For most of my life I had no idea that my writing skills had any commercial value whatsoever. That’s one reason why I studied engineering in school instead of, say, English.
Today, the story of how I discovered how to earn 10X more as a writer as I made as an engineer.
In the last few months there has been an explosive proliferation of all manner of Make Money Online / Make Money at Home / MLM / Direct Sales opportunities.
Business opportunity fervor is visible in the requests for media interviews that I get; just a couple of weeks ago I was conversing with a reporter from the Washington Post about this very topic. It’s plainly visible on Twitter and in the blogosphere; we’re seeing it in our blog comments and the kinds of new customers we’re getting. It’s a sea change in the current climate.
Everybody is jumping in with both feet. But there are some very important things that all such people need to be mindful of.
As of today, I am 39.9617 years old. 2 weeks from today is the day!
On Friday, April 10, I hit the big 4-0. And I’m celebrating in a big way.
Ever since I was 14 or 15 years old, I desired to live “off the grid”.
This didn’t mean living in Montana and growing my own food. It meant becoming independent of the corporate suit-and-tie world and not living under somebody’s thumb.
My dad lived his life under somebody’s thumb and for example one time he was “forced to resign.”
(Don’t you think sometimes there’s more dignity in being outright FIRED, than pretending, for the sake of appearance, to go along with somebody’s decision to throw you under the bus?)
When I was “growing up” as a marketer, I relied HEAVILY on newsletters and advice from mentors and other sharp marketers. Without that help I would have drowned.
There were so many decisions to make, yet some of those decisions were critical. Even a seemingly small choice could have huge consequences later on.
Examples of small decisions that turned out to be huge, later on:
Amount of AIG bailout : $170B
Amount of AIG bonuses: $0.165B
Bailout/Bonuses ~1000:1
I just came home from a seminar by Paul Manwaring called “A Culture of Honor.” As he spoke about how carelessly people criticize each other on TV and in daily life – and how uplifting it is to receive words of affirmation – I was struck by how little appreciation most entrepreneurs get from… well, anybody.
The evening news is no celebration of business people, that’s for sure.
The government ain’t doing much to make your job easier.
So… why would you risk everything, endure multiple bankruptcies, work 17 hours a day for weeks and months at a time, to be the first to be taxed and the last to get paid in a game that offers no guarantee of success whatsoever?
It takes a very special kind of person.
It takes a person who is…
Jim Straw is an old “mail order maverick.” I didn’t ask him how old he is but I’d guess he’s in his 70’s. He’s been around the block a bunch of times. As a mail order marketer with over 700,000 customers, he has sold over $250,000,000 worth of products and services by mail. Everything from Beauty Supplies to Heavy Equipment … Read More
I am always struck by the very distinctive personality and “feel” that I get from any particular seminar. No two are ever the same.
One time I spoke at a Matt Furey seminar. 25% of the guys in the room were guys with big muscles and shaved heads who were into Martial Arts, just like Matt. At one point Matt had one of them on the floor with his foot on the guy’s neck…
The first time I went to a “real” direct marketing seminar was 10 years ago.
Prior to that I only went to Pink Kool Aid seminars.
(Renaissance Club members can refer to the old newsletter titled “My life as a naive enthusiastic Ambot” for details.)
At the Pink Kool Aid seminars, only a handful of people in the front were making any dough. The rest of us were losing money constantly. The few who were profitable were not making nearly as much as everyone thought they were.
When I attended that first Direct Marketing seminar, the very first thing I noticed was:
