Steve Van Andel - Chairman of Alticor,Inc. & Doug Devos - President of Alticor,Inc.
Steve Van Andel - Alticor 机构主席 & Doug DeVos - Alticor 机构总裁
More than 50 years ago, Amway was founded on a handshake. Each of the two partners, Jay Van Andel and Rich DeVos, was sure of himself and his abilities. They knew what they wanted out of their new business and they were willing to work together to achieve their goals. Neither partner was more important than the other. They supported each other’s decisions and shared the highs and lows of lesson learned.
The handshake is a simple act of partnership, but it speaks volumes about how we will always do business. Because Amway is build on teamwork, it’s important for everyone to share their knowledge and experience. It’s good to be confident in your own abilities and perhaps even better to be confident in your team.
Yet no one in the group is more important than others. Humility is the other half of the business equation. We serve others, whether they are customers, teammates or members of our local communities. Amway provides an opportunity that benefits everyone and you show the truth of our promises when you continue to reach out, serve and help others grow.
Thank you so much for the handshakes you’ve shared with us and with each other. We’re proud of all you’ve accomplished and we’re confident that the best is yet to come.
Steve Van Andel - Chairman of Alticor,Inc. & Doug Devos - President of Alticor,Inc.
Steve Van Andel - Alticor 机构主席 & Doug DeVos - Alticor 机构总裁
As some of you may have heard, this past June, Amway reached $1 billion in global sales for the first time ever in a single month. This amazing accomplishment and one that we should celebrate together. Without you and your dedication to this business, we wouldn’t be here we are today.
We believe 2011 will be a record-breaking year for Amway and we are very proud to be a part of this growing business. Sales are increasing as well as our overall awareness. These indicators speak to the strength of our business model across the globe and to the power of the Amway brands and the Amway Business Opportunity.
We provide the opportunity for people to go into business for themselves. Our business brings economic and personal freedom to people around the world. It expands the definition of family to the people in our lives who provide the essential support and encouragement we need on a day-to-day basis. It provides hope to those looking to try something new and reward for a job well done.
There has never been a better time to be a part of the Amway business. While we celebrate milestones like reaching $1 billion in sales for June, we look forward to the future. A future is bright because of you!
A young man was getting ready to graduate college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.
As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box.
Curious, but somewhat disappointed the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible. Angrily, he raised his voice at his father and said, "With all your money you give me a Bible?" and stormed out of the house, leaving the holy book.
Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care things. When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart.
He began to search his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. As he read those words, a car key dropped from an envelope taped behind the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words...PAID IN FULL.
How many times do we miss God's blessings because they are not packaged as we expected?
There's a beautiful statue in Mexico that bears the unusual title, In Spite Of. The name was given to honor the sculptor rather than the subject in stone. It happened this way. During the time he was creating the statue, the sculptor suffered an accident and lost his right hand. But he was so determined to finish the statue that he learned how to chisel with his left hand. So the statue was entitled, In Spite Of, because in spite of his handicap, the sculptor completed his work.
In spite of blindness, Milton wrote. In spite of deafness, Beethoven composed. In spite of blindness and deafness, Helen Keller made speeches. In spite of rheumatic hands, Renoir painted. In spite of losing his right hand, the Mexican sculptor completed the statue with his left hand.
In spite of being blind, deaf, crippled, old, arthritic, poor, young, persecuted, or uneducated, people have overcome, excelled, accomplished, and triumphed. And you can, too. Reach for your goal in spite of your hardships and problems and I will see you at the top!
"Character may be manifested in the great moments, but it is made in the small ones."
"What‘s the secret to your success?” I’ve been asked this question many times and let me take this opportunity to share with you my two cents.
[1] Make a commitment. Many choose to look at Amway as outsiders, they signed up but were reluctant to commit. Eventually, they quit before even seeing the full potential of the business.
[2] Stay focused. Once you’ve chosen Amway , don’t let anyone talk you out of it. You’ll succeed if you don’t give up and stick to your convictions.
[3] Stay active. Attend meetings regularly and follow the examples of positive-minded leaders. Their leadership, experience, and guidance will help your business to grow.
[4] Set your goals instead of drifting along aimlessly. Try to visualise your goals and they will turn into a powerful source of motivation.
