The story of Ms. Mercy Valeroso and Mr. Jerry Valeroso is one that inspires people to turn obstacles into opportunities. From simply selling ampaws (rice puffs), owning a small sari-sari store and driving for the Department of Agrarian Reform, the couple was able to level up their sideline Amway Business into Founders Platinum pin.
Read about the couple's accomplishment in turning their side hustle into platinum status.
“Unstable” is the word that can best describe the financial status the couple had a few years ago. Jerry works as a driver for the Department of Agrarian Reform, while Mercy sells ampaw, which is puffed rice. They didn't make much money together. His monthly salary as a contracted driver is Php 7,000 whereas her earnings were based on her daily sales total.
Mercy recalled her early days as an entrepreneur. "My husband did not like me to attend the Amway meetings. We were having a lot of problems making ends meet. He constantly reminds me to spend our extra money on ingredients rather than visit the Amway office," she said.
Mercy remarked on her husband's reluctance to attend meetings: "My husband was always cautious about it." Jerry only permitted Mercy to attend one meeting with other Amway Business Owners. She didn't sign-up Amway right away. In fact, Dr. Ivy Ferrer, her mentor, spent six months persuading her to do so.
"My spouse was fired after he joined a labor union. We went without any income for almost four months. Life was stagnant. Even while my ampaw business was beneficial to us, it was insufficient. Mercy recalls warmly, "Our child was already a senior in high school who would need money for college. I just knew we needed to do something to earn money. That is when we started selling Amway Glister toothpaste."
The pair talked about how happy they would be to sell toothpaste and make even little amounts of money. They were thrilled with their initial earnings of 88 pesos. They got really excited after their anticipated income reached Php 1000.
"I couldn't wait to enjoy the fruits of my labor. Glister toothpaste was particularly popular in the neighborhood. Considering its exceptional quality, it was selling like hotcakes. Positive comments are coming from many people. Customers were reordering. I expected to collect about a thousand pesos in that single week. Imagine my shock when only Php 102 pesos was credited to my account instead," Mercy said with excitement.
They immediately took the step to discuss the matter with their mentor. They felt disappointed. But when they understood that the 102 pesos was merely a bonus for their individual purchase and that their earnings were still on the way to their account, their emotions went full circle.
"That is when the lightbulb moment happened. My husband told me that he is now convinced. He believes that there is potential for higher earnings in the Amway business. It's not enough to sell toothpaste. He said that if we desired to raise our income, we would have to increase our investment. And that was one of our best choices,” Mercy remarked emotionally.
As Jerry grew more attracted towards the Amway Business, the roles of the couples were reversed. He was paying more attention to their mentors and started to show up more frequently in meetings. She would be the one to advise her husband to calm down from that point forward because he was constantly strategizing at night.
In the days to follow, the couple decided to attend a meeting. Since the couple cannot go to that meeting together, they decided to go alternately. Because they got inspired, they were able to convince 30 people to sign up. Their earnings went up to 15 percent. That was just the start! The following year, 2010, the couple was unstoppable. They went up from silver producer to gold producer until they reached platinum status.
Mercy emotionally narrated how they would always be acknowledged and recognized in each event. “I get emotional when I think of Leo, one of my mentors, who is not with us anymore. But before he died, he left inspiring words to me. He reminded me to do the work and help a lot."
As she cried, Mercy said, "When I brought Jerry to the hospital for appendicitis, the doctor questioned me about how much money we had brought. At that time, we only had 100 pesos. It was heartbreaking to be poor. I don't want to return to that time. Amway is a blessing, enriching our lives in ways we cannot imagine. We become financially stable. We were able to send our kids to school while traveling internationally."
Amway paved the way for the couple to be able to send their children to school. Their eldest daughter is now a Certified Public Accountant. The middle child is a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Business Administration while the youngest is a student of Geodetic Engineering.
“It is Amway until the end for us. We are still on earth so we are still harvesting the fruits of our business. Plus our kids are still venturing on their own. But they will undoubtedly inherit our business when the time comes,”Jerry answered when asked about passing on the torch.
The couple reveals how their children have recently joined Amway as pillars of their network. In addition to the around Php11,000 income their children earn, they will someday also generate more revenue.
Indeed, Amway empowers individuals by providing them with the resources they need to launch successful businesses. Who knows, you might become the next success story when you join Amway.