[vendtalk] FW: Lone Star BLAST 2014 registration and hotel reservations now open

Tue Apr 15 20:34:56 UTC 2014

Hi Kevan

I hope that you and your family are well.  I remember that you had invited me to the Blast Conference a few years ago.  It's looking more attractive to me, every year. 
Now that I am a member of the Merchant's division, I thought that I'd take the opportunity to let people know a bit about me, and what I do.
As you know, my chief interest, concerns my efforts to expand a Japanese Direct Sales Wellness  Company, Nikken, operating in 40 countries.  Nikken uses the power of word of mouth about the product benefits and the business opportunity benefits, through social  networks of people, to expand its operations.
My friend and mentor, Dave Johnson, Nikken's first Royal Ambassador, asked me to write my Nikken story for him. So I did.  I thought that I'd share it with you and our members of the Merchants Division.
Also, I am very excited about discovering a person in our network marketing arena named Richard Brooks. I learned about him, recently, through Dave.
Richard's web site is:

  www.blissbusiness.com

His discussion of his book "The Four Year Career" can be found on YouTube at:
Richard Bliss Brooke "The Four Year career" - YouTube

► 20:49► 20:49

www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCJ759jt66A

Aug 31, 2013 - Uploaded by Steve Bailey 

My own Nikken web site is:
  www.nikken.com/paulgabias

Anyway, enough of web sites, here's my Nikken story.

