LIFE
The Impetus Behind the Life Business
There is something really right about a business that allows people to get started for a relatively small amount of money, work at their own pace, be their own boss, experience the responsibilities of business ownership in an actual business endeavor without huge downside risks, have the potential for high upsides, and get the tax advantages that come with business enterprise. These attributes (and others) are what originally attracted me to the profession of networking. However, as I experienced more and more of what goes on in certain parts of this industry, I quickly realized there were several things I hated about it!
I was not alone. Along with my friends Orrin Woodward, Tim Marks, Bill Lewis, George Guzzardo, Claude Hamilton, and Dan Hawkins, we founded the LIFE company in an attempt to build a business to not only be the model of what could be in this profession, but what should be, as well. In other words, we launched LIFE to fix what we didn’t like about the industry while preserving the parts we felt were right about it.
What the Life Business is Doing
Below is a list of my beefs with the industry, and what we are doing at LIFE to make it right.
1. No True Customer Focus – Our fix: at LIFE, we not only have a customer focus but a customer requirement. If a LIFE member does not develop at least 50PV in monthly customer flow after a brief apprenticeship period, he or she will not be paid any bonus on group volume. Also, we have the 3 for FREE customer acquisition program, in which any LIFE member, and even any customer, who gets three customers subscribing to the same or higher value package gets his/her products the next month for free! Also we have sales competitions with bonuses for the top finishers, as well as special bonus incentives on sales of particular products. We are also about to announce a sales bonus chart designed to give the smallest participants in the LIFE business a huge sales margin on products sold to help them begin earning more money sooner!
2. Gaudy Lifestyle Representations and Outrageous Income Claims – Our fix: in our business presentations we give only basic scenario-based income representations (as in, “if you build a business that looks like this, the way the pay plan works, it would result in X amount of pay for that month”), with the largest scenario depicting approximately $9,000 per month in income. (See our Compensation Plan brochure for this). We don’t show cheesy lifestyle pictures or videos, bikini-clad girls on yachts, or shiny bling to try and attract people to a false expectation. Our presentation focuses upon things such as obtaining more free time, better financial security, more focus upon family, travel, church and charity, etc. (We don’t go as far as talking about more time with in-laws, however!) Also, being a new company, we’ve just now completed our first full calendar year in business (year 2012), and therefore can now release an Income Disclosure Statement to inform prospective participants and properly manage their expectations (look for this in the coming weeks).
3. The Host Company Keeps Too Much of the Money – and as a result, the people in the field get to fight over the scraps. Our fix: our pay plan is currently putting approximately 70% of gross product volume (PV) into the field in the various forms of compensation. The company was not just founded by people who had come from the field, but from people who have determined to stay in the field.
4. High Sign Up Costs: We have heard of companies charging hundreds upon hundreds of dollars to join. Our fix: keep it low! Our recommended sign up cost, including sample products (three CDs, a hard cover book, a sticker, access to the LIFE business management website, and two tickets to a LIFE Live event) is just $89.99, in which the products are optional. Our goal is to keep it “less than the cost of a tank of gas!”
5. Poor Guarantees: some are confusing, very limited, or difficult to enact. Our fix: simple and straight forward, a 30 day no-questions-asked money back guarantee for all our products, including the sign up cost.
6. Trips for Top Performers: While there is nothing wrong with this, we wanted to do something a little different. Our fix: we put two very exciting trips into the compensation program for people with relatively early progress up the performance bonus chart. One is at the 6,000 pv per month level, the other is at the 15,000 pv per month level. Also, these are not business trips in disguise, but legitimate vacations. The recipient selects the trip of his/her choice from the list of available options, and takes the trip when he or she chooses. (See Incentive Trips for more information).
7. High Priced Products – our experience is that many networking companies charge super high prices for their products and then give some of this back to the field and claim that this is their “profit margin,” when in fact, the products are so overpriced no one could ever sell them for that price to begin with. Our fix: keep the prices low! For the type of informational products that LIFE specializes in producing, our competition is almost always 20 to 200% higher. For instance, our CDs sell for just $10, while most on the market in each of our “8F” categories (Faith, family, fitness, finances, friendship, freedom, following, and fun) can be found for sale from $12 to $67! Also, in our subscription packages that include books, we almost always sell the book in that month’s subscription for ten to twenty five percent below list price, as it is just rolled into a standard subscription price that doesn’t fluctuate based upon that months’ book price.
