How His Income Exploded When He Learned to Make Helping Others a Priority with Jonathan Loudermilk

Brian: Hello, hello and welcome to CatalystMLM, I'm Brian Swichkow and today on the show we have Jonathan Loudermilk. Jonathan and I met years and years ago and in our first cutting of the teeth with Multi-level Marketing. Both learned a lot from it and both went our different directions and learned a lot more. Jonathan has been with Advocare for actually several years now. And also Global Domains International, has built several down lines and has a great deal of experience and some really awesome product testimonials that drew him to be very passionate about what he does. Thanks for being on today. Jonathan: Well thank you for having me Brian. Brian: So yeah, we were talking about it a little bit beforehand and I don't wanna get too much into it. But, you and I both got started at a very young age in Network Marketing. And had some very bad experiences very early on. And, yeah, so tell me about the lessons that you learned from those experiences and the cutting of the teeth. Jonathan: Well sometimes it is good to venture back in time and remember where you started from. And I think that taught me a lot. It was kind of a trial and error period of my life and college, you know, some of us like to remember, sometimes like to forget. But, it definitely was an awakening. It showed me that an average college kid at 19, 20, 21 years old could make a very sustainable and extra ordinary income. And it attracted me, it really did. It was unique, it wasn't something that was taught in my classes, it wasn't something that I grew up being told. You know, I was more grown up and force feed hard work and determination over 40 years was the route. It was great, you know, I learned a lot at a young age. Learned what to do, what not to do. I learned that as quick as it can come is sometimes as quick as it can go. And, that I needed to be a little more, vigilant of who I surrounded myself with. But not only that, I needed to be a little bit more, on the due diligence side in researching. And finding out, is this long term, is this sustainable, does this make sense. And, you know, I did listen to a video of your's earlier today. I liked the comment the guy said, if it's not yes, then it's hell no. And for me, it's kinda one of those things, does it click, does it make sense, do I see myself doing this, is this something I can be proud of. Is it something I can share with my family. Can my wife and my son look at it and say, Dad this is wonderful what you're doing. And can they be involved in it. So . . . Brian: Right. Jonathan: those are some challenging things to learn but great things to learn. Brian: And so, I know you and I both had a similar experience where, you know, bad experience, and you get out of it and then years later it kinda comes back in. And so many people use this experience that they had years ago to say, I'm never gonna do that again. Whereas I know you had a different experience where you said, well, I'm gonna use that as education to do it differently this time. So when you were re, I mean, tell me the story of how you got into Advocare. Jonathan: Well, I took Advocare nutritional products when I was in high school. A friend of my mom got them for me. I wanted to put on some lean muscle mass. I had a goal of playing college football. Which I achieved. And it really helped and benefited and aided me to get to that goal. And so I took the products, wonderful story. You know, added 15-20 pounds of lean muscle mass, got a college scholarship, went off to college. Kind of forgot about it I guess would be the easiest way to say it. And then in 2010 I'm sitting in my living room watching the UGA versus Texas A&M Advocare Independence Bowl football game that happens in Freeport Louisiana. And I picked up the phone and I called my mom and I said, mom, is this the same Advocare. And she said, it is as far as I know, why. And I said, well that's kinda a big deal, you know, having a bowl game. And she said, well I'll give you my friends number, you can give her a call and see kinda what theyre doing. Well I was in a different place in my life, fast forward about ten years. Ten years ago I wanted to add on muscle mass, ten years later I wanted to lose weight. And, you know, tone up and have a more lean physique and have a more healthy, not be some big hulking college football player anymore. So, I called my mom's friend and did some inquiring. Said, look, I don't want anything to do with a business opportunity. I want everything to do with my goal, which is losing weight. And she said, that's fine, okay, I understand. And she said, but do you like a discount. And I said, oh who doesn't, you know, I'm a bargain man. So she said, well you'll get the most product for the cheapest amount if you sign up. And I said, alright, okay, I know what that means, but. So, needless to say I signed up quote un quote. To become an Advocare nutritional advisor. Which, I, at the time just meant, I'm taking products at the biggest level discount and if a business opportunity presents itself, I would be crazy not to take advantage of it. So, long story short, fast forward three months on products. I've lost close to 40 pounds. And unintentionally everyone's asking. How did you do that? Are you on a new crazy workout, or are you just starving yourself, or what. And I knew from my past experience, that, something I learned the fortune's in the follow up. I needed to follow up with these people's desire to learn more about what I was doing. And it was a harmless intent, they just wanted to know, they cared. Or they cared to learn what I was doing. And so, I did, I shared Advocare with them. And through that we've