February 1, 2024 • 28 mins
In this enlightening episode of the Beach Money Podcast, host Jim Klauck interviews the celebrated network marketer and author Donna Johnson. Donna shares her inspiring 45-year journey in the network marketing industry, beginning from her teenage years. Growing up in Wisconsin, balancing competitive swimming with her burgeoning business passion, she recounts the joys, trials, and successes she encountered along the way.
Despite coming from a blue-collar background and having no college education, Donna discovered that network marketing offered an liberating and flexible career path. She canvasses the challenges she faced, including skepticism and doubts, also highlighting her triumphs, proving to herself and others the potential and power of network marketing. She discusses her husband's success in the industry and her role as the head of an ethics and standards committee in a professional non-profit organization.
Authenticity and integrity play a crucial role in the network marketing profession according to Donna. She believes that true influence comes with solid character and relevant content. Donna also discusses the prevalent misconceptions concerning young people's ambition to be influencers.
Donna emphasizes that success is about more than just money, but is also about serving others and helping them to attain their life goals. She reinforces the idea of perpetual learning, encouraging others to cherish the wisdom that comes with age and experience. Donna ends by sharing valuable advice for aspiring network marketers, encouraging them to trust their instincts and prepare to work hard outside their comfort zone.
This episode concludes with a discussion about her book, where she tackles her experience with spiritual mentorship in her journey as an entrepreneur. Donna's message is one of courage and faith, inspiring listeners to take that first step towards fulfilling their dreams, regardless of fear or apprehension.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
Welcome to the Beach Money Podcast. My name is Jim Klauck. I am the host for
my good friend, Jordan Adler.
He introduces me to great people like Donna Johnson. Hey, Donna, how are you?
Hey, Jim. Good to see you. Any friend of Jordan is a friend of mine.
It's what everybody says when they come on the
program and i totally agree you are
(00:22):
very accomplished you're an author you're a
networker soon to be a podcaster uh and you also uh chair the ethics and anmp
so tell us a little bit about your background how long you've been in network marketing,
(00:43):
which is a very long time, and how you help people.
You never ask a woman her age, but then you ask how old her children are or
how long she's been in a business.
I have been in network marketing over 45 years. I did start as a teenager, so that is true.
Just a lot like Jordan. I just grew up north of Jordan. He was in Chicago.
(01:06):
I I grew up in a few miles or a few hours away in Wisconsin,
blue collar family, didn't go to college.
I was a competitive swimmer and excelled nationally.
And, you know, whatever I did, I just played it full out.
And I remember my, I actually share in my book, my mentor walks on water.
(01:30):
I tell the story about how my high school guidance counselor told me that I
would be a great secretary.
And, um, what a compliment and disclaimer, not that there's anything wrong with secretaries.
I just, uh, I didn't see myself being in a cubicle.
And, and so when I was introduced to this profession as a teenager,
(01:53):
I jumped in like, Whoa, no, you know, I can work when I want.
I can, uh, you know, advance when I want.
I just absolutely loved it and just no looking back, but it's fun because after
I became successful, uh, I was go, I was able to go back, um,
and meet with my high school guidance counselor and just kind of knock the socks
(02:17):
off of them. I know Jordan has a lot of those stories too.
Um, but I, uh, I love this business and, um.
My husband is also a top earner in network marketing in a Swedish company.
In fact, Jordan was our best man in our wedding 10 years ago.
(02:38):
And that kind of blows people's mind. Like you guys are all in the same profession
and you're married and friendships.
And it's like, yeah, when you build your business with integrity,
which is to me, that's why why I said yes to sharing the ethics and standards
committee of our nonprofit.
(03:00):
Professions organization. To me, that is so important because guess what?
There's no U-Haul at the end of a hearse.
And so I, I, that is really what God has called me a message.
And so I'm just grateful to have an audience to share it with.
(03:22):
Sure. I can tell it's not all about the money for you. It's about serving others
and helping them live their beach money life.
Yes, the beach money life. And that is so funny because the beach is one of
my favorite places to be.
I'm a swimmer. I'm a scuba diver, a snorkeler. And, you know, I'm not a free.
(03:42):
And, uh, I would love to just live on the beach, but that, I mean,
I have that lifestyle that I can, when I want, I think that's, what's most important.
Um, but when you love what you do, I know this is kind of cliche.
You never work a day in your life, but I, um, I don't like structure.
(04:05):
I don't like work times and vacation times and not that there's anything wrong with that.
But if you're like that, it just means that you're more, you're more wired to be an entrepreneur.
Now it is not easy. It is not get rich quick.
Don't let anybody tell you that you have to work hard, but I've always had a
(04:26):
great work ethic and, uh, asked my husband when, when when we first met,
like, I'm a to-do list person.
I do what I say, I get things done. And after a while he would go.
You really do. And I go, well, doesn't everybody like, no, not everybody does that.
So, um, it was what I wanted. I love this life and I love the beach.
(04:51):
I love serving. I don't think I could just go sit on a beach under a palm tree with the margarita.
You know, I, I, I enjoy that, but I need, I need to be serving. And it's interesting.
We were talking earlier, Jim, um, the word retirement was not invented until the 1930s.