8. Inferior Products – what does this mean? It means that specific products that can easily be commoditized (produced by someone else at a cheaper price or better value, over time) stay in the company’s portfolio long after they are no longer competitive in the marketplace. This leaves those in the field leveraging their personal reputation to sell a product that is no longer the best on the market. Our fix: Informational products such as those LIFE produces cannot become commoditized because they are unique – meaning, by specific authors and speakers whose communication styles, delivery, humor, entertainment value, etc. are not duplicate-able. While the information can perhaps be mimicked by another, the brand cannot be copied.
9. Products that Don’t Matter: The other part about representing commodity products is that they really have no ability to make someone’s life better. Why spend your valuable time and energy working at something that doesn’t do any good? As my friend Tim Marks said, “I don’t want to waste my life selling tube socks and lawn chairs!” My favorite quote is attributed to D.L. Moody: “Our greatest fear should not be that we won’t succeed, but that we’ll succeed at something that doesn’t matter.” As for me, although it’s possible to make money selling commodities, I want what I do to count in the lives of people (and yes, I understand that we all need commodities to survive, but you get what I’m saying). I want to make a positive difference in the world. So our fix: sharing information such as LIFE produces has helped people get out of debt, repair broken relationships, grow personally, break addictions, grow spiritually, and, as the tag line says, “live the life they’ve always wanted.” To me, THAT’s something that matters.
But the Life Business Isn’t Perfect
Now don’t get me wrong. We don’t have the LIFE business perfected yet, as that would be impossible. But we are working daily to make it better and better, in an attempt to deliver exactly what people want and expect in an informational product company, and for a potential business enterprise for many. Also, while we believe that our products are for everybody, we DON’T think the business building aspect of LIFE is for everybody. It is only for those who are prepared to work hard, who are looking for something more in life than they can currently accomplish, who enjoy working with and helping other people, and who have a long-term vision and can stay the course.
Thanks for reading!
Sincerely,
LIFE and Leadership by Chris Brady 
Whoo hoo! On our way to 1 million leaders!
I love our life community, aside from god and my family its the best thing that’s ever happenned to me.
Thank you LIFE founders for blazing the trail to a better business (bidness) model to help others succeed!
Chris: many thanks to you and the test of the LIFE business leaders for creating such a great business opportunity!
I love being involved with a group of people that aren’t afraid to challenge industry norms to make things better. Thanks for leading!
wow, thanks Chris, and the whole LIFE Team for making this company and these informational products available to us to help us and help us help others daily to choose life…4 LIFE!!! God bless you and keep you going!
Incredibly well written and accurate!!
Hey Chris, it is quite rewarding in so many ways to be a part of the LIFE community. I can’t say it was one thing in particular that got me in business. There are too many things about it that just make sense in a world where I was just sick and tired! Tax breaks for one, I mean really who, wouldn’t want a few come tax season?! But applying the principles that I was learning through the material is what has kept me around and of course the community. So blessed to have the friends I do thanks to LIFE. The compensation plan is like no other in the entire industry. It is fair in that you are paid based on performance ! I have never been paid extra at any job for picking up other peoples slack or outworking anyone. Thank you and the policy council for nurturing the business and making it better as you go! I am happy to follow each and every one of you as you are certainly men and women of integrity!
FANTASTIC POST! Thanks Chris! Thank you Team PC!
Amen! I have always appreciated your knack for being straight forward and relateable at the same time.
I’m so very thankful to have fallen in with such a great community which together are changing not only our destinies, but also the destiny of the United States of America. Taking back the educational system from the credentialists is fundamental in this battle. Thanks for your continued efforts!
Thank you, Chris, for all you do in this business of LIFE!
