in a business that depends upon extraordinary people. Develop a system that leverages your ordinary people to the point where they can produce extraordinary results over and over again.” That’s exactly what our community building philosophy is all about. Helping people earn, change, and grow internally is the key to helping them become effective externally.
Field Profit Only
It doesn’t get any better than a company that keeps NO profit for itself and instead puts it ALL back out to the field. Don’t get us wrong. There are many companies that have very fair compensation programs and share liberally with their business owners in the field. But the best, craziest scenario for the future would be to go all the way to the extreme and share ALL the profits with the field. Perhaps the company itself would simply be owned by the field. We’re not sure; it’s never been done. We call the concept “Field Profit Only,” because the field would be the only place where there would be Profits. Others have called this “Open Source,” drawing a parallel to free-access software that is better served by everybody having access and control of it rather than a company at the top. Whatever the name for it, the concept is one that should be attempted. As Sir Edmund Hillary said in response to the question of why he climbed Mount Everest: “Because it was there.”
Always Competitive Prices
A philosophy of competitive pricing means that an organization will be willing to make up in volume what they lack in margin. Instead of small sales with high margins, the model would require large sales with small margins, akin to the Wal-Mart philosophy. This, of course, would be enabled by the Field Profit Only component described above, where all “middle men” have been eliminated and there is more room to push prices lower. Think about it: prices are lowered because everyone wants a successful business and that has to be driven by customer sales. Since everyone is sharing in the profits, anyway, it makes total sense. The more competitive the pricing, the easier it is for the average business owner to make retail sales. The easier the retail sales: the higher the volume. The higher the volume: the higher the rewards to the business owners.
Continual market analysis could be used to keep product pricing on track and in line with market forces. This would eliminate “competitive drift,” where a product that was once competitive gets left behind by price decreases in the market.
We have talked about three possible core competencies. Intersecting these three areas forms a new Venn diagram, as shown below:
Look at where the three competencies overlap. That area is what Collins calls the Hedgehog concept. He writes, “A hedgehog concept is not a goal to be the best, a strategy to be the best, an intention to be the best, a plan to be the best. It is an understanding of what you can be the best at. The distinction is absolutely crucial.”
In this case, where we believe the industry can, should, and must go is to a point where these three core competencies intersect and provide people with their absolute best shot at the life they’ve always wanted. As Victor Hugo said, “An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come.”
A Virtuous Cycle: The way this all works together is called a Virtuous Cycle. See the diagram below:
A virtuous cycle is basically a situation where things are done right, in the right way, for the right reasons, and because of this the cycle rotates faster and faster. When Sam Walton was running the Wal-Mart virtuous cycle, his limiting factor was multi-million dollar stores that had to be built. The only limit is one’s vision for a brighter future. Sight is seeing with the eyes, vision is seeing with the mind.
First Things First
Obviously, the question of what to do next in our lives has been a big one! The biggest visions still require a first step. Neither of us wanted to take any steps without careful consideration and considerable research. Our chief goal was to make sure our energies went into an activity that would be rewarding, fun, significant in the lives of others, and glorifying to God. We have been blessed, and it is heavy upon our hearts to use the gifts we have been given to do something worthwhile and positive.
Several possibilities were considered. Some involved creating something brand new, from scratch, and launching it when we were able. However, circumstances being what they are, and considering timing and quality of implementation, allegorically this would be a 100% opportunity with a 50% chance. Obviously, it would be much better to take an initial step with 100% chance as a first step in the direction of the overall vision. In turn, this would be a step upon which to build.
This line of thinking led to the idea of getting involved with something already existing. Orrin Woodward’s benchmarking experience came in handy, as we learned to consider the leadership, focus, timing, product, pay plan, and competitiveness of a wide variety of ventures. We wanted something duplicate-able, built on “b-type” business strategies, and with a heavy focus on people and sharing. We also wanted to take advantage of some of today’s biggest trends, such as the wellness industry.
Our Choice
After considering many, many fields, opportunities, and companies, we finally selected, as our choice for future personal involvement, a company called Mona Vie, (www.monavie.com) which satisfies all the areas we were interested in. We have been very impressed with the company’s founders and leadership, and many other aspects of Mona Vie, including:
their Binary pay plan is easy to understand, teach, duplicate
their Binary pay plan is fair, rewards teamwork and “depth,” and leaves no one behind
the levels of STAR and STARMAKER are extremely duplicate-able and easy to teach for everyone
the compensation plan, including the 8 ways to make money, is the most exciting we could find in the industry
50% of the product revenue is paid back out to the distributors in the field. Not only is this one of the highest totals we could find in the entire industry, but it is an ACTUAL 50%, not a THEORETICAL 50%, this is because:
there is no BREAKAGE in the pay plan (Breakage is where there is earned bonuses that don’t make it into the paychecks of the distributors, this can happen any number of ways, and most MLM pay plans have multiple layers of breakage that benefit the parent company). In part, this is made possible because:
Any left over volume that doesn’t get figured into a distributor’s bonus in the current pay week, automatically gets applied to the next week.
people are experiencing financial success with this pay plan
the product is exactly in line with the wellness trends of today
the product creates excitement of its own in the marketplace and has a tremendous following of individuals who have experienced benefits
the product is being used successfully to contact others about the business itself
the product tastes absolutely great!
harvesting of the product protects trees in the rain forest and preserves the environment
the marketing and integration of Mona Vie as a company are world class
there is a plethora of brochures, magazines, and other such aids provided by the company that do a wonderful job of explaining their product and opportunity
Mona Vie’s website is top notch and specifically designed to help distributors sell its product, including a free “personalized” website interface to be used with customers.
there has been a lot of press about the product from famous business figures to professional, championship level professional athletes
their policies and procedures are fair, honest, and understandable
when sharing the business opportunity, Mona Vie mandates the display of their Income Disclosure Statement. This statement not only shows average incomes, but it shows them clearly at each level in their business. Further, it shows highs and lows at each level. And finally, it shows exactly how many individuals are currently qualified at each of those income levels. This amount of clarity and disclosure, as well as the success that it represents, is extremely exciting.
their pay plan pays its distributors WEEKLY. We love this idea and think the average distributor can benefit a lot from an idea like this.
weekly payment is credited to a ready-to-use Mastercard.
qualification periods are either weekly or, for larger levels, monthly. This is nice for anyone setting goals to be able to reach them in a short, reasonable time-frame.
there are incentive trips, lease luxury cars, jet travel time, diamond rings and pendants, money toward motor coaches, and conferences for achievers
the product volume (PV) is easily calculated (100PV represents one case of four bottles) which makes the entire pay plan extremely easy to understand and teach
there are bulk order discounts which allow for increased profits on retail sales
there is an excellent Preferred Customer program
the business can be built in many countries without any complicated procedures. In essence, volume is volume, no matter which participant country it is generated in
the company founded and supports the MORE project dedicated to helping the orphaned children of South America.
Because of these reasons and many more, we have decided to become involved in the Mona Vie business, once we are free to do so. (A court injunction was recently extended 45 days which, to the best we can interpret, precludes our taking such a step at this time, and obviously, we disagree with this extension and our lawyers are filing paperwork to that effect).
We are extremely excited about our upcoming participation in the Mona Vie business. We can’t wait to build Mona Vie businesses that span the continent, and beyond. Our goal is to impress the excellent leaders at Mona Vie with our efforts, results, and contribution to their vision. And at the same time, we are keeping our eyes on a vision of the future that just might get a little crazy!
Update: I will give an analogy for all the people desiring to know the method to our madness. When Winston Churchill was in a battle with Nazi Germany, he did not bother to build new cities. One, it takes capital that was needed in the war effort. Two, why bother building something that will be blown apart by the enemy. Winston knew the logical thing to do was to feed the troops and defeat the enemy. When this is done, there will be plenty of time to build the dream city. Thanks, Orrin
TEAM: Tim & Amy Marks: 2008 Will Be GREAT!!!!!!
Orignal Source
2008 Will Be GREAT!!!!!!
Friday, February 15, 2008
The question of what to do next in our lives has been a big one for Amy and me, and it required careful consideration and considerable research. Our chief goal was to make sure our energies went into an activity that would be rewarding, fun, significant in the lives of others, and glorifying to God. We have been blessed, and we want to use the gifts we have been given to do something worthwhile and positive.
We also have a long term view for the future, which involves pioneering some concepts on Internet business that could and should become something that would resemble a “Wal-Mart of the Internet.” Events and conditions, however, dictate that this step cannot be taken immediately. A more immediate solution was needed first, upon which we could build up to the bigger vision.
After considering many, many fields, opportunities, and companies, Amy and I finally selected, as our choice of personal involvement, a company called Mona Vie, (http://www.monavie.com/) which satisfies all the areas we were interested in. Here is a brief list of reasons why we have selected Mona Vie:
1. their Binary pay plan is easy to understand, teach, duplicate
2. their Binary pay plan is fair, rewards teamwork and “depth”, and leaves no one behind
3. the levels of STAR and STARMAKER are extremely duplicate-able and easy to teach for everyone
4. the compensation plan, including the 8 ways to make money, is the most exciting we could find in the industry
5. 50% of the product revenue is paid back out to the distributors in the field. Not only is this one of the highest totals we could find in the entire industry, but it is an ACTUAL 50%, not a THEORETICAL 50%, this is because:
6. there is no BREAKAGE in the pay plan (Breakage is where there is earned bonuses that don’t make it into the paychecks of distributors, this can happen any number of ways, and most MLM pay plans have multiple layers of breakage that benefit the parent company). In part, this is made possible because:
7. any left over volume that doesn’t get figured into a distributor’s bonus in the current pay week, automatically gets applied to the next week
8. people are experiencing financial success with this pay plan
9. the product is exactly in line with the wellness trends of today
10. the product creates excitement of its own in the marketplace and has a tremendous following of individuals who have experienced benefits
11. the product is being used successfully to contact others about the business itself
12. the product tastes absolutely great!
13. harvesting of the product protects trees in the rain forest and preserves the environment
14. the marketing and integration of Mona Vie as a company are world class
15. there is a plethora of brochures, magazines, and other such aids provided by the company that do a wonderful job of explaining their product and opportunity
16. Mona Vie’s website is top notch and specifically designed to help distributors sell its product, including a free “personalized” website interface to be used with customers
17. there has been a lot of press about the product from famous business figures to professional, championship level professional athletes
18. their policies and procedures are fair, honest, and understandable
19. when sharing the business opportunity, Mona Vie mandates the display of their Income Disclosure Statement. This statement not only shows average incomes, but it shows them clearly at each level in their business. Further, it shows highs and lows at each level. And finally, it shows exactly how many individuals are currently qualified at each of those income levels. This amount of clarity and disclosure, as well as the success that it represents, is extremely exciting.
20. their pay plan pays its distributors WEEKLY. We love this idea and think the average distributor can benefit a lot from an idea like this.
21. weekly payment is credited to a ready-to-use Mastercard.
22. qualification periods are either weekly or, for larger levels, monthly. This is nice for anyone setting goals to be able to reach in a short, reasonable time-frame.
23. there are incentive trips, lease luxury cars, jet travel time, diamond rings and pendants, money toward motor coaches, and conferences for achievers.
24. the product volume (PV) is easily calculated (100PV represents one case of four bottles) which makes the entire pay plan extremely easy to understand and teach
25. there are bulk order discounts which allow for increased profits on retail sales
26. there is an excellent Preferred Customer program
27. the business can be built in many countries without any complicated procedures. In essence, volume is volume, no matter which participant country it is generated in
28. the company founded and supports the MORE project dedicated to helping orphaned children in South America.
