I started in Network Marketing and Multi-Level Marketing in 1990. The 1st company I joined I only joined so I could buy wholesale, and give to my friends and family. Never knew the term “MLM”. My mom was in the health field, so naturally it was a health company that got me started along.
Over the years, I worked more and more into finding out about working from home, and listening to others who have been successful in the field. I had my 1st child in 1987, and I, like many others had to work through much of her early childhood many hours to make ends meet.
When my husband and I first got married, I was a bookkeeper for Home Depot in Nashville, 1 1/2 hours away from home. With our first daughter, I missed all her *firsts*. On top of my 40 hours a week, I added on another 15 hours per week drive time, so that meant I was GONE from my husband and child 55 hours a week.
When I found out I was pregnant with our 2nd child in 1994, I decided I did not want to be away from my my 1st child all the rest of her life, or miss my 2nd child’s life either… as well as my husband most of his waking hours either.
I gave my notice at work at the end of my pregnancy, and became a stay-at-home mom. I promptly gave my 2 weeks notice after my maternity leave, and went into full time “working from home” status. While my husband was a police officer and did very well, we needed that 2nd income, even though for a few years he worked a 2nd job at the mall doing security. For years I figured, well I am watching my own kids, might as well watch a few others! SO I did that about 14 years, till our youngest started kindergarten at our church christian school.
When the internet came out, I loved computers….
So I decided I was going to learn all I could about the world-wide web and I was going to learn about how to “get your business out there” and help others to do it. So I started to learn how to design websites, and I contacted several people I knew, and begged them to let me design them a website at no cost – to start my “profile”. Over the years, I have designed sites for hundreds of clients, as well as designing postcards, greeting cards, business cards, fliers and more. I would many times design postcards and fliers for my clients to keep in touch with their clients and patients and to get referrals.
So then in the health field, I was given a product and said it was good for you and if you share with others, you can earn money – still had NO IDEA what the term MLM or Network Marketing was. I was just told if you like it, share it with others and you will get a referral fee. I did that with a few companies that I liked their products, even got good enough to get to 5 figures a month at one point with a company, although at the time, all I thought was *it can NEVER go away, only get better right?* So we had bought me an expedition, later upgraded to an excursion, bought my husband a mustang and a harley, all brand new. It was great, my 2 oldest kids were in a christian private school, I drove 47 miles from my driveway to the schools every day to have them in a great place. My kids had the best of the best in clothes and we were doing very well.
Then something happened, my husband started having back problems, which after many doctor and chiropractor visits and lots of tests, ended up with back surgery in 2005, that did not go so well, and he had many issues after that, and although not on the job, so all the medical bills, surgery, therapy, etc would come out of our pockets. He was off work from Oct 2005 until December 2006 (14 full months). During this time, he had MANY different doctors (all of course with bills! lol) as well as surgery and therapy and more.
From me being able to work from home, I was able to go to all his doctor and therapy appointments with him, as well as be there for his surgery, and then also be at home for our children, without having to go out and have 3-4 jobs outside the home taking me away from our family. If I had worked a basic 9-5 job, I probably would not have even made enough money for our family to survive without losing our cars and house, but I would have probably had to have a 2nd or 3rd job as well, to try to make ends meet.
Instead I was able to work from home, and still be a wife to my husband as well as a Mom to my kids. Things did get tighter than we were used to, believe me, and it was hard. But not near as hard if I was in a job where I was not able to work from home.
After awhile my church locally started a school so my kids were transferred to that school and soon I started volunteer teaching at my kids school. During this time that great mlm company, something happened, and my income *went away*. Eventually my husband had to leave the police dept due to his back, and so I had to get a job so he would have insurance. I was lucky enough to find a REAL job where I could work from home, have full benefits including vacation and insurance and still teach my kids. But in that time, I had caught the MLM bug….I knew it was awesome and I knew it was real, and I knew if I did it once, I could do it again, and I saw how it benefitted our family, allowing my husband to not have to work 2 jobs to help support us.
