FEATURE
What advice would you give to your 18-year-old self? Kristin: Be more intentional. Take a little more time to consider things before jumping in. Kristian: Don’t be in a hurry.
Kristian remembers. “The idea that we could earn repeat income was something I had never experienced. I’d heard such a thing existed, but I’d never seen any proof of it until Melaleuca. It was compelling.” Step Two: Chase Shiny Objects All the Way to Rock Bottom The Hoenickes worked their way to Director 9 status. But Kristian hadn’t completely let go of other pursuits, and he got distracted with other opportunities. “I went off and chased a lot of other things—dumb things,” he says. “I’ve tried to build businesses over and over and over again. Several different mainstream businesses, as well as a dozen MLMs. And I never succeeded. I’m exceptional at failing. I’m very, very good at it.” For the next seven years, Kristian opened a few businesses. Despite his optimism and work ethic, each venture put his family in a deeper hole. Things hit rock bottom when the Hoenickes were evicted from their home in 2011. With nowhere to live, Kristin took the
children to live with her parents in Washington while Kristian lived out of the family’s minivan in Texas as he tried to salvage his latest business venture. “We couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Kristin says. “It was like we were in the deepest, darkest pit. I didn’t know what the end was going to look like. What if we didn’t get back together? I grew a lot during that time. I took charge of my own life. It scared me. I had to realize I can be strong.” Living off Costco hot dogs and working for a friend’s catering business, Kristian was able to get enough traction to pull his family back together again. But the call of yet another MLM lured the Hoenickes in. After a successful start and a move to Hawaii, they almost predictably began losing money. In an unconventional attempt to increase their cash flow, Kristian, Kristin, and their two sons bought one-way tickets to Malaysia. For the next year, the family bounced around the world chasing financial opportunities while quietly saving enough money to return to the U.S.
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JULY 2024 | MELALEUCA.COM/LIA 17
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