Inspirational Convention

After a warm welcome, he started talking about his life journey in network marketing. He spoke about how he got into network marketing from a lower-middle-class family that always struggled financially.

He got interested in network marketing when he saw a senior in college with a fancy bike, only to discover the senior was into network marketing. Excited to earn quickly, he joined but faced challenges as his friends needed to support him. However, he persisted, and one day, he met a successful senior in the business who gave him valuable advice. Applying what he learned, he started seeing success. Within a year, his team grew from 10 to over 2000 people. He became highly successful in five years with a team of sixty thousand people, earning 250,000 Rupees per week. He bought houses and cars and provided a comfortable life for his family.

His story got me pumped up. I used to be laid-back about my network marketing gig, just knowing some theories and business concepts. However, after listening to him, it hit me how powerful network marketing can be. He continued sharing his experiences and, towards the end, provided us with solutions for handling people with a negative outlook on network marketing.

A Determined Decision

After the convention ended, he walked out of the auditorium, and all the associates rushed towards him for autographs and selfies. I watched from a distance, dreaming that people would do the same for me one day. However, I was far from that point. He had a massive team of over fifty thousand, while I didn’t even have one person in my team. This sparked a determination in me. Before encountering him, I had little faith in myself and the business. But after listening to his story, I gained confidence in myself and the business’s potential.

My friends and I boarded the bus, and I took a window seat on our return journey. I was looking outside and contemplating his speech. After 3 hours we reached college.

Everyone was excitedly buzzing, discussing the convention, but I stayed quiet. Then Bhaskar approached me and asked, “Chirag! What’s up?”

“Yes, Sir! I need to take action. I’ll put in more effort from now on,” I responded.

“No, Chirag! Let’s work smarter, not just harder. It’s late now. Please go home, and we’ll catch up tomorrow. Good night,” Bhaskar said, patting my shoulder.

I rode back home on my bike with Shubham. As soon as I reached my room, I quickly fell asleep.

From Teasing to Team Building

The following day, I woke up with an idea to show the business presentation to my classmates I didn’t interact with much. When I entered the class, the buzz started, “Hey, look! The millionaire is here,” someone joked, “Entrepreneur in the house.” Another person said, “Come on, give me one million. You’re a multimillionaire now.”

This time, the teasing didn’t bother me much, having heard about the everyday struggles everyone goes through in the beginning. I just smiled in response, and their comments faded as they noticed the change in my attitude. I headed straight to my seat and opened my notebook and laptop. Another guy entered the class and sat beside me.

Since the teacher was absent, I took out a book called “Cashflow Quadrant” by Robert T. Kiyosaki. In the book, Robert categorizes people into four groups: employees, self-employed, business owners, and investors. It caught my interest, and I started reading attentively while my classmates continued chatting. Aditya, the guy next to me, wasn’t someone I knew well, and we rarely talked. He glanced at my book and asked, “Hey! What’s this?”

I smiled and replied, “It’s about how people are divided based on their professions and how they earn.”

“Really? So, what are those categories?” he asked with curiosity.

I explained, “See, there are four categories: Employees, self-employed, businessmen, and investors. An employee works for money under certain conditions. The self-employed works for money independently, not controlled by others. He puts in as much effort as he can. The businessman builds a system where others work for him, and he earns significantly. Lastly, the investor is someone for whom money works.”

“Okay, got it. So, what’s next?” he asked.

“Which category do you want to be in?” I inquired.

“Definitely businessman or investor,” he replied.

“So, what steps are you taking to get into that category?” I questioned.

His eyes widened, and he looked at me curiously, “What are you talking about? I’ve never heard of such things in my life.”

I responded, “Meet me at the mall after 5 P.M. I’ll tell you more about it.”

My First Teammate

He promised me to come, and he kept his promise. He met me, and I showed him the entire presentation. I also told him about my experience at the convention. He became impressed, and I took him to my upline. He discussed with my upline and cleared all his doubts. He went to his hostel room, and I went to my room. I was not expecting him to join me. But to my surprise, he called me up at night and said, “Chirag! I am joining you. I have told my father, and he will send money tomorrow.”

I was on cloud nine. I had never expected him to join, and finally, I would make a person join my team.

