Jim Fobair The following is an interview featured in Unicity magazine Volume 01 |
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The Encore: In August 2002, Jim Fobair woke up on an extra mattress his sister had laid on the floor of her spare bedroom. He was penniless, homeless, and living out of a suitcase. It marked four and a half years since his precipitous fall from grace -- one where millions of dollars, a thriving company, and the trappings of success all came crashing down without mercy.
But even in failing, there was a decision to be made, he could either hit the ground hard, or he could bounce back up. Unhindered honesty is inevitable when speaking with Jim -- he says what he thinks in a straightforward, matter-of-fact sort of way -- but it comes with more than a modicum os sincerity and openness. He's not afraid to tell you where he's been and where he's come: the meteoric rise, the epic crash that followed, and a more astounding rise since then. It's not so much what he's done now that matters, it's who he's become, and that's something he's proud of. |
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Starting Over: Jim Fobair stands in front of the audience and begins the seminar with a question, "Has anyone ever had to start over in life?" he asks. One hand hesitates, and then rises. Two more join followed by several more until half of the audience has it's hands raised. Finally, Jim raises his. It's a simple question, but the response always seems to surprise him.
"There are two things that will hold you back." Jim says. "One is a past success: if your stuck in the past because of someone you used to be, You'll never be able to get going in the present moment. And the other is the past failure, you have to let go of your failures as well. I've had both, and i've had to let go of both."
As a younger man, Jim worked as a mattress salesman in Minnesota. He was working for a small paycheck, and struggling to make ends meet. He felt dissatisfied with his job, and that dissatisfaction had bled through to his personal life.
"There are two things that will hold you back." Jim says. "One is a past success: if your stuck in the past because of someone you used to be, You'll never be able to get going in the present moment. And the other is the past failure, you have to let go of your failures as well. I've had both, and i've had to let go of both."
As a younger man, Jim worked as a mattress salesman in Minnesota. He was working for a small paycheck, and struggling to make ends meet. He felt dissatisfied with his job, and that dissatisfaction had bled through to his personal life.
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"I had a long list of reasons why I wasn't succeeding at my goals and dreams. I blamed everybody." Jim said. "My list was so big that I even blamed my pickup truck." This mentally had him stuck in the same depressing rut.
"I took out a piece of paper and wrote down all the things holding me back, all the excuses I was making." Jim remembers. Then he ripped it up and threw it away. On another sheet of paper, he printed just one word: "You" "That's the day my life turned around. There could be no more blaming and no more excuses. That's the day I went to work on myself." The possibility of self-improvement had worked it's way into Jim's life. He began to read more and started to attend seminars regularly. Realizing he could change his life and improve his situation was a powerful idea. He grabbed on and didn't let go. |
Gradually, Jim's outlook on life changed. And even though he now believed in himself, he still needed an opportunity. Sitting in the mattress shop every Sunday, he'd scour the pages of the Minneapolis Tribune's want ad section looking for an opportunity -- any chance to apply his newfound outlook toward something more than a dead end job and a meager salary. The answer came two years later in an ad for Herbalife. It read, Are you Earning What You're Worth? Jim knew he wasn't.
Jim realized he just needed the right vehicle, and this was it. It only took one meeting, and he was in the driver's seat. Ninety days later his salary jumped from $1,000 a month to $10,000 a month, and he quit his job at the mattress store. Two years later he became Herbalife's top distributor in the world, earning more than $100,000 each month. He was only twenty-eight years old.
The success didn't stop. In the early 90's Jim launched his own health and nutrition company. For ten years, life looked and felt like success should. His company was profitable, his family was happy, he managed a large group of employees, and he traveled in a corporate jet. From mattress salesman to CEO, Jim Fobair had built more, achieved more, and seen more than he thought he ever would.
And then it came crashing down.
Jim realized he just needed the right vehicle, and this was it. It only took one meeting, and he was in the driver's seat. Ninety days later his salary jumped from $1,000 a month to $10,000 a month, and he quit his job at the mattress store. Two years later he became Herbalife's top distributor in the world, earning more than $100,000 each month. He was only twenty-eight years old.
The success didn't stop. In the early 90's Jim launched his own health and nutrition company. For ten years, life looked and felt like success should. His company was profitable, his family was happy, he managed a large group of employees, and he traveled in a corporate jet. From mattress salesman to CEO, Jim Fobair had built more, achieved more, and seen more than he thought he ever would.
