As you might know, I haven’t been actively involved in network marketing since early last Fall. I needed some time away from the industry and the profession, especially after getting burned by some unfortunate experiences… and a few months into my “time off” I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to get back into it. Over the last several months, I’ve developed an entirely new career for myself as I successfully launched Purpose Inspired Marketing and went full-time with it after graduation.

I now love what I do, I love growing my business, and making a difference with it for small business owners and for the larger community around me. Since I left network marketing, I have been pitched on a lot of great opportunities to work with solid companies and leaders with track records, but haven’t gotten actively involved in building anything.

The other day, I was driving and in deep contemplation (I often do that while driving). I was thinking about network marketing, and how I feel about it. Over the past few months I had been a bit bitter about it… but then it hit me: if not for my involvement in network marketing, I would NEVER be where I am today. I would not have graduated college ready to start my own business. I would not have some of the incredible relationships, friends, mentors, and partners that I have… even most of my first clients came from the network marketing industry!

I wouldn’t have the networking skills that I have.

I wouldn’t have the communications skills that I have.

The leadership skills.

The “think big” mindset.

The hunger for personal development.

The guts to step out and make my own path.

The understanding of online marketing.

The larger understanding of marketing to businesses and individuals.

The list goes on and on. If I hadn’t been involved in network marketing for three years, my world and opportunities would have been unfathomably limited in comparison to my situation today. Even more so, through my own recruiting and mentoring, I have been able to pass many of these positive impacts onto many of my peers. A lot of my friends, and those whom I never knew beforehand, are now living completely different lives with greater aspirations because they were involved in network marketing with me.

Beyond that… I have been forever inspired to empower young people through entrepreneurship and personal development, all because of my network marketing experience.

Before this turns into an even longer rant, I’d just like to say plainly: I am forever grateful for the network marketing industry, and for my introduction to it at such a young age. It changed my direction overnight… from an average life, to an extraordinary one.

Upon this realization, I recognized my desire to get back into the network marketing industry, and to do it right this time. While I certainly have great aspirations for my increasing my own income with it, my main focus will be on training and mentoring other young people to create extraordinary lives for themselves through network marketing, entrepreneurship, and personal development.

I have decided to partner up with my previous company, DrinkACT. My old upline team is focusing on other projects, so I am instead partnered with a new team of great mentors. My direct sponsor is Tom Chenault, someone who has made many millions of dollars over the past decade plus in the network marketing industry, who also has his own radio station about the home based business industry. In addition to Tom, I will be working directly with John DeHart, the Director of Sales of DrinkACT, and Eric Caprarese, the top income earner in DrinkACT.

I primarily just wanted to write this blog post to share how I feel and unveil the latest development in my life since graduation from Brandeis. If you have any interest in working with me and Tom as I re-engage with DrinkACT, just get in touch with me directly. I’m really only looking to work with people who are looking to work to make a real positive change in their lives.

Check it out:

I appreciate the support!

I strongly encourage you to build your own blog As Soon As Possible! It will dramatically help your marketing efforts AND allow you to develop multiple streams of income on top of your primary opportunity income while you build your business.

If you would like, I can help you develop your own blog and provide you with a full hour of social media consulting for $147 … -OR- you can get your OWN self-hosted, personalized, professionally designed blog for FREE from The Free Blog Factory by visiting www.GetMyFreeBlog.com

Once you have your blog all set up, feel free to contact me directly and I can help you develop multiple streams of income from the traffic that you drive to your blog…

To Living a Life of Freedom, Passion, and Purpose,

Dmitriy Kozlov

Try this: Instead of competing with other people and businesses, collaborate. Help others. Give, give, give. Help others even if you don’t get paid for it and even if it is outside of your business model.

If you’re in network marketing, try offering your help to people outside of your downline… or even people in other companies. If you’re a teacher, offer guidance and support to students outside of your classroom. If you’re a parent, try helping your children’s friends, especially if they don’t have the family support they need.

Be a friend to everyone. Drop the egotistical need to compete, and instead start collaborating to improve people’s lives and the world, and your life will improve more than you can imagine in the process.

I hope you found this post enjoyable!

Define Your Personal Vision

• List your goals and aspirations on paper.
• Find an underlying theme running through your list. Summarize this theme in two sentences. Take note of how you feel about these sentences.
• Arrange the two sentences into a vision statement that speaks to your heart even more than to your head. Make sure it captures how you would like to experience your life, how you would like to relate to others, and what you would like to achieve. Take note of the feelings your statement evokes.
• Read it in front of a mirror looking yourself in the eyes, noticing your feelings and observing any doubts. Believe in the importance of your vision, even if your mind says it can’t be realized. Consciously choose your vision: Say to yourself, “I choose this vision. I choose to believe in it, in spite of any doubts.”
• Share this vision with your loved ones, and ask for their support.