Tim & Amy
Posted by Tim Marks at 7:04 PM
2008 Will Be GREAT!!!!!!
Friday, February 15, 2008
The question of what to do next in our lives has been a big one for Amy and me, and it required careful consideration and considerable research. Our chief goal was to make sure our energies went into an activity that would be rewarding, fun, significant in the lives of others, and glorifying to God. We have been blessed, and we want to use the gifts we have been given to do something worthwhile and positive.
We also have a long term view for the future, which involves pioneering some concepts on Internet business that could and should become something that would resemble a “Wal-Mart of the Internet.” Events and conditions, however, dictate that this step cannot be taken immediately. A more immediate solution was needed first, upon which we could build up to the bigger vision.
After considering many, many fields, opportunities, and companies, Amy and I finally selected, as our choice of personal involvement, a company called Mona Vie, (http://www.monavie.com/) which satisfies all the areas we were interested in. Here is a brief list of reasons why we have selected Mona Vie:
1. their Binary pay plan is easy to understand, teach, duplicate
2. their Binary pay plan is fair, rewards teamwork and “depth”, and leaves no one behind
3. the levels of STAR and STARMAKER are extremely duplicate-able and easy to teach for everyone
4. the compensation plan, including the 8 ways to make money, is the most exciting we could find in the industry
5. 50% of the product revenue is paid back out to the distributors in the field. Not only is this one of the highest totals we could find in the entire industry, but it is an ACTUAL 50%, not a THEORETICAL 50%, this is because:
6. there is no BREAKAGE in the pay plan (Breakage is where there is earned bonuses that don’t make it into the paychecks of distributors, this can happen any number of ways, and most MLM pay plans have multiple layers of breakage that benefit the parent company). In part, this is made possible because:
7. any left over volume that doesn’t get figured into a distributor’s bonus in the current pay week, automatically gets applied to the next week
8. people are experiencing financial success with this pay plan
9. the product is exactly in line with the wellness trends of today
10. the product creates excitement of its own in the marketplace and has a tremendous following of individuals who have experienced benefits
11. the product is being used successfully to contact others about the business itself
12. the product tastes absolutely great!
13. harvesting of the product protects trees in the rain forest and preserves the environment
14. the marketing and integration of Mona Vie as a company are world class
15. there is a plethora of brochures, magazines, and other such aids provided by the company that do a wonderful job of explaining their product and opportunity
16. Mona Vie’s website is top notch and specifically designed to help distributors sell its product, including a free “personalized” website interface to be used with customers
17. there has been a lot of press about the product from famous business figures to professional, championship level professional athletes
18. their policies and procedures are fair, honest, and understandable
19. when sharing the business opportunity, Mona Vie mandates the display of their Income Disclosure Statement. This statement not only shows average incomes, but it shows them clearly at each level in their business. Further, it shows highs and lows at each level. And finally, it shows exactly how many individuals are currently qualified at each of those income levels. This amount of clarity and disclosure, as well as the success that it represents, is extremely exciting.
20. their pay plan pays its distributors WEEKLY. We love this idea and think the average distributor can benefit a lot from an idea like this.
21. weekly payment is credited to a ready-to-use Mastercard.
22. qualification periods are either weekly or, for larger levels, monthly. This is nice for anyone setting goals to be able to reach in a short, reasonable time-frame.
23. there are incentive trips, lease luxury cars, jet travel time, diamond rings and pendants, money toward motor coaches, and conferences for achievers.
24. the product volume (PV) is easily calculated (100PV represents one case of four bottles) which makes the entire pay plan extremely easy to understand and teach
25. there are bulk order discounts which allow for increased profits on retail sales
26. there is an excellent Preferred Customer program
27. the business can be built in many countries without any complicated procedures. In essence, volume is volume, no matter which participant country it is generated in
28. the company founded and supports the MORE project dedicated to helping orphaned children in South America.
Tim & Amy
Posted by Tim Marks at 7:04 PM
TEAM: Historical Reminiscences & A Vision for the Future - Part IV
Original Source
Historical Reminiscences & A Vision for the Future - Part IV
by Orrin Woodward on Fri 15 Feb 2008 03:47 PM EST
The following post is my toughest to write. I am not a victim and do not wish the Team nor I to be portrayed as such. As an unofficial historian of these times, I am only attempting to state the truth as I saw it first hand. I did and still do respect all of the Quixtar representatives mentioned. I do not believe in disparagement and all of my statements are intended to be my opinion only when I am addressing my feelings.
The first time I sat down with Jim Payne was shortly after writing the letter to Doug Devos about my concerns about the business. A little background on the letter is necessary. I did not just out of the blue write a letter. Joe Markeiwicz group and the Team were the two fastest growing businesses since Quixtar formed. Steve VanAndel and Doug Devos requested a special meeting where Board members and non-Board members met to discuss a study performed on the state of the Quixtar business. I won’t go into details about the meeting, but at the end both Doug and Steve asked us for any additional input to help get the business moving again. I didn’t need a second invitation to move on this. I took me a couple of days to write that letter. I wanted to be firm in my convictions, but also encouraging and confident that we could make Quixtar work the way everyone dreamed it should. I asked Pastor Dickie to read and re-read it so that I would speak the truth in love. I hoped we could do a lunch together and share with Doug some ideas I had to improve the business. Much to my surprise, I received a curt reply that stated Jim Payne the new Quixtar managing director would handle the matter. In Doug’s defense, I know he is a very busy man with a global business, so I looked forward to my first meeting with Jim.
Chris Brady and I met with Jim in his office a month later. We felt we would have a great discussion on how to improve the Quixtar business, but instead we spent almost three hours defending the very existence of Team Approach. We were told Quixtar had reviewed the data and had determined that Team Approach was a poor method to build the business. The showed reams of data that “proved” Team Approach produced less profitability. I was shocked as saddened that instead of addressing the issues admitted by the founders on the lack of growth, we spent all of our time trying to keep Quixtar from forbidding the use of Team Approach. Jim also said that our organization was the lowest PV/IBO. I tried to explain to him that I stopped promoting the products personally after I did my own cost comparison and realized I was teaching people to buy products they could buy much cheaper at the store in my opinion. I had told Ken McDonald that I could not in good conscience promote commodity products at a higher price than they can buy at the store. Ken said he was working on 15 to 20 products for us and I told him when that happened we would explode! Jim took my lack of promotion as a weakness of Team Approach. This is simply not true and building depth actually increases purchases because people that see progress tend to buy more. I told Jim and the rest of the Quixtar representatives that although profitability is less in the short term, people accomplish the levels twice as fast. For example, if it takes the width model 5 years to go platinum and someone with Team approach can do it in 2 to 3 years, and then comparing avg. platinum income is not an accurate test. In five years with Team Approach the platinum may be a Sapphire or an Emerald. Someone like Tim Marks went Diamond in 31 months. None of this seemed to have an impact and when I left that meeting in late 2005, I realized that the political environment had changed. I was impressed by Jim Payne personally though. He has a very quick mind and grasped concepts quickly. I assumed he had a job to do and was focused on making changes and reducing the Board’s influence.
Jim Payne had led changes in other countries with great success from what I hear. I believe the difference in North America was the Board. In no other country did Amway have a Board that had to be consulted in order to implement changes. I don’t think Jim was comfortable with this process and did not follow the protocol of Maxwell’s Law of Buy In the best. I knew in late 2005 that Team Approach was not looked upon favorably at Quixtar even thought the field began using Team Approach in increasing numbers. Results cannot be hidden and the Team had well over 80% of the (English Speaking as a first language) Founders Emeralds and above that had only been in Quixtar. Despite these results, the new QBI program that the company rolled out was heavily stacked against Team Approach. There were requirement on side volumes that had never been in place before. This would affect the income of thousand of people in and out of my organization. I felt a fiduciary responsibility to speak up on this matter and lost more ground with the Quixtar representatives. I never had a personal issue with any of the Quixtar managers and felt on a personal level there was respect on both sides. I did discuss openly and freely on my concerns on favoring width building methods (that were not working) over depth building methods (that were working). I was not asking for favoritism for the depth builders, but asking for an achievement based system that would let the best system win. I did not win this discussion and all organizations who built with Team Approach suffered the consequences.
The beginning of my second year on the board began with a major push by Greg Duncan and the company to sell more products. Greg traveled around the country teaching of the explosive growth of everyone doing the Incredible Edibles program. I heard about people going ruby all on retail sales. I love a good story as much as the next guy but still like the old saying, “In God we trust, and all others must have data.” So many people in our business are phenomenal story tellers and I love a good story too, but the story needs to be backed up with hard evidence. Otherwise, it turns into hype and is not conducive to long term results in this business or any other. I wrote my letter to all the Board members after being told that we would be an email based culture and if we had any questions or comments to share them. Again, I did not write this letter to attack anyone, but merely to bring out another vision of how to move more products. I am all for sales, but to ask six figure income producers on their job to learn all the details of a water treatment system or the air filtration units in order to sell them is simply not worth the effort. I feel if someone could sell those products and make money, then they could make a fortune selling products with higher commission margins and easier stories to tell. My letter was rebutted by Rob Davidson and never brought up again. In my opinion, I felt Quixtar had decided not to follow through with the 15 to 20 competitively priced products. Over two years of my life and no closer to our dream business than the day we started.
The next big debacle with Quixtar came after the Team’s major in Grand Rapids at the VanAndel arena. We had just launched the Team website operated and controlled internally. It had more content on the non-password protected side to be more open and transparent with visitors. A Quixtar lawyer in their rules department just happened to be walking downtown in Grand Rapids and asked one of the many white shirted guys what they were doing. Someone gave them a card with the Team website on it. I received an email from Gary Vanderven stating I had 72 hours (It might have been 48 hours) to password protect the whole site or my IBO number would be suspended for having a prospecting site. I ignored this for the first couple of days thinking that Gary was having a bad day. I remember the call I received from Gary the last day and told me if the Team site was not taken off the internet until it was fully password protected that I would be suspended. I was shocked and hurt. I told Gary that I was on the road and that everyone was gone from the office. I literally had to beg for another 24 hours to not be suspended. I knew Gary must have been given orders to do this, because he is one of the nicest Christians I know. I told Gary that I know there must be more to the story and that I would comply even though I was very disappointed that no one would call and talk to me about this outside of the rules department. Billy Florence and Rick Abraham both looked at the website and stated they saw no prospecting materials or even an email to be contacted. Plain and simple, it wasn’t a prospecting site.
Jim Payne, John Stecco and Gary Vanderven called me with one hour to go before the suspension started and asked me if I was taking down the site. I was glad that someone at least called before I was suspended. I asked them what suspended actually meant, thinking that maybe I should get suspended and appeal to the board. Jim Payne said I would lose all of the QBI bonus, all the trips and monthly incomes. I was thinking about refusing to take down the site and appealing until Jim said the next statement. Chris Brady will also be suspended. I told them that Chris knew nothing about this, but their reply was that it says he is the co-founder. Jim asked again what my answer was. This was the most frustrating time in my entire life. I no longer felt I owned my own business and felt worse than an at will employee in my opinion. I bowed down to their authority again, but vowed to fix this ultra controlling attitude! I began to think that maybe discussing openly about change in this culture might not be the best thing for a person’s longevity in the new Quixtar.
