What This is About - At Its Core

We were mystified for years at our inability to make money with anything but a conventional “job”. We knew there must be something missing.  Our “Ah Ha!”  moment occurred when we figured out what follows.

We figured there has to be a way to communicate a message with common, mass appeal, and if we figured it out, there could be a lot of money in the balance.  After all, the need for more money is universal… at least for the “99%”.  So what causes such a large majority of people to remain strapped to struggle with poverty constantly nipping at their heels?  Or worse yet, sitting in their laps?

It is not a simple answer.  But wouldn’t it be great if there was a strategy that people could trust that is simple, clear and easily understood?  If that were the case, and enough people rallied around… and the motives behind the whole proposition were transparent and true, then why should it be such a stretch to add money to the equation and allow the law of large numbers to do its work and people could join a community for the purpose of each others’ financial benefit?

So the starting point is not a business opportunity, but a philosophy or mission statement.  It is not about this “deal” or that “program”, but about a community of people who share the common value of being equally invested in participating (and working toward) assisting with each others’ mutual benefit.

Until the mission is “out front” as the marketing message, people will simply not trust that their best interest is being served. Otherwise, it won’t be about a culture that you are inviting people to explore, but it will be about the “money vehicle” that is being used to create a financial engine. This is typically the focus of “opportunities”.

But, to be different, to be “special” the starting point has to be about relationships, community, and common purpose.  Until everyone is on this-same-page, from our perspective, the money vehicle doesn’t matter.

That was our “Ah-Ha Moment” and it was our jumping off point to share a philosophy… to create a safe and trusted “place”… and then tie it to strategies to create streams of income.

If this makes sense to you, we invite you to be in touch with us.   Let’s talk… or exchange an e-mail or two.  Let’s start to build a foundation and see if we are made of the same 'materials'. Relationships matter if you want to build something that will last.  Remember, this is all about mutual benefit and common purpose.  We look forward to getting to know you.

The Difference Between a Goal and a Dream is a Deadline

Accountability.  Discipline.  Fundamentals.  Daily activity.  Are these the first things you think of when thinking about success in a home business?

What do you have to do TODAY to "advance" and make money?  By 9:00 tonight, what are you willing to commit to having done?  Then, if you add up all seven days... what will you have accomplished by the end of the week?

These are metrics.  You can't manage what you don't measure.  You need to know your metrics. It all involves being "conscious" of what you have chosen to do and then making the decision to make-it-happen.

When you are beginning, don't worry about the metrics of results.  These will become important later, but when getting started, simply focus on daily activities.  What are you going to commit to doing? This is where is all starts.

Unless you have a well-defined daily goal AND you are actively working on that goal, success is a dream.  This all smells, tastes and feels like work.  Here's why:  it is work.  It takes you out of your normal routines, you need to spend / invest your time differently.  You don't watch TV at your normal job.  You probably can not afford to be watching TV for this self-employment thing.

As such, when you work, you earn your money.  This is a simple, reasonable, adult proposition. There is no free lunch.  Everything requires effort.  Below, you will find what we committed to when we started.

• spend one hour five days a week cold calling business owners (in person) to introduce the business.  Or, go door to door in residential neighborhoods if you are not a "talker" and simply leave information or a business card.
• spend two hours a day posting to social media.  Out of this, interact with a minimum of 2-5 people a day.
• talk to at least to one person on the phone a day to begin building a relationship.  Learn what their needs are and how you may be able to help.
• email follow-up to people to share information regarding the business and how to build the business.  This can be automated with an auto-responder.
• always have leave-behinds and post to bulletin boards, or leave in doctor's office waiting rooms in the magazines, or leave in rest rooms taped to a mirror... be creative with this.

Again, the "goal" initially is daily activity.  Marketing is about getting whatever you have to offer in front of people to evaluate.  We guide people through an information gathering process.  The merits of what we do stand on their own.

Your "job" is simply to get information about our business in front of people.  At some point, your activity will snowball and take on a life of its own.  Until then, it is a grind.  If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.  There are very few shortcuts.  Actually, for most people, there are no short cuts.

