About Us

For thousands of years, business has been about competition, not co-operation. The term “dog eat dog” world of business was a very graphic description. Compassion and caring were never part of a business plan, and profit justified any action. Martha C. Van Drielen, Rph

A new day dawns, a day of co-operation rather than competition, of championships not champions, of supportive teams rather than rugged individuals. How do we transition from selling “our dream” to finding “their dream?” How does “my dream” and “your dream” become “our dream?” What better person to paint word pictures of these changes than my beautiful wife, Martha “Marty” Van Drielen.

Marty graduated Magnum Cum Laude from the “other USC,” the University of South Carolina school of pharmacy. After graduation she set up a hospital pharmacy in the new Chart Oaks Hospital, which was an unprecedented achievement for a fledgling pharmacist. Next, she was instrumental in setting up a poison control program, manned by volunteers, for the state of South Carolina. Her outstanding achievements resulted in her inclusion in “Who’s Who Of Young Women Of America” 1979.

After moving to California, which is one of the three states that does not acknowledge her pharmacist license, she became a department head at a subsidiary of the Hearst Corporation where she turned her magnificent intellect into cataloging drug interactions using a drug data bases running on a main frame computer.

That’s where Marty was when Tom Van Drielen met her. She was a single mom with two children and working a seventy hour week plus a three hour daily commute. She had no time, little money after taxes, and was bone weary. For her whole working career she had the maximum income tax deducted from her paychecks, and still had to pay more on April 15^th.

Tom was able to show her how to create a business using a little known format the IRS identifies as NESB (no employee small business). The year she claimed her NESB, she earned a refund of several thousand dollars. From that time onward, she has encouraged people with just employee income to start a small secondary income stream. The effort is minuscule compared to the benefits.

After Marty married Tom, she left her high pressure job and joined Tom as co-owner of his two conventional small businesses. However, her inquisitive mind was always looking for ways to help people create more income without a lot of time. She studied stock investments, no money down seminars, real estate flipping, and dozens of other business ideas.

Three years later, the people who introduced Tom and Marty, introduced Marty to the idea of multiple income streams, coupled with life coaching. As they discussed the pros and cons of this new business concept they realized it was a way to change the finances, health, interpersonal relationships, and overall quality of life for thousands of people. Our city, our state, our nation, and perhaps even the world needs to understand the benefits (and pitfalls) of creating multiple streams of income integrated with life coaching.

Thomas R. "Tom" Van Drielen tomv@symbiosis4u.us

Tom has an eclectic educational background. In 1958 he abandoned a full academic scholarship to serve in the US Navy. After fulfilling his military commitments, Tom returned to college for the next couple of decades.

Since Tom was not interested in earning a degree in order to get a job, he followed Emerson’s recommendation that “an education should NOT teach a person how to make a living, but how to live.” Consequently, he studied such diverse subjects as engineering, psychology, poetry, five languages, and theology. He graduated from Western Seminary in 1973.

While a senior at Western, Tom started his first business which allowed him to support his family of four, plus education expenses, while working only ten hours a week. Since then he has partnered with, or wholly owned, such diverse manufacturing companies that his finger prints are on parts located 26,000 miles up in space, and 6 miles down in the earth … plus the easy places in between.

In 1987, Tom started Van Drielen Machine a family owned company that specializes in product development with customers like Intel, IBM, Apple, Acuson, Applied Materials, and others. Van Drielen Machine is now owned and operated by Tom’s three sons.

In 1992, Tom personally wrote and was awarded two patents in the field of archery. Those patents formed the basis for Sssh Archery Products. He manufactured and marketed SSSH (Safe, Solid, Silent, Hunter) products internationally until his heart attack in 2001 which forced him to make some difficult business decisions.

In 1993, Tom’s wife Martha (Marty) … who has an equally fascinating background … started Symbiosis Enterprises, a flexible marketing company. In 1994, Tom joined Symbiosis as vice president in charge of product development.

In 2010, Tom added RedOx Machines (say Red Ox) for triple conditioning drinking water to the Symbiosis Enterprises line card. RedOx Machines fill a unique niche in the market place (our competitors products, made in China, cost ten times more than our Made In America machines). RedOx Machines also has a unique “satisfaction prior to purchase” marketing program … a result of the 9^th corollary which includes the change from “Caveat Emptor” (buyer beware), to “Caveat Mercator” (merchant beware).

“Corollaries” which identify historic, current, and newly emerging beliefs (paradigms) that govern society … and business. If you don’t know the nine corollaries of the Information Age, you are probably flying blindfolded.

“The Accidental Business” describes a time in the near future when only 10% of the population have conventional jobs. 50 million jobs have already disappeared.

“Uncommon Common Sense” describes investing in our sluggish economy without involving the stock market or real estate.

“Entrepreneurial DNA” (Kindle format available at Amazon) shows why humans are entrepreneurs by birth, how to discover your creative side, how to evaluate potential opportunities, and more.

All four books are available at Tom’s website http://www.symbiosis4u.us . Three of Tom’s eBooks, plus a wide selection of eBooks by other authors, are free.

A fifth book, “The Human Trinity” is in process. This book defines and differentiates the three elements of a human: Body, Soul, and Spirit.

For the past fifteen years, Tom has been studying changes in the marketplace. As a result of his studies, he is invited to speak at marketing clubs, entrepreneurs groups, and meet ups in Silicon Valley. Topics range from "Creating a viral elevator speech," to "Ask what the marketplace wants from you," to "Six reasons people shop," to "Three old trends and three new trends in business," plus a variety of other presenations.

When you contact Tom to invite him to speak, he will ask the following questions. How long may he speak? What is the socio-economic mix of your group? How many people typically attend? What is the primary reason people attend? What do you want your group to "come away with?"