I grew up in Southwestern Ontario in a small city. My family moved to a hog-and-cash-crop farm when I was nine. Chores started right away, working with the animals and helping out with the daily operation. The oldest of three children, I took over the operation at age 11, with the help of my younger brother, when our father injured his back in a workplace accident. During this season, we successfully managed the hog operation from start to finish and lost only one animal. To this day, our dad credits us with saving the whole operation while he was on the mend.
My parents taught a strong work ethic, honesty, and integrity by their actions and their words. My dad had two sayings: “Dig your well before your well goes dry” and “I don’t care if you are a ditch digger, a doctor or a professional hockey player; be the best you can be.”
I loved team sports, including hockey and baseball. Having a tremendous work ethic advanced me to higher levels of competitive hockey, where I reached Junior A as a goaltender. I played a total of five years of junior level hockey before being sidelined with a knee injury. As a goaltender, I learned that I was the last line of defense and took responsibility for the team. This taught me dedication, loyalty, teamwork and strong individual play.
As a youth, I held down various jobs and even began working off the home farm at the age of 14. As a young adult, I took an operations job at a local refinery and worked to the top position in five years. I then went back to night school and shifted to a technical position at the same refinery.
Even though I have been satisfied with my career, something inside me always strove for more: more truth, more security, more freedom, new and various experiences, and challenges. I guess I wanted to live a full life and leave a legacy for future generations beyond myself.
I married at 22 and while working full time I still managed to develop various businesses, the first being a sign installation company. I took the company from installing 10 signs per week to 200 per week in a very short time, and was able to sell this business two years later for a substantial gain. During this time, I also bought a vending machine franchise with the idea of making income in my sleep. Although this was not the profitable business I envisioned, it planted the seeds for the desire to build a residual income.
Shirley and I bought a 100-acre, cash crop farm in 1991 and moved our little family from the city to the country. We recently completed the four-year process of converting it to organic, as this lines up better with our core beliefs and values.
While working and operating the farm, I was exposed to Network Marketing. The concept just made sense: change the store from which you purchase products you use every day, share the idea with others, and earn residual income. We thought this was going to be a slam dunk, but fortunately the early years were filled with struggles, challenges, and heartache. Nonetheless, through skill development and perseverance, we built this to top levels in our first company within two years.
During this time, I realized that there was no true residual income with this particular company. The system was so expensive to operate that people did not stay with the program. Having found true residual income did not come from traditional business or from most Network Marketing companies, I began to ask questions. What was the common denominator in all business? The answer of course is money. What did we really know about money, where did it come from and how was it created? I started an in-depth study of currency and currency creation, which has led to a broad knowledge of macro economics.
With this background, I knew that people had to be productive from home. I had to learn about people and develop skills to lead and speak. I took real estate courses and became a successful real estate investor. I looked again at the Network Marketing model and studied compensation systems, products, and companies. I found that not all companies are created equal. A good friend recommended a new company and a system that looked good, so after a several-year hiatus from Network Marketing I jumped back in. I built this company quickly only to find more challenges with the company and the leadership.
I learned that success and failure are the same subject: one does not come without the other, and failure is only temporary, while success is the journey. As a result of our experiences, we have developed several guideposts to help people discern, evaluate and judge any business. Knowing that Network Marketing was still the right vehicle to produce residual income and time freedom, I was fortunate enough to be introduced to the perfect opportunity by a trusted friend and mentor. When measured by the aforementioned guideposts, it was clear that this company was homerun material.
People need to diversify and become productive from home. First, we have to do this, and then we have to empower others to do the same. In a nutshell, we need to learn and to apply truthful leverage in all our daily activities.
It is because of this quest that we personally are debt-free and have not been affected by the “global meltdown” or more importantly, the “personal meltdown” people are experiencing. We are passionate about helping others to become debt-free and have full, productive lives.
We look forward to bringing value into your life! Feel free to contact me at fred@fredhodgins.com