I believe I'm qualified.

Rags to Riches - The John Haremza Story - 7 minutes

The guy behind the welding mask in that video is me. If I can do it, you can do it!

I'm going to tell you my story not to impress you but to impress upon you that if I can be successful in network marketing you can too. My story is one of those American rags to riches, from adversity and obscurity to a life of dreams.

Grade school and then high school were challenging to say the least. I had dyslexia back when no one knew what dyslexia was. My teachers, my coaches, my friends, my classmates and even my parents thought I was dumb, slow and stupid. The sad thing was I believed it too. To avoid being embarrassed I tried to be invisible. I had no self-esteem, no self-confidence, no self-image.

They all thought I did not try but I could not read no matter how hard I tried and believe me I tried. They pushed me through the grades and taught me basics such as reading signs and writing checks so I would not be a burden on society.

My first and only job at the Barrel of Fun potato chip plant in Perham, Minnesota was the best job I ever had. I started as a machine operator and rose to maintenance manager. Typically I worked a 10 hour day and I was on-call 24/7. I was earning $9.50 an hour. I had a beeper. I thought I had arrived.

My introduction to network marketing was typical. I was invited to a friend's house to check out something to do with water filters. I assumed he wanted me to evaluate the product or build a display. There was a breakdown at the plant so I arrived 2 hours late still wearing my work clothes and safety glasses. The two suits from Minneapolis were not impressed by this guy who arrived late smelling of potato chips. There were five of us there that night but I was the only one who got excited and wrote a postdated check for $480. I decided then and there that no matter what I was going to find the $5000 I needed to be a Direct Distributor.

The reception I got at home (a 12 by 72 Garland trailer) was not enthusiastic. We were going to be married that month and my fiancé was not happy. Everyone I knew from family to friends to employees at the plant, even management assumed I had lost my mind. I still remember sitting in the break room and having fellow workers tell me I would fail.

I remember saying "If I try and fail the worst that can happen is I have to come back and get a job like you have". I got my dad to co-sign a $5000 loan and jumped in with both feet.

How much did I know? Back then all I could see was buying water filters for $120 and selling them, door to door, for $179. I could not understand why you would want anybody else to know. I let my brother in but only because he agreed we would keep this to ourselves. I wanted to keep this a secret I did not want to create my own competition. As you can see I did not understand network marketing or the power of leverage.

It was not until I went to a meeting in Fargo and met Mike Nelson that I learned why you wanted to involve others. He taught me the power of leverage through selling the opportunity along with the products.

I still remember watching a guy walk across the stage in a dented baseball hat, wearing work boots with one pant leg tucked in who said he had earned $10,000 that month. That's when I said, "If he can do it, I can do it".

I share this with you to help you understand that I knew nothing back then. I had no self-confidence, no business experience, no knowledge of sales, no money and a high school education sort of. If I can do it you can do it. Throughout this website I hope to help you learn from my mistakes and the lessons I learned.

My first experience lasted 4 years and I earned $400,000 which back then was huge money. I learned the importance of timing and consumable products. I spent 12 years with my next company and I earned $4,000,000. Unfortunately the company was sold several times, merged and there were constant changes in management and compensation. I was selling a dream but living a nightmare. My belief was shattered.

For the last 8 years I've been the master distributor with my current company and I've earned over $7 million.

Why do so many of us make their money with our 2nd or 3rd company? Often we get excited and jump into our first company without understanding the power of the business. We don't know what to look for. We don't understand the elements of success. We don't go after the business the way we need to.

Has network marketing been a bed of roses? This business changed my life in ways that were beyond my wildest imagination but it has not been a bed of roses.

I know the 90/10 rule (90% of what you do is wasted, 10% will change your life beyond anything you ever imagined). No one knows what the 90% is or what the 10% is. Remember that when you get a set-back or disappointment.