Here is a wonderful article from Remodeling magazine on one of the top growing companies in the home improvement business. Quillen Bros Windows has improved sales 16% annually for the last two years. What do they credit for their amazing success is this down economy? Personal improvement CD’s and Books. Specifically, Launching a Leadership Revolution and LIFE products. The LIFE business is going to change peoples and companies lives! Congratulation to the Quillen family for their impressive results. Sincerely, Orrin Woodward

Many years ago Solomon stated in Ecclesiastes, “There is nothing new under the sun.” This statement is as true today as the day he wrote it. Yes, we have new technological inventions, but human nature hasn’t changed in the least; therefore, the underlying principles haven’t changed either. Aesop Fables is a collection of short animal stories that teach these timeless truths about people. Here is one of my favorites:

ONE hot summer’s day a Fox was strolling through an orchard till he came to a bunch of Grapes just ripening on a vine which had been trained over a lofty branch. “Just the things to quench my thirst,” quoth he. Drawing back a few paces, he took a run and a jump, and just missed the bunch. Turning round again with a One, Two, Three, he jumped up, but with no greater success. Again and again he tried after the tempting morsel, but at last had to give it up, and walked away with his nose in the air, saying: “I am sure they are sour.”

MORAL: “IT IS EASY TO DESPISE WHAT YOU CANNOT GET”

In the business building arena, the moral is changed slightly to read:

“It’s easy to despise the business that you cannot build.”

When leaders are exposed to their own weaknesses, shortcomings, and incompetencies, they will quickly confront reality and change. However, when non-leaders are exposed to the similar circumstances, they will run to rationalizations, suffering from “sour grapes” syndrome. Since Sturgeon’s Law applies to business, sports, and the arts, why should anyone be shocked the 90% of the people in business are in need of further change in order to produce results? They can achieve victory, but only if they are willing to grow personally. This revelation leaves people with only two choices: change or blame. It’s a sad indictment on our culture today that so many choose to blame rather than to change.

YOU make your own bed in life, but you must also sleep in it. I am proud of the ten-plus new RT’s that we will be recognized in Columbus; they have chosen the leadership path of changing and growing. I love free enterprise because if a person has a better plan and executes it properly then his results cannot be hidden for long. On the other hand, if he is just talking “sour grapes,” his poison ultimately boomerangs upon himself, destroying the love, grace, and thankfulness needed to bounce back. So no matter what else you do, be careful of your thoughts. For your thoughts today eventually become your life tomorrow. Forgive others quickly and sincerely and move on for everyone’s sake. This is the only way to overcome bitterness and resentment – drinking poison so that others may die.

I have failed at many things, but I refuse to blame others for them. In fact, in my opinion, it’s only when you blame others for your life’s defeats that you descend from suffering a loss into becoming a loser. Regardless of what must be confronted, no short-term pain-avoiding blame-game maneuvering is worth that price. YOU deserve to win and the price for victory is accepting responsibility. Sincerely, Orrin Woodward

Today, I would like to share a little of the TEAM’s history as background for our future in LIFE. The TEAM, a leadership community, formed in early 1999 as a group committed to building teams offline and driving traffic online for volume discounts. At a time when the rest of our partnered company’s North American English speaking businesses was dropping backwards at close to 50%, the TEAM grew from 200 people attending events to over 10,000 in just over five years. How did this happen? Through leadership development, systematic thinking, and plenty of hard work of the TEAM leaders.

However, all was not well within the business partnership. By 2004, it became clear that the business model was (in my opinion) destined to mediocrity thanks to the higher priced products and low compensation rewards for the effort extended. Even so, being a leader and not a habitual quitter, I joined the distributor board hoping to drive change from within the company through sharing my ideas to improve. With a three year term on the board, I felt confident that this would be accomplished for the benefit of all parties. I believe in win-win and know that when distributors win, the company will win.

In the fall of 2007, after numerous attempts at change with little to no results, the TEAM associated board leaders felt it fruitless to continue in what they perceived was a broken business model. Sadly, the company had written new rules into their contract that forbid people the right to freely leave the company if not satisfied. In other words, you were free to build a business, but not free to leave it with your personal friends for two years! Regretfully for all parties, the final meeting did not resolve the issues, resulting in multiple legal disputes in an effort to prove their respective positions.