It all starts with doing the same things every day... just like any job... until there is momentum that will give you the flexibility to try new things, spend money on tools and leads and take your business to the next level.

Crawl before you walk.  Walk before you run.  Then, when running, it will become a way of life.  But again, there are no shortcuts.

Set daily goals and execute.

My Kangen Conundrum

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.
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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 water or experienced its purported benefits.

On this level, I live in Warwick, RI and the taste of the water here would be easily altered if impurities were "cleansed".  I know I could tell with a micro sip.  The water in my home (and I would speculate the entire city) has a discernible organic /musty pallor.  It reminds us the of the taste of mushrooms with a high end negative aftertaste.  We don't drink it. We buy 12 oz. bottles; and also have a filter pitcher in our refrigerator.  So on this level, the "need" exists.  Our city-supplied water, simply and frankly, is a bit gross.  As stated, there is a need.  The real question is, is there a need that  rises to a $6,000 threshold to address?

If you were to read the rest of this blog, I have written about being a "money mercenary" and espouse the proposition of "making money" as an end in itself, or making money as the business model. However, to have a "real" business, the best-case scenario is to offer something for sale that is of real value.  For Kangen, the "value" is hit quite hard by detractors that call ionized water network marketing-driven quackery... the modern day equivalent of snake oil sales (due to its health claims) and in general the "science" is exhaustively discredited by many online sources.

Therefore, "my reality" regarding any initial excitement about the business potential has been tempered by all of this negative press and is the source of my conundrum.  The truth is that personal credibility is very important to me and I want / need to be proud of anything I attach my name to.  At the end of the day, it is a business ethics question.  Will I be promoting something that has value (and) is integrity one of the main pillars on which it is built?   But then, there is another angle... which most people will not have the benefit of knowing.

In my work I use two different machines that employ ionization technology.  I manage custodial operations for a small college.  The first is somewhat un-refutable.  It is a sanitizing blower that "mists" classrooms with hypochlorous acid (on the bleach spectrum).  I "cook" tap water with the gizmo provided with an added pack of (special?) salt water.  The ionizer splits the salt (NaCl)  and produces an acid solution that kills germs.  You can find more about this HERE.  The efficacy and utility of this technology is without question... but it is ionizing salt water.

The second is:  I inherited a new autoscrubber made by Tennant.  Instead of using cleaning chemicals, it has an on-board ionizer that makes its own cleaning solution:  from tap water.  This fact (if one is to believe it as fact) has me a bit stymied... that another (if Kangen is the first) international company is using ionized tap water to clean... then how does this speak to the credibility of the technology and refute the "charlatan hawkers"?  You can see more about this technology HERE. They ionize tap water and create micro bubbles.  However:  Karcher, a German company, is currently suing Tennant about the claims this technology makes and is insisting that the "ionized" water is no more effective than tap water... go to jail... do not pass go... do not collect $200...!

So... another thought.  In internet marketing / money-making circles there are generally two propositions: big ticket and small ticket sales.  Obviously, Kangen is a big ticket sale.  The rationale is that in both, you invest the same amount of work to gain a customer (or prospect), therefore it makes infinitely more sense to follow the money for the greater return for time invested.  I do not necessarily agree, because I view the high ticket price as a barrier to entry.  However, something unique about the way this is marketed is that "credit application" is built right into the automated process.  This is smart and has never been done before, to my knowledge.

As a result, I circle back to the (making money as an end in itself) notion - juxtaposed to making this happen in a product category that is handicapped by skepticism and derision?  I understand this ultimately may come down to a "leap of faith".  There is no question that the high price of the machine(s) supports a generous compensation structure.  Therefore, built into the "proposition" is a high (overpriced?) item that unabashedly backs the notion of making money for its distributors.

Ultimately, am I selling a water machine, or am I selling the ability to make money in the context of crappy tasting water?  I would not anticipate that I would "retail" many of these machines, but would only be selling them to people attracted to the money-making aspects - with (at minimum) better tasting water as a benefit.  As for the health claims... time would need to tell - and this (at best) is subjective.

The reality is this:  there are a lot of people on this band wagon and doing well financially. I need to ask if my healthy skepticism is tantamount to shooting myself in the foot?  And, if my penchant for perfection will once again prevent me from "working within the given parameters".

