I am currently the president of a large, seasonal, retail business located in Ma. Being a seasonal business I have free time during the off season. After looking at literally hundreds of businesses that I could work from home I chose to get involved with Network marketing and TEL3.

Here's how I started:
Fortunately for me I am surrounded by very successful home based business people. I have been approached countless times with offers of "financial freedom" it was not until the birth of my daughter that I really began to consider some of these offers from my friends and colleagues. Owning my own business I knew the type of commitment that would be needed to succeed in this endeavor and with the success of my friends staring me in the face I took the plunge!

At the outset of my home based business/network marketing career I was in a position to work with some of the top people in the industry. People like Pat Gamble, Paul Morris, Pat Ryan, just to name a few. By talking with these people and absorbing everything they said I had a fantastic outline for success. I was able to put myself into a leadership position and this is where my true love for this industry began.

After working my first program for a few months and achieving a relatively high level of success the company began to experience some problems. At first it was simply some time delays on new products then the checks started coming 1,2,3 weeks late. At this point I stopped bringing in new people for fear that things were falling apart. The next step was to search for a new program.

This is when TEL3 fell into my lap. TEL3 was one of the handful of companies that I looked at that met my 7 key requirements:1) Minimal start-up(there is none) 2) Track record(not a start-up) 3) marketable to the masses( virtually anyone can work the business and it is Long Distance which almost all Americans have and pay too much for) 4) System, not distributor dependent(the pressure of selling is not on the distributor) 5) support(Sponsor relations, opportunity calls, literature, free calling cards, business cards, post cards, tapes, etc...) 6) Compensation plan (yes, money is a factor) 7) Long term vision of the company( international expansion already is taking place) After reviewing this information I knew I HAD to join! TEL3 was an opportunity that I could not pass up! Where can you start a business for NOTHING and build a long term residual income? There are no special skills or equipment needed although I do recommend three way calling when you have a large organization.

I am currently working only about 20 hours a week promoting my TEL3 business although I will be working 40-50 hrs per week during the late fall and winter months(when my other business slows) Since our team has just recently climbed aboard we are more involved with formulating strategies and getting our team hotline and newsletters set-up. As soon as they are up to speed our national advertising will commence.

The marketing of a program is important if you have set lofty goals for yourself. Small classifieds in local newspapers is a great place to start and is relatively inexpensive. Run a couple of different ads and keep the ones that get the best pull. It is important to run your ad more than once. When I run a classified I usually run it 3 times to get a real feel for how it is pulling.

If you are just getting started and don't want to incur any expense your best best bet are flyers at local stores, laundry mats, bulletin boards etc... Don't forget to make a warm list and contact all of your friends and relatives. Remember don't pre-qualify these people as the ones you feel will be least interested are sometimes the best prospects. The internet has thousands of places to post free ads. Internet advertising is even more productive if you have a web site to which you can refer people for more information about your product, service or opportunity.

It is very important, if you are involved with network marketing, to have a sponsor who is involved in advertising your program. Our team offers leads to it's distributors that would like to work them. This benefits everyone.

Working for yourself is a lot tougher than people think but the rewards are greater. When the day ends for 9-5 ers yours continues. Whether it be a disgruntled customer or your shipment didn't get there on time, you must deal with it. I find that a period of time dedicated to non-work related thought is super important. If you like to go to the gym then when your work day ends hit the gym and start your leisure time refreshed. Dedicate some portion of your day to self improvement or prayer.

If you are seriously considering starting your own business remember that your the boss. If something goes wrong you must fix it. Look for people in like businesses and pick their brains. Ask them what were the biggest stumbling blocks and avoid them. Make sure that your concept is marketable. Get Serious about your new venture. Remember, this is not practice, this is your life!

One last comment: If you are involved in Network marketing. K.I.S.S.(keep it stupid simple!) Duplication is the KEY!

John Ansart
The Vision Team