Paul Orberson: Excel Communications, FHTM CEO and Best Quotes

Paul Orberson was a legend in the network marketing industry. He is a former seven figure monthly earner with Excel Communications and he was also the founder of his own network marketing company: Fortune High Tech Marketing (FHTM).

His book “Something Good’s Gonna Happen” is a wonderful book about his story in network marketing. It’s well written, organized and easy to follow.

It’s loaded with so many great tips and insights on how to be successful in life and how to grow your business. If you haven’t read a copy yet you should.

Top Paul Orberson Quotes

What I want to do in the paragraphs below is share some of my favorite Paul Orberson quotes from the book. Each quote is in bold and italics. After each quote I will also share my own insights. The quotes are listed in no particular order. Enjoy.

# 1: You don’t have to be a special breed of dog to do something special with your life.

Anyone can do something extraordinary with their life if they have a game plan, do the work and stick with it. We are all born to do great things. Most people totally underestimate themselves and sell themselves short.

# 2: In baseball, as well as in life, you have to play the entire game, from start to finish.

Building a successful business of any type takes time and hard work. Anyone can start a business, but you have to “finish the game” if you want to succeed and make it big. You can’t just play one inning and expect to succeed. Most people in the world are very short-sighted. They lack patience and vision. In most cases, it takes years, even decades to build a successful business.

# 3: I’m gonna get at one thing and do it good.

Focus. Don’t try and do too many things at once. It’s better to do one thing really well than try to do ten different things half assed. When it comes to building your network marketing business, pick one marketing and business building strategy and focus on it exclusively. Don’t try to build multiple companies at once.

# 4: By my late 20s, I had quit dreaming.

Most people are good dreamers as kids, but they stop dreaming once they become an adult. Most people have “settled” for their lot in life and they just take life as it comes. Most successful people are “dreamers” who come up with a plan and work their butt off.

# 5: That’s what Excel did for me. It allowed me to dream of financial independence. Nothing else I had tried offered me the big, financial rewards with basically little or no financial risk.

Network marketing is the only business model I know of where you can start a business for less than $100, have leverage without employees and build a residual income. No, there isn’t a guarantee of success, but the potential is unlimited. There is no cap on your earnings. You can earn as much, or as little as you desire.

# 6: You personally recruit until you don’t have to recruit anymore.

How many people will you need to sponsor to succeed? As many as it takes. Everyone has a different number. Most top earners have personally sponsored between 100 and 500 people. Some had to sponsor more than that, and others less. You will know your number once you get there.

# 7: There are two ways in this country to create wealth – to multiply money or to multiply people. If you don’t have any money, then you better take a look at multiplying people.

Most people don’t have money to multiply so they need to learn how to multiply people. The only way to do that (without employees) that I know of is network marketing.

# 8: To make it big financially, personal desire and commitment are the most important factors.

You have to really WANT to succeed in this business to make it to the top, and you must stay committed until you succeed. You must have staying power, your must do the work, and you must want success as much as you want the air that you breathe.

# 9: A person’s result does not change the magnitude of the opportunity. Network marketing guarantees equal opportunities; it does not guarantee equal results.

There is no guarantee of success in anything in life. What you do with your business opportunity is totally up to you. Individual results will always vary.

# 10: I had to start out with my business before I could know how it was going to turn out. That’s the key!

The first step to success is to get started. You walk a mile by taking one step at a time. Yes, you could fail. Yes, there is a little risk involved (your time). But nothing ventured, nothing gained.

# 11: I don’t think you need to know what you want out of life, because the things you want will change. I think you need to know exactly what you don’t want out of life.

Most people don’t know what they want to do with their life. That’s okay. On the other hand, most people know what they don’t want. From personal experience, I have no desire to have a boss, commute, dress code, or steady paycheck. I want opportunity. That’s why I am an entrepreneur.

# 12: In its simplest form, network marketing is actually a friendly conversation waiting to happen.

Network marketing is nothing more than a business of sharing what you have with others. It’s about talking to people and introducing them to new products or services and an opportunity to be their own boss.

# 13: Owning your own business is the only way to eventually gain more control of your day-to-day schedule.

You will never have time freedom working a day job. You will always have someone telling you how to dress, when to show up for work, when you can leave, when you can take vacations, how much you will earn and so forth. With a network marketing business you have the opportunity to work where you want, when you want, and have control over how much money you make.

# 14: All of us can do something great if we just get out of our own way. We underestimate our greatest opponent in life: ourselves.

We are our own worst enemies. Most people sell themselves short. Most people have worthiness issues and do not think they deserve success. Most people overestimate what they can do in 90-days and underestimate what they can do in a few years.

