[ 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.
