Mikolas, Frank & Lorraine
"We sold everything and relocated to Edmonton just because we liked the city," Lorraine exclaims with delight.
Esterhazy, a modest mining and farming town in one of the most sparsely populated regions of North America, had undergone a searing transformation since then.
Frank grew raised on a farm in Esterhazy, where he learned to farm.
"We were so impoverished that I had no desire to become a farmer. Growing up, it was a difficult and trying time "Frank recalls the incident.
After high school, Frank attended an electronics course, worked for a brief period of time in a repair shop, and then opened his own television sales and repair business in Esterhazy.
Soon after, he rose to the position of top salesman in the region.
Lorraine was raised in a family of hard workers as well.
Her father worked two jobs to provide for his 11 children's education, while her mother took in a half-dozen foster children to supplement the family's income.
"I used to bring foster children with me on my dates, and I never got upset about it," Lorraine adds.
"When Frank and I were married, housing in Esterhazy was so scarce that we had to live in a trailer parked in a slough.
It was a difficult time for us. Both of us slept in the living room, while the children slept in their own bedrooms.
That trailer was responsible for our Gypsy blood. We couldn't tolerate the thought of being there, therefore we were always on the move!"
The fact that Frank's business was one of the most profitable in town did not make up for the fact that there was never enough money.
"We appeared to be successful," Lorraine explains, "but we were obligated to the maximum."
Then, out of nowhere, a business opportunity presented itself, concealed within one of the most reluctant business overtures in history.
According to Lorraine, "Frank was invited to learn about a business, and he recognised right immediately what a great opportunity it was."
"However, following the meeting, the persons who organised it attempted to dissuade us from joining!
They were walking about with ice on their feet. They convened one meeting, registered us, and then walked away.
It took months before we were able to obtain a Sales and Product Kit."
When Frank and Lorraine decided to expand their business into a more populous area, they hit the road to do so. "The nearest city was Regina, which was 2-1/2 hours away," Lorraine explains.
"We spent the entire winter driving on solid ice in temps as low as -30 C.
It was so cold that our automobile even froze up in the middle of the road while we were driving!"
When Frank and Lorraine reached the Platinum level, Frank was able to retire from his repair company.
"It was given to my business partner. I could have made money if I had sold it, but I simply wanted to be free. I even chose to walk home rather than driving the store van.
I felt confident in my ability to make our marketing firm successful. It has to be effective.
Just as we were about to upgrade to Platinum, the introduction of upmarket products allowed us to completely eliminate our debt."
Their Diamond company is built on both personal sales and the registration of independent business owners (IBOs).
Despite the fact that "I've relaxed a little" since moving to Edmonton, Frank maintains that "selling two Water Treatment Systems in a day" is nothing out of the ordinary for him.
This enterprise, Lorraine explains with a grin, has "transformed our lives tremendously."
"It took me a long time to get over my shyness and attend sessions with Frank.
I used to pray that no one would show up.
My prayers were frequently answered. But now I'm even conversing with those who are waiting in line at the bank."
"We really enjoy our way of life," Frank explains. "We don't pay attention to the time very often. We were eating dinner on the terrace on the other night, which was well past midnight."
"Our family consists of our daughter, Corrina, and her husband, Randy, as well as our two sons, Geoffrey and Kirk, and our two grandchildren, Jayden and Chad.
We're a close-knit group of people "Lorraine expresses herself.
If this opportunity hadn't come up, I'm not sure what sort of family they would have grown up in.
"Sometimes I look at them and think about what type of household they would have grown up in."
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