Networking Times

M A S T E R N E T W O R K E R
Simplicity Works Best
Shane Morand:
Equal-Opportunity Entrepreneurship
S
hane Morand is a network marketing leader with an
organization of over 600,000 people in thirty-three
countries. An avid student of Napoleon Hill since his
teens, he developed early on a passion for personal development
and inspiring teams to higher performance.
Originally based in Ottawa, Canada, Shane built several
network marketing organizations in the nineties, then took a
break from the business to become a speaker and consultant.
In 2008, after sampling a product he really liked, Shane
became the cofounder and master distributor for a brand
new company that promotes healthier coffee and a variety
of other wellness products. Despite the looming economic
crisis, the company took off and experienced rapid growth,
both in North America and internationally.
The reason for our success is that we take a habit most
people already have, says Shane. We simply serve them a cup of
our coffee (or tea) with an added herb, and we ask how they like the
taste and how it makes them feel. Then we tell them they can buy it at
the same price or less than what they pay at a coffee shop or for gourmet
coffee.
Shane believes the essence of network marketing is a friend telling
a friend telling a friend. He motivates and encourages people by showing
them the simplicity of the business, then focusing on personal and
leadership development.
Shane now lives near Toronto with his wife Josie in their dream home.
He drives his dream car, travels all over the world, and meets new friends
every day. What makes him jump out of bed in the morning is knowing
he can make an even greater impact by continuing to help people who
desire to be, do, and have more to grow and develop the leader within.
52
By Josephine Gross, Ph.D.
January/February 2013 53
in with both feet and introduced the business
concept in Canada.
It was a beautiful model, he says, but way
ahead of its time. What I discovered was that,
while everyone needs personal development, only
about three percent actually want it. It was hard
work trying to tap into that three percent.
The company eventually was bought by
another network marketing company that sold
legal memberships, which Shane found a lot
easier to market. He used the knowledge and
skills he had acquired to set up training systems,
and in his rst year his team broke every record
in the companys twenty-four-year history.
The problem was that our service providers
couldnt keep up with our explosive growth, he
says. We eventually ran into some problems,
and my wife made me promise I would never do
network marketing again.
Shane went back to traditional business,
doing speaking and consulting againuntil one
day someone handed him a coffee sample and
asked him if he knew anybody who drank coffee.
In Canada? thought Shane. Almost
Discovering a Passion
After nishing college, Shane started working
in the printing and publishing industry. At age
twenty-ve he became the youngest vice president
of sales in the history of a major printing company
in Ottawa.
When I was nineteen years old, someone
handed me a copy of Think and Grow Rich, he
remembers. I fell in love with it and used the
knowledge I gained to build a team. In a very
short time, we tripled sales.
Shane loved to motivate and inspire others to
produce more. When he turned twenty-eight, he
went to work with Anthony Robbins and became
a certied facilitator for Robbins in Canada. He
also started promoting seminars for Brian Tracy,
Mark Victor Hansen, Les Brown, Jim Rohn, and
others.
It was Jim Rohn who introduced me to
network marketing, says Shane. He told me
about an American start-up that was promoting a
television network to bring personal development
into peoples homes.
In love with the product, Shane jumped
Shane and his greatest supporter, his wife Josie.
54 Networking Times
Shaking hands with Dr. J. B. Hill, grandson of Napoleon Hill; sharing
the stage with Bernie Chua (holding Dr. Hills portrait) and Holton
Buggs (holding award from the Napoleon Hill Foundation).
everybody drinks coffee! But who actually needs
it? Nobody. Who wants it? Everybody.
He realized that this was the opposite of what
he had learned about personal development:
everyone needs it but hardly anyone wants it. Once
he made that connection, he says, he knew he
was onto something big. He eventually met with
the founder of the company and in June of 2008
became a cofounder and global master distributor.
It was possibly the worst time in history to
launch a company, says Shane. But we had a
clear visionand thats all we had.
At that point, he says, they had no infrastruc-
ture, no staff, no comp plan, no products, not even
a name for the company.
We had a white piece of paper and moved
forward step by step and on purpose. Our goal
was to take all the things we didnt like about
network marketing and eliminate them, then look
at all the things we did like and see how we could
make them even better. If we wanted to create the
best company possible, what would we do? How
would we treat our distributors?
Shanes wife, Josie, who had been opposed to
Attending the Napoleon Hill Leader Certification 2010,
Adare, Ireland.
54
January/February 2013 55
the business, changed her mind when she tried
the product and realized it was something she
would want to buy as a customer. She became
Shanes biggest supporter, and today she takes
care of all the administrative aspects of their
business so he is free to do what he loves most:
sampling his products and sharing his story with
friends, old and new.
Early Challenges
One thing Shane didnt like about his previous
network marketing experiences was the rivalry
and lack of support between teams.
