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N21 Speaking

One of the many things that I learned well, through practice while developing a large Network Twenty-One organization, was speaking in front of large audiences. It started in small meetings and grew into larger groups. My skills were well noted by the cadre of Network Twenty-One. It wasn’t long before the organizers asked for me by name.

One Business Building Seminar was being held in Connecticut in 1999. I was excited to speak on the east coast of the States.

You can hear my talk, some life story, and some training on business development.

https://youtu.be/C5Qe-MdrLZg

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India

When I was in sixth grade, age 12, I created two drawings that were selected to adorn the school walls during parents night – when parents came to meet the teachers and discuss how their child was progressing.

One of the colored drawings was of a Northwest Mounted Policeman on a house. The other was of the Taj Mahal. Interesting that I came to live in Canada for most of my adult life, and traveled to India for two and a half months to develop an Amway business.

My travel to India began when I sponsored my good friend Pankaj Chand into the Amway business in Canada. It must have been in the summer of 1995. He was referred by a nurse who worked at St. Mary’s Hospital in Kitchener, ON. We hit it off immediately. Pankaj, and later his wife Rose, and son Arun have been in my life since, much to my blessings.

In a quip, I mentioned to Pankaj that India would someday be open for Amway development. He stated that when it did he would go there to develop business in his country of heritage. Without so much as a thought of what it would entail, I said, “Well, if you go, I will go as well”.

The date of Amway opening business in India became a reality in May 1998. Pankaj, Rajeev, and I traveled to India to prepare for the opening in March 1998.

scan0196

Rajeev and wife to be, Suzy at Toronto airport getting ready to board our first flight leg to London. Rajeev and Suzy had recently returned from Disney World. I had asked Rajeev to purchase three Micky Mouse hats to bring with us on our travels, which he did. When we arrived at Heathrow in London, we were required to disembark, clear customs and board a second plane to India. While standing in line to access the second plane, I ask Rajeev for the hats and the three of us placed them on our heads. As the line approached the security check, the officer could be seen stamping passport documents and then look up to peer at the three of us in line. We were in suits and everyone else was adorned with India garb. We stood out beyond comparison. As we finally reached the guard, he stamped our passports, then could not contain himself any longer. He burst out with, “What are you doing with those hats?”. Being as we were in England, my plan had gone completely noticed as I calmly remarked, “We are the three Mousketeers. traveling to India”. Although he saw the humor, he had to contain his amusement as he just shook his head and said please pass.

Nothing in my previous travels throughout S. America and Mexico could have prepared me for what became my India excursion. Upon arrival in Delhi, Pankaj and I booked a hotel, while Rajeev went to stay with relatives in the area. Here is a picture from our hotel room the first morning.scan0197 Pankaj did his best to help me acclimate to the sights, sounds, cultures, and extreme time change in the first couple of days before we went in separate directions across the country.

The day we arrived, I went to the American Express office to obtain some local currency. As the teller handed me my cash, he said, “Happy Birthday!”. I was dumb founded. How could he know it was my birthday, so I asked him. He flatly stated, that is the day your American Express card expires. The look on my face must have given away my chagrin. He said, you do have your replacement with you do you not? I had to confess that in the chaos of preparation, I had not opened the mail that contained my replacement card. What followed was a testament to perseverance and guts on my part. I had to get a new card issued through Delhi, New York, and Toronto. The challenge was that because of the method to have it replaced, every time I used it for airfare, hotels, etc, it would be declined and American Express had to be called to verify that it was me using it and then they would authorize it’s used to the person making the charge. Now realize how a hotel employee in India would react when I would be checking out of the hotel, and say, now when you put this through, it will be declined, but don’t panic. We are doing to call this toll free number and they will authorize its use. Where upon they would call, while being extremely suspicious of me and this scheme. It always seemed to get to the same person at American Express, Rajeev (another one, of which there are a lot), who would ask to speak to me. I would swoon, Rajeev!, and he would say, Mr. Frank, so good to hear from you again, please pass the phone back to the attendant, whereupon, he would authorize the cards to use. This happened for twenty-five airline flights and more hotels than I remember, across ten of the twenty-five states in India. Needless to say, Rajeev and I became good friends by the time I left India.

Here are a few reflective notes that I made on the way back from India.

Transcribed notes made during and after two and a half months in India, developing an Amway business.