Consciously Focusing on Your Vision

• Write your vision statement on several index cards. Post them in highly visible places, such as your refrigerator, car visor, bathroom mirror, desk, inside your planner, etc … be sure to carry one with your inside your purse, wallet, or pocket.
• Repeat your vision statement to yourself first thing in the morning, last thing before bed, and many times throughout the day. Remind yourself about what you most desire and your aspirations.
• Find opportunities to discuss your vision with others. Notice your interaction with others; consciously watch what actions bring you closer to your vision, and which may be working against the realization of your vision.

After diligently doing this exercise, I came to my own personal vision statement:

“I am creating a life of freedom, passion, and purpose. My purpose is to empower others to improve their own lives and the world. I trust myself and live with joy.”

This personal vision statement, dear to my heart, will also be the primary focus of my blog, teachings, and business philosophy moving forward.

I encourage you to develop your own unique Personal Vision Statement that calls to your heart and mind. If you need any guidance in the process, please do not hesitate to contact me.

To learn more about Robert E. Staub’s works, visit him at www.StaubLeadership.com

To get your copy of The 7 Acts of Courage: Bold Leadership for a Wholehearted Life…

Hope you enjoyed this! I have watched it many times, but only recently did it have such an impact on me.

Here are the 5 Facebook Rules (if you want to build a strong brand and massive network marketing business online or offline):

Completely avoid posting on…

1. NO SEX … don’t be sexist or prejudice against other sexual orientations.

2. NO POLITICS … self-explanatory.

3. NO SPORTS … too much bias.

4. NO RELIGION … even more self-explanatory.

5. NO NEGATIVITY … unless you want to attract it into your business!

Again, this is so simple that it should be common sense. In a phrase: don’t openly offend people!

Generally, because you are building a business that involves relationships and people more than anything, don’t be close-minded in your beliefs, attitudes, and prejudices towards people, as such activities will KILL your business, your brand, and your reputation… not to mention your company’s.

I hope this helps you!

My first post is about failure… Why? Because most people fail or quit. Not only in network marketing, but in any pursuit of any challenge or significance. Understanding WHY people fail in network marketing can help you and your team avoid these pitfalls and turn them into Reasons People Succeed. Follow along…

The 5 Reasons People FAIL in Network Marketing (Truth: They don’t really FAIL, they QUIT)

1. Never Fully Commit: If you aren’t fully committed to success in your business, you are automatically headed for failure. Develop a vision of where you want to go and commit 100% to that vision. Know where you’re starting and know where you’re going.

2. Never Fully Plug In: If you don’t think getting on the conference calls, webinars, and local training events is vitally important, think again. You are on the road to failure.  Get your conference call schedule; plug in. Get yourself to the next local event. Start a local event if you have none. Call your upline frequently. Plug into personal development.

3. Spend Time with the Wrong People: The Most Frustrating Path to Failure.

Two main groups of people…

a.) Those IN your business: Whiners vs. Winners … whiners will always find a problem to whine about: the products, the website, their negative uncle, the prices, etc, etc. If you want to fail from frustration, spend your time listening to whiners. If you want to achieve your WHY, spend your time helping the Winners.

b.) Those NOT IN your business: Cynics vs. Seekers … Cynics will tell your business is a pyramid scheme, that you’ll never make it, nobody makes money in these things, etc, etc. Seekers will ASK you questions: Is this like a pyramid scheme? How do I make money? – ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS!

If you spend your time convincing cynics, you will quit from sheer exhaustion. If you spend your time educating seekers, you will build a successful organization.

4. Focus on Problems and Obstacles Rather than the Vision they are Creating: There will always be problems and obstacles. Always, in anything worth doing. If you focus on them, they grow; if you focus on your Vision, IT grows.

5. Don’t Play The Game for All Four Quarters: If you Don’t Play the Whole Game, You Have No Chance of Winning… Here’s the Key: Your 4th Quarter Starts at the Beginning of Your 3rd Year. If you haven’t reached the 4th Quarter yet, Don’t be surprised if you haven’t Won yet. If you are past your 4th Quarter, reevaluate the last 4 Reasons and Play Hard Into Overtime! And drop those Heavy EXCUSES holding you back!

