When one goes out to chop down a tree, one of the first things they will do is sharpen the blade of their ax. Ecclesiastes 10:10 from the New Living Translation tells us that, “Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade. That’s the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed.” If we go out to chop down this tree without “sharpening the blade”, not only will we not get much accomplished but the job may take much longer than it really should. This is what I am doing, I am sharpening my blade today… so I can sharpen yours. Proverbs 27:17 says “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. ”
I have been listening to Micheal Dloughy teach on “The 5 Pillars of Success” and want to share with you what I have gleaned from the first pillar. The First Pillar he teaches on is “Company Management; Experience with Integrity”. The first thing he shares that when looking into an MLM business, is to begin by looking through the Policies and Procedures Manual of the Company. In this, this is what he encourages us to look for, (I was shocked when I found this in a previous company) look for the “Non-Renewal” clause. Yes, the “Non-Renewal” clause. This simply says, “Company may elect to reject any distributor agreement upon its Anniversary date”. Can you believe it? The company may elect to REJECT any Distributor agreement? If you are planning on making money with the company, I’d say… you better make a wise choice in your choosing. One of the last companies I was in had this clause and I am no longer in this company. However, do know that this was one of the first things I looked at when I hopped into my current company. I was so pleased to find that this clause was NOT in their Policies and Procedures.
The next thing Michael encourages us to do is to do some research on the President/Leadership of the Company you are looking at to join. Have they built and maintained large MLM organizations? Or are they a Lawyer who got bored in his practice and decided to “buy” an MLM Company just for fun? When your President and Leadership has built and maintained a large organization Michael says “this shows they now have the qualifications to run the company.” They also now will respect you (and me) and have a fairly short Policy and Procedure Manual because they know what they are doing. (Double check the length of your P & P’s, if they are lengthy, that could be a red flag to you.)
Okay, “how can I check out the Integrity of the Leadership of the Company” you ask? There are 2 simple ways to check this out. One, go to Google and do a search on the President of the Company’s name. And two, head on over to E-Bay and find out how much of the product that is being sold there is from the MLM company that you are looking to join. This shows credibility. If the product of the MLM company retails at approximately $300 and you are seeing it sold for $30 on E-Bay, that will be a HUGE hurt to you as a Distributor. OUCH! Sometimes this means that the company may have front-end loaded these people with so much product, that now they have to sell it just to get groceries for the week or pay off that credit card they just put it on.
Okay guys, be careful out there. Stay tuned because we have 4 more pillars to discuss! Now, what is the first thing you are going to do right now? Look at your Policy and Procedures, right? 
Thanks for coming by today, can’t wait to see you next time.
Blessings from Learning Together and Sharing what I know,
Tina Herz
TinaHerz.com A Christian Mom Encouraging You…
Sharpen the Blade
A Thousand Times…
“A Thousand Times”, that caught my attention today as I was doing a great devotional with a friend of mine today, we are “Fasting From Wrong Thinking” by Pastor Gregory Dickow, on personal finances. We learned today that “we have a covenant of increase from God.” The word Covenant is a promise or an agreement. This word increase is not just financial of which we would often think first, but can also pertain to an increase in relationships, an increase of your marriage, and increase of who you have influence over, an increase in wisdom, knowledge, and the list can go on. Pastor Dickow tells us that in Deuteronomy 1:11 it says, “May the Lord increase you a thousand times and bless you as He has promised.” Wow. Increase us a thousand times, can you imagine what that looks like in your life?
One large area of my life, however, has been recently increased and is continually being increased at the submission of my spirit. I have had the pleasure of going through a wonderful healing process in a ministry at my local church called “New Beginnings”. This ministry begins by watching Videos and a going through a workbook by Dr. Bruce Thompson called “The Divine Plumbline”. This Healing Ministry has changed my life! I had no idea what was in store for me nor did I know or see how broken I was. Through this, God has increased who I am in Him and Blessed me in a way no other could. He not only brought me to repentance, but He broke the devil’s stronghold on me by showing me the first act of defilement that was done to me early in my life. This set up a very unhealthy platform in my life that Satan used over and over again on me. I Praise God for my freedom and different way of seeing and “speaking” life. The Holy Spirit has refreshed my soul and daily He continues to grow and increase me in Him, Thank You Lord!
So what does this look like in your life? Can you imagine having a thousand times more freedom? Can you imagine having a thousand times more people to influence? Can you imagine having a thousand times more wisdom? How about a thousand times more knowledge? Can you imagine having a thousand times richer marriage? How about your kids? Can you imagine having a thousand times more influential kiddos? Now think about your financial situation… can you imagine what it would look like if the Lord increased your financial situation a thousand times? My friend and I were talking today and we agreed that we can somewhat visulaize what 10 times the increase in many of those areas looks like, but a THOUSAND times is a little harder to wrap our brains around! Give it a try, because remember, “we have a covenant of increase from God.”
Many Blessings from Him,
Grace and Peace, Tina Herz