Jon and Heather Demuth recently achieved Founders-Emerald status in the Amway business and wanted to tell us their personal story of success.
The first thing the Demuths wanted to say about their journey with the business was what they thought their lives would be like without it. “We would be living for the weekends and living paycheck to paycheck. We would be selling out to our boss’s dream and not living our own. Without this business we wouldn’t have the role models of true leadership that we have found here.”
Speaking further Heather and Jon commented on some of the struggles they see young people facing today and why the business may appeal to them. They see that many young people are graduating from college with unmanageable student loan debt and are not able to find good paying jobs, let alone a good paying job in their field. This, the Demuths believe, is part of the reason for increased millennial interest in entrepreneurship. “We see an incredible trend with the millennial generation getting excited about options besides just working a 40 year career and not being able to retire.”
Debt and concerns about careers and retirement is not unfamiliar to the Demuths, as they spoke about their journey with the organization they noted one of the best things that has happened to them along the way: “We were able to pay off $50,000 in debt and help others do the same,” emphasizing the mentorship spirit of the organization. They continued to explain, “We have developed true, life long mentorships, not just corporate relationships that last the length of a contract.”
When asked what made this business different than the typical “corporate contract” relationship they said, “It is unique because the leaders are actually walking the talk. They don’t speak about things that they haven’t already done. They are doing the things that they are teaching and mentoring people to do. They are continually sharpening their saw and improving their skill set so they know how to best mentor those who seek their help and guidance.” Millennials value highly individuality and especially authenticity, two important traits espoused by UR Association.
“It’s a principle centered leadership organization,” the Demuths continued, “No free handouts and no fake fronts. If you want to be a leader in the business you need to earn it.” They stressed that, “The leadership training is the best out there because it is taught by individuals who are living and breathing the standards at the highest level. It will allow you to change the way you think, if you change the way you think you will change your decisions, if you change your decisions you can change your life.”
Jon and Heather ended with some encouragement for those thinking about getting involved in the business: “Give it a shot, you have nothing to lose. Go in with an attitude that you will emerge yourself in the organization and be willing to grow.”