The next crisis in my relationship with Quixtar came over full disclosure of the tool incomes. One of the major criticisms online and in the Dateline documentary is the lack of full disclosure on the tool incomes. Chris Brady and I decided to place the four ways to make income directly in our first night book. Quixtar forbid us to state our average incomes per level of achievement, but Quixtar was driving for full transparency in the tools business. I felt this was one of Team’s competitive advantages. We are proud of our compensation plans and anyone can become the top money earner. Why not disclose this in the first night book and if someone does not like it then they don’t have to join? This allows for complete transparency and no one can say they were not told upfront of all the various ways to make income. Tools, Tickets, Speaking and Quixtar were the four ways. Instead of being elated by our willingness to be transparent, Chris and I were threatened with a loss of the Hawaii Diamond Club unless we took the entire chapter out of the book. No discussion, just do it or else. I prayed about this one long and hard, but in the end decided to go to Hawaii because we had just broken 3 new diamonds and one was a personal (George and Jill) to us. We did not want to ruin their first Diamond Club and still believed that the attitude of Quixtar would change when they saw all the new growth we were experiencing!
The last major crisis while in the Quixtar business was the name change back to Amway. No discussion, no pros and cons, just do it. I feel no move on Quixtar’s part hurt the trust with the field as much as the unilateral name-change back to Amway. I built this business to have more control over my time and choices in life. The last two years had been a personal nightmare for me and my family. No one in our group outside of Chris and Tim knew anything. I did not and would not slander or libel someone. I do feel I have a right to share the truth from my perspective and this is the truth as I know it. I am sure I have made mistakes and am sure I could have addressed issues in a better way. All of us can get better. But as God as my witness, I never tried to belittle anyone personally and focused on the issues that I thought would improve the business for all of us. That is what I am called to do as a leader. I know people have bad days, but I was beginning to see a pattern in Quixtar’s behavior towards me and the Team. Even with all of this, I still had faith against all the facts that Quixtar/Amway leaders would come to their senses when they saw the backlash on the Amway name change. Every LOA/LOS leaders that I talked to was very disappointed by the recent move leading up to the name-change. There may have been some that were excited, but I didn’t talk to them and I tried to gather data from as many as possible to see if we could unite and convince Quixtar to change their minds. The beginning of the end of my Amway/Quixtar career was near.
Historical Reminiscences & A Vision for the Future - Part IV
by Orrin Woodward on Fri 15 Feb 2008 03:47 PM EST
The following post is my toughest to write. I am not a victim and do not wish the Team nor I to be portrayed as such. As an unofficial historian of these times, I am only attempting to state the truth as I saw it first hand. I did and still do respect all of the Quixtar representatives mentioned. I do not believe in disparagement and all of my statements are intended to be my opinion only when I am addressing my feelings.
The first time I sat down with Jim Payne was shortly after writing the letter to Doug Devos about my concerns about the business. A little background on the letter is necessary. I did not just out of the blue write a letter. Joe Markeiwicz group and the Team were the two fastest growing businesses since Quixtar formed. Steve VanAndel and Doug Devos requested a special meeting where Board members and non-Board members met to discuss a study performed on the state of the Quixtar business. I won’t go into details about the meeting, but at the end both Doug and Steve asked us for any additional input to help get the business moving again. I didn’t need a second invitation to move on this. I took me a couple of days to write that letter. I wanted to be firm in my convictions, but also encouraging and confident that we could make Quixtar work the way everyone dreamed it should. I asked Pastor Dickie to read and re-read it so that I would speak the truth in love. I hoped we could do a lunch together and share with Doug some ideas I had to improve the business. Much to my surprise, I received a curt reply that stated Jim Payne the new Quixtar managing director would handle the matter. In Doug’s defense, I know he is a very busy man with a global business, so I looked forward to my first meeting with Jim.
Chris Brady and I met with Jim in his office a month later. We felt we would have a great discussion on how to improve the Quixtar business, but instead we spent almost three hours defending the very existence of Team Approach. We were told Quixtar had reviewed the data and had determined that Team Approach was a poor method to build the business. The showed reams of data that “proved” Team Approach produced less profitability. I was shocked as saddened that instead of addressing the issues admitted by the founders on the lack of growth, we spent all of our time trying to keep Quixtar from forbidding the use of Team Approach. Jim also said that our organization was the lowest PV/IBO. I tried to explain to him that I stopped promoting the products personally after I did my own cost comparison and realized I was teaching people to buy products they could buy much cheaper at the store in my opinion. I had told Ken McDonald that I could not in good conscience promote commodity products at a higher price than they can buy at the store. Ken said he was working on 15 to 20 products for us and I told him when that happened we would explode! Jim took my lack of promotion as a weakness of Team Approach. This is simply not true and building depth actually increases purchases because people that see progress tend to buy more. I told Jim and the rest of the Quixtar representatives that although profitability is less in the short term, people accomplish the levels twice as fast. For example, if it takes the width model 5 years to go platinum and someone with Team approach can do it in 2 to 3 years, and then comparing avg. platinum income is not an accurate test. In five years with Team Approach the platinum may be a Sapphire or an Emerald. Someone like Tim Marks went Diamond in 31 months. None of this seemed to have an impact and when I left that meeting in late 2005, I realized that the political environment had changed. I was impressed by Jim Payne personally though. He has a very quick mind and grasped concepts quickly. I assumed he had a job to do and was focused on making changes and reducing the Board’s influence.
Jim Payne had led changes in other countries with great success from what I hear. I believe the difference in North America was the Board. In no other country did Amway have a Board that had to be consulted in order to implement changes. I don’t think Jim was comfortable with this process and did not follow the protocol of Maxwell’s Law of Buy In the best. I knew in late 2005 that Team Approach was not looked upon favorably at Quixtar even thought the field began using Team Approach in increasing numbers. Results cannot be hidden and the Team had well over 80% of the (English Speaking as a first language) Founders Emeralds and above that had only been in Quixtar. Despite these results, the new QBI program that the company rolled out was heavily stacked against Team Approach. There were requirement on side volumes that had never been in place before. This would affect the income of thousand of people in and out of my organization. I felt a fiduciary responsibility to speak up on this matter and lost more ground with the Quixtar representatives. I never had a personal issue with any of the Quixtar managers and felt on a personal level there was respect on both sides. I did discuss openly and freely on my concerns on favoring width building methods (that were not working) over depth building methods (that were working). I was not asking for favoritism for the depth builders, but asking for an achievement based system that would let the best system win. I did not win this discussion and all organizations who built with Team Approach suffered the consequences.
The beginning of my second year on the board began with a major push by Greg Duncan and the company to sell more products. Greg traveled around the country teaching of the explosive growth of everyone doing the Incredible Edibles program. I heard about people going ruby all on retail sales. I love a good story as much as the next guy but still like the old saying, “In God we trust, and all others must have data.” So many people in our business are phenomenal story tellers and I love a good story too, but the story needs to be backed up with hard evidence. Otherwise, it turns into hype and is not conducive to long term results in this business or any other. I wrote my letter to all the Board members after being told that we would be an email based culture and if we had any questions or comments to share them. Again, I did not write this letter to attack anyone, but merely to bring out another vision of how to move more products. I am all for sales, but to ask six figure income producers on their job to learn all the details of a water treatment system or the air filtration units in order to sell them is simply not worth the effort. I feel if someone could sell those products and make money, then they could make a fortune selling products with higher commission margins and easier stories to tell. My letter was rebutted by Rob Davidson and never brought up again. In my opinion, I felt Quixtar had decided not to follow through with the 15 to 20 competitively priced products. Over two years of my life and no closer to our dream business than the day we started.
The next big debacle with Quixtar came after the Team’s major in Grand Rapids at the VanAndel arena. We had just launched the Team website operated and controlled internally. It had more content on the non-password protected side to be more open and transparent with visitors. A Quixtar lawyer in their rules department just happened to be walking downtown in Grand Rapids and asked one of the many white shirted guys what they were doing. Someone gave them a card with the Team website on it. I received an email from Gary Vanderven stating I had 72 hours (It might have been 48 hours) to password protect the whole site or my IBO number would be suspended for having a prospecting site. I ignored this for the first couple of days thinking that Gary was having a bad day. I remember the call I received from Gary the last day and told me if the Team site was not taken off the internet until it was fully password protected that I would be suspended. I was shocked and hurt. I told Gary that I was on the road and that everyone was gone from the office. I literally had to beg for another 24 hours to not be suspended. I knew Gary must have been given orders to do this, because he is one of the nicest Christians I know. I told Gary that I know there must be more to the story and that I would comply even though I was very disappointed that no one would call and talk to me about this outside of the rules department. Billy Florence and Rick Abraham both looked at the website and stated they saw no prospecting materials or even an email to be contacted. Plain and simple, it wasn’t a prospecting site.
Jim Payne, John Stecco and Gary Vanderven called me with one hour to go before the suspension started and asked me if I was taking down the site. I was glad that someone at least called before I was suspended. I asked them what suspended actually meant, thinking that maybe I should get suspended and appeal to the board. Jim Payne said I would lose all of the QBI bonus, all the trips and monthly incomes. I was thinking about refusing to take down the site and appealing until Jim said the next statement. Chris Brady will also be suspended. I told them that Chris knew nothing about this, but their reply was that it says he is the co-founder. Jim asked again what my answer was. This was the most frustrating time in my entire life. I no longer felt I owned my own business and felt worse than an at will employee in my opinion. I bowed down to their authority again, but vowed to fix this ultra controlling attitude! I began to think that maybe discussing openly about change in this culture might not be the best thing for a person’s longevity in the new Quixtar.
The next crisis in my relationship with Quixtar came over full disclosure of the tool incomes. One of the major criticisms online and in the Dateline documentary is the lack of full disclosure on the tool incomes. Chris Brady and I decided to place the four ways to make income directly in our first night book. Quixtar forbid us to state our average incomes per level of achievement, but Quixtar was driving for full transparency in the tools business. I felt this was one of Team’s competitive advantages. We are proud of our compensation plans and anyone can become the top money earner. Why not disclose this in the first night book and if someone does not like it then they don’t have to join? This allows for complete transparency and no one can say they were not told upfront of all the various ways to make income. Tools, Tickets, Speaking and Quixtar were the four ways. Instead of being elated by our willingness to be transparent, Chris and I were threatened with a loss of the Hawaii Diamond Club unless we took the entire chapter out of the book. No discussion, just do it or else. I prayed about this one long and hard, but in the end decided to go to Hawaii because we had just broken 3 new diamonds and one was a personal (George and Jill) to us. We did not want to ruin their first Diamond Club and still believed that the attitude of Quixtar would change when they saw all the new growth we were experiencing!
The last major crisis while in the Quixtar business was the name change back to Amway. No discussion, no pros and cons, just do it. I feel no move on Quixtar’s part hurt the trust with the field as much as the unilateral name-change back to Amway. I built this business to have more control over my time and choices in life. The last two years had been a personal nightmare for me and my family. No one in our group outside of Chris and Tim knew anything. I did not and would not slander or libel someone. I do feel I have a right to share the truth from my perspective and this is the truth as I know it. I am sure I have made mistakes and am sure I could have addressed issues in a better way. All of us can get better. But as God as my witness, I never tried to belittle anyone personally and focused on the issues that I thought would improve the business for all of us. That is what I am called to do as a leader. I know people have bad days, but I was beginning to see a pattern in Quixtar’s behavior towards me and the Team. Even with all of this, I still had faith against all the facts that Quixtar/Amway leaders would come to their senses when they saw the backlash on the Amway name change. Every LOA/LOS leaders that I talked to was very disappointed by the recent move leading up to the name-change. There may have been some that were excited, but I didn’t talk to them and I tried to gather data from as many as possible to see if we could unite and convince Quixtar to change their minds. The beginning of the end of my Amway/Quixtar career was near.
