Kevin Harris - Youth is no barrier to success (2013)
A recording from the #Network21 Russia collection, CD 300052, July 2013.
Kevin and Tamsin Harris (South Africa). While most people are rushing around trying to find suitable work while fulfilling family and social obligations, the Harris family and daily life are completely out of the ordinary. It's 3 PM on a Wednesday, and Kevin and Tamsin are playing with their children in the kitchen of their beautiful home in Higovalla, an upscale area of Cape Town.
"We have a wonderful life," says Kevin. "Our time is our own, and we choose how we spend it." They recently achieved the status of Diamond ABOs—the founders of their business—and are now reaping the rewards of the hard work they've dedicated themselves to over the past fifteen years. Their success was far from overnight, but building anything worthwhile always takes time. As Malcolm Gladwell writes in his book, "Different": "If you want to be good at something, you have to dedicate 10,000 hours to it." Reaching a new level isn't the only thing the couple is celebrating today. They are also excited about the merger of the family business with Kevin's parents, Basil and Leonie Harris. The older generation of the Harris family has lived in Australia and has been in business since 1981. They have valuable experience they are eager to share with their children: "We see it this way: the older generation brings wisdom and experience to our collaboration, and the younger generation brings their energy and courage," says Basil. "All together, this will make our team effective and powerful, providing us with the potential for predictable growth."
Kevin has been in business for over fifteen years, and together with Tamsin, they achieved Diamond ABO status separately from Kevin's parents. They decided the time was right to merge the two families' businesses under the Amway succession plan, which allows them to pass on the organization to the next generation.
For Basil and Leonie, this is a source of pride for their son, as their most memorable moments, they say, were Kevin achieving the Emerald ABO rank alone and then growing the business with Tamsin to Diamond ABO rank. "Tamsin was a real find for Kevin and their business together," says Basil.
UNDERSTANDING TRUE VALUE
While merging the family business was a natural choice for Kevin, choosing this business initially was a bit different. "Growing up in an Amway family, I didn't understand the value of it because I didn't know any other way," Kevin explains. But it didn't take him long to work in architecture to realize that no amount of success in the corporate world would provide him with the lifestyle his parents enjoyed. Sure, he was making a good living, but he was completely broke when it came to time and wanted to find a balance between money and free time.
Tamsin had struggled with the same thoughts while working as a fashion designer, so they decided to embrace an unusual life. Together, they formed a strong team, complementing each other perfectly. "Tamsin has an intuition that only women have, and that's a huge help," laughs Kevin. "Of course, when a husband and wife work together, there are bound to be challenges, especially when both have strong personalities." But they insist it's actually "even fun." "The best thing about it all is that we get to spend time together. A typical day starts with going to the gym together in the morning and ends with work in the evenings. We choose which days we work. We don't work every day."
The fact that Basil and Leonie have visited South Africa 51 times since the Amway market opened there in 1997 is proof that success requires a certain amount of work, so to speak. There are no "lucky ones" in this business. They also acknowledge the important role of their sponsors, Jim and Nancy Dornan, who shared their wisdom and guided them along the path that led them to achieving their goal. Today, they operate businesses in 23 countries, so they spend time not only in South Africa (which allows them to frequently interact with Kevin, Tamsin, and their children), but also in all corners of the world. They are equally close to their daughter Jo (also an ABO), her husband, Owl, and their children, who live in Australia.
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