At this time of the year it's nice to give out a few things, like the bottles of wine we give everyone around this time of the year. Oliver looks like he appreciated them. Thanks to everyone who works for Nikken, reads this and has helped someone in the field. I hope you have a great time over the holiday period.
It's time to start filming the next DVD for the February rhythm events. That's why we need to plan so far ahead. After filming the editing, special effects, sound, sub-titles, voice overs and programming the final DVD all takes longer than we think. Especially in 4 languages. Here are a few behind the scenes shots with Steffi showing she is not only a natural presenter, but could help Sven in ways he did not imagine. I cannot wait to see the next DVD and go to the next Rhythm event.
Here we are in Nuremberg to meet with leaders representing Germany, Austria and Switzerland. We spent an interesting day together discussing the plans for the next 6 months and a little beyond. It was a very positive and productive meeting with many good ideas. It was so good to see the energised and very lively group have so much confidence in what we have in store for everyone. We all left the meeting looking forward to implementing the plans we made. It'll be fun!
At the home office we have updates where we tell everyone what the plan is. It's important so that everyone knows what the direction is, what the next steps are, and why we are doing what we are doing. It creates an understanding that helps build a team. I know without the great people we have in the office, then Nikken would not be where it is today. I think we have a fantastic team of people, enthusiastic to help everyone be a success.
I spent a lovely few days done in the south of Russia, just by the Black sea, in a place called Sochi. It's a nice time of year, it never drops below freezing - so that's a refreshing change from other parts of Russia. About 50 Distributors gathered to hear new announcements, hear business building tips from international leaders like Jean-Marie Gilbert and his wife Marie. A bit if fun was had on the second day when we all got up to do some exercise. It's been a long time since I was involved in a sack or egg & spoon race. The limbo was the highlight and it was good to see everyone enjoy themselves, bonding as a team and setting their sights on bigger and better things.
On the day that Kimi Raikkonen was finally Formula one champion over 80 Distributors attended the event at Tampere. It was a great day with lots of laughter, applause and all the things you'd expect from a Nikken meeting. I announced the new products coming soon and recognised a lot of people. Sven did a great job explaining how to deal with the undecided and some negative people. It was good to see new Platinum, Silver, 21 Club, Paragon and Polar bear winning Distributors. A great lunch was topped off by training from local people. All went away happy. What a really nice day.
I'm off on my travels again. This time it's to Finland for a meeting on Saturday. I'm picked up by Jouko & Mallu Saarinen, and taken to their place about 40 minutes from Tampere. They have a really good home, that doubles (or triples) as a meeting place and bed/breakfast hotel. They prepared a nice snack and a smoke sauna. It is not smoky, but still has a lovely smoky smell that reminds me of a log fire. It was freezing outside and hot inside. Of course the high point was a walk (in swimming trunks and thick socks only) through the snow to the frozen lake!! After breaking the ice Jouko and Mallu went in, and shouted a bit....I splashed the water over me and rubbed the snow over me. You can see from the picture I was nearly immersed, well maybe slightly. What an experience - next time I'll take the plunge. I slept very well in a Wellness Room and woke up the following day VERY refreshed. Thank you both for a lovely evening.
.....perhaps this planet will look after us.
I found an amazing story last week that I shared with a number of people during the tour we had with Bob Richards. A few years ago I read that Vitamin D can help combat cancer...well that's good. Last week I found this story about vitamin D and ant-ageing. It seems like vitamin D is good for us.
Now we get vitamin D when sunlight hits the skin. What else happens now days when sunlight hits the skin? The occurrence of skin cancer is rising because we are destroying the atmosphere.
Crazy world we live in, isn't it?
As I wait for the plane to take me back home I have to reflect on the last week. It's been great fun to meet people in Turkey, UK, Holland and Hungary. Plus I bumped into people from Israel, Norway, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Sweden..... sorry if I forgot anyone. We have a great philosophy, life changing products and an opportunity that cannot be rivalled - all rolled into one company - Nikken. Those who saw and heard Bob Richards would know what we stand for, and what we are aiming for. We will be
the most respected wellness company in the world
Hungary is one of our fastest growing markets at the moment. It's now 2 years old and an incredible country. From 9th to 10th there were meetings held that celebrated the success of local Distributors. As you can see they were events packed with enthusiastic people. They shared their stories, we shared success tips and had a great time. When I left on Sunday it was snowing very heavily...looks like winter arrived, but that did not dampen spirits inside.
