Sales Agencies

SALES AGENCIES

Why Did I Quit My Day Job? Because With SBI!, I Can Do It Myself And I Can Do It Over And Over Again By Jerry Mack Ken, You may not realize it (although I suspect you do), but Site Build It! is much more than "the only all-in-one site-building, site-hosting, and site-marketing product" (I think that's what your site says!). It's actually a "9-to-5 life liberator." Of course, I wish I really knew that before I tried it, as my story will tell. In my former (pre-SBI) life, I was a regional manager for a medical imaging company. My headquarter's website was just not getting us any new customers (or leads). And that's how my first Site Build It! (SBI) website started. Starting from scratch I needed a way to generate leads to help me sell medical equipment in the office I had just opened in California for a medical distribution company based on the east coast. Basically, I figured that if I had control over web-based sales promotions and marketing programs, I could build sales significantly in my region. Otherwise, I was going to starve, because their expensive, fancy, gorgeous site was not sending me any business at all. I built my SBI site with some pages based on keywords from the brainstorm tool in SBI and also built pages where the keyword was the model number of the products I sell (so obvious, yet so powerful). The pages I built based on keywords from SBI's brainstorm tool brought in traffic from my general target market. The traffic came because these keywords were in high demand by web searchers and not supplied by many websites on the net. The pages I built based on product model numbers brought in traffic because they were usually ranked very high in the search engines -- and that traffic, while lower, was super-targeted. SBI submitted these web pages for me and then managed them to the top of the search engines rankings. You know what's great about being as "Net-dumb" as a guy like me? I just trusted SBI! to do its job, while I did mine! (I'll bet you get some smart tech-types who try to outguess SBI -- HA! HA!) And boy, did SBI ever do its job. Anyone entering specific keywords, for example their specific model ultrasound machine (talk about a highly targeted lead!), finds my site at the end of their search. It really works well. I was often ranked higher than the website of the company that manufactures the products I represent. In my business, this creates a lot of hot leads that usually turn into sales. And with a new customer ordering supplies, that means a significant future revenue stream as well. SBI! really is the ultimate sales person's tool Ken, I know you like to show Alexa rankings as proof of how well SBI! works, but people want to know how that translates into dollars. Yes, I know your sites explain how small businesses have to build the traffic first through great content, PREsell it and THEN monetize it, but people still want to know "how much money that Alexa ranking makes," if you know what I mean! And that goes triple for us sales guys! So let me cut to the chase. My Alexa traffic ranking made it into the top 80,000, well within the Top 1% of all sites on the Net. What did that translate into, in business and dollars? SBI! worked so well that I built a brand new sales office (with zero sales) to one with over $250,000/month in less than a year. In all, before I left them, I sold millions of dollars worth of product, at a 10% commission. Actually, it worked a little too well (as far as head office must think, anyway). Why? Well, I recently resigned from that medical distribution company because it was obvious I didn't need them. The company was getting the benefit of all the sales generated from my SBI traffic. And here's the funny part. Head office couldn't understand how the heck my little site was generating all that business. The HQ Webmasters thought I was just lucky. (And I'll bet that's what they told management -- after all, they had to be doing something mysterious and difficult to earn their salaries, right?) As Rodney Dangerfield would say, "I got no respect." Meanwhile, I was wishing I had known that SBI! would work this well before I took the