Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Dear friends,

This past weekend Todd Smith hosted a Diamond Leadership Summit for our top North American leaders. 100 leaders from all over the continent gathered in Todd's hometown of Sarasota, Florida to learn the principles that will propel them to Diamond status. The speakers included all the current NA Diamonds along with one of our Double Diamonds from Europe. The presentations were excellent and jam-packed with practical information that had me taking notes along with everyone else.

We welcomed a brand new Diamond to the club as Jan Bloom showed that she has the right stuff. There were two great nights of entertainment and fellowship. We had a sunset cruise in the Gulf and an evening in Todd's clubhouse on the beach. This was an event that helped everyone in attendance to catch the vision of the Unicity opportunity. I have been taking calls since I came home from leaders that have decided to take their business to a new level as a result of the vision they got in Sarasota.

Watch for information on the next Leadership Summit in Deer Valley, Utah. I hope you join me there. All the best,
Stewart

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

What a week!

Hello everyone,

I returned home Sunday from Japan where we enjoyed two super events. The first event was on Friday where the President's Club leaders all came together in Tokyo for strategy discussions and advanced leadership training. The meetings were fantastic with an incredible spirit of unity and optimism. We then enjoyed an amazing formal dinner and great conversation. My appreciation for the skill and intelligence of the leaders in Japan just keeps growing.

On Saturday we took the winners of the bi-monthly recruiting contest to the base of Mt. Fuji for a traditional Japanese BBQ. After lunch we went to a curling center. For those who aren't from the upper Midwest USA or from Canada, curling is the sport where you slide a heavy granite rock on a 40 meter ice court trying to put it right in a certain area and not get knocked away by the opposing team. You may have seen this on the Winter Olympics. Let me tell you that this sport is a lot harder than it looks and incredibly more strategic than I had ever imagined. We all learned much about team building and strategy and even had a few moments when the "Stone" actually got in the "House."

I spent the day in the Utah office on Monday and then went to the airport at 4:30 AM Tuesday to catch my flight to Cancun, Mexico. It was snowing and 28 degrees Fahrenheit when I left Utah and about 80 degrees F when I got off the plane in Cancun--that was nice! The European leaders are enjoying their rewards trip here this week in a beautiful resort right on the water. In fact as I type this I am looking out on the turquoise waters of the Caribbean. I wish you were here--what I really wish is that I could stay a little longer. Tomorrow I go back to the office in snowy Utah but the good news is that 25 of our top leaders from Korea will be there visiting the corporate office as part of their reward trip. They are enjoying some fun in Las Vegas and then will come up to Utah for a tour of the offices and dinner at my home on Thursday. It will be good to see them--they produced a great year in 2008.

Like I said it has been quite a week. I should be exhausted, but fatigue gets swallowed up in the excitement and growth we are seeing around the world. Even more satisfying is the growth we are seeing in the leaders of our company in all of the markets where we compete. Let's make this another record year for Unicity, but especially a record year for you!

All the best,
Stewart

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Greetings from Japan

Hello everyone,

I am back in Japan. Just got here yesterday for a special President's Club training and dinner. Japan is certainly on a roll right now having just posted another great month in January. This is especially impressive because in Japan the first week of the new year all businesses are closed. So they got it done in a three week month. I am proud of the work that is being done here by the leaders and the management team. They are really working together and the harmony is producing great synergy.

Whenever I come to Japan I have the added benefit of being able to drink our own special water. Yes, we sell a very cool bottled water here in Japan. I started noticing some time ago that when I would be here for about five days or longer (always drinking our own water each day) I would begin to feel really good. I had more strength and stamina, the jet lag wasn't so bad and the travel home was much easier. Now when I check into my hotel the staff smiles and hands me a bag with a large bottle of our water in it--the highlight of getting to my room is to begin hydrating with this water of ours. It has come to a point that I need to do some serious research as to why this is happening to me and what makes this water so special. I will begin that process on this trip and let you know.

I am looking forward to our Global Leadership Call this coming Monday. It is going be great information and I will have with me two very exciting guests. You won't want to miss it! Check the Unicity website for the call-in details.

All the best,
Stewart

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Thailand Convention, Cabo










Hello from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico!

