What would make a difference for you or someone you love?
Once upon a time, there was a hard-working, forty something, General Contractor in construction who had built, over 20 years, a very good life for himself and his family. He had 3 children and his wife had been a stay-at-home Mom for their entire childhood. They had a beautiful home, 2 cars, a cottage, a boat, all 3 kids played hockey (expensive in itself) and they didn’t lack or want for anything.
He had made some smart investments and had a very tidy nest egg set aside for retirement (since, as a business owner, he had no pension to rely on) and he knew that it would continue to grow, until the time came that he would eventually need it.
Then the “recession” of the 1990s hit! Suddenly, clients who had been reliable in the past, were unable to pay for the work they had contracted him to do. He found himself with a debt of $175,000!! Not wanting to declare bankruptcy or pass the pain on to his sub-contractors, he liquidated the savings and began searching for ways that he could supplement the household income, until the debt could be completely paid off.
He asked his wife to step out of her comfortable, contented life and help out by getting a job. She was willing, but wanted to go back to school, to qualify for something special – along the lines of a “career” versus a “job”.
About that time, a good friend introduced them to a new shopping system that allowed them to enjoy the convenience of shopping from home, for everyday consumable goods, that were exceptional quality but were very reasonably priced. They were also environmentally friendly, which spoke to something his wife was passionate about.
But, wait a minute! Weren’t they in debt? Why were they even looking at a new way to shop? Shouldn’t they have been tightening their belts and saying, “We’re going to be super frugal and brush our teeth with baking soda and wash our house with vinegar”?
Because, not only did the shopping system make complete sense, it rewarded them with referral commissions when they told others about it. When they loved the products, they just assumed that others would too and since they were shopping factory direct (no middlemen), the manufacturer was happy to pay them for referrals, as it expanded its customer base around the world.
Imagine their surprise when they realized that this was the answer to their financial dilemma! The contractor’s wife was able to continue staying home with her then 8 year old daughter and yet bring in a paycheck that surpassed anything she would have worked for outside the home. In her first full year of happy shopping and recommending the manufacturer to others, she earned over $50,000 (and remember, this was the 90s)!
They soon discovered other families with similar financial concerns to theirs and they began helping others to supplement their incomes as well. Everyone loved the simplicity of simply switching stores and being rewarded for customer loyalty.
As you may have guessed, this is not a fairy tale, but my own story. After only 2 years of working part-time, my husband (the once prosperous contractor), put his construction business on the back-burner and decided to work with me full-time. Not only have we retired the debt and replaced the income from construction, we have enjoyed a better quality of life over the past 18 years, with more personal and family time (something that was hard to come by, with the demands of running a construction business)… but that’s another story…in the category of Personal Wellness!
Our story is just the tip of the iceberg……..There will be many more stories of Financial Wellness to choose from…….Who do you know that needs a lifeline?
