Manila Standard Today
18 of November 2008
It was a stroke of luck when couple Percival and Venus Lazo discovered Nu Skin after they volunteered themselves to substitute a friend invited for a Nu Skin business opportunity seminar in September 2001. Both, being natives of the South and living less privileged lives, saw a glimmer of opportunity to brighten their future.
Percival was a farmer and Venus, a plain homemaker. Both grew up leading simple lives, lacking even toys that kids nowadays take for granted. As a young couple, Percival and Venus lived in a simple shack in Quezon province, where they were residing before migrating to Manila to start their Nu Skin venture. These encounters with poverty made the couple more determined and focused to dream of a better life.
“Our main motivation was really our dreams and ambition. We were very poor that is why we dreamt of living an extravagant life. We dreamt of a comfortable and decent life for our children,” narrates Venus.
Percival fondly recalls his simple life as a farmer before and how it turned into something he did not expect.
“I was just a simple farmer, working in a farm with the animals and the plants. And my dreams before were also simple, to eat and sleep. But my father who was also a farmer told me that if I wanted to become a millionaire, I should not be like him,” said Percival.
Before joining Nu Skin Percival had been buying and selling clothes in Quezon. After attending the business seminar of Nu Skin, his instinct, and his limited knowledge in marketing instantly told him that the business was going to work for them.
“I was looking for a company that has a strong foundation especially in innovation. I found out that Nu Skin products have competitive advantage. The products are 10 years ahead of their competitors,” he says.
Lack of capital
However, financial constraint became their biggest problem. They did not have any capital to start with, not even relocation money to migrate to Manila where they saw a bigger potential for growing the business.
“I assessed the people whom I knew but I found no one that could help me because they, if ever, would have had to sell their carabaos just to become a partner. In addition, when I counted the number of friends I had at that time, it did not even reach 100. The business requires thousands of people for you to get rich. So, I had to look for people,” narrates Percival.
During those times, Percival was also having acne problems. He has sensitive skin.
“It’s hard to sell beauty products if you have a face that itself needs skin care,” he quipped. Percival then decided to buy their first set of Nu Skin products to test them first on himself.
When Percival’s acne problems slowly disappeared, he became all the more convinced that Nu Skin is it.
Betting on Nu Skin and their dreams, Percival and Venus decided to borrow money from a 5-6 agent and moved to Manila. They rented a small room in San Andres Bukid which, according to Percival, became bedroom, living room, and dining area all rolled into one.
To be able to come up with the required number of partners, Percival looked outside his circle and fixed his eyes on where there are a lot of people, the street!
Percival walked the streets of Manila, approaching people and telling them of the great business opportunity they can get from Nu Skin. He talked to everyone, from the people who sit beside him in the bus or in the jeepney to mall goers and everyone that are willing to listen to him.
“I was never ashamed or scared because I knew what I was offering and sharing them was an opportunity that could make them rich. I knew I had to do it if I want to someday lead a comfortable life. The product was only secondary but, of course, it helped a lot that I was selling very high quality products,” he continues.
Their first customer came when a 50-year-old mother recommended her daughter to become a business partner for Percival and bought his products while the second one literally dropped into her when Venus stepped into her calling card.
It took the couple five months of hard work of seeking partners and convincing people before they received their first biggest commission, P70,000. On their sixth month, they were able to move out of their cramped room to a three-bedroom apartment in Las Piñas.
On his seventh month, the couple was able to acquire their first car, a Ford Lynx and on the ninth month, Percival already tasted his first P1 million commission. When his friends and family saw the couple’s transformation, they realized that there was indeed a potential for financial freedom in what Percival was offering. They also became the couple’s partners, and the business grew even bigger.
Seven years later, the couple’s earnings have reached into the seven-figure a month territory. They have also received the Blue Diamond Award, one of the highest given by Nu Skin to dealers/distributors. Percival and Venus altogether have built a 5,000-customer base, 60 percent of whom have repeat orders.
From toiling the rice fields in Quezon, the couple are now living in a plush condominium in Makati and have acquired two more vehicles. They have also ventured into real estate business while continuing to work on growing their Nu Skin network.
Most of all, according to Percival, they are now able to help other people. Now, they are sending three scholars to school, while three have already graduated.
A matter of quality
Although Nu Skin is priced for the A and B markets, it is not difficult to sell it, according to Percival.
“It is not an issue of price; it’s an issue of whether a person needs the product,” he explains. “The price only assures the quality of our products; otherwise, the high-end buyers can sue us if Nu Skin does not live up to their standards.”
According to Percival, his training in Nu Skin provided him personal growth through financial literacy and leadership, aside from giving him time and financial freedom. Unlike other dads who usually missed their children’s momentous events, he and his wife can take the children to and from the school every day without worrying about office schedules and workloads. It also gave them the means to help other people by giving them an opportunity for growth through their company, and by giving out to the church and charities.
Today they are concentrating on expanding the business and reaching people locally and globally. The young couple plans to retire in five years and are now concentrating on passing the business to the next generation of distributors, even to their children.
As parting words, Percival advises that if people want to make their dreams come true, they only need to make it happen.
“Skills and educational background are just secondary. The biggest challenge is setting a clear goal and pursuing it,” he says.
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