In 1997, a grainy and small, quarter-inch video caught the attention of Craig Ellins and Amy Black. Streamed over the internet and unencumbered by the use of a movie player, Ellins and Black saw in this the future of web-based technology: streaming video online without file transfers or a complex technical process to inhibit the message. With the goal of democratizing streaming video in mind, helloNetwork was born. A simple concept but one way ahead of its time: Make streaming video easy and affordable enough for all to use.
There was success in this vision. Great success. One which grew the company to an employee base of over 160 with offices in Las Vegas, New York, San Francisco and Tokyo. But as success often does when it comes fast and furious, Ellins and Black soon found themselves guided by Wall Street management and at the helm of a company veering quickly down a path it never intended to take. A path which set its sights on procuring the business of Fortune 500 companies instead of offering its products to the general public as was originally intended.
Following the events of September 11th, helloNetwork fell victim to the widespread market crash that affected a majority of technology-based companies. Large enterprises were no longer investing in multi-million dollar streaming systems jeopardizing the dream that Ellins and Black had tirelessly fought to procure. But their dream was not lost, merely transformed…In November of 2001, amid a shaken nation, Ellins and Black returned to their original vision and created VMdirect.
Instead of pursuing a Wall Street path, VMdirect would follow an aggressive Affiliate marketing program. The reason? A peer to peer sales system not only moves product but rewards the sellers, in this case, both the company and the affiliate. Capitalizing on the viral nature of its product, affiliate marketing benefits all parties involved in the transaction. Imagine a tool with the viral potential of Hotmail, GMail, Yahoo or even AOL-- person to person, sending email after email and spreading the product till it boasts users up to 170 million email accounts-- AND with the opportunity for those involved to earn money from their viral efforts. Recognizing this potential is what drove VMdirect to succeed: creating a powerful network marketing system designed to reward those who use and share the powerful products with others, rather then paying the profits to an elite Wall Street circle.
In early 2003, VMdirect joined forces with network marketing legend Richard Kall, a man who continues to yield millions in residual income from business organizations he built 20 years ago. As a distributor, Kall led six companies to grand success with his hard work and innovated dedication. Immediately confident in the success of the company’s product (more specifically, the ease of its use, implications for self-publishing and individual empowerment over the Internet) Kall signed on to invest in the company, becoming Chairman of RazorStream, VMdirect’s co-technology company. He confirmed Ellins’ and Black’s original vision, that individuals could reach their financial goals, have fun and help others communicate online all at the same time!
With the launch of its newly revamped helloWorld 5.0 platform in the third quarter of 2006, VMdirect continues to strengthen its position within an industry poised on the edge of eruption. Offering a powerful network of globally positioned individuals and a cutting edge product aligned with a world-class compensation plan, the stage is set for a generation of network marketing never before seen.
