It’s Time to Expose the Real Orrin Woodward
Orrin Woodward, and his wife Laurie, have built communities over the last 25 years numbering in the hundreds of thousands, but few people know them like I do. In fact, my wife and I were the couple who started Orrin and Laurie Woodward in community building back in 1993 and we have been friends and business partners ever since. We have had a front row seat in watching this couple transform from shy kids with few business skills into internationally ranked leaders and speakers. With so much rumor, hearsay, and popular opinion on successful people online, I decided to help separate the facts from the fiction on Orrin and Laurie Woodward. I will share what makes this couple unique from my perspective and provide as leaders and people.
First, the Woodward’s were not born with silver spoons in their mouths — both of their dads worked in the Flint Michigan area as blue collar skilled tradesman. Orrin and Laurie are true modern day Horatio Alger success stories. Starting with nothing but dreams and the drive to personally develop, they went from the broke newlyweds we first met, to debt-free multi-multi-millionaires, and I had a front row seat.
The Woodward’s joined with us in a new internet company (Quixtar) and became the fastest growing couple in the company from 1999 to 2007. They went from several hundred people at major events to overflowing the capacity limits of the Breslin Center (where Michigan State plays basketball) in six years! In fact, Quixtar’s ownership and management honored them as one of the keynote speakers at the first-ever Quixtar Live Event held in a packed out VanAndel arena in Grand Rapids, featured on the same stage as Dr. Phil, among others.
Second, the Woodward’s have lived principle-centered lives for nearly 30 years. From kids struggling in life, they have become models for marriage and business, with no affairs, drugs, crimes, or even win-lose actions blemishing their record. And I can speak to this because I was their original sponsor and friend who witnessed it firsthand. As a matter of fact, the Woodward’s go beyond integrity and have displayed character. For instance, after Quixtar raised its prices for the seventh consecutive year, which diminished the opportunity for new people to succeed, Orrin Woodward didn’t just sit back and cash checks. He instead acted to protect the community and the opportunity.
When Ken McDonald, Quixtar’s managing director and a strong supporter of Orrin’s, said the owners would not budge on prices, Orrin was perplexed. He proceeded to write a personal letter to Doug Devos, the owner of the company, respectfully stating his concerns. Although many top leaders across Quixtar had the similar concerns, including me, only Orrin had the courage to gracefully confront the issue and sign his name to it.
Third, disastrously for all involved, instead of addressing Orrin’s issues, Quixtar’s legal team slipped a non-compete clause into the automatic renewal process (who reads automatic renewals?). This effectively forced people earning income to remain part of their business model, even if they were dissatisfied. Most of the top business owners within Quixtar responded pragmatically, choosing to protect their income rather than protect the opportunity for new people, but not Orrin. He, on the other hand, joined the distributor board, encouraged his business partner Chris Brady to do the same, and promoted the needed changes in pricing and compensation to provide a viable opportunity for new people.
This is perhaps the single most important principle I’ve learned from Orrin over the years. That is, when the leader is given the choice between personal gain and proper principles, Orrin is unwavering in choosing the proper principle.
Fourth, after Ken McDonald unexpectedly announced his retirement, the new management team and lawyers responded to Orrin’s letter in a win-lose fashion. Win-lose, however, as Stephen Covey teaches always winds up lose-lose. Quixtar “fired” Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady, calling them “bad actors” and “misleaders” even though they had earned practically all the recognition, awards, and bonuses Quixtar offered over an eight year period!
Needless to say, this legal strategy backfired big time. It confirmed Orrin’s concerns with the non-compete clause, for how can an entrepreneur get “fired” if they own their own business? Worse, how can an entrepreneur get “fired” and then not be allowed to start another business? The crux of the matter, however, is that communities do not follow bureaucrats — they follow leaders. For example, if the church board of a large church unjustly “fired” and “bashed” the popular pastors, how would the congregation react?
Marsie and I, along with over 40,000 other business owners, resigned en mass. Fortunately, Quixtar is no longer in business, the lawyers who recommended this peculiar legal strategy have retired, and the Quixtar remnants who didn’t resign moved to Amway Global, an international soap conglomerate founded in 1959.
Fifth, Orrin and Chris (who had never been sued previously) were tied up in dozens of litigation battles in numerous federal and state courts. Furthermore, Orrin and Chris were subjected to online character assassinations directed by PR firms and anonymous bloggers who did not let the truth get in the way of doing their hatchet jobs. In reality, the greatest backhanded compliment paid to Woodward and Brady is the amount of time and money their opponents invested to attempt to destroy them. Thankfully, Orrin and Chris are not ones to surrender easily. After nearly three years, Quixtar finally relented, and ended the disastrous lose-lose campaign by settling all disputes.
The reason so many follow the Woodward’s and Brady’s is because we know when the “chicken hits the fan”, we will find our leaders on the front lines taking shots to protect the community. Leadership like that is rare in any age, but almost nonexistent today. Because of this, the opportunity for the next generation of leaders is better in LIFE (our new company) than ever before as we Have Fun, Make Money, and Make a Difference.
Sixth, from a personal perspective, Orrin Woodward is the most forward looking and determined individual I have ever met. On things that matter, he simply identifies the principles, puts his hand to the plow, and refuses to be distracted by any secondary issues.
Seventh, although we originally sponsored Orrin and Laurie, I was still employing the old-school tactics I had learned from previous mentors. After losing a many millions of dollars in a conventional business enterprise, I realized that I needed a new perspective and system to move forward in business and in life.
And even though he is twenty years my junior, Orrin’s organizational talent and winner attitude led me to enlist his mentorship. Within three years of following his lead Marsie and I were financially independent and have remained that way for twenty years.
Eighth, Orrin will always tell you exactly what he sees, pulls no punches, and expects your success. He speaks the truth in love and expects others to do so as well. If you follow these principles, you will earn a lifelong friend. If you don’t agree and cut corners on the truth, your business relationship with Orrin and Laurie will not endure. All business is relationships, and I don’t know any other community building leaders in the world who have as many decade, two decades, and nearly three decade relationships as the Woodward’s. Further, Orrin’s organizational and system genius, starting with becoming a General Motors senior engineer with four patents at age twenty five, has led him to create an organization that has helped tens of thousands of us to have better relationships, get control of our finances and develop long term financial success.
Ninth, it doesn’t surprise me that Orrin has received so many accolades — ranked by Inc. Magazine in the top twenty leadership influencers in the world at age 53 and has written a book (RESOLVED) rated in the top one hundred most influential leadership books in history — because whatever this couple do, they do with excellence.
Tenth, Orrin and Laurie’s love, service, and mentorship have changed so many lives, including Marsie and mine. When someone believes in you enough to speak the truth you have been avoiding, you have two options — accept the truth and begin the process of changing, or reject the truth and begin the process of quitting. Marise and I decided to change and so can you. If Orrin and Laruie Woodward are involved in an enterprise, you can trust the business will be straight and true, and if you are willing to follow the same principles, then you will be able to share your story of growth, just like I have now shared mine.
Sincerely,
Larry Van Buskirk
http://orrinwoodwardblog.com/2017/05/23/george-guzzardos-financial-matrix-scam/
