MLM Nation - Network Marketing's Untold Secrets podcast

April 03, 2025 10 Year Anniversary: 5 Powerful Lessons w Josie Tong

This week was the 10 year anniversary of MLM Nation's podcast and I want to thank you for listening.

We launched in March 2015 with a mission to provide inspiring stories and valuable lessons from around the profession to help you achieve network marketing success.

A lot has changed in the last 10 years but the profession is still around and new leaders are born everyday.

This is a special anniversary episode to celebrate YOU and our profession.

To make this episode special, I wanted to bring on Josie Tong, who's a successful leader and helped the launch of MLM Nation in 2015.

Who is Josie Tong

Josie Tong is a multiple 6 figure earner who has made over 7 figures in lifetime commissions.

She's a dear friend and has been featured on MLM Nation multiple times and lives in Sydney, Australia.

🎙️ What We Talked About:

In this special 10 year anniversary episode, Josie and I have a real, raw, and casual conversation.

We talk about how MLM Nation got started (hint: it involves a flight to Australia), what was going through my head back in 2014, and the steps we took to get the podcast off the ground.

Josie shares her perspective on how the show impacted her and her team during a very challenging time in her life.

Over the years, she’s watched it grow into one of the longest-running, most consistent podcasts in the network marketing profession.

💡 I Also Shared:

Time flies. I share on this 10 year anniversary:

• How the idea for MLM Nation came to me while flying to a workshop in Sydney

• What it really takes to stay consistent after 845 episodes (and why I don’t always feel like doing it!)

• The biggest mistakes I see network marketers make over and over again

• Why duplication is a myth and what actually creates momentum

• How I built a business that still pays me six figures a year in residual income

• Why giving without expectation is the foundation of leadership

• My thoughts on being a present dad, raising my boys, and building a legacy off the field

✨ Special Moments from the Episode:

• Josie cooking up one of my favorite Filipino dishes (salmon head sinigang!) and having it delivered to my hotel when I was in Australia

• Our meetup at a flower garden café in Sydney back in 2014

• Josie recalling how she supported the launch of MLM Nation during a time she was transitioning her life and career

🧠 Top 5 Lessons From 10 Years of Interviews:

I want to highlight the top 5 lessons that keep coming up on this 10 year anniversary show.

1. Consistency is a skill.

This is probably the most important lesson of all.

Consistency is the #1 skill

And it’s something I wish more people truly understood.

People often say to me,

“Simon, you’re so consistent. You show up every day. How do you do it?”

And I always say the same thing.

Consistency is not something you’re born with.

It’s not a personality trait. It’s a skill. And like any skill, it can be developed.

When I first started MLM Nation, I didn’t have it all figured out. I had fears. I had doubts.

There were so many times when I wanted to quit.

Even today, if I’m being honest, there are still days when I don’t feel like recording another episode or going live.

But I do it anyway.

Why?

Because I’ve trained myself to be consistent.

Consistency isn’t about feelings.

It’s about making a commitment to the person you want to become.

I don’t show up just because I feel like it.

I show up because I want to be the kind of leader who shows up.

That’s the secret.

Start seeing yourself as a consistent leader.

Then build a routine, create a system, and get accountability.

If you do that, your results will catch up.

The problem is, most people quit before the results show up.

They stay stuck in the “I’ll do it when I feel like it” loop.

And that’s a recipe for failure.

Consistency is what separates the amateurs from the pros.

2. All leaders invest in themselves.

Every single successful person I’ve interviewed—without exception—has been a lifelong learner.

They read.

They attend events.

They hire coaches.

They join masterminds.

They are always growing.

And that includes Josie.

She invested in coaching with me before she even had major results.

That’s what impressed me so much about her.

She didn’t wait until she had a big check to start acting like a leader.

She made the decision to be one and started learning how to lead.

That’s what top earners do.

They invest in their growth before they’re at the top.

They know that the greatest investment you can make is in yourself.

There’s no shortcut here.

No one’s going to come along and do the work for you

If you want to get better at closing, study closing.

If you want to get better at content, study marketing.

If your mindset needs work, study personal development.

But you’ve got to do the work.

If you’re not growing, you’re shrinking.

So keep growing.

3. Management mode kills momentum.

This is one of the most common mistakes I see, especially with newer leaders.

You recruit a few people, maybe hit a company incentive, and suddenly you start shifting into “management mode.”

You stop prospecting.

You stop inviting.

You stop doing the basics.

And instead, you spend all your time training your small team.

I call this the kiss of death.

Duplication doesn’t happen because you train people perfectly.

It happens because you stay in production mode long enough to find your leaders.

Let me say that again:

You don’t build your business by training.

You build it by recruiting.

And guess what?

Your team watches what you do more than they listen to what you say.

If they see you stop recruiting, they’ll stop too.

I’ve seen so many people plateau and even crash their income because they stopped doing what got them there.

I made that mistake too in my early years.

You recruit a few and think you’re done.

But this business doesn’t reward the person who slows down.

It rewards the person who keeps building.

Stay in momentum. Stay in the trenches. Be the example.

4. Your prospects are not the destination.

This lesson is a game-changer.

Most people look at prospects as the end goal.

Like, “If I can just sign up John, I’ll be good. He’s the one.”

But what if John isn’t the one?

What if John is just the bridge to the person who is?

This is where most people get it wrong.

They give up when someone says no.

But you’ve got to stop looking at prospects as the final stop and start seeing them as a gateway to your next opportunity.

I’ve seen this happen over and over again.

You talk to someone, they’re not interested, but then they refer you to someone else.

Or they invite you to a party where you meet their friend.

Or they share your post, and someone else sees it.

The dots connect in ways you can’t predict.

I remember talking to someone years ago who said no to the business.

But she introduced me to someone else who ended up being one of the top producers on my team and it only happened because I stayed in the conversation, stayed curious, and kept giving value.

Always remember this:

You are never talking to just one person.

You are talking to their entire network.

So treat every prospect with care. Plant the seed. Keep the door open. You never know where it might lead.

5. Purpose > Money

If you’re in this business just for the money, it’s going to be a rough ride.

Yes, the money is great.

But it’s not enough to keep you going when things get hard.

And trust me, they will get hard.

What keeps you going is purpose.

It’s knowing why you’re doing this.

It’s having a vision that’s bigger than the paycheck.