TEAM: Historical Reminscences & A Vision for the Future - Part II
Original Source
Historical Reminscences & A Vision for the Future - Part II
by Orrin Woodward on Fri 15 Feb 2008 10:21 AM EST
Here is Part II of my mini-book. I apologize for this history first before the announcement, but I feel people need to know the history to understand the constraints and criteria for the decisions leading to the Future of the Internet. I appreciate your patience and I will get back to writing after I post this. This could be four of five parts by the time it is done! God Bless, Orrin Woodward
Laurie and I went direct in the Amway model in March of 1995 and plateaued for the next four years. Chris and Terri joined our business a little over a year after we started and they went direct and leveled off also. We literally worked 6 to 7 days a week night after night. We may not have been the best or most talented, but we were not going to let anyone outwork us. The definition of insanity is continuing to do the same thing while expecting a different result. We were taught in our training systems to duplicate not innovate—I agree with this statement when what you are duplicating is working. When it is not working, then duplicating failure is insanity. We saw many of our heroes fall on hard times. In North America, the Amway business peaked in 1995 and then started a free fall backwards. From somewhere around $1.6 billion in the US in 1995 it fell to just over a billion dollars in the US market by 1999. Something was drastically wrong! The multi-cultural market building in the US was exploding, so the actual fall back of the (English speaking as a first language) was worse than the numbers explain. Many big leaders lost fifty to seventy-five percent of their groups attending functions. In late 1998, Chris and I decided we would quit the Amway business and start an internet company. This was during the internet bubble craze and start-ups companies were selling for millions of dollars.
There were two things that held us in the business during these frustrating times. First, we still believed in our small group and the cause to change our country. We believed the training systems were an incredible educational tool to bring personal responsibility and free enterprise principles back to the American people. Second, our upline came back from a diamond club all excited that Amway was going away and an entirely new business was forming. They had not announced the name, but it would be an internet model that would revolutionize the how business was done on the web! Chris and I looked at this as a Providential move as Amway was moving into the internet age and we got excited to help in the transition to the new business. They announced the name of the new company (Quixtar) and we put off our plans to build our own internet company. Perhaps Chris and I were not ready to start our own company yet and I have no complaints with the education I have received since 1999 in building the Quixtar business.
Our attitude during the formation of the new Quixtar business was to innovate and see what needed changes we could bring to the MLM/Networking Industry. We had watched so many groups go backward and were so close to quitting personally that we felt no risk in innovating. We were only platinum’s at the time and began to develop a building methodology called Team Approach. Both Chris and I were over 20 wide at one point in our businesses. We had watched the majority of our personals quit after a year or two due to lack of results. Team Approach was an answer to the lack of results by leaving no one behind. When a person starts 10 to 15 people personally in width—they have no way of helping all of them. A person does not have enough time in the day to serve 15 new people and help them achieve success. Chris and I discovered the new people go through three steps on their way to developing into interdependent teammates. Information, Progress and Profit are the three steps in that order. A new person first learns about the products and interpersonal skills first. Secondly, they review monthly to see if any progress is being made in their business. Lastly, they ask, “Am I making any money?” If they are only learning with no progress or profit, they might make it 30 to 60 days. If they are learning and making progress—they will last 6 month to a year in the business model. But if they have all three, they will stay in and become a loyal part of the community.
Team Approach allowed us to help the new person make progress and nearly doubled our retention rate of the new people. I am in business to help people win first. I only desire to benefit from any business if it is win-win. If there is no benefit for the new person, they will quit. If there is no benefit for the leader, they will not serve. The proper business marries the interest of both the new people and the leaders to generate massive success. Our business rocketed to the fastest growing business in the entire Quixtar world. We went from platinum to diamond in 17 months. Laurie and I went on to EDC in 2003. We had growth rates of over 100% in several of those years. Ken McDonald, the Quixtar Managing Director and I developed a close relationship. He helped me immensely and taught me how to navigate through the usual politics associated with any success. When you succeed you have three types of responses:
1. People who are happy for you and desire to learn.
2. People who are indifferent and continue to do what they have always done.
3. People who are envious and wish to stop the new techniques.
Ken McDonald warned me of the people against the new methods and helped Chris and I develop processes to ensure Team Approach was above reproach. I am very thankful for Ken taking me under his wing and encouraging me to develop the Team Approach methodology. Ken asked if we would share Team Approach with other organizations and we said yes. Laurie and I were also asked to speak at the prestigious Quixtar Live event in 2003. We shared a vision of Quixtar becoming the Wal-mart of the internet. I believe anytime you learn something of value that we should share the blessings with others. Many groups were taught the new methods and started achieving more success. Jim and Nancy Dornan are excellent examples of the first group of people. They have achieved phenomenal success in life and business, but are still hungry to learn and grow. Jim and I sat down at Achiever’s and he implemented the Power Player program and Team Approach. Jim told me at a later Diamond Club that his business was growing and he had achieved the incredible level of Founders Crown Ambassador. This couple deserved their success as they continually focus on serving others.
As a leader of a growing Team, I was invited to participate in meeting to help solve why the overall business in North America was not performing to expectations. I volunteered without pay to do this throughout 2003 and 2004. My goal was to improve the opportunity for all organizations and leaders in Quixtar. In late 2004, I was exposed to the first hard data on the lack of results from the new Quixtar model. Leaders do not get depressed when they confront reality, but do get depressed if they are not allowed to fix the reality. I agreed to go on the board and dedicate three years of my life with this specific intent: To fix the Quixtar business and make it the opportunity we all believe it could and should be. I still believed we were sitting on the potential best opportunity in America. I told my mentor and Pastor that I would openly share any ideas to improve the business and pray that Quixtar management would openly confront reality for the good of all. They had developed the Quixtar model to improve on the lackluster results of the previous five years, but the results were even worse in the next five years in my opinion. I didn’t go on the IBOAI board to punch the clock, make money, or politic with the company and other leaders. My goal was to improve the business and give the new person an even better opportunity to win than the one given to Laurie and me. I still believe in my heart that most of the other leaders on the IBOAI feel the same way. All of us wanted to improve the business for the new people.
Historical Reminscences & A Vision for the Future - Part II
by Orrin Woodward on Fri 15 Feb 2008 10:21 AM EST
Here is Part II of my mini-book. I apologize for this history first before the announcement, but I feel people need to know the history to understand the constraints and criteria for the decisions leading to the Future of the Internet. I appreciate your patience and I will get back to writing after I post this. This could be four of five parts by the time it is done! God Bless, Orrin Woodward
Laurie and I went direct in the Amway model in March of 1995 and plateaued for the next four years. Chris and Terri joined our business a little over a year after we started and they went direct and leveled off also. We literally worked 6 to 7 days a week night after night. We may not have been the best or most talented, but we were not going to let anyone outwork us. The definition of insanity is continuing to do the same thing while expecting a different result. We were taught in our training systems to duplicate not innovate—I agree with this statement when what you are duplicating is working. When it is not working, then duplicating failure is insanity. We saw many of our heroes fall on hard times. In North America, the Amway business peaked in 1995 and then started a free fall backwards. From somewhere around $1.6 billion in the US in 1995 it fell to just over a billion dollars in the US market by 1999. Something was drastically wrong! The multi-cultural market building in the US was exploding, so the actual fall back of the (English speaking as a first language) was worse than the numbers explain. Many big leaders lost fifty to seventy-five percent of their groups attending functions. In late 1998, Chris and I decided we would quit the Amway business and start an internet company. This was during the internet bubble craze and start-ups companies were selling for millions of dollars.
There were two things that held us in the business during these frustrating times. First, we still believed in our small group and the cause to change our country. We believed the training systems were an incredible educational tool to bring personal responsibility and free enterprise principles back to the American people. Second, our upline came back from a diamond club all excited that Amway was going away and an entirely new business was forming. They had not announced the name, but it would be an internet model that would revolutionize the how business was done on the web! Chris and I looked at this as a Providential move as Amway was moving into the internet age and we got excited to help in the transition to the new business. They announced the name of the new company (Quixtar) and we put off our plans to build our own internet company. Perhaps Chris and I were not ready to start our own company yet and I have no complaints with the education I have received since 1999 in building the Quixtar business.
Our attitude during the formation of the new Quixtar business was to innovate and see what needed changes we could bring to the MLM/Networking Industry. We had watched so many groups go backward and were so close to quitting personally that we felt no risk in innovating. We were only platinum’s at the time and began to develop a building methodology called Team Approach. Both Chris and I were over 20 wide at one point in our businesses. We had watched the majority of our personals quit after a year or two due to lack of results. Team Approach was an answer to the lack of results by leaving no one behind. When a person starts 10 to 15 people personally in width—they have no way of helping all of them. A person does not have enough time in the day to serve 15 new people and help them achieve success. Chris and I discovered the new people go through three steps on their way to developing into interdependent teammates. Information, Progress and Profit are the three steps in that order. A new person first learns about the products and interpersonal skills first. Secondly, they review monthly to see if any progress is being made in their business. Lastly, they ask, “Am I making any money?” If they are only learning with no progress or profit, they might make it 30 to 60 days. If they are learning and making progress—they will last 6 month to a year in the business model. But if they have all three, they will stay in and become a loyal part of the community.
Team Approach allowed us to help the new person make progress and nearly doubled our retention rate of the new people. I am in business to help people win first. I only desire to benefit from any business if it is win-win. If there is no benefit for the new person, they will quit. If there is no benefit for the leader, they will not serve. The proper business marries the interest of both the new people and the leaders to generate massive success. Our business rocketed to the fastest growing business in the entire Quixtar world. We went from platinum to diamond in 17 months. Laurie and I went on to EDC in 2003. We had growth rates of over 100% in several of those years. Ken McDonald, the Quixtar Managing Director and I developed a close relationship. He helped me immensely and taught me how to navigate through the usual politics associated with any success. When you succeed you have three types of responses:
1. People who are happy for you and desire to learn.
2. People who are indifferent and continue to do what they have always done.
3. People who are envious and wish to stop the new techniques.
Ken McDonald warned me of the people against the new methods and helped Chris and I develop processes to ensure Team Approach was above reproach. I am very thankful for Ken taking me under his wing and encouraging me to develop the Team Approach methodology. Ken asked if we would share Team Approach with other organizations and we said yes. Laurie and I were also asked to speak at the prestigious Quixtar Live event in 2003. We shared a vision of Quixtar becoming the Wal-mart of the internet. I believe anytime you learn something of value that we should share the blessings with others. Many groups were taught the new methods and started achieving more success. Jim and Nancy Dornan are excellent examples of the first group of people. They have achieved phenomenal success in life and business, but are still hungry to learn and grow. Jim and I sat down at Achiever’s and he implemented the Power Player program and Team Approach. Jim told me at a later Diamond Club that his business was growing and he had achieved the incredible level of Founders Crown Ambassador. This couple deserved their success as they continually focus on serving others.
As a leader of a growing Team, I was invited to participate in meeting to help solve why the overall business in North America was not performing to expectations. I volunteered without pay to do this throughout 2003 and 2004. My goal was to improve the opportunity for all organizations and leaders in Quixtar. In late 2004, I was exposed to the first hard data on the lack of results from the new Quixtar model. Leaders do not get depressed when they confront reality, but do get depressed if they are not allowed to fix the reality. I agreed to go on the board and dedicate three years of my life with this specific intent: To fix the Quixtar business and make it the opportunity we all believe it could and should be. I still believed we were sitting on the potential best opportunity in America. I told my mentor and Pastor that I would openly share any ideas to improve the business and pray that Quixtar management would openly confront reality for the good of all. They had developed the Quixtar model to improve on the lackluster results of the previous five years, but the results were even worse in the next five years in my opinion. I didn’t go on the IBOAI board to punch the clock, make money, or politic with the company and other leaders. My goal was to improve the business and give the new person an even better opportunity to win than the one given to Laurie and me. I still believe in my heart that most of the other leaders on the IBOAI feel the same way. All of us wanted to improve the business for the new people.