had some tremendous product stories. My wife had our, gave birth to our first son two years ago. She had lost 65 pounds post pregnancy and got back down to her original pre-baby weight. My mother-in-law's lost 50 pounds. My best friend just lost three inches off his waist in a month. I mean, everyone's really fired up and excited about the physical differences that it's bringing them. Several of my high school athletes that I train, they've experienced tremendous results from my performance products. Such as I experienced in high school. So, it's been a wonderful opportunity because it was not something I was looking for but at the same time, it was something that kind of found me where I needed to and the timing was right. And I think that's critical in anything is, the timing has to be right. No doesn't always mean no, it sometimes just means not right now. Brian: Absolutely. Yeah. And so, you know, it's interesting because when you hear the stories of how people got into the opportunity that they're involved with. There's kind of like different sections. And you know sometimes there's the only got into the business opportunity, the product was the secondary thing. And then other times there's the got in because of the products and saw the opportunity. But then theres your story which is had the product experience, got emotionally attached to it and you know, this is amazing and theres a business opportunity. So, you know, it's powerful. And it happens with every business where someone really just says, you know, I'm not interested in the business opportunity, not at all. And then they get the products and they just get so excited that they can't shut up about it. And actually that's how I got into my last company. I was like, no, I don't wanna be involved with another MLM, I'm done with it. And I used the product and I just couldn't shut up about it. So, when you're talking to people, how do you, you know, how do you differentiate between the different types of people. You know, you talked about, not know for some people. But do you have a method for sorting. Jonathan: I do and I don't. I kind of go by, I call it the form method. I talk to them about their family, I talk to them about their occupation, I talk to them about what kind of recreational activities they take place in, and then I just get to the blunt of it. I talk to them about money. And if realize through the first three, you know, family, occupation, and recreation, that they need something in their life more than they need money. Maybe it's their struggling with weight gain or they have zero energy. You know, everyone's living in an energy crisis. Or their fatigued or they don't sleep well. Or, I don't, I work so hard that I don't have time for my family. And you know, recreationally I, you know, go out every night. Well, you gotta find balance. And I try to posture it as, I don't like to sale products. I like to sale hopes and dreams. A mom we talked to a couple weeks ago, she doesn't want money per say, I mean everyone does. She wants a way for her daughter to go to private school. And she uses this as her vehicle of opportunity to get what she wants. So, I try to meet them where they are. Some people instantly, you know, I tell them the products are for everybody. I'd be lying to you if I said they weren't. The business isn't. It may not be for you. And I present that wholeheartedly as is it or is it not. You know, you tell me. If you live paycheck to paycheck and you have 40 grand in debt and student loans and you can't you know, barely make any of your payments each month. You may want to look at it as an opportunity. Because your job or your 9 to 5 or you're, what I call your just over broke. Isn't going to get you out of that. And I ask people sometimes straight forwardly, where do you see yourself in five years. Are you in the same spot, physically, mentally, emotionally, psychologically, financially. Are you still there? Because if you are, we need to talk. We really do. There's more to this than a product or a vitamin or a drink or a shake. There's an opportunity to change your life. And there's an opportunity to give you something that you desire. Whether that's a stay at home mom, private school, pay off debt, weight loss. I mean it's, everyone's, I call it your purpose and reason. Everyone's purpose and reason is different. But everyone's why is the same. They always have something that they're looking to achieve. So, that's kind of the route I go. Prescreening, not so much. I found that my wife's best friend who pretty much told us no forever who is now one of our biggest business builders. Has an amazing product story, and the very first time I introduced her to my mentor, she looked me in the face and said, I'm sorry, I know that's your wife's best friend but, this is a no for me. And she turned out to be one of our best business builders. And so I try not to compartmentalize people. Or peg people. Because sometimes you just need to know what drives them. For her it was her husband being deployed overseas. And as a, you know, into the war. And she said, I'm not gonna sit at home and mope about it I'm gonna do something. And that was the biggest driving force behind, I think her, why. She wanted to be a wonderful wife and mom while her husband was overseas fighting for our freedoms. So, I try not to. I try not to prescreen too much but sometimes you can kind of tell, you know. Brian: Well, it's interesting because you know one of the things I was taught was the, it's SWSWSWSW next. Which is some will, some won't, some wait, so what, nett. And you know a lot of the people as they are new to the industry, regardless of company. They can get locked in and focused on, what do you mean you don't want