Unfortunately, I didn't wise up completely and free myself from all ties with Amway/INA right there and then—I would've saved a couple $1000 if that were the case. About 4 months after being free from the NMH, I started looking for another group to join (1994). Early on in the business, I went to one of those Seminar/Rally things and saw some young guy about my age going across stage as a new Direct-(1989) and remembered the name as Grant Codiga. Made me kind of wish that I could've been involved with someone my age who was single instead of this stale couple, NMH.
This was the person (and the only one on the list) I chose as the next person I was going to do Amway with… I would just sign up under him. But as things went on, I did what the usual disenchanted ambot did. Stopped doing it consistently. I subscribed to the tape program because Grant was so anal about it. There were a number of weekly tapes I never opened because I didn't feel like listening to the same dribble that I had heard in a previous tape weeks or years ago. He constantly was pursuing me about building the business… I didn't seem to be the same after the debacle with NMH. I'm sure that if you can't make it work in the first, what makes you think you'll succeed with the second? I remember when I first listened to those things, I enjoyed Jay Cuccia but one of the later tapes he did, it was just so awful! I couldn't stand to listen to it. He was so phony now, just like most of the other stale Diamonds
Grant was opposite NH as far as working with me. He pursued me unlike NH, who never worked with me unless I pulled in a bigger fish that he could work with and then burn them out. Grant wanted to help me succeed. But I didn't want the help. I had just came out of a 6 year so-called-business relationship with NMH with nothing to show for it and needed time to recover. I shouldn't of gone back in so soon but I felt I had something to prove now that I was "screwed" I wanted to "show them" Well, I never showed anything.. Grant lived about 35 miles away from me, so product pickup was an adventure driving the road between us. It was a mountain road, and none too fun to drive, especially during the winter months.
At the point I started working with Grant, he was a Ruby direct, working towards Emerald. A very confident, businesslike person. I didn't see the same happy go lucky guy I saw on stage a couple years previous, though, he did fake it poorly. I guess when the money gets good, it changes you.. He really pushed the AMO on me and I wasn't too thrilled about that. I went, begrudgingly, hoping I would "get into it again". Most of the functions were further away from me than before because I was avoiding any of the Halls people.
I can remember a few function incidents where Grant and I went together. Grant always seemed to have car problems but was holding back on buying a shiny new one till he went emerald, so he'd have these used cars with lots of miles on them. Grant was also not very keen working with them either (well, neither was I).
I can remember one trip back from either a Symposium or FED, I followed him back because his car was overheating. I had to work that night (I worked graveyard at the time) (1995) (he had a Audi at the time). Well, something happened where he had to get off at one of the exits in Stockton and he gets on my case because I didn't notice that something had happened to his car. He became very irrational (frustration with the car) and said some things that weren't very nice to me. I was just as direct back—more like, "don't talk that way to me, inferring that I was going to leave him in Stockton, if he continued this behavior. Well, I stuck around and he was looking for a place to sell or leave his car with that night in Stockton. Well, after finding this person (and having an idea of prospecting this person, he told me to not say anything. And I questioned him on why. He didn't have a real good answer that I could remember but left me outside while he went to deal with this person who was going to either fix or buy his car. After 30 minutes (and it was 11:00PM, 30 minutes before I had to be at work), he emerged, ready to go. I questioned him on the way he was talking to me. I also found it very amusing that he was melting down over something so trivial. Hell, he's got a lot more money than I do, and I had a better car at that point working my job. He also didn't seem have any regard that I was working for a living and that I had to be at my job very soon.
I sponsored all of one couple under him who did nothing and then switched groups on me. I might of given out 20 prospecting tapes in the 3 years I worked with him. He made calls on my behalf, was on the phone with me when I called prospects, which was infrequent. When Chilie opened up, he actually called me from there—I was still in the business but I was just about out of it (mindset). Surprised he would call such an inactive distributor. Maybe, he thought that might get me motivated. It didn't work.
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The Highway 17 blues |
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I also attribute my only ever auto accident a result of going to his house for some reason and him not being there at the scheduled time. I waited around for a little while, then left, accomplishing nothing and putting 35 miles more on my car that wasn't necessary. Well, there had been a light rain on the way up and was still going on the way back. Coming down 17 through the Santa Cruz mountains is no picnic when there are people around you going way faster than the posted speed limit. It's like an accident waiting to happen.
Well this was a real bad day for accidents. There were at least 4 of them that I had heard about on the news that day. Well, I end up being part of one of the 4. Hit an oil slick going at below the speed limit. After realizing that I was going to hit this disabled car in front of me, I just braced for it… This was better than the alternative: Veering to avoid the accident, thus probably causing another one (there were cars to the right of me passing me up at the time), I just went straight into the last car (which was a good amount away from the one in front of it). I saw 4car accident, 150 feet in front of me but by the time I was putting on my brakes to slow and change, it was already too late. I was sliding. Brakes were no use at that point. | ||
| Summary: Grant Codiga | ||
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Grant was a young, intense, Amway business hustler who was always on the go regarding Amway and the Plan. He drove lots of miles to do meetings and had lots of drive to succeed. I could tell that with how much time he tried to work with me and me not responding. He doesn't give up easily. No, is never the first answer he takes Which probably leads to some distributors that were signed up only for them to leave because of Grants intensity. But, Grant didn't know when to stop. He didn't have much of a sense of humor. Being on those two trips with him to functions in Sacramento showed some colors of Grant that I really didn't want to know. He seemed to take me wrong if I laughed in his presence. His sense of humor seemed to be wanting at times unless he was with the right people. He seemed to stress out right before functions started. Why, I don't know. Grant talked down to me most of the time. I guess he just needed a punching bag every so often to throw verbal salvoes at. I was his sounding board, I guess. Pretty childish He was also scatterbrained a bit. He wouldn't be around if I had set a scheduled time to meet with him. I've actually been at places where he's shown the plan and he was running late, a major put-off to the hosts and the guests there. One main difference between him & the Halls was the fact that he wanted to work with me but I didn't respond. I think if you flip the two businesses, I probably would've never left Codiga's business if the Halls were the alternative. The Halls couldn't compare. He'll still run over people if you get in his way—most "leaders" in this business are that way. I think you have to have a certain mentality to make it in Amway. Most people don't have it. Grant has something about him that will allow him to succeed in this--- a hustlers mentality. He'll go further than the Halls will ever dream of going… |
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