job and started the site. And then it occurred to me -- "You know it now, so what are you going to do about it, Jerry." (I don't usually talk to myself, only in "EUREKA" moments.) EUREKA! The Epiphany I wanted to try it for myself, own my own business and my own life, so I went for it alone. (Well, not exactly alone, I also had my wife and SBI -- but never ask me to choose between them.) I knew that I could generate all the leads I need to make a living on my own. And yes indeed -- my new company is already doing just fine because of the SBI website, which is barely underway but already pulling leads - www.sonomahealth.com. Sonomahealth.com will grow to be the cornerstone of how I earn a living as an independent medical distributor selling ultrasound systems and supplies at my new company, Sonoma Health Products. Actually, I'm more of a broker or a sales agent than a distributor. To my customers, though, I look like a large national distributor with multiple warehouses across the country. In fact, I do use several warehouses across the country, I just don't have to tie up any of my money in owning inventory because I let the "old school" distributors do that. I am a virtual distributor, a modern-day sales agency - as you can see, the actual inventory that I maintain fits into my garage! I do my business successfully because I use Site Built It!. And I'll be the first to admit I don't even use all the features and capabilities of SBI to their full extent. SBI is such a powerful tool you just have to "kind of" know how to use it to be successful. So because I "kind of" know how to use SBI, it helps me make me a very nice living in a company of my own. (Yes, I am one of those famously "lazy sales guys," I happily admit it -- but I prefer to think that I get the maximum reward for the minimum effort and SBI is an important part of that.) When I think of all that SBI does for me, I'm amazed that you sell it for peanuts First, it brings in super-targeted leads. Do you have any idea how much time and energy I would have to spend to do that without a Web site? I choke to think about it. Second, it can help you look like a big organization with multiple warehouses across the country even though you work in your bathrobe in the den. And, in one sense, I really do have warehouses all over our nation. I just don't own them and don't have to worry about them. Of course, it's also a brochure for all my products. I don't have to spend a penny printing or mailing brochures. And I don't have to waste a second, either. As soon as a lead finds my content, there's the brochure, product information, content, etc. Fourth, it can also actually sell the products, too, and collect the money electronically. On my first site, we took payment via PayPal, smooth as silk, easy as pie. Fifth, you build a bond with your customers. We had started an e-zine, a very professional-looking newsletter, with the first site. Our customers love the updates, and by staying in front of their eyeballs, they thought of Jerry Mack when they thought about their next purchase. Naturally, we'll be doing all this again, too, with Sonomahealth.com. (By the time you read this, Sonomahealth.com may already have an online store where the products are sold using PayPal.) So how's it going? SonomaHealth recently broke inside the Top 200,000 Sites at Alexa.com. It's really just getting going, and I'll be building it up, pulling in lots more traffic. And yes... I can tell you what that "Top 200,000" means already for my wife (who is not only my lifetime partner, but business partner, too) and me... we're already averaging $10,000 in commissions per month. Ken, we're running... and this time we own it! One step at a time, I'll build Sonomahealth.com far bigger than my first effort. And you know what... I could do this in any number of industries. There is simply no reason for me, or any other reasonably ambitious person who wants to own their own life, to work a 9-to-5 anymore. Thank you Ken! I have a great marketing positioning for you. You know the way Arnold S. called himself "The Terminator"? Well, you should be... "The Liberator" Jerry Mack www.sonomahealth.com

