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Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Study of a Panhandler: The "King of the Beggars"
$300 to $1000 a day. Cash. That's good money no matter how you look at it.
He said his name was Bob. Bob Tossler*. I was out of work and had been looking for a job for about 3 weeks. One of my roommates in the apartment complex I lived in suggested I should speak with Bob, because he was always looking for people to help him out. This made no sense to me because I knew Bob was a panhandler; I had seen him standing on the sidewalk day after day asking people for money. "How could he possibly help me" I thought. Little did I know.
I spent another couple of days on interviews and looking for a "regular" job when one day, arriving home after an unsuccessful job search, Bob found me.
"I hear you're looking for a job," he said. I hesitated wondering where this conversation was going to lead to but then I replied "Yes." Bob said he could show me how I could make some real money by working for him. I asked him how. "By doing what I do," Bob replied with a big grin.
I must admit I was quite dubious, "how much could this guy really be making?' I thought, so I asked him, his answer floored me. "I make between $300 to $1000 a day," he said. "Cash. I am the "King of the Beggars."
Now I wasn't taken in by this report even though it had floored me. After I had recovered a moment, I figured he was lying, "he couldn't possibly be making that much," I thought. I would be wrong.
Bob must have sensed my disbelief. "Go with me for one day," he said, "I'll pay you 10 dollars an hour just to watch me. I'll even let you hold all the money I receive so you'll know I'm not cheating somehow. My average is about $350 a day, and I'll pay you at the end of the day." My mind raced. 10 dollars an hour? Just to watch someone else work? I'm sold! I was just about to say, but Bob must have interpreted my hesitation as reluctance, "I'll even buy you breakfast, lunch and dinner," he said, "and not fast food either, I don't eat that garbage. It'll be a real meal at a nice restaurant. I never eat at home, so I know all the best places in the city." If I wasn't sold before, now I really am, 10 dollars an hour to watch someone else work and then free meals, where do I sign? I told Bob OK and he said to be ready by 7 AM tomorrow and he would pick me up.
Bob was true to his word. We went to a Denny's for breakfast (OK, not a Nice restaurant, but not fast food either), but for lunch, we stopped at a decent place. "This is nice," I thought; for dinner we went to a family buffet, so even though we had not eaten at the Best places in the city (but the lunch venue was really good), we had not had fast food either.
We arrived at our location for the day by about 8:45. This was an upscale area of the city frequented by tourists. Many boutique arts and crafts stores and gift shops were located here. Nearby were streets lined with art galleries. Just a couple of blocks away were a group of upscale restaurants and nightclubs that opened in the evening.
That first day, Bob asked me to hold onto all the money he collected while he worked. That way he said, I could be sure that his estimate of an average of $350 was accurate. Well that first day Bob missed his estimate by nearly $100. He didn't come in low, he exceeded it taking in nearly $450. The next day Bob received nearly $500. The next couple of days were less and by the end of the week, the average was about $350 a day as Bob had estimated, I was impressed, but what Bob did was clearly difficult. I wasn't sure I could do it, even after a week of close observation.
At work, Bob was articulate, optimistic, engaging, enthusiastic and funny. He didn't dress like a beggar or panhandler would, Bob always dressed up wearing neatly pressed khaki slacks, a dress shirt, a hat with a flap covering his neck in the back (to protect him from the ever-present sun) and an orange reflective traffic guard-like vest. He said we should wear comfortable athletic shoes of some type, the best I could afford, because we would be on our feet and walking all day.
Bob would approach every person who passed near him; he especially liked groups because he almost always got everyone in the group to give him money. Bob had his job down to a science. He said it took him nearly 15 years of trial and error to get it to this point and he still tweaked it a bit here and there just to try out a new angle. Sometimes it would work he said, sometimes it wouldn't. One such time it didn't work was when he wore a tie. His donations plummeted. Thinking one day might have been just a fluke, Bob wore the tie a couple more days but the results were the same each day; his donations were much lower.
What Bob did was unique. Bob would approach each person or group and extend his hand as if to shake that person's hand. When that person put their hand out in return, Bob would put a trinket in their hand - and then vigorously resist accepting it back if they tried to give it back. The trinket was always some very inexpensive gift - a toy whistle, key ring or fold-up fan for example. Bob imported these from China for a few cents each.
Bob understood the psychology of giving something. Whenever someone gets something for free, most people feel a need to do something in return; they feel obligated to return the "favor," regardless of the intrinsic value or utility of the trinket they have received. Bob understood this perfectly. By giving the person (or persons for groups) a 'gift" that person now feels a subconscious obligation to immediately return that favor. By refusing to accept the "favor" if the person tries to give the gift back, Bob just increases the tension heightening that person's sense of obligation. It was at this point that part two of Bob's spiel would begin.
Bob told people he operated an animal shelter - which was true - technically. He would tell people how many thousands of pets he had saved over the last ten years and that he was now here because of the annual spay and neuter drive. Bob also wore a fanny pack that he would keep stuffed full of his trinkets and pamphlets. The pamphlets had a couple of photos of pets in his animal shelter along with a description beneath the picture of how the animal shelter had rescued so many pets over the years and how many people had happily adopted a pet from the shelter. As Bob launched into his speech, he would pull out a pamphlet for each listener and hand it to them, pointing to the pictures as he spoke. Bob would often tell of a family or child who had come to the shelter recently and found a pet they had been looking for and how happy the child or family was to find a lovable pet to take home. Bob was quite a ham and laid it all on very thickly. Within a few moments of his talk, your heart was almost bleeding to help these poor unfortunate animals.
