The Son Also Rises
Jeff Roberti has made a fortune in direct selling but his greatest reward has been giving back to his family.

Life crashed down around Jeff Roberti late one evening in 1985 when he learned his dad had died of a heart attack at the age of 46. "I never got the chance to say goodbye," Jeff says. As the oldest son, Jeff knew his mom, Alice and two younger brothers would need him more than at any other time in their life. And from those dark days, one of the greatest success stories in direct selling began.

"My dad had always worked for someone else, building someone else's wealth," Jeff recalls. "Meanwhile, he struggled to pay his own bills every month." Jeff saw his dad wear that stress and believes it ultimately played a part in his passing at such an early age. "I decided I was not going to live like that."

Easier said than done!

At the time, Jeff was 24 and working as a waiter, living in a tiny apartment and struggling to make ends meet. He had gone to a junior college for two years but didn't earn a degree. With no education or practical experience, Jeff faced an uphill battle in his desire to make things easier for him and his family. After getting off work early one night, he stumbled into an opportunity to start his own direct selling company. "It was a good fit. It was an industry that allowed me to overcome what I was lacking in education, experience and money by channeling my endless desire to succeed and my willingness to learn," Jeff says.

However, shortly after starting his home-based business, Jeff's sponsor quit, leaving him without a teacher to learn the ropes. But rather than lean on his latest crutch, Jeff got proactive. "I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I was behind on bills. I was behind on my promises to family and friends. So I tore up my list of excuses and moved ahead full speed," he says. Jeff set a goal for himself: By the end of his first year, he wanted to be earning $10,000 a month. He then began the process of trial and error, learning from his mistakes, perfecting his craft and repeating what worked over and over.

He reached his goal of $10,000 within his first month in business. Twelve months later, Jeff was making $100,000 a month. And over the past 18 years, he's averaged over $250,000 a month and earned over $50 million total. "My accomplishments were really beyond my wildest dreams," Jeff recalls. "I went from waiting tables, making maybe $1,000 to $2,000 a month, to being at the edge of making all my dreams come true."

Jeff in South Africa, Victoria Falls:

And that meant taking care of his family. "The Bible says find a way to serve many and it will lead to greatness." While Jeff has certainly enjoyed an opulent lifestyle, including a four-story house on the beach with a swimming pool on its roof, he made sure to share that opportunity with his mother and siblings. He helped his older brother, Paul, get his own business off the ground financially and paid for his younger brother, Jonathan's school while he earned his Ph.D in psychology.

"It was an industry that allowed me to overcome what I was lacking in education, experience and money by channeling my endless desire to succeed and my willingness to learn."

Jeff in Portofino, Italy with friends:

He also made sure his mother had everything she could ever want. "I spoil her," Jeff says proudly. He's taken Alice on various trips across the world, including Hawaii and Europe. He even bought her a beach house as well as a house in the mountains and her dream car. "I only have one mom and she deserves it for putting up with me over the years," says Jeff.

In addition to helping his family, Jeff continues to travel all around the world helping others become successful with their own home-based businesses.

He estimates he's trained more than one million people in 30 different countries and has helped hundreds of people earn a seven figure income and thousands earn more than a six figure income. "I care more about my people and their results than I do my own income," he says. Among his many success stories is a single mother of two from Louisiana who now earns twice as much in a month as what she used to earn in a year as a school teacher. "I can't put a price tag on the joy I get playing just a small part in the success of another person." Overall, Jeff's downline has sold in excess of $3 billion worldwide.

Still, for all his success, Jeff feels a void in his life. "I would give it back tomorrow if I could have my dad alive today. I'm sure he would have been proud of me. I know he is looking down from heaven each day with a smile on his face."