If these are the reasons people FAIL, how do they SUCCEED? Simple…

1. Never Fully Commit: Commit Yourself to your Vision and Purpose

2. Never Fully Plug In: Plug into all company events and conference calls. Plug into personal development.

3. Spend Time with the Wrong RIGHT People: The Funnest Way To Success

Two main groups of people…

a.) Those IN your business: Whiners vs. Winners

b.) Those NOT IN your business: Cynics vs. Seekers

4. Focus on Problems and Obstacles Rather than the Vision You are Creating

5. Don’t Play The Game for All Four Quarters: If you Don’t Play the Whole Game, You Have No Chance of Winning… Here’s the Key: Your 4th Quarter Starts at the Beginning of Your 3rd Year. If you haven’t reached the 4th Quarter yet, Don’t be surprised if you haven’t won yet. If you are past your 4th Quarter, reevaluate the last 4 Reasons and Play Hard Into Overtime! And drop those heavy EXCUSES holding you back!

As you read these 5 Reasons, think long and hard about your own success or failure. Evaluate yourself, your attitude, and your business behaviors. Are you fully committed? Fully plugged in? Spending time with the RIGHT people? Focusing on Your Vision? Have you Played your 4th Quarter yet with 4 Yeses to the 1st 4 Questions?

Drop those Heavy EXCUSES you’re lumping around and see how much lighter you feel. See you at the top!

Yours In Pursuit of Freedom,

Dmitriy Kozlov

Credit: The Fundamentals Training (the basic 5 reasons) came from the notes I took on Curtis Broome’s training. Curtis has been an extremely successful distributor in network marketing, having earned millions of dollars in commissions, and has played significant executive roles in companies. He is now a sought-after industry trainer, speaker, and consultant. Curtis consults for DrinkACT with his Partner Lisa Grossman.

“Network marketing is really the greatest source of grass-roots capitalism, because it teaches people how to take a small bit of capital, that is your time, and build the American dream.” – Jim Rohn

“Network marketing gives people the opportunity, with very low risk and very low financial commitment, to build their own income-generating asset and acquire great wealth.” – Robert T. Kiyosaki

“Network Marketing works when we do.” – Michael S. Clouse

“What you sow, you reap. It’s a law of nature. Network Marketing is perfectly aligned with that. You get truly, EXACTLY what you’re worth! No nepotism, no favoritism. That’s rare today.” – Bob Proctor

“Network marketing is the big wave of the future. It’s taking the place of franchising, which now requires too much capital for the average person.” – Jim Rohn

“If you are a person with big dreams and would love to support others in achieving their big dreams, then the network marketing business is definitely a business for you. You can start your business part-time at first and then as your business grows, you can help other people start their part-time business. This is a value worth having – a business and people who help others make their dreams come true.” – Robert T. Kiyosaki

“Of all the entrepreneurial opportunities available today, one of the most important is direct selling, also called network marketing.” – Paul Zane Pilzer

“The future of network marketing is unlimited. There’s no end in sight. It will to continue to grow, because better people are getting into it. They are raising the entire standard of MLM to the point where soon, it will be one of the most respected business methods in the world.” – Brian Tracy

Never have I seen so much value in a FREE product. This ebook is a must-read for anyone, and I mean anyone looking to generate a long term income online, regardless of whether or not you are in network marketing. Katie reveals her whole business model in this free ebook entitled Social Media Wealth Manifesto: A Complete Guide to Claiming Your Personal Wealth In The New Social Media Economy

A outline summary of her basic principles:

The Next Evolution of Social Media: Katie clearly distinguishes between this powerful Business Model outlined below and the “wrong” social media business model that most marketers out there use…

Step 1: Brand Yourself Around Your Passions … Identify your Passion and build your business around it. You will be happier and wealthier.

Step 2: Get A Blog. Host it yourself using the WordPress.org application and Blog about your passions.

Step 3: Create Content centered around your passions and provide value to people.

Step 4: Grow A Social Media Following on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Digg by interacting with the community and providing value.

Step 5: Build A Tribe with like minded bloggers and entrepreneurs to leverage and increase your following and brand.

Step 6: Grow Your List and Set Up Multiple Stream of Income .. anything from network marketing to affiliate marketing to doing your own seminars – she covers it all!

Finally, Katie talks about how NOW is the best time aggressively pursue this business model and build a brand that will last a lifetime.

You can download her manifesto here: http://www.theunifiedtribe.com/smwmdownload.pdf

I STRONGLY recommend that you download it today and read the whole thing immediately. It is worth the hour or so it will take you to get through the 40+ pages of pure wisdom and value.

Yours in Pursuit of Freedom,

Dmitriy Kozlov

PS – I was first introduced to Katie Freiling and her powerful material through the 7 Figure Networker System, which she discusses here. Enjoy!