Buck and Donna Steffens
From Motor Home to Penthouse: Buck and Donna Steffens
Within 90 days, it all came crashing down around Buck and Donna Steffens. They had been successful entrepreneurs, made good money and lived among the movie stars in California. And then, over the course of only three months, a bad investment cost them everything, save their tiny, 230-square-foot motor home, which would become their home for three years. “It was so tiny”, Donna says, her voice trembling with emotion as she recalls that dark time, “If I was sitting in the back, Buck had to sin in the front – we couldn’t even be together.” That was before World Leadership Group entered the picture.
Several years later, the couple would put their faith in World Leadership Group and its founder, Hubert Humphrey-a decision that would bring that turbulent time to a close and launch them into a lifestyle they used to only dream about in their motor home. For Buck, a former Marine sergeant, it was the greatest battle and sweetest victory. “We have a magical lifestyle,” Buck says, surveying his view from the 22nd floor of a Las Vegas Penthouse. “We’re very, very blessed.”
Limos – Not Logging Trucks
Even as a kid, Buck dreamed big. Growing up in Oregon, he saw his friends go into the logging business; he wanted no part of it. “All the kids wanted to drive logging trucks,” he says. “I preferred dreaming of limos.”
After he left the Marines, Buck ventured into financial services with a focus on military personnel. He was very successful. So, too, was Donna, who was enjoying a prosperous career in corporate America. The two would meet, fall in love and then marry in 1982. Two years later, Buck was offered the chance to work in Europe, an opportunity they both embraced. “We ran away from home,” Buck says, “and had ourselves an extended honeymoon.”
When Donna’s dad fell ill, the Steffens returned to the United States, and Buck resumed financial planning for military personnel. The couple settled in Carmel, California, “Nine houses down from Clint Eastwood,” Buck is quit to note – and did exceedingly well. “We were so successful, though, that the company actually eliminated the product I was selling,” he says. They bounced to another company before venturing out on their own.
And that’s when an investment went sour. Having dumped everything they had into the venture – taking a loan against not only their house, but Donna’s mother’s house, for which they had been paying, as well – the Steffens were left flat broke. “We had no income; absolutely nothing coming in,” Buck says. And that’s when they parked their motor home on the beach and plotted a way out, subsisting on packaged noodles and dreams.
In Need of Change
Meanwhile, they told no one about their circumstance, including Donna’s mother, meaning they had to somehow find a way to continue making mortgage payments for her despite having no steady income. Not any easy feat and it was not an easy time.
They began working in real estate, buying foreclosures, hoping to turn them for a profit. They had rented a makeshift office near their motor home and began to make a little money.
But it wasn’t enough, “All our cash was paying for the office, Donna’s mom’s house and the motor home,” Buck recalls. “At the end of every month, we were upside down $2500 to $3000.” Debt mounted to the tune of some $300,000. Still, they pushed forward and their real estate venture eventually started to pay off. They were able to fix their only car and actually put some money in the bank. The future was no looking rosy, but it certainly looked less grim.
That’s when Buck called the headquarters of World Leadership Group. He had met some WLG associates and elected to go straight to the source; he called the owner, Hubert Humphrey. “The operation just made sense.” Buck says and, in no time, he was sold on the company’s revolutionary concepts.
The Great Comeback
The Steffens shut down their real estate business and jumped headfirst into World Leadership Group. In his fifth month, Buck made $3000. After that, their monthly income skyrocketed, due to their hard work and perseverance in following WLG’s Leadership Format System. Three year after joining the company, they were earning a seven-figure annual income.
That kind of financial security has allowed them to do things they never dreamed they would ever be able to afford. They drive brand new Hummers and have several pieces of property all over America, including a new home on a golf course for Donna’s mom. “Now her last years will be comfortable,” Donna says. The couple splits time between San Diego and Las Vegas, where they own a $3,000,000 penthouse overlooking the Strip. They also recently pledged $100,000 to the WLG foundation to support My House, a special home for abused and neglected children, all while taking care of their team. “Teamwork makes the dream work,” Donna says of their selfless philosophy. “And best of all, now we can sit together no matter where we go.”
Even as a kid, growing up in Oregon, I dreamed BIG. While my friends were dreaming about driving logging trucks, I dreamed of riding in limousines! I learned early that if you want to live a big life, you need to dream big dreams.
I was introduced to the financial services industry shortly after leaving the Marine Corps, and needless to say, I have been reasonably successful. Enough so, that shortly after Donna and I got married, we had the opportunity to run away from home and move to Europe to live, work, and play (but not necessarily in that order!). Our extended honeymoon came to an end, however, with the illness of Donna's father; bringing us back to the United States. We settled in the picturesque city by the sea Carmel, California. For you golfers; thats right next to Pebble Beach and for you Hollywood enthusiasts; we were nine doors down from Clint Eastwood! Suffice it to say, we were living that big dream that I had started so long ago.
Looking to reach that next plateau and conquer the world, however, we had placed a great deal of faith and more than all of our money into a dot com related investment, and unfortunately, our dream life came crashing down around us. In a few short months, we were left only with our RV and a rapidly growing pile of debt. Most people would have cashed in their chips, thrown in their hand, and given up. Not Buck and Donna! You couldn't kill our dream or our winners spirit that easily! We cinched up our boots, tightened our belts a notch or two, and went back to work. There were times, however, when that motor home got a little crowded! YES, with no other choice, we had moved into the RV!
Thankfully, today, we are much wiser, and those days are long behind us, as our successes in financial services have been greater than ever. The tough times made us wiser and stripped us of the rose colored glasses that once blinded us from reality. Just over a year ago, we noticed some disturbing trends in our industry. We saw the companies we worked with, and the industry as a whole, begin to let people down not only hurting their representatives, but their consumers as well. Tempered by the mistakes of our past, we recognized the immediate need for change. And thanks to the tenacity of some very special people, too numerous to mention here, that change came to us in the form of a company called FDI.
Never before have we had the right combination of Products, People, and Prosperity that FDI brings to its members.
The bottom line is that our dreams now are bigger than ever, and we have the right vehicle to take our business anywhere we want to go we only hope that when we look in the passenger seat, you're there with us!
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