Ivan Sisco on Inspiring Greatness and Success Inside Network Marketing
Ivan Sisco was teaching high school when he realized there was a bigger dream of coaching others inside network marketing. Here’s Ivan’s powerful story.
Wow! Thank you so much for doing this interview, Ivan. You have an incredible story I am fascinated to learn more about. So, let’s get started!
What was growing up and childhood like for you, and were your parents Entrepreneurs?
I grew up in a small city Fredericton, New Brunswick Canada with a younger brother and two wonderful parents.
We were what I would call lower middle class, we always had enough. My passion was sports, mostly hockey, I loved playing hockey.
My parents were hard working while my mom worked for an office supply company and my dad he was an entrepreneur in the automotive repair industry.
I remember him always working very long hours with a constant struggle to find and keep good employees. My dad through his example taught me about hard work. He never had to say anything he just did it.
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What did you want to be when you “grew up” and what were some of the highlights and pitfalls of your youth?
I never really new what I wanted to be when I grew up. Hockey was something I loved, but nobody ever instilled the belief in me at a young age that it was possible.
I had a great youth full of good friends & fun. I never got into drugs, alcohol or addictions. If there was a pitfall, it would simply be that I thought good enough was good enough, I never believed I could be, do or have anything I wanted.. UNTIL later in life.
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What was the journey like getting into Graduate school, and what was your vision for after graduation?
I was one of those people that spent 7yrs in university to get a four year degree. It was all about fun.
The reality is I went to University because that’s what my friends were doing and that’s what I thought I was supposed to do. I never really new what I wanted to be, I was just buying time (expensive time mind you).
In fact after graduating I had 50k of student loan debt and another 20k of bad credit card debit. I had zero money management skills, I spent everything I had.
My passion was working with kids, at risk youth. I always found a way to spend time in this place, it made me feel like I was making a difference.
During my last year of undergraduate school I was recruited to teach and go to Graduate school in Connecticut.
At this point that’s all I ever thought I would do was work with kids, I loved it, but I didn’t love the pay. Those student loans and credit card bills came to the surface and a reality that needed to be fixed. As for a vision I didn’t really have one, I was simply going through the motions from one week to the next.
When were you introduced to network marketing, and what were the first couple years like?
It was during my first year of teaching I was 25yrs old and the administrator (James Massella) at the school I was teaching at introduced me to Network Marketing.
At the time I didn’t know what Network Marketing was, he had this CD that we put in the computer and watched together. I remember Jim really didn’t even know how to use the computer but we managed to get the CD to work.
We watched a video of story after story of regular people that improved their life through this particular company. That was exciting to me, I locked in a spot really just to support Jim as I had no clue about any of this and really had no interest in being in a business.
Network Marketing wasn’t introduced to me as a business, it was introduced as a way to make some extra money part-time, so I really didn’t see myself in a business.
Within the first year I was making more money part-time than I was full-time at my teaching job. I was young, super naive and really no understanding of business or money management.
I went ahead and resigned from my teaching career, thinking this passive money was going to keep coming in whether I worked or not. That was my first real lesson as the money didn’t keep coming in, in fact each month it started to go backwards and eventually by the end of the 2nd year I was digging a hole with more debt.
But I wouldn’t quit, I believed in the Dream. If there was a book to read I read it, if there was a class to attend I attended, I simply wouldn’t miss anything, I new Network Marketing worked I just wondered if it would ever work for me.
What was the biggest struggle for you inside MLM, and what was the biggest lesson you learned from it?
I quit my job too early, I was simply ignorance on fire, but that fire turned into a small flickering flame. I realized to build the business right away from all the hype and claims, it takes time to build a legitimate business.
The smartest route is to keep your job/career/other business and work your MLM diligently, consistently part-time.
This way there is no risk AND you have a chance to build a REAL customer base vs hoping to sponsor someone that’s going to do the work for you and make you rich.
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You mention on your blog that you are one of the “most successful by 30.” How did you achieve this, and how can someone else achieve this amazing title inside network marketing?
I believe my first four years prepared me for what became my career. Who you work with matters a great deal.
In 2005 I partnered up with Eric Worre & Randy Gage. Within my first 6 months we put together a six figure income and went on to earn millions.
We travelled the world together developing and growing people/business. The lesson in my opinion is, you got to pick a champion to work with, someone that has a long/real track record of success, someone that can create a winning environment for you and the team you build, trust they know things you don’t know that can help you reach new levels.
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I love your blogs. How old are they, how many posts are on them, and what is the daily traffic like to them each day?
My blog is very new. I post when convenient, I’m not consistent.
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I see you do a lot of video. How has video helped your network marketing business, and should every network marketer do video?
I think video can be great especially if you are transparent & consistent. It’s simply another way to share ideas and stories.
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I see you are friends with Randy Gage. He is another awesome leader I had a chance to interview about his new book “Mad Genius.” How do you know Randy, and what are some of the similarities between you?
Randy and I worked together closely for about 7yrs. He is a great friend. I initially admired Randy for his genius. He is a very smart hard working guy.
Randy is super organized and is very good at teaching duplication. Most people in MLM that are making money GRIND GRIND GRIND, Randy taught me many things but one skill that has served me very well is how to build without grinding. It’s safe to say I wouldn’t be where I am today without Randy’s early mentorship.
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What are the three biggest mistakes new network marketers make and how can these mistakes be fixed?
| 1. They haven’t made a real decision to build a real business part-time.
2. Most are simply not teachable and willing to follow simple instructions. 3. Undervalue the importance of showing up and plugging into a system. |
How has fatherhood changed life and business for you?
I love being a Father it’s the most important work I do. It’s the hardest work I do. We have this thing in my house called “DOING LIFE”. We go out every day as a family and DO LIFE.
My goals are bigger and stronger because of my kids Brittany, Tyson, Kylee & my wife Elaina.
Lots of people use the word leadership loosely these days, I think a more relevant term is “Example”. It’s very important for me to be the best example I can be as a parent, a spouse, a friend and of course and entrepreneur.
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What is your favorite book right now and why?
The Bible – I am an amateur with the bible and recently started studying the leadership lessons of the bible.
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What are your goals for 2017?
To help more people Light Up & see themselves better than they are.
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What is your favorite quote and why?
“You can tell the size of a man or woman by the size of the problem that brings them down.”
This quote has helped me overcome tough challenges and constantly remind me of how Grateful I am & to start each and every day with Gratitude.
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Thank you so much for this interview, Ivan! This is powerful!
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