Bob told me that a key to making the most money was to shut up as soon as you saw someone go for their wallet or pocketbook and switch to the "close." At this point, Bob's tenor would change. He would become more firm and stand up straighter. He would tell people how much it cost to care for a pet for one week and that was how much money he expected them to donate. If there was a group, he told them he expected each person in the group to donate the same amount, it wouldn't be fair he said, if just one person donated. Usually this worked. More often than not, everyone in the group would donate if at least one person did. Overall, I would estimate that about 50% of all people Bob approached would donate some money to his cause.
During a quiet spell, Bob told me about what was really going on. He had incorporated his home as a non-profit - a 501(c)3 organization. He personally had four dogs and about a dozen cats; this often constituted the full complement of animals at his "animal shelter." However, he also operated an animal phone adoption service. Here he paid a woman to answer two ads Bob had every day in the local newspaper. One ad read that a local phone adoption service for pets was looking for animals for good families. The other ad stated that a phone adoption service for pets had pets available for adoption. The woman who answered the phone would simply match the two groups up. Bob estimated that he averaged about 3 adoptions a day in this manner. He never saw the pets and he never took possession of the pets and never had to spend any money on them, he only paid the woman for her service using a phone Bob supplied for her.
Bob had used the money he received from his solicitations to place a down payment on the apartment building I was living in. And he owned his home outright he said. He also owned four cars and two boats plus all the latest electronics, but he nearly never used any of them because he "had" to work every day to keep his wife happy. Although somewhat true, it was obvious that Bob simply loved what he was doing.
Bob also had used the cash he received from the donations he had received to open a concession franchise business. Almost every fair, carnival, special event, block party or parade in the county featured at least two booths that were operated by Bob. One was a curly fry's booth. The other booth sold light-up toys and glow bracelets. Bob estimated that each booth earned about $500 to $1000 a day in profit. Bob said that he had these booths operating for about 40 to 60 days a year depending on the employees he had available and the weather etc. Bob said he paid all the taxes due and even donated cash to other charities. Although he never mentioned it or knew that I knew, I also witnessed Bob handing out cash to people who needed it. Sometimes people would come to him for a loan to pay their rent or buy groceries. If Bob knew who you were and he knew you were telling the truth, Bob often gave what was asked of him. If Bob did not know you or suspected you may be asking for more than you really needed, he would offer a job instead - doing what he did of course. Some people took him up on his offer and a few succeeded.
Although it was difficult to learn, I followed Bob's advice and while I was working for him I averaged about $150 a day. I always gave Bob half of what I earned per our agreement. My best day I earned $350, my worst was zero, fortunately only 2 or 3 of these occurred in the several years I worked for him. My best income earnings from Bob were when I worked concessions for him. If you worked a light booth or a walk around trolley (often six or seven people per show did this for Bob) his rule was that the first $75 of your sales belonged to him to pay for the merchandise you sold. After that, he split everything 50-50. On most events, I would average $150 an hour as my commission; my best was $750 an hour but it only lasted for one and a half hours before our trucks were completely sold out of inventory.
If you want to do this, you need to look professional. Wear the orange vest. Get your spiel ready with lots of closings in it. Bob was always saying "always be closing." Ask for the money. Know when to stop the sales pitch and switch over to the closing speech. Get people talking about themselves, Bob would often talk with someone for 5 minutes to find out about their interests and purposes for being at that location at that time. He would get everyone's name and use their names throughout his spiel. He would get them laughing with an anecdote or popular joke, (sometimes racy). And he would intertwine his spiel with all of this and then shut up for a second when they went for their money and then start in with the closing. Silence is important and powerful, know when to use it but don't abuse it.
If you get the sales pitch and closing right and you find the proper locations, maybe you could make enough money to pay your bills. You don't need to own an animal shelter or found a non-profit to solicit donations on behalf of a charity. You can solicit donations for any charity if you give at least 10% of the money you receive to the charity. Many of the biggest organizations which solicit money on behalf of charities donate less than 10% but they can do this because they are charities themselves. Don't try to "get by" on this, pay the taxes due and give at least 10% of your earnings to charity.
*Bob Tossler is not the real name.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6734758
He said his name was Bob. Bob Tossler*. I was out of work and had been looking for a job for about 3 weeks. One of my roommates in the apartment complex I lived in suggested I should speak with Bob, because he was always looking for people to help him out. This made no sense to me because I knew Bob was a panhandler; I had seen him standing on the sidewalk day after day asking people for money. "How could he possibly help me" I thought. Little did I know.
I spent another couple of days on interviews and looking for a "regular" job when one day, arriving home after an unsuccessful job search, Bob found me.
"I hear you're looking for a job," he said. I hesitated wondering where this conversation was going to lead to but then I replied "Yes." Bob said he could show me how I could make some real money by working for him. I asked him how. "By doing what I do," Bob replied with a big grin.
I must admit I was quite dubious, "how much could this guy really be making?' I thought, so I asked him, his answer floored me. "I make between $300 to $1000 a day," he said. "Cash. I am the "King of the Beggars."
Now I wasn't taken in by this report even though it had floored me. After I had recovered a moment, I figured he was lying, "he couldn't possibly be making that much," I thought. I would be wrong.
