Already have a successful business?

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 businesses.  The closest thing we do compete with with"launches" and / or learning platforms - that provide tools, teach skills and have a monthly membership fee - associated to belong.

Therefore, we very casually expose our philosophy (first) to people who posture themselves as successful online.  We share this blog and see if they choose to reach out to us.  Many companies preach focus and fidelity and not chasing the next shiny object.  Frankly, we are inclined to agree.

However, we are a great complement to any business, and; once people are established with their primary business, we would be shooting ourselves in the foot if not exposing current successful business builders to another viable source of complementary income.

Security

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 and improving their personal status quo?  On the one end of the continuum are people who are unemployed or underemployed, which one would think makes them inherently "hungry".  If you are to believe the current national statistics, this percentage of the population is now 4.6%.  So, that will never get us there.

Then, if we apply the 80/20 rule, and assume that 80% of people think they are doing 'just fine', this leaves about 15% of people who have the attitude and aptitude to "innovate" and do something different in their lives.  This is 15% of people who will take a risk, get out of their comfort zone - and who have the initiative and drive to do something more with their lives.

Therefore, your personal security is inherently dependent on finding and educating a minority of innovators and early adopters.  It also points to the fact that you can waste a lot of time and money on chasing your tail in pursuing non-viable people.  In other words, to work smart, you need to "get clear" on who our market is, and who it is not.

We will help you get there.  To talk about these market segmentation strategies here, would really be tantamount to providing the keys to the cash box and are considered proprietary.

How, who, when, and why we target and approach potential business partners is both a fundamental skill and understanding that will contribute to your success and personal stability.

Business is a Team Sport

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 skills.  The key to all of this, from my frame of reference, is how we coordinate our teams on a state-wide, national or worldwide basis?  Some call it support, some call it being an effective sponsor... whatever the case, it should be obvious that we all do not end up in the showers together at the end of practice and give each other a lift home.

We talk about our business being a relationship business.  We talk about the importance of understanding community as a core construct.  Building a team (or) being a part of a team is simply another way to express the same thing.

If you want to have success, you need to embrace the fact that you can not "go-it-alone" and inherent in the process is a great deal of communication and coordination.  Business is a team sport.

Finding People to Support

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 "get" that their life will inherently change and - by definition - be different?  Are they willing to commit to this change?

These are the people we want to find to support.  You will know you have a solid, long-term business when you are able to discriminate between who is worth investing your time in, who you are willing to take a chance on, and helping those you do not think there is a good match - understand why that is.

We do not want to "recruit people and see who sticks".  You need to decide, as a business owner, that people are worthy of the investment of your time.  The people we support need to demonstrate growth and learning.  They need to communicate and be curious about "what's next"?  If you are truly in business with someone, you will have a relationship with them and help them to incrementally become more competent.  This takes regular contact and communication to build skills and habits.

So, BEFORE someone enrolls in this enterprise, you need to make some assessments.  Do all you can to get to know people and ask some relevant questions regarding their need for change and what they are willing to commit to - to make it happen.

Set the expectation early that you will be an accountability partner and that they understand that no business builds itself.  This is another way of saying that their effort is an expectation.  Don't allow people to sell themselves short by being paralyzed by not knowing what to do.  If they do not come up with things to do - tell them what to do, until they "get it".  They will get it when they see returns from their effort.

This is a serious, life-changing proposition.  Treat is as such.  Procrastination is not an option.

First Complement - Second Replace - Then Retire

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 it is for almost everyone. Things do not happen overnight for most people. You need to be prepared for this.

However, once you create momentum, compared to most businesses, replacing your income can happen relatively quickly.  As an example, to replace a $60,000 income requires earning $5,000 a month.  Given how our business leverages people and money, this requires a group of 28 people who are investing at $175 a month.  This does not mean you need to find 28 people personally, but your group needs to be at 28 or 29 people. Typically, this would mean that you personally support 8-12 people.

"Relatively quickly" will vary for everyone.  One a month will get you to 12 in a year.  There are many examples of people getting to this level much more quickly.  How quickly you grow really depends on your ability to help and develop your people.  We encourage you to "go to school" on this.  During the first year, look at $175 a month as a tuition payment as you learn to earn.  By any objective standard, the "potential" of being able to consider retirement within a year is sobering. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to decide if this makes sense to you, and then, make it happen.

What will you need to retire?  For most people at the most fundamental level, this means meeting all of your bills and covering your own health insurance and taxes,   Very obviously, this is different for everyone, but again you now know the metrics of what it takes to get to $60K.

We leverage money through leveraging human development..  It is a wealth-building strategy that embraces peoples' competence as the key driver of success.  We are community -  culturally defined - as learners and teachers who are committed to ensuring each other's success.

