Recently, while at work, I found myself in this predicament. So, I prepared for the departure of one stall for the comfort of one I was sure possessed the paper I so separately needed! Wrong! Stall number two was mysteriously devoid of the beloved after affects of a recently chopped down tree.

Strike two! On to the next stall. “He swings and misses.”

No papyrus here either. Three stalls and one left. As I ran for stall number four, I glanced at the paper towel machine hoping to end my frustration. Damn, no paper towels, either.

Well, shit! Pun intended. No paper and twelve minutes before I had to be back in class. Oh, did I mention, I teach! I began to see a bright light and wished myself a heart attack. At least that way, my paperless ass could be blamed on heart failure! No such luck.

Praying, now a sympathetic, middle- aged adult would wander in and help me from embarrassment and shame. Six minutes before the bell rings. Come on, I nervously pleaded to no one!

I was having trouble remembering if it broke off cleanly when suddenly Elaine from Seinfeld pop conveniently in my head asking for the lady next door to “Spare a square.” But alas, there seemed to be no square in sight.

One might call it garbage, I call it shit.
As my journey across the internet continues to educate me, I realize I was attempting to find common ground with millions of other suckers across the world who fell for the get rich quick crap being peddled across the web. Program after program promising their concept is unique and always free! if it as always free, how does anyone make money? Sure, I built decent sized downlines in many online programs; however, these downlines were people who thought they would get something for nothing and never spent any money, so I never made any money.

Building an e-mail list is anther great way to go broke.
How does any internet marketer make money from their list? Well, they have millions of subscribers, and a handful of them are willing to spend a few bucks on something they think will help them get rich online. it’s a numbers game and the list builder must always have something flashy to catch the eyes of the unknowing subscribers. if he has nothing to promote and nothing to sell for a day or two, his income suffers.

I don’t know why I have been playing the role of, as my good friend Jon Atwood said, Secret Agent. I wholly believe in the SendoutCards business and what it stands for. Laws prohibit us from saying certain things or promoting our website certain ways and it made me wonder how and why?

I really and truly want to help others build a home based business and I know I can train anyone who desires to unleash his or her inner entrepreneur. I simply send cards and help others send cards. Every day I look for opportunities to tell someone how much they mean to me and how much I appreciate what they do and who they are! many reasons we don’t share with others is because of convenience. Well, now, sending personal messages to others has been made convenient through technology. Send cards economically and quickly and let the Cardguy help!

We grew up in a time with only one video game system, three television channels, and typewriters. The latter only being used in high school to write a senior research paper. Cartoons were only watched on Saturday mornings, and this was probably the only time you would find us home. We met up with friends daily and spent the cool hours of spring and the sordid heat of summer playing outside. We ran, jumped, rode our bikes in dangerous territories and played every sport, every day.

I remember times when we would play basketball in the alley behind Dennis and Matt’s house, and only stopped to play fast-pitch baseball when the local factory shut down for the day. I recently went back and found the ole ball field was now a parking lot. Okay, back then it was a parking lot, but it wasn’t fenced in and if anyone had a problem with us playing there, they never spoke their mind, so we kept playing. We vandalized the place by painting bases on the black top and a “catcher” on the wall where we would bat. Unlike many people who played fast-pitch, a game primarily intended for two people to play baseball under a viaduct, we would play six on six, seven on seven, and sometimes, though very crowded, we would cram in a real live baseball game and played nine on nine. We would run the bases, attempt pick off moves, and got excited when we turned the double play. We would sometimes play so long that we would require at least six or seven balls.

We called this parking lot the Big Aluminum Monster, a take on Fenway’s Big Green Monster. We gave it this moniker because the factory in the outfield had silver aluminum siding on top of brick. The wall was about 210 feet away from home plate, and at the time was considered a colossal shot for anyone. Depending on your age, hitting that Aluminum monster either meant a home run, or you had to run the bases like everyone else. See, if you were a bigger kid, a home run had to hit the Aluminum or above, and if you were a younger kid, hitting the brick meant a slow trot around the bases. We spent a great deal of money playing fast-pitch baseball because our balls  would get launched on top or over the Big Aluminum Monster, land in weeds that seemed to eat rubber baseballs, or simply break apart from repeated clobbering.

Unfortunately, that ball field is now strictly a parking lot with an eight foot fence securely planted around its perimeter, and the only way in is over or having an employee parking pass. I don’t know how many kids live in that neighborhood now, and even if there are fifteen or sixteen kids who reside there, I would be willing to bet they only see each other at school.  Today’s youth has been sucked in by video games, a seemingly endless array of television channels, and, of course, the Internet.

Playing outside all day has been replaced by instant messaging, Call to Duty,  trolling Facebook, and vegging in front of the TV searching for something good to watch. No longer do teenagers anxiously await the closing of the local grocery store so they can play a rousing and sometimes brutal game of touch football. Every night, this was our last chance to hang with each other before taking a shower and unwinding before another long day at school or an even more fun-filled day playing every sport known to man–outside!