[5] Be independent but don’t isolate yourself. Personal growth is the prerequisite to success and it comes when you learn to stand on your own two feet. However, that doesn’t mean you should isolate yourself. No man is an island, therefore learn to interact with people and help one another.
[6] Cultivate good habits. Never stop sharing the Business Opportunity and the products. Only when you put yourself on the frontline would you feel the excitement and motivation to make your dreams come true.
[7] Be persistent and take things one step at a time. Success never comes by sheer chance or coincidence; regardless of the challenges or setback, don’t give up halfway, but persevere, persevere, persevere!
When our fathers started this business 50 years ago, they based it on the belief that it offered people the freedom to be what they wanted to be. To live where they wished to live. To support the causes they believed in. To explore the full and exciting range of their potential.
As the business grew, we all learned that the principles Amway was based on translated easily into many languages and transcended many cultures. Being rewarded in proportion to how much you do continues to be a universal language for people around the world. So we watched as Amway expanded country by country, territory by territory, city by city... person by person.
Our fathers often said to business owners around the world, "You are Amway." They always insisted on giving yo the credit that you deserve. And today, we share our fathers' commitment to you. We're so proud of you all and so grateful for you.
Steve Van Andel - Chairman of Alticor,Inc. & Doug Devos - President of Alticor,Inc.
Steve Van Andel - Alticor 机构主席 & Doug DeVos - Alticor 机构总裁
我们相信，包括Rich DeVos和Jay Van Andel两位创办人都一致认同：你们就是安利事业最强大的力量，而且永远都是！让我们一起为你们的成就喝彩，这是属于你们的荣誉。
不论过去或现在，缔造安利稳固扎实成就的功臣，除了优异的产品之外，也包括你们在内。
Rich DeVos and Jay Van Anel were the founders of this business, but we think even they would have agreed that the real power behind this business is - and always has been - you. Take pride in your success. You deserve it.
Then and now, the things that make our success secured are great products... and you.
Steve Van Andel - Chairman of Alticor,Inc. & Doug Devos - President of Alticor,Inc.
Steve Van Andel - Alticor 机构主席 & Doug DeVos - Alticor 机构总裁
One of the great advantages of the Amway Sales & Marketing Plan is that anyone can participate. But do you know an even greater advantage? Anyone can succeed.
That's right. Anyone.
Conventional opportunities typically erect barriers for those who want to participate - barriers such as a huge financial investment. many years of experience or a specialized education.
However, here at Amway, we don't believe in barriers and stop signs. We don't look for ways to keep people out. Instead, we keep the door open for everyone who wants to come in. We welcome anyone who has a dream and wants to make it come true.
Essentially, we provide a pathway for anyone who wants to improve their life - something to always remember when you're seeking prospective Amway Distributor. Anyone and everyone is a potential Amway Distributor, not just that small select group of people who seem like they could be business superstars. Furthermore, not everyone wants to be a superstar. For many folks, success simply means earning a little extra income every month.
Just look at the many stories in the Amagram about people from every kind of background and how they've succeeded. Just think about how many of these Amway Distributor would have never started a business if their sponsor had assumed they didn't have the right "leadership qualifications."
The only solution, and the simple solution, is to talk to everybody. Because in this business anybody can succeed.
A New York businessman dropped a dollar into the cup of a man selling pencils and hurriedly stepped aboard the subway train. On second thought, he stepped back off the train, walked over to the beggar and took several pencils from the cup. Apologetically, he explained that in his haste he had neglected to pick up his pencils and hoped the man wouldn't be upset with him. "After all," he said, "you are a businessman just like myself. You have merchandise to sell and it's fairly priced." Then he caught the next train.
At a social function a few months later, a neatly dressed salesman stepped up to the businessman and introduced himself. "You probably don't remember me and I don't know your name, but I will never forget you. You are the man who gave me back my self respect. I was a "beggar" selling pencils until you came along and told me I was a businessman."
A wise man said, "A lot of people have gone further than they thought they could because someone else thought they could." How do you see others? The greatest good we can do for anyone is not to share our wealth with them, but rather to reveal their own wealth to them. It's astonishing how much talent and ability rests inside a human being. Once we see it, we can help them discover it for themselves.
