JOHN AND MELISSA CLARK: After being in business a year, John Clarke says, "Owning your own business is awesome!"

MELISSA & JOHN CLARKE

How does a new MARS Operator feel as he or she experiences the various stages of the MARS opportunity?
  Every Operator undoubtedly has a separate experience, but we asked John Clarke (MISSOURI) to share his feelings and experiences with us. (John's high production day in his first year was $1,100. His high week was $2,350.)
  How did John feel before joining MARS? During the recruitment process? What about the two weeks of training at MARS International Training Center? What of the weeks with the Mentor/Field Trainer, and then working to make the business a success?
BEFORE MARS INTERNATIONAL
  John says that before he heard of MARS, he was not enjoying his career. He had been selling commercial printing for 12 years. "I was working in a job I wasn't happy in," he recalls.
RECRUITMENT
  What was the recruitment process like for him?
"I saw the MARS information on Yahoo Hot Jobs," he says. "I immediately printed it out, showed it to my wife Melissa and told her that's what I'd be doing."
  "She was all for it. She had wanted me to be on my own for a long time. She was, and is, a big supporter. All the family supports me (John and Melissa have three children, Jacob (14), Austin (5) and Evan (3).
BEFORE TRAINING
  "I did my Field Interview at the Corporate Offices," says John. "It was about three weeks before my Training was to begin. I had some vacation days coming, and the company I worked for let me go, so we drove to Arlington.
  "During my Field Interview, David Jones and I worked on my Business Plan and arranged financing the business.

   "You need to understand that by the time I reached this stage, I'd been working on the project a long time. From my first call to the Field Interview, I spent five months. We were trying to sell our home in St. Louis before moving to Kansas City, and the house was the holdup. I lived in Kansas City with my dad and his wife for almost 8 months before I was able to move my family here.
  "David showed me around the company and introduced Melissa and I to everyone. I felt very good about the experience. It was like everything was really coming together."
TWO WEEKS TRAINING
How did he feel when he arrived for training in Arlington?
  "I was really excited. I drove there. When I arrived that night, I was so excited that I didn't sleep well. I was wondering about what I'd experience, who I'd meet. I was having all sorts of thoughts, it was a sleepless night."
  "The next morning, I met the three others who would share training with me. We met in the Lobby of the hotel that morning, and Jayson Jones took us to our Welcome Breakfast, where he shared a lot of information.
How did John feel as he was introduced to MARS Training?
  "Honestly, I felt very comfortable," John recalls. Trainer Paul Ellis was our first Trainer, and he's a really likable guy. He made me feel at home. He was friendly and helpful, as well as all of the trainers.
  "My biggest challenge during the two weeks of training was Color Theory, which is interesting since I am from a printing background. However, I found that once I got going with it, I got into it and knew I could do it."

JACOB CLARKE

JACOB plans to help his father in the MARS family business next summer.

MENTOR RON WEBSTER
"After training, I went and spent three days with my Mentor/Field Trainer Ron Webster (Missouri ). We did a lot of work in a lot of Systems, things like Interior Repair, Leather, Velour, and Dying. We did Pinstriping, Spot Repair and Blending, Hard Plastic Repair, Scratch Removal, and even sold and installed some spoilers.
  "Without a doubt, I felt good about those three days with Ron. I had seen how things worked in the class room, and after working with him, I had a good idea of how it is out in the real world.
What style of instruction did Webster use?
  "He'd say to me, 'Here' a project for you. Do it, and if you have problems or questions, ask me. If I did have problems or questions, he was patient. He'd guide me.
  "It was a nice way to get more comfortable with what I was going to be doing on my own in the near future."
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