The Agreement Seekers Blog

This is a provocative title that is potentially off-putting.  I understand. It is really meant to be an attention grabber and nothing more.  So allow me to apologize if it raised your eyebrow. In writing about "ignorance being expensive", the reality is most people have not taken the time to understand the difference between active and passive income, not even mentioning how to make it happen. Most people have a job and pay their bills and are content with the cards they have been dealt.  They get up every Monday morning and do it again and trudge through to the following weekend.  Of the active income they earn, perhaps some is saved.  For most, little is invested.  It is how most people describe (and end up in) the rat race. All we are here to tell you is that there is an alternative.  It is passive income.  You do the work once, and the same money comes month after month after month - passively, and grows geometrically. This is the model we operate under. Nothing

If you already have a successful business, what we do will complement (not compete with) what you currently do.  As such, we are a diversification option. There was an analogy that I heard recently that you cannot be the pastor of two churches under two denominations.  The question posed was 'what do you really believe' and those who follow (attend your church) would have legitimate cause to wonder what your true convictions are?  If you are marketing products within the same category, I would be inclined to agree... i.e. two weight loss products, two skin care lines, two anti-oxidant health drinks, two travel companies... name your deal... We represent a tools, training and education"deal".  Our business ramps quickly due to person-to-person commerce with no money going to the parent company, other than a monthly administrative fee to cover the back office and on-going product development. Therefore, what we do, does not compete with product or service-based bu

The definition of security differs for everyone.  For some, having a "secure job" meets their definition.  For others, being on a track for a secure retirement needs to fit into the equation.  For many, the idea of not having to depend on someone else is key to their definition.  In this sense, security has everything to do with control - and having the ability to control your life and your future. Our market is not people who fit neatly into the first two categories and who are satisfied with their stable existence.  Therefore, right off of the top, we can exclude 80% of the population who are employed and buying-in to the conventional American dream of a house, a car and meeting all of their bills. Your potential success will be affected if you do not understand this reality.  And, it begs the question of who we target as "higher" probability prospects.  Are there groups/populations who inherently have an "itch to scratch" as it relates to security a

There are a lot of ways to write about this. The obvious one is to make football or basketball analogies, and then have the discussion evolve to leadership with quarterbacks and point guards. Somehow, I think all this has already been done. As such, I am not going to go in that direction, but more importantly want to contextualize "team" and what it means to "our" sport.  So, let me start here: a team is a group of people who work together with the common goal of winning a game.  Our game is money. Teams practice and have coordinated strategies (plays) that define what everyone's role is for bursts of time.  The question then becomes, what "plays" do we run and how do we coordinate among ourselves in our business?  And, even before this, what drills do we run in practice to sharpen and refine fundamental skills and mechanics? All of this is completely analogous to athletics.  However, there are plenty of opportunities to learn about individual sk

This post is about mindset.  The home-based business industry typically has used the words recruit, enroll, sponsor, get sign-ups... to define the activity of business building. I want to tweak this just a bit.  There is more to the proposition beyond the next silver ball being loaded - and then flung up to the top of the pin ball machine and left to bounce around - and then needing to be whacked to keep it in play. When we "find people to support", the idea from the outset is that we need to understand how the person we are talking to.  Our orientation has to be how we can help someone.  In some cases, this will mean that we "turn down" people if we do not think they have a likelihood of success. This comes down to our assessments of people as potential business partners.  Have they taken the time to understand what we do?  Do they have the ability to articulate our business philosophy of learning and teaching?  Have they, in some manner, stated that they &qu

In general, I hesitate in talking too extensively about money. Although any business success  is ultimately "measured" by profitability, the money is the end and not the means... and without the means - talking about the end is simply a pipe dream.  This having been said, there is a path to retirement with our business.  The intent here is to share what this looks like. The first goal is the first sale.  It all begins here.  We need to attract just one person who is interested and believes in what we do.  This breaking-of-the-ice (and breaking even) is all important and will establish the first bit of conviction that what we do is viable and do-able - for you. Being realistic, we then need to learn how to grow.  As you grow, you can reach more things higher and higher on the learning tree and make connections between people and concepts.  During this time, you complement your income.  At first, it feels like tidbits and the return is not worth the investment.  This is how

Having been in or around the online money-making industry since the beginning of the internet, I have seen things come and go.  I am or have been on the email lists of many, many "gurus" who have marketed the latest and greatest systems, strategies and formulas. I have been exposed to and evaluated "money-making opportunities" that are every color of the rainbow, at investment levels from 5 cents to $52,000.  Systems that use phone broadcasting, to postcards, to auto-posting to social media, local guerilla marketing, email autoresponders and capture pages.  And this is just the tip of the possibilities  Frankly, all of these have their place (and) are a fit for some but not for others - based on your background and experience. To put it like my father would have said it, there are more ways to make money than "you can shake a stick at".  The corollary to this is that there is an equal number of people willing to impart advice on how to go about it.  

