Learn while you earn, grow as you go, and other lessons from the Thrift Store

mlm reality check the husband's field guide Apr 19, 2016

 

Working an MLM provides you with an incredible opportunity to do something that's not possible with a regular business start-up. Cristy started her network marketing business with Young Living right as we were cranking up  a small business venture to support a nonprofit where I worked for the 8 years.

Watching both of these business models unfold concurrently was eye-opening as to the opportunity before us with the MLM. And, though I was somewhat skeptical on the front end of her business opportunity, I saw that it far outweighed any success we could ever have in that 40,000 square foot building. 

Let me make sure you got that: She could accomplish more- and generate more income from our kitchen table that we could EVER generate from a 40,000 square foot store. 

It didn't matter... 

  • How may donations we received
  • How many "busy days" we had
  • How many employees we hired
  • How productive they all were

That store simply had limits to what it could produce. Every "brick & mortar" store does. You only have a certain amount of hours, a limited amount of space... and can only serve a definite number of customers. In other words, you will hit a ceiling, regardless of how successful you are. 

Here's what I saw, too... 

Before we even got started, a huge investment was required on the front end in order to get a business off the ground...

Plus, even though we had a thrift store guru literally telling us what to do, the learning curve for the rest of the team was steep. We had to deal with purchasing new kinds of equipment, managing costly facilities, and hiring new people to help carry the weight of the project.

My guess is that we spent over 7,000 man-hours before the store ever opened- just getting the facilty ready. That sounds like a lot... but 20 guys working 40 hours per week for 8 weeks... is 6,400 hours. I know we were working longer hours than that- I was there myself!

 

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So was this guy. For a lot of it. That's Judah, in the store, while we were getting it set up! We had 40,000 square feet of space we renovated, rented, and manged... before we ever made a dime.

Once we opened, I saw something else happen... 

Problem is... some of your employees will hit the glass ceiling and go work on their own, chasing better opportunities (who cam blame them?). That is, not only does your income hit a limit somewhere, so does your human capital. 

Oh... and you continue burning huge amounts of cash in a traditional business model as you work through this learning and growing and expanding. Honestly, everything always costs way more than you thought it would, too!

By way of  contrast... 

MLM provides you with a way to "earn while you earn," all while tapping into a win-win scenario for you and your teammates- a future in which each of you have limitless potential.

And, remember, Cristy got started for about $150 in her business (and, yes, her profits out-paced the thrift store's profits within the first year!). 

So, join me as I walk through the thrift store. By the way, the store was created to support a nonprofit housing men, women, and kids coming from the streets, from prison, from homelessness, and from addictions. We used the store's profits to generate income and to provide on-the-job training for our residents.

You'll learn from Les Wright and Ernie Yarbrough, two experienced Young Living distributors who make their own observations about the differences between the thrift store and the amazing opportunity Young Living provides.  By the way, both of these guys are Young Living rock stars- {or, at least, their wives are, so they're rock stars by association, and by merit of marrying well (lol!)}. They've hit Crown Diamond in just a few years- and are building great teams. They've both "retired" from great full time careers in order to focus on this opportunity. In other words, they're qualified... 

 

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You might also like The Husband's Field Guide digital bundle includes the digital ebook (200 pages), the complete audiobook, AND three accompanying videos that help you wrap your head around what you're learning. It's perfect for guys who want to get involved- or for women who wonder what it takes to get him moving in the right direction! Learn more here: https://www.overflowbusiness.com/store/ctNvaSym

 

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