As a University psychology Professor, I was referred to a Nikken Consultant by one of my research students, 14 years ago. My student mentioned to a colleague at her job that she was reading to a blind professor, at the University, all about good health and prevention. My student asked me if she could give my name to her friend at work, because her friend worked with a company that was looking for people like me. and I consented. Coincidentally, My student’s boyfriend, who was also a research student of mine, had told me about a magnet company that met at the hotel where he worked, after I had demonstrated to him a kinesiological muscle testing procedure, that I had learned from Dr. John Diamond, the founder of Behavioral Kinesiology. Maybe, I thought, it was the same company!
I had a feeling that the company my student’s friend was involved with, was a network marketing company, and, through a very successful blind friend, in another network marketing company, I myself, had joined her business, a few years in the past, only to return the product because it made people’s indicator muscle test weak. 
The Nikken Consultant who phoned me was my student’s friend’s husband. I first asked him for a gauss measurement for one of the products, and he gave me, what seemed to me, to be an intelligent answer, so I told him that I was interested but busy. He kept calling me from time to time, (he says nine times) but I was always interested but busy. On the ninth time, he invited me to a Nikken product launch that was taking place right at the college I was working for, at the time. He met me at my office, for the first time, and we went to the product launch, in the next building, along with his wife. 
I was very impressed with the presentations and the videos, but the most impressive thing about the company was the balance test that somebody showed me. This demonstration indicated to me that Nikken combined energy medicine with network marketing. That was very exciting to me! I could imagine all kinds of possibilities! Nikken is still unique and unparalleled in this connection, and its commitment to improving wellness on an energy level makes it a giant in the field of primary prevention of disease. Two days later, I joined the company, just to see what they would send me in the mail. 
Upon exploration, my upline discovered that I had a back problem, a sleep problem, and a huge wallet problem. That’s because That year, was a sabbatical year for me, and the college had cut my salary by 30% for that year. With a wife and four children to provide for, I was really worried about how we were going to make ends meet.
My first investment was in a pair of magsteps for my wife, a pair of magstrides for myself, and a Kenkoflex, or back Flex for myself. Today, it would have been the MStrides, and the Magflex. I felt some relief for my chronic back issue, so I was encouraged. 
But I wanted to make money as quickly as possible, from the business. I learned from the compensation plan, that not counting the retail 20% mark up, Seniors make 5% from wholesale and executives make 10% from wholesale. So, I invested $5,000 in one month to reach the Executive level quickly. Because I had made that investment, I was able to duplicate that level of investment in others, very quickly. 
My experience with the insoles and the Back Flex, increased my faith in Nikken’s product, and my faith in the business possibilities made me feel comfortable enough to invest in the business and the product.
The Sleep System did exactly what it was supposed to do. It helped and still helps me sleep better, and it has kept and still keeps my lower back problem at bay. With that experience with the product, I was able to achieve the level of Bronze quickly, within six months of joining the company.
In those days, Bronze required achieving a PGV of $10.000 in one month. Silver required achieving a PGV of $20,000, in one month, with at least three front line seniors. Had I understood the tremendous importance in properly investing in a business, early on, I would have found a way to invest in Silver right away. Today, Silver only requires a PGV of $12,000, achieved in a period of three consecutive months, and three front line seniors, just like before. For a business investment, that’s peanuts.
Through its course on Humans Being More, Nikken teaches us to find our dreams, and to dream big. I felt that, for me to do the business efficiently, we needed a larger home. I felt that I needed a space just for Nikken; a space separate from the everyday life of the children. 
Therefore, before we acquired our new home, I used to rent a room for $100 a month, in the home of one of our local Nikken Consultants. I used to take a taxi there and back with the Nikken demonstration Pack, at $30 a pop, round trip. Nikken’s Naturest Demonstration Pack is necessary Because One of Nikken’s foundational products is the Nikken Sleep System. As Nikken Wellness Consultants, we demonstrate the power of the Nikken Sleep System, through the Nikken Roll-Out, on the Nikken Demonstration Pack. For peace and quiet, and consistent presentability, I felt that I needed a space, separate from the children, and our everyday life. 
Miraculously, we were soon able to afford to invest in a new home, a home that fit my specifications perfectly. . Our home, which we call the Gabias Wellness Center, has a large conference room, and a large kitchen, solely devoted to Nikken. We moved into our new home, In 2002, two and a half years after joining Nikken. Who would have thought? Well, I thought, I dreamed, I prayed, and it happened!!! We have been able to pay the mortgage on this home, ever since. Also, at one point, this home had tripled in value, and it will surely do it again. Did we earn significant money through Nikken? You bet we did, and we will continue to do so, and help others who want to, do the same.
My wife Mary Ellen is also blind, and a tower of strength, in her own right, I might add. We met through the National Federation of the Blind, www.nfb.org which we continue to build in Canada, through the Canadian Federation of the Blind www.cfb.ca, which we founded. 
But, I wondered: How are we going to pay to teach our children to drive? How are we going to pay for the vehicles and the maintenance of the vehicles that the children drive? How are we going to pay for all the monthly expenses that come up, such as lawn care, and boat moorage? Thank goodness that our children have the benefit of free tuition, at UBC, because of my work at the University. But that, was long in the planning too. As a blind person, I certainly didn’t want to be destitute. My best hope, I thought, was a good education, right to the doctoral level, so that’s what I did. But I found that that wasn’t enough to pay for all of the things that I wanted. I needed a plan B, and when Nikken came along, I seized upon it. And my goal, just like my education goal, was to go straight to the top, no matter what. After 14 years, it still is, and I am more excited than ever.
I have been on autoship since a few months after joining Nikken. I take all of Nikken’s nutritional supplements. Nikken’s nutritionals are all natural and superb. Since the introduction of Nikken’s meal replacement Kenzen Vital Balance, (KVB) about a year ago, and Nikken’s Jade Greenzymes, I have lost about 35 pounds. At 61 years old, I have more energy than I can ever remember having, for a long time, and I have never been a slouch, when it comes to energy. It just seems that now, my energy is boundless.
Perhaps that’s also because with Nikken, I truly love what I do. Nikken gives me a sense of purpose. Nikken gives me confidence in my ability to stay young, and to stay healthy. There is nothing more valuable on this earth, than good health.
As I go about my day, I make friends with everybody. I am interested in everybody. I feel that I love everybody. I know that there is a place for Nikken, in everybody’s life, if they only knew it. So, I get to know people, and I find out the best way to introduce Nikken to people, given what I perceive to be, their own circumstances. 
In the 14 years that I have been with Nikken, I have never had a month without a deposit in my bank account from Nikken. There is no investment plan that pays the percentages that Nikken pays. I help people invest in their own lives, so that they are in a position to achieve, what they want to achieve. Whether my monthly deposit from Nikken is $200, $500, $750, $1,000 or $3,500, I am grateful for every dollar, because each dollar that I make from Nikken makes a huge difference in other people’s lives, some people that I haven’t even met, and the lives of my wife, my children, my extended family, the lives of my friends, and the lives of their family and friends too. 
I am a Gold Nikken Wellness Consultant, on my way to Platinum, and I feel that I am just beginning. My goal is Royal Ambassador. I have had that goal, since the very beginning. I still work full time, as a University Professor. I enjoy that work but my work with Nikken is particularly special to me. I can’t wait to see that work bear its full fruit. There is nothing more powerful than the power of duplication. 