this thing that's gonna change your life. You know, are you stupid. And the reality of it is, is that it's not right for everyone. And it's not right for everyone at a certain point. And so a lot of times you just have to say, okay, that's fine and you walk away. You know, you talked a little bit about form, which is a phenomenal thing, and I'll put links below so that people can tweet that. But a lot of people, just, they, broadcast and their only give out word information. And then is sounds like you have a really great knowledge and ability and strategy for bringing in information and asking questions. So, how do you normally start those conversations? I mean regardless of where they may be happening. Jonathan: It's nice because even if it's a total stranger or someone I've known my whole life. Or just someone that I've gotten to know in the last couple of months, weeks, or years. When you start talking about family, you know, how's your family doing. You know, I have a two year old so we talk about my child. We talk about their children. I ask questions to obtain information like you just said. And then through the course of the conversation, sometimes I never even mention the word Advocare. Or I never even bring up that until the second or third conversation. Because I need to gather information. Is this right for them, is this something that they're even looking for. Are they some fitness, you know, fanatic who has a six figure residual income they probably don't need me. You know, and through the family phase you get to know them. Through their occupation you find out what they do. Do they love it? Most American's hate their jobs statistically. They're looking for something else, always. Recreationally are they spending every night out on a softball field or are they at a bar. Or are they at home with their family, are they at a movie, do they have a second job. You know, some people, you know, through the first occupation you don't know they have a second one. Because they don't want to disclose it. And then you start talking about, well, yeah, I like to go out and spend time on the lake with my grandparents. And you know, that's what I like to do and my family. And they'll say, oh I wish I had time for that. I, you know, after my first job I go to my second job. And you instantly go, okay. Now, don't even need to go to M, their seeking money. You know, they have two jobs, three jobs. A part-time job, whatever it may be. And it's really casual. I got told once, don't back up the truck and dump it on them. Feed it to then one bite at a time. And sometimes in Network Marketing, direct sales, Multi-level Marketing. People just dump the whole truck on you. And they want you to know about all their products, all their business opportunities, how you can win a bonus. What trip they'll take you on. And how many people can we talk to tomorrow. Or right now. Brian: Yeah. Jonathan: And sometimes that's overwhelming. You know . . . Brian: We like to call that verbal vomiting. Jonathan: Yeah, throwing up all over somebody. Yep, absolutely. That's correct, that's very correct. So, I mean it's, I find a lot of information through that. It's real simple, I'm like you know, it's a form technique. There's nothing fancy about it. It's just, you get to know them. You know, and if you talk about family, occupation, recreation, and money. What other things could you possibly get to know better than those four things. So, I just think it's a easy tool to use. For someone who wants to engage and doesn't want to come across as gimmicky or salesy. Never really been my thing. You know, I like selling things because that's a challenge. But I don't want a person to feel like it was more about me making a dollar than it was about them achieving a goal. So I have learned through the industry that if you help others get what they want you typically get what you want. And sometimes it's suttle and very indirect. And it's really neat to watch it as it plays out in front of you. Brian: And that's powerful what you said earlier of making it more about them instead of you, you know. Because the reality of it is is when they walk away from the conversation how they feel is how they're gonna feel towards you. Jonathan: True. Brian: And one of the things that I made a mistake with early on is, I would go through and I would do form and you know. We'd have, I'd have an hour and a half conversation with someone I just met and we'd get to the end of it and then I'd have them to the point where they're' like okay I need to know what you're selling. And then I'd hand them a business card. And it never worked. And it was because, and I found this out later. I was because the second you hand someone a business card, they now just feel like they've been sold. Regardless of if they absolutely dying to have what you have. They feel like they've just been sold. Jonathan: True. Brian: And you know, your focus is on building relationships so you don't necessarily need to talk about what you're doing, at all. In the first or the second conversation. And it's about you know, building that relationship. And earlier on in the conversation you talked about, you know, it's not for everyone. And it is about building relationships. So, you know, it takes time and it takes energy to do that. So, you know, talk a little bit about the effort that you put in and at what consistency. Jonathan: Sure. Our goal is to carve out about 10 to 15 hours a week. We feel like if you, if your intentional and if you have a purpose, you know, and that intentional purpose means that whatever it is that motivates you, you keep that in the forefront. Always in your vision. 