Some Pictorial Moments In My Life:







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  It's Humbling To Put Your Life Story In Print!  


Welcome! Kurt here. Martha and I are surrounded by friendly people here in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. We live here and we have a home-based business which has grown into our primary income source, but it didn't start out that way.

After high school, college and the U.S. Air Force, I was an accountant. I had bought into the idea that a job was the path to financial independence.

I spent 5 years as an IRS Agent and Bank Internal Auditor before I realized that it was those who owned the business that were in the best position to have the lifestyle and financial independence that I wanted.

Spring time here near the Great Smoky Mountains is absolutely georgeous and it made pressing that elevator button to the 5th floor very hard. Sometimes I think it was worse than Basic Training in the USAF! Neither were easy.

At the age of 29 I decided I wasn't going to work for someone else so I started my own entertainment business. Sounds like a big deal, huh? Actually we had clowns delivering balloons to parties.

We not only entertained our customers, we entertained the whole city as we went to and fro from our offices. It was a start and life kept getting better ever since.

Being self-employed and 'different' has worked well for me and I love it. Everyday is full of mystery and adventure and, like I said earlier, I've learned to enjoy the journey as I play my way toward the destination. To me, that's wisdom, and it's found all along the way AS WELL AS at the end of 'The Yellow Brick' road.

You see, I believe that if you gather wisdom all along the way, you know what you'll find behind the curtain when you get to see the wizard in Emerald City.

If you are under 50, you might need to reference the most watched movie of all time, 'The Wizard of Oz'. Don't expect any spaceships, action packed scenes or any squealing tires. It's laden with messages and morals and hidden truths that you'll only get when you start growing up.

By 1984, I was a business broker and that was a great place to learn some of the hidden lessons about owning a business, and that's where Martha and I first met.

Compared to the theory of college and the sheltered view of being a government employee, the real-world business experience was very educational and it let us clearly see the advantages of business ownership over having a job.

After five years of self-employment, we learned the value of following a proven business system rather than starting on our own. I call having a proven business system a business "recipe" because success in business is similar to success in the kitchen - if you have a good recipe then your chances for success are better.

As business brokers, we found a successful business system that had a 23 year proven track record. We took our savings, all of it, and we bought their system and opened our business in upper east Tennessee - a carpet and upholstery cleaning business!

Something neither of us ever thought we'd be doing after graduation, but there we were - in the carpet cleaning business!

Over the next six years, we expanded to six locations in four states with 85 employees. We were rolling and success was ours, finally.

However, our success was a mixed blessing - we had strong financial rewards but it also involved many headaches and a lot of overhead expenses that are typically associated with traditional business ownership. In our sixth year we had burned out and we felt trapped at a higher level.

We took six months off and told our store managers they were on their own. We had lost the desire to work and even though our income was good, we were scared because we had lost the edge to go on. Six months turned into nine months.

We travelled, we played golf, we spent time on our boat on the beautiful lakes here in east Tennessee, and we hung out with friends during this time. But we mainly just recuperated at home wondering whether we'd ever get our edge back.

In 1995, through Kurt's brother and his wife, we met a team of people who had what we wanted - income AND the time to enjoy it.

We were introduced to the world of network marketing and nothing I've seen since compares. I agree with Robert Kiyosaki when he called network marketing the "perfect business".

There is no better place to get an education while building relationships with people and a residual income.

It has it's bad side, too. Because it's so ripe with potential, it's also a rich harbor for those who take advantage of people. It represents life in that with great opportunity often comes great risk.

As we did our research we found plenty of reasons why we thought this couldn't work for us. A big concern was that some people told us that a network marketing business couldn't be successful. We wondered if perhaps they knew something we didn't.

As we researched it, we found those who had been successful and those who hadn't. We knew that if some had done it that we could, too. All we had to do was hookup with those who had the fruit on the tree.

One thing we'd learned the hard way over the years about building businesses was that if you do what the successful people have done, you'll have what they have. We decided to be teachable and follow the recipe.

That turned out to be a mixed blessing. Some of that was good and other parts weren't, but that a long story that will rest for another day.

In my experience, the good far outweighs the bad, but one must be educated. That education always precedes success, and there are two ways to get it - the hard way and the easy way.

A good mentor is a better path than the hard way where you learn on your own. Unfortunately, most of us take the hard path and learn it on our own.

Long story short, I have been self-employed for over 30 years now and I love living the job free life. There's nothing quite like having the freedom to choose what you do, when you do it and who you do it with.

In America, that is an option open to everyone, and for that, I am so thankful. Personal and financial freedom is spreading around the world and I believe that network marketing is playing a major role in helping others enjoy that freedom.

Looking back, it's scary to think that we almost let our friends scare us away from it. How crazy it would have been to have taken financial advice from people who were in debt and working a job!

The sad thing is, I see people make that mistake everyday. I guess peer pressure and worry about what others might think of you have a powerful influence over us. As you grow up and mature, you realize how childish that is, but at the time it's the natural thing to do. Just follow everyone else because it's comfortable, I guess.

Today, I'm part of a team that has taken the road less travelled and I can only tell you, it's been great. I've never regretted my decision to start my own business.

I have learned to listen more and talk less. I also have learned that a good network marketer does not sell or try to convince. Successful networkers explain and teach by example.

There is nothing quite like the freedom from a boss and a job, but it's not for some people. It takes self-discipline and work. It's a great feeling knowing that the best is yet to come.

All the best to you and yours,

Kurt & Martha Gross
"Leading The Way To Health, Wealth and Wisdom"

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My Business Opportunity