All The Best

Paul Gabias PhD LLD 

www.nikken.com/paulgabias
-----Original Message-----
From: vendtalk [mailto:vendtalk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Kevan Worley
Sent: April-15-14 8:21 AM
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: [vendtalk] Lone Star BLAST 2014 registration and hotel reservations now open

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Cheryl Gross
Merchant Relations
National Association of Blind Merchants
Phone: (866) 543-6808, extension 10
cherylgross at blindmerchants.org<file:///C:\Users\Worley\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\Content.Outlook\ZYKODS0Q\cherylgross@blindmerchants.org>

National Association of Blind Merchants
Announces Lone Star BLAST 2014

Colorado Springs, Colorado (April 15, 2014):  The National Association of Blind Merchants (NABM)<http://www.blindmerchants.org/>, a division of the National Federation of the Blind<http://www.nfb.org/>, today announced the opening of registration and hotel reservations for Business Leadership and Superior Training (BLAST), November 2014. Lone Star BLAST 2014 will be held at the Austin Renaissance Hotel from November 18-20.

Nicky Gacos, president of the National Association of Blind Merchants, said: "In coordination with Business Enterprises of Texas and the elected committee, we have begun to plan the biggest, boldest, most far-reaching training for blind entrepreneurs and state agency personnel.  It will be a BLAST as big as Texas."

NABM and National Federation of the Blind Entrepreneur Initiative will jointly plan the conference. The group has already begun planning the biggest trade show in its history, working in conjunction with the RSA Buying Group and the Committee of Blind Operators of Texas. NABM is also pleased to announce that in coordination with the National Counsel for State Agencies for the Blind, BLAST will, again this year, feature a day-long training event exclusively for State Licensing Agency staff. The association is also working with NCSAB to offer continuing education for attorneys working with state VR agencies and Business Enterprise programs. Those sessions will take place on Tuesday, November 18.

BLAST seminars will begin the morning of Tuesday, November 18, with business development training on the morning of Wednesday, November 19.  The trade show will take place Wednesday afternoon.  There will be a full day of targeted education related to personal and professional growth on Thursday, November 20.  BLAST will conclude with an all-star Lone Star BLAST banquet and celebration on Thursday evening.
Room reservations at the luxurious Austin Renaissance, 9721 Arboretum Blvd. Austin, TX 78759, are available now at the unbelievable rate of $129.00 per night plus applicable taxes. There are a limited number of executive suites available, on a first come first serve basis, at $149.00 per night. Rooms are available from Sunday, November 16 through Saturday, November 22, 2014. Reservations should be made online at www.blindmerchants.org<http://www.blindmerchants.org/>. You may also phone the hotel at (800) 468-3571. Explain to the agent that you are registering for BLAST under the National Association of Blind Merchants group.
Act now to take advantage of early-bird registration rates. Again this year, BLAST registration will be $200.00. If you register prior to September 2, 2014 you will be charged only $160.00. Remember that the BLAST registration fee covers BLAST activities excluding out of hotel tours or events which may be offered. Your registration fee covers training, training materials, welcoming reception, leadership breakfast, trade show and trade show reception, as well as the banquet to be held on Thursday evening November 20. Register now at www.blindmerchants.org<http://www.blindmerchants.org/>. For questions or assistance with hotel reservations or Lone Star BLAST registrations please call 866-543-6808.

Austin is the home of the most diverse and lively music scene in the world.  NABM invites you to come for the high-caliber training, networking, and Texas hospitality.  In an e-mail to constituents, President Gacos said: "If you plan to attend any national training conference in 2014, make it the Lone Star BLAST!"

To offer your ideas for the kind of training you'd like to have at the Lone Star BLAST, contact Kevan Worley, program chair, at 866-543-6808 or kevanworley at blindmerchants.org<mailto:kevanworley at blindmerchants.org>.

Think training! Think opportunity! Think Austin, Texas!
Think BLAST!

At your service,

[cid:image001.jpg at 01CDBCF2.C07B8380]

Kevan Worley
Executive Director
National Association of Blind Merchants
kevanworley at blindmerchants.org<mailto:kevanworley at blindmerchants.org>
866-543-6808

Wondering what to do with your old car or truck? Donating your vehicle to the National Federation of the Blind is convenient and may qualify you for a tax deduction. Call 1-855-659-9314 or visit www.carshelpingtheblind.org<www.carshelpingtheblind.org%20> Your donation can take the blind further

-----Original Message-----
From: vendtalk [mailto:vendtalk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Kevan Worley
Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2014 8:21 AM
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: [vendtalk] Lone Star BLAST 2014 registration and hotel reservations now open

