Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing: Reaching New Heights
May 14th, 2009Young Company Focus
April 2009
Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing: Reaching New Heights
By Amy Anderson
In the history of every company, there are steppingstones. In the beginning, the focus is on keeping one foot in front of the other and taking things one day at a time. As the company grows, so does its footing, becoming surer and stronger with each passing year.
Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing (FHTM) started out on the right foot. Now, eight years after its beginning, this network marketing company is on a path to even greater success, with a solid foundation of executive support, field leadership and brand-name power.
The Ladder to Success
“We created FHTM to be a way for average, ordinary people to do better in their lives financially,” Founder and President Paul Orberson says.
Paul and FHTM CEO Tom Mills first met in high school, playing baseball for rival teams. Years later, when Paul ended up working as a teacher and head coach at his alma mater, he reunited with Tom, who had recently made the move from head coach to principal. They struck up a lasting friendship that included their families, often traveling as a group and working on joint investment opportunities together.
“We knew we wanted something greater for our families and a better way to provide for them,” Tom says. Eventually, Paul and Tom joined a startup network marketing company, and Paul soon went full time. His earnings were impressive, enabling him to retire by the age of 40.
But retirement wasn’t the life for Paul. He enjoyed the sense of giving back he got from network marketing. So he and Tom discussed ideas for their own company, which was soon to become Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing.
The synergy of the executive team, which quickly grew to include Paul’s son Jeff, has a lot to do with the success of the company. “Paul and I work well together and have always wanted to surround ourselves with people who are successful in their fields,” Tom says. “We realize that we both have strengths in certain areas that mesh well, and we have capitalized on those strengths in our business relationship. And Jeff has been invaluable to FHTM since Day One. His daily input has helped us become the company we are today.”
Paul definitely enjoys having his son onboard. “Jeff is able to bring another point of view to the table. We may not always agree, but his view is always valuable,” he says.
Stepping Up to a Challenge
Today, Paul says there are three main things that set FHTM apart from the competition: lack of shareholders, zero debt and a diversified product/service mix. “We are kind of like a mutual fund in that you can select from multiple products and services to offer your customers,” Paul says.
“My father wanted to access multiple industries to offer products from,” Jeff says. “And since we are a marketing company, we can move in and out of industries as necessary. We don’t require heavy capital investment into a product or service, so we are a little more nimble than some companies when it comes to dealing with market changes.”
This flexibility means FHTM representatives find it easy to move with the roller-coaster economy, offering products and services that meet people’s changing needs. “As consumer shifts occur, we are able to adjust accordingly in a relatively quick time frame,” Jeff says.
That’s because most of the products and services offered by FHTM are those already being used by a majority of consumers. From cell phone service to home security systems to travel Web sites, the product line allows representatives to receive a commission on existing services.
“In many instances, you see the same brand names people are already using and are advertised on television,” Jeff says. “So there isn’t a lot of convincing that needs to take place when our representatives discuss our services with potential customers.”
The Wireless Shop, powered by Simplexity, is a recent FHTM advance in product marketing. It allows representatives and their customers to purchase cell phone plans and extensions online from well-known brands like Alltel, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless. They can also buy phones from Motorola, Samsung and Sony Ericsson.
Home security products are available to FHTM reps and customers from InGrid Home Security and GE Home Security, and satellite TV service is offered from Dish Network. New services include Internet access through FHTM VISP, exercise programs at FABS Cyberfitness, vacations through Travel FHTM and more.
These new products join the established product lines of True Essentials and Lamas Beauty. Paul’s personal health challenges with cancer in his mid-40s led him to spearhead the development of True Essentials, a line of nutritional supplements. As he learned about lifestyle changes that could make a difference in his own health, Paul was determined to provide the same opportunity to others.
“You’re not a helpless bystander to your own health. You are your own best doctor,” he says. “Right in the middle of the worst part of my life, the best thing was born, and that’s True Essentials.”
In keeping with the flexibility of the product lines offered by FHTM, the team is always on the lookout for ways to improve their variety. “We’re always looking to add to or upgrade the product and service offerings we have,” Jeff says. “We always have a few possible options on the horizon.”
Breaking New Ground One thing that says a lot about how people feel about working with FHTM is the retention of the original staff. “Anytime a new company starts out, there are hurdles that must be conquered,” Tom says. “Probably our biggest challenge was putting our staff together. What is amazing is that the administrative team we put together that very first summer before we opened our doors is still intact except for one person, who unfortunately has passed away.”
However, as the company has grown, the staff has grown to continue meeting its increasing needs. “We continue to add to our staff in order to service the larger number of representatives entering the business,” Jeff says.
Two specific areas of growth on the home-office team have been in information technology and marketing. Today, full-time staff members have taken over duties once outsourced to other companies.
“The infrastructure is an integral part of any company and is especially important for one that is growing like ours,” Tom says. “We have always felt that a strong technology team is of utmost importance. We have always tried to stay ahead of our growth, and the only way to do that is with top-notch people who have the freedom to think out of the box.”
A Helping Hand
In addition to growth at the home office, tools and training for representatives has continued to increase with the growing number of reps in the field. According to Laura McDonald, Director of Marketing and Promotions, the number of reps who joined FHTM each month in 2009 has doubled over the reps who join during the same months in 2008.
In the field, new representatives are guided by more experienced leaders. “Our representative leadership base is the largest it has been. They are very team-oriented and willing to assist outside of their own organizational lines,” Jeff says.
Supporting the field reps is the main goal of the executive team. “Our sole existence is to be a support for the reps in the field. We have the attitude that we are here to help them grow their businesses, and that’s why we come to work,” Paul says.
To help them succeed, FHTM supplies reps with tools and training specifically created to offer them the best in technology and support systems. “We provide a variety of tools, such as the representative Back Office, that allow reps to manage virtually every facet of their businesses from their computers in real time,” Jeff says. “There is also a daily assistance line provided by the company, where a live person answers calls from representatives.”
The founders still get out into the field to help representatives succeed. “We have a very active executive staff,” Jeff says. “My dad frequently gets out to representative meetings and trainings to provide a corporate presence and present the corporate story. Tom and I get out to rep meetings, as well, on occasion.”
This hands-on philosophy combined with expanding product lines has spurred rapid growth in FHTM Canada, which has been posting phenomenal numbers. The market opened in November 2005 and has been progressing steadily ever since. “Every month, we’re breaking new records. It seems we’re doubling what we did in the same month the previous year,” says Shannon Hewitson, Director of Canadian Affairs for FHTM Canada.
Reaching for the Top
While the recent growth in FHTM has certainly been beneficial to reps financially, the rewards go way beyond money.
“FHTM has given me a mission and a purpose,” Paul says. “I am doing what I feel called to do. When I had cancer, I felt like FHTM gave me something to look forward to and something to get better for. I feel like I am only alive because of FHTM and the prayers of our representatives.”
This kind of loyalty to the company is not limited to the executive team. FHTM offers hope and support to people looking for an opportunity to make significant changes in their lives and are willing to put in the work to see their goals to fruition. The company’s consistent growth over the last seven years is evidence that their vision for the future is shared.
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