The SDI Industry Has Great Potential

As we progress into this 21st Century, the SDI (Self Directed Income) Industry - formerly or otherwise referred to as Multi-Level or Network Marketing has indeed become one of the best sources of solid, secondary income(s).

The growth of the SDI industry is a story of great accomplishment which utilizes the greatest of all the natural resources - its people. More and more SDI entrepreneurs are daring to explore unrealized horizons as others all around them talk about doom, gloom and tragedy.

Since the pioneers of the SDI industry conceived of this innovative marketing concept in the 1950’s, countless thousands of people have accepted the challenge to build home-based, SDI enterprises on a part-time or full time basis.

Now there are literally hundreds of SDI companies offering thousands of quality products, services and business opportunities to discriminating, shop-at-home consumers.

My introduction to the SDI industry was through the Amway business opportunity way back on March 29, 1979. At that time, I was an employee of the Ottawa Carleton Board of Education and my chosen career was an elementary school teacher.

A successful business friend of mine had said to me about one year earlier: “Are you aware that your employer is getting rich on your efforts when you could be in business for yourself and know “real riches?” “Real riches” he said, “is not monetary wealth alone.” He explained to me that success in not sinful as most people would have us believe. For him, “real riches” was fulfillment, surrounded by the family who share with each other the simple pleasures if life with abundant, hard-earned money.

That night, on March 29, 1979, I saw the SDI industry as a vehicle for our family to acquire “real riches.” After I had gained knowledge and technique from Amway as a single “home office supplier” I searched for additional “home office suppliers” and commenced to build my personal SDI Portfolio.

An ever increasing number of SDI entrepreneurs are embracing the concept of building an SDI Portfolio. I caution SDI entrepreneurs to verify that the respective “home office supplier” of the selected SDI opportunity does not impose restrictive conditions in the fine print of the sales and marketing contract.

Some “home office suppliers” will terminate SDI entrepreneurs if they find out you are earning income(s) from more than one SDI company. In recent years, too many SDI entrepreneurs who were intent on building an SDI Portfolio, have had their distributorship terminated and their monthly earnings abruptly halted by the “home office supplier.” Such action is contrary to the true spirit of “free enterprise.”

I remember my sponsor (the SDI entrepreneur who recruited me into the Amway business opportunity) explaining that anyone can get what he wants if he helps enough other people get what they want. Then he went on to explain, “You really can help people, either by selling them products of quality and excellence - rare characteristics in today’s marketplace - or you can share the business and marketing plan and give them a key to a new future.”

During the 1980’s, when I pursued the Amway SDI opportunity, I learned to reach out to help others in a sincere and honest way. I did earn a respectable secondary income and I learned much about the SDI industry while I was an Amway distributor for 13 years. I did receive much criticism and occasional complements. One comment I remember is: “So and so is not going to get rich off me.” How absurd!

People must come to understand that nobody gets rich off anybody in the SDI industry - if they work to serve others and evade the greed factor. When committed SDI entrepreneurs work together with renewed trust and faith’ everybody who chooses to participate has the potential to benefit.

I believe that there are three main reasons that people side step the challenge of any SDI opportunity - fear, status and deflated dreams. Status is probably the most common impediment to seeing oneself as a successful SDI entrepreneur.

The educated generation of baby boomers were taught to believe there was status in titles. In fact, money is the best measuring device of status. There are many successful business people who have status but very little education.

As a committed SDI entrepreneur, I gave up my status title as “teacher.” Over the years, I have also learned that other teachers, doctors, lawyers, executives, hockey players etc. are just as proud to operate a sideline SDI enterprise as I am.

Fear and deflated dreams are the other two impediments to supplement each other. People have deflated dreams because they are afraid to take that first step on the journey to success. One of the greatest fears that I have observed over the years is: “What would other people think?”

I learned how to deal with this statement when a sincere friend on mine - a successful SDI entrepreneur - said to me: “Would any of your friends die for you?” I answered, “No!” He then asked me yet another question: “Why then do you live for your friends?” That was when I made a decision to live for myself and not allow myself to be susceptible to the negative influence of other people.

I have been a student of the SDI industry for over 30 years and even now every day I learn how little I know. The greatest challenge that myself and other SDI entrepreneurs seek to overcome is the fact that our respective families, friends, neighbours, working colleagues - people who mean so much to me - still misunderstand the concept of being an SDI entrepreneur.

In fact, my greatest successes have come from sharing SDI opportunities with people who were strangers, but have become friends and associate SDI entrepreneurs. These people put trust and belief in me when I tell them success in the SDI industry does not rely on door-to-door selling.

In fact, it has been my observation over the years, that loyal clients are often the ones who sell products for SDI entrepreneurs. “Quality, economy, excellence and satisfaction guarantees” are commonly spread by word of mouth and/or by “click of mouse.” Satisfied clients often ask SDI entrepreneurs about the “business opportunity” and eventually get enrolled as active SDI entrepreneurs.

