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 'Jerome & Debera Scott, National Vice Presidents, AmeriPlanUSA®,
mentor others on financial freedom.'

What is the definition of a slave? Webster defines a slave as a person held in servitude as the property of another. Another definition it gives is one that is completely subservient to a dominating influence. Well, before you think this doesn’t apply to you, another word for subservient is subordinate. Are you a subordinate where you work? If you don’t own the company, even if you are a high-level manager, you are still a subordinate. Because in reality, if you aren’t the owner of your own business, you work for someone else, regardless of your title. You may be saying that at least you aren’t their property, right? Well, let’s beg to differ for just a moment by getting the answers to the following questions: Do you determine your salary or your raise, each year? Do you set your own schedule? Do you spend all the time you want to with your family? Do you get to take off when you want? Can you vacation where you want? If your answer is “No” to even one of these questions, please know that this isn’t meant to offend you in any way. It’s simply a way of helping you open your eyes to the endless possibilities that are available to you, if you know where to look for them. Don’t just make a living. Living an incredible life that you make has far greater rewards. You have to make an opportunity for yourself and not always wait on them. We can show you how, and all you need to do is continue reading.

Did you know that if you get ahead of a trend that has an extreme need, and then be able to provide a solution which addresses that need, you could become independently wealthy? And what’s even better; what if you had someone do all of the research for you, but allowed you to market the answer for the trend as if the idea had been your own? Do you believe that you could benefit from it, then?  Well, that’s exactly what two individuals have done, and both have become millionaires in the process to prove this point.

BOB LEONARD. First up, we have international entrepreneur, Bob Leonard. If ever there was a story of an individual who learned to begin life as he found it and made it better, his is it. Mr. Leonard grew up in River Rouge, Michigan and was raised in a single-parent home. His parents divorced when he was only three years old, and his mom, Annette Collins, supported him on only $55 a week as a switchboard operator. He finished high school, but never attended college because his mother could not afford to send him. His father, Robert Leonard, who was a successful real estate IBO, is now deceased. At just the tender age of seventeen, Bob Leonard joined the Army and was stationed in Germany for three years. He ended his service at twenty and got a job as a file clerk at an insurance agency, making $75 a week.

Bob Leonard joins Debera & Jerome

Looking around him at the other individuals, much older than he, he knew that he didn’t want to work until he was sixty years old and retire with little or nothing to show for all of the work he put in. He wanted to be rich and famous, but what he didn’t
know was how he was going to accomplish that on such a meager salary.

Little did he know, he was closer to his dream than he first imagined. Seeing the agents pull up in their expensive cars and business suits, the allure of money drew him to absorb everything he took in.  While working as a clerk and doing some of the tasks that agents didn’t want to do, such as reading the detailed reports that came in, Bob was able to sharpen his "attention to detail" skills.  His skills were so sharp at reporting to the agents what were detailed in the reports that he became very popular in the office. Shortly after coming to the realization that he now knew as much as the other agents about the industry, he decided that he would get licensed. He began working for Lincoln Heritage, a subsidiary of Londen Insurance Group. His tenure there has been legendary. He became the first African-American Regional Director and was appointed to the position by Mr. Londen, himself. This prestigious assignment awarded him with the entire Detroit, Michigan area.

The goal he set for himself at the tender age of twenty, now pays him a deferred income of $2.5 million dollars, and that amount is rapidly increasing because of his incredible leadership. Mr. Leonard is a Certified Senior Advisor or CSA, and he has built a team of one hundred and twenty agents in ten states, who do over $100,000 in total monthly production that he directly discounts from. He also has exclusive protected territory in the state of Mississippi, which accounts for over $30,000 in monthly production of the $1.2 million dollars per year that his team produces.

When asked why and how he became successful, he said, “No disciplined person ever fails. Most people think you have to have a college degree before you can become wealthy, but I’m living proof that just isn’t true. My love for learning began early as a little child. I was given the gift of learning how to study by my grade school teacher, Ms. Mardell Jackson-Strickland. She spent extra time with me and taught me how to read and how to study things for myself. She made a tremendous impact on my life, and I’m forever grateful. I utilized the skills she gave me and taught myself everything I know about the insurance industry by going to the public library and reading. When I worked as a clerk, I listened to what the other agents were saying and I watched what they were doing. I wasn’t just there for a paycheck. I was there to learn, and I firmly believe that no school or college could have ever taught me the things I taught myself by putting myself in an environment to learn. Those things are far more valuable to me and the success I’m able to enjoy proves what I’ve said is true. At 62 years of age, I still work, but only because I want to. Not because I have to. There’s a huge difference in that. I love what I do, so it’s not like work for me. I’m able to devote myself to the pleasures of life and make a great income doing it. What could be better than that? ”

 When you’re a self-made millionaire, you can do things that most people only dream of doing like buying a beautiful villa in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands to spend your winters. “Money gives you freedom. I’m buying the villa because that’s my heart’s desire. It’s what I want to do. When you have the time and the money to do what you want, guess what? You do it,” he chuckles. “It’s a beautiful feeling. I’ve learned that anyone can have anything they want, if they help enough other people get what they want. And that’s what I’m here to do.”  