My conclusion is that nothing is perfect and the primary objective in my life right now is on-going residual income to support my wife and I when we are no longer working within the next 5-10 years. Therefore, with my eyes wide open and with due consideration, I conclude that I must embrace the bad and measure its valence against the potential benefit.  This will be an individual decision for everyone, but I hope that I have shown some light on how I arrived at my decision.

Post Script:  Although I ended with the conclusion above that the money outweighed the ethics, the angel on my shoulder kept whispering in my ear.  I ended up not getting involved with this business.

Fidelity

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 gain the belief that investing your time and resources with us is a smart, worthwhile and practical decision.

A Deep Dive Into the Notion of Change

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 decision and a commitment to spend minutes, then hours, then as much time as you can in business building activities.

These chunks of time will necessarily "take the place of" things you "used to do".  This defines change.  BUT, then the 'demon of change' creeps and lurks and constantly pricks you with its discomfort - and the addiction to established and comfortable patterns - and it thwarts your attainment of whatever you are pursuing.

Ultimately, you redefine who you are based upon how you choose to invest your time.  If you can, or if you can't... whether you are successful in achieving a goal - is in the balance.

It all comes down to how you consciously choose to invest minutes and hours of every day to build and income that is independent of your job.

Can you break away from the status quo / comfortable patterns of your life?  Most people can't and remain relegated to the Working Poor.  Those who can, break free and integrate new skills and patterns of behavior into their lives.

On the most fundamental level, success is about conscious choices of how to invest time. Inherently, this differs from how you currently live your life and 'who you are' right now.  You must make this commitment to the "idea" of change as it is presented here.  There is nothing more foundational to understand.

Explained: Subscripton Income Business

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" factor in promoting our business.

The biggest challenge we face is introducing and educating people about an innovative business model that is based upon Subscription Income.  Most people do not even have the conception that it exists or is even possible.

This is a great, new way to create your own economy.  Join our community.  Learn some new skills.  Make a commitment to carve out some time to tell people about what you are doing and invite them to have a look.

The risk is minimal.  The potential is real and impressive.

At the end of the day, learn all you can, then decide if earning income from a subscription business would be a fit in adding to your financial resources.

I am certain, the more you learn, the more it will appeal your view of the entire landscape of "money-making opportunities"as well as appealing to your fundamental yearning for common sense and practicality.

A Culture of Assistance

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 begin a process of building a business that can/will fully sustain a family within a year's time.

If you read any of the other posts in this blog, you will begin to understand how this is absolutely possible, with the caveat that it requires a plan and focused effort.  The rest is simply execution of the plan.

The bottom line here is (again) that we do not sell.  We expose people to information:  a system, a process, a plan, a strategy... call it what you will.  We want people to pick it apart and not simply "join" because they are told you can "make a lot of money".

We are interested in attracting people who think big, seriously, long-term and who will have the tenacity to stay a proven course.  The only questions you have to answer for yourself are:  1) can you be one of them, and; 2) can you, and are you willing to share in and become a part of our culture of assistance?

Or, as I say in other places, "Are you willing to become a student, and then become the teacher?" Learn and teach.  Learn and teach.  Assist other people in their learning... and this is all attached to an income vehicle.  Skills, action items, daily tasks, treating a business like a business, accountability, a team environment, vitality, small successes building into larger successes, growth in knowledge and spirit, confidence in what you are doing...

All of these things lead to a greater number in your bank account, and you will note that this statement is the last sentence in this post, not the first.

The Most Important Currency There Is

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 attention - a relationship.

What you do - depends on you. There are tools and skills you can learn, but there are no one-size-fits-all, magic bullet solutions. But here's the reality: you will earn in direct proportion to your competence. The more you know, the more people you attract, the more you make.

Getting your message in front of people is the most important thing there is in any business. Otherwise, you make no money. The biggest mistake you can make in marketing is not doing any. Our job (yours and mine) is to figure out what fits you.

I help you develop skills and put together YOUR plan. I mentor and support. I do all I can to be a great business partner and create a culture where everyone buys into the same values and are committed to everyone's success.

