Dr. Onyx Onuoha Kalu’s story is that of zero to hero. He tried his hands in many businesses, but couldn’t find his feet, until he was introduced to network marketing. Dr. Kalu, from Abiriba in Ohafia LGA, Abia State, is a director in Tiens. Here, he shares his experience to inspire others.
What led you into the Tiens network marketing business?
I have been in Tiens business for the past 17 years. I learnt about this business when I was in Ghana, where I went to school. I saw that the business offers a lot of opportunities for people, especially for youths. So, I came back to Nigeria in 2003, because that is where we have the population. When I came out of school, I joined my dad in his Okirika business in Togo, and later, I started mine, dealing in second hand shoes. I had four shops in the market.
While doing that, it took a lot of struggle to raise money to travel to my home town, Abiriba. Later, I discovered that this was not really the kind of business where I belonged, I really wanted a change. I thereafter left Okirika business and joined some Lebanese in selling second hand (Tokunbo) cars, because I had an advantage; I speak Ghanaian language, Ewe; Togo’s Mina, French, as well as Igbo. I made every effort to sell at least one car in a week, and I was also helping Nigerians to move their goods across the border.
Even with these, I wasn’t satisfied with the hustling. So I signed up with Tiens in 2001after going through a learning process with another company, but I didn’t take it serious because I thought I had something that was giving me money regularly.
I saw a place where they were selling crayfish in Ghana; I knew in Nigeria, crayfish was a good business, I went into it, and bought so many bags of it, but when they arrived Nigeria, I noticed that they had sands. I lost out in that investment, and my money went down the drain. I went into engine oil business. I was buying it in Nigeria and taking it to Togo. I invested all that I had in the business, which was moving.
I woke up one day to hear that the country’s security discovered that some people were concealing guns and ammunition in engine oil kegs, and they threw my consignments and that of other people in the ocean. I was again brought down on my knees.
With my friend, I went into raincoat business, which is a seasonal business. We bought tarpaulin and sewed it in Nigeria, and took it to Togo, we made a very huge profit. We did the first, the second and made so much profit, and I borrowed money to invest in the business, and by the time I arrived Togo, the rain stopped before the forecasted period. That money, which was over N300, 000, then, also went down the drain.
In the midst of all these businesses, I realised that Tiens was a steady business that I can do and develop. Having realised that joining Tiens didn’t have as much business and investment risks as the other conventional businesses I had been involved in and also that Tiens could help me achieve my personal goals and attain personal development, I joined the business and became very serious with it in 2005. I then began reading books on how to succeed in the Tiens business. I studied books like Wave 3 by Richard Poe, Your First Year In Network Marketing by Mark Yannel, Go Pro by Eric Worre, Rich Dad Series by Robert Kiyosaki and started following MLM advocates like Eric Worre, Randy Gade …,and within that year, I got a brand new BMW car from Tiens.
As at today, more than 230 persons have got cars from Tiens through my efforts. I also got a yacth from Tiens in 2012. It was converted to cash.
My first bonus in Tiens was $2 and unfortunately when I heard I had bonus from Tiens for just consuming their products I borrowed money to go to Ghana to collect it. So disappointing, stranded, yet I got inspired. I was motivated that at least, Tiens pays bonus and my name was there. From 2005 till date, Tiens bonuses in thousands of dollars keep coming. With the Tiens 1000 horsepower marketing plan, I am being paid weekly and monthly along with thousands of families in my network.
Why do people hate network marketing?
Unfortunately, many people don’t like network marketing because, they see a lot of people who enter into it and fail. Secondly, it’s fear of rejection and thirdly, many are ignorant. They think it is ponzi scheme, they associate it with get rich quick schemes.
Then what is it?
It is a real profession that needs coaching and mentoring. One has to invest in it and watch it grow. No venture, no success! Network marketing is not about selling products. If you start the business, yes, you have to make some sales. After all even Non Profit Making Organisations do market. The concept is simple. Come in, use some of the products, see how they work in your body, create opportunity for others to use and you get paid for using and for inviting your friends to use. As people are using the products and they are inviting other people to do the same- invest on their health and join in sharing the information, testimonies, Tiens pays you according to the volume of sales in that organisation. Then you begin to rise.
How is payment made?
You are not paid at the detriment of other people. Everybody comes in and gets his own bonus, as you get yours. Success in this business doesn’t depend on other people bringing their money for you to take. The company rather gives you compensation, a percentage or commission of what others have got, those who came into the business through your advert and mentoring. You know the power of word of mouth advert. Over time, it becomes a big business if you avail yourself of the trainings.
You start it like a sales business, and later you understand that it is more of a teaching profession. You teach people how to be healthy and once people use your products they fall in love with them and they keep on buying and you keep making your bonuses.
Many believe the business is about hawking
That is the wrong concept. If it was about hawking the products, I would not have been involved. I would have settled with my Okirika shoes business in Togo. Once you can understand the principle behind this business you can do it.
What are the challenges?
If one is not trained on how to cope with rejection or manage it then the person may at a point back out of the business, especially beginners. Many people join the business and expect it to be rosy all through.
Most of the people who are not able to scale through the first 90 days find it difficult to continue.
Most of the people who are out there networking as distributors don’t tell the people the truth; they don’t tell them the truth about how much work is involved; they don’t tell them the truth of what really they need to do.
If you are lazy, you can’t do this business. You must be ready to do menial jobs – talking to people, your friends, colleagues, etc. Many people if you tell them how much it costs to join, they do not have the money. It is a challenge. Most people when they come in they expect too much from the beginning.
Nigerians want to be sick before they invest in their health. We have the duty to tell people that health is not something you hand over to a doctor to take care for you. It is your right to be healthy. Granted when you are sick you get to the hospital, when you have a medical attention you go to a specialist and he will do it for you, and when there are issues in emergency you visit the doctor.
There are two things that guarantee your health. One, stop the graduation of an existing degenerating condition, and secondly, prevent it from even occurring in the first place. Tiens markets healthcare products, nutritional, herbal products from China. When you think of longevity you think of China, and their Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which is centuries old. Tiens company has borrowed from the over 5000 years of Chinese traditional medicine.
Another challenge is that there are doctors who believe that we are competing with them. We are not competitors. We are practising complementary medicine, that is, we are helping, and we are enhancing the efforts of the doctors. There are cases where compromised immune problems defy all chemical drugs, but our products were wonderful because they are natural, no chemicals in them. Our products target building back the bodies natural healing process. So, we target the sub health population allowing the doctors to take care of the very sick.
Again, there are people who say that anything networking is not for them. May be it is too cheap for them. Look at the records. I started locally. Now I travel the world over with my business partners, my down lines. I started with nothing. Not even a good education. Today I am commanding tens of thousands of top distributors globally. Sometimes I make more than $10,000 monthly, which is 10 years salary of some workers in Nigeria. Now it is not about the money. It’s about lives being saved, marriages coming back and health regained. Nothing gives me joy than to hear youths give their grass to grace testimonies and the turning point in their lives by saying: “I met Dr. Onyx… And the whole story of my life changed!” Don’t forget I am now an Honorary Doctorate Degree holder from one of the best universities in the world, European American University of Dominican Republic.