The Agreement Seekers Blog

Preface :  I did not end up doing the Kangen business and it is not a part of my earning portfolio.  I thought someone might be interested in my thought process should they be considering Kangen as an earning platform. ______________________________ I am writing to convince myself, or to talk-myself-out-of doing the Kangen water business.  I write for catharsis and to organize my thoughts.  At the end of this - my goal is to have made a reasonable justification for moving in either direction by being as brutally honest as I can be with myself and with anyone who reads this. The basic proposition for me is whether my need to make money outweighs the negative press and speculation that exists regarding the Kangen technology and its efficacy.  I sit here, perplexed by the risk of investing $6,000 in a business start-up, but at the same time intrigued by the money and the business model - without having any first hand, tangible knowledge of the product, i.e. I have never tasted the w

Fidelity. In a marriage, this means you promise to love, cherish and forsake all others until death do you part... In business, (in our business) we simply want to make a case for why this is important. There are a million ways to make money.  Many people, if they have not yet been successful with a home business / income vehicle can get easily distracted by the "shiny objects" syndrome.  This takes away their focus from their primary, core endeavor by evaluating and (perhaps) participating in other ways to make money.  Some people are successful in doing this.  Most can't. Our point is this:  if this is your first, real attempt to make money with a home business, stay-the-course and remain faithful to your "core" business, exclusively - until you achieve whatever level of income that enables you to define it as a success. This focus and commitment is extremely important and it is also why we stress so heavily that you do your homework about us - to ga

Understanding change is perhaps the most important ingredient to your success.  It is uncomfortable and most people (can not / will not / do not) openly embrace this discomfort.  As a result, nothing happens and the status quo continues to rule lives, incomes, lifestyles and any hope for making progress toward a goal... no matter what that goal might be. Creating change is analogous to breaking an addiction.  People are "addicted" to the patterns of their lives.  Introducing something new is disruptive and inherently will change these patterns.  Many (most) people can not cope and the "draw" to established and familiar patterns continues to rule their lives.  This is why people stay "stuck" with whatever they are attempting to "change". For our purposes, we help people change their relationship to money - to achieve first, a level of financial stability, and then build on this to higher and higher levels of prosperity.  This all begins with a

Until relatively recently, only businesses and banks could set up automatic withdrawals from our bank accounts or to bill our credit cards.  With the advent of companies like PayPal and with the ability for individuals to set up Merchant Accounts to take credit card payments, a whole NEW business model has evolved to capitalize on this capability. Further, these credit / debit card payments can be set up on a subscription (monthly draft) basis.  The business model we promote and the company we have chosen does exactly this... with a host of digital and on-line services as the products. The reality is, even in light of product availability (which makes the business legally compliant), the "reason" for people getting involved in our business is to plug into a vehicle that provides the opportunity to "make money".  The products are a secondary consideration.  If they have real value (which ours do) it is an added bonus.  As such, there is no "embarrassment&quo

The company we work with recently coined the phrase, "culture of assistance".  This important, first, because it recognizes culture as something we are striving to attain.  On the broadest level, culture means that we share common attitudes, beliefs and values.  Culture is foundational.  It permeates everything and is long-term. Assistance means help.  We assist people in many ways.  We guide people to and through information gathering about what we do.  We help people understand the power and long-term viability of our business model.  We share our personal experiences regarding the value and utility of our products. Ultimately, we provide a service.  We do not sell. People choose to join our business due to thoughtful reasoning, not giddy excitement about the potential, We prefer people who are thorough, initially skeptical and who ask good questions. At the end of the day, our job is 1) to answer those questions, and; 2) then to share strategies and resources to begi

The effect I have on people is the most important currency there is. When talking about the subject of "making money" I understand anyone's natural skepticism. I respond the same way. My challenge is to convey something different and begin a process of establishing credibility and earning trust. The reality is, it is possible to make money using internet businesses. The questions are, how do you get from here to there (and) is there a "vehicle" that is far superior? My honest answer? There are some that are "better than many, and as good as any". Everything has flaws. The key is to choose wisely, get going and stay the course. The more important factor is the people and community that are in place to teach, support and guide you. My job is to help you start from wherever you are in terms of skills, time, budget, knowledge... knowing most people can not simply "plug in" to a system and make it work. Getting there requires personal attentio

What do Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Sears, Bed Bath and Beyond... (you get the idea) have in common?  How about Cracker Barrel, Appleby's and the Olive Garden?  Then, think about all the businesses in between. There are a lot of things I could say about what all the people working in these places have in common.  They need to work because they need money.  More often than not, they are non-union which means they have no rights and are working close to minimum wage. And, more often than not, they are (at minimum) receptive to evaluating a way to make more money. We capitalize on this "market" with a simple little flyer like this, printed 14 to an 8.5 x 11 page. We cut them up, and every time we are out in public they are either left behind, handed directly to people, put in magazines in doctors offices...   We also take them door-to-door in residential neighborhoods, post them in stacks on any bulletin board we can find... This is an easy, inexpensive way