What we do works. Our business is very straightforward and powerful. If you genuinely want to make money, find people you like and trust, commit and stay the course.

Big Box Retail as a Market

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 to initially market if you are on a tight budget.  For $60.00 you can get 1000 copies made.  This translates to 14,000 of these little (smaller than a business card) flyers.

Obviously, the email address above is mine.  We teach how to set up a gmail account with the vacation responder permanently set to "on".  This is the only thing this email address does.  We provide the template you can play with, or simply just change the email address...

This is marketing at its most basic.  And here's the good part:  it works.  You have to understand and be realistic about the numbers, but it works.  At a 1% return, you get 140 people.  If you understand the compensation model of our business, please plug in and play with the numbers.

All it takes is a $60 investment (plus shipping) and the energy to get your message in front of people. You can retire and experience a 99% failure rate with this one method.  This is simple, but not easy.  It is work.

Play with the numbers, even at a half percent return and people only participating at the $25 level. Then, look at the next level, then the next.  What can you accomplish?

It all starts and ends with getting information in front of people for them to evaluate.  No matter wht you choose to do little flyer (or one similar to it) should be a part of your mix.

My Why

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 don’t make sense. Everyone is our community is genuinely interested in helping ourselves by helping other people.  In short, we are interested in building community of people who share the common goal of greater financial stability, the values of “keeping it real” and marketing things that you don’t need to be embarrassed by.

There are literally thousands of business opportunities that have passed through our inbox(s) through the years.  We have all spent hours watching videos, doing Google research, reading reviews… most of us have joined a few, had little to no success - and then jumped back on to the merry-go-round of sifting through the inbox, doing the research… and more times than not found some reason that whatever it was - “whatever” was not a good fit.

Some of us are on most of the major guru email lists and get inundated by the same “launch” joint venture offers all within a couple of week time frame.  These happen over, and over, and over.  One of the newer ones is selling physical products on Amazon, there have been a million information-based courses to teach you how to do stuff, there are money-making “programs” with digital training as the product.  These programs range anywhere from $5 to $5000, have different compensation models… all have their pros and cons… but the trick is to find ONE to get started with and stick with it as you move toward profitability and developing your skills and knowledge to drive income growth.

That's all I will say on this post. There are plenty of other posts on this blog that elaborate on this central theme. I encourage you to read as much as you can to simply assess if any of this makes sense to you.

The Cathedral

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 understand the risk of not hyping, of not over-promising and to simply convey information in clear, candid, objective terms.

On this level, we need to apologize.  If you need to be moved by exhilaration to take action, we are probably not the best fit for you.  Do we want you to be excited?  To us, excited may be a bit of overstatement.  We would settle for confident and absolute resolve about the choices you are making - with your eyes wide open.

Here's why:  the last thing we want you to feel is being "sold".  Our goal, in our cathedral, is that we want you to feel educated and inspired by our refreshingly honest approach to making money.  We want to earn credibility and respect.  In this metaphor, we are independent of the "institutions" and reject most of "how" the gurus advocate marketing and growing a home business.

And to invoke Robert Frost, when coming to these two roads that diverge in a yellow wood, the one you choose will make all the difference.

People as Annuities

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.

The $60K Proposition

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 participating at this level.

Twenty-nine people is a group (organization) number, not a personally recruited number.  Typically, with proper training and organizational growth, a group of 25 is possible through personally recruiting 8-12 people.

This is very simple in concept - and in math.  It is a straightforward way to change your finances.  All it takes to get there is skills, some discipline and the belief that it is possible.  Belief is backed by the reality of something credible, viable and real.

All you have to do is make a decision and apply some effort.

The Truth

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-the-right-place (in so many words…) but still, this has the same curb appeal that I already have mentioned without feeling your toes in the carpet.

If we head down this path of right-headedness, then it should follow that there should be factors that are well marked, identifiable and able to be put into a formula or “system” that enable you and me to simply “plug into” and have some degree of certainty of success. Most people would have you believe it is just that easy, but our experience tells us that this just isn’t so.

