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.
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:
A very frustrated woman wrote to me on my blog and I’m going to show you her note in a minute.
But before I do, a quick bullet:
* If I were to do what a lot of guys do – and teach newbies that the way to make a lot of money on the Internet is by being my affiliate and selling my products – I would be committing some kind of crime.
(A lot of people teach this, and since there’s an endless supply of newbies, a lot of people going through the revolving door get taken advantage of.)
Yes I have a good affiliate program, and yes my products sell well, but:
The world is redesigning itself for the iPhone. I’ve just upgraded to my second. And Every month that goes by more of your visitors are finding you on their mobile device. The iPhone especially.
Are you and your business ready for it?