India #1 word – flexibility Don’t look left, right – stay focused, no comparisons with anybody, 25 flights, 10/25 states visited. Pay the price, $10,000, over 2 months away from wife and family Drive 1 hr to get an initial kit. Went with a mission. 1-Create plan showers in depth, not show plan, 2-Create urgency – looking for business owners while I’m here.

You’re so blessed here in N. America, air, water. People here are same as there – everybody wants tomorrow to be better than today and their family to be looked after –  here the quiet desperation is exactly the same – just less obvious -they think they are OK   – in India, they can’t try to fool you as much – just know they all want to come to N. America

The people are desperately looking for leadership. That is why they question you and give objections. When they question, the game starts. Handle objections in Plan:4 shifts in thinking. Mkt vs. Elect. Dist.Product pricing. Next step is your house, or come back here

Unsung heroes – Molly at home. When a string is taught, when one end moves the other end feels it. Molly was in trenches here.

Greg Lalonde – don’t give me (Molly & I) time splits, we are just going all out.

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Dream of New Plant a Reality

Kids; In the spring of 1988, I became aware that the town of Fergus was selling one acre, serviced, lots in the industrial park for $10,000, which I did not have.  The bank would not loan me any more money and Lambda needed a new home in order to expand.\r\n\r\nAt the time, old Lamdba on Breadalbane St. had been thrown together in a building that had been used for roof truss manufacturing.  A lot of growth and development had taken place there.  Now it was time to move on.\r\n\r\nStep one was to manifest the money to buy the property.  Simple, right?  I just needed $10,000!  Well, in those days, you could get a credit card very easily with a $2,500 limit.  So I applied for four cards, which I got quickly.  I then took the cash advance and went to the Fergus town.  As expected, I walked out with title to one acre, and an option on the acre next door for free for the next year.\r\n\r\nOk, now I had the service land.  Next, I needed a building to be constructed without paying for it up front.  Easy, right?\r\n\r\nI met a contractor who had his offices in the same industrial park and simply asked if we could work out a deal on him putting in the foundations and raising the steel, before he got paid.  Here is an example, kids, of the expression, “If you don’t a-s-k, you never g-e-t”.  He agreed.  Now all I needed was the steel structure – with no money to buy it.\r\n\r\nSomehow I had learned that the Business Development Bank of Canada had what were called construction loans to businesses.  I managed to talk them into providing the money for the steel, long enough to get the shell raised, and then a conventional mortgage on the building could pay back the bank.  Simple, right?\r\n\r\nThe interesting part was that the bank would not release the funds directly to me, but only to the company providing the steel.  And the steel company would not drop the steel at the construction site until they had their money.  Easy conundrum to solve.\r\n\r\nLambda had the one of the first “portable phones”, a Mitsubishi.  It weighed five pounds and had to sit on the floor because it got so hot when you used it.  So I gave the phone to contractor at the site in Fergus, and I drove to Kitchener to the bank to get the money when the steel arrived on site.  It was just a matter of having the driver tell the bank that he was on site with the steel, waiting for his money.  I then raced back to Fergus with the cheque and sealed the deal and the steel was on site.  Now that was an exciting day.  From then on, construction went easily.  The mortgage was approved and the money became available to complete construction.\r\n\r\nAs you can see by the video’s, construction takes time. I remember wanting it to hurry, but it was way cool to watch something that started out as an idea in my mind rise from the ground like a Phoenix.\r\n\r\nThe other thing Kids, is that if you see a turtle on a fence post, just know, it did not get there by itself.  If you have an idea, there will be nay sayers, but more importantly, there will be people who come along, at just the right time to help bring dreams into reality.  I owe a lot of gratitude to a lot of people.  But, none more that Barb MacNeil and Molly McGregor for making this all happen.  Thanks Barb and Molly!\r\n\r\nLambda New Plant Servicing Lot July 1988\r\n\r\nLambda New Plant Ground Breaking Nov 1 1989\r\n\r\n Lambda New Plant Clearing Nov 3 1989\r\n\r\nLambda New Plant Dig Footings Nov 6 1989\r\n\r\nLambda New Plant Footings in Dec 1989\r\n\r\nLambda New Plant Steel Delivery Nov 23 1989\r\n\r\nLambda New Plant Steel Up Dec 13 1989\r\n\r\n Lambda New Plant Roof on Jan 17 1990\r\n\r\nLambda New Plant Doors in Jan 24 1990\r\n\r\nLambda New Plant Windows in Feb 9 1990 \r\n\r\nLambda New Plant Floor in Feb 19 1990\r\n\r\nLambda New Plant Driving In First Time Feb 24 1990\r\n\r\nLambda New Plant Framed Deck Mar 9 1990\r\n\r\nLambda New Plant Painting Mar 15 1990\r\n\r\nLambda New Plant Moved In April 10 1990\r\n\r\nLambda New Plant First Cake\r\n\r\nLambda New Plant Grand Opening Walk Through\r\n\r\nLambda New Plant Grand Opening Signing Poster\r\n\r\n Lambda New Plant Grand Opening Cutting Ribbon\r\n\r\nAnd that is how you manifest something from just an idea!