If you can come to understand and trust that at our core, this is what drives us, you can and will represent us with the pride in  knowing what we do is a socially redeemable enterprise.

Money is a By-Product of Service and Value

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.  Frankly, I am just one of these people.

The common theme of all successful internet entrepreneurs / digital marketers is a point that I make in many other posts on this blog.  Money is a By-Product of Service and Value.  What this means is practical terms is that "success/money" is driven by supporting peoples' learning curves to competence.  It follows that you need to have the knowledge and skills to impart.

The amount of money you will earn will grow incrementally with the level of service and value you provide.  This is a direct correlation.  This is an irrefutable "law" of online marketing. No skills and no value - beget no money.  Therefore, your "job" is to increase your skills and value so you can be of higher and higher levels of service to those you directly support and the internet marketing community in general.

This is the reality, and how it should be. I hope you appreciate the candor.

The Seven Social Sins

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 honesty drive every conversation to the point of discouraging people to join us if they can not commit to the change required in regard to fundamental lifestyle choices.

Hours need to be invested to build a business.  People having the ability to negotiate the transition from old habits to new habits will succeed.  Those who have the inability to focus and commit, less so.  And, although not a sin, the 8th might be:  "Success without change"... is simply an enduring principle that needs to be understood and embraced.  You will not and can not be the same person if you create success with us.  You need to understand this principle.  Your life need and ought to be different in terms of the choices of how you utilize and invest minutes and hours of your day(s),

Moral Authority

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 Authority has everything to do with perceptions we create.  We are in the business of managing perceptions and (to a degree) need to control what conclusions people draw about what we say and do.  This is accomplished pretty easily if we simply choose to not over-inflate nor over-simplify.  Moral authority is earned based upon consistent truthfulness and how we posture what we do.

This is why we lead with statements like, "Not everyone can do this... and, not everyone will be successful."  We talk about needing to learn things and how difficult it is to integrate change into your life.  We talk about competence and being worthy of being followed.

As such,  the people we attract to our business need to know that our motives are genuine and we have their best interest at heart.  When we say "we help people" they need to feel it, not just hear the words.  We need to demonstrate through the investment of time - teaching and helping people - that our actions align with our words.

In this context, our mission in attracting people to our community is pretty simple.  And, moral authority must be at the foundation.  If people do not trust us, they will not do business with us.  Therefore, talking about the negatives is as equally as important as the positives.

This is just one more way we distinguish ourselves.

A Viable Means to Complement Treadmill Income

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 every day, get a paycheck, meet their bills and then have little or nothing left to enjoy (or) have any quality of life.

What we offer does represent (one) viable means to complement treadmill income.  As an initial step, we simply encourage people to learn about who we are, what we do, and how we do it.

That's it.  Simple.  Rationale.  If it is for you:  you decide.  Our job is simply to convey the information.

Decent, Honorable People

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 accountable to is yourself.

However, the best organizations encourage teamwork and having an accountability partner.  An accountability partner can be one of your business partners, it can be your spouse, it can really be anyone who is tuned into your daily activity.  You need to "do" things to build your business.  Nothing happens on its own.

When you get started, all your time is spent marketing (getting your message or what you offer) in front of people for them to evaluate.  A portion of your time initially also needs to be spent building resources and learning tools.  Then, progressively more and more of your time will be spent supporting and teaching people in your business.

To bring this full circle, attracting decent, honorable people simply makes things easier and you will grow your business on a much more solid foundation when you attract people who understand their own character and can commit to doing what it takes to be successful.

A Community Approach to Income

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 program is ideal.  However, again, the value in what you build is not the payments you receive on a monthly basis, but the people making the payments.

Said differently, if you want success, it has to be about your people.  The money will take care of itself if you build strong, caring, supportive relationships.  If you don't care for, teach and help people in their progression to competency, frankly... you may have some success initially, but the odds are you will not maintain that level of success.  If they are not profitable, you have a short-term asset.

Therefore, the title of this post, "A Community Approach to Income" speaks to the idea of "it takes a village".  Communities share norms and values and culture... and so much more.  Let me close by repeating this core construct:  The asset (the value) in what you build is the human beings you come to know, like and respect as business partners.  In this sense, our "work" is socially redeeming in that we elevate people's lives and as a community, we prosper together.

Again, be people-driven.  The "long money" is a by-product of successful and mutually beneficial relationships.  The more of these you have (the more people you mentor) the more money it will represent.

Money Alliance

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 simply "expose" as many people as we can to what we do and how we do it.

That's where little articles and blog posts like this come in.  This is meant to educate.  Nothing more. People make judgments about our authenticity.  This is fair and as it should be.  Not everyone "gets it" or buys-in.  This is what makes the world go round.  We do not want people to think they have landed in money nirvana and things will miraculously happen.