The real question is what pre-supposes all of this? First, let me say that the financial “vehicle” that actually makes you or me any money is secondary. You have probably heard the expression, “there are a million ways to make a buck”. Sure, we all have dignity and reputations we seek to maintain, and the business or enterprise that we choose to affiliate with has to have merit and credibility. But, if the vehicle is secondary, then what is at the core of what makes all of this tick?
It gets back to your head being in the right place and understanding (and accepting) what this means in very real terms. The umbrella / dome / roof under which everything falls is culture. First, understand that you cannot and will not make money in a bubble. You will be part of an organization, group, entity… that has values that you can integrate into your life. This is where it starts at a foundational level. The first question is whether something “feels right” and fits with who you are morally and spiritually on one level, and as a practical matter, you would be willing to be “the face” of whatever it is you are representing.

Marketing: Easy Lifting

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" for this business is $500 a month.  If you are applying effort, this should be achievable within your first month.  If you are not there, ask for help.

Here's my list:

1. Business owners.  If you have a well crafted, highly reasoned letter (marketing piece) to share with any main street business owner, telling how they can leverage their existing customer base into another stream of income.  We have one to use as a template.
2. Big Box Retail.  Little business card sized flyers can produce huge results, see HERE
3. Fundraising Organizations.  If we combine social impact and elevating people's lives with the mission of a charitable or worthy cause, people who need to raise money for any number of reasons are a great source of people (organizations) to market to.  You can see a position paper on this topic HERE,
4. Teachers - Many teachers do well, many are maxed out and are looking for a Plan B.  We can help them.
5. Flea Markets.  You can purchase a 10x10 cabana tent for about $100.  With a table and a chair and some home-made marketing materials, you can get belly-to belly with a lot of people and explain what you do.  To set up at a flea market is as low as $10 and as much as $40, but it is always well worth the leads and interest you can generate and have great conversations with people.  As an example of costs (as of 2015), living in RI the biggest flea market in our area is in Raynham, MA.  An outside spot is $10 per day.  An inside spot is $40.
6. Flea Market Vendors - If you go to a flea market, pretty much everyone there is someone using a non-traditional way to make additional income.
7. Craft and Art Shows.  Obviously, these people are in business for themselves.  They are all entrepreneurs.  Having a business card and a high quality "elevator speech" can return great results.  Many of these folks are "artistic" (meaning eccentric and arrogant), but some are down to earth and willing to listen.
8. Neighborhood Marketing.  With a mini flyer, you can walk door-to-door and (masking / painters) tape a 1/4 page (or smaller) flyer to peoples' mail boxes or storm doors,  It is always best to tape to glass to avoid getting called to task for destroying paint.  Been there.  Done that.  No fun.
9. Bulletin Boards and Card Racks - Every grocery store has a bulletin board.  Many businesses have business card posted with a small stack available for people to "take one".
10. Social Media Marketing - Although this get into the "intermediate" skill level, setting up a Facebook business page, understanding Pinterest and Instagram, having a Twitter account... all have a place in your marketing mix.

If none of these "fit", we would need to talk about an alternative.  My experience with getting ghosted on CraigsList, Facebook sharing and posting to groups, and all of the digital / internet marketing methods require the development of additional skills sets, and in my experience are not highly duplicate-able.

Closing  thoughts.  If you were to enroll a Little League - League that ordinarily raises funds through raffles, bake sales and car washes, etc., their natural market is every other Little League - League in the world.  

If you find a business owner, or a flea market vendor, they immediately can create an additional stream of income.

All of this is presupposed by the notion that what we offer is viable and credible -which given the way we market - it is.  The only obstacle is the negative historical inertia of the pyramid and ponzi scheme notions, but can be dealt with constructively.  Dealing constructively with this topic is something that is dealt with in other places in this blog, as well as HERE.

Idiots, Tire Kickers and People Who Waste Your TIme

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;

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. The third is skepticism and having been "burnt" in the past, and an overall notion that referral marketing "doesn't work".  I get it.  But the real question in the overwhelming majority of cases it whether the business didn't work, or the person did not work.  If it were easy, everyone would be doing it.