# 15: Most of us shy away from things that make us step out of our comfort zone.

The land of unfamiliar is a scary place for most people. Most folks hate change, even if it is for the better. Old habits are difficult to break.

# 16: People are so busy planning their life, then it’s over.

Don’t forget to make time to live your life. It’s great to have a plan, to work hard, and to move closer to your goals. But, don’t forget to stop and smell the roses from time to time and to build memories with the people that you love.

# 17: What price are we willing to pay to secure something that is really important to us?

Everything you want in life comes with a price. You can pay the price now or pay for it later. It’s your call.

# 18: There can’t be a testimony in life without a test!

Nothing worth accomplishing in life is fast, free or easy. Every successful person had to go through many failures, setbacks and disappointments before they made it big. Success is never a straight line. There is always a story behind the story.

# 19: Fear, I’ve learned, is nothing more than premeditated failure.

Most of the things we fear will never come true. Most fears are unjustified. The best thing I’ve learned is that action cures fear. When you take action you realize many of your fears are unjustified and they simply go away.

# 20: Before we can enjoy the ride, there’s work to be done.

You must pay the price first; sow before you can reap. Most people want to be successful, but they aren’t willing to do the work it requires to get there. There is no free ride folks!

# 21: Until we show that we can commit to something and stick with it, those who are closest to us are just going to roll their eyes and say, “Okay, here’s just one more thing.”

If you’re constantly quitting things, your friends and family will always be skeptical. One of the best things you can do is find a good company and stick with it for the long haul. If you do that, many of your friends who initially told you NO will eventually join your team as a customer or distributor, because they see you are committed.

# 22: Pain is the only difference between knowledge and doing.

Just because you know how to do something won’t make you successful. You still have to go out and do it. There’s a difference between theoretical knowledge and applied knowledge. Anyone can learn theoretical knowledge, but it is useless unless you can put it into action.

# 23: There is no foolproof plan to determine the best candidates for the network marketing industry.

At the end of the day, you never really know WHO will build the business and who won’t. Success is determined by a person’s desire, dreams and work ethic. And those are three things you won’t know about someone when you first meet them.

# 24: I only took about twenty to thirty seconds to tell people what I was doing. If they didn’t respond with a question about the Excel business, or they didn’t show any interest at all, I simply wouldn’t talk about it any further.

Don’t try to convince people to your way of thinking. Be brief and to the point. If they ask questions or want more information, give it to them. If not, move on to the next person. Your job is to sift and sort through people, not try to sell or convince them.

# 25: We never know whether the words we are sharing are falling on rock or falling on fertile ground.

At the end of the day, you never know who will be interested in what you have to offer and who won’t be interested. It’s like gold mining. You have to sort through a lot of dirt to find the gold.

# 26: In network marketing our goal is to elevate, uplift and help as many people as possible.

Your goal is to add value to other people’s lives. Your goal is to be a source of inspiration for others. Focus on helping people. The old saying is true, “you can have anything you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want.”

# 27: Most people do only what they are required to do, but successful people do a little bit more, and in some cases a lot more.

Always do more than you are paid to do and you will one day get paid for more than you actually do. In any type of business, you normally don’t make very much money the first few years in business, because you are building your foundation, your asset. But, once your business is up and running smoothly, you typically get paid VERY well.

# 28: The middle mile links the beginning to the end. We all know we have to endure it. It is the most dangerous time in any undertaking, when quitting looks awfully good.

Most people quit this industry within three to twelve months because things aren’t growing as fast as they want them to. Anyone can be excited the first few months. Anyone can be excited for a year or two. However, it’s the person who can stay persistent and COMMITTED year after year who makes it to the top!

# 29: I really believe we all must be accountable to someone.

Find an accountability partner for your network marketing business and check in with them once a week. Don’t be a lone wolf.

# 30: Winners act in spite of doubt.

Let your actions control your fears rather than letting your fears control your actions. Everyone has fears. Roll up your sleeves and do the work anyway.

# 31: If you are going to be successful, you have to have total faith in what you are doing.

If you don’t 100% believe in what you are doing it will be impossible to succeed. You must believe in yourself, your company, the products and the industry if you want to make it to the top. Learn more about the power of belief.

# 32: It makes financial sense to put yourself into an industry that will pay for years to come.

There’s more to life than trading hours for dollars. Ultimately, you want something that pays you multiple times for doing the work one time. At some point in time, we will lose our ability to work or our desire to work. That’s where residual income comes in handy.

# 33: When a company goes public, the emphasis shifts to pleasing the shareholder.

Work with privately held MLM Companies whenever possible. Most publicly held network marketing companies are more concerned about the board of directors and shareholders than they are the distributors.

# 34: We don’t control our habits; our habits control us.

Form good habits and you will become a winner. We are where we are in life because of our habits. If we want to change our destination we must change our habits.