You will not find any reference at all in scripture to retirement because as we age and gain wisdom,
(05:24):
we actually are more valuable in society and the world has it kind of a little backwards.
Once you start getting wrinkles, you are not not the influencer anymore.
And that just is not scriptural and it's not life.
I have 29-year-old twin daughters that are going to be 30 in a couple of weeks.
(05:48):
And I was visiting them in Asheville, North Carolina, they're herbalists.
And I love having conversations with them and sharing my wisdom,
not in a mama told you way, but just life's wisdom. And I'll say to on once in a while.
Why did it take me so long to learn all these things? But that's life's journey.
(06:09):
And so I just believe we become more valuable as we have our life experiences.
I totally agree. Like you, I'm an author and I'm working on a new book.
And it's in my head right now. It hasn't been put on paper yet. But,
(06:30):
It's really talks to what you just spoke about.
And the name of the book, I believe, is going to be called Do Over.
And I'm I'll be 58 in May.
So I've I've been on Earth for what, almost six decades.
So I've I've got some maturity behind me and certainly a lot of knowledge and
(06:55):
experience. experience.
And my children are 20 and 22.
So they're younger. And so what the book is going to be about is if I were 25
years old again, with what I know today, and we've all wanted to write this book, right?
Like, cause we see young people and we're like, oh my gosh, stop.
(07:15):
You know, I didn't know it either, but I know it. Can I just put this in my
brain into yours? And it's not that that simple.
But I want to write this book because there are so many things I've learned,
like you have over time that could really help people throughout their lives.
And no one taught me this stuff. And a lot of it actually is recent.
(07:36):
Some of the stuff is things we've learned about our mental and physical health
and diet and relationships.
And these things aren't taught in school. They don't teach personal finance.
They don't teach anything in school.
It's the The same old stuff my father learned, I learned, and my kid learned, which is wild.
And so I'm on board. You're learning every single day. Yeah,
(07:58):
yeah. And I'm on board with you.
And I love serving others as well. And it's really fun being at this stage of
my life because things are actually a lot easier.
I see young people struggle. I'm like, not that difficult. But I guess it is
when you're that young. So I totally agree with you.
We care less about what other people think and we care more about what God thinks
(08:23):
in our integrity, do the right thing in the right way for the right reason,
you know, having boundaries, saying no to things that don't serve you.
I mean, these things get easier as we get older and it gives us more time because
we're only given so much time.
And if we're just running in a rat race in the cheese, you know, we can't enjoy it.
(08:47):
And so I think that is one of the benefits of aging is just that wisdom of choosing
your priorities well and living your life by design.
And like you said, growing and learning something. I learned something new every single day.
And these young kids, there's so much opportunity.
(09:12):
It's so neat to see them so hungry. But at the same time, they're experiencing
a firehose of exposure and content.
And I just finished before we got on, I do a book club and we were just reviewing
chapter 11 in my book called Community Influencers.
(09:35):
And I tell the story, a lot of people don't know this, that because TikTok originated in China.
And they give Chinese teenagers the salad version of TikTok.
They give the rest of the world the crap.
And so they interviewed, this was a study, they interviewed teenagers, 14-year-olds in China.
(10:00):
They want to be astronauts and scientists when they grow up.
When I say the salad version, They get like science experiments and things like that.
So then they ask the average 14 year old in America what they want to do when
they grow up and they want to be an influencer.
And so they they think that just, you know, fame on TikTok, the blue check is
(10:23):
is automatic influence.
And you and I both know that influence comes, you know, that might get you in
the room, but your character and content is what's going to keep you in the room. And it's earned.
Generally, you have to have done something that earns you to be an influencer,
(10:44):
to be an authority in that space.
And I talk about that all the time because my clients...
I help them on video and on podcasts to be able to demonstrate their authority
and their credibility and to hopefully be an influencer in their space.
So I was thinking about when you were saying a few moments ago about work and retirement.
(11:08):
I don't know about you, but I work every day, but I also play every day.
And that's not true of most people. Most people have a job. if they're a W-2
income earner, they have a job Monday through Friday, generally.
They could have a job on the weekends and so forth. And they get a paycheck
and then they get their time off and they're excited.
Oh, I get my time off. I get my Saturday and Sunday off and I get 10 paid days off a year.
(11:34):
Are you like me? Do you do a little bit of what we consider work every day,
which I I love to do, but also play every day?
I don't know anything different. I really don't.
Um, I probably put as many hours into my business as any executive,
but it doesn't feel like it because it's, uh,
(11:55):
it's in these little time blocks that I have and I prioritize, um,
the, the, like you said, the play time and the private time and things like that.
So it's, um, and then And then I know when I'm overdoing it as well.
And I don't have to go to a boss and say, ooh, I need to lighten up my schedule the next couple of days.
(12:17):
So I love that. I like to tell people I'm completely unemployable.
Yeah, well, I agree with you. So I started off in the corporate world.
And at 36, I basically laid myself off, I tell people.
I literally left cold turkey with a two-year-old son done.
(12:39):
Pregnant wife living the dream lifestyle, right?
We had the six bedroom house, a pool, a tennis court, a BMW in the driveway.
I'm in my mid thirties and I come home one day and I tell my wife,
I don't like the corporate world.
