I am a husband and father first. I left a back-breaking career in the office furniture installation industry to pursue success in a home business. It was a rocky start at best like it was for most of you, but I never gave up.
While building our business my wife and I endured many trials. A bankruptcy, foreclosure, miscarriages, vehicle repossession, just to name a few of the big ones. We were literally brought to our knees, but in the face of this adversity we never blamed anyone but ourselves. All of those things made us realize why we should continue to push harder. We knew that eventually we would have to break through because there would be no where else to go!
Being able to take my kids to school everyday and be here on their vacations has been a tremendous blessing. Before, working in furniture I would often times work later in the day and into the evening missing vital family time and as a result, I wasn't very social when I was home because of the intense work schedule. I did it all, supervised jobs, verified furniture orders, drove and delivered products as a commercial driver, operated forklifts, warehouse organizer, shipping and receiving. I hated it but it paid the bills and that was just how I thought about it.
Even being the "Matt" of all trades that I was, I wasn't immune to cut-backs. One day, I knew they were laying people off, I knew I wasn't one of them but it was still a somber day. Everybody knows the feeling. After the lay-offs I got called into the office as well, I was asked to take a pay-cut and hours reduction.
After that I realized that there wasn't any loyalty anymore. I could work my ass off for a shot to maybe keep my job? Working hard for someone else didn't guarantee me anything anymore and so the search began. My family took a huge hit for that. I realize that there is always some sort of sacrifice involved, but it does force my own hand. I knew that in order to keep food on the table for a family of five, I would require a career change.
Internet marketing is tough. I know the statistics, 97% fail right? Well, by not relenting through our adversity I've picked up some valuable skills. Both mental and physical. They are things that just happen and are results of repeated positive behavior. I am not saying that we have it all figured out. What I am saying is that you should never give up, be a 3 percenter, follow the success, that's what I'm doing. I learned to not be generic and that there are some really simple principles and formulas that I could apply into what I was already doing that would explode my business.
My goals are still the same, I'm still at home with kids and loving every minute of it. Our family loves our business, everyone is happy (most of the time). We still go through adversity and challenges but the way we handle those challenges is extremely different than before. It's hard to realize sometimes, but when your family needs a leader and you recognize that, it's time to step up or be swallowed!