Take a moment to return to your childhood home and see what memories your aging brain conjures up. I’d bet you could count and recollect every scar you received from playing outside with friends. It is a trip well worth taking because you will be able to see how beauitful it was growing up in such a great place. A place you still refer to as home!

It’s not an online business scam! It’s a damn shame when a normally social guy like me-insert 80’s flashback here—attempts to be social via the Internet and social media outlets like Facebook. Shoot, I mean if I had this same opportunity to share with people in the ‘80’s, I would have just showed you the next time I saw you. Because we are friends, and we hung out, I felt I could ask and share. You know, the common courtesy friend thing to do.

But, now I hop on the good ol’ social network and attempt to start a conversation on chat. Now, you got to understand that many things have changed since the ‘80’s and I am not so sure I know how to do it, or the protocol. But I’m not an idiot and I usually begin something like this. Hey _______, what’s up?

I just try to start a conversation and not have to defend my online business ventures.

Because of things I have posted on my business page, or the things I have openly shared about my legitimate business opportunity, I have been ignored and flat out told by many “friends,” “I don’t want to be recruited for any get rich quick scheme or scam!”
What, hold up, I don’t want to be scammed neither, if you hear of one going around, let me know so I can stay away from it. Whew, thanks for the heads up, bro!

I would never try to get strangers into a scheme, so why would I try to get my friends into one.

Differing thoughts about online business

Life has a funny way of treating us. I don’t feel comfortable using social media; instant messages and e-mails can be interpreted differently. I share something that has value as an online business tool, and by the way, is not a scam or illegal! Duh, I don’t want to go to jail. Dumbass!

We came from similar backgrounds and shared many dreams and beliefs. You see, in the eighties, I would have just said, “Hey, Bro, I want to show you how to send your mom a mother’s day card!”

But, doing any kind of online business now over social media network is awkward disheartening at the same time. I see an opportunity that has already tested my limits and brought great rewards, and others see a scam. But, the thing is, they don’t even see it. They have never sent a card or gift and witnessed its ease of use and convenience. Not to mention the savings. They fear the scam so they never open their eyes and really see.

How can sending your mother a Mother’s Day card be a scam? You pick out a design and say I love you and press send. That’s it.
Oh well, time has shaped us differently, and I would have preferred a no after you sent a card, but I understand! I think!! My online business is your online business scam. If you see an online business scam, please contact me so I can stay away from it. Do yourself a favor and investigate online business before you spout off about things of which you have no clue!

Women control many online business solutions companies

• Sell the Vision:

• A leader with a fresh, independent plan for her company’s growth and future has a distinct advantage in luring and keeping great talent and investors.

• Vision is not some lofty ideal, but an obtainable concept that is easy to understand and will make the company grow to another level.

• Reinvent the Rules:  

• While women have traditionally been socialized to please others, the 21st century leader knows that good girls rarely post great returns.

• The strong managers/owners today not only anticipate change, they create entirely new organizations that respond to shifts and search for innovation.

• Achieve With A Laser Focus:  

• Go where others fear to tread! Being aggressive and ambitious has long been considered male traits, but they are key qualities for new leaders.

•   Today’s business woman has the ability to home in on opportunities that others may simply not see, and then excel in that uncharted territory.

• Use High-Touch in a High-Tech Era:  

• When a number of leaders are conducting business by e-mail, voice mail, passwords, and PINs, the female entrepreneur succeeds because she guides with a strong, personal, bed-side manner.

• Today’s business woman is just as technologically savvy as her peers, but her skill with staff and customers is “high-touch” which gives her a critical edge and separation from the “pack”.

• Challenge or Opportunity?  

• Women are great at turning a challenge into an online business opportunity instead of using the “slash-and-burn” approach.

• They are able to make bold strokes, but they also win the cooperation of others in the organization in making any transformation a success.

• A Customer Preference Obsession:

• In this information age which makes it easier to shop around for the best “whatever”, businesses must work harder to give people what they want before their competitors do.

• There is no substitute for spending time with clients to become expert at their businesses and learn their demands.  Female leaders are almost intuitively adept in doing just that, and without the client even suspecting.

• Courage Under Fire: 

• Show me any career woman or female entrepreneur today that isn’t able to “stand-the-heat” in any tough-call situation.

• Their decision-making skills are rooted in a high level of confidence, because they’ve had to weather and surpass any and all “corporate” storms they’ve encountered over time.

All images from Freedigitalphotos.net

If you like online business solutions, you may like this as well.