When new SDI entrepreneurs are recruited, the enroller (sponsor) accepts the responsibility to coach and motivate them to action. This means commitment to one’s SDI enterprise.

Often, family, friends, neighbours, working colleagues etc. don’t understand the mysteries of motivation. They prefer to know you and see you as you were living with your deflated dreams, not as you are willing to become by putting your efforts into earning income(s) from your SDI Portfolio. To be a successful SDI entrepreneur, you must be willing to move beyond “mediocrity.”

To motivate others, the dictionary tells us, is to cause them to act in a certain way. Motivation is a word that is commonly associated with successful people. With unprecedented growth rates, SDI entrepreneurs are breaking records - daily, weekly, monthly - as they market billions of dollars in annual retail sales on an annual basis.

Top level corporate executives in SDI companies and leading SDI entrepreneurs in the field are becoming experts on motivation. They know that mediocrity in not exciting. They classify job and basic financial security as “low level” motivators which guarantee only a low level effort. People can easily become trapped by low-level motivators.

James J. Cribben, a management expert, wrote in his book “Effective Managerial Leadership,” published in 1971 - “To elicit their top performance, one must get them to drive themselves.”

Leading SDI entrepreneurs understand the function of motivation in business is to move members of their respective teams to perform at the very peak of their abilities. They understand the basic requirements needed to motivate people to their best performance.

When the pioneer SDI opportunities were conceived by true SDI entrepreneurs, they set out to create a system which fulfills the four basin needs for man’s success: (a) man’s need for recognition (b) man’s need to belong (c) man’s need for security and (d) man’s need for freedom

Effective leadership in any SDI organization draws forth a willing effort from participants who drive themselves. They want to do their utmost for their leader.

I must point out here that the antithesis of leadership is dictatorship in which an unwilling effort is forced out of people by a devastating application of power. Any involuntary effort is likely to be less effective than one given voluntarily. Over history, dictatorships have invariably produced rebels devoted to their own demise.

The SDI industry fulfills those four basic needs of man in a unique way envied by people in careers with institutions, government and other organizations. The “home offices” of SDI companies commonly recognize successful SDI entrepreneurs by unique reward or performance level systems.

I remember when I received my first award for what I thought was a small achievement in my SDI enterprise. Like most beginners, I was shy only because in my career job as an elementary school teacher, one does not usually receive recognition for small achievements. Leaders in the SDI industry know that when small achievements are recognized greater achievements are encouraged.

The simplified recipe that produces success in the SDI industry is: (a) have a dream (b) set short-term goals (c) make a plan and follow it and (d) establish a positive, mental attitude and see yourself not as you are, but as you will become.

To build and maintain this positive, mental attitude in a world of negativism, it is necessary to read positive, self-help books, listen to positive content on Cds or DVDs, view positive video clips on the internet - this helps keep the message alive by spaced, repetition. Leading SDI entrepreneurs know that hearing something once will not cause change to occur from within themselves.

One of the keys to success in any SDI enterprise is to decide to begin. Initially, it was not a big decision for me, but it is certainly one that I am glad I made. In today’s modern world, most people avoid making significant decisions. They just let small, insignificant details carry them along, consequently they do not make any remarkable accomplishments.

The world of the SDI industry has only begun to grow. This worldwide movement where “people” come first will explode exponentially in this 21st Century. Already there are millions in the world wide networks and expansion continues at the rate of thousands of new recruits on a daily basis.

A new generation is emerging, a generation of positive thinkers who will accept the challenge to advance themselves by their own efforts as they tire of being “mediocre wage slaves.”

There is nothing wrong with the SDI industry. It is free enterprise at work with a co-operative spirit. Free enterprise offers a possible dream, not the false hope that so many people seek by paying voluntary tax as they amass their weekly bundle of lottery tickets.

Since tomorrow’s best leaders are today’s best followers, you are invited to familiarize yourself with the circles of winners in the world of SDI entrepreneurs; you just might be motivated to follow them. Your possibilities in the SDI industry are as limitless as the far horizon and your involvement will help preserve the Siamese twins of “freedom and free enterprise.”

Communicate with active SDI entrepreneurs, in person and/or on the internet, educate yourself by reading books, blogs, newsletters, magazines trade publications etc. which focus on the SDI sector of the explosive, direct sales industry. Then seek to get enrolled in one or more SDI opportunities - by choice rather than by accident. The future is NOW!

NOTE: Readers are invited to spend some time reviewing the posts at the blog - The SDI Eye Opener. Information about selected SDI opportunities which I have added to my SDI Portfolio is presented at the SDI Eye Opener. When you are ready to commence your SDI Portfolio, at your request, I can suggest one or more SDI opportunities - depending on your level of commitment. The Gemfortunes SDI opportunity is simple and has great, global potential given the ease of internet technology.