Jay Ward has been a Forever Business Owner for eleven years. In that time, he’s not only grown a profitable business – he’s also grown in confidence, joined a choir and changed his life.

So, we sat down with Jay to talk about his experience of starting a business with Forever, find out how he overcame early obstacles and discover the all-important advice he would give to someone considering becoming a new FBO.

What was your background before joining Forever?

I was a Retail Manager and worked long hours. I had been a customer of Forever since 1996, so the company was always there in the background. 

I just joined to get a discount on the products, but never took the business opportunity seriously at all. And then in my first month alone, I ended up making £400 profit.

What has your Forever journey been like so far?

I’ve been an FBO for eleven years next month and it’s been overwhelming in so many different ways. I got to the position of Manager in the Marketing Plan after eighteen months. I went on trips to South Africa and Stockholm – all these things happened that I never expected to happen to me. 

In what way is being a Forever Business Owner rewarding?

The great thing about Forever is that no matter what’s happening in your life, it’s always a constant. 

I lost my grandparents within three months of each other back in 2018. I spent a lot of my time going backwards and forwards to their house. It really wobbled me – not because I had lost focus in Forever, but because I thought I didn’t have time for it, so I put my business on the backburner. 

But when I came back to it in April 2019 after everything had settled, Forever was still there, and everyone welcomed me back like I’d never been away.

What reservations did you have about the business before joining and what have you learned since becoming part of it?

When I realised that your Team Bonus is paid directly from Forever and is not taken from someone else’s bonus, that sat well with me. At that point, I realised that it’s quite a fair business: anyone can achieve anything, and anyone can overtake anyone else in the Marketing Plan. 

It doesn’t matter what level you come in at. Maybe you are 100 people below the top person, or five people below the top person. Anyone can be that top person if they work hard enough. 

What skills have you developed since running your business that you would never have thought yourself capable of?

The confidence this business has given me is immeasurable. I had confidence in my job when I worked as a Retail Manager, but it stopped at the end of the workday. Outside my work life, I felt awkward. I would never have spoken in front of people then, but now I do. 

Since joining Forever, I’ve joined a panto in a choir. Being an FBO has given me the confidence to be who I want to be and start living my life the way I want to.

What is your advice to someone who is thinking about starting a business with Forever?

Just don’t get overwhelmed by everything. 

When I first started, I panicked and asked my sponsor how I would fit in looking after ten customers when I work full time. They told me to focus on getting one customer first before I started worrying about ten. 

The best thing when you start a business with Forever is to focus on one thing at a time.

What would you say makes a good mentor or leader in Forever?

Someone who is a good listener. Someone that can understand a person’s needs and wants. 

You might be speaking to someone who only wants to earn an extra £200 a month, but you are giving all the information they need to earn £2,000 a month. You can easily get lost in what you want someone to achieve, rather than what they want to achieve themselves.

What are your goals and focuses right now and why are you excited about the future?

I want to help more people achieve what I have, and I want to show more people how amazing the products are.

I have been using the products for twenty-seven years on and off, and I would never be without them now. I want to share this opportunity and amazing company with as many people as I can because it really has changed my life. I don’t think there is anything more rewarding than being able to do that for someone else.