However, for those willing to lean in, with their eyes wide open - and are willing to apply focused effort to achieve a goal, our Money Alliance is one of the better places you can choose to invest your energy and resources.

A Time and Place

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 success.  And, here's the truth: most people can't do it. The question is whether you can.  I talk about this change as the core element that people need to embrace and understand.  No change, no difference, no success.  It is that fundamental.

Therefore, a time and place has everything to do with doing something different.  Where you are in your house at 7 pm is an indicator that you are taking this seriously.  Not on the sofa in front of the TV, but in your bedroom at a make-shift desk.  Not hanging out with pals on Social Media, or playing computer games, but locked into meeting a daily goal that will build your business.

Consciously choose to create a different life.  At first, there is NO reward.  The reward is the change itself.  You need to believe that the change will pay off.  I am not going to tell you it will... you need to develop your own belief.  The closest I will come is to say that your discipline and commitment will be the best measure of the level of success you will have.

The best place to start is understanding a time and place.

Tax Form 1099

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 "opportunity" if you are serious about building a stable, long-term business.

In this context, and by extension, depending on your tax bracket and in doing your calculations of "what it will take" to quit your job, take 25-30% off the top for taxes.  Start saving all of your receipts, and begin considering that if you have not done it before, you may want to be filing a 1040 long form - like a real business.

Here's why:  if your mindset is in the right place, you will be running a real business that will legitimately provide you with the earnings that will require leveraging tax advantages.

What Is There to Lose?

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 my experience I was really questioning my decision to go to Columbia (he country).  I didn't understand the language, I was a very tall guy in a very short culture, I could not express myself adequately... and then one of the faculty members said this to me, "It is better to regret having done something than to regret never having done it at all".  That brief bit of sage advice changed my attitude toward that experience and is advice I have relied on in the balance of my life.

As such, let me frame, "what you have to lose" this way.  You lose knowing if you could have made something work for yourself.  You lose the possibility of a brighter future that more stable finances will enable.  You miss out on finding out if a community actually exists that will help you learn and grow and prosper.

This is not a cheesy attempt to appeal to the devil and the angel on each of your shoulders whispering in your ear.  It is simply meant to be something to consider in evaluating information - as you gather all the facts in deciding whether or not to join us.

We encourage your hard analysis and wish you the best in your decision-making process as we hope to welcome you into our learning community.

Fear of Pulling the Trigger

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 launches the bullet that spins out of the barrel to make a killing financially.

If you are risk averse, this won't happen.  Do your homework and create some belief in yourself and in what we do.  The rest is just learning and execution.

Counter Culture

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 heard someone say, "there has to be a better way"?  In our humble opinion, we are this "better way".  Frankly, it is not about this business or that opportunity, these are fluid and can change.  At the core of what we do is the culture and community of entrepreneurship that aligns you "with" and "in" a community of learners and earners.  It is about being a part of a group of people that value skills and competence.  It is about how we elevate people to a level of understanding that nothing is accomplished without effort.

This is the "counter" culture.  We welcome people who are open to learning "what it takes", and then carve the time out of their lifestyles to make it happen.  You need a plan - to succeed.  We provide the frame, you build the rest of the structure.  Not everyone can do it.  If they could, we would not be a "subset" of society.  What we do requires a unique kind of person who understands the big picture and is willing to grind it out to get there.

Most people do not have the perseverance or tenacity to make it happen.  This is why the failure rate is so high.  In every sense of the word:  it is work.  It requires changes to your lifestyle and how you spend hours of your day.  We will love to help you, but when you step through the door, hopefully, this helps you do so with your eyes wide open.

Build Your Own Wall

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 provide you with the vehicle to create your own economy that is based upon your skills [and] over which you have complete control.

Essentially, this defines our community.  We have created our own "space" and are a specialized and innovative subset within the larger economy.  We are an interconnected and inter-dependent group of business builders that care for and take care of each other.  We advocate and engender competence as our driving core value.  We build a wall of security that keeps the demons of want and lack at the foot of the rampart and welcome anyone inside to learn more.

Important to Understand and Put in Context

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" John Oliver is representing.

Second, let me say that I enjoy his humor, generally.  And, although he denigrates Network Marketing in this piece, I can't say that I absolutely disagree with everything he says - especially for tangible, product-based MLM's.

So, how do we differ?  First, our products are digital information products that are delivered over the internet.  We don't inventory anything that does not exist on your computer hard drive.  The value we create is in building people who build a business in a community of competence.  This is a good thing.