My dad was in the corporate world, so I just followed daddy.
I decided it wasn't for me. Cold turkey just left them.
(13:03):
They didn't leave me and moved to an an entirely different state and started
over, like I said, with a young wife, a two-year-old, and she was pregnant with our daughter.
And a lot of people- Now that's courage. That is water walker courage.
And it's interesting because a lot of people say, I couldn't do that.
I'm like, it's not that bad.
(13:24):
It's not like I cut my arm off, but a lot of people just don't know how to do that.
I know in your business, a lot of people will keep their W-2 job and get involved
in network work marketing.
What I wanted to do though, and I'm not in that work marketing,
I started my own businesses, but what I wanted to do is I didn't want to have that lifeline back.
(13:44):
I wanted to hang out there, burn my ships, if you will. There was no going back when I quit that job.
Now it's possible because I was in my thirties, I could have gotten another
job, but I didn't plan to.
And so what are your thoughts, Donna, on that where someone says,
says, well, I'll start a business, but I want to keep my full-time job versus, you know what?
(14:08):
I'm going for broke, cold turkey. I'm going in this deep. You find there's a
difference in the mentality and the outcome?
You know, it really, each person is different. And I always tell people your
tug, your tug is the ultimate guide. It's Holy Spirit.
And you may have a tug like you did, gym to just, we're doing it and it,
(14:31):
and it worked for you. And that is so cool.
You know, in my book, I talk about 11 people sat in the boat in fear and one
got up and walked on water. And that's what you did. You're a water walker.
There's other times where your tug is like, um,
okay, what makes sense for me is to, um, have, uh, maybe it's a part-time job
(14:55):
or something that That gives them enough time to develop their entrepreneurial business.
And then they've got both. But when people do that, I always caution them to share.
So for instance, in my business, let's say someone is a nurse.
But they plan on once they've scaled their business and are creating some consistent
(15:17):
success, I'll share with people,
you will know when it's the right time if that's what you want to do.
I have a leader in my business that's an OBGYN doctor, and she has incredible
freedom and flexibility because of her income in our business.
So she only delivers a couple of babies a week, a month. She coaches doctors on certain things.
(15:42):
And so your success, when you decide not to be a W-2 person,
gives you options to stay with what you were doing or scale back or leave completely.
And each person will know what's right for them. Um, and, but I caution people
(16:05):
to say, um, I'm a nurse by trade, but I'm, I'm building my business for X, Y, Z.
And because oftentimes, uh, that people won't share that what they're doing
because they haven't been successful yet.
Okay. And that's backwards.
So let me give you an example. Do we all know someone who went to LA to build
(16:30):
their dream and be an actress, right? Or an actor, right? Yeah.
But they have their, their waitresses, they're doing other things.
When you talk to them and meet with them and you ask what they do,
they don't say, oh, I'm a waitress here.
They say, I'm chasing my dream.
I'm going to make it in the, um.
(16:51):
Acting world. I'm just doing this to put food on the table, see the difference.
Um, and so I, you know, and again, what are the success ratios just because
you want to be successful in something doesn't mean it automatically happens,
but that doesn't mean that that should dismiss you from trying.
(17:13):
And the world wants people reeled in.
Oh, you shouldn't follow your dream. Okay. Okay. okay, I have to, it's like this.
Have you, in the Northeast when they're harvesting crabs, they don't have to,
they don't need a lid on the crates because when the crabs are crawling out,
(17:34):
the other crabs pull them back.
And that's sometimes how our society is.
Jim, I'm sure you faced this in your 30s when you just decided corporate world was not right for you.
I bet you had everyone around you going, going what what are
you talking about part of it is they're
not taking that leap of faith that
(17:56):
stepping out of the boat to walk on water they're they're
in their little comfort zone and they don't want anyone else stepping out of
their comfort zone to make them think about maybe where they're at and that's
those crabs pulling people back i agree with that uh along the same same lines.
(18:16):
Over the past 100 plus years, and you talked about retirement wasn't a thing,
we've changed the way we live.
And in our culture today, especially, we're supposed to graduate from high school.
College is a good bet now because anyone can go because money's available And
(18:38):
so many more people are going.
So go to college, get a job, and retire at 65 or 67, maybe 70 today.
And then go on that Alaskan cruise when you retire instead of when you're 40 or 50 or 30.
I've traveled the world. My kids have traveled the world. I do whatever I want
(19:01):
to do for myself and my wife and my children.
And everything else is on the other side.
It's like I reversed engineered it. So when you go to a party,
people will say, tell me about yourself.
I'm a doctor. I'm a lawyer. I'm a VP. I'm a president. I'm a CEO.
I tell people that I'm a husband and a father. They're like, well, of course you are.
(19:25):
Well, yeah, but isn't that the first priority or at least close to the top?
And so people identify themselves with these titles and jobs.
And a lot of people, including lending institutions, banks, will look at your
job as more secure than your business.
(19:46):
So if you just started in business, you probably know this, banks don't want
to necessarily give you a loan.
But if you just started a job and you're like two, three months into it,
they might give you a mortgage or a car loan.
They'll give your employee Employee that mortgage or car loan,
but you as the business owner, personally, they won't because you're a risk.
