WorldVentures
Co-Founders Wayne Nugent and Mike Azcue would like to congratulate Scott and Sheila Ross on their
promotion to National Marketing Director. Here are a few words from Scott and Sheila about
their journey to National Marketing Director.
WorldVentures:
How did you hear about WorldVentures?
Scott
Ross:
Bob Goris from Minnesota, who knew me through his daughter who lives in the
Dallas area, came to Dallas and asked me to come see something. Bob took me to a presentation where I
enrolled.
WorldVentures:
What do you hope to accomplish with WV? What are your 1-yr., 5-yr. and 10-yr.
goals with WV?
Scott
Ross:
We want to be IMD’s and plan to achieve that in the next few months. Our goal is to have 50 families in our
organization earning more than $100k/year and 5 families earning $1
Million/year through WV in the next 5 years.
WorldVentures:
What did you do prior to building a WV business? Do you think your achievements
in the past had an impact in your decision to join WV? If so, how did
your success or nonsuccess impact your decision?
Scott
Ross:
Prior to WorldVentures, I was an executive for a software company. Sheila has been a stay-at-home mom and she
also had a home-based direct sales business.
My success in software definitely had an impact on my decision to join
WorldVentures. I have built solutions
and consulted for many of the most successful companies in the world including
Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase, DHL, Coca-Cola, ESPN, and more. I also have been a part of two very fast
growing software companies that each went from $100 Million in revenue to more
than $1 Billion in revenue during my time with them. With that experience, I could see the
hallmarks of a company that would become very big over a short period of time
when I saw WorldVentures. Understanding
compensation plans and the value proposition being offered to the marketplace I
believed that anyone who joined WorldVentures and took it seriously would be
making an incredibly smart financial and business decision.
In her brief but successful
experience with a direct-sales company Sheila discovered a love for empowering
people and helping them expand their dreams.
She discovered that she has a passion for helping people become a better
version of themselves. She also loves
creating magical social experiences and saw that the DreamTrips product and the
WorldVentures culture were a perfect fit for that passion.
WorldVentures:
You have achieved more in your lifetime, than most everyone will ever achieve,
what drives you?
Scott
Ross:
Both Sheila and I came from meager backgrounds.
My family was lower middle-class at best and moved constantly from one
small Texas town to another as my father tried unsuccessfully to build a
career. Sheila was raised by a single
mom in a small steel-mill town in Pennsylvania.
Both of us, as children, had bigger visions for our future, and made
promises to ourselves to do something big with our life. When Sheila and I met, we instantly had a
connection from a shared vision for the future.
We both wanted to ensure that finances were never an issue for future
generations of our family. We both
wanted to make an impact on the world for Christ.
Today, that vision burns
brighter than ever. We’re driven to
teach people to think multi-generationally and give them the tools and the
vehicle to leave a legacy. We’re also
more focused than ever on reaching the world with the gospel.
WorldVentures:
In general, as a high over-achiever, how do you stay motivated?
Scott
Ross:
Keep our vision before us, reminding ourselves daily of what we really
want. When there are circumstances that
are NOT what we want, we don’t think about that or focus on that. We focus on what we want. We fill ourselves with the best
thinking and practices of the ages. We
listen to success audios from personal development gurus and WorldVentures
leaders, we read good books, we pray, and we say daily affirmations. We spend time with people who have what we
want and are always trying to go to a new level. We purposefully limit time with anyone or
anything that is bogged down and not moving forward.
WorldVentures
If you do have bad days when you’re not motivated, how do you handle it? What
inspires you?
Scott
Ross:
Everyone has bad days and we’re no exception.
I look at my wife and think about what I want to give her. I look at my children and think about what I
want to establish for them. I look at my
vision board and remind myself of the dreams God’s put in my heart. I meditate on the future and see myself
winning in every area. I think about
what it will look like for the things on my vision board to be true. I also put myself in the future and mediate
on what it will feel like to NOT achieve my goals. That’s a scary thought and always kicks me
into gear.
WorldVentures:
What is the one piece of advice someone gave you that you wish you had known
much earlier in life?
Scott
Ross:
Your network is your net worth. I wish
that I had been more focused on building my network throughout my life.
Sheila
Ross: Caring too much about what the wrong people
think about you only prevents you from adding all the value God has invested in
you to contribute to the world. Caring
too much about what others think is a prison that will cost you your
dreams.
WorldVentures:
Conversely, what’s the one piece of advice you would give to anyone trying to
achieve big goals?
Scott
Ross:
Go all in! Double-mindedness and
inconsistency are death to goal achievement.
Put your head down and don’t look up until you’re across the finish
line.