TEAM: Historical Reminscences & A Vision for the Future - Part I
Original Source
Historical Reminscences & A Vision for the Future - Part I
by Orrin Woodward on Fri 15 Feb 2008 08:46 AM EST
In order to do this announcement of my future intentions, I must give you the background history of my experiences in the MLM/Networking industry. I share the history portion to inform the incredible readers of the critical choices that need to be made to take the MLM/Networking industry to the next level. Please bear with me as I provide the perspective lens that I view the MLM/Networking world through in multiple posts. No portion of this history is meant to be critical of any specific company or individuals. I have nothing but thankfulness in my heart that God led me to this marketing field. The relationships I have been blessed with have been worth any struggles or setbacks endured. My life’s mission is to “Lead myself and others to truth.” The only way I can do this is to be associated with people and companies who are constantly learning, growing and changing. I respect everyone’s right to not grow, but I believe they miss out on some of the greatest joys of life by not living a journey of self-discovery. The Japanese call it Kaizen (Continuous Improvement) and I experience the most frustration in life when I am involved with companies or individuals who do not wish to grow and change.
Charlie “Tremendous” Jones states, “You are a product of the books you read and the people you associate with.” My life significantly changed when I was introduced to the Yager Internet training organization back in mid-1993. I had met a window salesman named Dave who attempted to sell Laurie and me new windows for our 1958 house with the original Andersen windows still in place. The lowest cost windows were way over our budget so I was walking him to the door. He kept saying, “No problem, I have other businesses I am involved with.” At the time, I was half way through the University of Michigan MBA program and a full time 7th level engineer. I had recently turned 26 and we were broke with our first child on the way. I asked him what the businesses were and he told me he sold sports cards. I was excited because I had over 50,000 baseball and football cards in my basement. I told him to stay and brought up the cards. After reviewing the cards he agreed to help me sell them for a commission. The first night I met the guy he walked out of my house with over 5,000 cards valued at over $10,000! I was excited until my buddy Gary told me that Dave would probably never return my phone calls. Gary said I was silly for giving someone I did not know that many cards.
Needless to say, when he contacted me for his third business I was all ears. It was the only way to ensure I got my cards back! Dave told me he was involved in Interactive Television and in the future we would all be buying from our TV sets. Laurie and I were both serious TV watchers at the time and we thought making money while watching TV was the perfect business for us! When I found out that it was Amway, I was not too happy since I had seen the Amway plan a couple of years earlier. What made me keep listening though; was a fear that if I rejected the business opportunity, I would lose my baseball cards. Laurie was not excited at all, but I agreed to sign up if he would give me back all of my sports cards. When Dave brought over the Amway kit, I did not have the cash to sign up. He had to use our credit card and order another kit to his house for us to get started. Dave brought back all the cards and I thought this was the end of the story. Only one thin thread changed our destiny and brought me to where I am today—writing on this blog for tens of thousands of people.
Dave had suggested that I meet with a couple named Larry and Marsie VanBuskirk. Dave told me that he ran a couple of by referral financial planning offices and was involved in multiple other business ventures. My personal desire has always been to run my own company someday and Larry’s background intrigued me. I agreed to have them come over the house, but forgot to tell Laurie they were coming. Laurie and I were finishing supper one night when I received a phone call from Larry stating he was minutes away. Laurie was not too happy with me to say the least! Laurie was looking for her car keys to leave the house vowing not to return until after those “Amway people” were gone! Luckily for me, she could not find her keys. Larry and Marsie changed our lives that night. They did not talk about Amway or products, but they did talk about self-improvement, leadership, seminars, and tapes. Larry told me that the greatest business owners were the best at self-improvement. If you wanted to succeed in life that you needed many experiences and you could not possibly live long enough to have all the experiences necessary. The only way to close the gap was through reading and listening. To say that I was blown away would be an understatement!
Dave had left a shoe box full of tapes when he had signed us up, but it had been over a month and I had listened to none of them. The problem was—I did not have a tape player in my truck. I couldn’t afford one and only had an AM radio. Providentially, GM had offered to give me access to their company cars to drive to Ann Arbor for school at night. As I was shaving one morning, I remembered the company cars had tape players. I went to the shoe box and searched for the two selections, since I knew it was over an hour to Ann Arbor for school. I can see God’s hand all over the two tapes that I picked that morning. I searched for two tapes that would interest me and came up with two: Tim Foley, a former all pro football player and Paul Pilzer, an adjunct professor and economist. There were over 100 tapes in that box and there is no way I could have picked the perfect two except by God’s plan. I carried those two Internet Services tapes in my front shirt pocket all day long. Typically, I would listen to Nirvana or some other hard rock band on the way to Ann Arbor. But on this night, I popped out Nirvana and put in Economic Paradigms by Paul Pilzer. I had watched the video by Joel Barker on Paradigms so the title had aroused my curiosity.
Within ten minutes, I was hooked! I was stunned by the level of information being provided in the tape. I had been looking for an opportunity to provide for my family and Paul Pilzer had stated that Amway was cutting edge and reaching critical mass! I was not interested in a door to door business, but if Amway was expanding into interactive TV, had leadership training like I was listening to, and reaching critical mass—I was in for the long haul! I can not remember anything that happened in class that night and couldn’t wait to get in the car and listen to the next tape. Tim Foley delivered an inspiring talk about taking charge of your finances and being the leader you were called to be. I am so thankful to the Internet Training tapes that I listened to the first 5 years in my own business. They absolutely changed my life forever. Dexter Yager and Bill Britt are two under-appreciated business men who revolutionized an industry. In my opinion, these two men played a major role in the Amway phenomenon and I must give credit where credit is due. I listened to literally hundreds of tapes from both of these leaders and learned incredible nuggets of courage and convictions. I wanted to follow in their footstep and help change the country like they were focused on doing.
Notice a key point—I did not buy in because I believed the Amway products were the absolute best on the market. I wasn’t against the products, but they were not the main focus. Many of the tapes stated, “People move products, products do not move people.” I bought in to changing the country and helping others do something meaningful with their life! The training systems created the most loyal and disciplined group of people that I was proud to be associated with. If buying products from Amway was necessary to be associated with this group of world changers, then so be it. I shut off my rational critical thinking when it came to the product side, because I knew it was bigger than just products. I read Rich Devos’s and Jay VanAndel’s books and believed 100% in their vision of free enterprise and personal responsibility. Both of these great men have made a huge difference in my life. Even with all the current challenges, I am still thankful for the teaching and entrepreneurial spirit that Rich and Jay taught me. Rich, Jay, Dexter, and Bill were all ahead of their time. Rich and Jay focused on earth friendly products at a time when practically no one else did. Dexter and Bill were created the model for today’s learning organizations and revolutionized the entire MLM/Networking field. To have cut my teeth under such incredible visionaries was and still is a blessing for Laurie and me.
I will end here for Part I and will continue in another post later today. God Bless, Orrin Woodward
Historical Reminscences & A Vision for the Future - Part I
by Orrin Woodward on Fri 15 Feb 2008 08:46 AM EST
In order to do this announcement of my future intentions, I must give you the background history of my experiences in the MLM/Networking industry. I share the history portion to inform the incredible readers of the critical choices that need to be made to take the MLM/Networking industry to the next level. Please bear with me as I provide the perspective lens that I view the MLM/Networking world through in multiple posts. No portion of this history is meant to be critical of any specific company or individuals. I have nothing but thankfulness in my heart that God led me to this marketing field. The relationships I have been blessed with have been worth any struggles or setbacks endured. My life’s mission is to “Lead myself and others to truth.” The only way I can do this is to be associated with people and companies who are constantly learning, growing and changing. I respect everyone’s right to not grow, but I believe they miss out on some of the greatest joys of life by not living a journey of self-discovery. The Japanese call it Kaizen (Continuous Improvement) and I experience the most frustration in life when I am involved with companies or individuals who do not wish to grow and change.
Charlie “Tremendous” Jones states, “You are a product of the books you read and the people you associate with.” My life significantly changed when I was introduced to the Yager Internet training organization back in mid-1993. I had met a window salesman named Dave who attempted to sell Laurie and me new windows for our 1958 house with the original Andersen windows still in place. The lowest cost windows were way over our budget so I was walking him to the door. He kept saying, “No problem, I have other businesses I am involved with.” At the time, I was half way through the University of Michigan MBA program and a full time 7th level engineer. I had recently turned 26 and we were broke with our first child on the way. I asked him what the businesses were and he told me he sold sports cards. I was excited because I had over 50,000 baseball and football cards in my basement. I told him to stay and brought up the cards. After reviewing the cards he agreed to help me sell them for a commission. The first night I met the guy he walked out of my house with over 5,000 cards valued at over $10,000! I was excited until my buddy Gary told me that Dave would probably never return my phone calls. Gary said I was silly for giving someone I did not know that many cards.
Needless to say, when he contacted me for his third business I was all ears. It was the only way to ensure I got my cards back! Dave told me he was involved in Interactive Television and in the future we would all be buying from our TV sets. Laurie and I were both serious TV watchers at the time and we thought making money while watching TV was the perfect business for us! When I found out that it was Amway, I was not too happy since I had seen the Amway plan a couple of years earlier. What made me keep listening though; was a fear that if I rejected the business opportunity, I would lose my baseball cards. Laurie was not excited at all, but I agreed to sign up if he would give me back all of my sports cards. When Dave brought over the Amway kit, I did not have the cash to sign up. He had to use our credit card and order another kit to his house for us to get started. Dave brought back all the cards and I thought this was the end of the story. Only one thin thread changed our destiny and brought me to where I am today—writing on this blog for tens of thousands of people.
Dave had suggested that I meet with a couple named Larry and Marsie VanBuskirk. Dave told me that he ran a couple of by referral financial planning offices and was involved in multiple other business ventures. My personal desire has always been to run my own company someday and Larry’s background intrigued me. I agreed to have them come over the house, but forgot to tell Laurie they were coming. Laurie and I were finishing supper one night when I received a phone call from Larry stating he was minutes away. Laurie was not too happy with me to say the least! Laurie was looking for her car keys to leave the house vowing not to return until after those “Amway people” were gone! Luckily for me, she could not find her keys. Larry and Marsie changed our lives that night. They did not talk about Amway or products, but they did talk about self-improvement, leadership, seminars, and tapes. Larry told me that the greatest business owners were the best at self-improvement. If you wanted to succeed in life that you needed many experiences and you could not possibly live long enough to have all the experiences necessary. The only way to close the gap was through reading and listening. To say that I was blown away would be an understatement!
Dave had left a shoe box full of tapes when he had signed us up, but it had been over a month and I had listened to none of them. The problem was—I did not have a tape player in my truck. I couldn’t afford one and only had an AM radio. Providentially, GM had offered to give me access to their company cars to drive to Ann Arbor for school at night. As I was shaving one morning, I remembered the company cars had tape players. I went to the shoe box and searched for the two selections, since I knew it was over an hour to Ann Arbor for school. I can see God’s hand all over the two tapes that I picked that morning. I searched for two tapes that would interest me and came up with two: Tim Foley, a former all pro football player and Paul Pilzer, an adjunct professor and economist. There were over 100 tapes in that box and there is no way I could have picked the perfect two except by God’s plan. I carried those two Internet Services tapes in my front shirt pocket all day long. Typically, I would listen to Nirvana or some other hard rock band on the way to Ann Arbor. But on this night, I popped out Nirvana and put in Economic Paradigms by Paul Pilzer. I had watched the video by Joel Barker on Paradigms so the title had aroused my curiosity.