10 to 15 hours a week is very sufficient. Now, if you treat it like a hobby it'll pay you like a hobby. And that can be very frustrating. There's a very high failure rate in this industry, like 95 to 97%. And somebody asked me one day, do you treat your business like you would treat a Subway, if you owned one. Do you show up for work, do you prep the bread, are you up early. Are you staying late to ensure your customers satisfaction. And if you don't treat it like a business, don't expect it to pay you like a business. And sometimes those are very hard lessons. Because people think that sometimes success is duplicatable, which it very well is. If you see someone successful well latch onto what theyre doing. But I would be, you know, I would challenge you to go one step forward further and ask them what you do daily. It's probably not watch every episode of American Idol, or you know, stay up late watching reruns of Sports Center. Or, you know, I'm up early but you know that's so I can go to bed late. You know, it's, you have to have a method to the madness. And I think our thing is, we've tried to make things concise. We have a two year old so that can be a challenge at times. Because obviously he doesn't wait on anything. Whether he's hungry or needs to you know have his diaper changed or is going down for nap. We schedule our schedule around him. So a lot of our work is done between like, 7:30 and 10:30 at night, when he's in bed. You know, a good two to three hours each night. The weekends are huge for us because we try to attend like training seminars or host a training seminar to train up those people around us. So look, you gotta decide what you want. Do you really want this or is it something that you just are looking at with big wide eyes. Just super excited about, but you're not willing to sacrifice. Brian: Right. Jonathan: I told my wife when we first started doing this three years ago before she ever got pregnant. I would like to sacrifice time now when our children are not here or so young that they don't understand why mommy and daddy are not home at night. Or why mommy and daddy are off on the weekend. I don't want them to ask those questions when their ten, twelve, fourteen, sixteen years old in their very informal years. Somebody once said, a guy in Walter Bonds, tremendous speaker, he said, do your kids hear your voice, or, is your voice the voice their listening to. Because their influenced by social media, their friends, their peers at school, their buddies on the bus, or whatever it may be. And if your voice isn't loud enough in their head that they constantly are hearing what you're telling them. They're gonna listen to other people and unfortunately as a parent I don't want that to happen. I want my child to grow up understanding what success really looks like. Understanding what debt freedom, time freedom is. So that he can make the decision when he gets of age is this something for me. Or, you know, dad and mom have shown me what this looks like. Or do I want to go a different route. You know and no matter what . . . Brian: Right. Jonathan: I'll support him. But I think the main thing is you gotta be intentional with your time. You gotta be polite of other people's time. If you say you gonna have a 45 minute meeting with them, you need to keep it to 45 minutes. Because their time is just as precious. And you can't ever get more time. There's no such thing as, those are critical aspect to me. Just knowing that you gotta be very deliberate. You know, if your gonna pull out 10 to 15 hours a week, you need to focus. And you need set that time aside. And you need to have a purpose for those hours. Brian: And you said. You said two things that were really powerful. One is and I always equate it as the cats and the cradle. And if you've, the lyrics to that if you know. A lot of people who work in corporate and they say I'm gonna work harder and I'm gonna get that promotion, have more money so I can spend more time on the weekends. And it never really happens, you know. Even with a franchise, you know they work harder and then you have to open another franchise. And, you know, it just keeps growing. But, with, you know, Multi-level Marketing if you build it right and you build it smart then you actually can work really hard for a few years initially. And then spend all of your time with your family and your kids. And it's powerful. But in order to do that you do have to sacrifice. And a lot of people like you said, you know, wide eyed and attached to the idea of it. They don't, they focus on the success of the leader that their following. But they don't focus on the actions that that leader is doing on a daily basis to have, to attain that to maintain that So what would you recommend, you know, if someone's in, you know, any company and they've identified their leader, you know, what would you recommend they do to find out those things. And create their routine. Jonathan: I know with our leader for example, she wants to spend time with people who are constantly trying to spend time with her. The more you can put her on a three way call, the more conference calls you can do or the more in home mixers you can do. The more whatever you can do with her. Shows her that you're serious. Persistence is key. You know, persistence and passion. You gotta truly mean it. And, you know, it's kind of what's in it for me. You kind of touched on it earlier. People don't care about you making money. They don't care even sometimes about your products. Sometimes they do, or are attracted by what you are. So it's like the law of attraction. If you're inconsistent you'll attract inconsistent people. Brian: Yeah. Jonathan: If you're very consistent, you'll find that it's easier to attract consistency. Because you are the example that is being set. So, I think the