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Cheryl Gross
Merchant Relations
National Association of Blind Merchants
Phone: (866) 543-6808, extension 10
cherylgross at blindmerchants.org<file:///C:\Users\Worley\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\Content.Outlook\ZYKODS0Q\cherylgross@blindmerchants.org>

National Association of Blind Merchants
Announces Lone Star BLAST 2014

Colorado Springs, Colorado (April 15, 2014):  The National Association of Blind Merchants (NABM)<http://www.blindmerchants.org/>, a division of the National Federation of the Blind<http://www.nfb.org/>, today announced the opening of registration and hotel reservations for Business Leadership and Superior Training (BLAST), November 2014. Lone Star BLAST 2014 will be held at the Austin Renaissance Hotel from November 18-20.

Nicky Gacos, president of the National Association of Blind Merchants, said: "In coordination with Business Enterprises of Texas and the elected committee, we have begun to plan the biggest, boldest, most far-reaching training for blind entrepreneurs and state agency personnel.  It will be a BLAST as big as Texas."

NABM and National Federation of the Blind Entrepreneur Initiative will jointly plan the conference. The group has already begun planning the biggest trade show in its history, working in conjunction with the RSA Buying Group and the Committee of Blind Operators of Texas. NABM is also pleased to announce that in coordination with the National Counsel for State Agencies for the Blind, BLAST will, again this year, feature a day-long training event exclusively for State Licensing Agency staff. The association is also working with NCSAB to offer continuing education for attorneys working with state VR agencies and Business Enterprise programs. Those sessions will take place on Tuesday, November 18.

BLAST seminars will begin the morning of Tuesday, November 18, with business development training on the morning of Wednesday, November 19.  The trade show will take place Wednesday afternoon.  There will be a full day of targeted education related to personal and professional growth on Thursday, November 20.  BLAST will conclude with an all-star Lone Star BLAST banquet and celebration on Thursday evening.
Room reservations at the luxurious Austin Renaissance, 9721 Arboretum Blvd. Austin, TX 78759, are available now at the unbelievable rate of $129.00 per night plus applicable taxes. There are a limited number of executive suites available, on a first come first serve basis, at $149.00 per night. Rooms are available from Sunday, November 16 through Saturday, November 22, 2014. Reservations should be made online at www.blindmerchants.org<http://www.blindmerchants.org/>. You may also phone the hotel at (800) 468-3571. Explain to the agent that you are registering for BLAST under the National Association of Blind Merchants group.
Act now to take advantage of early-bird registration rates. Again this year, BLAST registration will be $200.00. If you register prior to September 2, 2014 you will be charged only $160.00. Remember that the BLAST registration fee covers BLAST activities excluding out of hotel tours or events which may be offered. Your registration fee covers training, training materials, welcoming reception, leadership breakfast, trade show and trade show reception, as well as the banquet to be held on Thursday evening November 20. Register now at www.blindmerchants.org<http://www.blindmerchants.org/>. For questions or assistance with hotel reservations or Lone Star BLAST registrations please call 866-543-6808.

Austin is the home of the most diverse and lively music scene in the world.  NABM invites you to come for the high-caliber training, networking, and Texas hospitality.  In an e-mail to constituents, President Gacos said: "If you plan to attend any national training conference in 2014, make it the Lone Star BLAST!"

To offer your ideas for the kind of training you'd like to have at the Lone Star BLAST, contact Kevan Worley, program chair, at 866-543-6808 or kevanworley at blindmerchants.org<mailto:kevanworley at blindmerchants.org>.

Think training! Think opportunity! Think Austin, Texas!
Think BLAST!

At your service,

[cid:image001.jpg at 01CDBCF2.C07B8380]

Kevan Worley
Executive Director
National Association of Blind Merchants
kevanworley at blindmerchants.org<mailto:kevanworley at blindmerchants.org>
866-543-6808

Wondering what to do with your old car or truck? Donating your vehicle to the National Federation of the Blind is convenient and may qualify you for a tax deduction. Call 1-855-659-9314 or visit www.carshelpingtheblind.org<www.carshelpingtheblind.org%20> Your donation can take the blind further

-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 2349 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/vendtalk_nfbnet.org/attachments/20140415/72afe38c/attachment.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: registration reservations now available press release.doc
Type: application/msword
Size: 34304 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/vendtalk_nfbnet.org/attachments/20140415/72afe38c/attachment.doc>
-------------- next part --------------
An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed...
Name: Untitled attachment 01098.txt
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/vendtalk_nfbnet.org/attachments/20140415/72afe38c/attachment.txt>