And I find that very interesting since my employee is below me and they're probably
(20:09):
going to end up leaving the organization before me if something did happen.
And we have that stacked against us as entrepreneurs.
And that's why it demonstrates courage when people like you and I go out on
those skinny branches and do what the world tells us not to do.
(20:29):
It's true. And so going back in time, there were no W-2 employees.
Everybody was entrepreneurial. You shoed a horse or you worked at the sawmill.
And that was just a couple hundred years ago. And you go back further,
then we all had our own plants, if you will.
We all had our own piece of land and we worked it and we churned the butter
and we worked the plow with the horses and we sowed the seeds and so forth.
(20:54):
And and um and and but people had no choice and they knew nothing else they
didn't know any better they just had to because they were literally surviving
today there are a lot of choices,
but what i love about talking about this subject with you Donna is that we have
a lot in common and you and i are very entrepreneurial and i like to get across
(21:16):
to the people who are listening and watching this,
that if you are in a typical job,
a W-2 type job, and you want to do something on your own, you can.
Donna's done it. I've done it. Now, Donna came from a different world.
She always was kind of in it from the time she was young.
I actually left it. So I escaped from prison, I tell people,
(21:37):
because it was my prison and it wasn't all that bad.
They treated me well. They They paid me well. It was pretty cushy.
I just didn't have any passion for it.
And I'm like, I'm going to get out of this thing. And I also knew that by my
early 50s, I'd be discharged anyway, because that's just what happens when you make good money.
It just happens. It's almost...
(22:00):
A law. You can almost guarantee it. And I saw it happen to my father.
It happened to my brother, who's actually younger than me, but I saw it coming
in my thirties. I'm like, this isn't even safe.
It's really not. And it's not what I want to do.
Right. Wow. So true.
Yeah. Donna, thank you so much. We could talk on and on.
(22:22):
Before we go though, a little bit more about your book.
And by the way, everybody, I'm going to have a link in the description of this
podcast to get Donna's book. Talk about it.
Yeah. I just encourage you to kind of put your blinders on, stop comparing yourself
to other people. You know, comparison is a punk.
My friend likes to say she's got teenagers and I'm like, where'd that come from? She goes, my teenager.
(22:45):
And really, you know, take it to the Lord in prayer.
That's what I believe because he knows He knows us so well.
He made us, he created us and, um, and do what you know is right.
And, and when you have that conviction, like you did in your thirties,
like, like I did, um, don't let other people steal your dream.
(23:10):
Uh, don't, you know, and, and just believe and then express that because the
power of your words, uh, it is a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Um, yes, I am. Yes, I can. And, uh, I will, and, and I will until,
and I know that sounds, you know, cheesy, whatever, but I know Jordan practices that with, um, belief.
(23:35):
It's so, so important. If you think you can or you can't, you are absolutely
right. You're right. Yeah. Yeah. Henry Ford.
Um, yes, absolutely correct.
You know, it's, it's, it's in your mind. Also something else for everybody. buddy.
Spend time with people you will want to be like, people who can encourage you.
(24:01):
So as Donna said, many people will be pulling you back into the box.
You need to spend time with individuals who are out there who've done it.
And there's just a lot of organizations. I do like network marketing because
it's full of entrepreneurial people, especially the very successful ones who
(24:24):
are making a good living and helping others.
Those are the ones you want to actually spend time with and see if you can get
15, 20, 30 minutes with them and ask them what they did to do it and why you should do it.
And that's a whole nother subject. That's called your inner circle.
And I talk about it in my book, My Mentor Walks on Water, spirit-led mentorship
(24:48):
in every area of your life.
Mark Victor Hansen wrote the endorsement and others.
And your inner circle is so important because it's proven that you are like
the people in your inner circle.
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. If you want to be a criminal, spend time with criminals.
(25:10):
You go down the list. Ask any teenager, right? That's right.
Who are you spending time with? I don't like that person. Exactly.
And it's important and it's very difficult. One more last thing I want to say,
and I know this is difficult for people.
People. Associates, friends, and even family members sometimes have to be cut out of your life.
(25:32):
And it's hard to say that when you say family members, but they can hold you back.
They can even actually kill you, really, like literally, like slowly kill you.
And it's important to be around positive people who believe in what you believe and are moving forward.
And unfortunately, Unfortunately, there are so many people in our society today
(25:55):
that aren't just going nowhere, they're going backwards.
And they're a drain on their families, on society.
And I really hate to say it, but it is really true. And I'm not pointing my
finger at anyone specifically.
And we aren't the same country we were 100 years ago. We were really all driving forward as a team.
(26:15):
And a lot of that has stopped over the past few decades. And I'm a little concerned
about where we're going, but don't worry, there's lots of great people out there
like Donna who can help you.
So you're talking about access, you know, people will be on the outer circle
of your inner circle access.
Some of those people that are toxic in your life, you still love them.
(26:36):
There may be on the outer circle, but at the same time in the arena,
we have to use our voice and speak up because what's happening is there's such
a great divide that people are only speaking in their echo chambers.
And, um, we have to have more conversations because I believe as humans,
(26:58):
we are more alike and more connected if we would listen to each other,
but we're divided on purpose.