Today we are in Holland. More specifically in Appeldoorn. We had a meeting with Dutch leaders and then two sessions where Bob was asked to present Nikken's vision. I know that everyone was impressed and inspired. Sven was announced as the new Network Development manager for Holland, starting on 1st January. The group and Sven hit it off straight away. The atmosphere was electric. Holland certainly has good leaders and a fantastic attitude. 
Bob Richards visited the European Home Office today. It was great for the rest of the team to see him. He didn't get a chance to walk round because I kept him stacked with appointments and things to do. We took the opportunity of his visit to hold a meeting with UK Distributors. It went VERY well. About 60 people travelled from all over, on bonfire night, to hear his vision for Nikken. After most of the group gathered round and asked all sorts of questions. It was good to see the man at the top be a people's person. After all we are in a people business.
We also managed to donate some MORE money to Autism speaks. This is a great charity that helps lots of people that social does not think of as normal. Thanks you all for buying the sports bracelet and allowing us to spread some of that Nikken good will to others.
What a great time we had at the convention. Bob Richards was inspiring, the Turkish people were great and the whole day went smoothly. Not bad since Abdurrahman only became the manager 6 weeks ago. Turkey is on the move! I liked the idea that anyone who attended the convention also helped the environment. Part of the ticket price was used to plant a tree to create a forest. So those who did attend can have the effect of the convention last for a very long time.
The pictures show the product display area where the new jewellery was launched. It really looked good when worn by the lovely models.
It's the 1st November and all the Halloween fun has been cleaned up. Over the next weeks I shall be travelling a lot. First to Istanbul for the Turkish convention, then a couple of days in the UK, a couple of days in Netherlands and a couple in Budapest. After a short rest (and to do the laundry) it's off to Finland and Russia - every weekend is full up! To add to great a November we have the first Rhythm of Nikken events for Austria, (German speaking) Switzerland, UK, Netherlands and Germany.
There will also be a few new products and ... a couple of surprises we have in store for you.....Keep checking your messages.
In the UK we have had a number of sporting set backs. First England lost a vital game to Russia in football, then South Africa won in the Rugby World Cup final, and finally Lewis Hamilton lost the Formula 1 title on the second corner of the first lap. Oh dear!
I've read a number of articles where psychology was mentioned in connection with these defeats, especially for the English football team. Tiger Woods' game is 90% mental and 10% physical (according the the advertisements). The connection between mind and body is very powerful. Sports psychology is not just for "sick" athletes, but gives the best, well trained ones the competitive edge. The difference between winning and loosing is all in the mind.
These comments seem like something I heard before. In Network Marketing a common mantra is "think it and you'll become it". That's OK if you have a good imagination and can really put yourself into the shoes you want to be in. Most people get distracted by everyday life and are not focused enough to do this. I think this is why personal development is so big in the industry. We need constant reminders about how to focus, how to think and provide a toolkit which will help bring us closer to our goals.
This is why we have top motivators on our regular calls. People like Jerry Clark, Tom "Big Al" Schreiter and Brian Klemmer to mention just a few. These people have the tools to help train your mind to become a powerful instrument in your success. It's like they have a mental gym to work our brains so they are in peak shape.
Are you mentally prepared for success? The answer lies in the outcome, as verbally we all say "yes".
Remember the difference between success and failure is all in the mind.
I left a rainy UK and was greeted by the view from my hotel window the following day. Today's the day I'm with the new general manager in Turkey. Abdurrahman has already seen a lot of Distributors during his tour of major cities. He'll continue to go round Turkey and see nearly everyone. The excitement is growing, already we have been on TV because a local pop star uses the PiMag Maxi system. The next time I'll be in Turkey is with Bob Richards at the convention on 3rd November..See you there.
This trip was different as it was not to do something with Distributors. Every year we have to create a plan for the next year. Without targets how do you know you have succeeded? So I was in Russia with Rod, our CFO, to do a final review of the 2008 plans. I can only tell you it looks GOOD. Russia is growing nicely and the plans for next year will ensure yet another record breaker. Well done and thanks to everyone connected to Nikken in Russia.
