In business, it’s all about your network. I’ve heard it said many times – “your network equals your net worth”. It’s not about what you know – it’s all about who you know. I think this is the perfect part of this book to talk about the importance of building a massive network. I started to learn about networks and distribution when I started building a business in the “network marketing” industry. The keyword being “network”. Your network.

I want to think about any major community in our world today. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, Twitter, Uber, Airbnb – and the list goes on and on. What makes these platforms so valuable? The size of the community – the network. The fluid activities of its users. The users – yes, you and I are completely addicted to these platforms. It’s this addiction – our habitual activities in these networks that generate Billions and Billions of Dollars in ad revenues. I know I’m preaching to the choir here – but this network thing is the key to your success in business.

Network marketing was a dirty word when I was going all-in with my first real network marketing business. Why was it a dirty word? The true meaning behind network marketing or direct sales is absolutely genius in business. It’s the strategy of marketing services and/or products to a network. One’s personal or professional network. Powerful! The genius also lies within not having to pay for marketing until the acquisition of the sale happens. 

The most successful people in network marketing either have massive networks – or they can build massive networks. That’s where the true value is. If you want to make a lot of money – you need to talk to a lot of people. Back in the day, it was harder to do than today. Today we can create a funnel online, throw some money at some ads on Facebook and drive thousands of views to our offer. This new digital world is creating new millionaires every day in the United States.

I’ve met so many people over the years that want to be successful in business – but they don’t want to build a network. They don’t want to talk to people. They only have two options. Start building a network – or pay someone else to do it for you. If you’re going to build a business and have success – you need a massive network.

Ok – it’s confession time. A few years ago I lost a business. It was my absolute dream business. My dream job. I will tell this story later in the book – but I want to focus on one point here. It’s the point of me deciding to no longer work on building my network. 

I was going through a very painful season in my life and I just didn’t want to be in a relationship with people. I was going through a major depression and struggling with my mental health. I started to make statements to my wife like – “I hate people!”; “I don’t want to talk to people ever again!”; “I hate business!” – yes, very negative and destructive talk. So my reality was – I had no success in business during this time. My network – or the lack of my network during this time was a direct result of no success. 

This was a very dark season of my life. I went into a dark depression that lasted over 12 months. I isolated myself from people. I wanted nothing to do with other human beings. I had been hurt, betrayed, taken advantage of, used, manipulated, lied to, and many in the church. Yes – so-called “Christians”. I was falling into a victim lifestyle. It was everyone else’s fault that I wasn’t having success. It was everyone else’s fault that I wasn’t building a new business and creating again. This was the most dangerous place to be. 

It eventually took me through a day where I had decided I was going to end my life and jump off a very tall bridge in Edmonton, Alberta where I was living at the time. This bridge was called the High-Level Bridge and was known for many suicide jumps. I was trapped in this mindset of no longer having any worth. I had convinced myself my family and this world would be a better place if I was gone. I had no active network.

I parked my car on the southside of the bridge that afternoon and started to walk alongside the bridge on the sidewalk towards an area on the bridge I knew would be a good place to jump and guarantee the end to my life. It was a cold November fall day. 

As I was walking along the start of the bridge – I looked over the edge into a ravine area and saw a homeless man home under the bridge deck. He didn’t have much – a few personal items, an old bicycle, some blankets, a tarp that was being used as his shelter. I thought about his life at that moment and how he had found enough hope to continue living. My problems seemed so much bigger than his in my mind – but the reality was I had so much more. I started to think about my two daughters that needed me. I started to think about how my wife’s life would look like as a single mom. I was going to leave her with an absolute mess. These were defining moments during this walk.

I continued walking down the bridge towards the spot I had picked in my mind. I walked past the suicide emergency help phone and kept walking. I got to the spot where I wanted to jump and started to think about my life and what was pushing me to do this. Who was pushing me to do this? 

I had recently been defamed in the National news. Lies. Taking my personal and business story and twisting it into a version that was good for the agenda. The hit piece. The mission to destroy someone’s life with a narrative that would be good for ad sales. It was all so painful. Disgusting! But – was it worth me ending my life. Was I going to let this piece of human trash that was orchestrating all of this push me to the point of ending it all? Throwing my future away? 

I felt hopefulness. I felt like I could never come back from this. It was a lie. A lie that had control of my mind. It was a miracle that day that I never jumped. I believe it was that homeless man living under the bridge that caused my mind to wander from the suicide mission I was on. It was those thoughts that lead me to save my own life. God puts people in our lives when we least expect it to happen and sets a divine appointment with us. I’m writing this book because of this divine appointment I had that day in my life.

I walked back to my car that afternoon and drove home. I filmed that entire experience that day. I told my wife what had happened and she booked us in with a Psychiatrist the very next day. This was when some of the best healing began. This is when I started to build my new network. It was a new calling. A new vision – with a new purpose. I am where I am today because of my new network and the incredible human beings that have loved me through these dark days – into a life of hope and light. My new network and my new tribe.