Bob must have sensed my disbelief. "Go with me for one day," he said, "I'll pay you 10 dollars an hour just to watch me. I'll even let you hold all the money I receive so you'll know I'm not cheating somehow. My average is about $350 a day, and I'll pay you at the end of the day." My mind raced. 10 dollars an hour? Just to watch someone else work? I'm sold! I was just about to say, but Bob must have interpreted my hesitation as reluctance, "I'll even buy you breakfast, lunch and dinner," he said, "and not fast food either, I don't eat that garbage. It'll be a real meal at a nice restaurant. I never eat at home, so I know all the best places in the city." If I wasn't sold before, now I really am, 10 dollars an hour to watch someone else work and then free meals, where do I sign? I told Bob OK and he said to be ready by 7 AM tomorrow and he would pick me up.
Bob was true to his word. We went to a Denny's for breakfast (OK, not a Nice restaurant, but not fast food either), but for lunch, we stopped at a decent place. "This is nice," I thought; for dinner we went to a family buffet, so even though we had not eaten at the Best places in the city (but the lunch venue was really good), we had not had fast food either.
We arrived at our location for the day by about 8:45. This was an upscale area of the city frequented by tourists. Many boutique arts and crafts stores and gift shops were located here. Nearby were streets lined with art galleries. Just a couple of blocks away were a group of upscale restaurants and nightclubs that opened in the evening.
That first day, Bob asked me to hold onto all the money he collected while he worked. That way he said, I could be sure that his estimate of an average of $350 was accurate. Well that first day Bob missed his estimate by nearly $100. He didn't come in low, he exceeded it taking in nearly $450. The next day Bob received nearly $500. The next couple of days were less and by the end of the week, the average was about $350 a day as Bob had estimated, I was impressed, but what Bob did was clearly difficult. I wasn't sure I could do it, even after a week of close observation.
At work, Bob was articulate, optimistic, engaging, enthusiastic and funny. He didn't dress like a beggar or panhandler would, Bob always dressed up wearing neatly pressed khaki slacks, a dress shirt, a hat with a flap covering his neck in the back (to protect him from the ever-present sun) and an orange reflective traffic guard-like vest. He said we should wear comfortable athletic shoes of some type, the best I could afford, because we would be on our feet and walking all day.
Bob would approach every person who passed near him; he especially liked groups because he almost always got everyone in the group to give him money. Bob had his job down to a science. He said it took him nearly 15 years of trial and error to get it to this point and he still tweaked it a bit here and there just to try out a new angle. Sometimes it would work he said, sometimes it wouldn't. One such time it didn't work was when he wore a tie. His donations plummeted. Thinking one day might have been just a fluke, Bob wore the tie a couple more days but the results were the same each day; his donations were much lower.
What Bob did was unique. Bob would approach each person or group and extend his hand as if to shake that person's hand. When that person put their hand out in return, Bob would put a trinket in their hand - and then vigorously resist accepting it back if they tried to give it back. The trinket was always some very inexpensive gift - a toy whistle, key ring or fold-up fan for example. Bob imported these from China for a few cents each.
Bob understood the psychology of giving something. Whenever someone gets something for free, most people feel a need to do something in return; they feel obligated to return the "favor," regardless of the intrinsic value or utility of the trinket they have received. Bob understood this perfectly. By giving the person (or persons for groups) a 'gift" that person now feels a subconscious obligation to immediately return that favor. By refusing to accept the "favor" if the person tries to give the gift back, Bob just increases the tension heightening that person's sense of obligation. It was at this point that part two of Bob's spiel would begin.
Bob told people he operated an animal shelter - which was true - technically. He would tell people how many thousands of pets he had saved over the last ten years and that he was now here because of the annual spay and neuter drive. Bob also wore a fanny pack that he would keep stuffed full of his trinkets and pamphlets. The pamphlets had a couple of photos of pets in his animal shelter along with a description beneath the picture of how the animal shelter had rescued so many pets over the years and how many people had happily adopted a pet from the shelter. As Bob launched into his speech, he would pull out a pamphlet for each listener and hand it to them, pointing to the pictures as he spoke. Bob would often tell of a family or child who had come to the shelter recently and found a pet they had been looking for and how happy the child or family was to find a lovable pet to take home. Bob was quite a ham and laid it all on very thickly. Within a few moments of his talk, your heart was almost bleeding to help these poor unfortunate animals.
Bob told me that a key to making the most money was to shut up as soon as you saw someone go for their wallet or pocketbook and switch to the "close." At this point, Bob's tenor would change. He would become more firm and stand up straighter. He would tell people how much it cost to care for a pet for one week and that was how much money he expected them to donate. If there was a group, he told them he expected each person in the group to donate the same amount, it wouldn't be fair he said, if just one person donated. Usually this worked. More often than not, everyone in the group would donate if at least one person did. Overall, I would estimate that about 50% of all people Bob approached would donate some money to his cause.
During a quiet spell, Bob told me about what was really going on. He had incorporated his home as a non-profit - a 501(c)3 organization. He personally had four dogs and about a dozen cats; this often constituted the full complement of animals at his "animal shelter." However, he also operated an animal phone adoption service. Here he paid a woman to answer two ads Bob had every day in the local newspaper. One ad read that a local phone adoption service for pets was looking for animals for good families. The other ad stated that a phone adoption service for pets had pets available for adoption. The woman who answered the phone would simply match the two groups up. Bob estimated that he averaged about 3 adoptions a day in this manner. He never saw the pets and he never took possession of the pets and never had to spend any money on them, he only paid the woman for her service using a phone Bob supplied for her.
Bob had used the money he received from his solicitations to place a down payment on the apartment building I was living in. And he owned his home outright he said. He also owned four cars and two boats plus all the latest electronics, but he nearly never used any of them because he "had" to work every day to keep his wife happy. Although somewhat true, it was obvious that Bob simply loved what he was doing.