Within ten minutes, I was hooked! I was stunned by the level of information being provided in the tape. I had been looking for an opportunity to provide for my family and Paul Pilzer had stated that Amway was cutting edge and reaching critical mass! I was not interested in a door to door business, but if Amway was expanding into interactive TV, had leadership training like I was listening to, and reaching critical mass—I was in for the long haul! I can not remember anything that happened in class that night and couldn’t wait to get in the car and listen to the next tape. Tim Foley delivered an inspiring talk about taking charge of your finances and being the leader you were called to be. I am so thankful to the Internet Training tapes that I listened to the first 5 years in my own business. They absolutely changed my life forever. Dexter Yager and Bill Britt are two under-appreciated business men who revolutionized an industry. In my opinion, these two men played a major role in the Amway phenomenon and I must give credit where credit is due. I listened to literally hundreds of tapes from both of these leaders and learned incredible nuggets of courage and convictions. I wanted to follow in their footstep and help change the country like they were focused on doing.
Notice a key point—I did not buy in because I believed the Amway products were the absolute best on the market. I wasn’t against the products, but they were not the main focus. Many of the tapes stated, “People move products, products do not move people.” I bought in to changing the country and helping others do something meaningful with their life! The training systems created the most loyal and disciplined group of people that I was proud to be associated with. If buying products from Amway was necessary to be associated with this group of world changers, then so be it. I shut off my rational critical thinking when it came to the product side, because I knew it was bigger than just products. I read Rich Devos’s and Jay VanAndel’s books and believed 100% in their vision of free enterprise and personal responsibility. Both of these great men have made a huge difference in my life. Even with all the current challenges, I am still thankful for the teaching and entrepreneurial spirit that Rich and Jay taught me. Rich, Jay, Dexter, and Bill were all ahead of their time. Rich and Jay focused on earth friendly products at a time when practically no one else did. Dexter and Bill were created the model for today’s learning organizations and revolutionized the entire MLM/Networking field. To have cut my teeth under such incredible visionaries was and still is a blessing for Laurie and me.
I will end here for Part I and will continue in another post later today. God Bless, Orrin Woodward
QUIXTAR: Another Year, Another Billion Dollars+
Original Source
Another Year, Another Billion Dollars+
Friday, February 15, 2008
Today Quixtar announced 2007 sales of $1.07 billion, down a tad from the previous year's sales of $1.12 billion. Given the amount of change and turmoil experienced, I was encouraged by these results! I've already seen some of the initial reactions that this somehow reflects a fiscal year that ended Aug. 31, 2007. As people will recall, we changed our fiscal year last year to match the calendar year, so the fiscal 2007 results are for the calendar year, and are compared to calendar 2006.
The pace here at Quixtar only increases from month to month as we work hard on initiatives that support IBOs' business growth. From consumer campaigns to products to compensation, no stone is being left unturned. I've never been busier in my 16 years here, and I've never been more excited about the direction we're headed in. I hope you are too!
A few weeks ago we celebrated a year in the Opportunity Zone. I have asked before and am asking again for any of your candid feedback about what we blog about here in the Zone, the different approaches by different blogs, the usability of the Zone ... no comments are bad comments. Let us know what works for you and what doesn't. This is feedback we want to share with the bloggers so that they can make this space even more productive for you!
Another Year, Another Billion Dollars+
Friday, February 15, 2008
Today Quixtar announced 2007 sales of $1.07 billion, down a tad from the previous year's sales of $1.12 billion. Given the amount of change and turmoil experienced, I was encouraged by these results! I've already seen some of the initial reactions that this somehow reflects a fiscal year that ended Aug. 31, 2007. As people will recall, we changed our fiscal year last year to match the calendar year, so the fiscal 2007 results are for the calendar year, and are compared to calendar 2006.
The pace here at Quixtar only increases from month to month as we work hard on initiatives that support IBOs' business growth. From consumer campaigns to products to compensation, no stone is being left unturned. I've never been busier in my 16 years here, and I've never been more excited about the direction we're headed in. I hope you are too!
A few weeks ago we celebrated a year in the Opportunity Zone. I have asked before and am asking again for any of your candid feedback about what we blog about here in the Zone, the different approaches by different blogs, the usability of the Zone ... no comments are bad comments. Let us know what works for you and what doesn't. This is feedback we want to share with the bloggers so that they can make this space even more productive for you!
QUIXTAR: Quixtar Announces Fifth Consecutive Year of Billion-Dollar Sales
Original Source
Quixtar Announces Fifth Consecutive Year of Billion-Dollar Sales
Independent Business Owners earned $363 million in bonuses and incentives
ADA, Mich., Feb. 15, 2008 - Quixtar Inc. today announced fiscal 2007 sales of $1.072 billion, the fifth consecutive year in which the company surpassed the billion-dollar mark. The results represented a slight decline from the previous year's sales of $1.12 billion, which were the best in Quixtar's nine-year history.
Results were affected minimally by actions the company took to terminate the business of a few Independent Business Owners in August of 2007 after they refused to change unacceptable practices.
Quixtar Independent Business Owners (IBOs) earned $363 million in bonuses and other incentives for their business efforts in 2007, which also included $70.1 million in sales at Quixtar's Partner Stores.
In 2007, Quixtar launched a new line of nutritional snacks, juices and supplements for busy families under the Simply Nutrilite™ brand, as well as the new Artistry® essentials line of skin care and cosmetics products. Quixtar.com was redesigned to improve usability and to better support IBO sales efforts, and Quixtar University was launched to provide online and aided sales and brand training to help IBOs build profitable businesses.
Since 1999, IBOs have earned nearly $2.6 billion based on total Quixtar sales of more than $7.86 billion and Partner Store sales of more than $577 million. Driven by its strong Health and Beauty brands, Quixtar again was ranked #1 in online Health and Beauty sales by Internet Retailer's "Top 500 Guide" in 2007, and 22nd overall in e-commerce.
"Our business is on the right path at the right time," said Jim Payne, Executive Vice President - Amway & Quixtar. "New leadership was brought in this year with Steve Lieberman, the new Managing Director for Quixtar who joined us in August. We also recently hired a new VP of Sales, Sandy Spielmaker, who will have a tremendous impact on our sales team."
Plans were announced in 2007 to change the business opportunity brand in North America to better leverage and align with Amway's $7 billion global business.
"We're working with IBOs to properly position our North American business within the context of the larger Amway global brand," said Lieberman. "To better support IBO efforts, we are focusing in particular on how consumers interact with our products and our brands."
"Our goal is to provide the best business opportunity in North America," said Lieberman. "From products and IBO compensation to sales training and marketing programs, everything we do in support of our IBOs is being examined to ensure we achieve that goal."
ABOUT QUIXTAR
Based in Ada, Mich., Quixtar Inc. is part of the Alticor group of companies, founded by the DeVos and Van Andel families. Alticor is led by Steve Van Andel, Chairman, and Doug DeVos, President. Global sales for the Alticor group of companies, which include Amway, Access Business Group, Alticor Corporate Enterprises (ACE), and Quixtar, exceeded $7.1 billion in fiscal 2007.
Quixtar currently supports independent businesses in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, and various trust territories and independent island nations in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and Caribbean Sea. Quixtar Canada Corp. headquarters are located in London, Ont., Canada.
Quixtar Announces Fifth Consecutive Year of Billion-Dollar Sales
Independent Business Owners earned $363 million in bonuses and incentives
ADA, Mich., Feb. 15, 2008 - Quixtar Inc. today announced fiscal 2007 sales of $1.072 billion, the fifth consecutive year in which the company surpassed the billion-dollar mark. The results represented a slight decline from the previous year's sales of $1.12 billion, which were the best in Quixtar's nine-year history.
Results were affected minimally by actions the company took to terminate the business of a few Independent Business Owners in August of 2007 after they refused to change unacceptable practices.
Quixtar Independent Business Owners (IBOs) earned $363 million in bonuses and other incentives for their business efforts in 2007, which also included $70.1 million in sales at Quixtar's Partner Stores.
In 2007, Quixtar launched a new line of nutritional snacks, juices and supplements for busy families under the Simply Nutrilite™ brand, as well as the new Artistry® essentials line of skin care and cosmetics products. Quixtar.com was redesigned to improve usability and to better support IBO sales efforts, and Quixtar University was launched to provide online and aided sales and brand training to help IBOs build profitable businesses.
Since 1999, IBOs have earned nearly $2.6 billion based on total Quixtar sales of more than $7.86 billion and Partner Store sales of more than $577 million. Driven by its strong Health and Beauty brands, Quixtar again was ranked #1 in online Health and Beauty sales by Internet Retailer's "Top 500 Guide" in 2007, and 22nd overall in e-commerce.
"Our business is on the right path at the right time," said Jim Payne, Executive Vice President - Amway & Quixtar. "New leadership was brought in this year with Steve Lieberman, the new Managing Director for Quixtar who joined us in August. We also recently hired a new VP of Sales, Sandy Spielmaker, who will have a tremendous impact on our sales team."
Plans were announced in 2007 to change the business opportunity brand in North America to better leverage and align with Amway's $7 billion global business.
"We're working with IBOs to properly position our North American business within the context of the larger Amway global brand," said Lieberman. "To better support IBO efforts, we are focusing in particular on how consumers interact with our products and our brands."
"Our goal is to provide the best business opportunity in North America," said Lieberman. "From products and IBO compensation to sales training and marketing programs, everything we do in support of our IBOs is being examined to ensure we achieve that goal."
ABOUT QUIXTAR
Based in Ada, Mich., Quixtar Inc. is part of the Alticor group of companies, founded by the DeVos and Van Andel families. Alticor is led by Steve Van Andel, Chairman, and Doug DeVos, President. Global sales for the Alticor group of companies, which include Amway, Access Business Group, Alticor Corporate Enterprises (ACE), and Quixtar, exceeded $7.1 billion in fiscal 2007.
Quixtar currently supports independent businesses in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, and various trust territories and independent island nations in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and Caribbean Sea. Quixtar Canada Corp. headquarters are located in London, Ont., Canada.
TEAM: cal Reminscences & A Vision for the Future - Part III
Original Source
Historical Reminscences & A Vision for the Future - Part III
by Orrin Woodward on Fri 15 Feb 2008 12:31 PM EST
Let me step back to late 2003 and share with you my experiences with the Amway/Quixtar criticisms on the web. All of the major organizations were taught to avoid the negative associated with the name Amway by what is called the curiosity approach. This is an approach to people without referring specifically to the Amway or Quixtar name. For example instead of saying, “I would like to come over and show you the Amway plan”, people would say, “I am building a business in your area and would like to come over and share the details.” The goal was to get the meeting and explain all the details there. With the advent of the internet age, sharing Amway or Quixtar during the plan was a death knell. People would Google the speaker and business during the plan and literally walk out without hearing all the facts. I was so committed to the cause that I never stopped and analyzed the criticisms on the web with an open mind. The CD’s said to avoid negative and taught that everything on the web were lies or just criticisms of non-achievers. I focused on serving people and built our business very fast without much direct criticism through the end of 2003. In late 2003, Laurie and I hit EDC and began receiving criticism personally online. At first I was hurt personally. Some of the things stated and suggest motives for my behavior were simply not true. But I am thankful that it happened to me. It was the first time I read the criticisms online with a spirit of confronting reality. I asked myself, “What parts of the criticisms have an element of truth and what can we do to fix them?” This was a humbling exercise, because I had to admit our business was not perfect and needed to be reformed in several areas. The criticisms online were right in many areas. I told Ken McDonald back in 2004, “It’s not the negative lies online that are killing us, but the negative truths.” He agreed and said we needed to fix them.