Sometimes I wanted to go and learn from
another leader, but I didnt feel welcome, he says.
I found this heartbreaking and discouraging.
With our new company, we wanted to correct this
by creating a global culture where everyone was
welcome, regardless of the team. To this day, we
have no such thing as a private meeting or the
idea of doing something for my team only.
Shane clearly remembers the difculty of
getting started without infrastructure, nancing,
or even a product line.
We had one product that tasted amazing and
made people feel good, he says. We designed
our entire system for the person who had no
experience or success in network marketing. Our
thought was, if we can show someone how to make
a dollar, or a few dollars, then we can show them
how to make fty dollars or a hundred dollars.
We knew that by teaching people how to do a few
simple things that could produce even a small
result, we could grow this into a global success.
Shane and his team developed the following
simple system:
- Invite some friends over;
- Boil some water and serve them a cup of
coffee, tea, or hot chocolate;
- If they like it, offer them some product at
retail;
- If they know other people who drink coffee,
show them how they can get their product for free
or even build a business;
- If they dont like it, never mention the
product or business to them again.
Shane started giving presentations to friends
and people he met in the course of everyday life.
We could not go to network marketing
leaders to talk about our opportunity, he says,
because we had no credibility or evidence of
success. If they had asked, Wheres your ofce?
or Wheres your infrastructure? we would have
had no answer. We didnt even have an ofcial
logo or proper branding until eighteen months
into it.
For the rst year and a half, Shane and his
team laid the foundation of the business based on
With VP of Sales, Holton Buggs.
Company founders at Formula 1 race.
56 Networking Times
ing leader by the name of Holton Buggs (featured
in the March/April 2005 issue of Networking
Times) joined as a distributor under the condition
that the company would let him open up Jamaica.
Ive got some good people there who are
struggling right now, and I think they will do
really well, Holton told the companys founders.
Imagine Jamaica, says Shane, one of the
top coffee-producing countries in the worldand
were going in with coffee?! We decided to place
our trust in Holtonand today Jamaica is a
thriving market.
Holton eventually became the companys vice
president of sales worldwide, and he and Shane
continued to bring the product to new countries,
such as Peru, Ecuador, and Mexico. Eventually
they opened up Europe, starting with the
Netherlands, Germany, and Austria.
The way we launched into different countries
was just through people knowing people who lived
there, says Shane. If someone had contacts in a
certain country, we would follow that leader into
that country. We knew if the person had reached
a certain level, he or she had the skills to lead a
team.
a few simple steps anybody could duplicate over
a consistent period, regardless of their language,
background, or age (as long as they were over
eighteen).
They created a few success stories of people
who had no prior business experience, then a few
more. Today Shanes team is attracting world-
class leaders with years of experience, but he says
the same strategy applies whether the person is
seasoned or has never been involved. The strategy
consists of small home events that take the form
of coffee-and-jazz mixers.
If you can boil water, invite a few friends
over, and tell a story, youve got what it takes,
he says. We dont do anything complicated, so we
dont leave anybody behind. We want people to
come out of our meetings feeling they can totally
do this in their spare timeand eventually even
full time, if they have the desire to provide a
better nancial future for their families.
Expanding Internationally
Shanes company launched in three countries at
once: the Philippines, Canada, and the United
States. After several months, a network market-
Performing at the Napoleon Hill Leader Certification 2010,
Bunratty Castle, Ireland.
January/February 2013 57
What are some tips you would give someone starting out today?
Your paycheck will be determined by not only how well you do what you do, but also by how many people you
can help do what you do. Whatever the product line or service youre providing, get good at earning a little bit
of extra income through a method youre comfortable with, and then immediately teach everyone to do what you
have learned how to do.
To grow your business fast, you have to find something thats so simple anyone can duplicate it quickly. Make
sure youre focusing on others success, not just your own. Focus on your team, and make sure that those who
want to work can at least understand the basics of how to generate income, and youll never have to worry about
yourself.
Its pretty simple. The crazy part is that people who reach a certain level forget where they started, and they
start talking in a way that causes the brand new person to think he or she doesnt stand a chance. Always remem-
ber where you came from and how you started, and tell your story from that perspective.
Lastly, develop the habit of believing in yourself, even if you think others do not. Do whatever it takes to grow
your belief in yourself stronger and faster. If you do not believe in yourself, who will? S.M.
Shane, how do you define a leader?
One of the most important traits is doing what you say youre going to do. Sometimes distributors are so excited
they cant stop talking and they exaggerate. Thats not leadership. We try to instill that if you say youre going to
do something, you get it done, even if it hurts. If you say youre going to read a chapter of Think and Grow Rich
every day, then read it. We are developing leaders who are thinking carefully before they speak. Im going to
bring ten people to my house on Monday. Well, you better call forty so ten people show up.