main thing is you would have to sit down and identify truly what your goals are. We try to write one week, one month, six, one year, two year and five year goals. Pretty regularly. And when we achieve one we reevaluate. Is goal still something that's relevant or do we need to change it. That's about what me and my wife sit down and do. But I think that's the key is like I said. You gotta, I use the analogy all the time, if you take a jar full of marbles and you take a jar full of grapes and you dump them out , what's gonna happen. Well, the marbles roll about everywhere because theres no direction and no guidance. They have their own personality so to speak. But if you have a jar full of grapes and you dump them out. Some will fall off, some of them will roll away and, you know, those typically are the bad grapes so to speak. But those of you that attach yourself to the vine, you can reap, you can kind of reap the fruits of your labor. So, when you stay connected whether that's to your leader, to your success system. To the idea that you were first passionate about, the very first time you heard about the opportunity. Staying connected is critical. Three years into this business, we promote a lot of things called stick and stay. It may not work out right now for you but if you'll be consistent you'll stick and stay, it will work out in time. And that's sometimes hard for people. We live in a, what I and others refer to as a microwave society. Everything pops. Brian: Yep. Jonathan: And in the direct sales, direct marketing, and the Multi-level Marketing, industry is more like a crock pot. Sometimes you gotta let it simmer. Sometimes you gotta let it cook for hours, days, weeks, months. We try to live in 90 day increments because what we do right now we may not see full fruits of it for another 90 days. Because thats how long it sometimes takes people to really get it. And so you can't get lost in the like you said big wide eyed vision. And like, oh why is it not working right now. Well, what are you doing to see it succeed. You know how many people are you willing to help. I think that's the key thing for us. So, that's kind of, I hope that answers what you're asking, I mean. Brian: Absolutely. Jonathan: That's what we try to do with it is stay connect. We've lived in three states in two years. And in no other industry other than this industry would that be successful. We couldn't go from one Chick Fil A to the next in three states and hope to duplicate success. Before no matter where we've lived we've always tried to plug in. We've always tried to find leaders in that area. So, that we can kind of jump on board with what they're doing. And not have to reinvent the wheel sometimes. Because that can be difficult. But that, that's a true testament to this industry is you have the freedom of mobility at times. You can move and it can go with you. You know, and you can have new now target market or network to operate in because you're in a new city. And you know, good news is, if you stayed well connected with your last organization or last two in our case. You can still help out individuals there. So, that's critical. Brian: And that's, I mean, yeah. And it seems you think a lot like me in the sense of the cliche of the really useful advice. And one of my favorites, the microwave metaphor. You can't successfully grow a Network Marketing business when your pop corning. Because if you put popcorn in a microwave for ten seconds then you take it out for ten seconds and you put it in for ten seconds, you take it out for ten seconds, you could do it for ten years and it would never pop. You have to put it in consistently for, you know, three minutes, or whatever it may be. But if you take it in and take it out then it cools down every single time. And a lot of what you talked about is why. And why you're fighting for something. Because your right it does take hard work and consistency. So, you know, you have your why, but when you're sitting down with someone who's interested in joining your business, how do you. If they don't have that and they don't truly, their not truly connected to their own personal why. And they haven't seen that vision of you know, 90 days into their future. Or 180 days into their future. How do you help them see that? Jonathan: The best thing you can do is help someone get an immediate win. Whether that's, oh man, this product makes me feel wonderful today. Or, hey who do you know that might be interested in what you and I have been talking about. Let's get them on the phone right now. Sometimes, I call it the 24 hour rule. You sometimes have 24 hours to captivate whoever your individual is to help them find that why. Some people have lost so far in touch with reality they don't know what it feel like to dream. They don't know what it feels like to have their dreams come true. They don't know how it feels to feel rewarded or successful because so many people just go and as I call it punch a time clock and watch the minutes tick by until they leave. And, it's sad. It is, I have friends that I talk to them a lot and I'm like look man, I know , you know, this may not be for you but if it ever is you know who to call. Like I would love to work with you. But I think the critical thing is, like I said, they have to experience success. And sometimes they don't even know what that looks like. Sometimes they're like, what are you talking about. And I think some of our most proud moment is those little victories. A lady getting a check in the mail for $17 and was calling me asking me, how. And I'm like you know those one or two friends that you introduced me to that I told ya don't worry about it. That I would take care of them and you just keep taking your products. Well