Engineer Finds a Network for Success

Ted West was a successful engineer but was frustrated with the realities of the corporate workplace. He was studying his career options when his son invited him to a meeting where he found a new direction. West, 55, and his wife, Rita, live in Van Nuys.

We got married when I was a sophomore. I was 20, and my wife was 18--the woman I’m still married to now. It’s a great marriage. When I graduated, we had three kids and a couple thousand dollars worth of debts.

I started with Wolverine Tool in Detroit. We also catered kids’ parties in Detroit. I was Taffy the Clown. I had complete makeup and did all kinds of tricks and kept the party going.

I was always looking for opportunities, looking for something to do. I suppose we knew already then that jobs don’t give you what you want out of life. I like engineering. It’s the corporate structure that gets to me.

We’ve probably been in 20, 30 businesses over the years. In Massachusetts, I made rustic wood plaques. And when we were down in Alabama, we had a little gift shop.

I worked for DuPont for 11 years, then went to Central Foundry in Alabama, then to U.S. Steel in Michigan City, Ind. I started my own company in ‘78, when interest rates went to 25%. From there, I went to the state of Washington, and then I came down here.

So what did I get out of all this? My wife and I raised four kids, and I apparently did a reasonable job. They’re all turning out very well, and the relationship is successful. But basically, I worked hard all my life, and I really haven’t put any money together.

So about a year ago, I did an analysis of all the things I could do. I did this with my wife, because she keeps me sort of reasonable.

I do some sculpture, so that’s an option. I have a computer program that I sell. And I think I could make a living writing. I listed about 20 options I have.

I have to say that the reason I have those options is that my wife is making a good living.

And then this network marketing came along. My son sponsored my wife and I in this business, and it sort of preempted the whole thing.

It’s an opportunity to buy a wide variety of goods and services at a reasonable price. And if you can interest other people in doing the same thing, the manufacturers will pay you a rebate on their volume too.

You give whoever you show this to exactly the same deal, so they can do the same thing.

We mention Amway toward the end, because we feel it’s important for them to see what the opportunity is, and then they can put a name to it. People have preconceived notions about Amway.

There are a lot of things I like about it. Suppose I do a lousy job making a presentation. It doesn’t make any difference, because tomorrow I can do it all over again with someone else, and I can do a better job. I won’t have any boss who’ll say, ‘You did a lousy job.’ If I just keep on it, it’s going to succeed.

I just find it kind of phenomenal that you can work all your life as an engineer, end up with basically nothing, and come along with something like this, which is probably a low-level skill compared to engineering, and put together a package of financial independence in four or five years.

And it says something about the United States. I’ve made a lot of money for people, and I don’t feel like I’ve gotten a piece of it. I’ve still probably got a hundred machines that I designed working out there, and it seems to me there is something wrong. Cyrus McCormick and Edison and Singer would look at this, and they probably wouldn’t believe it.