Making your passion happen: Anthony Melillo’s Amway story

Anthony Melillo was born into the Amway business – third generation – but he wanted to pursue some other goals before joining his family in the Amway opportunity.

“I had other dreams for myself at the time,” he said.

He was a gifted guitarist, songwriter and self-proclaimed troublemaker in high school who longed to be a performer. He was accepted to Berklee College of Music in Boston, but the opportunity to go out on tour came up, too.

“I thought I could save my college tuition money and start pursuing my passion right away,” Anthony said. “I deferred Berklee and toured with my brothers. We did over 800 concerts in three years.”

During that time, Anthony connected with his childhood best friend who told him someone had just shared the Amway opportunity with him. He and his buddy had always wanted to do something together, so he started to take a fresh look at the family business.

“I felt it was the right time to learn more about the business from my parents,” he said.

New path

It was a big decision for someone who loved music as much as he did, but Anthony was tired of the late nights and a meager income. He set his sights on building a successful Amway business, eventually allowing him the time and money to pursue his passion in music.

“I knew I wasn’t going to make enough money as a traveling musician to live the life I wanted for myself,” he said. “I thought of the Amway business as a way to build financial flexibility. I committed to going all in for a minimum of five years – what’s that compared to a 50-year employment plan?”

Success on his own terms

Anthony was confident he could be more successful with his parents’ guidance, but it was important to him to develop his own success from ground up and not ride on his parents’ coattails. He also wanted to overcome his own self-image.

“I saw myself as a musician, the son who was kicked out of school three times,” Anthony said. “I was afraid that people wouldn’t look to me as a leader.

“But my grandmother said, ‘Whatever you’re weakest in, when you overcome it, you become the greatest teacher in it.’ That was one of many things I learned from my parents and grandparents that inspired me to overcome my fear.”

Mentorship matters

Anthony embraced mentorship, learning that Amway is a people-driven business. His mentors taught him character, human dynamics and how to connect with others. And now he relishes the support he can give to other aspiring business owners who are following their dreams – inside and outside of Amway.

“My mission is to mentor and invest in my Amway team, as well as in up up-and-coming artists,” he said. “We’ve accomplished so many goals and dreams along the way. Two bands I used to cover in high school did live video shoots in studios I’ve opened since starting my Amway business. It’s a dream fulfilled.

“Your business is the vehicle for pursuing what you want for your life.”

Visit our YouTube channel to see what success means to other IBOs, and read more about other people’s Amway stories at Amway Connections.