Dawn Wright Olivares – ZeekRewards COO Interview by Ted Nuyten BusinessforHome.org

by admin on March 4, 2012

Dawn Wright Olivares is Chief Operation Officer (COO) at ZeekRewards and Zeekler, a division of Rex Venture Group LLC. The company burst onto the scene in 2011 and has very quickly become a leader in the reverse auction industry.

Zeek Rewards is an advertising division of Zeekler.com, which is a reverse auction website and an MLM income opportunity for marketing professionals. The company offers a 2×5 Forced-fill matrix. As of March 2012 the company had an estimated 277,000+  affiliates. In 2011 Zeekrewards had 15 full time employees.

Dawn is living in Ozark, Arkansas, USA and engaged with Alex de Brantes. She has 2 daughters, Emily and Suzi, and 1 son, Jon. She has 25 years MLM field leadership; 10 years software development; 15 years corporate marketing strategist; 15 years creative development and team leadership. Recently Dawn was a speaker at the prestigious Association Of Network Marketing Professionals.

ZeekRewards has the Nr. 1 website in the world according to the Alexa rankings as of March 2012. Ted Nuyten had the honor to interview Dawn Wright Olivares.

Dawn, how did you got involved in Zeek Rewards as Chief Operating Officer and what field experience do you have?

My promotion to Chief Operating Officer occurred in October 2011. I have been with the company 12+ years and have been working by Paul’s side for the past three years very heavily since the launch of FSCAuctions which eventually became Zeekler.  Back in the day I started out as software, graphics and systems development which over the years also became strategic and project development and management.

In 2010, I took on a larger role and by 2011 I was developing then managing most of the departments for Paul.  I initially focused on the creation of  Zeek’s product and then when Paul came up with the ZeekRewards concept and momentum started to build – I then increased my focus to internal expansion and compliance.  Paul and I both realized that I simply wasn’t the International Marketing Director anymore and looked for a title that better described what it was I did and that title was C.O.O.

Dawn Wright Olivares – Daughter Suzi – Fiancee Alex de Brantes

I have over 25 years field experience and leadership that began in my late teens with Mary Kay and Amway.  My first real success was with a weight loss and neutraceuticals company called E’ola. Skybiz was my first corp entry with a rescue project for the McCullough family called “Planet Skybiz.”  Dan and I (Zeek’s Master Programmer and my step-son) were a software and web design team and they needed a hand.

In 1999 we were scooped up by a company with corrupt ownership where I brought 16,000 reps in a matter of 5 weeks as the voice of that project.  They promoted me to VP Marketing, hired Dan as head of IT and moved us out to California before they took Dan, myself and the reps to the cleaners and left us high and dry (never paid a single check).  After licking my wounds we joined a consortium of top MLM leaders but after being bitten by two more companies soon after I vowed I’d never be another companies voice or build another field organization.

I was then introduced to Paul Burks and have never looked at working with another owner in the industry since.  This is the first project I have been the voice for since…because of my trust in Paul.

Zeekler is a cool entertainment shopping experience with Penny Auctions, eCommerce and wholesale stores. ZeekRewards is it’s affiliate program that drives traffic and customers through online advertising and word-of-mouth promotions.  The two together have driven us to nr. 455 and nr. 2380 Alexa traffic ratings and are taking the world by storm.

Nowadays with the weak economy more and more people are looking for a second income. What can these people expect from Zeek Rewards?

Most importantly people can expect to be paid what they earn.  I realize for a new networker that may sound obvious…but it’s not.  There are a great many corrupt companies that come out with nothing more than a website and a promise (parked off-shore without an ounce of true back-bone or legitimacy) that will take the money and run.

Second, they can expect our products to stay out in front of the trends and for us to keep it fresh, fun and exciting.  Last, they can count on our commitment to compliance.  We are scooping up the greatest minds in this industry for this project to be in compliance with the laws that govern every aspect of this project.

With the rising number of Direct Sales companies, how can someone who’s interested in the business know if a company is reliable?

Doing your due diligence is critical.  Check out the ownership and longevity of the company.  I would recommend doing a background check on the owner first.  Then ask the hard questions: “Do they have experience?”, “Are they well-respected in this industry?”, “Do they have a strong BBB rating?”, “Where are they located?”, “Do they have a strong team?  Both corp and IT?”

Nothing can cripple a company faster than lack of IT.  I’ve seen too many companies SAY they have automation, throw up a site and pretend it’s all in place while they scramble for a cheap, off-shore team they’ve never met and they simply never get off the ground.

Last, if you can afford to make the trip…meet the team.  Legitimate companies have bricks and mortar buildings and real people in them.  Schedule an appointment and either go personally or have someone close in proximity that you trust make the trip.