I had a great night out with new Diamonds Roswitha and Cuno Muller. They are energetic and fun people. I loved the way they talked about their team and how their focus was to help their downline achieve the same success as they have. In case you never saw it their downline invaded the convention stage when they were presented with their Diamond pins. They all had inflatable cows! A sign of Switzerland. My youngest son still loves playing with the one they gave me.
It's always a pleasure to visit Russia and their convention is not to be missed. The theme was very nautical. All the staff wore sailor outfits. The Distributors cheered and everyone had a great time. Thanks to Dave Balzer, it was his first trip to Russia and he did a great job explaining our technologies. 
It is sad that people leave the company. Today the Turkish General Manager changed. Thank you Yesim for all you have done and welcome on board Abdurrahman Karahatay. Mr. Karahatay graduated from METU Industrial Engineering department and has an MBA from Cukurova University. He worked in sales and marketing for a number of prestigious companies in Turkey for over 15 years. I am sure Turkey will go from strength to strength.
Today we filmed the first Rhythm of Nikken DVD footage. It was strange as most of the good looking bits (no not us) will be added after. In the picture you can see the green screen background. When you see the final DVD it'll show something else! All the Network development managers were there, and at this point we could not stop laughing. I had issues with a certain word and took a LOT of takes to get it right. It should look good when it's finished.
WOW! What an honour! Due to the contributions Nikken made to Autism Speaks I was invited to 10 Downing Street to meet Sarah Brown. It was her first charity "meet and greet". During the meeting, that did have nice wine and canapés, Gordon Brown arrived - the Prime Minister. I did have a picture taken, but I am not allowed to publish it....for security reasons. Still it was a great evening, and I was awestruck by the history of the place, and seeing the cabinet room, where most of the decisions that have affected life in Britain since 1732.
Since I could not publish any pictures I thought you might like to take the official Downing Street Tour and see what I saw.
It was a great meeting at Irvine. It's always a pleasure to see everyone. Here we are outside the building (very impressive) for that final photo before we fly back to our respective countries.
Once a year all the managers from around the world meet to discuss the future. It was a great meeting with lots of ideas exchanged. Here we are hard at work discussing what should be for lunch ;)
We had a great order from one of our Hungarian people, Gabor Adorjan. In order to preserve the quality of delivery we check everything. Here's a picture of me checking his order for 33 water systems and 33 optimisers! A total of 17 boxes - he's already sold them on and cannot wait for his customers to refer him on to others. Great work Gabor.
Here we are at the Luton event with special speaker Jerry Clarke on stage. We had a great time with speakers from the UK, Ireland and Netherlands. Thank you all for coming and sharing your enthusiasm. The next Rhythm event is in November. Be sure to go and see what exciting things are happening next.
Fresh from a great convention in Gothenburg, we went to bed late, got up a few hours later and travelled to Luton for a great event. Who needs sleep? We have energising products!!
Here is Jerry "D'Rhino" Clarke, Bill Tara, Chris Gullo, me (taking the picture), Donna Russell, Janne Heimonen, and Kelly Lee.
Thanks to Jerry, Bill and Chris for their energy and enthusiasm. A BIG thanks to Donna and Kelly for their smiles. Janne - you're cool as well.
Well!! What can I say? It was a great event. Thanks to MC, Sven, you did a great job. All the speakers were really, really good. I loved the look on the faces of the new Consultants of the Year. Also in the evening an awesome performance by Vendela and Frederick, rarely have I heard such singing. It was as if you used magic to conjure up those notes. Nothing to be said about the party afterwards.....just a quiet evening really ;)
To see more photographs click on this link Gothernburg Pictures
Just found out it is National Homeowners Month, for the UK, in September. Tried to look for it in google, but only found USA sites. Anyone knows more please drop me a line or leave a comment.
Today was a great day in Copenhagen. Janne, Sven and I met with a group of Nordic leaders. Joining in were Sissel, Morten, Jouko, Mallu, and Oddmund. We got together to plan for the rest of the year and work out the highlights for next year. The Rhythm of Nikken dates were discussed and next years calendar is shaping up to be very exciting. The challenge is to take this and see how it fits with the other regions plans. Having a single date agreed across Europe is a lot of work!