E-Goods

E-GOODS ArtellaWordsAndArt.com

Dear Ken, Do you remember when you wrote this statement about SBI! users? "...people who "took a chance" and then realized that their worlds had changed when they jumped into SBI! with both feet and ran with it." Well, it could not be MORE true for me! But it didn't start like that. Like so many others, I crawled on my knees, painfully and slowly, before running full-speed with SBI!. In September, 2002, I had the idea to start a magazine for artists and writers. That's where it began. An artist and writer myself, I had experienced a growing interest in using words and art together as an art form, and found the process of making words visual, and making art narrative, to be a very liberating and dynamic form of artistic expression. But as much as I loved making words and art myself, what excited me even more was creating an opportunity for collaborations within a creative community. More and more, I was learning how much we long for community, how much it fuels us as we dance with the earth's tilt and embrace all that is possible in art and life. I decided that the best way to ignite a communal spirit among artists, writers, and creative individuals was to publish a magazine of collaborative creative works. It would be called Artella ~ the waltz of words and art (named for "art" and "telling"). I would publish it monthly, alternating between print and electronic issues. The full vision for this idea came to me remarkably quickly, with a velocity that took my breath away. I was in the hospital for a lengthy rehabilitation stay following knee replacement surgery, and my inspiration was no doubt aided by much spare time, sleepless nights, and heavy pain medications!!! By the time I was ready to come home, not only was my idea for Artella fully fleshed out, I had a solid step-by-step plan to make it happen. The pain I have a confession to make: Artella's first Web site was not with SBI. Although I had heard great things about SBI from Michael Holland, who runs several SBI sites, including www.home-decorating-made-easy.com and www.strike-it-niche.com, I didn't think I could afford it. (Actually, I didn't know that I could not afford not to have it, but you find these things out the hard way sometimes!). Obviously, I knew SBI's price was great for what it offered, but I thought a better option would be to just save the money by doing it myself. So I built a site in a Web layout program and uploaded it to my ISP's free Web space. I did a fairly decent job creating my first site, and looking back, I know that launching that simple site was an important step in keeping up my momentum. But I could have saved so much time and energy, and started earning money sooner, had I only started with my SBI site. My first site was attractive and functional, but it was really cumbersome to update. I had no way of knowing what my stats were, but based on my newsletter mailing list, I knew there wasn't much traffic at all. How frustrating to have an aesthetically beautiful site, with nobody to see it! Furthermore, my subscription sales to Artella were discouragingly modest. At my printing of Artella's first issue in February 2003, I had only 40 paid subscribers. I printed the copies from my home computer printer. Fast forward to the present Just a year later, I have over 1,000 paid subscribers to Artella, and a cornucopia of ancillary products that not only support the professional full-color printing of Artella the magazine, but also earn me a full-time income, and support a small staff to manage Artella's exciting expansion. In one year's time, I went from fiddling around with a hobby to manifesting a full-time business doing what I love: celebrating the creative uniqueness in an ever-growing community of thousands of people all over the world, inspiring them to uncover their artistic spirits and dare to let their creative souls shine. What happened to instigate this dramatic, life-enhancing change? The turning point was when I bought SBI. From there, my options were limitless, and everything changed. Shortly after my first issue went out, I decided that a Web site that wasn't getting seen was hardly better than no Web site at all. So in March of 2003, I took the plunge and purchased SBI. As I said, I had heard great things about SBI, specifically from Michael Holland who has a few SBI sites. It was not an easy decision I was skeptical that I could get the visual feel that I wanted with a template-based builder. Little did I realize that SBI does not limit you to templates -- I had the option to "start from scratch" to create my own Web page elements for a truly one-of-a-kind look. As a freelance writer, I did resonate with the concept that WORDS sell, not fancy graphics...and yet, since my product was an art/literary magazine and my audience was primarily artists, the graphics WERE uniquely important to me. I was doubtful...none of the sample sites I saw seemed to have the kind of aesthetic that I was looking for. I was an atypical SBI customer, for sure. I also was counting pennies, and the investment was a challenge, especially when this little hobby of mine was losing money, rather than earning any. But it was clear to me that if Artella was going to continue, something would have to change. So I did it...and it was the best decision I could have made. I took the plunge -- "jumped in with both feet", as you say -- and as you can see, I used the SBI builder to make a beautiful site (www.ArtellaWordsAndArt.com). I was surprisingly impressed with the flexibility of the builder. I was able to create a custom look and feel that has worked wonderfully for me. It constantly gets positive feedback from my visitors. And now that SBI! is compatible with HTML editors, some of the more recently added pages of my site are uploaded HTML (for example, I wanted the pages in my creative marketplace, www.ArtellaWordsAndArt.com/shoppes.html, to have their own distinctive look). I created these pages with an inexpensive "what you see is what you get" Web authoring program (IXLA Web Easy), and uploading the files to SBI is a snap. I was delightfully surprised when I saw that even when I uploaded my own HTML pages, SBI still analyzed the pages to ensure they were optimized for search engines! But even though I now generate my own HTML files to upload some of my sub-site pages, my main site maintains the original look and feel that I created with SBI's builder -- yes, your customizable templates really are that good. And the flexibility of being able to do both my own HTML and/or template is AMAZING. But how could an artist ever hope to master the engines? SBI made it easy to learn how to