“Okay! Then come tomorrow with a business diary. We will begin your training tomorrow.” I said and hung up the call. I immediately called up Harshvardhan and said that Aditya was joining. He congratulated me as it was my first step toward success. I was feeling very positive and started reading more books about network marketing. Within two months, my team size became 10. My classmates couldn’t bully me anymore. They saw me going from zero to ten. From then on, I started teasing them.

“Hey man, are you ready to be dragged like an ox? Oh! I am so sorry, man. I can see your face after being bashed by your boss.” I used to say these kinds of words to those who once bullied me. Some of my associates who were also my classmates, would laugh at them.

As my fourth semester was coming to an end, I prepared to return home. My mentors had trained me to expand my network marketing business in my hometown. Upon reaching home, I called up my friends and arranged daily meetings with 4-5 people, presenting my business to them. Some showed interest, while others declined. Nonetheless, in just two months, I built a team of 10 enthusiastic individuals who looked up to me in every aspect.

Sumay-Uncle Invited Me, But I didn’t Go

I often taught my team that those stuck in traditional jobs lived unsatisfying lives, and we would sometimes jest at jobholders. We began evaluating people based on their financial status. During this period, Sumay-uncle invited me to his place, but I could not make it due to my busy schedule of building networks. One day, he called and inquired about what I was up to. I explained that I was encouraging people to pursue their dreams and achieve their goals.

“So, you believe your life goal is crystal clear?” he inquired.

“Absolutely. I’ve already decided what to do, and my goal is crystal clear,” I confidently replied.

“You are in illusion that your goal is clear. You might feel you’re on the right path, but it may not be the case,” he cautioned.

After a brief pause, he added, “Do visit here before heading back to college.”

With that, he ended the call. Although I wanted to visit, but I couldn’t find time as I had commitments to teach and support my team. So, I couldn’t visit him and as my vacation concluded, I returned to college, feeling immensely proud of my accomplishments in just two months. I gained valuable experience in giving presentations, mentoring others about life, and conducting meetings. This led me to perceive myself as superior to my classmates and friends, which unfortunately resulted in losing friendships. But I didn’t care; my only goal was to become rich. I began disrespecting my teachers and fellow students, categorizing those in traditional jobs as mere labourers in my eyes.

Despite having a modest income, I portrayed myself as a successful businessperson. We organized meetings and invited students, but it required money, and I frequently asked my father for funds. Although he was unsure, I would insist on the name of my business, and he would reluctantly provide the requested amount. Within three months, my team had grown to 30 people, but I yearned for more significant results.

I really wanted to build a team of over 100 people, but it didn’t work out. Me and my team attended various seminars organized by successful leaders in our organization. Whenever we felt down, these seminars would lift our spirits. Many students would come on stage during these events to showcase their accomplishments. Sometimes, their parents would also share their experiences of watching their children grow in the business.

Frustration Began

Even though I put in a lot of effort, my results weren’t as impressive as I hoped. My teammates began making excuses for not working or attending meetings. I knew what was happening, but I clung to the false hope that one day, I would find success and transform the lives of others. As the fifth semester concluded, we were given a month-long vacation. Before heading home, I gathered my team for a meeting, emphasizing the importance of working diligently and not slacking off during this break.

Some of my teammates had completely given up on the work in my hometown. Only one guy continued to put in effort, but unfortunately, he had no positive results to show for it. When he found out I was coming home, he became excited and wanted to meet me to discuss his questions and concerns. After a day-long train journey, I finally reached home. It had been six months since I last saw my parents, and their first reaction upon seeing me was, “Are you okay? What’s wrong with you? It seems like you’re not taking care of your health. You look dull, with dark circles under your eyes, and your vitality is completely gone.”

My mom was deeply concerned, saying, “This is all because of that nonsensical business. Why are you wasting your time and energy? Just look at yourself.”
I became angry and went inside my room. Deep down, I acknowledged that I was in the wrong place. However, I had already made commitments to my classmates, friends, and everyone, promising I would become rich and financially free one day. So, I was afraid of stepping back. But after two weeks, something occurred that pushed me to make a significant decision, completely altering the course of my life.

Stay tuned to know what happened in the upcoming chapters…