they ordered some products and now you got a check in the mail. And it's, then you can start to find ways to show them a purpose. Why do you not see it now? You know, you're getting, physical benefits and fiscal benefits. And so, what is so hard. And so sometimes those little small moral victories helps people to define their why. Or find their purpose. Because like you said, it's not always easy for the first individual to go, well, I wanna buy, you know, an exotic car. And your like, okay, great goal, let's think a little more realistic for right now. And I try to tell people in goal setting set attainable goals. Don't say that, you know, in the next month you want to pay off your 100 thousand dollar mortage. Your looking for the wrong person. You might wanna go and play the lottery. They might be the only place that that could happen that quick. But, you know, I think that's critical. Like you said, it's to help them find their purpose. Not everyone knows it up front. Some people through talking with them, they'll come and they'll reveal their passion to you. Like, the mom I told you about. I wanna send my baby to private school. And, you know, I really feel passionate about this. And then it starts a conversation. Well what are you doing to achieve that. Well, I'm working two jobs. How's that working out for you? It's killing me. Why? Because I don't get to spend any time with that child that I'm trying to achieve that goal for and you know it's kind of like. Well sometimes you have to think smart or work smart to become smart. Because you can beat your head into a wall all day long. And all it's gonna do is produce a welt or your gonna bleed to death. So why continue to. I tell people all the time, why are you putting a band aid on a bullet wound. Your eagerly seeking something. You just sometimes don't even know what it is. And you don't even know what it looks like. And when it presents it's self in front of you, your so accustomed to not understanding that you could be successful. That your afraid of it. Don't be afraid of it. Use that fear, if anything, as motivation to step out of your comfort zone. You know, do you, are you afraid to pick up the phone and call someone. Just as much as you were afraid of your kid not going to private school. Because if your that afraid, you'll pick up the phone and call the. And sometimes fear motivates people. And I dont like to use that as a motivating factor but for some people it's a fear of loss. Or the fear of gain. I'm afraid of what I won't get. Or I'm afraid that someone will get it beffore me. So, sometimes those are great life lessons. Brian: And fear is actually a great segway because I wrote it on the hub to this post. You know, I'm all about pushing personal limits and I aggressively seek out things that I can fail at. Because I learn things that way. And you know the only true failure is death. And anything else is a lesson to be learned or whatever it may be. So it was interesting when I started doing this series you know. I had never ever done an interview ever before. And I did my research and I had a mentor and I had multiple offers of people saying, you know, yeah, absolutely, I'd love to be interviewed. Couldn't do it. And I was afraid and I needed to do it. Now I know what I did and I'll tell you afterwards, but what would be something like an actionable step that someone could take if their stagnant in their business and they keep being told to do this but they're afraid. What's an actionable step that the can take. Jonathan: That's a great question because I've experienced that. And sometimes the biggest issues is not how you're doing it. The biggest issue is you. And so a lot of times I'll tell people, I've been told myself. You need to work on yourself before you can work on others. If you can't fix you, how do you ever expect to help others. If you can't put a smile across your face everyday. A smile doesn't cost anything, it doesn't take any effort, but do you wanna talk to someone who's just talking to you with a straight monotone sound, sad gloom look. Or do you wanna talk to someone who's like excited, energetic, whatever it may be. So, sometimes it's you. And that's a very difficult lesson to learn, trust me. When I came into this, when I can into Advocare, I was dead set on doing it my way. Because my way in the past worked wonderfully. And I had to learn so many hard lessons. I told my mentor, I said, I've never felt like a failure in life like I've felt in this business. Because in the first six months I built it as fast as I could. And I won incentives I won ipads, I won thousand dollar bonuses, I was pumped. And what I failed to realize was, it was all about me. And it wasn't about the other people that I trying to help and I didn't care to an extent after they got the product in their hand whether it worked for them or not. It worked for me how hard is it to read a label. And unfortunately I had to work on me, I really did. And my business after that six month span it was just fast as can be, it just tanked. And I was upset, frustrated, morally defeated. And was like why is this not working for me. This company is not good. You know, and my mentor said, this company is wonderful, it's been around for 20 years. It's sustainable, it has longevity, we sponsor a Nascar race, a bowl game, we have a Nascar. Drew Brees is our national spokesman. Those are all positive things. But, your attitude's negative, your approach is very negative. And you're your own worst enemy because, like you said earlier, when you hand someone a business card you lose all credibility with them because they feel like they were just sold to. I learned that I was diving in their wallet and trying to get them to spend as much money