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In For Life
DONNA JOHNSON WAS LOOKING FOR 'A LITTLE MONEY' AND FOUND THE JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME
By DEBORAH BOUZIDENPhotography by Dirk Anshütz
Donna Johnson, Executive National Vice President with Arbonne International, sits in her wicker rocking chair, a cup of coffee in one hand and a portable phone in the other. She surveys the white pine, birch, and oak trees that stretch across her back yard, down to Legend Lake in Northern Wisconsin.
Crows dive at a soaring eagle and a pair of squirrels scratch in the leaves a few feet from the edge of the wrap-around wooden deck of her 2500-square-foot log home. Black and white loons frolic in the cool, morning bay, and Donna wonders if she'll be fortunate enough to catch sight of a deer as it comes for a drink.
For now, Donna focuses on the business meeting at hand. She punches in a phone number and waves at her husband, Gary, and their twin daughters as they make their way down the private dock toward their favorite fishing hole. Perhaps later they'll go for a swim. She'll join them in about 45 minutes - after her business calls are over.
"I come up here for a weekend, and it feels like I've been unplugged for a month," Donna says. "I have the life everybody wants. It's like I won the lottery - only then I wouldn't be as fulfilled as I am now, because I've actually built what I have."
Donna started building the life she has now at the age of 19 when she worked as a swim coach. Today, she chooses how, when, and where she works.
"Network marketing is great because you can basically live wherever you want to live and still work your business," says Donna, and her life is living proof of that axiom. Weekends and summers are spent with Gary and their children at their log cabin. Their first dream home and current primary residence is in Appleton, Wisconsin. They are in the process of building their second in Cave Creek, Arizona.
"I have the life everybody wants. It's like I won the lottery - only then I wouldn't be as fulfilled as I am now, because I've actually built what I have." 
"I think that what we're offering in network marketing is exactly what everybody wants. People want success in all dimensions, not just financial success." 
"From the beginning I teach people to dream again. What is their 'why' for doing the business? Where do they see themselves? How much do they want to earn? How much time and money do they have to invest? How do they see themselves doing the business?" |
Donna has been involved in network marketing for 23 years. The first ten years she was with another company. For the last 13, she has been an independent consultant for Arbonne - an international company that distributes skin care, cosmetics, and nutritional products.
At first, Donna entered the business just to make some extra spending money. "I had a 'travel bug'; I wanted to earn enough extra money so I could purchase a plane ticket to go see my brother in Hawaii."
Soon the demands of a growing family began fueling a greater motivation to grow a successful business.
"I remember in 1981, with two small children, watching the Phil Donahue Show. The program was about mothers who stayed home with their children versus mothers who worked outside the home. There was a real line drawn in the sand between the two groups. I found myself identifying with both.
"The moms who stayed home shared how wonderful it was to be there for their children. I could relate! The moms who worked outside the home talked about being able to dress up, interact with adults, build their self-esteem, and contribute financially. I could relate to them, too."
Donna knew she was in a one-of-a-kind business, so she started sharing it with others. Over the years she has become a top leader in her field.
By the late 80s, Donna was going through a divorce with three children. Her increased financial need propelled her to look for another company; she was introduced to Arbonne. After using their products and giving careful consideration to the company, she decided to make the move. She started at ground zero and began building her business.
Within three months, Donna earned her white Mercedes Benz with Arbonne's car program. By month seven, she was earning a six-figure income.
In 1991, Donna married Gary Johnson; between them, they now had five children between the ages of eight and 13; three years later, their twin daughters were born. Donna continued working and expanding her business with a family of seven children. Driven by her high energy and strong work ethic, the business kept growing. At the age of 48, because of her Arbonne business, her husband was able to retire from a high-paying, high-stress job assisting in open heart surgery.
Keeping It Simple
What is Donna's secret?
"Being a leader in network marketing is very similar to my experiences early on as a coach. You must be passionate, driven, have clear goals, be a visionary, and believe in others. It's not about being a dictator or a 'boss'; it's about being an effective coach. When you are, people will follow you. As a leader, you need to see the big picture and have the ability to help other people see that big picture.
"The secret is - there is no secret. Don't make it complicated. Keep it simple. I've always kept my business very simple, so that when people watch what I do, they can say, 'Wow, I can do that, too.' If you're duplicable, your income will grow exponentially."
Donna starts her day by walking down to the lake to feed the fish and by working out with Gary. She'll then head to her home office, grab her phone, and start making calls. She has a part-time secretary that comes in and helps, but Donna doesn't have set office hours.
"I work in blocks of time. Every day is different."
One day, she may take a new client to lunch. Another day, a new consultant may come in and Donna will work with her setting her goals. She spends a good deal of her business time on three-way calls, helping her consultants teach and train new consultants.
And then there is the Internet.
"Technology has changed my life. I used to produce and mail a newsletter - now I simply post it on my Web site. The Web site is structured to support my organization with information, updates and training material and to support my Internet marketing and prospecting. There's even a link to the Arbonne home page where you can place an order and find out more about the product and the business."
Donna started her business doing mostly one-on-one and group presentations. Now she helps her people find their own marketing niche, be it through "dear friend" letters, ad co-ops, Internet marketing, group meetings, or trade shows. For training her people, she favors the time leverage that teleconferencing provides.
"I used to do lots of meetings; it took a huge amount of effort and time. Time is money - people lead busy lives. It takes time for my consultants to get dressed, find a babysitter, and drive to the location." With her organization spread across the country and Canada, many wouldn't be able to make the meetings anyway.
"Now," confides Donna, "all my training is Thursday night on the phone. A new consultant can be at home, folding clothes if she needs to be - and still attend a training session. And if someone can't make the live call, they can access it on replay, 24 hours a day, up until the following Thursday night call."
Teaching People to Dream Again,
Once a quarter, she gathers her local group and they have fireside chats up at the cabin. Donna teaches her people how to create a vision for themselves and helps them set and review their goals.
"From the beginning I teach people to dream again. What is their 'why' for doing the business? Where do they see themselves? How much do they want to earn? How much time and money do they have to invest? How do they see themselves doing the business?"
She advises someone just starting in the business to learn how to be an entrepreneur, to function without a boss, and to understand it's not a "get rich quick" - as Donna puts it, "it's a get rich slow."
"I tell my people that at first they have to work harder for less money - so that later on, they can work easier for more money.
If they learn to manage their expectations from the beginning, start seeing success right away, learn to handle the 'dream-stealers,' and keep setting goals, they're in for life."
"In for life" - that describes Donna. She has reached many of her earlier goals - and she continues to set new ones, both for herself and for her organization. The two are not separate, but are intimately related: "Help enough people get what they want," she asserts, "and what you want just comes naturally.
"After you've achieved your own goals, you naturally become more focused on others, helping them reach theirs. You have 'team goals.' I currently have a goal of helping to create 100 millionaires in my organization. We have a good start, and I know we'll reach it."
Donna doesn't have to work any more. She puts in the average 30 to 40 hours a week because she wants to. She loves the business and passes on enthusiasm and inspiration to her consultants, whom she calls her successline.
"I think that what we're offering in network marketing is exactly what everybody wants. People want success in all dimensions, not just financial success. They want to be able to have balance in their life, work when they want, create enough residual income to establish financial peace, do something that makes them feel good, and know they've made a difference in someone's life."
Network marketing has helped Donna Johnson do all that - and more.
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