Why did you choose direct sales as the channel of distribution for Lightyear?
JH: In 2001, I was part of a three-way merger between Lightyear, our company, VarTec Telecom and Excel Communications, and Excel asked me to run its network marketing channel in 2001. I learned about the network marketing business from the top down. When we didn’t complete the merger, Sherman, my father, and I left Excel and VarTec, and came back to Lightyear. We decided in 2003 that it would be advantageous for us to launch into a new channel and start a direct selling division of Lightyear. DSN: Why change the company name from Lightyear Alliance to Lightyear Wireless? JH: We changed the Lightyear Alliance name because we have the Verizon contract that nobody else has, and we have been a full-service telecom company, but we really looked at it as wireless is the future. People associated our company with other products, so we decided to put a stake in the ground. We are Lightyear Wireless going forward, because that’s all we’re really doing. DSN: Were there any challenges launching L