Wow! Great write-up on LIFE! Thanks for putting this out there and for all the hard work you and the other policy council members do to make this such an exciting business to be a part of. It has totally changed our lives in such positive ways, I can’t thank you enough.
This is so true Chris! Thanks for putting the right words into my head. Only one problem: You could have wriiten them YESTERDAY since I would have stuttered less this noon in front of someone!
Thank you for writing this as I couldn’t agree more. I’ve been around Team since 2001 and I’m amazed at all the changes you and the rest of our PC have made in this industry. It blows me away at the opportunity available to all of our new people today. The best part is with our product should they choose to become a member or a customer their lives will be dramatically changed, I truly believe no other networking company can say that. Looking forward to joining you on a PC stage 🙂
Great break down! Thank you Chris! These are facts about the LIFE business that I feel but often have a hard time putting into word (with out putting down other companies) I appreciate you taking time to explain these great qualities of the LIFE business!! Thank you!
Thanks Chris for making this so clear and concise. I love this the Life business and become sad when others can’t see the uniqueness of how we are different. This will be perfect to send to future team mates as they become interested in the way we can help them have the ‘Life of their dreams”.
Thanks you for making it even easier to contribute to others.
glo
Thanks Chris! We get aksed questions on this topic all the time. 🙂
Absolutely true! Thank you Chris for clearly explaining how the Life business is the BEST opportunity available.
Reblogged this on Leadership to Freedom and commented:
I had heard many bad things about the networking industry – the scams, the pyramids, the high costs… And then LIFE came along and put all those fears to rest.
It has done to networking what McDonald’s did to franchising. It fixed it. Take a look at this awesome post by Chris Brady, Leadership Guru and best selling author of the book ‘Launching a Leadership Revolution’ and ‘Rascal: Making a Difference by Becoming an Orginal Character’
Great points Chris! These items are truly what seperates LIFE from anyone else. We are so proud to be part of an organization that continues to fix the broken parts of an industry and strive to do even more. We are very excited about what we have learned to this point and where we can go from here!
Fabulous post explaining how we are different! Thanks for all that you and the PC do to keep this the BEST opportunity available!
I’m gonna be sharing this one a lot. There is so much truth in this. I wasn’t convinced at first, but after a long period of time, trying to poke holes into it, I could find nothing that could stop me from succeeding except myself. The system has helped me get over a lot of that stuff!
Reblogged this on Robbyandemily's Blog and commented:
I remember when I thought “This Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady, and the Life Business are a fraud, a scam!” I was so lost, but now am found. I am so glad that I chose to jump in… Eventually. Because WOW! It has changed our life, and our income. And it does work, and here is why:
Thank u Chris for sacrificing many yrs to make it better for all of us in the fight for freedom. God bless u!!!!!
Pingback: What I (we) hate about networking | Dan Hawkins Leadership
I love this! There are so many reasons for why the LIFE business is the best. Thank you, Chris for laying it out there!
Wow those are some awesome facts!!
Thanks Chris
I agree with all you’ve stated above Chris. I also echo dittos to all the other comments posted. I love the fact that in addition to helping friends and family improve their lives, we are also restoring faith in the principles tought by our founding fathers and other great leaders like yourselves. I see a greater mission through Life. I see the Life business as one of the greatest influences of all time for correcting the course of this great country of ours. May we all continue to press forward spreading truth and educating people so that we can preserve and restore the freedoms we enjoy. May we go forth as a force for good preserving freedom and security for our posterity and may God bless us all through our efforts! Keep up the great work! Let’s all get out there and make money, have fun, and most of all make a difference!!!
Thanks you for sharing your past experiences in the networking field and improving on those experiences to help us grow our businesses and become free. Please continue the good fight and being a force for good.
We are in the entire Policy Councils debt for the years of struggle that makes it possible for the common man to rise to what is in him to become.
This is GREAT Chris. A wonderful place to send people after seeing the plan. This answers so many questions about why LIFE is different!
Thanks for the great post Chris! The only thing I think I might add to what you have said is the support we get from fantastic leaders like you and the rest of the PC and RT. It is great to have the support of people who care about us and want us to succeed, not because they benefit financially, but because they genuinely care about us as people.