Bob also had used the cash he received from the donations he had received to open a concession franchise business. Almost every fair, carnival, special event, block party or parade in the county featured at least two booths that were operated by Bob. One was a curly fry's booth. The other booth sold light-up toys and glow bracelets. Bob estimated that each booth earned about $500 to $1000 a day in profit. Bob said that he had these booths operating for about 40 to 60 days a year depending on the employees he had available and the weather etc. Bob said he paid all the taxes due and even donated cash to other charities. Although he never mentioned it or knew that I knew, I also witnessed Bob handing out cash to people who needed it. Sometimes people would come to him for a loan to pay their rent or buy groceries. If Bob knew who you were and he knew you were telling the truth, Bob often gave what was asked of him. If Bob did not know you or suspected you may be asking for more than you really needed, he would offer a job instead - doing what he did of course. Some people took him up on his offer and a few succeeded.
Although it was difficult to learn, I followed Bob's advice and while I was working for him I averaged about $150 a day. I always gave Bob half of what I earned per our agreement. My best day I earned $350, my worst was zero, fortunately only 2 or 3 of these occurred in the several years I worked for him. My best income earnings from Bob were when I worked concessions for him. If you worked a light booth or a walk around trolley (often six or seven people per show did this for Bob) his rule was that the first $75 of your sales belonged to him to pay for the merchandise you sold. After that, he split everything 50-50. On most events, I would average $150 an hour as my commission; my best was $750 an hour but it only lasted for one and a half hours before our trucks were completely sold out of inventory.
If you want to do this, you need to look professional. Wear the orange vest. Get your spiel ready with lots of closings in it. Bob was always saying "always be closing." Ask for the money. Know when to stop the sales pitch and switch over to the closing speech. Get people talking about themselves, Bob would often talk with someone for 5 minutes to find out about their interests and purposes for being at that location at that time. He would get everyone's name and use their names throughout his spiel. He would get them laughing with an anecdote or popular joke, (sometimes racy). And he would intertwine his spiel with all of this and then shut up for a second when they went for their money and then start in with the closing. Silence is important and powerful, know when to use it but don't abuse it.
If you get the sales pitch and closing right and you find the proper locations, maybe you could make enough money to pay your bills. You don't need to own an animal shelter or found a non-profit to solicit donations on behalf of a charity. You can solicit donations for any charity if you give at least 10% of the money you receive to the charity. Many of the biggest organizations which solicit money on behalf of charities donate less than 10% but they can do this because they are charities themselves. Don't try to "get by" on this, pay the taxes due and give at least 10% of your earnings to charity.
*Bob Tossler is not the real name.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6734758
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Building Wealth, Making Money
Beginning with industrialization, governments sought to expand their economies by replacing the long-term and slow growth modality of capital creation with the faster and more expedient means of debt creation. But as economies expanded, debt ballooned. Over time, as a nation's market expanded at a fairly steady pace (with the occasional downturn and setback), ensuring a commensurate increase in incomes, apparent wealth and living standards, the total debt increased at an exponential rate exceeding by many magnitudes the growth rate of the economy. As a result, at any major downturn and national or regional setback, nations businesses and individuals are left foundering in a sea of debt.
There can be no "fix" to an economy based on debt nor for a business' or individual's debt load unless the "fix" originates from the capital creation side of economic philosophy. However, as capital creation is slow and uneven this solution is unpalatable to nations and peoples accustomed to quick repairs, fast connections and instant gratification. To be told that a solution to debt can be guaranteed, but only after 10 or 20 years of hard work, with very little to show for the first half of that period, people and nations may opt for the more expedient solution of expanding their debt. Although this solution seems to solve the immediate debt, the existing debt doesn't go away, it is merely subsumed within the new debt. This seems to solve the immediate debt situation but in fact only moves the problem to a future date.
There is no solution to a debt crisis using the current model of debt creation. Under this model, current debt never goes away, it is only added to future debt. The only solution to a crisis of debt is debt that provides periodic income in excess of the periodic payments necessary to acquire that debt. Debt based on this new model is based on tangible assets, i.e. hard, fixed assets which cannot be easily dismantled or destroyed.
There are only four asset classes of production. These four classes are land (or real estate), labor, capital (cash), and intellectual property. In the modern era, each of these asset classes bears varying degrees of mortality risk based on the further distinction (subcategory) of that asset category, its location on the planet, competition and the market from which its revenues are derived. No place is absolutely safe; fires, earthquakes floods and storms can destroy a factory, warehouse or subdivision just as surely as war, a terrorist attack, competition or market decline.
Investment in debt is never a safe option. Debt is a soft asset, an intangible or paper asset which can lose value or be destroyed as easily as it was created. Whether the soft asset is student loans, mortgages, commodities, foreign exchange or highly leveraged derivatives, there is no assurance that any investment made today will be secure tomorrow. The characteristic of a soft asset which makes it easy to generate high returns over short periods of time is leverage. However, this leverage of return also leverages the degree of risk. The farther removed an asset is from a hard asset to a soft asset, the more inherent the risk built into the structure of that asset. Although this risk also leverages the potential rate of return, the increase in the return is simply not worth the increased risk as the current real estate crisis, worldwide currency crises, the slow decline of the dollar and international governmental debt crises all attest.
Income generating assets exist in a variety of forms and their return can exceed that of the more familiar debt model based asset vehicles. One of the most popular forms is stock ownership. Although this seems a contradiction in the capital creation concept, it is in fact a core concept; buy assets, not debt, buy ownership, not a promise. With stock, you are buying a piece of the company; when buying a student loan package, you are buying a promise.
