With each year that passes, Melaleuca's growth continues to accelerate. Last year's growth was unprecedented and if the first two months of 2004 are a reliable indication, this year's growth will eclipse last year's by a significant margin! That means several things to the alert observer:

1. It means we've been discovered as a significant contributor towards total wellness in the world.
2. It means that people everywhere love Melaleuca's products and are telling their friends.
3. It means thousands of families have greatly increased their financial well-being in the process of delivering the Melaleuca message.
4. It means that by the end of this year we should have about one half of 1% (.5%) of all U.S. and Canadian households as Melaleuca Preferred Customers. (That's one out of every 200 homes!)
5. It means that we have a tremendous opportunity in front of us.
6. And it means that there has never been a better time to be actively building a Melaleuca business than today.

I think that the most rewarding thing about our current situation is that there appears to be no end in sight. We have only scratched the surface! Even when we are 20 times our current size, we will be a $10 billion business and still only have 10% of the marketplace. That's pretty amazing!

It's becoming more and more lucrative to operate a Melaleuca home-based business ­ so lucrative, in fact, that more and more people are doing exactly that. There is no question that with the millions of dollars being paid by Melaleuca to Marketing Executives each month that it is a proven fact that anyone can build a successful Melaleuca business if they are willing to do the work.

I have learned a lot over the past 19 years as I have watched thousands start and grow their Melaleuca businesses. Some are much more successful than others, but it doesn't seem to make much difference what kind of education they have or how bright they are or how good-looking they are or what their parents did. It depends a lot more on how disciplined they are at getting themselves to stay at it day after day. Persistence is the key! It is evident that some people see being turned down by a potential customer as absolutely devastating! Once they are turned down they may never have the courage to try again! I see others who take a "No thank you" as part of the process. They understand that many who turned them down today will become customers next month or next year after they have had the chance to become more fully informed of what we have to offer. "No" really means, "Not yet, I need more information." Those who understand that have a tremendous advantage over those who think "No" means something awful, take it as a personal rejection, and get discouraged and quit.

After years of observation it has become evident to me that the only ones who lose are the ones who give up. Another phenomenon that takes people out of the race is when they see someone ahead of them who is running faster than they are. In this race it's not how fast you run but the fact that you keep running that gets you to the finish line. Surely some are able to run faster than others. They might get there more quickly. But the truth is, everyone can win in this race if they just keep running and don't allow themselves to get discouraged because someone else got ahead of them or because they slipped and fell down a few times.

I have often thought of what I would do each day if I were starting a home-based business for myself. (Don't think I haven't been tempted!) After almost 20 years of observation, it is quite evident what the successful do each day as opposed to those who are not successful. Here are some of the steps I would take if I were starting a Melaleuca business today.

I would order a Career Pack and become familiar with every product.

I would convert my home totally to Melaleuca products. (I would include my spouse and my children in this decision and ask them for their support in implementing it.) When Lewis Rasmussen came to town to do his seminar, I would take my entire family so everyone could gain an understanding of how each Melaleuca product is superior to the competition.

I would make my contact list and diligently learn and follow the Seven Critical Activities.

I would continuously be involved in Fast Track.

I would stay in touch with my support team and enroll on an almost a daily basis and report my activities for the day and my plans for tomorrow.

I would see if someone in my support team was willing to team up with me. I would rely on them doing a presentation until I became proficient in doing it myself.

I would continually review the Seven Critical Activities to make sure I was not missing anything and that I was using my time each day doing things that were conducive to my success.

I would set my goals, write them down, review them with my spouse and children and ask for their support.

I would never let anyone ­ even my family ­ ever hear me speak negatively about the company, its people, its programs, or about any other Marketing Executive.

I would be a champion of the product, making it clear that our success is based on marketing superior products as opposed to marketing some money deal.

I would seek out those in my organization who have high goals and were willing to work as hard as I am. I would work with them and help them to reach their goals. If I found no one willing to work, I would keep enrolling customers until I found someone who was willing to work.

I would always listen to Jeff Hill's announcement the first day of each month. I would make sure that I and my entire organization heard it the first day and then I would use that contest to help me and my organization set and reach our short-term goals for the month.

I would offer to help at every Melaleuca meeting. I would make sure leaders in my area knew they could count on me.

I would be one of the first to register for Convention. I would never miss Convention or a Launch or any other important Melaleuca meeting.

If I missed a goal I would immediately set a new one.

If I had a bad day, a bad month, or a bad year, I would just remember it is part of the process. I would keep going until I had accomplished what I had originally set out to accomplish.

I would not stop, no matter what, until I had reached my goal and I would do it by helping others reach theirs.

These are not my ideas. It is what I've learned from those who I have watched climb the mountain of success. I have learned one thing for certain: Anyone who wants to can be a champion! It takes guts, hard work, and determination! Thank heavens for those who have proven that it can be done and for showing us how to do it!

Sincerely,

Frank VanderSloot