In 2004, I was contacted about Send Out Cards and told “hey go here and log in with this, and send a card and let me know what you think” – I loved it and it would allow me to do exactly what I was doing for my clients, but online, and this company printed the cards and mailed them for me or my clients all at once and did not have to buy in bulk, and I could create custom cards at very reasonable rates.. I had always sent out cards, all birthdays and anniversaries and custom christmas cards. My *list* got so big, because I would send to ALL family and friends, as well as all past, present and prospective clients. That in 2003, I had to put up our tree the day after Halloween to be able to take family pics in front of it, and have time to create the card, put all the mailing labels and all the stamps on them. I would paste labels and stamps to a stack every day and have our kitchen table covered and take a stack to the postoffice daily. That year, my *last batch* went out on Dec 23, and my husband lovingly advised me that I was to do it and do it right, or not at all. 😉 The following August is when I was introduced to Send Out Cards.
I promptly joined at the lowest customer level (at the time was $299), we had about 200 cards, blue or black font, and custom cards were $50 each to get designed. no pictures, no gifts, none of the rest, no even dvds or automatic gift accounts, but I knew this was a GREAT tool, so started referring all my business clients as well as some friends and family to this company. Well the next 3 people I told about this great tool I found, wanted to join as REPS, which was $699 at the time). So I had to call the company and ask if I could upgrade, so I would get the referral fees on them instead of someone else. haha. So I upgraded, and later we added the DVD option for $49, then Picture Plus 1 & 2 for $99 each, but the company was upgrading us and taking us to even better ways to work and touch others lives with happiness. I was able to design the CUSTOM cards for each of them in their business to HELP THEM excel in their business, which of course helped ME excel in MY business at the same time.
One of my main slogans has always been “I send out happiness to others and I get paid to do it! How great is that?”
I heard a story once that said you could become one of the top leaders with lots and lots of hard work and many hours – that is how I got there at the beginning – I worked tons and tons, but I knew, if I could *just make it* – we could rest and travel *later* like some of the other leaders. I did it once before, I knew I could do it again. And I did make it to Executive in Send Out Cards pretty quickly.
Then I had several years of *mind* control….with my husband’s medical issues, that put a major financial strain on our marriage and family. It is REALLY hard to look at your bills and wonder how you are going to keep the lights on and feed the kids, and still think positive, when your checking account says ZERO….. as well as we had to let the harley go, sold the mustang, kept my truck because it was big enough for the family, and luckily were able to keep our house, but I had much of that *noise* in my mind of how I did not deserve all that rich fancy stuff, I mean I really didn’t need it anyway, right? And people that had it just blew their money which I always saw as why not doing something great with it (even though many of those did great things with it too, I just did not see that back then). But I had many people tell me I lost it once, I would again, or it was a scam and wouldn’t make it, but when they saw our company and it was SO different – they knew, but they would still tell me *I* wouldn’t make it, *normal folks* like us don’t make THAT kind of money. (and I was raised in a VERY good family, on the right side of the tracks and had MANY blessings). I think one of my biggest blessings is having BOTH parents as entrepreneurs. My dad was a custom home builder and my mom was a beautician when I was little, then when I got older became a massage therapist and reflexologist – but both owning their own business. So I was *cut from that cloth* of not working for others but building my dream. My working for someone else was fine, and I would do a good job while there, WHILE working on my dream.
But I still never thought of me making crazy numbers like 100,000 a month. I COULD see $10,000 a month, because I had hit that – so I knew it was attainable and I could do it again IF I worked HARD enough and if I was honest and good enough to DESERVE it. but I still always had the biblical term of the love of money is the root of all evil – anyone ever hear that? and so I had the thought if I wanted to be rich, then I was not thinking right, so I kept it at my thoughts that I wanted to at least live in a decent area, drive a decent car, and put decent food in my kids mouths – that in my mind, was *proper*.