And then it came crashing down.
The Downfall: It was a defective product from a manufacturer -- something Jim had no control over, but something he's paid a heavy price for. Within months, he lost everything; the company, the jet, and the employees disappeared along with his job, his house, and his car. Even though he had come so far over the previous 18 years, Jim found himself at a point somewhere worse than starting over. "I couldn't even make the $1,000 a month I used to at the mattress store." he said.
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Over the next four years, Jim's situation didn't improve. In many ways, it became worse. The internet was still in it's infancy, but that didn't stop the early adopters from lambasting Jim online. Job after job, opportunity after opportunity all closed their doors, locking him in an increasing spiral of depression.
"I was depressed. I was devastated. It was the lowest point in my life. When I woke up in the morning, that's when the nightmare started because I didn't want to be awake. I didn't want to face reality." |
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So as the ground rushed up to meet Jim, he knew he had to make a choice. That morning, in his sister's spare bedroom with nowhere else to go, Jim dropped to his knees and surrendered. He let go of who he once was -- of his past successes as well as failures -- and embraced a new life he would build again from scratch. HIs first step was to find a company he could build with.
"When I lost my business, it didn't just cost me 15 years of work down the drain. It was embarrassing. There I was in the 80's and 90's -- Mr. Everything -- and now I was starting over at the bottom -- a distributor -- just like everyone else." Jim says. "But I also had to realize I wasn't the same person anymore.
That was all gone, I had to let go of the past."
But if Jim were going to make a comeback, he wanted to do it right. That meant finding a company he could spend the rest of his career with, a global company, and a company with products he believed in. Lastly perhaps most importantly, Jim wanted to like the CEO.
"When I lost my business, it didn't just cost me 15 years of work down the drain. It was embarrassing. There I was in the 80's and 90's -- Mr. Everything -- and now I was starting over at the bottom -- a distributor -- just like everyone else." Jim says. "But I also had to realize I wasn't the same person anymore.
That was all gone, I had to let go of the past."
But if Jim were going to make a comeback, he wanted to do it right. That meant finding a company he could spend the rest of his career with, a global company, and a company with products he believed in. Lastly perhaps most importantly, Jim wanted to like the CEO.
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The Resolution: In Unicity he found the perfect match -- the product mix, the global reach, and especially Stewart Hughes, who had Jim on an airplane to visit Unicity's headquarters as soon as he could. When he arrived, Jim had $800 to his name and a hole in his tooth he couldn't afford to fix.
"Nobody knew I was broke." Jim says. "But I had a lot of faith and a positive attitude, so I guess everyone just assumed I had money." One month after joining Unicity, Jim had more than enough to fix his tooth. Three and a half years later, he made history. By February 2010, Jim reached Presidential Sapphire. Two years later, he was recognized as a Double Diamond at Unicity's Global Leadership Convention in Seoul. Six months after that, he reached Triple Diamond -- the fastest distributor in Unicity's history to reach the rank. Jim credits his success to a number of factors -- the leaders he surrounds himself with and the opportunity Unicity provides, but in his approach there are several keys, that even though they seem simple on the surface, make a profound impact. The first is Jim's ability to make complicated material extremely straightforward and easy to understand. The next is passion. Jim works every day like a man who's been given a second lease on life, and he applies his trade with the type of missionary fervor that keeps him motivated, regardless of money and rank. The way he see's it, his profession has the ability to change people's lives. Most importantly, Jim believes in the power of having a positive mindset. |
"If you've got a positive attitude and the right mindset, then you're ready to make changes. But you also need to get rid of all the distractions and the things holding you back and realize you can make changes. I've always said we're in the leader building business -- of helping people turn their goals into realities -- and it all starts with the right attitude."
"It's not about the money," he says. "You can be happy with a little or a lot, but I also know what it's like to lose everything and think your life is over. What keeps me motivated is helping people turn their lives around."
Jim has had quite a journey -- the rise and fall, the drama, the resolution -- and is now enjoying his curtain call.
But for him, he's getting ready for the encore.
"It's not about the money," he says. "You can be happy with a little or a lot, but I also know what it's like to lose everything and think your life is over. What keeps me motivated is helping people turn their lives around."
Jim has had quite a journey -- the rise and fall, the drama, the resolution -- and is now enjoying his curtain call.
But for him, he's getting ready for the encore.
