Wednesday, January 28, 2009

 

EcoQuest Business Owner Perspectives

How is it that when all EcoQuest Business Owners have the same access to support and products, some succeed and others don't? It's all in how you think, says Jodi Ouellette.
"The mechanics and tools we have in this company are the same," says the Coordinating Manager from Champion, Mich. "We have access to all the same products, tools, training, leadership, and materials - so what's the difference between a successful person and an unsuccessful person in our business? It's what they're thinking about."

Jodi and her husband Mark joined EcoQuest in 2001 after Jodi responded to Dr. Mayra Llado's Internet ad. "We were closing our startup business when I found EcoQuest - literally," says Jodi. The Ouelettes were sitting in an attorney's office signing the papers to close their manufacturing enterprise when the e-mail came through. "It was the greatest blessing ever, although it was at a devastating time."

At Dr. Llado's request, Jodi took a look at the technology and a lead-based, Internet system for sales and recruiting. She fell in love with both. "Once I made the decision that this business was it, we were going to run with it. There was no Plan B."

Run with it, they did. "I really liked that I could operate completely from home. I loved the idea of doing a lot of business over the phone and on the Internet."

But several months into her business, Jodi started spinning her wheels, she says. "We were doing okay, but I was not getting the results I wanted. I started asking key questions. What are successful people doing that I'm not doing?"

For Jodi, it all boiled down to personal development. "The only thing I wasn't doing was a daily focus on personal growth, feeding my brain," she says. "As soon as I started getting my thinking, my mindset, and my psychology in the right place - and doing it daily - everything else came together."

Now each day starts with exercise and some form of personal development, says Jodi. "I believe that 98 percent of a person's success is literally due to the way they think. We have a system that teaches all the how-to's. To that we add a focus on teaching personal growth. This business was my first introduction to that. I didn't quite get it initially."

Once she "got it," Jodi was able to quit her day job in hotel management, marketing, and sales after six months. Although Mark lost his job in 2003, the EcoQuest business was doing so well that he was able to become a stay-at-home dad. He also works the EcoQuest business with Jodi. The couple has two children, Landon, 6, and Trenton, born in August 2008.

Within their organization, Jodi and Mark conduct three personal development calls a week. "Some people will participate in those calls or maybe show up once a week to a call and consider that their growth for the week," says Jodi. "If you don't participate in personal growth daily and start your day getting your mind straight from the beginning, you're doing yourself and your business a huge disservice. I usually tell people that if they don't take the time to grow themselves, they're wasting their time with everything else."

Developing good business relationships is a must for the Ouellettes, who started a BNI chapter in their area three years ago. "I get great business contacts through that organization." The couple has found that building great business relationships also builds great friendships. "If you invest the time and energy into people, you make lifelong friends," Jodi says.

Another strategy is team calls. During all their calls, the Oullettes make a point of recognizing the good work of their team members. They share testimonies, ideas, and successes with each other. "We are a volunteer army. Every person is there by choice. We commend people when they take their business seriously. We are always on the lookout for people who are doing things right."

This is an important aspect of team building, says Jodi, because "we can do a lot of action and get nowhere because we lack confidence. Unfortunately, a lot of people go through an entire career lifetime without recognition."Recognition breeds confidence, and confidence breeds success.

When we believe in ourselves and know that what we have is the best in the world, success will follow, says Jodi. "We've got to make a commitment to our business. We can't just play business and do it casually. If we want to turn this into a very successful business, we need to strive for excellence in everything we do everyday."

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