I have appreciated this read. thank you.
Chris,
I have always had an issue with a “networking business” mainly because of the things you mentioned in the article. It is awesome that the LIFE business has fixed so many of the things that no one really likes in networking. I appreciate that you and the founders have taken the challenge to make what was broken right again! Thanks! God bless.
Awesome Post Chris. That’s a whole lotta good going on in this Lil Life Biz we are a part of. I’m so thankful that I’m a part of something that MATTERS so Much!!!
Love your blogs, your insight, your enthusiasm. Especially your sense of humor. Always look forward to anything that has Chris Brady on it.
Thanks Chris! LIFE keeps getting better all the time.
Very well explained for the skeptics. This is an awesome business. If anyone reads this and doesn’t get it. I believe you said it best. “it’s for who it’s for.” God Bless and thanks for starting the LIFE business.
Its great to have individuals (like the Life PC who care about others and serve) Leaders Defined in your every footstep. Thank you
Amen Chris! I didn’t like ANYTHING about networking when I got started. But I stuck around because I believed in you, Orrin, George and the rest of the founders. I knew you would create something that was attractive and different than anything else out there. LIFE has changed the ‘networking’ profession so much so that what we do doesn’t even look like networking. So blessed to be a part of this movement to a million! Thanks for this awesome post!
Kristen:
There are lots of people like you and me who had a bad taste in their mouths because of crazy stuff that circulates out there. The Life Business is our chance to make something truly remarkable and admired.
Chris
And you guys have done just that! It just goes to show ‘people of integrity expect to be believe, and when they are not they let time prove them right.’ I am proud to represent the LIFE name and this profession now!
Fantastic,Chris you couldn’t of broken it down any easier. We just came in off the ship from the first Trip Incentive,thank you LIFE for setting the stage for me and my family to pursue the LIFE we always wanted. On to a Million!!!!!
Robert Nava
Robert:
What trip did you choose? Where did you go? Tell us all about it!
Chris
Great post! Life is the face lift to networking as Wal-mart was to K-mart. Appreciate all what the PC & RT does to improve people’s lives. THANK YOU!!!
Bob
Team Victory
Dream-Struggle-Victory
Awesome! I am so glad to be associated with people who help me have an opportunity to succeed at something that truly makes a difference.
What an awesome business! You guys have come so far in helping people truly live the life they have always wanted!
Reblogged this on The Free Commots and commented:
For those of you who may have been wondering what I’ve been doing with my time that has kept me from posting as regularly as is ideal, take a look at this post by best selling author Chris Brady.
This company has changed my life for the better. It had improved my marriage, and helped me to pursue my passion fir building communities and be able to provide for my family while doing it.
Thanks for just spelling it out in black in white!
Awesome Chris,
I am so thankful to be involved in this LIFE business and grateful for what you and the rest of the Policy council have walked through to provide an opportunity like this, to people like me. Thanks a Million 🙂
Thanks for leading the change this wold needs.
Very well said. Many, many people will benefit from this article. Thanks for taking the time to write it.
What an awesome explanation for the best business EVER!
Thanks Chris and all the LIFE founders. I love what you said that our product is for everyone but the business may not be. I really appreciate how the LIFE products give a chance to excell no matter our chosen field and for those of us whose chosen field may not be what we had hoped the business helps us bridge the gap or replace it completely. Thanks again.
I love it, Chris! As hard as I try, no matter how many times I read something written by Chris, I hear his awesome voice in my head! Is that weird? If so, I don’t want it to be otherwise! Thanks again, Chris!
Thanks Chris! Does anyone else hear Chris’ voice in their head when they read any of his content? Is it weird that I do? If so, I don’t want it to be otherwise. Thanks again Chris!
Not sure what happened to my name in that last comment.
Reblogged this on accipitelife's Blog.
This is an awesome article! Has already been a blessing to refer to and refer others to check out who have legit concerns based on past experiences. Thanks for paving the way for the future of business to follow!
Chris,
This is a great post, one to pass to others. WE ARE THE BEST BY FAR!!!
