This is taken from "Success" magazine, October 1994 and is an excerpt from "DIRECT SELLING" By Charles A. Coulombe
The "Roland Fox Story" has legendary stature in Oxyfresh culture. His story of commitment, dedication and enthusiasm is an inspiration to every Oxyfresh leader. At 62, Fox has retired from active recruiting and earns over $250,000 per year in residuals with distributors in 50 states, Puerto Rico, Canada and Germany.
It's critical to keep your focus and self-discipline. But that just takes care of you. Building a network depends on inspiring the effort and self-discipline of other people. One place to learn that skill is just where you'd expect: the military.
Roland Fox grew up in an orphanage in Hinckley, ME., before entering the Air Force and reaching the rank of Major. One day, a friend called and told him he had to get involved with Oxyfresh, which was just about to commence operations.
"I said, 'Get out of here--leave me alone! No business that has only one product will ever fly." At that time, Oxyfresh, which now has a line of 27 den tal, skin, health, and nutrition products, sold only a mouthrinse. "But then I tried it," Fox continues. "I'd had periodontal disease for years and undergone one operation for it. I'd just decided not to go through with a second operation. I figured it was inevitable that your gums bled whenever you brush your teeth."
"But the rinse stopped the bleeding for good, and 11 years later, I still have the six teeth that were loose then. My dentist told me I would probably lose them all. So I had an interest in the product and was able to interest others." The "ability to interest others" can be translated as "leadership."
"I learned leadership in the Air Force," Fox says. "In the military, you define leadership as the art of motivating people to do what you want them to do-- for their own reasons. It involves leading by example, putting your people's needs first, and letting them use their own initiative."
At 62, Fox has retired from active recruiting and earns over $250,000 per year in residuals. His net worth includes distributors in 50 states, Puerto Rico, Canada, and Germany.
When you go into business for yourself, your challenge is unique: You must discover what is in yourself--perhaps a trait never revealed in your previous career--around which your business and your new life can grow and prosper.