optimize my pages for search engines. I quickly learned (actually SBI! took me by the hand and made the process "artist-proof"!) how to build traffic right into the content I was creating... as I created it. The opt-in e-zine function was easy to use and it gave me hours of new free time; with my first Web site, I was handling all of my e-zine signups manually! In a matter of just a few weeks, it was clear that my life would never be the same again. Magic! The build begins Visitors to my old site were so impressed with my new Web home, that they started spreading the word. The search engines started finding me, and so did my potential customers. Since I had access to detailed site statistics, I could easily see which pages were working and which weren't, so I could make changes accordingly. It was as if SBI finally eliminated the guesswork in running an Internet business, so I could focus on generating new ideas, rather than worrying about the technical mechanics of my Web site. The next phase of Artella was very exciting. With a sparkly new Web site, growing traffic numbers, and a newfound confidence, I let the brainstorming loose. The fact that SBI does not limit file size of Web sites made it easy to "think BIG"...it was very freeing to know that I could grow to any size and not have to pay additional fees for new file space. My brainstorming was grounded by the question, "What can I offer to help serve the needs of writers, artists, and creative individuals?" By approaching the growth of Artella from that point, rather than looking simply at marketing strategies or "bottom-line" goals, I was able to synthesize all of my big ideas and authentically select the ones that were most appropriate. The beginning of monetization I started writing articles and giving free teleworkshops as a way to broaden the Artella community and get a sense of what was missing from the lives of creative people. After writing an article about non-linear goalsetting for creative people, I received over 100 emails within two days of publishing the article. That led me to creating my first e-course, "Goalar Energy: A Unique Guidance Program for Extraordinary Action". From there, I developed more e-courses on a variety of topics, as well as eBooks, teleworkshops, and series of audio lectures. I started three online community forums to allow creative people to connect with one another, and I continued to listen to the challenges of these people's lives in order to discover needs that were not being met. One such need was the lack of high-quality, affordable online marketing options for artists. Thanks to the features and flexibility of SBI, it was easy for me to launch a creative marketplace, The Shoppes of Artella, that sells over 250 handmade products by different artists, growing at rapid speed! And by the way....I use the Paypal shopping cart with SBI to sell those 250+ products. It works great... so simple and easy, and effective and cheap! I don't know why so many Web site owners make their lives so difficult -- the SBI! Resources HQ saves us all hours of time by presenting a list of "best of the breed" third-party specialized functionality options. SBI! has all the core functionality any business needs, but as I've grown to add other functions (i.e., Web audio, hard goods shopping cart, affiliate tracking, interactive scripts) I can simply plug-n-play the functionality right into my SBI! and all its traffic, without any frustrating compatibility issues. Because SBI allows me to affordably put forth so many different products and services, I can share a lot of offerings for free, and I think this an integral part of Artella's success. Nothing gets the "buzz" going like unique free offerings, and I'll share a hint...nothing feels as good, either. The site has a one-stop reference for free offerings (the "FREE-Tella Studio"), which is my third-ranked traffic page. While that might not sound necessarily profitable, I have to say that these free offerings pay off, revenue-wise, every single time. The offerings ignite interest, promote loyalty, and fulfill my mission, all at the same time. Offering a constantly- revolving roster of free products can be part of what SBI calls "PRE-selling"...but I just call it following my heart. This approach has never failed me, yet! Before I started with my SBI site just short of a year ago, I had one single product -- a magazine for artists and writers that I was planning to have professionally printed in full color. People told me there was no way I could make it work, financially. Guess what? They actually were RIGHT! Ken, I don't mind telling you... If I were not with SBI, I'd most likely have to be paying more as my company and site grows. If I were not with SBI, I'd have a much harder time getting the stellar search engine exposure that I have now. If I were not with SBI, it would be far more difficult to coordinate Web updates with my tech support team, now that I have grown beyond being a one-woman enterprise (yay!) If I were not with SBI, I wouldn't have access to all of the new and upcoming SBI features and third-party connections that are announced in your practical and inspiring newsletters (the only marketing newsletter I need to read!). There was no way that I could have built a financially profitable business with my magazine, on its own. But thanks to all the options and resources from SBI, and to lots of out-of-the-box thinking, I found that it is possible to build a business that combines multiple streams of income from a variety of ancillary products and services (e-courses, teleworkshops, eBooks, lectures, an online marketplace, etc.) that are making a difference in the lives of my audience. In less than a year, I went from publishing a magazine as a part time hobby to launching a full-time creative business with a small staff, and a team of affiliates who enjoy helping me promote Artella's products. I have created such a successful model for creating e-courses that I'm offering a comprehensive course in how to do it. Enrollment is $400 -- a nice price, and the course filled to capacity within three weeks, with a waiting list for the next sesion. Now THAT is sweet success. And SBI's flexibility made it all possible! Ken, you could not have been more right when you said that my life had changed forever when I got SBI...it is so, so true. Thanks for everything! And thanks, too, to Michael Holland for telling me about it! You can be sure that I will pay his favor forward and tell others. Marney K. Makridakis Founder/Editor Artella ~ the waltz of words and art www.ArtellaWordsAndArt.com a magazine and support network for writers, artists, and creative spirits