The first major criticism that needed to be fixed was the good old boy club surrounding the tool businesses. People were given a discount on tools based on how much the upline liked them and how hard they negotiated. I did not want to be a hard negotiator with Chris Brady and the other leaders one day and then turnaround and be partners the next. The only solution that I could see would be to create a profit sharing plan. The profit sharing plan would take all revenue minus expenses and pay out to the Team based on performance. By having a per group performance, anyone could make the most money and it didn’t matter if you were the first person or the last person in. All that mattered was how big you built your groups. This revolutionized the pay and allowed us to be transparent about the sources of income. In the old school model, people at the top made most of the money and people at the bottom had to break away and run their own systems to be compensated properly. The only problem is they would become the new “Kingpins” and the antiquated system perpetuated hard feelings, lawsuits, and division. There were so many good leaders that have left the business today, not because they are bad people, but because there were systemic issues that caused dissension. The best analogy to use would be the water follows the riverbed every time. Until we deal with the structural issues (riverbed), the problems will continue to occur. We can tell the water to go to the right, but if the riverbed turns to the left the water will follow. We must fix the structures or problems will be endemic. This was a major fix and the reason that no leader has ever left to form another system on the Team. There is no need to unless it was purely ego driven.
Another riverbed issue was the old pins continued to be recognized even after they had fallen out of qualification. What kind of credibility can an organization have if they bring up people and call them “Diamonds” when they are actually Sapphires or lower? In the Team culture all speaking is based on current qualifications based on numbers (influence). It doesn’t matter what they accomplished in the past, the key is what are they doing currently? The goal is to serve the new people and Dexter had a saying, “Get your best in front of the best.” By basing it on numbers we fixed the riverbed and ensured the best were in front of the best. By having a performance based system, this also fixed unqualified pins receiving the majority of the tool profits from the work of others. As you perform, so shall you bonus was our motto. The criticisms on the business not growing did not apply directly to the Team, but I did agree that selling a success system was hypocritical if people were not succeeding. The Team had grown from 200 people attending majors to over 12,000 in six years and with groups merging into the Team over the next year we grew to over 20,000 strong at majors Another factor that improved our unified Team was the system stayed pure. Because we were all on the same page and went to the same conventions, the teaching stayed pure and duplicatable. This was not true in other systems where each diamond ran their own majors and taught different techniques.
By all staying together and running a performance based system, we were able to gain incredible volume discounts and leverage our numbers to the benefit of all. For example, in St. Louis if there are 25k people in attendance that means we have 40k plus seats still available. When we fill those seats everyone benefits. The new person get a phenomenal show at a lower price, every leader receives more in profit sharing and the Team reaches its goal of 1 million people. We went through and researched every piece of the criticisms online and attempted to the best of our ability to fix every area we could. The one we could not fix was the Pyramid issue. The criticisms online amounted to this, “You get people motivated and loyal to your Team’s and then convince them to buy products at a higher price than they can buy at a store.” I was taught that the products were of a much higher quality and the higher quality and value justified the higher prices. It wasn’t until I and other top diamonds paid for our own analysis of the products that we began to doubt if our answer was genuine. The doubts would have started in 2004 and this is why the Board started the 15 to 20 value based products initiative. We didn’t expect all of the products to be priced competitively with the market, but asked for some. I felt confident that we could get there in 2004 and felt all we needed to do was confront the facts and fix the issue. When a leader identifies a problem, they do not run away from it, deny it, or pass the buck. They address and fix. This is what we attempted to do through the IBOAI board.
The confronting of reality that Fred Harteis, Billy Florence, Don Wilson, Randy Haugen, Joe Markiewicz, and others were placing on Quixtar led to promises of better pricing. Many leaders were tired of watching high quality leaders come and go out of there organizations. Many went on to successful careers outside of the business and would praise the training systems for teaching them to think right about business. I have lost count of how many stories I have heard about successful entrepreneurs who learned the principles from the various Amway training organizations. The leaders felt that if the training was that good, how come they could not succeed in this business? Why do we have to cycle through nearly half our group every year and to work incredibly hard just to maintain the same size organization? These were the issues on the table to Ken McDonald and Doug Devos. The answer was to do a regime change and this brought Jim Payne and Rob Davidson into the positions of Quixtar Managing Director and Quixtar Sales Manager. I respected Ken McDonald greatly and was told by him that he had planned to retire and that it was time for him to bow out. I was excited to be working with Jim Payne and Rob Davidson. Ken had led us to Rob Davidson when he was head of the rules department. Rob had graciously dedicated his time and energy to help us with the Team Approach methods. I was only 6 months into my first term on the board and the future looked bright for some much needed (in my opinion) riverbed changes to the structure of the Quixtar business. The IBO Board leaders wanted a business we could be proud of and represent to the people with assurance that the business was the best thing for them. I felt confident that in the next two years we would get there and change America for the better! I wanted to make my three year term on the Board count.
Historical Reminscences & A Vision for the Future - Part III
by Orrin Woodward on Fri 15 Feb 2008 12:31 PM EST
Let me step back to late 2003 and share with you my experiences with the Amway/Quixtar criticisms on the web. All of the major organizations were taught to avoid the negative associated with the name Amway by what is called the curiosity approach. This is an approach to people without referring specifically to the Amway or Quixtar name. For example instead of saying, “I would like to come over and show you the Amway plan”, people would say, “I am building a business in your area and would like to come over and share the details.” The goal was to get the meeting and explain all the details there. With the advent of the internet age, sharing Amway or Quixtar during the plan was a death knell. People would Google the speaker and business during the plan and literally walk out without hearing all the facts. I was so committed to the cause that I never stopped and analyzed the criticisms on the web with an open mind. The CD’s said to avoid negative and taught that everything on the web were lies or just criticisms of non-achievers. I focused on serving people and built our business very fast without much direct criticism through the end of 2003. In late 2003, Laurie and I hit EDC and began receiving criticism personally online. At first I was hurt personally. Some of the things stated and suggest motives for my behavior were simply not true. But I am thankful that it happened to me. It was the first time I read the criticisms online with a spirit of confronting reality. I asked myself, “What parts of the criticisms have an element of truth and what can we do to fix them?” This was a humbling exercise, because I had to admit our business was not perfect and needed to be reformed in several areas. The criticisms online were right in many areas. I told Ken McDonald back in 2004, “It’s not the negative lies online that are killing us, but the negative truths.” He agreed and said we needed to fix them.
The first major criticism that needed to be fixed was the good old boy club surrounding the tool businesses. People were given a discount on tools based on how much the upline liked them and how hard they negotiated. I did not want to be a hard negotiator with Chris Brady and the other leaders one day and then turnaround and be partners the next. The only solution that I could see would be to create a profit sharing plan. The profit sharing plan would take all revenue minus expenses and pay out to the Team based on performance. By having a per group performance, anyone could make the most money and it didn’t matter if you were the first person or the last person in. All that mattered was how big you built your groups. This revolutionized the pay and allowed us to be transparent about the sources of income. In the old school model, people at the top made most of the money and people at the bottom had to break away and run their own systems to be compensated properly. The only problem is they would become the new “Kingpins” and the antiquated system perpetuated hard feelings, lawsuits, and division. There were so many good leaders that have left the business today, not because they are bad people, but because there were systemic issues that caused dissension. The best analogy to use would be the water follows the riverbed every time. Until we deal with the structural issues (riverbed), the problems will continue to occur. We can tell the water to go to the right, but if the riverbed turns to the left the water will follow. We must fix the structures or problems will be endemic. This was a major fix and the reason that no leader has ever left to form another system on the Team. There is no need to unless it was purely ego driven.
Another riverbed issue was the old pins continued to be recognized even after they had fallen out of qualification. What kind of credibility can an organization have if they bring up people and call them “Diamonds” when they are actually Sapphires or lower? In the Team culture all speaking is based on current qualifications based on numbers (influence). It doesn’t matter what they accomplished in the past, the key is what are they doing currently? The goal is to serve the new people and Dexter had a saying, “Get your best in front of the best.” By basing it on numbers we fixed the riverbed and ensured the best were in front of the best. By having a performance based system, this also fixed unqualified pins receiving the majority of the tool profits from the work of others. As you perform, so shall you bonus was our motto. The criticisms on the business not growing did not apply directly to the Team, but I did agree that selling a success system was hypocritical if people were not succeeding. The Team had grown from 200 people attending majors to over 12,000 in six years and with groups merging into the Team over the next year we grew to over 20,000 strong at majors Another factor that improved our unified Team was the system stayed pure. Because we were all on the same page and went to the same conventions, the teaching stayed pure and duplicatable. This was not true in other systems where each diamond ran their own majors and taught different techniques.
By all staying together and running a performance based system, we were able to gain incredible volume discounts and leverage our numbers to the benefit of all. For example, in St. Louis if there are 25k people in attendance that means we have 40k plus seats still available. When we fill those seats everyone benefits. The new person get a phenomenal show at a lower price, every leader receives more in profit sharing and the Team reaches its goal of 1 million people. We went through and researched every piece of the criticisms online and attempted to the best of our ability to fix every area we could. The one we could not fix was the Pyramid issue. The criticisms online amounted to this, “You get people motivated and loyal to your Team’s and then convince them to buy products at a higher price than they can buy at a store.” I was taught that the products were of a much higher quality and the higher quality and value justified the higher prices. It wasn’t until I and other top diamonds paid for our own analysis of the products that we began to doubt if our answer was genuine. The doubts would have started in 2004 and this is why the Board started the 15 to 20 value based products initiative. We didn’t expect all of the products to be priced competitively with the market, but asked for some. I felt confident that we could get there in 2004 and felt all we needed to do was confront the facts and fix the issue. When a leader identifies a problem, they do not run away from it, deny it, or pass the buck. They address and fix. This is what we attempted to do through the IBOAI board.
The confronting of reality that Fred Harteis, Billy Florence, Don Wilson, Randy Haugen, Joe Markiewicz, and others were placing on Quixtar led to promises of better pricing. Many leaders were tired of watching high quality leaders come and go out of there organizations. Many went on to successful careers outside of the business and would praise the training systems for teaching them to think right about business. I have lost count of how many stories I have heard about successful entrepreneurs who learned the principles from the various Amway training organizations. The leaders felt that if the training was that good, how come they could not succeed in this business? Why do we have to cycle through nearly half our group every year and to work incredibly hard just to maintain the same size organization? These were the issues on the table to Ken McDonald and Doug Devos. The answer was to do a regime change and this brought Jim Payne and Rob Davidson into the positions of Quixtar Managing Director and Quixtar Sales Manager. I respected Ken McDonald greatly and was told by him that he had planned to retire and that it was time for him to bow out. I was excited to be working with Jim Payne and Rob Davidson. Ken had led us to Rob Davidson when he was head of the rules department. Rob had graciously dedicated his time and energy to help us with the Team Approach methods. I was only 6 months into my first term on the board and the future looked bright for some much needed (in my opinion) riverbed changes to the structure of the Quixtar business. The IBO Board leaders wanted a business we could be proud of and represent to the people with assurance that the business was the best thing for them. I felt confident that in the next two years we would get there and change America for the better! I wanted to make my three year term on the Board count.
Monday, February 11, 2008
TEAM: More on the Amway Arbitration case
Original Source
More on the Amway Arbitration case
February 11, 2008
As expected the reversal of the arbitration ruling in the Morrison case has made it's rounds and now the IBOAI, Alticor, and even others are putting their two cents in. Of course most of what is being said I don't think is even addressing the issues. To me it looks like more damage control then anything. At any rate there are apparently some things that the IBOAI want you to know.