This is to share a philosophy about life, home business and making money with the internet.  The reason for this is to ensure that “everyone is on the same page” as a starting point in considering joining us in a money-making venture. But first, let me tell you just a little about me.  I am a sixty year old father of three adult children.  I work for a local college as a mid-level manager.  Through the years, I have worked in a number of jobs that had 401K plans.  To respond to different situations in my life, I have liquidated two 401K’s and used the money to “stay alive” financially.  Bottom line to all this is that I have no retirement and I am 5-10 years (reasonably) to when I would have hoped to retire.  This is my “why”.  I need residual income in the absence a retirement plan. Everyone you run into will have a different story.  I just thought, as you investigate ways to make money, that you would find it comforting to know I am a real person that wretches at things that d

In cathedrals, people preach doctrine to the masses and expect these teachings will inspire conformity. Any  level of "buy-in" is pre-supposed due to the values people bring when they voluntarily walk through the door.  Those preaching then set out to teach and imbue the followers with the creed of the institution. How does this translate to us as marketers?  We have a temple of our own.  We preach hope through practicality.  On the far end is a goal.  This is where most marketing (today) starts.  Most marketing talks about the "result", not the process it takes to get there.  This is tantamount to assuming you will go to Heaven while not having a firm handle on your belief in God. On this end (the here and now reality - and how we approach things) is a conscious decision to believe or reject the information presented.  In our "church" we want you to actively explore the tenets and come to your own conclusions about "truth".  By doing so, we

Our business model enables us to tap other peoples' funds on a recurring, subscription basis.  This subscription is no different than a magazine and we are the publisher, no different than a health club membership and we are the owner, or if your cable bill is automatically drafted from you bank account on a monthly basis. The specific business we are involved with - is the vehicle (the structure) that makes this possible. We build communities of people who (collectively) are an annuity.  We receive money on a monthly basis from them, who in turn, have the opportunity to build communities of their own. This perpetuates itself.  People buy into the shared values of financial independence through financial inter-dependence. With incremental, small, low risk successes, we teach people to build this annuity.  It is a methodical, common sense approach to increasing levels of financial stability and with time - prosperity. We provide the boat.  You have to get in and row.

Many people understand that a million dollars invested at 6% will yield $60,000 a year in income. This is what any number of investment vehicles are designed to do... accrue a million dollars over a lifetime of savings and investing and then in retirement, live off of the interest.  Yes, this works for some, but not for a lot of people... for a lot of different reasons. There is an alternative: monthly residual income that yields $60K a year.  I want to explain the numbers behind how this is possible with the income with one of the vehicles we use. First, let me say we advocate building progressively by reinvesting profits to build to a $175 a month investment level.  Without getting too deep into the mechanics of this compensation plan, let me break it down as follows:  $60,000 a year divided by 12 months = $5,000 a month.  This compensation plan has three investment levels of $25, $50, and $100 for a total monthly of $175. Five thousand dollars divided by $175 equals 29 people pa

How many times have you heard… the key is NOT to sell?. People do business with people? People don’t care how much you know until you know how much you care? There are a whole host of these phrases that have curb appeal but you never seem to get invited inside of the house to get a sense of what it really feels, smells and looks like. Without taking this analogy to the front door and into the foyer, I want to respect your time and intelligence and talk in very plain terms about some very practical “stuff” you need to get your head around. I respect the fact that you are seeking to change your financial situation, this inherently involves risks; and your experience (in all probability) is littered with false starts, disappointments and skepticism. I’ve been there. So , if the premise (the goal) here is to create and maintain a predictable source of income, what are the real world factors that enable it? There are a lot of people “out there” saying that your head-has-to-be-in

One of the bad raps throughout the history of Affiliate Marketing is that it is a family and friends business... make a list of your warm market (your dentist, landscaper and dry cleaner, etc) and then once that warm market "dries up" - then what? We do not recommend going anywhere near your warm market until you have built a successful business and you have results to share and a story that demonstrates how you got there. So, if we are advocating cold markets... and not wanting to sift through thousands of people to attract a very low percentage of them, then where do we find an easy, natural market? The bottom line here is this:  choose something and get going.  Getting into profit as quickly as possible is essential to your business, both as personal motivation, as an example to those you are wanting to attract to your business.  "What you did" becomes a part of your story.  It gives you credibility and moral authority.  A reasonable "first goal"

