Hey everyone!

Today on the blog, we have part three of the “Getting to Know Kaizen Leaders” series.

This week Bethany interviewed Joce and Cynthia Dionne.

I first met Joce and Cynthia when they had just started dating. Since then, Lana and I have watched them get engaged, married, move into their first home, and most recently, have two children. It was especially awesome to see them both retire from their jobs!

Joce is one of the best people I know. He is a great, quality man. He and Cynthia are some of the funnest people in our life. Over the years, they’ve really become like family, and I’m excited for you all to be able to read about them.

Getting to Know Kaizen Leaders: Joce and Cynthia Dionne, as written by Bethany Sampson.

Steadfast. It isn’t just a word to Joce and Cynthia Dionne. It’s a lifestyle, a team name, a commitment they have to each other, their children, and team members.

Cynthia was doing an internship in her mid-twenties when she was introduced to Claude and Lana. After attending an Open, she immediately called up her then-boyfriend (and now-husband) Joce to tell him of the opportunity that had just been presented to her. Joce, however, was not as enthusiastic. Initially, he was skeptical of the business, thinking it sounded too good to be true.

In the next year, Cynthia worked on building the business, while Joce developed a relationship with Claude and began to look further into the industry. Once he started to understand it, he started to believe it.

Flash forward eleven years, and the couple’s business is continuously growing. Additionally, they now have two children: Kaleb is almost four and Ellia recently turned two.

Today, Joce considers the decision to join LIFE a “no-brainer,” comparing the traditional career plan—which involves working until you’re 60-70—with his and Cynthia’s more relaxed lifestyle that allows them both to be stay-at-home parents.

Joce’s life today is drastically different than his life growing up. He was raised in a typical Canadian household, and he says he never looked outside the boundaries. Now, as an entrepreneur, he’s able to look outside the box and scope out opportunities as they come.

That said, their journey into success was not one without trials or hard work.

“A lot of people get started and they expect quick results,” says Joce, “but that’s impossible.” LIFE, like any other industry, requires time. Joce reinforces that you must think in terms of years, as opposed to just weeks or months. There is no get rich quick plan; instead, there’s hard work and a time-proven business plan they chose to focus on.

While working to build a business, both Joce and Cynthia point out how important it is to surround yourself by positive people.

“You hang around people who are average, you’ll be average,” says Joce. “You hang around people who are successful, you’ll eventually become successful.”

Cynthia and Joce are hanging around Claude and Lana, and successful they are becoming.

When the couple finds themselves lacking motivation or if they’ve just set a goal, they spend time with Claude and Lana who, they say, have the life they want. That said, the Hamilton’s don’t just dream for themselves, but also for the Dionne’s.

“They speak a vision to us of where we can be before we even see it,” says Cynthia. “They believe in us before we believe in ourselves.”

Joce and Cynthia generously credit today’s success to the support provided by Claude and Lana. Cynthia says she and Joce stood on the shoulders of giants and that has made all the difference.

In addition to this business relationship, the two couples have also developed a personal relationship over the years.

Joce describes Claude as a best friend, business partner, mentor, and coach. He also points out how easy it is to trust someone when you know they care about you and have your best interest at heart.

That heart, by the way, both Joce and Cynthia describe as massive: generous, caring, supportive.

Cynthia is quick to chime in about her relationship with Lana, saying Lana helped her to learn and grow, and as a result, Cynthia has become a confident woman.

“She’s everything to me,” says Cynthia. “She just has a heart of gold.”

This isn’t the first time I’ve heard Lana’s heart described this way. In fact, I’ve heard this from each of the three couples I’ve spoken with thus far, prompting me to believe it’s true what they say: a fact is confirmed by three witnesses.

With the support of Claude and Lana, as well as other team members, the couple was able to focus on their goal to grow their business and drown out any naysayers.

When starting out, they struggled with the opinions of people who didn’t understand their decision to go against the status quo.

“I think if you’re going to chase a vision—something that nobody can see yet—and you’re telling people that you’re going somewhere, and they can’t see it, then you’re standing out,” says Cynthia.

Success can bring criticism, Joce says, but it’s important to turn your cheek and keep going, to keep chasing your dreams and the life you want.

This life now includes two children and a much busier household than when they first started out. The couple says they’re continuously working on their time management as they learn to balance their main priorities: children, business, and, of course, each other.

Taking has actually helped Joce and Cynthia’s parenting. They’re cognizant of the influence they have on their children, and because of this they make conscious decisions to parent on purpose.

“Everything we learn,” says Cynthia, “even if it’s just a principle that builds your business, you realize that you can apply it in all areas of your life, including parenting.”

Joce echoes this idea, saying he and Cynthia hope to teach their children the importance of having a positive attitude and how attitude has the power to influence a situation.

“Just like be an entrepreneur, everything in life is about your attitude,” he says. “Attitude is everything.”

And Joce and Cynthia’s attitude towards life is only positive.

With the freedom to control their time, they’re able to stay at home with their kids, prioritize their days, and do, as Cynthia says, what matters the most.

With all this success, it’s no wonder why this couple is swift to encourage others to get into business.

“It’s something anybody can do because of our system,” says Cynthia. “As long as you’re hungry to learn and you’re willing to listen, then you can have success.”

Joce is also quick to say this isn’t a business solely focused on making money. It’s about learning,having fun, making friends and a difference.

“I hope that if I leave this earth tomorrow that I’ve added significance, that I’ve made a difference somewhere,” says Cynthia. “I hope that I’ve changed someone’s life in some sort of way, whether it’s with my kids, my friends, or somebody in the business.”

It’s clear, however, that together they already have.

 

To find out more about Joce and Cynthia, you can visit their website or find them on Twitter.

If you know Joce and Cynthia, and have more to add, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments!!