What does the future hold for the accomplished Bob Leonard? Well, he is planning on writing a book about his life that will cover three topics: Final Expense Insurance, Import/Export, and the Mail Order Business. He truly believes his book will become a best seller because it will encompass information that is fit for the young and old. He especially wants to target Black teenagers, fresh out of high school, because he wants to “nurture their dreams and see them blossom into self-made millionaires, as well.”  

Mr. Leonard was asked what words of wisdom would he give to someone who is tired of existing and is truly ready to live. He said, “High school and college are important to many, but neither guarantee success. Education is great, but if you never learn to make your life better for yourself, and you always wait for someone else to give you what you should give yourself, you’re going to be waiting a very long time.  By going into business for yourself, you have the same chance of being successful as anyone else. But you’ll never know what you can do, until you try. Life isn’t too short. Too many people just wait too long to start living.  If you want something bad enough, nothing will keep you from accomplishing your dreams.”   

JEROME AND DEBERA SCOTT. Another awesome success story comes from Farmington Hills, Michigan. Jerome and Debera Scott have proven that if you can get ahead of a trend involving a need, and then provide a solution for that need, you can make a fortune. That is just what they’ve done through AmeriPlan® USA, a Dallas, TX Corporation that offers a fee-for-service health plan that is affordable to the masses. In a time where health benefit premiums are rising at double-digit rates each year, more and more people need what Jerome and Debera Scott have. The reason they’ve been so successful in building their AmeriPlan® business is because they have taken the opportunity to offer other individuals time and financial freedom with great zeal and enthusiasm.

The Scotts have achieved the highest level of recognition in AmeriPlan® USA, the prestigious position of National Vice President. They are only the fifth to be inducted into this AmeriPlan® USA Hall of Fame out of the more than 50,000 AmeriPlan® independent business owners currently joined. Earning a handsome $250,000 in annual lifetime residual income, Jerome and Debera have been afforded the opportunity to live lives that were never possible before they decided to become independent business owners. 

When asked how they built their business to the accomplished level it has reached, Jerome stated, “We’re big believers in plugging our team into the system that AmeriPlan® has in place. We utilize conference calls and invite our prospects to join in on them, and we get our team of people to do the same.” Debera has the skill of tenacity, and that is what she attributes her success to. “Our success comes from working hard and not letting up, no matter what the circumstances are.  I always say that the fortune is in the follow-up, and that is where so many others miss the mark. It wasn’t easy getting to the point to where we are now.  It was extremely hard work. But, we’ve learned that if we help others grow their success, it will grow our own.”

Their backgrounds played a major role in the success that they are enjoying, today. Jerome was in education for ten years, as a school teacher. He also owned his own business and had an insurance background. Debera came from a customer service and marketing background. Both spoke of their frustrations in Corporate America. For Jerome, time was the major issue when he first looked at AmeriPlan®. “Eventhough I was extremely busy, when AmeriPlan® was introduced to me, I’ve always like to think of myself as one who is alive to opportunity.  It was time to make a serious decision as to the best way to provide my family the quality of life I felt they deserved.  After analyzing AmeriPlan®'s marketing system, I came to the conclusion that it was probably the best "residual income" paying program in the United States.  I subsequently teamed up with a couple of highly esteemed veterans in the industry, Lorene Brown-Watkins and John Harley.  We decided to attend an AmeriPlan® Convention, and as we observed and took everything in, the business became more and more attractive to us  At that point, we decided to get serious about the business.  When my wife and I returned to Michigan, we teamed up with my long time friend and confident, Pastor Dr. Bobby Bracy and proceeded to help and make a positive difference in many people's lives.  Becoming affiliated with AmeriPlan® has proven to be a very wise decision."

 Jerome says that one of the things that he really loves about AmeriPlan® is that it doesn't matter what sex you are, what race you are, what age you are, what education you have, what experience you have, ... You just need  a burning desire and a good attitude.  Jerome and Debera express with pride that their parents are involved in the business.  Jerome reports that his father, San Scott who recently celebrated his 85th birthday, got involved initially along with my mother (Lula Scott) just to help us but is now actively working the business.  Jerome's father actually receives more monthly income from AmeriPlan® than he gets from his retirement pension after working for the U.S. Post Office for 38 years.  Thanks to AmeriPlan®, Debera's mother, Willie Belle Thomas who is 83 years young  is traveling and enjoying life while helping her friends save on dental, prescription and vision services with AmeriPlan®.

