In December of 1974 Chen came to Utah with his wife Oi Lin and infant
daughter to continue his education at Brigham Young University to fill the
gaps he felt in his knowledge of chemistry and microbiology. "My goal wasn't
to get a degree but to study." Chen began his four years at BYU by
concentrating on chemistry, then switched his emphasis to microbiology, then
back to chemistry. He earned a meager living working as a teaching
assistant. By early 1978 his wife was pregnant with their second child, a
son.
Chen moved his family to Texas in the hope of getting into the University of
Texas medical school. Given the social climate of the day, Chen felt that
Americans wouldn't share his enthusiasm for herbs unless he validates
himself with medical degree. He applied to several medical school without
success.
"The longer I stayed in the United States," he recalls of what was easily the
nadir of his adult life, "it seemed the American dream became farther and
farther away from me." In retrospect Chen is glad he wasn't accepted, but at
the time he was deeply discouraged.
When the family returned to Utah Chen had seven dollars and fifty cents in
his pocket, not enough for an apartment. With a pregnant wife and a
four-year-old daughter, Chen faced the prospect of living out of his battered
car. "I was on the street and we didn't know where to go and I thought, 'Boy,
if I had an extra hundred bucks right now I'd be so happy.'" A hundred
dollars was all he needed to get into an apartment but it may as well have
been a million.
[CONTINUED BELOW]
The family's brief period of destitution proved essential to the formulation of
the direct-marketing concept that would become the heart of Sunrider's
success.
"I thought, 'It would be so nice to have a second income, some extra money
when I need it.'" An easily accessible means to earn a second income, he
decided, would be a powerful motivator. "I started to put the two
together--my love of herbs and my dream to help people with a second
income. That's where I first got the idea to make a business that used
multi-level marketing to give people the opportunity to become
successful."
Chen worked odd jobs until finding work doing research for herb companies
like Nature's Way and Nature's Sunshine. This experience proved valuable in
starting Sunrider.
"Most herb companies just grind up herbs and put them in capsules," says
Chen. "They say certain herbs are for certain diseases. I had a different
philosophy. I knew if we can nourish the body properly and allow it to
function as it was originally designed, then it should be able to regulate itself.
I want to focus on keeping the body healthy instead of curing disease."
While he worked to support the family, Oi Lin studied to qualify for a medical
license. During this difficult period Chen's third child, a daughter, was born.
By 1982 Oi Lin received her M.D. certificate and gave birth to a fourth, a son.
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