And I truly believe if we can bridge those gaps and have conversations, you know, um,
the month of love February, uh, we need to exercise that all the time,
extending love, love and graciousness in everything that we do and all the encounters that we have.
(27:24):
Even when people, have you ever been on a plane or something and people just
give you the evil eye, like, you know, our human instinct is just, you know, give it back.
But I just smile at them, you know, and how can I pray with you today?
And like, just blow me away.
Yeah. And it's very disarming. Yeah.
(27:46):
And it can be disarming. It could also be very upsetting to them and they snap
back even more because they really get upset with you. Some of them.
I'm not responsible for how they react. I totally agree.
All right. On that note, we must say goodbye. Thanks, Donna. I really appreciate it.
Really enjoyed this, Tim. Thank you. Thank you.
Welcome to the Beach Money Podcast. My name is Jim Klauck. I am the host for
my good friend, Jordan Adler.
He introduces me to great people like Donna Johnson. Hey, Donna, how are you?
Hey, Jim. Good to see you. Any friend of Jordan is a friend of mine.
It's what everybody says when they come on the
program and i totally agree you are
(00:22):
very accomplished you're an author you're a
networker soon to be a podcaster uh and you also uh chair the ethics and anmp
so tell us a little bit about your background how long you've been in network marketing,
(00:43):
which is a very long time, and how you help people.
You never ask a woman her age, but then you ask how old her children are or
how long she's been in a business.
I have been in network marketing over 45 years. I did start as a teenager, so that is true.
Just a lot like Jordan. I just grew up north of Jordan. He was in Chicago.
(01:06):
I I grew up in a few miles or a few hours away in Wisconsin,
blue collar family, didn't go to college.
I was a competitive swimmer and excelled nationally.
And, you know, whatever I did, I just played it full out.
And I remember my, I actually share in my book, my mentor walks on water.
(01:30):
I tell the story about how my high school guidance counselor told me that I
would be a great secretary.
And, um, what a compliment and disclaimer, not that there's anything wrong with secretaries.
I just, uh, I didn't see myself being in a cubicle.
And, and so when I was introduced to this profession as a teenager,
(01:53):
I jumped in like, Whoa, no, you know, I can work when I want.
I can, uh, you know, advance when I want.
I just absolutely loved it and just no looking back, but it's fun because after
I became successful, uh, I was go, I was able to go back, um,
and meet with my high school guidance counselor and just kind of knock the socks
(02:17):
off of them. I know Jordan has a lot of those stories too.
Um, but I, uh, I love this business and, um.
My husband is also a top earner in network marketing in a Swedish company.
In fact, Jordan was our best man in our wedding 10 years ago.
(02:38):
And that kind of blows people's mind. Like you guys are all in the same profession
and you're married and friendships.
And it's like, yeah, when you build your business with integrity,
which is to me, that's why why I said yes to sharing the ethics and standards
committee of our nonprofit.
(03:00):
Professions organization. To me, that is so important because guess what?
There's no U-Haul at the end of a hearse.
And so I, I, that is really what God has called me a message.
And so I'm just grateful to have an audience to share it with.
(03:22):
Sure. I can tell it's not all about the money for you. It's about serving others
and helping them live their beach money life.
Yes, the beach money life. And that is so funny because the beach is one of
my favorite places to be.
I'm a swimmer. I'm a scuba diver, a snorkeler. And, you know, I'm not a free.
(03:42):
And, uh, I would love to just live on the beach, but that, I mean,
I have that lifestyle that I can, when I want, I think that's, what's most important.
Um, but when you love what you do, I know this is kind of cliche.
You never work a day in your life, but I, um, I don't like structure.
(04:05):
I don't like work times and vacation times and not that there's anything wrong with that.
But if you're like that, it just means that you're more, you're more wired to be an entrepreneur.
Now it is not easy. It is not get rich quick.
Don't let anybody tell you that you have to work hard, but I've always had a
(04:26):
great work ethic and, uh, asked my husband when, when when we first met,
like, I'm a to-do list person.
I do what I say, I get things done. And after a while he would go.
You really do. And I go, well, doesn't everybody like, no, not everybody does that.
So, um, it was what I wanted. I love this life and I love the beach.
(04:51):
I love serving. I don't think I could just go sit on a beach under a palm tree with the margarita.
You know, I, I, I enjoy that, but I need, I need to be serving. And it's interesting.
We were talking earlier, Jim, um, the word retirement was not invented until the 1930s.
You will not find any reference at all in scripture to retirement because as we age and gain wisdom,
(05:24):
we actually are more valuable in society and the world has it kind of a little backwards.
Once you start getting wrinkles, you are not not the influencer anymore.
And that just is not scriptural and it's not life.
I have 29-year-old twin daughters that are going to be 30 in a couple of weeks.
(05:48):
And I was visiting them in Asheville, North Carolina, they're herbalists.
And I love having conversations with them and sharing my wisdom,
not in a mama told you way, but just life's wisdom. And I'll say to on once in a while.
Why did it take me so long to learn all these things? But that's life's journey.
(06:09):
And so I just believe we become more valuable as we have our life experiences.
I totally agree. Like you, I'm an author and I'm working on a new book.
