TIMELESS LESSONS: PERSISTENCE AND PARTNERSHIP By Doug DeVos
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his story begins nearly a century ago. Two friends with a resume of hit and miss business ventures enter the direct selling arena. They sell a nutritional supplement called DOUBLE X, build a successful distributorship, and with some trepidation, launch a new company. Corporate headquarters is split between two basements in Ada, Michigan. The product is soap, not a particularly glamorous item. But they understand the power that lies in the dreams and ambitions of people searching for an opportunity. Undoubtedly, many of our readers already know the outcome. The two young friends are industry legends Rich DeVos and Jay Van Andel. The company they found is Amway, which has become the largest and most successful direct selling company in the world. For entrepreneurs, whether starting as an Amway Business Owner (ABO) or launching a new venture, there is much to learn from the Amway story.
That’s why we asked Doug DeVos, former President of Amway, current Co-Chairman of the Amway Board, and member of DSA’s Hall of Fame, to share his insights and perspective. We’ve seen so many people from so many walks of life who chose direct selling and were able to move forward. What they all share is the ability to deal with failure. Because every entrepreneur fails. You need a high level of determination to keep going. That’s what I’ve seen with Amway and across the industry. People fail, but they turn it into a learning opportunity and keep going. It’s not the first seven times you fall and get up; it’s the 700 times that you get up. That level of persistence is common to every successful entrepreneur.
The two young friends are industry legends Rich DeVos and Jay Van Andel. The company they found is Amway, which has become the largest and most successful direct selling company in the world.
Steve Van Andel and Doug DeVos
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Spring 2022
