Owen, Graeme & Debbie
Amway Australia's Because Magazine published a success storey (from Australia) in December 2006.
In their new firm, Executive Diamond, Graeme and Debbie Owen run their company in the same way that they conduct their life, and it pays rewards.
Besides having their own Amway enterprises, the family also has a gorgeous resort-style house on the Gold Coast, and with businesses in locations they had never imagined, the world is literally at their fingertips.
The only viable option for Debbie Owen when the builder she and her husband Graeme had commissioned to oversee the massive task of extending and renovating their Isle of Capri home was unable to continue appeared to be completing an owner builder course and supervising the project herself.
After all, Debbie Owen has a passion for building and interior design.
In addition to the 60 tonnes of concrete that had to be removed from the site, there were other more difficulties to overcome.
In the midst of months of dry weather, it began to rain for a month on the day the gutters and external brick were removed.
This resulted in water seeping through the ceiling, causing mould to grow on the walls and ceilings as well as soaking the carpet.
Because Graeme and Debbie were required to remain on site, the family was forced to live on the premises for four months during the restoration.
Deborah says she and her husband had an image in their minds of a house with a resort vibe where they could feel like they were on vacation every day. "We just kept going," she recalls.
In addition, Graeme says, "It is quite similar to what you do in your business."
If you keep the ultimate goal in mind and recognise that challenges and hurdles are part of the process, you will achieve your desired result if you are willing to persevere.”
The end outcome is certainly worth the effort.
The furniture and colour scheme of the house are heavily influenced by Balinese design, with timber sliding doors leading to an outdoor pavilion and an infinity edge pool that wonderfully complements the sparkling water at the back of the property.
An added bonus has been the success of Jeremy (23) and Jonathan (20), who both graduated from high school and realised that, in order to maintain the lifestyle they had enjoyed with their parents for so long, they needed to start their own businesses as well. For his 19th birthday, Jeremy asked his parents for a Business Pack, which they gladly provided.
Both lads received their education at the prestigious Bond University, and Graeme believes it is a credit to the Amway business that they continue to regard it as their best option despite receiving first-class degrees.
With the boys rehearsing their music (drums and guitar) in the music room while Graeme and Debbie check emails in the home office that serves as the nerve centre of their ever-expanding enterprise, the family is more like a group of friends and housemates than it is a family.
Even more remarkable is the fact that, although they have reaped the benefits of a beautiful family life, their business has flourished as well, expanding into territories they had never envisaged.
In South Africa, they have lately qualified as Emeralds as a result of this.
According to Graeme, who frequently consults with foreign leaders over the phone, there have been "interesting times."
I had a conference call with 25 IBOs in Colombia and Venezuela with a translator in each nation a couple of years ago while we were growing groups in South America.
We were asking questions and clarifying finer areas of team building.”
It was only recently that the company received an email from a couple who had qualified as Emeralds in Bucaramanga, Colombia.
The couple expressed their gratitude for the support they had received and expressed their excitement at the fact that their Amway business had enabled them to become debt free as well as repay the debts of their parents.
”The relationships you forge and the lives you are able to impact are rare serendipities of our company, which keeps you humble and appreciative for the opportunity.”
Graeme and Debbie explain their success in the following manner: “There are two characteristics shared by the most successful leaders,” Graeme explains.
“A ferocious determination combined with humility. The key is to stay extremely focused yet never believing your own publicity.”
Debbie continues, "Lance Armstrong is one of our leadership idols."
As a result, we try to be reasonable at both sides of the spectrum, according to him, because most people take their failures too seriously and their successes too enthusiastically.
Graeme and Debbie are now able to live their lives at their own speed. Graeme, in particular, keeps in touch with their key leaders both here and abroad on a daily basis by phone and email, but life for the Owens is about family and lifestyle, and they now relish the fact that they can do so whenever they want and as they want.
From this vantage point, Graeme and Debbie anticipate big things for their company, which is currently on an upward trajectory.
Particularly important at this time is their focus on growing their Platinum and Emerald groups to Diamond status, which will necessitate more counselling and more trips abroad, but always with that persistent, determined, yet humble approach that is reflected in yet another aspect of this successful couple's lives: their marriage.
According to Debbie, walking three kilometres every day along the Surfers Paradise coastline is an important component of her health and fitness regimen to stay fit and healthy.
“Over the course of a year, that equates to approximately the distance it would take to walk from Sydney to Melbourne.
When asked to walk to Sydney, we would most likely say no; nevertheless, in the corporate world, individuals underestimate the cumulative effect of routinely showing four plans each week, every week for an entire year.
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