Reaching Fifty was a shock to Greg Martin in that it was apparent he was in a rut and would remain there unless steps were taken to change it. Twenty years before, he had met Charles ‘Tremendous’ Jones personally at a recruiting function. That encounter changed his life from a functioning alcoholic to a Born Again Christian. He became completely sober. He reached out and taught many people life changing principles along with running youth groups and teaching pc courses at the local community college.
Now at fifty, He did not want his obituary to credit him as a State employee whose life accomplishment consisted of “x” number of years as the highlight of his useful activity on earth. When he began looking for ways to change his life, an acquaintance recommended Tony Robbins as a starting point. His teachings made an immediate impact on him. He expanded his horizons and devoured other teachings such as those of Wayne Dyer, Stephen Covey, and Jim Rohm, to name a few.
Personal Productivity changes
Greg implemented many changes in his life because of the principles learned from these teachers. He focused on being productive at work. He used his imagination to create and lead projects for which he earned awards, two of them being “Employee of the Year” for two major projects.
One of the projects was for designing a system and process for using credit cards to replace checks. Within five years, that program was processing $10,000,000 a month, had 5,000 state cardholders, earned over $5,000,000 in rebates and yet, was run by only two full time people.
The other project was the first client server application for the State of Delaware. This interfaced the legacy accounting system by programming all the functionality of the legacy system needed at the local level including forms and other processes. For many Departments, this GUI app became the “De Facto” accounting system. It was operational within two years of proof of concept.
Rene Derme beginning seeds
During this time, Greg’s granddaughter had burned her foot. He had remembered a treatment with honey he had been shown when he was younger so he immediately applied honey to her burn. He was pleased to see what should have been blisters had essentially healed overnight. (See the full story on www.Rene Derme.com) It so intrigued him that he researched the world of honey. He avoided surgery for hemorrhoids by using his imagination for a use in the application of honey to the strategic location. Many people were helped by that experience. In fact, many people came to him thanking him for saving their “A#%”.
In 2005, a friend of Greg’s took him to meet an entrepreneurial visionary who was intrigued by the accounts of his success with honey. This visionary’s company sponsored five business forums a year in California. His conclusion after listening to examples of people who had been helped was: “Honey is a miraculous product but it is too viscous and sticky for the average person to use. Why don’t you think of a way to incorporate honey into a formula that will be effective yet attractive to use by the masses”.
Of course he also suggested that Greg come to one of his business seminars, meet people with imagination, talk to people who will help him establish a viable product, consult with others who will teach him business basics, and most importantly help him market Greg’s ideas. The end result should be a business worth $150 million within 5 years.
He was so persuasive that Greg almost did not return to work because he thought his employer couldn’t really afford his talents. There was no way Greg needed to work for less for someone who didn’t really appreciate him. He now had a real mission in life.
As reality settled over him, the absurdity of the situation struck home.
· Greg was within a couple of years of retirement.
· Greg was in IT management for a government division in the State of Delaware, with no experience running a private business.
· Greg would have to revamp his long established way of life which meant hard WORK on his part.
· Greg was not enthused by the prospect of raising capital.
However, he wanted to remain productive, help people live naturally and establish a legacy.
Down the Yellow Brick Road
Greg’s first business forum in July of 2005 exceeded his wildest expectations. He even volunteered to be a “staff member” for the next forum which was scheduled for Sept 2005. His duties began on a Friday afternoon with setting up the rooms for workshops. For the next 8 days, they began at 7am for breakfast and remained on duty until 10pm. To say the least, he was wiped out by the following Sunday.
He sat in his room that Sunday after the official part of the forum, and was convinced this total venture was beyond his comprehension. In the process of reviewing the initial reasons of doubt, He was moved to take a pad of paper from the table next to him. He normally did not take many notes. He began to write furiously as if he was being led. He then read what was written: “I have so appointed the time and circumstances for your life that if you do not answer My call, the very rocks of your soul will cry out and you will be left with nothing but a shell of a person”. The words rattled him. Greg did not write nor think that way. There was only one course of action: To make it his mission in life to establish a legacy.
Greg thought this was going to be easy. After all, he had a message from above. He had been very successful in defining project scopes and assembling teams in his career with the state of Delaware. He had all kinds of help for the asking while employed there. Three weeks after his first business forum, he met a beekeeper who had experience with making skin creams with honey. He agreed to help formulate his specific product which would relieve hemorrhoid issues. His brothers individually committed capital to help start the project.
Meeting up with Reality
The cream for the hemorrhoids was sadly not ready in time for the next forum in December. In its place the formulator agreed to mix batches for Greg’s specifications for a skin cream using his skin product as a base. He even agreed to fill sample bottles that Greg had purchased. They tested the new product on friends who gave an enthusiastic appraisal of the results for its effectiveness in moisturizing and rejuvenation their skin. Greg took 300 samples of his skin cream to the forum and once again was gratified by the feedback.