Equity in a commercial enterprise is perhaps the easiest, least expensive and lowest risk means of initiating a capital creation strategy. To assure the proper perspective on equity purchases, an investor must view the asset for the periodic income it generates, not the projected cash-in value of the asset at some indeterminate time in the future. Each investor must view the asset as one that they will hold forever and then pass onto their heirs because of the income it generates (and additionally the value it adds to their estate). No investor should view such an asset as one they plan to sell in 10, 20, 30 or 40 years.
Indivduals, businesses and governments must all adopt the long view. This long view rests on a foundation of capital creation. Capital creation is the acquisition of assets which produce periodic, current income in excess of the payments required to purchase that asset.
There can be no "fix" to an economy based on debt nor for a business' or individual's debt load unless the "fix" originates from the capital creation side of economic philosophy. However, as capital creation is slow and uneven this solution is unpalatable to nations and peoples accustomed to quick repairs, fast connections and instant gratification. To be told that a solution to debt can be guaranteed, but only after 10 or 20 years of hard work, with very little to show for the first half of that period, people and nations may opt for the more expedient solution of expanding their debt. Although this solution seems to solve the immediate debt, the existing debt doesn't go away, it is merely subsumed within the new debt. This seems to solve the immediate debt situation but in fact only moves the problem to a future date.
There is no solution to a debt crisis using the current model of debt creation. Under this model, current debt never goes away, it is only added to future debt. The only solution to a crisis of debt is debt that provides periodic income in excess of the periodic payments necessary to acquire that debt. Debt based on this new model is based on tangible assets, i.e. hard, fixed assets which cannot be easily dismantled or destroyed.
There are only four asset classes of production. These four classes are land (or real estate), labor, capital (cash), and intellectual property. In the modern era, each of these asset classes bears varying degrees of mortality risk based on the further distinction (subcategory) of that asset category, its location on the planet, competition and the market from which its revenues are derived. No place is absolutely safe; fires, earthquakes floods and storms can destroy a factory, warehouse or subdivision just as surely as war, a terrorist attack, competition or market decline.
Investment in debt is never a safe option. Debt is a soft asset, an intangible or paper asset which can lose value or be destroyed as easily as it was created. Whether the soft asset is student loans, mortgages, commodities, foreign exchange or highly leveraged derivatives, there is no assurance that any investment made today will be secure tomorrow. The characteristic of a soft asset which makes it easy to generate high returns over short periods of time is leverage. However, this leverage of return also leverages the degree of risk. The farther removed an asset is from a hard asset to a soft asset, the more inherent the risk built into the structure of that asset. Although this risk also leverages the potential rate of return, the increase in the return is simply not worth the increased risk as the current real estate crisis, worldwide currency crises, the slow decline of the dollar and international governmental debt crises all attest.
Income generating assets exist in a variety of forms and their return can exceed that of the more familiar debt model based asset vehicles. One of the most popular forms is stock ownership. Although this seems a contradiction in the capital creation concept, it is in fact a core concept; buy assets, not debt, buy ownership, not a promise. With stock, you are buying a piece of the company; when buying a student loan package, you are buying a promise.
Equity in a commercial enterprise is perhaps the easiest, least expensive and lowest risk means of initiating a capital creation strategy. To assure the proper perspective on equity purchases, an investor must view the asset for the periodic income it generates, not the projected cash-in value of the asset at some indeterminate time in the future. Each investor must view the asset as one that they will hold forever and then pass onto their heirs because of the income it generates (and additionally the value it adds to their estate). No investor should view such an asset as one they plan to sell in 10, 20, 30 or 40 years.
Indivduals, businesses and governments must all adopt the long view. This long view rests on a foundation of capital creation. Capital creation is the acquisition of assets which produce periodic, current income in excess of the payments required to purchase that asset.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Autocommissionbot by Michael Pietersen Is a Scam!
I purchased autocommissionbot about a week ago and I have received no help from them since. The site says they will provide training videos on what to do and on how to make money - all things they stated their program was all about, but there is only 1 video - an introductory video which basically just says Welcome! Wait for the next video. - But there is no next video. I requested a refund of my $67 but have not received it yet - been 4 days. The "User Guide" is just as useless. Links on the website members area and in the user guide go nowhere - are broken, or go to offsite ads! Michael Pietersen says in his sales video that he hates scammers, he should know - he is one! Sales copy says this program is automated and all steps will be provided for you to start making money in 24 hours - all false. Autocommissionbot.com is a scam - Stay Away!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Rub your magic 8 gently
Rub your magic 8 gently, because you never know what answer may be revealed. If you're trying to make money from home with a home based business, you know how frustrating that can be. There are so many ads proclaiming you can make money fast, make money overnight, retire tomorrow, make money slowly, get rich slowly, get rich quickly or whatever. The question is: Which ones work!? Trying to determine the answer to that question is like rubbing your magic 8 ball. You flip it over and the answer appears. And that is about how accurate any online ad or testimonial may be.
Now, I'm not saying that there aren't legitimate business opportunities out there or that there is no way you or I can make money online or from home. After all, as JP Nelson says: "If it has been done, that proves it CAN be done. If it can be done, then someone did it. If someone did it, that proves YOU can do it." I'm not exactly sure I could win a gold medal figure skating at my age especially since I can't skate, or win an NBA championship, but I get his point. We can succeed at almost anything we want to succeed at if we put our mind to it. And some people have made money with an online or home business.