Even after several years of legal harangues, both sides remained immovable on their principles and positions. The TEAM refusing to believe people could be called business owners without the freedom to choose what company to work with and the company refusing to surrender their contractual concerns even after the TEAM leaders fulfilled their six months of inactivity. With tens of millions of dollars and nearly three years wastefully spent on both sides, ultimately a confidential settlement was reached ending the madness for all involved. The financial pain hurt everyone, but especially the TEAM leaders who had just reached financial independence. Their sacrifice was above and beyond the normal call of duty, with many leaders losing 2/3 of their monthly incomes, some even more.  Only people who truly believed in the mission of TEAM would subject themselves to this level of stress and sacrifice.

In the meantime, after sitting out the required (and disputed) non-compete period, the leaders of TEAM joined MonaVie. Thanks to the encouragement and support of Dallin Larsen, we had found a home to restore our communities. The PC leaders never gave up the dream to build our own business, but were thankful and grateful beyond words for the help and business acumen offered by the 2010 Ernst & Young entrepreneur of the year – Dallin Larsen. The TEAM quickly became one of the top organizations within MonaVie breaking multiple Black Diamonds and above within the first year. I personally reached Presidential Black Diamond and have re-qualified at that level every year since.  In fact, today, the TEAM leaders, those who stayed the course, are making more money and reaching more people than at anytime previous time in our decade plus history. Like I have said repeatedly, those who stay will be champions.

Through brainstorming with Dallin Larsen and Henry Marsh, wanting to find a way to build our destined business and still have a win-win business relationship, LIFE was conceptualized and founded. This allows TEAM to reach its million people while still rewarding MonaVie for their support during the trying times. The  8F’s – Faith, Family, Fitness, Finances, Friends, Freedom, Fun, and Following allow the TEAM community to reach people with truth in the eight areas and provide exclusive world-class MonaVie products when truth is needed in the Fitness category.  Like I have said many times: I love win-win.

The launch of life on November 1st, 2011 is fast approaching. I have no bitterness or resentment towards the people or events in the past. I wish everyone well regardless of whether they stayed with TEAM or not. I don’t claim to understand God’s plans for others’ lives, but I am responsible for my choices and actions before God.  I personally am thankful for the invaluable lessons I was taught about missionaries (purpose-driven living) and mercenaries (profit-driven living). I believe that without this insight, the TEAM would not be in a position to reach 1 million people. Following the principles of servant-based leadership, Chris Brady, Tim Marks, and myself (along with many other TEAM leaders) do not regret the tens of millions of dollars personally spent to keep the vision of TEAM alive. Rather, we look at it as an investment in the future that we resolved to build together, dedicating our futures, finances, and sacred honor in order to fulfill the vision.

To use an analogy, the TEAM has ran a marathon since 2007, toiling in the dark with little to encourage us to finish the race. However, against all odds and expectations, the TEAM leaders continued to place one foot in front of the other. It wasn’t even the dream that kept us going in the darkest of nights as much as the un-communicated belief that this was our destiny. Focusing on that still small voice inside of us, and thanks to God’s grace, we somehow eventually saw light at the end of the long dark tunnel.

Just as in the modern day Olympics, where marathoners run 25 plus miles outside of the stadium, but finish the last mile within it; the team ran its 25 miles in darkness to reach the stadium. No matter how thankless the first 25 miles were, running without much fan support or any financial reward, we reached the stadium and are beginning the four laps under the big lights and the crowd’s applause.

The TEAM, in other words, endured its 25 miles of pain for the opportunity to run its four victory laps inside the stadium. For those who suffered the pain over the last several years, I salute you. For those joining LIFE for its four victory laps, I welcome you.  All that I humbly ask of the new members is for you to thank the leaders who persistently put one foot in front of the other on the faith in things unseen. For without them, the TEAM would not have reached our date with destiny. LIFE TEAM launches on November 1, 2011, what part did you play in the TEAM’s history? Better yet, what part will you plan in LIFE’s future? Sincerely, Orrin Woodward