At the end of the day, among all the ways we define ourselves, we are a social business. When I came across The Seven Social Sins, it was an "ah-ha" moment because these encapsulate so much of the Working Poor No More philosophy and what we strive to communicate to people in the process of evaluating whether to join us. The Seven Social Sins are: Wealth without work. Pleasure without conscience. Knowledge without character. Commerce without morality. Science without humanity. Worship without sacrifice. Politics without principle. These represent our core values in regard to wealth, knowledge and commerce.  Of course, the rest are all good ponder fodder.  If you delve at any depth into this blog, you will find that wealth requires work, especially when like most of us, we start from nothing and incrementally build a business and better life. Commerce without morality is a key differentiator in our marketing community.  You will find that truth and

Isn't it interesting that a topic like Moral Authority is relevant in today's business environment, especially in the "home business" arena?  I have thought about this topic for quite some time and reflected on my life experience to illustrate something that I hope will be beneficial. When my kids were in Junior High, I started asking the same question in a couple of different ways. The first was, "How are you going to distinguish yourself as you get older?"  The second was, "What makes you exceptional?" I was trying to impress upon them that they need to stand for something.  I wanted to convey that someone trusting you - implicitly -  is the highest compliment and honor you can ever receive.  There is a great deal more that I tried to do in helping (them) form their character, but you get the idea... So, this is a nice tidbit of family nostalgia... but what does it have to do with business and the subject of Moral Authority? Moral Aut

We try very hard to not over-inflate what we do and stay firmly grounded in the practical and reasonable.  Our "appeal" is to anyone wanting or needing to stabilize their finances as a springboard to higher and higher levels of prosperity.  However, if you spend any time learning about our philosophy of doing business, this pre-supposes a lot. We strive to be perceived as calm and rational, and as the title states... to simply posture ourselves as a viable alternative in the total universe of money-making opportunities.  Our goal is not to appeal to everyone, but to appeal to people who will invest the time necessary to understand, on a very pragmatic level, "why" we are a special organization to be a part of. The title also mentions treadmill income.  This infers that most people who will find what we do appealing - are looking to elevate themselves beyond their frustration with a life of squeaking by and barely "making it".  People who go to a job

As a business owner, I want to attract decent, honorable people.  This is important on a number of levels, not the least of which are the implications of attracting the opposite. In my "day job", I manage a group of 72 people.  When I first introduce myself to any group I talk about having two extra eyes.  I then go on to explain that I really mean they need to have to extra "i's".  These two i's are initiative and integrity.  Decent, honorable people, for the most part, have these two i's. Let me tell you how I define them.  Integrity means that you are doing what you are supposed to be doing when no one is watching.  Initiative means that you do things on your own, without having to be told. In our business, you need to engage in productive daily activity.  Your sense of integrity needs to drive doing what you are supposed to be doing.  Discipline is absolutely essential.  And this rolls right into initiative because the only one you are accounta

Let me be clear.  Earning vehicles come and go and should not be the ultimate determining factor in your decision to get involved with something. Here's the point:  the value in what we do is relationship-based.  It is not about this deal or that opportunity, it is about the community that supports the concept of income generation.  This is the asset.  The network of positive, lasting relationships you build is directly proportional to the success you will have. As such, the business is secondary (essentially).  If you land on a good one, and it has "market permanence"... is well respected... all the better.  This is not to advocate that we should all be looking for the next shiny object, but it does not negate the fact that when people are tied into the pulse of "what is working now", mass migrations can and should take place to capitalize on the next-big-thing. This does not discount your core program or programs.  I strongly believe that a strong core p

This is what we do.  This is who we are.  We are an alliance of people who pool our knowledge and resources to make money.  It is really not complicated.  We share a common goal and are "allied" in achieving it. The rest is just details.  We market a subscription and need about 20-30 people participating (in a group) to replace most middle-class incomes.  We collectively  build to this point progressively and work with people to ramp up to profitability.  There are no secret formulas or inside strategies... but just common sense and practical steps to understand and implement. We reject the notions of simple and easy.  The fact is that if simple and easy defined what we do, everyone would be doing it and be successful.  We all know that this is not the case. Our job is to find people who will take the time to understand what we do.  Informed people with whom we develop a level of trust, choose to join us.  Again, it is really not complicated.  The challenge is to