# 35: I hear about shortcuts, such as primarily growing the business on the Internet, but there is no substitute for getting out there and communicating with people face to face.

There is no shortcut to success in this amazing industry. Roll up your sleeves and do the work. This business always has been and always will be about relationships. You can’t hide behind your computer and build a huge network marketing business. You have to talk to people and connect with them on a personal level.

# 36: We can’t carry everybody in the world with us. We have to take the willing.

Help everyone, but spend most of your time working with the willing. At the end of day, everyone is responsible for their own success. You can’t make someone else a success. They have to want it for themselves.

# 37: It really is easier to give birth in our business than it is to raise the dead.

If your business isn’t growing much, find new people. You won’t hit your next goal with the same team. New lifeblood is vital to the long term success of your business.

# 38: We have to spend our time where it is most beneficial to the business.

Work smart and focus on the money producing activities. Work with your serious and committed distributors.

# 39: To be successful in business, our focus must always be on the other person.

Network marketing is not about you. It’s about your prospect, customer or team member. Make them feel good and important. Help your team become successful and you will become successful.

# 40: Network marketing is the little guy’s chance to do something.

This is one of the last business models around where someone with little capital, education, experience, and resources can still make a lot of money. No, it’s not easy. And no, it’s not for everyone. But for the right person it is a good fit.

# 41: We need to treat people right, regardless of whether they can or ever will be able to help us in our business.

Always treat people as well as you would treat your best friend. Follow the Golden Rule and you can’t go wrong.

# 42: Having a lot of money just makes us more of what we are.

Money is neither good nor bad. It’s what you do with it that matters most. A good person can do a lot of good with money. And a bad person can do a lot of bad with money.

# 43: Not everyone is willing to pay the price to win, and even some who are willing to pay the price for a while won’t pay it long enough.

You have to stay in the game UNTIL you succeed. This is a marathon not a sprint. It takes years, sometimes decades, to build a long-term successful business. Commitment and consistency are key!

# 44: I think most people come into our type of business because it provides hope.

All people start new businesses because they hope for a better future.

# 45: When we introduce our business, we are not only talking to that person, we are talking to everybody that person knows.

Make a friend and meet their friends. That’s the power of this business. Get into other people’s sphere of influence as quickly as possible, because everyone knows at least 1,000 people.

About the Book

“Something Good’s Gonna Happen” was first published in 2007 by Hi-Hope Publishing. The ISBN is  978-0979028601. It is an out of print book, but you can still find used copies on Amazon. As of April 2015, it has 9 reviews on Amazon with an average 4.3 star rating.

About Paul Orberson

Paul Orberson grew up in Kentucky and attended Western Kentucky on a baseball scholarship. After college, Paul Orberson was a high school teacher and basketball coach in Kentucky.

From what I found online he joined Excel Communications, the telecommunications giant, sometime around 1989 or 1990. This was his first network marketing company.

It took him about three years to build up his monthly residual income to $2,500 per month. Even though he struggled for a few years, he went on to become the ultimate success story.

He personally sponsored 38 people and found 24 customers. From that group of people he went on to earn more than $1 million per month with his Excel business, for many months.

DISCLAIMER: I cannot verify his income, since I never saw one of his checks, but many websites claim it to be true.

He built his Excel business the old fashioned way, by doing home meetings, one-on-ones, hotel meetings and group presentations. He led by example, encouraged his new team members, and worked in depth when possible. He was an amazing leader and motivator.

He stayed with Excel Communications until sometime around 2000-2001 and then he left the company to start his own network marketing company, Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing (FHTM). His new company provided mobile phone services, dish network, hair care items and a variety of other products and services. In 2013, his company was shut down by the Federal Trade Commission as being an illegal pyramid scheme.

From what I found online, he left Excel Communications because it became a publicly traded company. He believed that publicly traded MLM Companies weren’t a good deal for the distributors, because the shareholders received a good portion of the profits, which meant less money for the distributors.

When I study successful people like Paul Orberson, there are a few traits that I notice. First of all, he was not an overnight success story. He stayed steady, and kept doing the work, even when his efforts weren’t providing a large income.

He remained persistent and consistent. He had a big vision for his future and he stayed the course UNTIL he became successful. I think we can all learn something from that.

Although he passed away from kidney cancer in December 2013 (age 56), his legacy continues. Rest in Peace, Paul.

Final Thoughts

In summary, Paul Orberson was an amazing network marketer, author and entrepreneur. He helped many people achieve success in network marketing. If you haven’t checked out his book yet, “Something Good’s Gonna Happen” I highly recommend you do. What are your thoughts?  Leave a comment below to let me know what you think.

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