And it's in my head right now. It hasn't been put on paper yet. But,
(06:30):
It's really talks to what you just spoke about.
And the name of the book, I believe, is going to be called Do Over.
And I'm I'll be 58 in May.
So I've I've been on Earth for what, almost six decades.
So I've I've got some maturity behind me and certainly a lot of knowledge and
(06:55):
experience. experience.
And my children are 20 and 22.
So they're younger. And so what the book is going to be about is if I were 25
years old again, with what I know today, and we've all wanted to write this book, right?
Like, cause we see young people and we're like, oh my gosh, stop.
(07:15):
You know, I didn't know it either, but I know it. Can I just put this in my
brain into yours? And it's not that that simple.
But I want to write this book because there are so many things I've learned,
like you have over time that could really help people throughout their lives.
And no one taught me this stuff. And a lot of it actually is recent.
(07:36):
Some of the stuff is things we've learned about our mental and physical health
and diet and relationships.
And these things aren't taught in school. They don't teach personal finance.
They don't teach anything in school.
It's the The same old stuff my father learned, I learned, and my kid learned, which is wild.
And so I'm on board. You're learning every single day. Yeah,
(07:58):
yeah. And I'm on board with you.
And I love serving others as well. And it's really fun being at this stage of
my life because things are actually a lot easier.
I see young people struggle. I'm like, not that difficult. But I guess it is
when you're that young. So I totally agree with you.
We care less about what other people think and we care more about what God thinks
(08:23):
in our integrity, do the right thing in the right way for the right reason,
you know, having boundaries, saying no to things that don't serve you.
I mean, these things get easier as we get older and it gives us more time because
we're only given so much time.
And if we're just running in a rat race in the cheese, you know, we can't enjoy it.
(08:47):
And so I think that is one of the benefits of aging is just that wisdom of choosing
your priorities well and living your life by design.
And like you said, growing and learning something. I learned something new every single day.
And these young kids, there's so much opportunity.
(09:12):
It's so neat to see them so hungry. But at the same time, they're experiencing
a firehose of exposure and content.
And I just finished before we got on, I do a book club and we were just reviewing
chapter 11 in my book called Community Influencers.
(09:35):
And I tell the story, a lot of people don't know this, that because TikTok originated in China.
And they give Chinese teenagers the salad version of TikTok.
They give the rest of the world the crap.
And so they interviewed, this was a study, they interviewed teenagers, 14-year-olds in China.
(10:00):
They want to be astronauts and scientists when they grow up.
When I say the salad version, They get like science experiments and things like that.
So then they ask the average 14 year old in America what they want to do when
they grow up and they want to be an influencer.
And so they they think that just, you know, fame on TikTok, the blue check is
(10:23):
is automatic influence.
And you and I both know that influence comes, you know, that might get you in
the room, but your character and content is what's going to keep you in the room. And it's earned.
Generally, you have to have done something that earns you to be an influencer,
(10:44):
to be an authority in that space.
And I talk about that all the time because my clients...
I help them on video and on podcasts to be able to demonstrate their authority
and their credibility and to hopefully be an influencer in their space.
So I was thinking about when you were saying a few moments ago about work and retirement.
(11:08):
I don't know about you, but I work every day, but I also play every day.
And that's not true of most people. Most people have a job. if they're a W-2
income earner, they have a job Monday through Friday, generally.
They could have a job on the weekends and so forth. And they get a paycheck
and then they get their time off and they're excited.
Oh, I get my time off. I get my Saturday and Sunday off and I get 10 paid days off a year.
(11:34):
Are you like me? Do you do a little bit of what we consider work every day,
which I I love to do, but also play every day?
I don't know anything different. I really don't.
Um, I probably put as many hours into my business as any executive,
but it doesn't feel like it because it's, uh,
(11:55):
it's in these little time blocks that I have and I prioritize, um,
the, the, like you said, the play time and the private time and things like that.
So it's, um, and then And then I know when I'm overdoing it as well.
And I don't have to go to a boss and say, ooh, I need to lighten up my schedule the next couple of days.
(12:17):
So I love that. I like to tell people I'm completely unemployable.
Yeah, well, I agree with you. So I started off in the corporate world.
And at 36, I basically laid myself off, I tell people.
I literally left cold turkey with a two-year-old son done.
(12:39):
Pregnant wife living the dream lifestyle, right?
We had the six bedroom house, a pool, a tennis court, a BMW in the driveway.
I'm in my mid thirties and I come home one day and I tell my wife,
I don't like the corporate world.
My dad was in the corporate world, so I just followed daddy.
I decided it wasn't for me. Cold turkey just left them.
(13:03):
They didn't leave me and moved to an an entirely different state and started
over, like I said, with a young wife, a two-year-old, and she was pregnant with our daughter.
And a lot of people- Now that's courage. That is water walker courage.
And it's interesting because a lot of people say, I couldn't do that.
I'm like, it's not that bad.
(13:24):
It's not like I cut my arm off, but a lot of people just don't know how to do that.
I know in your business, a lot of people will keep their W-2 job and get involved
in network work marketing.
What I wanted to do though, and I'm not in that work marketing,
I started my own businesses, but what I wanted to do is I didn't want to have that lifeline back.