Sheila
Ross:
Embracing failure and accelerating failure is the fastest way to achieve your
dreams.
WorldVentures:
What would you say to others who were thinking about joining WV?
Scott Ross:
It’s the best decision you can make. The
product is worth far more than what you will pay for it. The people you meet will be worth 1000 times
what it costs to join the club. The
personal development you will receive as a representative is life-changing and
no price can be put on it. And by the
way, you can make some money and earn a BMW.
WorldVentures: In
light of your many achievements, what do you consider your biggest achievement
and why?
Scott Ross:
My biggest achievement is having the respect and admiration of my wife and
children. To know your worth, simply ask
yourself how you are viewed by those who know you best and see you in every
circumstance. I am so honored that my
wife and I are more in love after 19 years than we were on our wedding day, and
that my children all say I am their favorite person in the world.
WorldVentures: In
reaching many major goals with WV, what did you learn?
Scott Ross:
You’d need a book, not an article. If I
had to just pick a few nuggets I would say:
1) Embrace
the journey and see the journey as the prize!
2) Don’t
compare yourself to anyone else. Run
your race. Rejoice in your wins and your accomplishments.
3) Operate
with urgency. The speed of the leader is
the speed of the pack.
4) Follow
the system and focus on duplication.
WorldVentures: Is there anything that
you would have done differently if you had to start building your WV business
all over again? If so, what would you have changed and why?
Scott Ross:
Focus more heavily on duplication. In
the beginning, I only measured my business based on the numbers of active
customers and new enrollments. Now I
also focus on how much duplication we are creating and how many emerging
leaders we can point to on our team.
WorldVentures: What’s
the single most important message you want to send to kids, adults,
etc.?
Scott Ross:
If I had to speak to only one group, I would speak to the men and tell them
it’s time to step up! Your family and
your nation need you. The time for
living the Homer Simpson existence of a steady 9-5 and evenings spent drinking
beer watching TV are over. We need a
generation of leaders who will re-establish the entrepreneurial spirit in
America and educate their children to be independent, critical thinkers who
stand on principle and have the resources to make an impact.
Sheila Ross:
Stay true to the big dreams that have been in your heart since early in
life. Never dismiss them as “childish”
or “unrealistic.” God put them there for
a reason. Give them life and cultivate
them into becoming a reality.
WorldVentures: What was your toughest
challenge & how did you overcome it?
Scott Ross: My
toughest challenge was reaching RMD in 10 months and then seeing my business
plateau. There was a period of extreme
frustration where we could not get our business to go to the next level, and
there was a real temptation to throw in the towel. In this business you are vastly overworked
and underpaid for a season to become vastly underworked and overpaid
forever. We were in that period where we
were still putting in extreme effort and being paid far less than we were
worth. I could have gone back to my
career in software and made a significantly larger income, but I would be
giving up my dream. The temptation to
take the short-term easy road was a very real thing. Fortunately, we refused to compromise and kept
fighting. We pushed through that plateau
and now life will never be the same.
WorldVentures: What
legacy will you leave to your children/family?
Scott Ross: Our
children will receive a very tangible financial legacy because of WorldVentures. When we pass away our children will inherit
our business. But far greater than that,
our children will receive a legacy of goal setting and goal achievement. They have seen their parents set goals, grow
as people, fight through adversity, and come out the other side. Our children are going to enter the world
with a global network of friends and mentors they have met in this business
that will position them to achieve anything they can dream.
WorldVentures: What
advice do you have for people just getting started in the business?
Scott Ross: Treat
this like a business. This is what you
do. You’re the CEO of this
business. As the CEO, not showing up is
never an option. You’ll be at every
event. You’ll be at every training. All out participation and immersion is a
given. Be
the leader you want to follow. Don’t
wait for someone else to lead. Lead
yourself. If you opened a “traditional”
business, would you be waiting around for your “upline” to tell you what to
do? Treat support and help as a huge
bonus but don’t wait on it or rely on it.
Have fun! We’re in the business
of fun and if we forget that, we’re going to lose. Choose to see the good in others, and when
someone’s behavior seems offensive, give the benefit of the doubt and ask the
question, “what else could this mean?”
WorldVentures: What
was the best learning experience you’ve had since joining WV?
Scott Ross:
The first time we went through Journey with Marc Accetta we had tons of
breakthroughs and ah-ha moments. That
training was life-changing.
WorldVentures:
What is the least favorite part of the business?
Scott Ross:
The thing I least like doing is dealing with people’s complaints and
gripes. But that is part of the
territory. If no one is grumbling,
you’re probably not leading.