[ A collection of writings by Rich DeVos & Jay Van Andel; Co-Founders of Amway Corporation ]
One advantage of being in the same business for more than 50 years is that time itself separates facts from fancies.
Here, for example, are some of the facts, we have seen proven by the test of time:
(1) People are pretty much the same all over the world.
(2) Free enterprise works.
(3) The Amway Sales and Marketing Plan works.
(4) Amway products work.
(5) With most customers prefer quality products and service; that count more than cost.
(6) There seems to be no limit to the types of products Distributors can sell.
(7) Sales and sponsoring are equally important in building a successful Amway business.
(8) Rising to the top depends mostly on personal effort and determination.
(9) Your future depends on what you do today.
We could go on, but you get the idea. Amway's success, Distributors' success, your success, all boil down to one basic facts: you do best when you do unto your neighbour as you would have your neighbour do unto you. That's fact - we build our business on it.
One day a man saw a old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her.
He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was that chill which only fear can put in you.Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn't look safe; he looked poor and hungry. He said, 'I'm here to help you, ma'am. Why don't you wait in the car where it's warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson.'
Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt.As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing through. She couldn't thank him enough for coming to her aid.
Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped. Bryan never thought twice about being paid. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty, who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way.
He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and Bryan added, 'And think of me..'
He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight.
A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn't erase. The lady noticed the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Bryan ...
After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred dollar bill. The waitress quickly went to get change for her hundred dollar bill, but the old lady had slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the waitress came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could be. Then she noticed something written on the napkin.
Under the napkin were four more $100 bills.
There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: 'You don't owe me anything. I have been there too.. Somebody once helped me out, the way I'm helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you.
Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard....
She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, 'Everything's going to be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson.'
[ A collection of writings by Rich DeVos & Jay Van Andel; Co-Founders of Amway Corporation ]
A top Distributor told us: "Whenever a Distributor tells me how busy he's been - and what terrible luck he's been having - I ask to see his appointment book." He smiled. "It's amazing how quickly they change the subject."
Our friend has found a way to pierce the armour of self-deception. The complainer may convince himself he is indeed unlucky, and he may actually be frantically busy, but ... in his heart he knows the truth.
True, it's easy to be busy when a business begins to grow. You find so many things to do: making lists, planning meetings, keeping the books ... the list seems endless.
Yet none of these tasks even existed until the Distributor himself (or herself) did two other things first: selling and sponsoring. These are the two - and the only two - that generate business. They are the two that only the Distributor can do. And they are the two that show up in the appointment book.
Not only that, but all of these other tasks can be done equally well - or even better - by others. In fact, we always advise new Direct Distributors to delegate everything in favour of the essential two. But the best time to start delegating is when you first "find so many things to do." Free yourself to concentrate on productivity - even if it costs you something. The additional business you generate can make up the difference - and then some.
So give top priority to your own appointment book and devote your valuable time to business - not "busy-ness." You'll find more hours in the day, and your luck will change for the better, too!
Jay Van Andel, the Co-founder of Amway Corporation, was born on June 3, 1924 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is a graduate of Grand Rapids Christian High School and attended Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, Pratt Business School in Pratt, Kansas, and Yale University Aviation Cadet School in New Haven, Connecticut.
In August of 1952 he married the former Betty Hoekstra. They have four children, Nan, Steven, Barbara and David. Jay and Betty's sense of family, first demonstrated in the upbringing of their children, transcended traditional bounds, finding its way into relationships formed both in business, neighbors, the community of Grand Rapids and beyond.
Years of dedication reflect Jay Van Andel's tremendous personal energy - energy brought to many and varied interests, not the least of which is the Amway Corporation. Amway is one of the largest direct selling companies. The company offers more than 450 Amway-name products, thousands of brand-name items through the Personal Shoppers catalog, plus a variety of services and education products. These products are sold by more than 3 million entrepreneurs operating in over 80 countries. A phenomenal success story of the American entrepreneurial spirit, Amway was founded in 1959 by Jay Van Andel and Richard DeVos. Its unheralded growth in the decades that followed has been a source of inspiration and amelioration for literally millions around the world.