Sounds like a movie title... actually it is the name of a song by Mike and the Mechanics.  But a time and place in this context has everything to do with things you choose. During the time you choose to "work", you will inherently be somewhere.  But where?  Do you (will you) have a place that is free of distraction?  Are you willing to turn off the television and focus? Can you find a space in your home to go to and close the door?  The obvious implication here is that you will enhance your chances of success if you do. If you work a day job, the obvious thing is that you will need to focus on your business during the evening.  If you work second shift, the reverse is true.  Understanding "time" is more important to your success than just about any other factor.  You will need to consciously choose to alter the way you have lived your life.  This means choosing to invest hours of your day(s) in different ways. This change and sacrifice will reward you with suc

A 1099 is a tax form that is required to report Independent Contractor earnings.  This is something you register for with the company you are working with.  An initial "litmus test" of whether a business is legitimate (or is flying the seat of their pants) is if they are requiring you to fill out and submit 1099 paperwork as a part of their enrollment process. Statements like, "Your taxes are your responsibility and it is assumed you will do the right thing" are a red flag and simply indicates that the "deal" you are considering does not have the administrative sophistication to track and then report your earnings to you (and the government). Therefore, if you are at the stage of trying to discriminate between "this one and that one" in terms of money-making opportunities, ask (or find out) if they provide you with a 1099.  If they do not, it is reasonable cause for concern and you should be asking if you want to hitch your wagon to their &qu

This is standard rhetoric, right?  It's twin is, "hey, give it a chance... what have you got to lose"?  So, let's talk about it. I recently wrote a post about risk aversion and people having the fear of losing their money.  OK.  So this is on the table.  If things don't work out for you, you stand to lose some money.  I get it.  No judgment here.  Many need to choose the safe route and consider it the mature and responsible thing to do, especially if living month to month and hand-to-mouth.  If this is you, God bless you. But for those willing to take the next step, what else is there to lose?  Time invested?  Personal credibility, especially if you are not successful?  Failed aspirations and not achieving a goal?  Suffice it to say that there are may things "riding" on success or failure.  This is the reality.  This is life.  You can probably add items and create your own list of how you stand to lose. When I studied abroad, about two weeks into m

Most people understand that it takes money to make money... in most cases.  The amount of money varies and the amount invested is typically correlated to the size of the return that can be expected. Serious propositions, however, do not always require "serious" investments.  Our business is typical of this.  The upside potential compared to the initial investment required is significantly in favor of the upside potential. But, here's the kicker:  people are risk averse.  Or, they have a fear of pulling the trigger and parting with the money to get started.  This is why you need to learn all you can.  Cross the t's and dot the i's. Ask questions and analyze.  At the end of the day, you will be smarter and better off for doing so. However, at the end of this process, you need to decide.  The key in the ignition of our income vehicle is the initial investment.  It is the trigger that releases the firing pin that strikes the shell, that explodes powder, that lau

The term "counter-culture" is typically associated with hippies in the 60's.  Hippies were a sub-group of the population.  I don't need to describe them, other than that they were driven by different norms and values that made them distinct.  If you saw a guy with a beard, hair to the middle of his back and wearing a peace patch on a vest, he was called a hippie. Flower child, tree hugger, and crunchy granola are all derivatives, but each gives this same subset of our society a slightly different definition, again based on what they espouse, what they eat, their position on the environment... I encourage you to think of our movement (our culture) in similar terms.  We are different from the mainstream.  We know and teach things that separate us from the norms of a job or career, a bi-weekly paycheck, getting up to be at work at 6 am (if you are like me), chronic exhaustion... and in general "living a life a quiet desperation". How many times have you h

With the election just passed, there is a level of uncertainty to what will evolve in our country.  Of all the issues that are going to be turned on their heads - the economy, taxes, income inequality, the minimum wage... many of these may have a bearing on you and your family in the months and years to come. Building Your Own Wall is a strategy to deal with this uncertainty.  It is intended to inoculate you from the potential volatility that the new administration can instigate and use Donald Trump's concept of making America strong by taking care of Americans first.  One of his proposals is to build a physical wall.  We build a conceptual wall. The wall we build is a financial one - that will enable you to create an economy for yourself that is independent of your job, the national economy and all of the traditional notions of how income is earned and money is made.  We want you to think about building an income fortress that keeps the "greater economy" at bay, and

You may want to expand the video to full page, then come back to read the commentary.  Hit play, then while playing, expand to 'Full Screen' in the lower right corner.  To return here from the Full Screen, hit 'Esc' at the upper left of your keyboard. There is so much to say about this.  It is potentially a big black eye on our industry unless you understand how it differs from what we do and put this video in its proper context. First, let me get something out of the way.  I was a part of a class action lawsuit in 1992 against NuSkin.  As the video states, I was "garage qualified".  NuSkin's model had a monetary threshold to qualify for executive bonuses.  It is kind of embarrassing to think back on, but let me simply say, "been there, done that", to the tune of $3K a month.  Whether I was a naive dreamer, or I was duped doesn't really matter now, just suffice it to say that I intimately and painfully understand the "voice"