Debera echoed Jerome’s struggle with finding the time to build their AmeriPlan® business. “I was working a whole lot trying to support two girls, in the process. I saw what AmeriPlan® could offer me, so in the beginning stages of building the business, I did my follow-up calls at night after my day job. As you can imagine, it was hard. But the main element that drove me to be successful was the inequality of Corporate America. I closed major corporate accounts for the company that I worked for but never got compensated the way the company did. And of course, there was no residual income for the work that I did, so there was only that one time payout for me. It really woke me up and made me realize that AmeriPlan® was a better way. I’m a hard worker by nature, so whatever I do, I give it my all. I thought that if I was going to kill myself working, I may as well do it working for me and my children and not some company that proved that they were ungrateful for the hours I’d put in by the dry thank you they’d give me when I closed an account for them. As awful as that was, I maintain that you can pull some good from any situation if you try hard enough and keep a positive attitude.  I was able to use what I’d learned working for Corporate America to help train and motivate our business partners with AmeriPlan®. Undoubtedly, the knowledge and work habits I had acquired has and continues to make a major contribution to our success in our business.  Our system is about informing and duplicating.  If you learn how to duplicate what you do and set high standards for those who are following you, you can’t lose. I knew that if I wanted to have the same success that Corporate America has, I would have to pattern my work habits and ways after that of successful business executives. Even the way that I dress has been influenced by professional corporate standards.  I take my business serious just as corporations do theirs.

Like Bob Leonard, the Scotts were asked if they had any words of wisdom for those looking for financial freedom, and they had this to say: “What’s so incredible about our opportunity is we get paid for what we do. Anyone can get a job that pays by the hour, but that leaves their employer with all the power to determine what they are worth. In our business, if we wanted to give ourselves an annual raise of $50,000 a year, we could. All we would have to do is the legwork to get there. We always ask people, could you go into your boss’ office tomorrow and say, “I want a $50,000 a year raise.”? Most people laugh because it’s absolutely absurd to believe you can do that with success. But in our business, you can. People in our line of business have given themselves over a $100,000 a year raise. And this isn’t a one-time raise, it’ll continue to come in year-after-year-after-year. So, we tell people to be courageous enough to get paid based on what you do, and not to rely on the promise of a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly paycheck. It’s fine to do that until you’re able to do better, but if that’s what you are going to rely on to become wealthy, the sad truth is you’ll never be able to live your dream life, that way.”

An example of an AmeriPlan® National Sales Director's lifestyle took place this past Saturday at an exclusive dinner at the Westin Hotel in Southfield where Pastor Dr. Bobby Bracy, NSD surprised his lovely wife, Pastor Dr. Carolyn Bracy, with a brand new 2005 E Series Mercedes in recognition of her birthday!

Helen Horton,  MBA graduate of Wayne State University along with her husband Daniel Horton, Senior Executive Sales Director invite you to visit our AmeriPlan® Regional Office @ 17631 W. 12 Mile RD. in Southfield.  You will learn about the unique AmeriPlan® opportunity from Pastor Dr. Bobby Bracy, Sheila & Raymond Hullum, and Darcell McCoy.  These accomplished AmeriPlan® National Sales Directors are making a difference in people's lives.  Contact an AmeriPlan® Independent Business Owner for an invitation.

Jerome says he'll always remember what a wise long time friend said recently:  "A POOR Person Simply Represents Someone Who Has: PASSED OVER OPPORTUNITY REPEATEDLY!   Thanks Raymond Hullum, National Sales Director*

A simple, but very effective business that the Scotts do from their home has the ability to allow someone to start earning a significant income immediately. And since AmeriPlan® is not insurance, no license is required.  The AmeriPlan® business Jerome and Debera Scott own has provided niceties that most would envy. They’ve purchased a half-million dollar home and they, along with Mr. Bob Leonard, both drive the hard-to-get 2005 Bentley Continental GT that some wait several months and even a year to acquire.  Considered to be one of the hottest cars on the planet, it’s no wonder several anxious wanna-be buyers go into Bentley dealerships offering $50,000 above sticker price.  Reportedly the fastest coupe in the world, it goes from 0 to 60 MPH in 4.7 seconds - What A Carriage!!!

It may be time to make changes, not excuses.  Sometimes all it takes is readjusting your focus and priorities.

You're invited to put one of these incredible opportunities to work for you! You’re at the right place, at the right time. Follow it with the correct action, and you’ll be able to follow in the footsteps of these dynamic leaders!    

Special Acknowledgement to Nicole Calhoun, Writer