“We don’t just do what’s easy. We do what’s right.”
July 18, 2023, is the date as I sit down and write this message. It was exactly 20 years ago today (July 18, 2003) that TLC was officially registered as an LLC through the state of Michigan. Of course, many of you know that prior to this, Jack Fallon was selling NutraBurst® out of the trunk of his car, but on this day 20 years ago, it all officially started! All of this is just a fancy way of saying that it’s our 20-year anniversary today! Happy anniversary to us!
Today I woke up to many messages reminding me that today was the actual day. I am not sure why it took me so long, but today I realized that 20 years is a big deal. I had to remind myself that statistics show that 80-90% of businesses fail and never make it to five years, let alone 20. This is a big deal, and I kept reminding myself during my morning walk.
During that walk, I also reflected on everything that has transpired over the last 20 years, and of course, I was proud, but something else kept coming to my memory. It was hard! It was not easy at all! It seems that everything great we have done over the last 20 years was not easy.
We didn’t have money for the right tools that could help us. We had old-school phones and really old computers that made a lot of noise but not much progress. We had full-time jobs, so everything had to be done after that. We did not have a great plan or much experience. We did not have many friends or family to encourage us.
We also did not have much business savvy or persuasiveness. Needless to say, it didn’t really take off for a LONG time. Five years passed before a profit was made, plus five more before there was enough profit to actually expand and grow. Everything was just so hard, and not just for the reasons I listed above. It was mentally hard, too.
We worked hard and ALWAYS kept doing the right thing, even though it was not easy. We just kept doing it over and over, and it still did not show up in the results. But something kept us going. That, to me, was the hardest part: figuring out how to keep going with no results and no money. But again, we felt it was the right thing to do, and it’s what I am most proud of.
Fast forward 20 years to today. I woke up to those messages, did my morning walk, and reflected, and then I went to my office to start my day. It was supposed to be a normal workday, with not much planned out of the ordinary. Just another basic Tuesday. Then, almost as if they had all called each other, we started getting messages from multiple people.
“Are we having a promo today for the 20-year celebration? Is anything going on today to celebrate? Are we doing any giveaways?” These are the messages we received today from so many. It really made us think … Why aren’t we doing anything?
I mean, 20 years is a big deal.
We all met internally and realized we had NOTHING planned today. Just a nice social square and a post that was going to remind everyone that it was our 20-year anniversary. That was it. If we were going to do anything else, it was not going to be easy because we had nothing planned or even ready to go.
On this very morning, we decided as a team, like we have over the last 20 years, that even though it was not going to be easy, the right thing to do was to celebrate, TLC style! So we did what we do best: We ran a last-minute promo to celebrate. Free enrollments for all, free restarts for all, and giveaways all day long.
It was hard and complicated, and a ton of work was going to have to be done in a very short period of time. It was going to be a hard day, but we knew it was the right thing to do! And so, like we have been doing for 20 years, we did the right thing, and we had a wonderful day.
Almost 800 people joined today, and 6,000 people restarted. All of this happened in eight hours. It was incredible, and the way everyone came together to make it happen was unforgettable. I was reminded today what a special place this is and that I am grateful to be a part of it.
For the next 20 years, we plan on sticking to the plan, always doing what’s right, and letting the rest take care of itself. If, by chance, you missed the first 20 years, I hope you join us for the next 20!
God bless you, and God bless TLC! Cheers to another 20 years!