"Life is not a rehearsal" - John Lennon

"Life is not a rehearsal" - John Lennon

by Fiona McCardle and Jim Andrew How did "Rent a Villa in Tuscany" (our Web site) end up in the top 1% of the Internet and how did two Scottish designers end up living in a medieval village on top of a hill in Tuscany? It's all Sophia Loren's fault! Well, sort of! If her childhood next door neighbor, Paolo, hadn't moved to Tuscany and if winemaker, Paolo, and his family hadn't renovated a farmhouse on a hillside and if they hadn't asked us how they could find rental clients for the farmhouse, then we would never have started "Rent a Villa in Tuscany". In a strange way, all our previous experiences, which at first glance seems a million miles away from what we are doing now, were actually good preparation. Both Fiona and I are art school graduates in Textile Design. For many years we ran our own knitwear design studio in a warehouse on the banks of the River Thames in London. It was probably around this time that the seeds of our fascination with Italy were sown. Over the years, we've also built up experience in sales, customer service, technical support and photography. These skills, combined with our fluency in Italian (we've now lived in Italy for 14 years), led us to look into the possibility of setting up a web based villa rental business. Like thousands of other people round the globe, we'd read all about the power of the web and how it was possible to run a totally flexible, international business from a computer in your front room. Great, but the big question was, how? OK, we were creative and I had played around with some programs designing a web site with photos of Rosie, our baby, but I didn't have a clue how to start setting up a "proper" site. It was at this point, late one night, surfing through the thousands of "get rich quick" schemes on the net that I came across something that stood out as being very different, written by a Canadian Doctor called Ken Evoy. The product was called "Site Build It". Maybe it was something about his friendly style of writing, maybe it was because it seemed to include everything (and more) I was looking for but right away, I whipped out the old credit card and instantly hesitated! It seemed "too good to be true". More research was needed. I checked out their independent results page (very impressive). I checked out the opposition. Again, SBI left them all standing. I even checked out respected "web gurus", Ralph Wilson and Jim Daniels, who both gave SBI top marks. I had nothing to lose (SBI has a money back guarantee) and everything to gain. Little did I know at that point that we were about to set out on one of the most exciting, bizarre years of our lives. So what's happened in the last 12 months? a.. We've been invited round to world famous designer Salvatore Ferragamo's villa (you can now rent it from us for your summer hols!) b.. Whilst lounging by a swimming pool, a Hollywood production company called on the mobile wanting "the biggest villa you have for 2 months" (we thought it was a friend winding us up) c.. We've been asked to organize a mega wedding bash for Chuck Berry's ex-piano player's son. Only one problem! Can the Guinness tanker get up the hill? d.. A world famous New York photographer asked us to find a venue for his Tuscan photo course. e.. An award winning journalist from a quality, Irish tabloid, the "Banbridge Leader", wants to do a feature on us. We reckon he just fancies a free holiday! f.. We get daily calls from beekeepers, gardeners, carpenters, fashion designers, chemists, pizza makers, cheese makers, winemakers, web designers, piano players, 2nd hand car salesmen, and others who just happen to have a 14th century castle or two lying around, all desperate to be on the site. g.. Last month, folks from over 60 countries looked at almost 30,000 pages of our site and we're not even finished building it yet. Sounds like a dream! But the most bizarre thing of all is none of this would have been possible with out SBI. Sure, we were hungry, motivated, hard working, determined, had design skills, people skills and liked working with computers. We had researched our market and knew it had potential. BUT we don't have an exclusive on any of these. So why did we do it when 98% of small business on the net FAIL. What makes SBI different? In one word, TRAFFIC. Most (almost all) small business web sites (some are even very pretty with all the latest bells and whistles) sit out there in cyberspace all alone, no one ever looks at them. A web site that no one looks at is a very