If you're looking at online, MLM, work from home or home business opportunities, you need to perform your due diligence. What this means is that you need to check and verify what the company claims before you go ahead and put your hard earned money into the opportunity. Ask for testimonials from people you can call. Research the company's standing with the Better Business Bureau. Go to Twitter and type in the name of the company or business followed by a smiley face :) for good reviews and a frown face :( for negative reviews. Discern and differentiate what you find as almost every business, if its been around long enough will have some negative opinions - you can't please all the people all the time and some people you just can't please at all.
So review each opportunity carefully, check with the BBB, understand what you need to do to succeed and if all else fails, keep that magic 8 ball handy.
Now, I'm not saying that there aren't legitimate business opportunities out there or that there is no way you or I can make money online or from home. After all, as JP Nelson says: "If it has been done, that proves it CAN be done. If it can be done, then someone did it. If someone did it, that proves YOU can do it." I'm not exactly sure I could win a gold medal figure skating at my age especially since I can't skate, or win an NBA championship, but I get his point. We can succeed at almost anything we want to succeed at if we put our mind to it. And some people have made money with an online or home business.
If you're looking at online, MLM, work from home or home business opportunities, you need to perform your due diligence. What this means is that you need to check and verify what the company claims before you go ahead and put your hard earned money into the opportunity. Ask for testimonials from people you can call. Research the company's standing with the Better Business Bureau. Go to Twitter and type in the name of the company or business followed by a smiley face :) for good reviews and a frown face :( for negative reviews. Discern and differentiate what you find as almost every business, if its been around long enough will have some negative opinions - you can't please all the people all the time and some people you just can't please at all.
So review each opportunity carefully, check with the BBB, understand what you need to do to succeed and if all else fails, keep that magic 8 ball handy.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Online Jobs For Teenagers - Quit Your Minimum Wage Job
There are many part-time online jobs for teenagers, but not all of them pay the kind of money teenagers want. Most online jobs for teens are for typing at home, data entry, stuffing envelopes or taking surveys online. But who wants that? The average teen wants a $200 pair of Nikes!
All Teens Want to Dress to Impress
There is absolutely nothing wrong with any of these jobs. But, if you're the average teen, you'll probably want to dress in the latest styles from Abercrombie & Fitch, Juicy, and Sean John, just to name a few.
You'll also want to impress that cute girl with the gorgeous cinnamon colored skin and pretty brown eyes. And what teen in their right mind doesn't want the latest pair of DC's, Nikes, and Adidas?
Affiliate Marketing is the Answer
Your fantastic fashion sense and love of clothing by Abercrombie & Fitch and Sean John might get stifled by the kind of pay you might receive from an online job stuffing envelopes. There's a better solution. Sell other people's products online.
This technique is better known as affiliate marketing. Now as a teenager, you probably have very little monetary resources right? That's fine because the method I'm going to show you needs absolutely no money.
But I Don't Have Experience
But what if you have zero experience with internet marketing? Don't worry. I have a system that shows you step by step what to do every single day. This is not a get rich quick scheme. It is just one of many online jobs for teenagers.
But it's one method that has the potential to put untold amounts of money in your pocket in a very short period of time. With a lot of effort and consistency, you will reap the benefit of this method for generating money online. All you need are a computer and internet access.
Step by Step Guide
There is no need for you to figure this whole affiliate marketing thing out on your own. There are many "guides" and "tutorials" that claim to teach you how to make money online.
Most of them are overwhelming and confusing. I personally like and use One Week Marketing by Pot Pie Girl. But don't take my word for it. I want to give you a free method to make money online first. Online jobs for teenagers has just gotten easier.
Click here for my FREE online jobs for teenagers guide and learn how to make money using free methods.
Get FREE access to all 85 of my affiliate marketing videos, written lessons,and tutorials. I'll even give you free acces to my forum so you can get started making money online today!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shalisha_Alston
All Teens Want to Dress to Impress
There is absolutely nothing wrong with any of these jobs. But, if you're the average teen, you'll probably want to dress in the latest styles from Abercrombie & Fitch, Juicy, and Sean John, just to name a few.
You'll also want to impress that cute girl with the gorgeous cinnamon colored skin and pretty brown eyes. And what teen in their right mind doesn't want the latest pair of DC's, Nikes, and Adidas?
Affiliate Marketing is the Answer
Your fantastic fashion sense and love of clothing by Abercrombie & Fitch and Sean John might get stifled by the kind of pay you might receive from an online job stuffing envelopes. There's a better solution. Sell other people's products online.
This technique is better known as affiliate marketing. Now as a teenager, you probably have very little monetary resources right? That's fine because the method I'm going to show you needs absolutely no money.
But I Don't Have Experience
But what if you have zero experience with internet marketing? Don't worry. I have a system that shows you step by step what to do every single day. This is not a get rich quick scheme. It is just one of many online jobs for teenagers.
But it's one method that has the potential to put untold amounts of money in your pocket in a very short period of time. With a lot of effort and consistency, you will reap the benefit of this method for generating money online. All you need are a computer and internet access.
Step by Step Guide
There is no need for you to figure this whole affiliate marketing thing out on your own. There are many "guides" and "tutorials" that claim to teach you how to make money online.
Most of them are overwhelming and confusing. I personally like and use One Week Marketing by Pot Pie Girl. But don't take my word for it. I want to give you a free method to make money online first. Online jobs for teenagers has just gotten easier.
Click here for my FREE online jobs for teenagers guide and learn how to make money using free methods.