(13:44):
I wanted to hang out there, burn my ships, if you will. There was no going back when I quit that job.
Now it's possible because I was in my thirties, I could have gotten another
job, but I didn't plan to.
And so what are your thoughts, Donna, on that where someone says,
says, well, I'll start a business, but I want to keep my full-time job versus, you know what?
(14:08):
I'm going for broke, cold turkey. I'm going in this deep. You find there's a
difference in the mentality and the outcome?
You know, it really, each person is different. And I always tell people your
tug, your tug is the ultimate guide. It's Holy Spirit.
And you may have a tug like you did, gym to just, we're doing it and it,
(14:31):
and it worked for you. And that is so cool.
You know, in my book, I talk about 11 people sat in the boat in fear and one
got up and walked on water. And that's what you did. You're a water walker.
There's other times where your tug is like, um,
okay, what makes sense for me is to, um, have, uh, maybe it's a part-time job
(14:55):
or something that That gives them enough time to develop their entrepreneurial business.
And then they've got both. But when people do that, I always caution them to share.
So for instance, in my business, let's say someone is a nurse.
But they plan on once they've scaled their business and are creating some consistent
(15:17):
success, I'll share with people,
you will know when it's the right time if that's what you want to do.
I have a leader in my business that's an OBGYN doctor, and she has incredible
freedom and flexibility because of her income in our business.
So she only delivers a couple of babies a week, a month. She coaches doctors on certain things.
(15:42):
And so your success, when you decide not to be a W-2 person,
gives you options to stay with what you were doing or scale back or leave completely.
And each person will know what's right for them. Um, and, but I caution people
(16:05):
to say, um, I'm a nurse by trade, but I'm, I'm building my business for X, Y, Z.
And because oftentimes, uh, that people won't share that what they're doing
because they haven't been successful yet.
Okay. And that's backwards.
So let me give you an example. Do we all know someone who went to LA to build
(16:30):
their dream and be an actress, right? Or an actor, right? Yeah.
But they have their, their waitresses, they're doing other things.
When you talk to them and meet with them and you ask what they do,
they don't say, oh, I'm a waitress here.
They say, I'm chasing my dream.
I'm going to make it in the, um.
(16:51):
Acting world. I'm just doing this to put food on the table, see the difference.
Um, and so I, you know, and again, what are the success ratios just because
you want to be successful in something doesn't mean it automatically happens,
but that doesn't mean that that should dismiss you from trying.
(17:13):
And the world wants people reeled in.
Oh, you shouldn't follow your dream. Okay. Okay. okay, I have to, it's like this.
Have you, in the Northeast when they're harvesting crabs, they don't have to,
they don't need a lid on the crates because when the crabs are crawling out,
(17:34):
the other crabs pull them back.
And that's sometimes how our society is.
Jim, I'm sure you faced this in your 30s when you just decided corporate world was not right for you.
I bet you had everyone around you going, going what what are
you talking about part of it is they're
not taking that leap of faith that
(17:56):
stepping out of the boat to walk on water they're they're
in their little comfort zone and they don't want anyone else stepping out of
their comfort zone to make them think about maybe where they're at and that's
those crabs pulling people back i agree with that uh along the same same lines.
(18:16):
Over the past 100 plus years, and you talked about retirement wasn't a thing,
we've changed the way we live.
And in our culture today, especially, we're supposed to graduate from high school.
College is a good bet now because anyone can go because money's available And
(18:38):
so many more people are going.
So go to college, get a job, and retire at 65 or 67, maybe 70 today.
And then go on that Alaskan cruise when you retire instead of when you're 40 or 50 or 30.
I've traveled the world. My kids have traveled the world. I do whatever I want
(19:01):
to do for myself and my wife and my children.
And everything else is on the other side.
It's like I reversed engineered it. So when you go to a party,
people will say, tell me about yourself.
I'm a doctor. I'm a lawyer. I'm a VP. I'm a president. I'm a CEO.
I tell people that I'm a husband and a father. They're like, well, of course you are.
(19:25):
Well, yeah, but isn't that the first priority or at least close to the top?
And so people identify themselves with these titles and jobs.
And a lot of people, including lending institutions, banks, will look at your
job as more secure than your business.
(19:46):
So if you just started in business, you probably know this, banks don't want
to necessarily give you a loan.
But if you just started a job and you're like two, three months into it,
they might give you a mortgage or a car loan.
They'll give your employee Employee that mortgage or car loan,
but you as the business owner, personally, they won't because you're a risk.
And I find that very interesting since my employee is below me and they're probably
(20:09):
going to end up leaving the organization before me if something did happen.
And we have that stacked against us as entrepreneurs.
And that's why it demonstrates courage when people like you and I go out on
those skinny branches and do what the world tells us not to do.
(20:29):
It's true. And so going back in time, there were no W-2 employees.
Everybody was entrepreneurial. You shoed a horse or you worked at the sawmill.
And that was just a couple hundred years ago. And you go back further,
then we all had our own plants, if you will.
We all had our own piece of land and we worked it and we churned the butter
and we worked the plow with the horses and we sowed the seeds and so forth.