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No Money Down – Lambda New Building

In July 1988, the town of Fergus developed Dixon Drive as part of their industrial park.  In a daring move, I manifested the $10,000 plus required to purchase the land needed for the new Lambda Crystal Inc. factory and showroom.scan0201 Our Location at 205 Breadalbane St, Fergus

Have A Ground Breaking
Have A Ground Breaking

Ground Breaking Ceremony, newly serviced acre.

Then Build Something
Then Build Something

Steel is up, January 1990

Rough In The Walls

Watch as the infrastructure comes alive.

Then Celebrate Your Success
Then Celebrate Your Success

Opening Ceremony, new factory

Cut A Ribbon
Cut A Ribbon

Ribbon cutting, new factory

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Having a Child with CF

Life can be surprising. When you think you know what is going on, you don’t. When you think life cannot throw you anymore curve balls, it’s a swing and a miss at bat.

When daughter, Mary, was about a year and a half, she seemed to be holding onto colds longer than other kids. Mary’s mom thought it would be a good idea to have her seen by a physician. I agreed and we went together to the pediatrician. The doctor gave Mary a drug called aminophylline. Since I had been in inhalation therapy for some years, I knew what the results meant.  On the way home from the doctor, I said to Mary’s mom, the only time I have ever seen a child literally throw up mucus after being administered aminophylline was with a diagnosis of Cystic Fibrosis. She started screaming at me that I was a terrible person for even thinking that way. We drove the rest of the way to the cabin in Elora without saying a word.

When we arrived at the cabin, the phone rang immediately. It was the doctor calling. He said that he needed to see us right away about Mary. The next few weeks were a blur as I slept on the hospital floor in Mary’s room. They ran a sweat test that conclusively showed young daughter Mary was born with CF, a genetic disorder passed from both parents. Neither of us had any history of CF in our families.

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Lambda Early Ads and Product Brochures

When I started Lambda, I was a novice to business and product promotion. I was adventurous and committed. Here are some of the first product promotion tools that I had done. The first printers were Ampersand of Guelph and photographer by the name of Lewis in Guelph.

The first company was a numbered company, which was cheaper to establish. The name Lambda came as a result of me taking physics at UofG. The Greek letter Lambda is used in the formula denoting wavelength of light. Because leaded crystal breaks up white light into its component wavelengths – colours, that is how the rainbows are created. White light strikes the lead and bounces off. As it does, the colour traveling the fastest, that is, the shortest wavelength, reflects first, followed by the next shortest wavelength. That is how lead crystal can take while light, which we don’t see, and turns it into colours. It is magical to me. It is also the first things babies see; flashes of colour. Hand a crystal over a babies crib and watch the baby become mesmerized by the lights.

I have not lost the ability and guts to try new things in my life and hope I hold onto that adventurous side into the next existence. I came up with the first figurines while preparing orders for basic crystal prisms. I put a couple of pieces together and thought, that looks like a little mouse. I remember using a black felt tip pen to mark the eyes and nose. I used some crazy glue to put the first one together. I needed some whiskers so I found a jeweler in Elora, ON who sold me silver wire, drawn to a smaller diameter in order to glue three pieces together through the hole to look like whiskers. Once I had one creation, I needed more to create a line of figurines. I shortly came up with City Mouse, Country Mouse, Church Mouse, Dormouse, Castle Cat, Crusader Rabbit, Flying Crusader Rabbit. These became the first crystal figurines manufactured in N. America. Later on, Swarovski sued a company in the US saying they had copied their idea. I was summoned to fly to Washington DC to provide an affidavit which proved that I was the first in N. America. Swarovski had to pay the US company damages and apologize. That company had actually stolen my designs and admitted it. Very interesting history. This would have been in 1978-79 that I created them.