Get FREE access to all 85 of my affiliate marketing videos, written lessons,and tutorials. I'll even give you free acces to my forum so you can get started making money online today!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shalisha_Alston
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
eBay Consignments: The Giant Opportunity Hiding on eBay (Part I)
More and more, people are becoming aware that they have potential cash sitting in their closets, attics, and basements. But not everyone has the time or the know-how to tap into it, so these items remain where they are or are given away. Or worse, they're tossed out with the trash. eBay is about to change that.
eBay Consignments are a Growing Opportunity for experienced eBay sellers and a boon to consumers who want to unload their "stuff"
What if you don't have any stuff? Go to the Ebay Wholesale Directory
Heres a common scenario:
Renee has a basement full of record albums from the 1940's that she inherited from her Uncle's estate. She has no interest in them, and would love to see what she could get for them on eBay. The trouble is, Renee is not only unfamiliar with how eBay works, but she's also a "technophobe". She breaks out in a rash every time she sees a computer or a digital camera. But Renee has heard something about eBay consignments.
So, Renee asks her neighbor Anne, the eBay whiz, to help her out. Anne does a quick check of recently closed eBay auctions to see what similar items have been selling for. She adjusts Renee's expectations with this information, and the next day Renee drops off her cartons full of records.
Ann takes a couple of digital photos, writes a general description for the lot, and launches the eBay auction. She invites prospective bidders to email her with any questions.
Things go smoothly, and a week later the lot is sold. Renee is pleased with her earnings and extremely grateful to Anne. She asks Anne what she owes her for her hard work. Anne, good neighbor that she is, only accepts enough to cover her eBay expenses and tells Renee she can take her out to lunch some time.
Build your own ebay store
An Opportunity Seized
This kind of informal arrangement has been going on between members and nonmembers of the eBay community for several years. Many auctions will state that "I'm selling this item for a friend", or "a woman in my neighborhood found these in her attic and asked me to sell them on eBay".
eBay, who has a knack for keeping an ear to the ground and spotting to trends, saw a golden opportunity in this kind of arrangement. In 2002, they launched the "eBay Trading Assistant" program.
The program is run on the same basic principal as eBay consignments, only more formalized. Sellers can now advertise themselves as Trading Assistants on eBay, and people with items to sell can use eBay's Directory of Trading Assistants to find someone in their area.
Because of eBay's minimum requirements for becoming a "TA", only those sellers with experience and a good reputation (or high positive feedback ratings, in "ebay language") have the privilege of selling items for others.
Benefits for Everyone
The system benefits the Trading Assistant by expanding their reach far beyond the next door neighbor. When a seller joins the Trading Assistants Directory, he or she is telling the world that they are willing to sell for others.
For those seeking out eBay consignments as a means to cash in their "stuff", the system offers an "official" source of experienced eBay sellers and information about how things
work.
And of course all of this brings more business to eBay. As always, eBay is simply the portal for consignment selling, not an employer of the Trading Assistant. So each individual "TA" makes their own rules about how they wish to structure their eBay consignments business.
How it Works
Trading Assistants are experienced eBay sellers who have indicated their willingness to sell items for others for a fee. People who want to hire a Trading Assistant can search the Trading Assistant Directory to find someone to sell for them. All the terms of how the services will work are negotiated between Trading Assistants and their clients. You can become a Trading Assistant if you meet some basic requirements (1 past sale in the last 30 days and a feedback rating of at least 50 with fewer than 2% negative feedback points).
Cost and Requirements
Currently, it costs nothing to become a Trading Assistant and be listed in the eBay consignments Trading Assistant Directory. eBay has not expressed any intentions of charging for it, but they do reserve the right to change their policies.
To become a Trading Assistant, you need to meet the following requirements:
-You've sold at least 4 items in the last 30 days.
-You have a feedback score of 50 or higher.
-97% or more of your feedback is positive.
-Your eBay account is in good standing.
Note: The ability to join the directory is a privilege, not a right, and eBay can remove the ability of a TA to post to the directory if they receive complaints and/or find evidence of unprofessional behavior.
Interestng Facts
According to Walt Duflock, eBay's director of the trading assistant program, consignment selling has really taken off since the program's inception:
-The TA Program began in February 2002
-There are more than 50,000 registered trading assistants worldwide as of August 2004
-"Collectibles" is a very active category for TAs and TA clients
How to Find or Become a Trading Assistant
To find a "TA" At eBay, you'll be asked to enter your ZIP code code to find a Trading Assistant near you who can handle your ebay consignments. To find someone who specializes in particular items or services, you may select an item category or use their "Advanced Search" link.
Provided you meet the requirements listed above, you can fill out eBay's online application to become a TA and start your own eBay consignments business right away. Although you can run your business however you choose, and you're not employed by eBay, they do provide some assistance:
eBay provides extensive resources for the trading assistant program, among them Trading Assistant Worshops such as the recent one entitled, "Getting the Most Out of the New Trading Assistant Directory". The "Trading Assistant Toolkit" is an extensive directory of tools and education to help Trading Assistants market their services better and find more clients.
eBay also offers an Advertising Reimbursement program, which helps PowerSellers market their products and services offline by subsidizing a percentage of their
advertising efforts. And eBay has produced at least two training manuals outlining Best Practices for marketing, selling, fincance, efficiency, and working with clients.
With all of these resources at hand, anyone interested in eBay consignments, whether to tap into "the money in the attic" or to further their eBay auction success, is not likely to be disappointed.
Be sure to look for Part II, in which eBay takes the program to the next level with the Trading Post.