Therefore, I no longer judge people as idiots, tire kickers or people who waste my time.  I take the responsibility of being an educator who needs to explain "why".  If I do not do a compelling job of explaining - and attracting people who understand "why" what I am offering is a great thing to be involved with... I have to look myself in the mirror and ask why that is?

A Summary in Poem

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 grow and live a life enhanced.

The Problem Most of Us Share

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 this is beginning to sound familiar, you will understand that I "get" the first three sentences of this post.

The question is, "does this have to be our destiny", fraught with struggle, lack and stress?  Or might there be some common-sense, practical notions that can combine with education, tools and strategies that can lift you and me out of the class of "the working poor" to a position of greater financial prosperity?

This is what this blog is about.  It is about running counter to the current economy and the status quo of our being swept down the river.  It is about creating our own economy and providing the reasons and rationale for an alternative.  This blog is about education and modification of your mindset - ultimately leading to a change in your lifestyle, which can only be accomplished by having more money in your bank account.

To some, it will all make sense and you will want to join us.  To others, it simply may not be the right time, or strike the right chords.  However, to both, you will not be able to argue the authenticity or sincerity of our community's ethos to provide a viable and realistic path to greater financial security.

Opportunity Marketing

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?  Or, if you don't really like your job, why do you go there every day?  Then, let me ask this question:  if there was a way to make money, where making money was the main aim of the endeavor, would this make sense to you?  This defines opportunity marketing.

Opportunity Marketing is about building a community of people who share your understanding and values regarding the notions of support, interdependence, education, continual improvement, growth, success... it is about understanding culture and "buying in" both financially and conceptually, to a set of norms that people share.

It is about honesty, transparency and helping to improve peoples' lives, one individual and one family at a time... and you are providing them the opportunity to take this step forward in their life.

So the term, Opportunity Marketing really has two connotations.  The first is the money being an "end" in itself, and the second is the impact this money can have on peoples' lives through providing an unconventional opportunity to elevate their current financial circumstances and build resources that will grow in residual fashion well into the future.

Our goal, as a marketing organization is to explain, in very simple terms, that we recognize that "unconventional" inherently means that it is not the same as selling hand-made picnic tables at a local craft fair.  In many ways, it is much more sophisticated than this.  It is a long-term proposition, that if entered into correctly - and understanding "what it takes" to be successful, that it is absolutely reasonable to expect that significant financial gain is possible, if not probable.

My job (our community's job) is to prepare you for the reality of what-it-takes; and support you in making the choices necessary to "change" how you invest very specific segments of your time in doing very specific things to build a business.  After all, opportunity is not the same as fantasy.  You create opportunity through focused effort.  We provide the structure to make it happen.

Call It What You Will

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 propositions that are all in place in order to make these conversations happen.

This presents a problem for Network "MARKETING".  Why?  Because most people do not come to the table equipped with the marketing skills to initiate these conversations.  Ergo, they fail.

So, if we do not call it Marketing, then what do we call it?  I think the best term is "Community Building".  Communities are groups of people who share common interests, values and goals.  This ethos of "shared" is what binds everyone to a common theme, and it can not be just about money.

Although, for a successful business to survive (and thrive), there has to be a common commitment to EVERYONE'S financial stability and security, however again, this presupposes that the skills and strategies of all community members are on equal footing.  Everyone knows that this just isn't the case.

So this begs the question of what IS the most important factor in building a community of people vested in greater financial prosperity?  My answer is this:  it is the transfer of skills and knowledge. It is a matter of ensuring that the "community" has the structures in place to ensure that 1) a student of marketing content becomes proficient and competent in engaging others with their "message", and; 2) is then able to become an effective role model and teacher, essentially a leader in the community who can be relied upon for the transference of skills and knowledge.  The goal is for everyone to become knowledgeable and competent, i.e. professional.  If this happens, people make money.  If not, something less optimal happens and the "industry" suffers from the negative reputation.

Call it what you will.  This is noble and socially redeeming work - helping people elevate themselves financially through education, accountability and a sense of belonging.   If done well, and correctly - people get rich in direct correlation to their COMPETENCE.  And, companies get rich and get the naming rights to major sports complexes - all credible and real.