Sometimes leaders come in pairs. Take James and Chris Levins, for example. As industry veterans and brothers, James and Chris joined ViSalus in October 2013, after a successful three-year run within an energy-based company. In only 46 days, they achieved the esteemed leadership rank of Vi 1-Star Ambassador, with no signs of slowing down.
We caught up with the Levins brothers to find out why they entered the health and wellness industry, what drew them to ViSalus, and what advice they have for aspiring entrepreneurs.
What drew you initially to becoming an entrepreneur within the network marketing channel?
“We had heard that network marketing could give you freedom in your life. With me (James) being in the car business working 7 days a week and Chris owning a construction company working more than me, freedom was just what we needed. We were never a part of residual income because we thought it sounded too good to be true! Well, anyone who says residual income is too good to be true, has never been a part of residual income.”
Tell us a little bit about your success at your previous company.
We found success very quickly in the energy industry. We became top income earners within the first two years and had no idea what we were doing! We were two of the top leaders in the entire Northeast United States. If you don’t try to reinvent the wheel, you will become successful.
What attracted you to the health and wellness industry?
It seems like in today’s world, health is on everybody’s mind—from different diets to workouts. Also, we saw that the health and wellness industry was expanding globally. The only issue with the energy business was that we were subjected to growing our businesses in the States that were deregulated. We have many contacts all over the country that wanted to do business with us, but couldn’t. With health and wellness, you can promote it anywhere at any time!
You have said you were drawn to Vi Global Ambassador Nick Sarnicola’s leadership skills and have benefited from him mentoring you. What specifically drew you to him?
“We think Nick Sarnicola is a Super Human! Years ago, we actually came across a YouTube video from a Network Marketing Pro event and were amazed at how he explained the industry as a whole. He made so much sense. We studied Nick’s leadership skills, teambuilding skills, his “telling it like it is” skills, and just his business expertise in general. The Pyramid Thing web series is great, too! We watched over 100 episodes before we even met him! We reached out to Nick, and he responded within minutes. Moments after meeting him, we knew it was a perfect match. He took us under his wing, flew up to the Northeast once a week to see us, and got our entire team fired up! We couldn’t think of a better mentor or sponsor to have in the industry. It doesn’t hurt that he is one of the top network marketing income earners in the world, too! Talk about credibility!”
What convinced you that ViSalus as a company was the right place for you?
“Three key reasons. The first reason is the physical benefits for Customers. In network marketing, it’s always a ‘business opportunity’ first; that scares a lot of people away. At ViSalus, it’s more about the Customers and their physical goals. Then you’re able to say, “Oh, and by the way, you can actually make money promoting this.” There is no pressure to promote it. Only opportunity.
The second reason is the PROJECT 10 Challenge. We think it’s a great cause because there are a lot of children worldwide who need better health. Helping adults become healthier helps children. It’s a win-win strategy!
The third reason was the ‘middle class’ aspect. In most network marketing companies, there is a ‘rich class’ and a ‘poor class’…. And the rich class will never stay rich because the poor class will quit if they aren’t making money! I love the fact that it is pretty simple for people to earn a nice income, and they don’t have to be professional network marketers or salespeople to be successful. They just need to be motivated and want it! The high number of people who have benefited from the Bimmer program shows that anyone can achieve success if they want it bad enough! Already we have about 40 people who have qualified for their Bimmers, and we want that number to multiply drastically in the next year!”
What are you most excited about in the next few months regarding The Challenge and Vi?
“We are still very new and have been excited with what’s happened so far! Our team is expanding across the country, and we look forward to building a rockin’ organization! The best part about ViSalus is that we can plan vacations around Challenge parties in SUNNY WARM STATES because it seems like it snows every other day in Pennsylvania.”
What is your next Vi goal?
Our next goal is to achieve the 3-Star Ambassador rank! As our teams build across the country, we want to create thousands of success stories! After 3-Star, it’s right to 5-Star, then it’s full speed ahead to Global!!
What’s the best piece of advice you would give to an aspiring Promoter?
Never give up. Getting started is often the hardest part. For example, you work work work work work work work, then get paid… work work work work work work, then get paid…. But, eventually with enough hard work, it can go like this…. get paid get paid get paid get paid get paid. Help your team be successful and by default, you will be successful. If anyone tries to talk you out of your dreams, give them this answer… ‘You be right, I’ll be rich’!
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The post Interview with Brother Duo James & Chris Levins: Industry Veterans & Vi 1-Star Ambassadors appeared first on ViSalus Blog.