© Copyright 2004 Carolyn Schweitzer DDS. Dr. Schweitzer was a family dentist for 20 years and is now owner and editor of several websites. You can learn more about where to find specific links to the Trading Assistant and Trading Post programs by visiting her website at http://www.netbrainer.com/site/500041/page/449460.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carolyn_Schweitzer
eBay Consignments are a Growing Opportunity for experienced eBay sellers and a boon to consumers who want to unload their "stuff"
What if you don't have any stuff? Go to the Ebay Wholesale Directory
Heres a common scenario:
Renee has a basement full of record albums from the 1940's that she inherited from her Uncle's estate. She has no interest in them, and would love to see what she could get for them on eBay. The trouble is, Renee is not only unfamiliar with how eBay works, but she's also a "technophobe". She breaks out in a rash every time she sees a computer or a digital camera. But Renee has heard something about eBay consignments.
So, Renee asks her neighbor Anne, the eBay whiz, to help her out. Anne does a quick check of recently closed eBay auctions to see what similar items have been selling for. She adjusts Renee's expectations with this information, and the next day Renee drops off her cartons full of records.
Ann takes a couple of digital photos, writes a general description for the lot, and launches the eBay auction. She invites prospective bidders to email her with any questions.
Things go smoothly, and a week later the lot is sold. Renee is pleased with her earnings and extremely grateful to Anne. She asks Anne what she owes her for her hard work. Anne, good neighbor that she is, only accepts enough to cover her eBay expenses and tells Renee she can take her out to lunch some time.
Build your own ebay store
An Opportunity Seized
This kind of informal arrangement has been going on between members and nonmembers of the eBay community for several years. Many auctions will state that "I'm selling this item for a friend", or "a woman in my neighborhood found these in her attic and asked me to sell them on eBay".
eBay, who has a knack for keeping an ear to the ground and spotting to trends, saw a golden opportunity in this kind of arrangement. In 2002, they launched the "eBay Trading Assistant" program.
The program is run on the same basic principal as eBay consignments, only more formalized. Sellers can now advertise themselves as Trading Assistants on eBay, and people with items to sell can use eBay's Directory of Trading Assistants to find someone in their area.
Because of eBay's minimum requirements for becoming a "TA", only those sellers with experience and a good reputation (or high positive feedback ratings, in "ebay language") have the privilege of selling items for others.
Benefits for Everyone
The system benefits the Trading Assistant by expanding their reach far beyond the next door neighbor. When a seller joins the Trading Assistants Directory, he or she is telling the world that they are willing to sell for others.
For those seeking out eBay consignments as a means to cash in their "stuff", the system offers an "official" source of experienced eBay sellers and information about how things
work.
And of course all of this brings more business to eBay. As always, eBay is simply the portal for consignment selling, not an employer of the Trading Assistant. So each individual "TA" makes their own rules about how they wish to structure their eBay consignments business.
How it Works
Trading Assistants are experienced eBay sellers who have indicated their willingness to sell items for others for a fee. People who want to hire a Trading Assistant can search the Trading Assistant Directory to find someone to sell for them. All the terms of how the services will work are negotiated between Trading Assistants and their clients. You can become a Trading Assistant if you meet some basic requirements (1 past sale in the last 30 days and a feedback rating of at least 50 with fewer than 2% negative feedback points).
Cost and Requirements
Currently, it costs nothing to become a Trading Assistant and be listed in the eBay consignments Trading Assistant Directory. eBay has not expressed any intentions of charging for it, but they do reserve the right to change their policies.
To become a Trading Assistant, you need to meet the following requirements:
-You've sold at least 4 items in the last 30 days.
-You have a feedback score of 50 or higher.
-97% or more of your feedback is positive.
-Your eBay account is in good standing.
Note: The ability to join the directory is a privilege, not a right, and eBay can remove the ability of a TA to post to the directory if they receive complaints and/or find evidence of unprofessional behavior.
Interestng Facts
According to Walt Duflock, eBay's director of the trading assistant program, consignment selling has really taken off since the program's inception:
-The TA Program began in February 2002
-There are more than 50,000 registered trading assistants worldwide as of August 2004
-"Collectibles" is a very active category for TAs and TA clients
How to Find or Become a Trading Assistant
To find a "TA" At eBay, you'll be asked to enter your ZIP code code to find a Trading Assistant near you who can handle your ebay consignments. To find someone who specializes in particular items or services, you may select an item category or use their "Advanced Search" link.
Provided you meet the requirements listed above, you can fill out eBay's online application to become a TA and start your own eBay consignments business right away. Although you can run your business however you choose, and you're not employed by eBay, they do provide some assistance:
eBay provides extensive resources for the trading assistant program, among them Trading Assistant Worshops such as the recent one entitled, "Getting the Most Out of the New Trading Assistant Directory". The "Trading Assistant Toolkit" is an extensive directory of tools and education to help Trading Assistants market their services better and find more clients.
eBay also offers an Advertising Reimbursement program, which helps PowerSellers market their products and services offline by subsidizing a percentage of their
advertising efforts. And eBay has produced at least two training manuals outlining Best Practices for marketing, selling, fincance, efficiency, and working with clients.
With all of these resources at hand, anyone interested in eBay consignments, whether to tap into "the money in the attic" or to further their eBay auction success, is not likely to be disappointed.
Be sure to look for Part II, in which eBay takes the program to the next level with the Trading Post.
© Copyright 2004 Carolyn Schweitzer DDS. Dr. Schweitzer was a family dentist for 20 years and is now owner and editor of several websites. You can learn more about where to find specific links to the Trading Assistant and Trading Post programs by visiting her website at http://www.netbrainer.com/site/500041/page/449460.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carolyn_Schweitzer
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