Next, make sure you have a definite purpose, use your imagination to develop a clear vision, and take per-
sonal initiative. This all comes down to the principles Napoleon Hill put forth in 1937. Our distributors read about
them and learn them by practicing them. Time goes by and next thing they know, others are calling them leaders.
Leadership is based on accountability in its simplest form. Too many people come into this business wanting
to know the most advanced tricks and fanciest systems. We say that our most advanced system is the simplest.
Master the basics and youll become an expert in any company you work with. S.M.
What is the most important
success principle
you learned from Napoleon Hill?
We call it GEM, short for Going the Extra Mile. It is the action of rendering more and better service than what you
are presently compensated for. It is a fundamental principle that can be applied in every business and all aspects
of life. The Universal Law neither permits any living thing to get something for nothing nor allows any form of
labor to go unrewarded. When you go the extra mile, the Law of Compensation always rewards you, sooner or
later.
What all great leaders have in common is that they initially give much more in services, time, and energy than
they are paid forand they do it with a positive mental attitude. The majority of people fail to practice this one
fundamental habit and therefore miss out on the tremendous benefits that come with it.
If you want your organization to grow quickly, learn this principle first by studying this habit in others. Then,
take action by developing your reputation as someone who always finds ways to go the extra mile: make the extra
call, invite the extra guest, conduct the extra coffee-and-jazz mixer, add an extra customer, and so on. The most
difficult part is that in the beginning, you will feel you are not being rewarded for your extra effort. However,
if you stay committed and develop the habit of going the extra mile, it will lead to profits beyond your wildest
expectations. S.M.
58 Networking Times
Even in international markets, Shane teaches
people to focus on building locally, sharing coffee
or tea with friends while having conversations.
You can have ten or twenty of these coffee-
and-jazz mixers happening in one night in differ-
ent parts of the city, says Shane. Once a week, we
get everyone together for a bigger event, which in-
cludes a formal presentation and adds credibility.
At the home meetings, Shane and his team
dont present the business opportunity because
they want everyone to become a customer rst. If
someone expresses interest in starting a business,
they invite him or her to the weekly meeting.
Shanes organization does hardly any busi-
ness building online.
We prefer to build belly-to-belly, he says.
A computer cant hand someone a cup of coffee.
We are all about friends telling friends about
something they love. Even though we dont build
online, 90 percent of our business comes from
repeat orders, which are often placed online.
Shane says even though most customers
become loyal to the brand, his team does
experience attrition, but nowhere near the
industry average. To address this, Shane resorts
to his background in leadership training.
Our business model does not revolve around
motivating people, he says. We give people
an opportunity to lead by demonstrating what
leadership is. People learn best from seeing you in
action. If they come over to my house and see me
boiling water, making coffee, and sharing stories,
their condence level goes up and they think, I
could do this on my own. I dont need you anymore.
Leading by example also means being
constantly in front of people rather than working
in your ofce. The sampling process weve put
together is our number one daily activity, because
it is the best, simplest, most effective marketing
tool in the world. Its simple and fun, and it doesnt
change, regardless of the country or culture.
Personal Development
Another way Shane and his leadership team
motivate distributors is by holding a weekly
millionaire mentorship call: every Sunday night
someone who has become or is becoming a
millionaire talks for one hour about best practices.
Several thousand people from all over the world
call in or listen to the replays.
Shane says his companys focus on leadership
is substantial.
From the beginning, we realized the only way
we were going to reach our goals was doing one of
two things: either we had to develop leaders, or
we needed to attract them. Because we couldnt
easily attract them, we put together a leadership
development program in collaboration with the
Napoleon Hill Foundation. We came out with a
collectors edition of Think and Grow Rich with
Teaching a lesson from Think and Grow Rich. Meeting with company founder and VP of Sales.
January/February 2013 59
Napoleon Hill Foundation.
In the end, the journey is not about how
much money you can make, he says. Its not
about how big you can grow your business. It is
about who you become on your journey with your
network marketing company.
Shane says his wife, Josie, Holton Buggs, and
the CEO and founder of the company all feel the
same way. They love seeing someone come in with
little experience and no prior leadership capabili-
ties and watch him or her over the months and
years develop into a world-class leader heading
up a global organization.
That growth is what were most excited
about, says Shane. We know if we can keep
doing that, our company will keep on thriving. n
our logo on the front cover, leather-bound with
gold foil and tassels. We also offer the audio-book
in English and Spanish so people could learn Hills
success principles while driving or exercising.
All the proceeds from this special edition go
the Napoleon Hill Foundation. Shanes company
wants to become the largest nancial contributor
in the history of this nonprot organization.
People think of us as a coffee company,
says Shane. But ultimately, we want to become
the biggest personal development company in
history. We invest 90 percent of our time at events
and conventions in personal and professional
development.
Shanes life mission is to purposefully develop
leaders through their collaboration with the