I started going to many of the Treat Em Right Seminars – I even had one in my little town – way back then – Kody told me I had to have 25 in the room for him to fly out! lol I worked very hard to get it – and he and Super Dave flew out to the first TER in TN in Oct 2004. My rule was (and still is), to go to every convention and every executive retreat (I have), and also every TER within a 10 hour drive from me (I have been to EVERY one that fit into that – except one that was in MO, and that was because the night before I left, a tree fell on our house from a storm – so I had to stay home and take care of things lol)
Kody talked about all these IAMs and the positive thinking. I was always into positive thinking, my mom taught me that – and I knew the power of thoughts, although I am also a virgo and a perfectionist and was a VERY self critical thinker – I had NO problems of *puffing up* others and encouraging them, but not myself. And the IAM’s I just had many issues with, in my christian faith – I mean if you said “I am a millionaire” – and you were not, then you were sinning because you were lying right? Then one day I talked to another Pastor friend, and I asked him about it.
He told me a few things:
Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
Matthew 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
So God tells us, we are to ask, think, and BELIEVE as IF we have ALREADY RECEIVED (just like Kody’s IAMs right?) and we are to think of GOOD and POSITIVE thoughts…
Kody also taught me about personal development – and I needed to read from other successful people.
So after that – I started reading more and more books, every time I heard anyone talk about a good book, I would order it from amazon, and I would add it to my stack. I tried to read a book a week. (NOW mind you, remember before how busy I said I was, I did not have tons of time) but I would read whenever I could. I also started making my IAMs and I put them on index cards and propped up on my keyboard at home at my desktop, since I worked from there most the time. I also had a bigger list on a notepad, and I would have that open and read 5 every hour or so. I also printed them out and put on paper and taped to my bathroom mirror and my refrigerator.
I started to change HOW I looked at myself, and this proved to be the most challenging part for me. Believing and knowing that I can do anything – it was VERY HARD for me in my mind….Kody would always tell me, Demarr would always tell me, Jordan would tell me, Kathy Paauw and Diane Walker would tell me, I had many leaders above me as well as crossline to me …as well as my mom, and my kids (even my youngest would always say “when are you going to be senior executive? when are we going to get our coach bus?” haha, my gratitude and accountability partner Kathryn Asaro Mayers (RARA)…SO many of my team members cheering me on…all have helped me, inspiring me, to beleive in ME that *I* could do it and that I WAS WORTH IT.
And of course you can get to senior manager all by yourself – and your hard work and your efforts. But to get to executive and senior executive and eagle – you can NOT get there on your own, no matter HOW hard you work. It takes a TEAM, and your TEAM has to help you and push you there – and I am SO grateful and I am SO thankful for ALL my team members and customers that have helped me to realize my true freedom and my potential to be able to become SENIOR EXECUTIVE and achieve the financial aspect of so many of my dreams.
One of the BEST things that I love about our company is that it is not in “competition” with any other company out there – our company is a “tool” to help anyone, in any type of business, to create more referrals and clients.
Kody always says “What you SEND OUT you get back TEN FOLD” – it did not happen right away for me, and I was not always one of the names in the tops of the charts, but I was CONSISTENT and I worked my business DAILY even if I only had 5 minutes that day – I did something in my business every single day. I sent out prospecting cards and cards showing GRATITUDE to others DAILY. And it PAID OFF – Just like Kody told me it would for the last 10 years. I am SO HAPPY and SO THANKFUL and SO GRATEFUL for Kody Bateman and Send Out Cards and all these amazing friends I have found the last 10 years coming into my life. I love you all! THANK YOU!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6-vU4Sr2GE
What you should do to get here (or to any level of success you want)