(20:54):
And and um and and but people had no choice and they knew nothing else they
didn't know any better they just had to because they were literally surviving
today there are a lot of choices,
but what i love about talking about this subject with you Donna is that we have
a lot in common and you and i are very entrepreneurial and i like to get across
(21:16):
to the people who are listening and watching this,
that if you are in a typical job,
a W-2 type job, and you want to do something on your own, you can.
Donna's done it. I've done it. Now, Donna came from a different world.
She always was kind of in it from the time she was young.
I actually left it. So I escaped from prison, I tell people,
(21:37):
because it was my prison and it wasn't all that bad.
They treated me well. They They paid me well. It was pretty cushy.
I just didn't have any passion for it.
And I'm like, I'm going to get out of this thing. And I also knew that by my
early 50s, I'd be discharged anyway, because that's just what happens when you make good money.
It just happens. It's almost...
(22:00):
A law. You can almost guarantee it. And I saw it happen to my father.
It happened to my brother, who's actually younger than me, but I saw it coming
in my thirties. I'm like, this isn't even safe.
It's really not. And it's not what I want to do.
Right. Wow. So true.
Yeah. Donna, thank you so much. We could talk on and on.
(22:22):
Before we go though, a little bit more about your book.
And by the way, everybody, I'm going to have a link in the description of this
podcast to get Donna's book. Talk about it.
Yeah. I just encourage you to kind of put your blinders on, stop comparing yourself
to other people. You know, comparison is a punk.
My friend likes to say she's got teenagers and I'm like, where'd that come from? She goes, my teenager.
(22:45):
And really, you know, take it to the Lord in prayer.
That's what I believe because he knows He knows us so well.
He made us, he created us and, um, and do what you know is right.
And, and when you have that conviction, like you did in your thirties,
like, like I did, um, don't let other people steal your dream.
(23:10):
Uh, don't, you know, and, and just believe and then express that because the
power of your words, uh, it is a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Um, yes, I am. Yes, I can. And, uh, I will, and, and I will until,
and I know that sounds, you know, cheesy, whatever, but I know Jordan practices that with, um, belief.
(23:35):
It's so, so important. If you think you can or you can't, you are absolutely
right. You're right. Yeah. Yeah. Henry Ford.
Um, yes, absolutely correct.
You know, it's, it's, it's in your mind. Also something else for everybody. buddy.
Spend time with people you will want to be like, people who can encourage you.
(24:01):
So as Donna said, many people will be pulling you back into the box.
You need to spend time with individuals who are out there who've done it.
And there's just a lot of organizations. I do like network marketing because
it's full of entrepreneurial people, especially the very successful ones who
(24:24):
are making a good living and helping others.
Those are the ones you want to actually spend time with and see if you can get
15, 20, 30 minutes with them and ask them what they did to do it and why you should do it.
And that's a whole nother subject. That's called your inner circle.
And I talk about it in my book, My Mentor Walks on Water, spirit-led mentorship
(24:48):
in every area of your life.
Mark Victor Hansen wrote the endorsement and others.
And your inner circle is so important because it's proven that you are like
the people in your inner circle.
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. If you want to be a criminal, spend time with criminals.
(25:10):
You go down the list. Ask any teenager, right? That's right.
Who are you spending time with? I don't like that person. Exactly.
And it's important and it's very difficult. One more last thing I want to say,
and I know this is difficult for people.
People. Associates, friends, and even family members sometimes have to be cut out of your life.
(25:32):
And it's hard to say that when you say family members, but they can hold you back.
They can even actually kill you, really, like literally, like slowly kill you.
And it's important to be around positive people who believe in what you believe and are moving forward.
And unfortunately, Unfortunately, there are so many people in our society today
(25:55):
that aren't just going nowhere, they're going backwards.
And they're a drain on their families, on society.
And I really hate to say it, but it is really true. And I'm not pointing my
finger at anyone specifically.
And we aren't the same country we were 100 years ago. We were really all driving forward as a team.
(26:15):
And a lot of that has stopped over the past few decades. And I'm a little concerned
about where we're going, but don't worry, there's lots of great people out there
like Donna who can help you.
So you're talking about access, you know, people will be on the outer circle
of your inner circle access.
Some of those people that are toxic in your life, you still love them.
(26:36):
There may be on the outer circle, but at the same time in the arena,
we have to use our voice and speak up because what's happening is there's such
a great divide that people are only speaking in their echo chambers.
And, um, we have to have more conversations because I believe as humans,
(26:58):
we are more alike and more connected if we would listen to each other,
but we're divided on purpose.
And I truly believe if we can bridge those gaps and have conversations, you know, um,
the month of love February, uh, we need to exercise that all the time,
extending love, love and graciousness in everything that we do and all the encounters that we have.
(27:24):
Even when people, have you ever been on a plane or something and people just
give you the evil eye, like, you know, our human instinct is just, you know, give it back.
But I just smile at them, you know, and how can I pray with you today?
And like, just blow me away.
Yeah. And it's very disarming. Yeah.
(27:46):
And it can be disarming. It could also be very upsetting to them and they snap
back even more because they really get upset with you. Some of them.
I'm not responsible for how they react. I totally agree.
All right. On that note, we must say goodbye. Thanks, Donna. I really appreciate it.
Really enjoyed this, Tim. Thank you. Thank you.
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