Helen Keller once said, “Although the world is full of suffering, the world is also full of overcoming of it.” Oftentimes, part of being a leader means facing obstacles and learning how to overcome them. We’re proud to feature this next couple who have a story to tell and laughter to share — introducing Albert and Howie Maglines.
Hailing from California, Albert and Howie actually met when they were in middle school. They grew up together as good friends. Their light and easy friendship is easy to tell as you hear them laughing and joking around for most of the interview. After high school, they went their separate ways, but they found their way back into each other’s lives. They recently celebrated their 20th anniversary, and they have a house full of boys to celebrate with. They have 5 boys at home, 4 of which have muscular dystrophy. Three of them are in wheelchairs and 1 requires full-time care around the clock at their house. Because of opportunities in this industry and being a part of Bonvera, they can afford full-time care to stay at home with their boys around the clock. Albert described it, “Our time is our most valuable asset, and our time has been able to get back. We definitely are in a stronger position than we’ve ever been. We aren’t stressed about money like we used to be.” It’s because of this industry, their hard work, and their perspective.
Before joining Bonvera, Albert and Howie were in different industries. Howie worked as a dental assistant for 10 years, and Albert worked in law enforcement as a deputy probation officer. As a probation officer, he worked both juvenile and adult caseloads as well as specialized units that supervised the most violent offenders with gang affiliations. They had great careers, but they were looking at other ways to make money. They were in seasons of their lives where they were growing a lot personally already seeking out ways to better themselves and improve. They were familiar with the network marketing industry having both been in other businesses earlier on. Albert described that he first tried out a business right after graduating from college, and Howie explained that she loved all things makeup and skin care and had tried a few makeup and skin care network marketing companies. After leaving the probation department, Albert invested his time and energy into building his real estate and network marketing businesses. Howie also began working in her father’s tax business as a tax preparer. An added bonus is that many of her clients are now learning about the advantages that come with operating a business from home!
Howie reiterated, “We’re friendly enough where people approach us, and we’re always supportive. If it’s skin care or makeup, I’m in! I love skin care and I love to take care of my skin. I’m artsy enough that I’ve done weddings for people. I had products, so I would sell those products and make money. I had fun, and I was making some money. I’m glad that we were exposed early on to the industry. We know what is out there.” Albert then explained the value the education system provided too saying, “We fell in love with the education system, and this was the first time we were exposed to books and tapes. We were blown away by the power of this information. To the point that we really weren’t concerned about the products, we just fell in love with the learning. There was so much value in the learning and in association with the people.”
Day to day, Albert and Howie are “business owners first and foremost.” Because of their hard work and diligence to seek out multiple streams of income, they have multiple businesses they manage. However, because of that, they don’t work traditional jobs, and they can take the time to take care of their kids. They hope that through this opportunity, they’ve been able to instill in their kids that “they can still do anything.” Albert said, “You are only limited by your thinking. You don’t have to have these limitations by your time or money. We teach them by our actions. Despite our circumstances, we still choose to think positively.” Howie added, “Even our kids have noticed us reading all the time, and they’ve started reading some of the same books we’re reading. They’ll joke often about the Personality Plus book picking on each other as cholerics or phlegmatics.”
Even through all the difficulties and obstacles Albert and Howie are describing, you can hear the joy in their voices and the laughter echoing through their home. Albert said that together what makes them so unique is their “tenacity.” He said, “We’ve been hit with many things, but we get back up. Our relationship and marriage has survived. It’s been our tenacity, our willingness to stay focused despite our circumstances, that has been so important.” Howie agreed, “Commitment. We can walk away if we need to go and get perspective, but we’re just committed. I’m not going anywhere. I’m just faithful.”
This couple went along with a few fun questions for us, and here’s how they answered!
If you were a vegetable, what would you be and why?
Albert said, “Off the top of my head, I’d be a carrot. Carrots help you see. Carrots help you have sight, and if I can help somebody have sight, hey, we’re good. I’m a carrot.”
Albert said for Howie, “She would be moringa!” Howie added, “Actually, we’ve been eating this for a long long time. In the Philippines, there is a moringa tree in front of our house. We eat it daily, but they pronounce it differently there.” With all that Howie does for her businesses, her family, and her self, we said she sounds a lot like a superfood. She replied, “Yeah, I kind of am Super Mom and I try to do as much as I can for them. There are things that only Mom can do.”
What are your hobbies?
Howie answered, “We try out different restaurants. We don’t live to eat, we eat to enjoy. Savor and make some comments about the food. There are so many different places to eat in San Jose. We often say, ‘Hey let’s go try this out.’” Albert added, “We go out on a lot of dates. We do a lot of dreambuilding. We’ve been trying to find some BBQ like Kansas City. One time, we even went to 2 BBQ restaurants in a night.”
What do you love to do with your boys?
Albert replied, “We do like to get out. One of the victories we had was getting transportation in a 4 transit van. We modified it, and I put some better seats in there. We are able to get out and do little small excursions. We call it the van life. It’s comfortable, and there’s a lot of space. We have this goal to be able to travel with the boys to some local places. We love small getaways.”
If you could only eat one dessert for the rest of your life, what would you choose?
Albert joked, “When you say dessert, does that include fruit? I’m definitely a watermelon guy or pineapple. I just love that. Close second is a maple donut.” Albert added, “I’m trying to do the keto diet, and the boys have a Phyzix MD regimen they are doing too. I’m doing really good, but in the evening, Howie is like ‘let’s go get some donuts.’”
Howie laughed, “There’s a donut place that’s open 24 hours, and that’s the only place that when I see Albert driving somewhere I know that’s where he’s going. I’ll tell him you’re doing so good with your keto diet, but that specific Cruller donut is so good. It’s light and fluffy. My kids are like ‘why do you like it so much?” and I’m like ‘try it.’”
Albert and Howie closed this interviewing by encouraging others saying, “Don’t quit. Seek mentorship. Get around and get to know the leaders and the business.” Their wish for people is to go for it because it’s worth it. We’re so honored to have this couple with the Bonvera community. Thank you for taking the time to get to know them. If you’re interested in learning more or getting connected to an entrepreneur in your local area, contact support@bonvera.com or call (316) 260 – 2225.