1. MENTORS.
Align with those who are where you wish to be. One of my favorite quotes is “Success leaves clues.” They say you will be an average of your 5 closest friends. Now this might sound harsh, and of course you should never be rude or arrogant or prideful! BUT if your friends who you hang out with the most, are *at your level* financially or lower, you need to stay friends with them, but NOT hang out with them as much! Instead find some other LEADERS to hang out with! Find out where your company EVENTS are and be there early and leave late, get pictures and talk with other leaders. READ BOOKS from others that are successful. Positive thinking, business success, etc. Turn OFF the TV and the radio! What you THINK about you BRING about! Remember the song “Be careful little eyes what you see…be careful little ears what you hear” etc…..What you see on the news or in movies where something bad happens, that is GOING INTO YOUR MIND! Only put things in your mind that are GOOD for you to think about! If you *have* to know what is *going on* in the world, go to one of those websites where you can read the headlines of what you think you need to read and forget the rest! Remember Y2k??? How many people FREAKED and FRETTED about it and it NEVER HAPPENED! DON’T WORRY!!!!! Focus on the POSITIVES and you will attract more of the same. Find mentors you can RELATE with that are successful. For me, I did not drink and did not cuss, and have a very humble spirit. So other leaders that were successful that were more prideful, or drank or cuss, I could not learn from, and that is OKAY (and if you do those things, that is YOUR business, this is not a teaching seminar on what is right or wrong ;)) the GREAT thing about this world, is you CAN align yourself with other SUCCESSFUL people that still believe and think along the same lines as you – and those are going to be the ones that you are going to connect with best.
2. THINK RIGHT
The Law of Attraction is REAL whether you want to believe it or not. What you focus on expands. Period. It is very hard when you don’t have enough month at the end of the money, and you are worried about getting food for your kids, or paying the bills, it is hard to focus on wealth. Set a time and a place each month to pay your bills and worry for a few minutes if you have to. But do that just that ONE time or TWICE a month – that is IT! The REST of the month, you need to READ and THINK positive. If your mind goes to a negative thought – REPLACE it – say and focus on your IAMs and with PASSION And try to FEEL them….Ask advice only from others who are successful! Why would you get financial advice from someone who is as broke or broker than you? Same thing, you can be friends with them, but don’t ask their advice and limit your time spent with them. Spend your time reading and focusing prosperously.
3. BELIEVE in yourself
When you were a toddler, learning to walk, when you fell down, did you cry and say this isn’t fair, why does this always happen to me, I know, it’s because I was born on this side of the tracks, or because I am white, or black, or brown, or a girl or a boy, or……OR did you say to yourself – I AM GOING TO WALK. I AM WALKING……and what did you do pretty soon? YOU WALKED right? So get back to that FAITH and BELIEF in yourself that you had then, and GET UP and DO IT!
4. FEAR
I had others, even my husband at the beginning who would say that isn’t *real* money. It would go away. You had to work hard for a living. He was a policeman, and he would see everything in *black and white*. Fear of judgement, criticism and ridicule ate away at my core and made me doubt my own worth. But I KNEW there was more and I had a DREAM, and I had worked hard enough to get it for a little bit, so I had even more of a dream. He would support me, and he would *allow* me to do it, and as I saw more success, he would even start to enjoy taking the trips I won, and helping spending what I earned haha. He eventually started to dream with me. I loved it. One of my IAMs was that I would build my business with him, I would see other leaders as couples doing it, and in SO much love, and I dreamed that and I visualized that. And I saw it starting to come into effect for awhile. And I LOVED it. Unfortunately God called him home early, but I know he is still looking over me and supporting me from up above. 🙂 But you have to BELIEVE you can do it. “She believed she could do it, and she did it” — the Bible says you must BELIEVE. What the mind can BELIEVE the person can ACHIEVE.
Today, I am happy, healthy, wealthy, financially independent and free. I AM living the life I have always dreamed of. My kids and I are getting to travel and do what we want, when we want, and with who we want to do it with. I Love my life and the time freedom I now have.
Whatever your current place is, KNOW that YOU have the POWER to change it…
I would LOVE to connect with you and help you to achieve your life’s dreams and purpose.
It is my life’s passion to help others achieve the happiness and success that they want and deserve in their life.
Connect with me here:
www.LaurieDelk.me
Forever Grateful,
Laurie Delk