expensive hobby! The owners wonder why! There's nothing magic about SBI's servers, of course. It's all in the step-by-step logical process, and the tools that "do" the process. SBI doesn't just give you the tools to build a web site, SBI helps you build a successful web business. As I said, I checked out the Net completely, and I had never seen a page of success stories like this one... and now we are on it, too -- one of the top-ranked sites (sorry for bragging a little). The process is just so logical... Content - Traffic - PREsell - MONETIZE. Starting with content (after all, that's what people search for, so that's where we begin, too). Right from the start, SBI showed us how to brainstorm our idea to find out if it was valid. It helped us choose and register our site name. Then it supplied the tools to create a content rich themed site, which the search engines love. Since the traffic-building is built right into the content (thanks to more SBI tools), you have the TRAFFIC. "But I'm not a techie," I hear you say. SBI is child's play. If you can put one building block on top of another, you can build a top ranking site. The materials are written using a user friendly, step by step method. When your site is up and running, SBI also has a newsletter mailing program (you have signed up, haven't you?), saving you time and allowing you to get on with writing great content. And how do we know we're doing it right? We use "SBI Site Central", which analyses, submits and tracks our pages, giving us all the essential information we need to tweak our site to top position on the net. Once you have the traffic, your site gives your visitors what they want. Answers. Solutions. Information. And that is what PREselling is all about. Now that you have warm, happy visitors, you are ready to MONETIZE that traffic. How you monetize will vary according to your business. We do it by renting villas in Tuscany! Yes, it's a tough job, but someone has to do it. It's so logical, so efficient, and the tools make it so do-able. But you still have to do it. While SBI made this possible, we built this business. So if you are looking for a get-rich-quick, Dr. Evoy would be the first to tell you to chase after these false dreams elsewhere. If you want to own a business that makes it fun to wake up each morning, I can't say enough how much SBI has impacted our lives. I love to talk about SBI and I love to rent villas in Tuscany! So if you'd like to do either, you can reach me at... http://www.rent-a-villa-in-tuscany.com/contactus.html I always felt safe because SBI has a no quibble, money back guarantee. They even let you keep the domain name if you don't want to continue. Who would ask for their money back on a product like SBI? Those seeking the holy grail of "get-rich-quick" -- remember, you are really building a genuine business of your own here. As long as that is what you want to do, you'll love it -- but they refund you, no questions asked Do your homework, research the market (we did). You'll find nothing that compares to SBI. What does the future hold for us? We've almost finished building "Rent a Villa in Tuscany," we're about to take on help and we're already working on ideas for another site. Meanwhile, I'm busy fending off email from people pleading with me to tell them "how we did it". Every now and then whilst sitting in the shade of an olive grove sipping on a glass of Chianti, one of us will say "can you remember how this actually started?" so much has happened in the last 12 months. Yes, it's taken some work, but SBI turned the "impossible" into "done." Without a doubt it's been one of the most satisfying years of our lives. Instead of getting all nostalgic about the past we are more excited about plans for the future, adding new luxury properties, working on a new "Tuscan Thermal Springs" page and one of our most exciting projects is investing in new wi-fi mobile technology. If you'd told me 12 months ago that a couple of ex knitwear designers with very little experience of the web would now be running a successful web based villa rental company I'd have found it hard to believe. If you then tried to convince me that their plans are now to run it from a poolside, looking out over the Tuscan hillside, sipping on a cocktail, I'd probably think the Tuscan sun had got to you! You know what, up until a year ago, before I found SBI, I would have been right. But we jumped in "with both feet," as Ken says... And now .......cheers! See 2005 Update See Dec/2006 Update Fiona McCardle and Jim Andrew Italy http://www.rent-a-villa-in-tuscany.com