As Amway's presence reached around the world so did Jay Van Andel's reputation. In 1992, President George Bush appointed Jay to serve as the United States Ambassador and Commissioner General to Genoa Expo '92. He has also served as Chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Director of the Gerald R. Ford Foundation, Chairman of the Netherlands-American Bicentennial Commissions, and as a member of the U.S.O. World Board of Governors. He is a Trustee of the Jamestown Foundation, Hudson Institute and the Heritage Foundation, as well as the Founder of the Van Andel Institute for Education and Medical Research in Grand Rapids.
AWARDS AND HONORS
Religious Heritage of America, Business and Professional Leader of the Year Award-1974, Great Living American Award-1982.
Honorary Doctorates from Northern Michigan University-1976, Ferris State University-1978, Western Michigan University-1980, Grand Valley State University-1992, Michigan State University-1997.
Golden Plate Award, American Academy of Achievement-1981.
Direct Selling Association Hall of Fame-1987.
Greater Grand Rapids Business Hall of Fame-1989.
United Nations Environment Programme Achievement Award, recipient on behalf of Amway-1989.
Business Person of the Year, Economic Club of Grand Rapids-1990.
Sales & Marketing Executives International Academy of Achievement, Charter Inductee-1990.
Adam Smith Free Enterprise Award, from the American Legislative Exchange Council-1993.
Edison Award, American Marketing Association-1994.
Clare Boothe Luce Award, from the Heritage Foundation-1998.
George Washington Honor Medal, Freedoms Foundation.
Gold Medals, Netherlands Societies of New York and Philadelphia.
Member, MENSA Society of the U.S.A.
Patron Award, Michigan Foundation for the Arts.
Knighted, Grand Officer, Order of Orange Nassau-Netherlands.
Honorary Member, Omicron Delta Kappa National Honors Society.
[ A collection of writings by Rich DeVos & Jay Van Andel; Co-Founders of Amway Corporation ]
Have you ever noticed that most hobbyist are "producers?" Whether it's handicraft, woodworking, gardening, or whatever, they really work hard at it - because they enjoy the satisfaction of producing. The finished results they frequently give away ... because "selling is hard work."
Why is it that producing is often perceived as "fun" but selling as "work?"
And if it really is such hard work, why have so many Distributors - untrained and inexperienced salespeople - become so successful?
There's no doubt that hobbyist get a lot of satisfaction in seeing a finished object "grow" under their own hands. But the choice of the object is theirs - and so is the satisfaction. Selling is somewhat different. Its success depends on the satisfaction of others. And though you choose what you sell, it has to be made appealing to your customers.
So many Distributors are successful because they start right out thinking of others and keep on doing so. They may not know the "fine points" of salesmanship, but they know people. And knowing how to satisfy people is what selling is all about!
And in turn, they also see a finished object - their business and the opportunity to make money - grow under their hands as well.
You've heard the statement many times that this is a young person's world - and a quick check of the history books rapidly establishes that this statement has considerable validity. For example, Lindberg at age twenty five was the first man to fly nonstop over the Atlantic Ocean to Paris; John Paul Jones was a full sea captain at twenty two; Napoleon was an artillery captain before he was twenty three; Edgar Allen Poe was internationally known as a poet at eighteen; Tracy Austin won the U.S. Open Tennis Championship at age sixteen; Alexander the Great had conquered the known world at twenty six; Eli Whitney was twenty eight when he perfected the cotton gin. We also frequently see stories of child prodigies who at age five are solving mathematical equation that confound college professors. The list is truly endless of all the people who've done remarkable things before their thirtieth birthday.
This obviously proves that it is a young person's world. Or does it? I'm going to prove that it's also an old person's or even a middle aged person's world. As a matter of fact, it is really your world, regardless of your age. Read on and you'll see what I mean.
Commodore Vanderbilt was not known as a great railroad king until he was seventy; at eighty eight he was the most active railroad man of his day. Socrates started studying music when he was eighty; Pasteur discovered his hydrophobia cure when he was sixty; Columbus was well over fifty when he made his first voyage of American discovery; Voltaire, Newton, Spenser, Talleyrand, and Thomas Jefferson all were active and in their intellectual prime after eighty. Grandma Moses achieved her fame and success after age ninety. Galileo discovered the monthly and daily phases of the moon when he was seventy three. The list is endless.
What this really says is that the world belongs to anybody who will recognize that now is the time and here is the place - to go to the top.
"To me, old age is always fifteen years older than I am."
