Visionaries shape history. It really is that simple. Despite the diversity of circumstances and attributes, change-makers across generations and industries have one thing in common – belief.
In our careers, personal lives, and as citizens in civil society, clarity of vision and purpose can be transformative. Your success in network marketing is no different. With your peers and competitors having access to the same set of opportunities, tools, and support, your ability to move beyond the usual is essential to your success.
As an organisation founded in the image of a visionary, QNET is in the business of creating direct selling entrepreneurs who utilise their creativity and business acumen to achieve success. But we know that inspiration can be hard to come by. So, here’s a list of entrepreneurs who created opportunities that no one foresaw. We hope it inspires you. Let’s get started.
1. Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs co-founded Apple in 1976. He’s credited mainly for the personal computer revolution back in the ’70s and ’80s. He changed the face of the music and portable music player industry with the launch of iTunes and iPods, the touchscreen smartphone and tablet industry with the iPhones and iPads and, of course, the computer industry with sleek MacBooks and iMacs. Before his legendary success, his journey was fraught with plenty of hardship. From his initial ousting from Apple to his unsuccessful computer and software venture NeXT, he overcame a great deal of struggle.
Steve Jobs’s story is a testament to the importance of innovation, persevering despite failure and going above and beyond to deliver the best customer experience – all qualities that QNET direct selling distributors should look to demonstrate.
2. Dhirubhai Ambani
Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani, the founder of Reliance Industries, is the perfect example of a rags-to-riches story. His entrepreneurial dreams started while he was working as an attendant in a petrol pump in Yemen. With a small investment, he began trading spices under his new company, Reliance Commercial Corporations. Soon, he moved into yarn trading and in 1967 set up a textile mill in Naroda, Ahmedabad. His first major obstacle was when industry politics prevented his fabric ‘Vimal’ from being bought by wholesalers. Undeterred, he went straight to retailers and earned their respect. He gradually made enormous profits and expanded his business empire. Reliance Industries is now India’s largest company and currently has a presence in industries including energy, petrochemicals, textiles, natural resources, retail, and telecommunications.
Dhirubhai Ambani’s humble beginning, extraordinary vision, and zeal for business is an extraordinary source of inspiration for all network marketers.
3. Richard Branson
Sir Richard Branson‘s entrepreneurial journey began in 16 when he dropped out of school and started ‘Student’, a youth magazine with a fresh voice and perspective. To support his magazine, he began selling records through the mail. Eventually, this mail-order record business gave rise to Virgin Records, which paved the way for future Virgin companies. Today the owner of 400 companies, Richard Branson is also the only entrepreneur in the world to have built eight distinct billion-dollar companies in eight separate industries.
His journey to success can teach network marketers that not having a large capital or a business degree shouldn’t deter you from pursuing your entrepreneurial journey.
4. Indra Nooyi
Indra Nooyi, the former CEO of PepsiCo and a current member of the board of directors of Amazon, is one of the most influential women in the corporate world. After completing a Masters in Finance and Marketing from the Indian Institute of Management, she went on to work for Johnson & Johnson playing a pivotal role in the launch of Stayfree, their sanitary napkin product. Despite her success, she wanted more from her career and went on to earn a Master’s degree in Public and Private Management in 1978 from the Yale School of Management. A stint at the Boston Consulting Group and Motorola followed before the start of her illustrious career at Pepsi. Her visionary genius changed the course of the company as she led the diversification of PepsiCo into the restaurant, fruit juices, and sports drinks markets, alongside others, growing profits from $39 billion in 2006 to $63.5 billion in 2017.
Indra Nooyi’s story can teach us a lesson in how the tireless pursuit of professional success can bring out our true potential.
5. Marc Benioff
Marc Benioff is the founder of Salesforce, the world’s first cloud-based CRM. He then worked at Oracle for 13 years and was the company’s youngest Vice President in 26. The first step in his journey was the founding of his first enterprise Liberty Software at 15. Here he made video games for the Atari 800 system and earned $1500 monthly from game sales and royalties. He even worked as a programming intern at Apple under Steve Jobs, who had a profound influence on his life and career. After his time at Oracle, armed with the support of a few colleagues and the dream of starting something new, ambitious, and disruptive, Marc established Salesforce, currently the top-rated CRM tool in the industry.
Today, Benioff is seen as a thought leader in technology, organisational thinking, and even spirituality. His story is a lesson in impactful disruption driven by skill and belief.
You might think it is impossible to follow in the footsteps of these visionaries. But the truth is that they were regular people who aspired to a different reality, developed a positive mindset, made the right choices and overcame adversity to realise their vision eventually. When you begin your QNET network marketing journey, it’s essential to believe in your dream, develop business skills, and cultivate a healthy appetite for learning to maximise your chance of success.
Also Read:
Success Traits of Top Leaders in Direct Selling | QNet Knowledge Series