I love the way you explain things Chris! I can hear you talking as I read. I have looked at a lot of business models over the years and this is just a “smart” way for ANYONE to make money and change whatever they want in their lives. Most people are looking for a chance and we have it!
This is an awesome article, I love the way you have laid it out. It makes it very plain what the differences are between Life and those other thangs out there. Thank you Chris and the rest of the PC for leading the charge. We are anticipating Living The Life We’ve Always Wanted.
Thanks Chris
With the jackals out there trying to tear down anyone who refuses to stay at their level, it is great to see the leadership team write articles that explain the process of facing the brutal facts, taking inventory and then moving forward with the best possible solution for all involved….Thanks for staying committed to us when the “easy” life you’ve “earned” probably seems attractive at times.
T
Reblogged this on Pappa Biggs.
Fantastic Article Chris
Great post Chris, LIFE is the change we want to see in the world.
yes, Sherry! and that why I’m glad to be on your Team!!!go4LIFE!!!
Pingback: Craving for Community | Kristen Seidl - Living an Intentional Life
Chris you just nailed it. You and Orrin have taken all the things that most people don’t like about the industry and have fixed them. Its not perfect but it is the closest thing to perfect that I have seen. Thanks for all your hard work.
Well said. For the last 11 years, I have seen a lot of ‘businesses’. Some with some great financial results and some with great products, but I haven’t seen the combination of results offered with LIFE. The leaders are real, unassuming, and not perfect. Hope is possible. And you get a game plan for life with LIFE. Thanks.
It is SO good to be back! Bravo!
This is the best Leadership factory and the only one of its kind. You,.Orrin and the Policy Council have created truly the best opportunity in the world for the average guy to win. The life information and leadership development products Life supplies has helped me to view life through a different lens. Four years ago I lost my 12 year old son to an accident. The outpouring from the community was amazing, the books and CD’s helped me more than you will ever know, coupled with the mentoring of great leaders within the Life Community. Thank you for all you have done for our family we love you all. Semper Fi my friend.
Pingback: What I Hate About Networking (And What We at the LIFE Business Sought to Fix) | My journies through LIFE Blog
The best explanation of what we’re doing that I’ve heard yet! My wife Melissa and I want you to know how truly blessed we feel to be in business with men and women of such tremendous character. To have people with fruit on the tree spend so much of their time showing us exactly what to do and how to do it, is priceless.
Thanks so much!
Thank you, Chris, for saying in a nutshell what LIFE has set out to do. I run into so many skeptical people who had past experience with networking. Now I can direct them to this great information about LIFE!
Hit the nail on the head Chris!! We are truly blessed to have leaders like Orrin, you and the rest of the Life founders! We thank you dearly for the trials and tribulations you have endured over the years for us!
Great article, Chris! My wife and I have been truly blessed to be a part of the LIFE business for the last year or so. It has transformed our family and continues to be a vehicle for us to help others change their lives as well. Thank you along with the other founders for being courageous enough to fix what needed to be fixed so that the “little guy” or WE THE PEOPLL can make a difference in our own lives, in the lives of others and in our country.
Thanks for sharing this, you make a lot of great points.
Kerri
Thanks Chris for making that so crystal clear! And thank you for providing someone like me an opportunity to take my God-given hunger for a better life and achieve it!
Thanks Chris. I never would have thought I’d be in networking, but it has literally been an answer to my prayers for an opportunity to pursue my mission to promote liberty through education while also providing for my family.
I love that you guys weeded out all the nasty stuff that gives networking a bad reputation and have provided content and a culture that change people’s lives in a significant way. I’m glad to be on board!
Thank you Mr. Brady for sharing this post. Your ability to communicate these differences has much such a huge difference. Thank you to all the Founders of LIFE for what you have done to pave the way and continue to innovate this industry and have it reach the massess.
Pingback: Societal Degeneration in the West | Kristen Seidl - Living an Intentional Life
thanks Mr. Brady, I really like the “DL Moody”quote and what you and all the life leadership founders are all about, Godbless you all on your journey.