WorldVentures:
How do you motivate your team?
Scott Ross: First,
we lead by example. We can’t motivate
anyone. They can only motivate
themselves. We’re looking for motivated
people. We create a culture where people
who are winners feel comfortable and thrive and people who are complainers and
excuse makers don’t want to stick around.
Second,
we teach our people to celebrate even the smallest victories and we give
appropriate recognition for everything we can.
WorldVentures:
Have you taken a DreamTrip? If so, which one was your favorite and why? Do you
have any pictures of your DreamTrip that you could send me?
Scott Ross:
Many. Our favorite DreamTrips were to
the Marival World Residences because the experience and the luxury were over
the top and also the RMD trip in 2012 because of our time with all the
leaders. Yes. I can send you pictures of both.
WorldVentures:
Can you please tell me about your process for recruitment, how you introduce
prospects to the WorldVentures opportunity?
Scott Ross:
Personally, I like to introduce prospects to WorldVentures one on one over
coffee. I invite people to meet with me
to share what’s going on in my life and then expose them to WorldVentures. I use 3rd party calls to introduce
them to my mentors and friends, and as soon as possible get them to a live
meeting where they can see the culture of our team.
As
a team we use travel parties a ton! We
have travel parties every night of the week.
WorldVentures:
How do you pitch the product? Do you pitch the product first or the business
opportunity?
Scott Ross:
I present them both in the same meeting.
I explain the product first and then explain that there is an optional
business marketing the product.
WorldVentures:
What about a travel club membership appeals to people?
Scott Ross:
The stress-free vacation planning and the incredible value of each DreamTrip
with all the ingredients that are included such as the DreamTrips host,
parties, pre-planned excursions, etc.
Also, people love the social aspect of the club where they meet
like-minded people and can travel the world together.
WorldVentures:
What tools do you use to make the WorldVentures opportunity inviting to people
who may be interested?
Scott Ross:
1) Travel parties
2) Living
Proof Magazine
3) WorldVentures
Audios
4) DreamTrips
Videos
WorldVentures:
What kind of culture have you cultivated on your team?
Scott Ross:
Our team is called TeamLiftOff and our logo is a rocket. We embody everything about that symbol. First, we move fast in an upward
direction. We have established a “speed”
culture where we “do it now.” Secondly,
a rocket uses 85% of its fuel to get off the launch pad. We understand that you put in big effort
early to soar with ease later. We very
much have a leadership culture where we systematically build leaders who
themselves can build leaders. The space
program builds men and women to be elite in order to pilot their ships. Our team is no different. We speak the language of leadership and
leadership development all the time.
Last but not least, we have a “blast.”
We’re a very fun group of people.
WorldVentures:
What, in your opinion, is the greatest tool for retention?
Scott Ross:
The best tool for retention is recognition.
ANY recognition people can receive will keep them around because we may
be the only place in the world someone is treated as special. I know that taking a DreamTrip gets people to
stick around, but if you can find a way to acknowledge a brand new person and
make them feel valued and special, they will stick around long enough to
actually take a trip. Appreciation and
encouragement are also ways to keep people in the fold. Even if people have not done things to
deserve recognition in WorldVentures, such as earn their Wings, if they feel
valued and encouraged in their life they will want to stay in the club.
WorldVentures:
How do you get people excited about the product?
Scott Ross:
Stories from people who have used it.
WorldVentures:
Who has been your mentor in this business? Who has been your mentor in life?
What have they taught you that made an impact on your life and your business?
Scott Ross:
So many people have helped us in this business, but more than anyone, it has
been David Pietsch and Byron Schrag.
Those two men have meant the world to me. They have taught me the mindset necessary to
win in this business.
Sheila Ross: My mentors in life have been Christ and John C.
Maxwell. They have taught me that
everything is about serving others. When
you add value to others, you can accomplish anything.
WorldVentures:
Where are your favorite places to travel?
Scott Ross:
There are so many great places. We love
the high-end All-Inclusive resorts of Mexico and the Caribbean. We love Hawaii. It’s the most beautiful place we’ve seen
yet. We love America with everything it
has to offer. From the lights of New
York to the breathtaking views of the Grand Canyon to the Rocky Mountains to
the theme parks of Orlando, there’s a ton of great places right here at
home. From the time that we were
married, our goal was to kiss in every National Park in the United States. We’ve got 50 to go.
WorldVentures:
What city do you live in and what city were you born?
Scott Ross:
We live in Prosper, TX. Scott was born
in Longview, TX and Sheila was born on Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.
WorldVentures:
What is one thing about you that nobody else in WV is aware of?
Scott Ross:
We can’t think of anything.
