Chuck and Tammi Gates
When Chuck and Tammi Gates boarded a ship for a Mexico cruise in June, it was a dream come true. Not the cruise—they’d been to more exotic places. But this trip was different because following behind Chuck and Tammi were all three of their children and all seven of their grandchildren.
“It was the first time we’d all been together in seven years,” says Tammi, who tears up as she recalls the once-in-a-lifetime vacation. “We had grandchildren who weren’t born yet the last time our family was all together. Some family members had never met each other. It was a huge emotional moment for us to bring everyone together.”
That moment was made possible by a Diamond bonus that covered not only the cruise, but airfare and debit cards with spending money for everyone. “We even brought a nanny so the moms and dads could have some time alone,” Chuck smiles.
“It was amazing to watch the grandkids play in the swimming pool and color together,” Tammi adds. “Then to see our kids go out at night and enjoy each other—we never could have done that without ASEA and how they reward their people.”
But compensation is only part of what Tammi and Chuck love about ASEA, a company they first heard about in 2009 after spending their entire married lives working in network marketing.
“I looked at my first network marketing company when I was 19,” recalls Chuck. “When I understood the business model and saw what other people had achieved, I started to understand residual income. If they had chosen that for their so-called ‘job,’ I could too. So when Tammi and I got married, we began looking for the right company—a company where we could achieve the financial goals we had set for ourselves.”
While Chuck knew he wanted to make network marketing his career, Tammi was more tentative. “My dad was a highway patrolman, and my mom was clerical,” she explains. “I was raised to get as much college as you could afford, then go out and get the best dollar-per-hour job you could find. Then you worked hard, earned promotions and raises, and built your résumé.
“Then I met Chuck,” she continues. “He said, ‘Tammi, it doesn’t work that way. We want to own our lives and have time and money freedom.’”
Chuck plunged into entrepreneurism, but it wasn’t until he and Tammi had their three kids that Tammi attended her first network marketing meeting. “I heard how compensation plans work and, well, all I can say is, my mama didn’t raise a dumb girl, right? I jumped on board with Chuck, and we’ve worked together ever since.”
It took time for Tammi’s parents to believe that Chuck’s choice was a viable career. “Her dad told me several times that I just needed to get a job,” Chuck admits. “However, when he saw us winning cars and building homes, he began to change his tune.”
Tammi notes that, once her father saw that network marketing could provide safety and security for the young family, “he told both of us how proud he was of what Chuck had chosen to do. I lost him about a year ago, and it means a lot that he understood and was proud of the choices we had made.”
Chuck and Tammi have spent 27 years in network marketing, gaining tremendous experience and expertise and learning to capitalize on each of their strengths. They built successful teams at other companies, but in 2009, they were looking for something more.
“We had a list of non-negotiables,” Chuck explains. “We were looking for skilled corporate executives. We wanted honesty and transparency. We wanted field leadership we could be friends with. And we wanted a product that was exclusive, a product that people could use regardless of their age or gender—a product that could benefit everyone.”
Chuck and Tammi found that and much more with ASEA. “We began to trust again,” Tammi observes. “We had finally found a place where everything we had visualized and dreamed of could actually come to fruition.” The couple attended ASEA’s first convention in September 2010 and have never looked back.
“We launched fast and hard,” recalls Chuck, who excels at the face-to-face part of the business. He enjoys planting seeds and encouraging vision and passion, while Tammi is active on social media, talking about the lifestyle of network marketing and gathering prospects that way.
The Gates keep success simple for their potential team members.
“We tell people they don’t have to know the ins and outs or the science and technology,” Chuck notes. “They just need to know they’re not alone. The training and support is already there. We took a machete, cut down the trees, and built the freeway. All you have to do is follow the road.”
And the road that Chuck and Tammi have paved is impressive. “We’ve been able to put money aside, make investments, and prepare for our retirement,” says Chuck. “It’s still a job, and we work hard. But we get to dictate the schedule.”
“We joke a lot that our week looks like Saturday, Saturday, Saturday, Sunday,” Tammi adds.
Because the Gates can grow their business from anywhere, they’re fulfilling their lifelong dream of being snowbirds. The two leave the cold Montana temperatures behind after Christmas and head south for the winter in their 40-foot fifth wheel with four slide-outs (“We call her Queenie,” says Tammi) and a one-ton pickup (“His name is Gus,” she adds). Queenie and Gus got “hitched” two years ago.
“We’re building a legacy now that we can leave to our children and grandchildren,” Chuck concludes. “Years ago, we decided we wanted to own our own lives and enjoy time and money freedom. And ASEA has made that possible.”