as possible with very little interest in what their goals were. My goal was to see if I could make a big paycheck. And unfortunately I lost sight of what I was really in it for. Which was the people. That's what is attractive about this industry. Is the ability to interact, work with who you want, see rewardable, you know, moments. And I think the critical thing is sometimes you have to fix you. Your the problem. You lost track of your goals, you lost track of your vision and that's tough. Because in corporate America they won't tell you that. You can deviate off the path and you know, go your way for a little while, as long as you come back. No harm no foul. But in this business it can be very detrimental. Your reputation is something you only get one of. And I think that's important. Brian: And so many people have, you know, have shared similar stories where you've been in, you know, people who've been in the industry for a very long time and they fight very very hard. And they see all the success and all the success is all the bonuses and promotions and then it just goes away. Because your team, you weren't duplicable and you know it's not, a great outcome. And a lot of times people who are outside of the industry who are being approached by people like that are not too fond of it. And people, you know, tenacity in MLM is phenomenal but a lot of times where people outside the industry they see that as not such a good thing. And if someone is you know, new in MLM and they have their why and they say, you know I want a fancy sports car. Well, okay, yes, it's a long term goal and I'm tenacious. A lot of people outside the industry have a very negative opinion of people who want to earn big. And one of the things that I've, that I was told, actually completely outside of the industry. Was, you know, you talked about it before, if you can't help yourself, then how are you gonna help other people. And so many people who are living paycheck to paycheck have a really hard time supporting themselves. But then they talk about how you know, money is evil and you know, people who are wealthy don't know what to do with it. And you know, it sounds liek you're of the same mind set. And I think a lot of people who are successful in MLM are. Is that you're working extremely hard to help others achieve their goals. Jonathan: Right. Brian: And that helps you achieve your own. But how do you deal with the people who you know, don't' wanna get involved in a multi-level business, not because they don't wanna do the work or make the sacrifices but because they think money is, you know, making, having those kinds of aspirations are a bad thing. Jonathan: I think something that was said to me once that kind of resonates is something I wish I was told when I was 20. At 20 my goal is to be a rock star and me and my friend Jonathan we were riding around listening to Nickelback, you know I wanted to be a rockstar all time. And we thought that was what it was all about. And for a brief moment that probably was what we thought it was all about. But I think now, the life lesson learned is that money makes you more of what you already are. So, if you're a very genuine kind and caring giving person and now all of a sudden you have this new, this you know, money. You can be more of a giver or more of a humble person. You find other ways to benefit people. You know, people tell me all the time, your paycheck is a direct sum of how many people you help. If you have low paychecks you're not helping anyone. If you have, you know, really high paychecks then you're helping a lot of people. You know, it's one of those things, all it takes is a little bit a product and a lot of peoples body to be successful in this business, or in Advocare and other businesses that are similar. So if you, were the product goes the business flows. Or a little catchy things that have been said to me. But you know it's true. You, if you have the wrong intent you're gonna fail at anything. No matter if it's a marriage, being a parent, being a business owner. You know if you have the wrong intentions it's probably not gonna work out for you. And like I said that happened to me within my first six months in Advocare. I had the wrong intentions. I wanted money and I thought money was gonna make me happy. And all it did was, it hurt a lot of my friends feelings because they felt abused, or used by me to get what I wanted. And they felt like they got nothing. And so I've had to go back and learn and that was one of the hardest lessons in business because you gotta mend those relationships. And just re-approach them and say, I was wrong, I really was and I'm sorry and if I offended you I hope you'll accept my apology. We don't ever have to talk business to business or whatever to whatever. But I value your friendship more than anything. And I think when people see your sincerity and your genuine hopefully they'll read past that. I mean, it is hard for a new person to sit in a room and hear somebody say I make five or ten grand a month. When they make five or ten grand every six months. It's like, 'it's an envious jealous feeling like, oh, well good for you. You know and that's hard. And so, a lot of times I try to share the story. This is where I was, this is where I wanted to get to and this is what I did to get here. You know, I was three hundred and something pounds. Living paycheck to paycheck. Making ends meet, newly married. Now you know, I'm 40 pounds lighter, I've paid off almost all of my wifes student loan debt, and we have a different set of freedoms that some of our friends don't. Because we're not tied down by debt. We have some debt freedom. You know and does that attract you. Does that, is that something that you would seek