Provocative title?  If I were to paint the world with a very wide brush and allow my jaded skeptical side to be the paint, I could characterize every person who does not "see it" and join our business this way. However, for better or for worse, I have come to learn and accept that people not "seeing it" boils down to one of three things; The first is timing.  When your "thing" comes across the awareness of someone who may be potentially interested in your business, it may simply not be the right time in their life.  They may have all the skills and motivation, but due to other things going on in their life, it would simply serve as too much of a distraction to make everything make sense. The second is lack of commitment and discipline.  To make a business work requires time and effort.  Many (most?) people simply do not have what it takes and can not change their lifestyles to the extent that it takes to focus on business building activities. The th

If you have ever been swirling in debt; and- If you currently have bills not met. If retirement planning seems like a cruel joke And in your golden years it appears you’ll still be broke. If your fate looks cloudy and most unclear, Then heed these words and face these fears. With values and purpose people come together, Interdependently, with great care and measure. Supporting the idea of economic gain And in the process shed financial strain. Some call it community, some form a tribe, Mastermind groups, there’s good reason why – Common purpose, support and “group” thinking Can buoy lives and keep them from sinking. What we offer, or what we sell, Matters much less than our ability to tell A straightforward story that is clear and true Develop trust and friendships for all they’re due. Ambiguity, risk and lack of skills Make those who stay poor head for the hills. But those who give patience and knowledge a chance. Can learn and gr

There is a problem most of us share.  We struggle to get by, financially.  I am not certain you would want to wear the label, but I am certain I among the working poor. In my view, this is a relative term based upon how your income stacks up against your bills.  I define the working poor more in terms of the amount of stress that is induced by not having enough money to do the things you want. For most of us, there are reasons we have continued to live hand-to-mouth, have little to no investment income or simply have no money in savings.   We each have our cross to bear...  my wife characterizes our lifestyle as, "the very low end of comfortable". What this means as a practical matter is that we can meet all of our bills, go out to dinner once in a while... but we do not hold season tickets to the theater, we drive a 3 year old sub-compact car and we have not gone on a real vacation in a few years.  When we did, we decided to splurge and blow our tax refund.  If any of

Of all the ways to make money, from the conventional to the less conventional, there has to be value in what is offered - significant enough to compel a purchase.  From a 6 year old selling lemonade in front of their house on a hot day, to a mansion on a bluff overlooking the ocean - both have to have perceived value.  A neighbor wants to quench their thirst and help a child, or a family with the means to afford it, wanting a stunning view of the harbor.  In either case, there is something driving the decision. Opportunity Marketing is a bit different, in the fact that the "value" is in the "opportunity" to make money.  Although with all companies that promote money-making-opportunities, there has to be a product for sale, the real ethos that drives participation is not the products, but the money that can be earned.  The question is, is this inherently a good or bad thing? So, let me ask a question:  Is earning money an end in itself?  Or, why do you go to work

I want to talk about the maligned reputation of Network Marketing.  There are companies that utilize this model and have the naming rights to a professional sports franchise stadium (Amway Center), sponsor a major league soccer team (HerbalLife), and credibly post on major job boards as "legitimate" careers (Avon, MaryKay Cosmetics). The problem, frankly, is not the business model itself, but the failure rate of the people trying to make it work.  These are two separate issues. Network Marketing, Multi-Level Marketing, Affiliate Marketing, Word of Mouth Marketing... notice that they all end in the word marketing.  So what is marketing, anyway?  The simple explanation is that it is the practice of getting your message in front of someone to evaluate.  Marketing is engaging people in a conversation. But do we need to use the word "marketing" at all?  After all, marketing presupposes a lot.  It infers there are skills, tools, strategies, budgets, value propositio

Any organization is a collection (or network) of people who all subscribe to something in common.  It could be a religious organization, a youth baseball or soccer league, any medical malady organization, school bands who want to march in the Rose Bowl Parade... there are many, many more as you know. As a network of people all subscribing to a common "something" there is always the foundational need for money and funding to replace a roof on the church, build a new fence around the playing field, contribute to families in need,  caring for a sick loved one, or pay for plane fares to Pasadena for 90 kids. The question is whether bake sales and car washes... yard sales and holiday raffles... cookie and popcorn campaigns and the like are the smartest way to go about things?  Or might there be a better way through leveraging the synergies of the participants to benefit in the process? Obviously, this article presupposes that it does make sense to incentivize volunteer money

I've had a lot of different jobs in my life.  At the end of the day, I guess each has helped people in some direct or indirect way... (except maybe for selling life insurance). There is something qualitatively different in what I do now.  I have a direct impact on the quality of people's lives that is immediate, palpable and rewarding.  This "outcome" is preceded by establishing trust and building relationships based upon common values - and competence.  This does not happen without consistent interaction in a team environment that keeps everything moving forward in a positive way with little successes along the way. So, what are the little successes?  If your skill set is "slim", perhaps it is learning how to set up a gmail account and use it as a free auto-responder.  Perhaps it is making a commitment to turn off the TV a few nights a week and focus on business building activities.  Perhaps is it finding out who the person is at any local non-profit wh