1. The decision in this case could be changed in future court proceedings. (Much like how the earlier decision in favor of Amway was later changed in future court proceedings).
2. The Morrison decision was based upon arbitration agreement rules that were in effect in 1998 and have since changed. For instance Amway can no longer make changes to the agreement without the consent of the IBOAI.
3. The dispute arose before January 1, 1998 when the arbitration agreement went into effect and therefore that does not apply to anyone who had a dispute after 1998.
As far as Alticor goes they are trying to say that all Morrison gets is a redo of his arbitration, and that the decision was based off of the fact that the dispute arose prior to 1998. But from the way I read it the court is saying there was no enforceable arbitration agreement because of Amway's unilateral authority to amend.
Other certain Amway supporters have also written on their site that after having time to read the decision "properly" they also see the decision being based off of the fact that there was no arbitration in effect at the time of the dispute. Well apparently time was of no help to read the decision properly.
The way I read it however the final wording in the decision clearly is referring to Amway's unilateral right to amend the agreement. Here is what the final wording is in the decision:
There is nothing in any of the relevant documents which precludes amendment to the arbitration program – made under Amway’s unilateral authority to amend its Rules of Conduct – from eliminating the entire arbitration program or its applicability to certain claims or disputes so that once notice of such an amendment was published mandatory arbitration would no longer be available even as to disputes which had arisen and of which Amway had notice prior to the publication. There are no Halliburton type savings clauses which preclude application of such amendments to disputes which arose (or of which Amway had notice) before the amendment. We accordingly hold that the arbitration agreement was illusory and unenforceable under Davidson as applied to the claims asserted in the instant suit.12 We thus reverse the district court’s October 15, 1998 order staying the case pending arbitration and its September 15, 2005 final judgment denying the Distributors’ motion to vacate the award, granting Amway’s motion to confirm the award, and entering judgment based upon the award; and we remand the case for further proceedings not inconsistent herewith. (emphasis mine)
The reference to Halliburton is addressed earlier in the document where Halliburton's arbitration was ruled not illusory since they could not avoid arbitration by amending or terminating the arbitration provision due to the way it was written. Amway had no such "saving clause".
But as with anything I encourage you to go and read the decision yourself and come to your own conclusion. This case is quite old and many of the rules considering arbitration have changed. But for anyone considering this business I would recommend that you get a good understanding of such processes.
More on the Amway Arbitration case
February 11, 2008
As expected the reversal of the arbitration ruling in the Morrison case has made it's rounds and now the IBOAI, Alticor, and even others are putting their two cents in. Of course most of what is being said I don't think is even addressing the issues. To me it looks like more damage control then anything. At any rate there are apparently some things that the IBOAI want you to know.
1. The decision in this case could be changed in future court proceedings. (Much like how the earlier decision in favor of Amway was later changed in future court proceedings).
2. The Morrison decision was based upon arbitration agreement rules that were in effect in 1998 and have since changed. For instance Amway can no longer make changes to the agreement without the consent of the IBOAI.
3. The dispute arose before January 1, 1998 when the arbitration agreement went into effect and therefore that does not apply to anyone who had a dispute after 1998.
As far as Alticor goes they are trying to say that all Morrison gets is a redo of his arbitration, and that the decision was based off of the fact that the dispute arose prior to 1998. But from the way I read it the court is saying there was no enforceable arbitration agreement because of Amway's unilateral authority to amend.
Other certain Amway supporters have also written on their site that after having time to read the decision "properly" they also see the decision being based off of the fact that there was no arbitration in effect at the time of the dispute. Well apparently time was of no help to read the decision properly.
The way I read it however the final wording in the decision clearly is referring to Amway's unilateral right to amend the agreement. Here is what the final wording is in the decision:
There is nothing in any of the relevant documents which precludes amendment to the arbitration program – made under Amway’s unilateral authority to amend its Rules of Conduct – from eliminating the entire arbitration program or its applicability to certain claims or disputes so that once notice of such an amendment was published mandatory arbitration would no longer be available even as to disputes which had arisen and of which Amway had notice prior to the publication. There are no Halliburton type savings clauses which preclude application of such amendments to disputes which arose (or of which Amway had notice) before the amendment. We accordingly hold that the arbitration agreement was illusory and unenforceable under Davidson as applied to the claims asserted in the instant suit.12 We thus reverse the district court’s October 15, 1998 order staying the case pending arbitration and its September 15, 2005 final judgment denying the Distributors’ motion to vacate the award, granting Amway’s motion to confirm the award, and entering judgment based upon the award; and we remand the case for further proceedings not inconsistent herewith. (emphasis mine)
The reference to Halliburton is addressed earlier in the document where Halliburton's arbitration was ruled not illusory since they could not avoid arbitration by amending or terminating the arbitration provision due to the way it was written. Amway had no such "saving clause".
But as with anything I encourage you to go and read the decision yourself and come to your own conclusion. This case is quite old and many of the rules considering arbitration have changed. But for anyone considering this business I would recommend that you get a good understanding of such processes.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
QUIXTAR: The Truth About the Morrison Decision
Original Source
The Truth About the Morrison Decision
February 09, 2008
There are already false rumors online about an appeals court decision in the Morrison v. Amway Corp. case. The decision, which is not yet final, and could be changed in future court proceedings, does not apply to current arbitration rules, which can't be changed except by mutual agreement of Quixtar and the IBOAI, and it also doesn't apply to disputes that arose after arbitration became part of the IBO contract in 1998. This ruling therefore should not affect any current case (the Morrison case was more than ten years old).
The ruling issued on February 6 by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in Morrison v. Amway Corp. specifically states only that it applies "to the claims asserted in the instant suit." The Court's discussion of the claims in Morrison and the arbitration agreement as it existed in 1998 show that the ruling does not apply to the Quixtar-IBOAI arbitration rules as they currently exist, and also does not apply to disputes that arose after the arbitration agreement became part of the IBO contract in 1998.
First, the court (describing the 1998 version of the arbitration rules) stated that "[t]here is no express exemption of the arbitration provisions from Amway's ability to unilaterally modify all rules . . . ." This is certainly not true of the Quixtar-IBOAI arbitration rules as they exist today and have existed for many years. Rule 11.5.1 of the Rules of Conduct specifically provides:
"These Rules shall be amended only by mutual agreement
between the Corporation [Quixtar] and the IBOA International
Board."
This language is clear and unequivocal - Quixtar cannot change the Quixtar-IBOAI arbitration agreement without the agreement of the IBOAI Board. Whatever the court believed about Amway's ability to modify the 1998 rules is not true of the present day rules.
Second, the court stressed that the disputes between the Morrison plaintiffs and Amway arose before the arbitration agreement became part of the Amway contract effective January 1, 1998. This reasoning would not apply to any IBO whose dispute arose after 1998.
Posted at 03:06 PM
The Truth About the Morrison Decision
February 09, 2008
There are already false rumors online about an appeals court decision in the Morrison v. Amway Corp. case. The decision, which is not yet final, and could be changed in future court proceedings, does not apply to current arbitration rules, which can't be changed except by mutual agreement of Quixtar and the IBOAI, and it also doesn't apply to disputes that arose after arbitration became part of the IBO contract in 1998. This ruling therefore should not affect any current case (the Morrison case was more than ten years old).
The ruling issued on February 6 by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in Morrison v. Amway Corp. specifically states only that it applies "to the claims asserted in the instant suit." The Court's discussion of the claims in Morrison and the arbitration agreement as it existed in 1998 show that the ruling does not apply to the Quixtar-IBOAI arbitration rules as they currently exist, and also does not apply to disputes that arose after the arbitration agreement became part of the IBO contract in 1998.
First, the court (describing the 1998 version of the arbitration rules) stated that "[t]here is no express exemption of the arbitration provisions from Amway's ability to unilaterally modify all rules . . . ." This is certainly not true of the Quixtar-IBOAI arbitration rules as they exist today and have existed for many years. Rule 11.5.1 of the Rules of Conduct specifically provides:
"These Rules shall be amended only by mutual agreement
between the Corporation [Quixtar] and the IBOA International
Board."
This language is clear and unequivocal - Quixtar cannot change the Quixtar-IBOAI arbitration agreement without the agreement of the IBOAI Board. Whatever the court believed about Amway's ability to modify the 1998 rules is not true of the present day rules.
Second, the court stressed that the disputes between the Morrison plaintiffs and Amway arose before the arbitration agreement became part of the Amway contract effective January 1, 1998. This reasoning would not apply to any IBO whose dispute arose after 1998.
Posted at 03:06 PM
Friday, February 8, 2008
QUIXTAR: Nitro: Case dismissed
Original Source
Nitro: Case dismissed
February 8th, 2008 @ 11:24 pm ET…
Happy to report to you that the Nitro case in Missouri has been dismissed by a federal judge.
The ruling itself is under seal at this point, so we can’t discuss or quote the specific findings and conclusions — at least, not yet.
But the fact that the case has been dismissed is a matter of public record. So we decided to share the news because this was one of those cases where the trial lawyers on the other side made sliming us publicly part of their legal strategy. It’s a terribly cynical approach, designed to intimidate the company and shake the confidence of our business owners.
No surprise that the losing trial lawyers were from Shughart Thomson & Kilroy — the same people who launched last year’s failed TEAM California lawsuit with a barrage of press releases and bluster, and then watched a judge dismiss that case as well. At this point, the firm’s credibility in speaking about our company matches their record of success in court.
We’re angry at the way they attempted to rattle our friends who are out there every night building Quixtar businesses. We’re pleased that the judge saw their case had no merit.
There was also a ruling this week in a separate case, known as Morrison, where an appeals court reversed and remanded an earlier lower court ruling. It’s the latest step in a long, long fight that we remain confident of winning. The ruling does not say that Morrison is right about any of his claims. It only says that he gets a do-over of the arbitration he lost in 2004.
And another important point: Contrary to some of the spinners out there, the ruling hinges on the fact that the dispute is so very old—beginning before 1998, before we even had an arbitration program. Therefore, the effect of this ruling on our current arbitration program and current cases (a shrinking list, given the Nitro dismissal) is virtually zero. If someone’s telling you otherwise, don’t buy the hype.
Nitro: Case dismissed
February 8th, 2008 @ 11:24 pm ET…
Happy to report to you that the Nitro case in Missouri has been dismissed by a federal judge.
The ruling itself is under seal at this point, so we can’t discuss or quote the specific findings and conclusions — at least, not yet.
But the fact that the case has been dismissed is a matter of public record. So we decided to share the news because this was one of those cases where the trial lawyers on the other side made sliming us publicly part of their legal strategy. It’s a terribly cynical approach, designed to intimidate the company and shake the confidence of our business owners.
No surprise that the losing trial lawyers were from Shughart Thomson & Kilroy — the same people who launched last year’s failed TEAM California lawsuit with a barrage of press releases and bluster, and then watched a judge dismiss that case as well. At this point, the firm’s credibility in speaking about our company matches their record of success in court.
We’re angry at the way they attempted to rattle our friends who are out there every night building Quixtar businesses. We’re pleased that the judge saw their case had no merit.
There was also a ruling this week in a separate case, known as Morrison, where an appeals court reversed and remanded an earlier lower court ruling. It’s the latest step in a long, long fight that we remain confident of winning. The ruling does not say that Morrison is right about any of his claims. It only says that he gets a do-over of the arbitration he lost in 2004.
And another important point: Contrary to some of the spinners out there, the ruling hinges on the fact that the dispute is so very old—beginning before 1998, before we even had an arbitration program. Therefore, the effect of this ruling on our current arbitration program and current cases (a shrinking list, given the Nitro dismissal) is virtually zero. If someone’s telling you otherwise, don’t buy the hype.
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