beneficial. Because I think what I've learned the most. I was fortunate. I graduated college debt free. I had a full scholarship so I didn't go into the real world per say with anything like looming over my head. Or like you know a mac truck full of luggage to bring into a marriage. But I have realized that most people don't experience that. And so if I can channel their dislike for money to the like of hey would you like to get rid of that debt. Or wouldn't you love it if so and so didn't call you every night at nine asking you when the next payment was coming. Those are some motivating factors so I try to. I don't like. I hate to say it, the world revolves around money. It's the way it is. But I don't like to view it that way. I like to view it as,you know, what is your tangible hope and dream. Let's find out what it is and let's make it happen. It does include money but as does everything. The $4.00 a gallon gas that my mom saw out in California this past week. It happens you know and what are you gonna do, not buy gas. I mean it's pretty hard to get from A to B so. I try to present it as a solution. Brian: Right. Jonathan: Because like you said there are people that are just. They've never had money or they don't' know what to do with money. I mean I saw something the other day statistically I was reading like the 12 most popular super athletes of 2012 that are now bankrupt. And I'm reading this list and I'm like, what, I see that guy on NFL Network everyday, how's he bankrupt. And it's just the reality. They didn't know what to do with all the money they had so to speak. And they were spending it maybe frivolously or they weren't investing it or they weren't seeking a duplicable system that could pay them long term rather than my million dollar contract now it's gone two years later. So. Brian: Got the Bentley repossessed. Jonathan: It's not your unless you own it. Brian: So if it's, you know, it sounds like the first focus that you're recommending is to focus inward and focus on you know, what the why is, what the 90 day plan it. So, if somebody has a piece of paper and a pen and the desire to build their business. What would you say, you know, the writing exercise to document what they need to do. Jonathan: Like I said, we set goals. Goal setting is huge. Set realistic goals. What do you want to achieve in the next 30 days. Let's really hone in on a 30 day plan. Because most people can't see much outside of 30 days. The world we live in has got so many opportunities to do so many things that sometimes in 30 days you could be doing anything. So I try to give them a really attainable goal. I try to give them a challenge. Hey I want you to write down ten people you know in your life that you think would benefit from extra income. Ten people in your life that could benefit from losing weight or gaining energy. Because a lot of people have energy crisis. Their just tired all the time. And then I want you to pick like ten champions and and that's a person who just flat out no matter what you tell them as crazy as it may sound day one compared to a year from now, they'll believe you. Because you have credibility in their life. And I think that's huge if, you just established three target markets. You have one possibly great retail customers that are gonna take product and see great benefit. Two, hobbyist or small business owners who need an extra $100 to $500 a month. And then those ten champions you might find one person who is a solid sold out committed person like you to building this business. And through that, it helps get through all the fluff. You know, I watched a video earlier about the war on market and you know, pitching it aside after so long. Your war on market doesn't have to be 100 people it could be three people. Because those three people will know three people and it's the law of multiplicity. And business is built sustainably by deep growth. There compared to like a tree. The easiest trees to uproot is the news ones or the really talls ones with really small, you know, low root foundations. The ones that are impossible to uproot is that like 100 year old six foot thick tree that's got roots that span like 40 feet outside of it's canopy. And it's grown wide and it's grown deep for strength. And that's an easy analogy in this world, you know, in this marketing business. Is that you know, you want to help a little bit of people but you wanna help a little bit of people help a whole lot of people. Brian: Yeah. Jonathan: And for sustainability purposes that's critical. Because there may be a day your best friends having a terrible day and they quit on you. And if they quit on you, one you gotta hope they come back and you gotta kind of reign the back in and you gotta focus them. But you gotta have someone else to work with in the meantime so that your attention is not distracted by them quitting. So now you're feeling the same negative, like, oh man, Jimmy and I were really working hard, but man, Jimmy put us down and Jimmy's got all this going on in his life. And Jimmy doesn't have time for me. So maybe I should take some time off. Because sometimes it's really easy to fall into that trap. Brian: Yeah and you hit it on the head with the tree and analogy. So many people focus on, you know, what they can see of growing upwards. That they forget to sustain the upward growth they have to grown down and out. And that's phenomenal. So thank you so much for coming on and sharing all of these bite size pieces of advice. I'm gonna have all of your info as well as all of the tweetable takeaways below. And we'll definitely be having some more from you on CatalystMLM. Jonathan: Brian I appreciate your time and I hope you have a wonderful day. Brian: You too. Jonathan: Thank you sir.