 

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Guelph Ontario 1978 – Dublin St

Kids; My first year after becoming a landed immigrant in Canada, I attended York University and worked at Toronto Western Hospital as a Respiratory Tech. I soon realized that York and I did not agree. Liz got accepted to U of Guelph, so I drove to the university and paid a visit to Mr. McNally, the counselor and my admitting road block. He told me there were no positions left. I informed him that I would attend classes without credit as I was there for knowledge, not a piece of paper. He suddenly said, wait a moment, picked up the phone, and asked the registrar for an admitting number. A perfect example of: If you can’t boggle them with your brains, baffle them with your BS”. It worked. That gentleman became my confidant and supporter during my undergraduate degree at the University of Guelph.

Liz and I found an apartment in a duplex on Dublin St. in Guelph. Our first neighbor moved out and gave me his 10-speed bike. In order to get the bike free, I had to take in his Jack Dempsey fish and 50 gal fish tank. Jack and I spend many hours together – another story.

103 Dublin StLove the hair! I still have the Guild that I brought with me to Canada Red Cat – my favorite. He loved to eat melon of any kind Mia just was, that is it. Great rocking chair.

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Eden Mills, ON

I moved to an Eden Mills farm while attending the University of Guelph in about 1977. Liz Marusic and I, along with Rick Paine rented a century farmhouse from a company to which Bill McDonald sold the farm. Bill lived next door with his daughter, so when we needed help getting the well-pump to work or the furnace, Bill would gladly come over and shows how to get things back to working again.

I really had space for the expansion of Lambda Crystal there. I also built a sauna, of course, from wood milled at the Ferguson’s mill down the road. Beautiful cedar board, that I used on the walls and seats. I bought the heater and installed myself. Awesome experience, waking up, passing by the coffee pot to grab a java, head to the sauna, which was on a timer to be just hot enough by the time I got inside to wake up in quiet solitude, heat and coffee. Just does not get much better than that.

Because I like to cook, and Liz did as well, we would create Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners at the farm for all the stragglers who did not make it home for the holidays. We would feed upwards of 25 people, turkey, duck ham and all the fixings. Here are a few pictures from those days.3-29-2015_350Me, Liz, Penney Kome, Dillon Kome, Andrew Smith, Rick Paine, Dogs (Sam, Bouke, Bouke and Sam’s mom, Penney’s dog.3-29-2015_362 Penney Kome3-29-2015_356Me with Bouke and SammyEden Mills Sammy & BoukLiz with Sam, in front, Bouke in Liz’s arms.

Eden Mills Liz & Tramp

Liz with Tramp, Kim Boggild’s dog. Tramp was a great dog as well.

Eden Mills Tim Todd

Tim Todd, who single-handedly toppled the hydro pole in front of the house when he drove a rental moving truck into the line to the house and pulled the pole down. Thank somebody it was covered by insurance. Notice the VW in the background. I drove that to Toronto to sell crystal with my anatomy book on the passenger seat while reciting, there are five branches of the Iliac artery….

Eden Mills Kitchen 1The kitchen area of Eden Mills. You can see the structure holding up the vent on our home made wood stove. The support was from the first Lambda Crystal gift show display. I had a wrought iron welder in Toronto create it to my design. It worked well. The stove was a hot water heater that I had a door welded onto and a hole for the vent. It was the best stove ever, and practically free. We heated the whole end of the house with that stove.Eden Mills 1978 Thanksgiving or Christmas dinnerEden Mills OK PotatoeThis is a special event. My mother would send OK potato chips from Ohio to me. In my opinion, OK and Old Grand Dads chips are the best. In this picture, we had all agreed that the chips were “OK”. Front left is Catherine, a small person from Elora (Barry?), Tim Todd, Rich Paine, Kate, Liz (who worked for Lambda Crystal), myself, Kent Griffin of Magic Mountain, Rob Young and Tyler of Magic Mountain.Eden Mills GardenThe garden Rick, Liz and I grew. Lots of fun.

Eden Mills 1978 (2)This is a frisbee day. Rick, myself, and Tim played hours of frisbee. I have held onto that belt buckle ever since. That is a story all by itself.3-29-2015_351Liz and me in the Eden Mills kitchen.