About 5 years ago, I started working with Synergy Expansion. I started just like most. I answered an ad on the internet via phone call and was scheduled for a screening. Like most, I dressed sharp with a suit and a tie. I printed out my resume on the nice paper you can get from kinko's. I even brought in a letter of recommendation with my last employer, an accountant that hired me as a "data entry specialist," I was more of a personal assistant to him anyway before I was laid off.
The Beginning:
In the screening, one of the owners, Liz Gelb, sat down with me and 4 others and gave us a brief explanation of the company, the positions available and spoke to each one of us individually. It was a bit unorthodox, but I didn't mind since I really have nothing to hide and I try to be an extrovert. Liz, clearly has a great attitude. She's maybe one of the kindest people I have ever met. As a matter of fact she'll bend over backwards to help someone out. She helped me so much when I ran an office and we hit a big roadblock.
As far as the atmosphere, the office was very laid back. I liked that. It was a completely different change from the normal corporate world. It was just more vibrant and everyone who worked there seemed like they enjoyed their work. I was excited! I was hoping for that phone call.
Sometime after 5pm I got the phone call. They scheduled me for the 2nd interview. The second interview was very long. There was a ton of information and it looks like the regional manager, Evan Salvador had his stuff together. Evan seemed to have a pretty good attitude and he was very upfront and direct. After knowing him for a few years, you'll realize he's brutally honest. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's a little overboard. He's tough. But he needs to be in this business. He just doesn't want people wasting his time. Best thing about Evan is if he says he'll do something, he's doing it. He's pretty relentless about what he sets his mind to. Well at least that's my experience with him.
The Adversity:
I was hired at the end of all this. I told some of my friends and my roommate and they were happy for me. I went online to do some research to get ready for my first week and I found some pretty negative stuff on the internet. Lots of people saying it's a scam. First thing I wondered was "when are they going to try to get money from me?" But as I read I realized almost all the complaints were just vague and most didn't even start working with Synergy. Most of them keep saying the same thing over and over. It just seems like some people were upset but didn't really do anything resolve the problem. Just post something on some forum that claimed to be a consumer advocate. I figured I go in Monday and see the scam.
Orientation:
Monday I started with Orientation. It lasted a few hours and we got a chance to make some dough right away. I took advantage of their optional contest and made about $300 my first day. Some of my roommates were asking about the discounts for the perfume and cologne so I figured hey why not. So that was pretty easy for me. I was ready for my first day. I'm still waiting for the scam part.
First Day: So Evan kept his word from 2nd interview. We were going to learn sales in phase one. I never did sales before. I didn't think it was going to be that hard. But it was. At first. I just needed to get over this fear of rejection that plagued me my whole life. I was always scared of talking to people I didn't know. It was tough. I said to myself, "I can't give up because I'm scared that's just stupid." This fear of rejection has kept me from going after the best things in life. I didn't realize it then, but getting over that fear is just a matter of practice. Just like anything else, practice makes perfect. So my first day was tough and, at the time, discouraging. Thankfully, Evan made me feel better about it because he also had a rough first day. That helped a lot. Still no scam yet. No asking for money, nothing.
Saturday Meeting:
Still no asking for money. Nothing different from what was said in Second interview. By this point I was so happy to get promoted to my next badge. I couldn't wait to get the recognition. I met all the other owners/managers that ran offices in the area. It was nice to see how successful they have become. They all started off with Synergy Expansion. They were all happy and fun loving. The best part is, they were younger than me. I was amazed. That's what hooked me. I said to myself, "If these young people who can't even legally drink can do this. Why can't I?" So from then on I took it very seriously. I decided, I'm done with the jobs that haven't gotten me anywhere financially or socially. I worked for an accountant. Worked all the regular 9-5 jobs and I wasn't getting anywhere. It was just job to job to job. Praying that I wouldn't lose it and that I had money to take care of myself for the week. I was sick of it. Synergy Expansion seemed like the answer. I finally decided to ask myself, how can this be a scam the way this system is set up? They only really benefit from me if I open an office and make good money for myself. Perfect! This thing, as unorthodox and unprofessional some of the people seem, was for real.
Opening:
So 90 days later, I got my office. I opened up my first office and I was uber-excited. Finally, all that hard work was going to pay off big time. I have to admit, it was tough at first. The meetings and seminars I attended with Synergy helped as much as it could but like riding a bike, I had to get on that sucker to get things rolling. At first I was just trying to get a hang of things. After about 2months, I started doing very well. My first year in the company I made 65k. Not bad considering I was just working for a measly $12/hr with the accountant. My second year running an office I made 97k. Almost 100k. My third year I broke six figures. I was so happy. At that point I saved enough money to feel completely secure with my new home, my 2 new cars. So I invested it all.
The Sad Part:
After my 3rd year in the company everything was great. I was rolling. I was making great money. I was helping others get to my point as well. Then something horrible happened. My brother became really sick with pancreatic cancer. Unfortunately both my parents were incapable of taking care of him. I was the only one able to take on this responsibility. I tried to convince my brother that I would hire a caregiver for him but he refused that care. I couldn't blame him. He was scared. So was I. He really didn't want some stranger taking care of him. I didn't know what to do. I asked Evan for some advice and he told me probably some of the best advice I ever received, "Always do the right thing for the people that care about you. Even if it sets you back." He always talked about doing the right thing and how if you do the right thing, good things will always come your way.
Leaving the company and my office left me devastated. But I had faith from doing the right thing. I mean they say the same thing in the Bible. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." I figured things will work out. Good thing I had all that money saved! Phew!
The Aftermath:
About 4 months ago, my brother beat cancer! He truly believes that if I left him with just a caregiver, he would not have beaten it. So it was back to working on my career. I still had money saved but at this point I wanted to go and follow my passion in the world of finances. I really liked reading the WSJ and I was interested in learning it. I had enough money set aside to pursue my dreams. Currently, I work as a Financial Services Sales Manager for a pretty large financial company in San Francisco. Soon enough I will be able to get the knowledge to start my own firm. To be completely honest, I would never be in this good of a position and have such a full life without Synergy Expansion.
Why did I Write This?
I sincerely believe in the idea of giving back. Synergy helped me so much that I felt like the right thing to do was to share my experience with others so that they get truthful information. This company didn't just help me get to safe financial place, it built confidence in me. I used to so weak and I used to give up at the first sign of trouble. But this company taught me to believe in myself and that I'm capable of anything I set my mind to. They taught me to always do the right thing. Evan was right. Doing the right thing for my brother allowed me to follow my passion. If my brother didn't get sick, I would still be running an office and working with Synergy Expansion.
I still keep up with Synergy and how they're doing. From the looks of it, Evan and Liz are doing very very well. It's a shame that no one has done anything to resolve or eliminate the untruthful and negative postings on some of those forums all over the internet. By the way, I still haven't been asked for money from Synergy. LOL.