Second, our compensation model does drive width and depth, but it is not completely analogous due to fundamental structural differences.  We collect 100% of payments and do not have an over-ride component for uplines... there are more factors... not the least of which is that of the money we earn, the CEO does not receive a penny - ever.  However, the money is not the point here. The point is what we do is different than what is described in this video.

It does get a bit dicey when splitting hairs about the notion of being a "pyramid scheme'".  John Oliver does a pretty effective job of lampooning the idea of a pyramid and attempts to distinguish the accepted corporate pyramid from an MLM pyramid.  He attempts to make the point that if you are selling products to retail customers it is probably a legitimate business. However, if you are only "moving product" through your network, it is probably a pyramid.  We are a hybrid due to the fact that we are a subscription, no different than a financial newsletter.

Another hallmark of pyramid schemes is a guarantee of returns.  We are required to not make income claims and discourage using potential earnings as a "carrot".  We stress that you earn in direct correlation to the value you provide.  Check this one off.

And, smack dab in the middle of all this are the real estate and insurance industries, using a closely allied compensation system. How do they get a free pass?  And what about franchises?  Or, the in-home sales home improvement industry?

We do business with self-selected people who participate in our community that is interconnected and interdependent - and who choose to invest their personal resources.  This benefits those who participate under the umbrella of an agreed-upon business model. Our market consists of people who want to attain financial security.  Instead of homes or life insurance, people have the option to choose something allied to what we do.  We sell a system, a platform to earn money between informed and consenting adults.

Someone needs to explain how this is unreasonable and deserving of derision?  In fact, I advocate that this is socially redeeming and worthy "work" due to the fact that we change peoples' finances, we impact lives, raise self-esteem and are relevant to a whole host of other positive attributes.

Can anyone do it, and will everyone be successful?  We know the answer to this one.  But the problem is not the business model.  The problem is people's ability to adapt to and integrate change into their lives (first), and; having the aptitude to learn and apply new things i.e. execute and implement (second), then; teaching what they have learned to others to perpetuate a culture of competence.  No, not everyone can do it, otherwise, everyone would be.  Many people can not adapt to the change required.  If people try and fail, they need to look no further than the mirror.  It has nothing to do with the business model, other than it inherently relies on the transfer of skills and knowledge.

John Oliver is not really being unfair in this piece - but you need to understand, he is not talking about what we do.  Take pride and understand that our mission is to help people in what has been described by our CEO as a "culture of assistance".  What we do is worthy,

I will repeat this simple truth: what we do is worthy.  John Oliver is talking about "the old" segment of our industry and to a degree, this segment legitimately warrants its comeuppance.

Going to School in Our Community

What we do is not unlike going to school.  The difference is that you will be paid to do so.  Leave no doubt however that there are things to learn, skills to develop, tools to use.  All of this requires effort and commitment.

I talk about managing and incorporating "change" in many places, so I do not want to make this the focus here.  My goal is to convey what the nitty-gritty of what all this means (as a practical matter) if you "buy in" to consciously choosing to alter how you spend hours of your day consistently and with perseverance in joining our community.

So what do you need to know?  What skills will you need to acquire?

Initially, most everything is / can be done on the Google platform. Using Gmail "for all it is worth" is an important first skill. This involves simple things like setting up multiple accounts and understanding how to use them for different purposes.  When you get more advanced, you will want to invest in an autoresponder, but Gmail will get you where you need to go initially.

Then, there is understanding the back office of our business and what it can do for you.  It has tools and strategies you can follow. There are training videos in the back office and on YouTube.  There are Facebook groups. There are weekly training calls and webinars...  Getting "tuned into" all of this stuff is important initially.

These two things should happen relatively quickly. When you get things rolling, and you have these fundamentals under your belt, you will want to understand who our market is and how to reach them. You will need to make decisions about "what you will do" to build your business.  This varies for everyone, but Internet Marketing (or) Online Business inherently shares the common feature of computer use.  There are strategies to use social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram...) Later,

If you have the "chops" to do so, you can create a blog to brand yourself.  You don't necessarily need to create all of the content, but can aggregate and curate information and create an online presence to enhance your credibility.

All of this happens incrementally.  Step by step, day by day, you "go to school" and learn new things. All of these things are geared toward getting what you are offering in front of people for them to evaluate.  To make it really simple, this will / should occupy half of your time initially.  You need to be constantly learning new things - creating resources and applying them to what we do.  The other half of your time needs to be engaged in working with other people to help and support them in the same process.  This involves seeking out the right people and resources to get questions answered that will enable you to implement / execute.

Beyond all of the learning and teaching, the bottom line is this:  our job is to get what we have to offer in front of people for them to evaluate.  At the end of the day, the more people we expose, the more money we will make.  Not everyone will be interested.  Our job is to work with the ones who are - and help them determine if what we do is a good fit for themselves and their families.