Industry News
September 2009
Meet the Leaders: Fred Stege and Simon Grabowski of Vemma
Annie Roberts talks with Fred Stege and Simon Grabowski of Vemma
FRED Stege and Simon Grabowski are co-founders of Vemma Europe Ltd, building on the success of its parent company New Vision, a pioneer in liquid nutrition products. The company’s range, available in more than 50 countries, was launched by BK Boreyko, a seasoned marketing executive and award winning entrepreneur.
Brief outline of roles and responsibilities and career to date Fred Stege, is co-founder CEO Vemma Europe Ltd and has more than 17 years network marketing experience including owning several enterprises.
Simon Brabowski, Fred’s fellow co-founder, is a highly successful internet entrepreneur Career milestone prior to current role Fred: I took the decision to invest my distributor earnings in several businesses which enabled me to grow my skills and gave me experience in the corporate side of the business.
Simon: I was a millionaire by the age of 20 and have achieved tremendous success with multiple internet businesses. I developed an email marketing product, GetResponse.com, which is used by tens of thousands of entrepreneurs and businesses and is among the top 1,500 most popular sites on the internet.
Most important lesson(s) learned
Fred: If you follow your passion and don’t let anyone steal your dream and never ever give up you will achieve your goal. I also realise that most people cannot do this, if they did there would be huge INFLATION so be glad!
Simon: We are a very distributor-centric company. Distributor base is the most valuable asset for a network marketing company. We think of them as our ‘customers’ and we always listen to what they’re saying and strive to give them the absolute best level of service. Their success is our success.
What do you see as the biggest challenge to the direct selling industry?
Fred: The direct selling industry is growing, it’s the attitude towards it from individuals that can be the obstacle. Many self proclaimed internet gurus are trying to claim their stake. Some people tend to lose their focus because of this medium and become a victim of online, no people needed, systems which of course do not work, as the basics is RELATIONSHIPS, FRIENDSHIPS and LEADERSHIP development. This is a PEOPLE business! Belly to belly, face to face.
Simon: When we decided to bring Vemma’s products to Europe, difficulty would be an understatement. We made a huge investment into reformulating Vemma for the European market to ensure that our Distributors and customers get the best possible product without any sacrifices.
To be successful in the direct selling industry it is important to think like a Distributor. This is what BK Boreyko, Vemma’s founder is able to do and it is very important.
We are expanding across Europe and doing everything by the book to ensure a long term thriving business that doesn’t put the company or its Distributors at risk, but on the contrary If you had your time again, would you do things differently?
Fred: I would have made things more simpler when I started. Winston Churchill said it best: Simplify, simply, simplify. I started off too complicated. This industry works for most if the basics are executed day in and day out and kept simple. They create a foundation for growth.
Simon: I was first exposed to network marketing when I was a teenager and I’ve always been fascinated by what a powerful vehicle it is for creating success stories and financial freedom without boundaries.
What are the qualities that make a good leader?
Fred:
- A leader is a self starter with a burning desire to succeed.
- A leader understands it’s better and easier to inspire than to push!
- A leader cares more about the results his/her team and customers achieve rather than their own.
- A true leader always sets the pace, always leads by example and maintains integrity at all times.
- A leader SHOWS the basic activities at ALL times.
Simon: Behind every product and solution is a team of smart self-starters. We recognise that hiring the brightest talent makes a significant contribution to our success. We are serious about creating an environment where the company shares its success with innovative thinkers who are helping us achieve our goals. We believe that ‘glass wall teamwork’ is the best approach to keeping employees energised and it is important that employees are given as much information as possible in a timely and candid manner.
Enthusiasm and positive attitude versus experience and proven skills – which is best?
Fred: Ignorance on fire is better than knowledge on ice! The toughest job here is to make a smart rep dumb again! There are a lot of network marketing ‘professors’ out there but in reality it’s doing the dumb mundane things over and over again. Someone who claims to know too much usually fails to live up to expectations.
Simon: Enthusiasm and positive attitude can make a real difference.
What do you look for when recruiting for a senior position?
Fred: Expertise in a specific sector of the direct selling business. Corporate reps needs to have some sort of a feeling with this industry but more important is that they are an expert in their field.
Simon: We want to work with people that care about people. People that know what it takes to build the business organically: brick by brick, customer by customer, Distributor by Distributor. People with true conviction about our product and our vision that network marketing is meant to be duplicatable. We’re fishing for that burning desire and leadership mentality.
Best advice you have ever been given?
Fred: For things to change, you need to change, for things to get better you need to get better. Don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better. Never ever take financial advice from broke people.
Simon: In 1997, when I started working on Implix’s first product, GetResponse, I had only $200 to invest and a rock solid conviction that doing business online should and could be made easier.
I believe it is important to make a commitment to keep on moving forward, improve every day and develop cutting edge technology of tomorrow.
Proudest professional moment
Fred: Every time people in my organisation became financially independent. That’s when I realised that we’re changing lives here in this industry.
There’s nothing like it! This is why I’m still involved and get more enthusiastic each day as I can contribute a little to that. Hey, they are doing it themselves and all credit goes to the ones achieving it but some do come back to you and say: ‘Hey Fred you were part of this’. This is to me the ultimate reward in this industry.
Simon: When my company Implix started to grow and confirmed that it was possible to achieve success online.
One thing I wish I’d known when I started
Fred: That this industry is a self development course disguised as a business and that it is HUGE and has a tremendous impact on many people! I wish I had investigated and realised its full potential and impact faster. It would have boosted my belief faster!
Simon: There is not a lot I would change. I am a doer, not a dreamer. I don’t believe in dreaming if no action is to be taken. I’m a firm believer in making your dreams happen.
Leader whom you admire
Fred: Business philosopher Jim Rohn, Sir Winston Churchill, Sir Richard Branson, Oprah and many more. The world is full of fantastic people!
Simon: BK Boreyko, Vemma’s founder, has an amazing team and top-notch product development that makes Vemma stand out from the crowd in terms of quality. This is the synergy that is irresistible to us, quite simply because we identified ourselves with it.
