Fearless Networker Spotlight: Rachel Garcia

In this Fearless Networker Spotlight we're featuring Rachel Garcia, a former Physician Assistant. For seven years, Rachel pursued her dream of building a full-time Network Marketing business and persisted until she achieved time freedom for herself and her family. 

The Fearless Networker: Welcome! Let’s jump in and get to know one another a bit better. Do you have any unusual or impressive talents you’d like to share with us? Or is there something about yourself that would surprise everyone?

Rachel Garcia: I think it would surprise everyone who knows me that I am naturally, EXTREMELY introverted. 

The Fearless Networker: What would you say is the most courageous thing you have done in your life? 

Rachel Garcia: I  hate heights, so for me any time I go zip lining or jump off of one of those crazy high towers with a harness on, it requires extreme courageousness on my part.

The Fearless Networker: What's the last thing you geeked out about? Or are you technologically challenged?

Rachel Garcia: My car…it is crazy, technologically advanced.

The Fearless Networker: What were you doing BEFORE you got involved in Network Marketing?

Rachel Garcia: I saw patients 12 plus hours a day as a Physician Assistant and owned a skin care retail store.

The Fearless Networker: How did you FIRST get introduced to the Network Marketing profession and, honestly, what was that experience like for you?

Rachel Garcia: My brothers asked me to take a look and I told them no, multiple times. When I finally watched the presentation, I knew that I had to be involved. The company was just getting started so, honestly, the experience was awful at first. I think I am permanently bruised from my first seven years in the industry.

The Fearless Networker: Okay, now for the stats…how long have you been involved in the Network Marketing profession, how long have you been with your current company, how many people have you personally enrolled into your company and what is the current size of your organization?

Rachel Garcia: I have been in Network Marketing for 10 years, since August of 2008. The company I started with was acquired in August of 2013 by the company I am currently in; it was one of the hardest experiences of my life. I have personally enrolled over 300 people into my organization over the 10 years I have been building and currently have over 5,000 on my team.

The Fearless Networker: What does a typical day in your life look like?

Rachel Garcia: Monday through Thursday my schedule is as follows: I wake up, fix the kids' breakfast, read my Bible, exercise, start connect calls, launch calls and coaching calls around 10:30 a.m. and work until 3 p.m. At that time I pick up the boys, spend time with them until about 6:30 or 7 p.m., then start connect calls and launches again until 9 p.m.  I present live, online Monday through Thursday at 9 p.m. EST. After the live I answer questions until 10 p.m. EST, then family time and bed.

Weekends are for the family; I rarely work on the weekends. We travel multiple weeks out of the year and any time I need to take off for a school event (or anything really) I take off. My income increases when I take off.

The Fearless Networker: What is your favorite book(s)? How about your favorite genre of music? (If you want to throw in the first concert you attended, go for it! (My first concert was Rush, June 6, 1979 at the Seattle Center Coliseum.)

Rachel Garcia: Favorite book right now (I have tons of favorites) is Thou Shall Prosper by Rabbi Daniel Lapin. And, I love music period. First concert was James Taylor.

The Fearless Networker: Tell us about a time, no matter what age, that you wanted something so badly, regardless if it was big or small, that you were unstoppable in pursuing it. What obstacles did you overcome to reach that goal?

Rachel Garcia: Getting into Physician Assistant (PA) School. I was accepted to medical school after graduating from the University of Florida but could not get into PA School because I didn’t have experience. As I began to acquire experience as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), I still couldn’t get in. I would make it to the interview process and would then be rejected; this went on for two years.

I later realized it was because I had a hard time making hard decisions. As a healthcare provider, you have to be able to make decisions. When I finally got accepted, I had a point to prove. I was determined to show that I was meant to be there and that I should have been accepted years earlier.

I worked my tail off and graduated at the top of my class. The obstacles I had to overcome were facing rejection and continuing to strive to apply again each year. Also, I had to humble myself to get my CNA certificate from a community college so that I could get paid to get experience in the medical field after graduating with honors from the University of Florida.

It is crazy to write this now as I have decided to completely walk away from practicing medicine to pursue helping other people with the profession of Network Marketing full-time.

The Fearless Networker: How has being involved in Network Marketing CHANGED YOUR LIFE, professionally, personally or both?