I arrived yesterday from Bangkok, Thailand where we just held the Thailand 2008 national convention. The convention had been scheduled for early December but had to be postponed due to the protests that closed the airport. Regardless of all the challenges and hassles with making a change like this at the last minute the event was super! The attendance was about 6,500 strong and the energy was off the chart. Thailand has set growth records in 2006, 2007, and now 2008 and I am willing to go on record saying they will do it again.
On the way to Thailand I visited Hawaii and Japan and met with some of our great leaders in those markets. Japan had an incredible month in December with some of our young superstars growing by almost 100% month over month. The Japanese leaders tell me that 2009 is their year to break all the records. I won’t argue but Thailand, Europe and Korea may differ with them. When I told Joe, our top leader in Thailand, about the goal of the Japanese leaders to be the top market in 2009 he smiled and said “we’ll see about that.”

The sun is shining in Cabo, the beach is pristine, and the ocean a deep beautiful blue. This resort is wonderful and the service is beyond fantastic—in fact I have never had service like this in a resort hotel and I have stayed in some nice places. I think all our North American Paradise Reward Trip qualifiers are going to love it here.

All the best,
Stewart

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Time for a New Sprint

Hello everyone,

I hope your New Year is off to a great start! I have always tried to teach that our business is a marathon and simply keeping going is the most important key to winning, but it is critical to remember that this marathon I speak about is made up of a series of sprints done at key moments. Right now is one of those key moments.

I want you to know that I am practicing what I preach. On Sunday night I flew to LA, Monday afternoon I flew to Honolulu, on Tuesday I flew to Tokyo and yesterday (Friday) I flew to Bangkok where I am now. In each place I had opportunities to meet with leaders and prospective new associates. Great things are happening in Unicity right now—this is our time and I hope you are making the most of the moment.

This weekend we will host the Thailand National Convention. We expect about 7,000 attendees and have a great program planned with some very exciting new products to launch. Whenever I visit this beautiful country I am reminded about the “Power of One.” It only takes one leader to change everything in a market. You can be that leader in your world and in your market. Buy a copy of the updated version of John Maxwell’s “21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership”. Make it your mission to immerse yourself in the process of becoming a great leader and watch your world change into the world of your dreams. You can do it!

All the best,
Stewart

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

2009 New Year

Dear friends,

I wanted to wait until this first full week of January to wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year!

Over the past few months here at the Global Headquarters of Unicity, we were able to watch an unusually rich display of color on the mountainsides as the leaves on the oak and maple trees turn a plush red.

Before these leaves faded, detached and fell, the oaks dropped their acorns and the maples released their seeds and they helicoptered out of the sky to land like assault forces to green the earth. The leaves then followed to cover, protect, warm, and nourish the seeds. Today, those same seeds are blanketed by a few feet of snow.

Darkness, cold, stony ground, mold, bacteria, birds, squirrels, bugs—all intervene, but somehow some seeds make it, and begin to grow. Some tenacious seeds take hold and hold on and hold on—for dear life. In the silence of the winter’s dark, they plant themselves and survive to become the next generation of trees.

This past year, I’ve planted a tenacious and vitally important seed. I announced that by 2012, Unicity will be a billion-dollar company. You and I will be the gardeners of that seed. Much depends on how we nourish and protect this seed—and even though we may not be able to see, this seed has already begun to sprout roots. Unite with me this year in doing all we can to grow our billion-dollar tree. Click here for Unicity's Vision video

Then in 2012, you and I will be enjoying the fruits of this tree—but unlike any tree alive, this tree will provide us the fruits of hope, of health, and of freedom.

It’s my wish and my dream that 2009 overwhelms you with a harvest of hope, an abundance of health, and the joys of freedom.

All the best,
Stewart

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

New Year

Happy New Year!

Hopefully each of you has taken time with family and other loved ones over these past couple of weeks. I also hope that you have been thinking about your goals for 2009. A new year is a great time to make big changes in your life--you can do it anytime but the changing of a year seems to add power to the process.

It has been said that a person should make "no small goals as they do not have the power to inspire" and I have certainly found that to be true. So don't settle for little goals, rather make your mind up to do something truly significant. You may want to get really fit or drive your income to four or five times its current level. Whatever it is make sure the thought of it makes your heart beat faster and your imagination go wild.

One word of caution: don't pay too much attention to the news media. Negative stuff can really mess with your mind and cause you to fail in your goals. Unfortunately most of our news is negative and frankly it doesn't do you much, if any good, to hear it or see it--especially over and over again. So make your own news and be the star of your own movie and make sure it is positive. Let's go out and all have a great 2009--together!

All the best,
Stewart