Kemmons Wilson's Story

Hello!

Kemmons Wilson had it tough growing up. His father died when he was nine months old. His young mother, only 18 years old, struggled to provide for her son. There were times there was so little money that they lived on a few pounds of dried butter beans for a week at a time. What got him through those times was his mother's love. Every night she sat her little boy on her lap and said, "You are designed for greatness and you can do anything in life if you're willing to work hard enough to get it."

At 14 years old, Kemmons was hit by a car. The doctors said he would never walk again. He chose to believe differently. He could do anything if he was willing to work hard enough. One year later, he returned to school - walking on his own. Then the Great Depression hit. His Mom lost her job along with millions of others. He made the decision to quit school and provide for the woman who had done so much for him. The day he quit school, he made it his mission in life to succeed. He vowed to never be poor again.

Kemmons experienced varying levels of success over the years but he had not achieved his goal of financial success when he took his wife and kids on a vacation in 1951. He was frustrated by the shoddy accommodations available for families, and furious they dared to charge $2 extra per child. He knew it was too expensive. (Remember this was 1951...)

His frustrating experience sparked an idea! He would offer an alternative - a hotel people could trust that would never charge extra for children. It was a completely new concept and most people predicted failure from the beginning.

Kemmons chose to believe differently. As with any business, he experienced enormous challenges. Money was short. Many times payment was an "IOU". He had to overcome one obstacle after another - choosing to believe in his success every single day.

15 years later, Holiday Inn was the largest hotel system in the world, with one of the most recognizable names in the business. Kemmons had a belief that carried him through? "You may not havestarted life in the best of circumstances. But if you can find amission in life worth working for and believe in yourself,nothing can stop you from achieving success."

Every generation always believes all the great ideas have already been taken. There is nothing left for you. Ridiculous! Your world is brimming with possibilities. Your job is to keep your mind and heart open. Find and identify that which fills a need and ignites your passion. Where you are in life today is not what is important. What's important is where you plan to be tomorrow; next year; 10 years from now. And no matter where that may be, always be aware of the fact that…

Wilma's Story

The sun rose and Wilma awoke. Pulling herself together she faced the glowing sunrise. Breathing in the fresh morning air she thought to herself. . . "No more days watching the old way of life die. No more days feeling the pointed barb of despair."

Wilma was alive in a time when the Native American culture was at a low point. Want to guess when that was? No, not in the 1700's or even the 1800's but in the 1980's! Less than forty years ago!!!

In fact, Wilma is still alive today. Although retired now, her dreams of a time where the men and women of the Cherokee nation returned to the traditional way of working together was very much realized because of her lifelong work.

For the Cherokee, teamwork and working together, both men and woman for the common good of the whole tribe was a traditional and an honored way of life. However, deep discouragement, broken promises and a completely male dominated culture had replaced their historical ways. Now the women were cast aside and forgotten. They lived hopeless and powerless. And the whole culture fought alcoholism and unemployment.

The year was 1987. Yes that is right. . . 1987!!! Remember she is the most celebrated Cherokee person in OUR lifetime. . .

Wilma dressed as the morning sun warmed the air. Preparing for her first official day as the elected Chief of the Nation, all of her life's work, hopes and beliefs lay around her mind. Her anticipation of a brighter future began to bubble up.

This day brought the end of much prejudice and ridicule, hardship and skepticism. She dressed and remembered. Wilma knew the sweetness of life could be short.

She remembered the car accident that killed her best friend and nearly killed her. She carries the scars of 17 surgeries. Each scar reminded her as she dressed, that life can only give back to you what you put into it.

She remembered the death threats she received as her popularity with her people grew and the tension grew with her enemies. She remembered buying new tires for her vehicle when its tires were slashed in protest.

She remembered 1985, when she first "inherited" the position as chief of the Cherokee nation. Inherited it because her boss left the position and she was the next in command.

However, this year, 1987, she was freely elected. . . and the very first female ever to hold that position. She knew her people had high expectations for her. She had high expectations. . . for all of them.

As she left for her office, her head held high with pride and hope, she offered silent thoughts of respect for the people who had gone before and deep gratefulness and sincere appreciation for the opportunity's ahead of her. She knew her day had finally come. She knew her Nation’s day had come as well.

Her high expectations, hard work and deep commitment paid off as she was elected twice more as the Nation’s chief.

Although her health no longer permits her from officially leading her people, her influence is still felt within the Nation. The Cherokee Nation is a vast organization, with over 140,000 in population, an annual budget of more than $75 million, and more than 1,200 employees spread over 7,000 square miles!!

Wilma's election and her tackling of their problems did much to restore and revive the Cherokee economy, education and equality. She restored faith to a desperate people.

She didn't take the easy way or the quick way. She took the way that was necessary and needed.

So many times we look for the quick way to make a difference.

Wilma is a wonderful reminder that often times it takes a willingness to work within the existing structure. It takes patience to wait for the opportunity that we desire to present itself. But by doing those two things, Wilma created an environment where now, present day young Cherokee girls dream of becoming chief. Before her election, those girls would never have believed that possible.

Today I encourage you to take the slow road. It just may be the road you are looking for to make that difference in your life. I encourage you to dream like Wilma did of the changes coming. I know you can do it because…