Shon Whitney Update/Hurricane Katrina - September 10, 2004
In Honor of huricane Katrina victims and Tahitian Noni modest intervention Shon brought this piece our way again. Enjoy

"Ia’Orana TNI Leaders,

You’ve all heard about the hurricanes that have hit Florida in the last couple of weeks. They have wreaked havoc on that state, leaving many people homeless and discouraged. But not everyone was left helpless: I received an email from a Florida distributor named Michelle Sanchez, and I wanted to share it with you. She sheds some incredible light on the benefits of owning a Tahitian Noni distributorship in unstable times like this.

These are great thoughts to carry with you into the weekend. Being a distributor of TAHITIAN NONI® Juice is truly a unique and underappreciated opportunity. I hope Michelle’s message will impact you as much as it impacted me. We wish all our distributors in Florida the best as they brace for yet another hurricane. Our thoughts are with you".

Shon Whitney
General Manager, North America
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From: Michelle SanchezTo: Shon Whitney Subject: Thoughts of Charley and Tahitian Noni International!Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2004 18:38:29
Ia'Orana!

While I was eating my lunch today, I was quickly scanning the newspaper for business-related items like I always do. I came across an article about those in South Florida who have not only lost everything they own due to hurricane Charley, but they have also lost their only means to earn a living! I usually don't read the articles about the hurricane, because every day our local papers are full of horribly depressing stories of terrible suffering and it affects me too deeply to read them. But this particular article caught my attention for a reason.

The article told of one woman who worked three restaurant jobs just to make ends meet, and how her brand new dream home is destroyed, and so are her places of employment, leaving her homeless and unemployed. When she got to the temporary unemployment office set up to assist the hurricane victims, she found that the only work available was cleanup and construction work, which even if she could do it, would not provide enough income! Another woman was way past retirement age, and had spent her savings on her trailer home, only to have it destroyed with no insurance coverage. Now she has to go back to work! Of course, she can't do heavy physical labor, so there is no work for her! Those who once had lucrative jobs or careers are now desperate for any kind of work, no matter how little the pay or what kind of work it is

The reason I'm sharing this with you is that it made me really think about how fortunate we are to have this business, in both good times and in bad. For example, while I evacuated for the hurricane, my loyal customers around the country continued to place orders and my distributors around the country continued to do business, so my business continued on without me! Thankfully, I have built a business all over the country, so it remains unaffected by localized events. And during all this chaos, my TNI check had been automatically deposited into my account!

When I left, I took my computer and cell phone with me, so even if my area would have been hit head-on as was predicted, I could have continued my business from anywhere, even if I lost everything else I owned. If I owned a traditional business, I would lose it all and have to start my business all over again, which could take months as is the case in South Florida! And I would be one of those standing in line for construction work to labor in the 100 degree heat and 100% humidity for about $5 an hour!

How about you? Would you be standing in line? Or would your Tahitian Noni business sustain you? It is something to seriously think about! I know I have!

Do you realize that even if you were fortunate enough to get a laborer's job for $10 an hour (which is rare - most are minimum wage) and you worked eight hours a day, that would net you about $60 (or less). Do you know how many bottles of TNJ you would have to retail to make that same $60 in a day? You would only have to sell 4 bottles at retail! Would you rather sell 4 bottles of TNJ or work 8 hours in the blazing sun doing heavy labor? Something to think about!

I have always said that some of the greatest blessings of this business go way beyond the money—and this is just one more reason to be grateful for this business and all the benefits it provides us. I hope you look at your business today, and every day, and really see all the blessings and benefits it can provide, and realize how fortunate you are to be part of something that makes a difference in people's lives in every way, every day!

Your Partner in Success,

Michelle Sanchez