Being a leader in Nikken is a great responsibility. Thanks to you guys, without you and your help we cannot create the future we want for our Distributors and customers.
Today we presented a cheque for €26,271 to Autism speaks. We launched the Sports Bracelet in May and it's amazing we collected so much in such a short space of time. Well done to everyone.
This has proved to be an amazing product that we just cannot keep in stock. We have just ordered more than 15,000 bracelets so we can keep up with demand. Though, due to lead times, it'll take a month or so before this impacts us and we are permanently in stock. When these are sold just imagine the size of the donation we will be able to make, and the impact we have on other peoples lives, both today and far into the future.
Here's Jane Roche, from the UK, who is really buzzing at the moment. It's really good to meet people who are so nice and full of energy. Catch her at the meetings in Stanmore, London.
Here I am with a wonderful group of Distributors (Kathryn, Gina and Emelyn) from Ireland, plotting global domination. With their energy and excitement I can see that happening :) Thanks for a great morning it was a real pleasure to work with you.
WOW! The first ever Turkish expo. It was great. Distributors from Canada and Israel, together with local leaders organised a great event. The company was represented by Yesim, Asli and myself, together with a long distance contribution by Dave Balzer, all the way from California. It was 2am his time when he gave a presentation about Lactoferrin and Tri-Phase jewellery. Other top Distributors from two continents shared their success stories - including Royal Diamond Ahuva Simone. Nearly 400 people attended the event on a very hot Saturday. Over 120 guests joined as a result of the event. It also produced a nice rise in volume for everyone.
Russia is growing very nicely. It is already the second largest Nikken country. Here Vitaly, Olga and I are planning strategy for the rest of the year. Shortly after this we joined the Direct Selling Association as prospective members. All new members have to wait a year as prospective members. During this time the company is monitored and the method of operation audited. If everything is OK then we will be allowed full membership. This usually takes a year. We are already members in UK, Finland, Sweden, Norway, and USA.
Social networking is a buzz word on the internet, with sites like digg, My Space and Facebook attracting millions of users.
I never saw the attractiveness of the dotcom revolution, as it lacked the human element. Now it seems a different time is facing us. People are exposing their interests to us (via blogs sometimes) and promoting a type of social interaction which takes place with no time or geographical boundaries. Some groups even have meetings where true interaction can take place. Interesting to see what happens next.
This phenomenon is leaking in to the corporate world. As companies look for that "hook" for their customers they are being forced to go green, make profound statements about their staff or both. Now another term is coming into business focus and I like it: It's social entrepreneurship. Surely we have been social entrepreneurs for years??
What is a Social Enterprise?
Social enterprises are dynamic businesses with a social purpose working all around the UK and internationally to deliver lasting social and environmental change.
Have a look at the interview with Tim Smit from the Eden project. Also listen (or read the transcript) to Tim speak about the social enterprises....I am sure it'll resonate with anyone who understand Nikken and the way we do business.
Everyone involved with Nikken is a social entrepreneur already. We operate a social network. Perhaps the other things we are saying will also come true.... Interesting to see what happens next.
This was the event that was postponed in February due to very heavy snowfalls. Nearly 150 people shunned the sun (and scorching 30C temperatures) to take part in a great event. Guest speakers included Oddmund Berger and Anders Hugland. Lots of Distributors shared their success stories, a lot of people where recognised and thanked for their efforts.
Many thanks to Kristian for looking after the technical side, Birgit for helping with my talk and everyone else involved in making sure the day went smoothly. I am looking forward to coming back.
A good presenter can keep you enthralled about their subject. However, no matter how good the speaker, if the visuals are bad, then it's a complete turn off for everyone. The video shows some common mistakes in a humorous way.
Life After Death by PowerPoint
I've done a few of these :)
OK. This blog is about my life with a great company - Nikken. I've worked for Nikken since 1996 when we first started in Europe. It's been a great time, with ups and downs. Currently everyone is very enthusiastic about the future. Let's see what happens.
I travel a lot to Russia and Turkey. Great places with fantastic people.
I really love this job. It fits well with my love of people, and travel.
So....on with the blog.....
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