According to wikipedia, “Direct selling is the marketing and selling of products directly to consumers away from a fixed retail location.” Annually, many men and women turn to direct selling as a way to generate an extra income to buy some much needed things for the home. Often, they sign on with companies like Amway, Tupperware, Pampered Chef, or one of hundreds of direct selling organizations available to them. They sell a little merchandise to a few relatives and close friends. Then they are through. They quit before they give themselves a chance to learn the basics of success in sales. “I am simply not a born salesperson,” they often say.

No one is born a salesperson, any more than one is born a doctor or born a lawyer. To be good a direct selling, you must first realize that direct selling or sales is a profession. To be successful in any profession one must learn not only the basic techniques, but also how to apply those techniques. Success in sales makes use of all the abilities one is born with, plus all those acquired through education and experience.

If you are looking for a career opportunity or “extra income” to help with the family budget, direct selling offers you dream-fulfilling possibilities. However, you must give yourself time to learn the techniques of sales. Ask yourself. “How long does a doctor have to study? A lawyer have to study?”

What is Direct Selling?

Direct selling is just what its name implies, selling directly to the consumer without the hassles of a middleman. Or, the guy who steals the profits, if you will!

Many direct selling organizations have a starter kit available and allow its distributors a chance to own their own business for under $100; however, these costs will vary so make sure you do your homework about any direct selling company with whcih you would like to become involved.

There is an old adage which says “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” If taught properly, you can open an unlimited income source for you and your family through direct sales.

Many of them were able to change their lives for the better by building a direct selling business. They took their families on nice vacations. They purchased a piano or an organ and provided music lessons for their children. They saved money for college education. They redecorated their homes, bought needed furniture. One highly successful saleslady in a direct selling opportunity was able to build a new home.

The rewards of direct selling are many

1. Set your own hours.
2. Be your own boss.
3. Have your own business with little investment or startup cost.
4. You can pay yourself more than any boss would ever pay you.
5. You can give yourself regular raises as your business grows.

It is only fair to tell you that there are failures, too in direct selling. There are people who will not work for themselves. When working for a boss, they rise early, are well-groomed, and get to the office on time. However, when they are their own boss, they are still in a bathrobe, drinking one more cup of coffee at 11:00 A.M. If you can be your own boss and discipline yourself to do what has to be done when it has to be done, direct selling offers a most unusual earning opportunity.

Image: Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Direct selling opportunities are abundant, and you would be wise to investigate a direct selling opportunity if you feel stymied by your lack of growth in your current profession.

Regardless of what you’re trying to sell, you really can’t sell it without “talking” with your prospective buyer.  Your sales letter must make prospective buyers think you are talking to them in their language and this forces them to act upon your writing, or “talking” to them through your sales letter.

All winning sales letters “talk” to the prospect by creating an image in the mind of the reader.  They set “the scene” by appealing to a desire or need; and then they flow smoothly into the “visionary” part of the sales pitch by describing in detail how “wonderful” life will be, and how “good” the prospect is going to feel after he’s purchased your product.  This is the “body or guts” of a sales letter.

 Overall, a winning sales letter follows a time-tested and proven formula:

1)  Get his attention

2)  Get him interested in what you can do for him

3)  Make him desire the benefits of your product so badly his mouth begins to water

4)  Demand action from him – tell him to click the right button or send for whatever it is you’re selling without delay – any procrastination on his part might cause him to lose out.

This is called the “AIDA” formula (Attention, Interest, Desire and Action) -  it works.

On your website, your sales page should be the length of what it would be if you were doing a mailing, or longer if you’re using bullets to emphasize benefits to build the desire.  Of course, on the Internet you don’t have to worry about letterhead, stationery, or the cost of postage, which is a considerable savings.  If, however, you want to also do a mailing campaign then the following would apply.

The winning sales letters in mailings that pull in the most sales are almost always two pages with 1 1/2 spaces between lines.  For really big ticket items, they’ll run at least four pages. – on an 11 by 17 sheet of paper folded in half.  If your sales letter is only two pages in length, there’s nothing wrong with running it on the front and back of one sheet of 8 1/2 by 11 paper.  However, your sales letter should always be on letterhead paper – your letterhead printed, and including your logo and business motto if you have one.

Regardless of the length of your winning sales letter, it should do one thing, and that’s sell, and sell hard!  If you intend to close the sale, you’ve got to do it with your sales letter.  You should never be “wishy-washy” with your sales letter. You do the actual selling and the closing of that sale with your sales letter – any brochure or circular you send along with in your mailing will just reinforce what you say in the sales letter.

There’s been a great deal of discussion in the past few years regarding just how long a winning sales letter should be.  A lot of people are asking:  Will people really take the time to read a long sales letter?  The answer is a simple and time-tested, yes indeed!  Surveys and tests over the years emphatically prove that “longer sales letters” pull even better than the shorter ones, so don’t worry about the length of your winning sales letter – just make sure that it sells your product for you!