Rachel Garcia: How hasn’t it changed my life? We have money! We can travel where we want, when we want. My husband and I have taken trips to some of the most beautiful places in the world by our company, on their dime.

I am no longer paying someone to raise my boys. Instead, I pay someone to do my laundry and clean my house! I have time freedom.

And, we have made the best friendships of our life through this business. We truly wish this for everyone.

The Fearless Networker: What gives you joy and/or feeds your passion?

Rachel Garcia: Hearing the stories of success on my team give me the most joy; it is my absolute favorite part of what I do.

I love to watch my boys excel in the things they love to do and, for me, that's travel! I used to watch other people travel internationally and think, “Lucky them, they must have inherited money.” Or wonder, “What does her husband do?”

Then I found this profession and learned that if you work smart, you can accomplish any goals that you have and live your dreams. Now we are working our way around the the world as a family, one country at a time. Anyone can do anything that they want to do in this business. Absolutely anything!

The Fearless Networker: What is your biggest fear?

Rachel Garcia: Not living to my fullest potential.

The Fearless Networker: If you are full-time, how long did it take you to go from being a part-time Network Marketer to going full-time? Were there any hesitations, struggles or roadblocks?

Rachel Garcia: I started in this business with just ten minutes a day; it was all the free time I had. I worked 12 plus hour days as a PA, and we had started two businesses the previous year, a retail store and a contracting business. I had also just had my second son. I was BUSY with life and had no time for this, but my CPA encouraged me to find some time. So I gave it 10 to 20 minutes a day, five days a week.

After making more that first year in Network Marketing than I did with my retail store, where I was spending 20 plus hours per week, I realized I had something big. It helped that Robert Kiyosaki’s book The Business of the 21st Century was released that year in which he gives credibility to the profession and explains the benefits of Network Marketing.

I decided to drop to part-time as a PA and spend a few hours a day on this business. I took a job seeing patients at an office one hour away from my home three days a week. The time in the car, without kids, was when I made calls. That year my business exploded as a result of those hours on the phone in my car.

Over the next seven years I dropped from seeing patients a few days a week, to one day a week, to one day a month, to a few hours every other month, until earlier this year when I completely walked away from practicing medicine. It made no sense for me to continue seeing patients when I could be helping so many more people; completely changing their lives for the better with my business. It is just a better use of my time.

The struggles were very real though. I remember clearly when I badly wanted to only work this business, but I just wasn’t making the money to justify that move. Someone in my business told me that I needed to keep seeing patients and I was mad about it. I loved my business, but it just wasn’t paying the bills at that point. She was right, I needed to continue to have that additional stream of income working as a PA so that I wasn’t depending solely on the business for my income. I often see people do that too early and, as a result, they become desperate. The people we are sharing with can tell when we are desperate and it isn’t good.

I should have stopped seeing patients years ago, but cutting that cord wasn’t easy for me. Being a PA is a career for which I spent over eight and a half years getting educated and invested over $100,000. However, the freedom I now feel, to choose how I will live my life daily, is absolutely priceless.

The Fearless Networker: What makes you happiest and most effective when working with others?

Rachel Garcia: When I see them overcome hardships to succeed and achieve their goals. We do a lot of leadership retreats on our team. The relationship building on these trips is one of my favorite parts of the business!

The Fearless Networker: What are the failures that you most cherish? 

Rachel Garcia: I love that it took me a long time to succeed. Often times, people come into the profession and see success quickly. That can be discouraging to a lot of people. I know that my story is inspiring to many who just keep pushing forward, no matter how grim things seem. There is nothing special about me, I just absolutely refused to quit no matter how tough things got.

The Fearless Networker: Let’s end on this note: What’s one solid piece of advice that you’d give someone entering this profession for the very FIRST time? And/or the best advice you’ve ever received?

Rachel Garcia: Take consistent action, doing the proper income-producing activities. Be coachable, find mentors that have been successful in the arena you are trying to be successful in, and do what they say.

The Fearless Networker: Great advice Rachel! Thank you for your honesty and sharing your journey. Your persistence is inspirational!

The simple concept of being coachable, humble and willing to learn is something everyone in network marketing should adhere to.  Find someone who has what you want…and do what they do!  For those of you reading this, take Rachel's advice.  Follow successful mentors who've done it…and DO what they say.  Rachel…thank you again for being with me today!