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I remember it like it was yesterday. I was 19 years old, and a friend of mine invited me to an Amway meeting.

I had no idea what I was going to, however it sounded like an opportunity of a life time so I was off to Marina Del Ray California to the see the "BIG SHOW", and find out what all the excitement was about.

I remember this guy in about his early 50's standing on stage with all these products, and a chalk board.

He talked about the magnificent product line, one being a cleaner that could clean anything from your carpet to the kitchen sink!

I then watched him talk about the opportunity behind these products, and I was thinking: this is my ticket to financial freedom!

Ok, he finally finished with the crowd clapping wildly, and him mentioning that we should discuss this "once in a lifetime" opportunity with the person who brought us.

I walked out of the building with all types of possibilities swirling in my head, however I was more realistic than most, because I knew how hard marketing any product or service can be.

Mind you, I grew up making extra money for summer and school going "door to door" (hitting over 150 homes a day) generating leads for a home improvement company, so I knew it was no easy task to get people to make a decision and say "YES" to your offer.

I got so good at it that I eventually ran a whole crew for that company.

Anyway... I just kept thinking about the awesome power of leveraging time, money, and people in order to generate a true "walk away" income.

I thought... "I'm on my way!"

My friend and I, plus the person who invited him to the opportunity meeting went to a restaurant to discuss our future with the business.

My friend's companion sat us down and "wined and dined" us, so to speak (I think it was a Dennys restaurant where no alcohol was served, so we were safe). He proceeded to ask us about our dreams and what we wanted to do three to five years from now.

We had a brief discussion, and after we ate, we were off to our cars. Just as we were going to leave, the guy who had invited us to dinner asked us to join the opportunity right then and there!

I didn't know what to say. I had no funds on me, and at the time I didn't even own a credit card.

I said I would think about it, however my buddy, and his friend bought a starter kit ( I think it was around $90.00 at the time) right on the spot!

I wasn't sure what just happened, but as we were driving back to the San Fernando Valley (just North of Los Angeles) all I could hear was my buddy and his friend talking about how they were going to be sitting pretty in three to five years, and they were wondering if I was going to join them.

I said sure, I'll talk to my Dad, and I think he will loan me the money to get started.

They said great, and we were happily on our way home.

REALITY STRIKES

The next day, I talked to my Dad about the opportunity, and let him know I needed $90.00 to get started - I wanted in.

He said he didn't think it would be a good idea. I asked him why. He told me it was not a legitimate business, and I would be wasting my time and money. I was dejected, and that was that...

I monitored the progress of my friend in the business and asked him how he was doing?

This was a week after the meeting, and he hadn't even opened the $90.00 "business in a box" yet!

I asked him, why? He said he was going to get around to it.

Another week goes by, and I ask him again how the business was going, and he asked me if I wanted the box, because he wasn't interested anymore.

I just looked at him stunned, and said "no thanks".

I moved on...

Three years later...

A friend of my Dad invites us to his home for what my Dad thinks is just a friendly get together, and asks me to go with him. I said sure Dad.

It's a Thursday night (I think), and we get there around 7pm. We walk in, and there are all these chairs in the living room, and a chalk board set up.

I was thinking (here I am again, another opportunity meeting!) My Dad was cool about it, but not too happy to be "taken" so to speak. However, he went through the motions of the meeting, and that was that.

I, on the other hand, had the same old thoughts of major possibility swirling even stronger this time in my brain, and I just had to do it this time!

I had the funds, and my Dad wasn't going to stop me.

I joined his friend's downline, and went to work.

Boy was it work! I didn't know what I was getting into, but I thought I was ready.

I drew circles, I went to meetings, I set up meetings at my parents home, (they left while this was happening).

I even had two people walk out right in the middle of my sponsor drawing circles (they where co-workers at the time from a Vons super market where I was working).

Oh, did I mention they were my only two prospects?

There I was, in my Sundays best suit, with my head down sitting in a chair right up front in my parents' living room, dejected to say the least.

My sponsor (a mortgage banker from Dana Point Calif.) was speechless.

We briefly discussed what had happened, then he left.

I worked like this for over a year doing it almost full time between work, and school. I could draw circles, and do the math in my sleep.

I retailed, I drew circles at meetings, I went to just about every function (near and far) that Amway, and my sponsors had.

I even went all the way to Tulsa Oklahoma for a National Amway meeting with my group (Winners Circle International) in an RV. That one trip cost me over $200.00.

My sponsor had to pay for most of it, and I paid him back the balance when I could.

I had seen all the Diamonds, and Double Diamonds ( mostly couples) on stage, and was wondering, "how in the heck did they get so many people to join?"

Then it struck me. Most of them were very affluent in their communities to begin with, and this helped them build a solid foundation of marketers below them almost immediately.

A FEW MONTHS LATER

I on the other hand had my upline (my Dad's friend, and others) quit on me first! I was left out in the cold, and my closest sponsor was unwilling to come out to support me with meetings. The guy from Dana Point.

I was 22 at the time. Who was going to listen to a 22 year old talk about making a walk away income? My sponsor called me, and sent me a postcard to encourage me, but I knew I was through.

I also knew this wouldn't be the last business I ventured into, and I would just chalk this one up as experience.

So there you have it... the *TRUE* story of a wannabe Entrepreneur.