Another member, who was a marketing expert, introduced himself at the forum. He had successfully completed marketing campaigns for two of his clients, Revlon and L’Oreal. He produced portfolios of his work and said “We have a million dollar product that I can introduce to the marketplace within six months.” By the end of December, he sent newly designed labels, a brand name, and a rough draft of a marketing campaign. They agreed on the terms and at that point Greg had a marketing expert on his team. To complete the necessary tools for a successful business, a webmaster volunteered his expertise to construct a website for us. The dream, based on the message he received in July, was off to an outstanding start.
What Greg overlooked in his euphoria was the experience that had led to his successful projects for the State of Delaware. All that knowledge he had garnered while working for the state was done over a period of years while working in a familiar environment. Without that background, the projects would not have been a resounding success. His boss once told him that as a single individual, he had impacted more people in their every day duties for the State than anyone she could think of.
In retrospect, Greg now knew that all the resources he needed were provided to him upon request and approval. He had the backing of his superiors, he personally handpicked teams comprised of people whose capabilities he knew well, and he never saw a bill. Greg certainly did not consider the advantage of having these factors in place when assessing the effort needed to secure these same types of benefits in his own new project. To put it bluntly, he was naïve about his new business world. But he was ready to go full force that January of 2006.
By September, he had received nothing more concrete from his marketer in spite of bi-monthly meetings and a three day planning session with his board. Many sources commented that the branding, marketing materials, and labeling were archaic for this generation. The bulk of the proposed advertising were advertisements in Major magazines. He now reflects that it was folly to think he could compete in that arena. They dismissed him. They needed to reach their niche markets. So, they decided to concentrate on Internet Marketing. He has continued to pursue this avenue ever since then. He has attended many seminars, classes, and online resources in order to maximize his knowledge of this medium. It took several websites and webmasters but now, he believes he has been blessed with a very competent webmaster that is moving his project forward.
The results can be seen in their two sites: ReneDerme.com for products, information on looking younger and protecting one’s health through skin care, and other subjects of interest pertaining to overall wellness. The other site, TheHoneyFactor.com, highlights Greg’s personal information, his journey, the company and others in the organization.
Developing the perfect formula has been an interesting process
In July of 2007, Greg began experiencing product consistency problems which his formulator attributed to a global phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Bees were disappearing, colonies at a time. The result was scarce and subpar quality for all of the bee ingredients. Those problems still face him today. In September of 2007, his supplier told him he could no longer supply him with the needed honey. Greg went into emergency mode to find a new supplier and a suitable substitute for the honey in his other products.
Greg decided he would no longer attend business forums that way he could dedicate his focused time to finding solutions for this unanticipated problem. He began experimenting and mixing the formulations himself. He found he had a talent for that and has been making the products himself ever since. He also determined through research of other products, and trying other product and ingredients, that he could effectively add herbs and oils to achieve the same result as the original formula. He still uses all-natural and organic honey but, new oils and herbs are now included in every bottle his company sells. He continues to experiment on new ingredients to create new formulations. He now has several new products that can be offered in various niches including solutions for pets.
Another Historic event
In 2008, the United States economic infrastructure began to collapse. The repercussions are still being felt to this day. One of the main changes which has impacted small business owners is a decrease in sources of funding of businesses through credit from both the financial and investment markets. Greg’s new web sites allow his company to more effectively search for alternate sets of funding by identifying new niches and demographics. His company plans to generate the needed capital through revenues from sales of products. Expenses are at a minimum so there is no danger of going bankrupt or stopping operations. They have a strategic outbound internet marketing plan and are executing it.
Keeping an eye out for the Future
ReneDerme has positioned its products to be effective answers for alternative maintenance, and health solutions in this new era of health care. According to many reports, there is a possibility of less medical care available to the average person because of many private physician practices closing due to added government obligations becoming too costly. Also, the picture is one where many people will have less benefits and will not be able to have services available to them. Added to this mix is that the responsibility for one’s health will become more incumbent on the individual rather than medical resources, including prescriptions. The all-natural and organic market is an obvious alternative. ReneDerme has an answer to preserve health by optimizing the skin’s ability to be the first line of defense against a hostile environment along with restoring the appearance and functionality of the skin after suffering trauma by surgery, wounds form accidents, or burns. ReneDerme has many testimonies attesting to that capability of our products.
Greg believes his company has an active obligation to our Country. He feels confident enough to offer the creams to non-profit organizations that help those in the service of our country including veterans, firemen, law enforcement, and those assisting victims of natural disasters.
If you know anyone who meets this criteria, please have them contact Greg and ReneDerme at www.ReneDerme.com or greg@ReneDerme.com. They will send free skin creams (Skin Trauma cream) to help them with any skin distress due to surgery, burns, or wounds. They purpose to do their best to ensure that all persons who have a close association with ReneDerme profit emotionally, physically and financially.
Contact Information:
Greg Martin
ReneDerme
(302) 233-8864
greg@ReneDerme.com
www.ReneDerme.com
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