We would like to congratulate Craig Bailey and Dixie Sounness who have just qualified as Team Elite Executives for the 3rd time. Craig and Dixie will be joining other Team Elite Executives from around the world for the Team Elite Trip on an exclusive Baltic Sea cruise on board the Regent Seven Seas Voyager.

Husband and wife team, Craig Bailey and Dixie Sounness had been running their Structural Engineering consultancy for a number of years when they were invited by their financial advisor, Peter Anderson, to attend a Nu Skin Enterprises business meeting. At the time, Craig was working long hours in the engineering business with very little time for family and recreational pursuits.

The Nu Skin Enterprises opportunity was presented by a very impressive business woman from Hong Kong. However, when she started talking about skin care, Craig lost interest fairly quickly. “He nearly fell asleep” says Dixie, “but he woke up when the Nu Skin Enterprises business concept was mentioned and the presenter began talking about how most people, whether they have their own businesses or are employees, trade time for money and never really get off this treadmill. The idea of being able to start working towards a LEVERAGED income, and create TRUE WEALTH, was very appealing to Craig.”

Although Dixie was initially not enthusiastic about taking on another business because she and Craig were already working long hours, she was very impressed with the quality of the Nu Skin products, and agreed to trial them. Friends began to comment on how good she was looking, and she began recommending the products. “I am not a sales person.” says Dixie. “In fact I was very shy in those days, but it was easy for me to talk about products that were giving such great results! I was turning 40 at the time and really needed Nu Skin!” she recalls.

In the first three years, Craig and Dixie built the business part–time but when their Nu Skin Enterprises income surpassed their traditional income they knew it was time to sell the engineering business and move onto Nu Skin Enterprises full-time. “Our families thought we were mad, but they quickly changed their tune when they saw the success we were having,” recalls Dixie.

It wasn’t always an easy ride, however. Coming up against cynicism and negativity from people who were unfamiliar with the new network marketing industry was difficult at times, and dealing with their own fears and doubts was also personally challenging.

“Building a Nu Skin Enterprises business is like doing an ongoing and free personal development course. You develop a strong set of ‘internal muscles’, which give you the conviction and fortitude to keep going against external and internal odds. You really do become a stronger, more resilient person!” says Dixie.

During this time, their business had expanded into Japan, Europe and Korea simply through sponsoring people locally in Perth, who had contacts in these countries. Through focus, persistence and commitment, Craig and Dixie became Blue Diamond Executives in 1996. Over the next six years their business expanded further into several Asian countries including Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia and just recently, China. They reached the Team Elite level at the end of 2002.

Craig and Dixie enjoy a highly leveraged income from over thirty countries around the world, most of which they have never visited, and have a massive and growing group of people whose lives they have indirectly touched and made better through the Nu Skin Enterprises opportunity. “We believe Nu Skin Enterprises is truly a business of the new age. While building a business and improving our own lives, we have helped many others to do the same. We have become better people for it and had the pleasure of encouraging others to develop to their fullest potential.”

Craig and Dixie now enjoy a lifestyle most people dream of – they choose when they work, they have made good friends all over the world, travel extensively and pursue their other passions including investing in developments and building luxury homes. They appreciate their privileged position that enables them to offer their time and financial assistance to many humanitarian causes.

Last year Craig and Dixie joined other Nu Skin distributors from around the world on a trip to Malawi, Africa to see the Nourish the Children Initiative in action. It was a life-changing trip and both came back deeply affected by what they saw. With the support of the Nu Skin team and friends and family in Perth, a fund raiser was put on which raised $21,500 for the model village of Mtalimanja so that the villagers could buy a truck to transport their excess product to market. Along with their Team Elite friends from Sweden and the US, enough money was raised to achieve this.

“We believe that the Nourish the Children and Build a Village Project Initiatives are perhaps the most inspiring programs Nu Skin Enterprises has launched yet. It allows us all to take the principle of WIN–WIN a step further and bring in ‘service to humanity’ as an integral part of our Nu Skin Enterprises businesses” says Dixie. “Being involved in projects such as these is a truly enriching and meaningful experience.”