ZeekRewards Income Disclosure Statement for 2011

Zeek Rewards has incredible growth, what is the reason for the success?

Haha…the stars aligned!  I would love to be able to say it was one specific thing but I think it was a combination of many things and a little bit of magical fairy dust (and a lot of prayer).  Zeek is a phenomenon. From our iconic little penny, the team and the ownership…to the leaders who gathered and said “this is it” – from the product to the comp plan.  It is a bit of a “rubix cube” puzzle and all of the colors simply matched up.

It’s also a matter of trust.  All of the “wow” factor and product and team and comp can be there…but if the field doesn’t see the company’s integrity…all is lost.  A rock-solid relationship has formed.  One of mutual trust, loyalty, integrity and community.  Zeek is a family now.  Being a part of something this special comes along once in a life-time.  Everyone who is here understands that and we cherish it.  I think that’s what translates in every language across every culture.

Have you been surprised by the exponential growth? The Alexa Rankings shows awesone visitors numbers.

Surprised? No.  We’re way beyond surprised…Shock and awe are better words.   We saw exponential growth and momentum once before with FreeStoreClub (where we grew to 3 million in 175 countries) which is why we were able to handle lightening striking again with Zeek.

Zeekrewards Alexa Rankings Over 1 million visitors per month

Massive success means often for any company, criticizer and people spreading rumors. How do you deal with that?

Quite honestly?  We do our best to put it on “ignore.”  Those types of things can serve as large distractions if we let them and we don’t have the time or desire to engage in such things. A long time ago I was told: “Some people build the tallest building.

Other people tear the buildings around them down…so that theirs APPEARS the tallest.” When you are focused on building the tallest building, scrapping in the mud is not on the priority list.

Zeek rewards started a compliance initiative, what can you tell about that?

Our compliance initiative actually began a year ago when Zeek began.  We recognized we were a category creator and started hiring top attorneys and consultants early on because when you do something no ones ever done before…you simply don’t know what you don’t know.   We first hired Nehra and Waak.  Then Dr. Keith Laggos.  They did the first run at it.

We needed to increase our staff and resources proportionate to our growth and our expected growth, and adjust to all the changes in privacy laws and regulations…. The laws and the internet are always moving…. and when you have a growing field force and their ability to reach people in massive quantities through social media, search engines, You Tube and the like we knew we needed to be on top of it and way out in front – so we hired Kevin Grimes of Grimes & Reese who recommended Greg Caldwell (Investigator/Compliance Expert – White Hat Solutions).

Then Howard Kaplin (KapTax) and Mark Bonefant & Larry Steinberg – and the prestigious list keeps growing.  We also launched the “ZeekSquad” which is a volunteer field squad to police field compliance and  we’ll soon be launching Kevin Grimes’ MLMComplianceVT course to the field as well.

We are focused on both the field and corp compliance equally.  We all feel strongly that Zeek is worth protecting on every level…both the corp team and field leadership are all very protective of this project and it’s affiliates.

When so many people count on you for their livelihoods…you do whatever it takes to ensure it’s sustainability.  I tell the field all of the time:  “We are a category creator…we must remain agile and be willing to shift as we grow.  We will do whatever it takes to remain compliant with the law and to do the next right thing to preserve and protect Zeek.”

What wishes, goals and plans do you have for the future?

I am working to get our auctions tripled in quantity next quarter, to create relationships that will allow bid currency to buy a great deal more than the click of a bid button and to attract strong advertising sponsorships.  We want Zeek to be a top contender in online shopping and group buying as well as in Penny Auctions and MLMs.

Do you have a success tip for a newbie in our industry?

Yes.  Be patient, loyal, totally committed to both your dream and your company and be willing to grow.  Someone has lied to the newbies of the industry and told them to diversify instantly, have no loyalty and no commitment level whatsoever which is why our beloved industry is in the condition it’s in.  The leaders of this industry (old-school like myself) will all tell you the same thing.

To build a massive, residual sales organization takes time, clarity of intention, sacrifice and serious commitment.  It’s a process.  It’s about mentorship and relationships.  It’s about trusting and being trusted.  It’s about “Be.  Do.  Have.”  You must first BE what others who are successful are, then DOING what they have done…to then HAVE what it is they have.  There are no short-cuts. It’s also a totally worthy journey.  There is nothing like living life on your own terms…so NEVER GIVE UP.

Photo’s made by Colby Moore Photography

Tagged as: Alex de Brantes, Dawn Wright-Olivares, Zeek Rewards, Zeekler, Zeekrewards Alexa Rankins, Zeekrewards Compliance, ZeekRewards Income Disclosure Statement for 2011, Zeekrewards MLM