The “inside secret” is to make your winning sales letter so interesting, and “visionary” with the benefits you’re offering to the reader, that he can’t resist reading it all the way through.  You break up the “work” of reading by using short, punchy sentences, underlining important points you’re trying to make, with the use of sub headlines, indentations and even the use of a second color, and leaving lots of white space around it.

On your website, the winning sales letter should run down the middle of the page so the viewer doesn’t have to keep adjusting the screen to see the whole sentence. This is very distracting and more apt to send that client to another website than losing patience reading a long letter.

Relative to the brochures and circulars you may want to include in your mailing with your winning sales letter – providing the materials you’re enclosing are of the best quality, they will generally reinforce the sale for you.  But, if they are of poor quality, look cheap and don’t compliment your sales letter, then you shouldn’t be using them.  Another thing, it will definitely classify you as an independent home worker if you hand-stamp your name/address on these brochures or advertising circulars instead of having them printed.

Whenever possible, and so long as you have really good brochures to send out, have your printer run them through his press and print your name/address – even your telephone number and company logo – on them before you send them out.  The thing is, you want your prospect to think of you as his supplier – the company – and not as just another independent entrepreneur.  Sure, you can get by with less expense but you’ll end up with fewer orders, and in the end, less profits.

Another thing that’s been bandied about and discussed from every direction for years is whether to use a post office box number or your street address.  Personally, I don’t like Post Office Boxes in a business address – because it transmits an aura of instability or temporary location.  If your business is run from home, get a mail box from a post box vendor that has a street address.

Then your address looks like, 1234 Willow Lane, #567, Your Town, and the box number could appear to the reader as a Suite number.  However, if you live in a remote area where your address is 7890 Main St., RFD 42, Box 123, Your Town, then you have no choice but to include both your post office box number, AND, your street address on your sales letter.  When doing it strictly for your website, put your street address, telephone number, and email address at the bottom of the page.  More than likely, the customer will contact you by email, but it conveys dependability if that Internet buyer sees that you’re willing to give your address. This kind of open display of your honesty will give you credibility and dispel the thought of you being just another “fly-by-night” mail order company in the mind of your prospect.

Above all else, you’ve got to include some sort of ordering page or coupon if you’re mailing.  The coupon has to be as simple and as easy for the prospect to fill out and return to you as you can possible make it. The order page on your website should already be filled out, with perhaps just the shipping left to choice.  If your product is an eBook or software to be instantly downloaded, then you don’t have any options to be chosen.   A great many sales are lost because this order coupon is just too complicated for the would-be buyer to follow.  Don’t get fancy!  Keep it simple, and you’ll find your prospects responding with glee.

Should you or shouldn’t you include in your mailing a self-addressed reply envelope?  There are a lot of variables, as well as, pros and cons to this question. Overall, when you send out a “winning” sales letter to a good mailing list, a return reply envelope will increase your response tremendously.

Tests of  late seem to indicate that it isn’t that big a deal or difference in responses relative to whether you do or don’t pre-stamp the return reply envelope.  Again, the decision here will rest primarily on the product you’re selling and the mailing list you’re using.  Our recommendation is that you experiment – try it both ways – with subsequent mailings and decide for yourself from there.

Image: photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A winning sales letter will increase sales for you, or why would you use one?

My point is, that I can recommend a movie or a great restaurant to you, and you would probably go see it and it there. Let’s face it, when it comes to talking for hours on end about our favorite movie, restaurant, book, or just about any other thing you want to share with a friend; that’s okay. however, as soon as someone brings up the idea of making money by way of recommendation, we skitter across our kitchen floor trying to take cover in the broom closet. “NOOOOOOO, don’t talk to me about making money!”

“I can’t do it, I don’t know anyone like that, I have no friends, leave me alone!” people begin screening their calls and no one wants to hear about making money.

Why? Why don’t we want to hear about our friends making some extra money. If there is really money to be made, I would like to know about it! i am educated enough to make my own decisions. I have been involved in three businesses and have never felt so confident about the business I am in now. I would gladly pay double for these remarkable marketing services. It is a great tool with a product that brings joy to others. if you ask me, which you won’t, it’s a no-brainer.

It is not illegal and our jobs are more structured like a pyramid scheme, than any business model I have tested to date. I would never scam my family or friends, but when I suggest helping them make a few extra dollars, getting past these gatekeepers are harder than any cold call I could make. Thankfully, I don’t really make any cold calls, so no bother!

I promote this new business opportunity because this is one I would pay to use even if they didn’t offer me a commission! And since they would pay you a commission, too, I have no problem sharing this system that has helped me bring joy to others and put a smile on so many faces at the same time.

Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to keep this one a secret if I want to keep my “friends.”

Technically, this will be my second Mother’s Day dilemma, but this one has had more time to sink in. Sometime last year around spring, my wife and I had to travel to the Chicago area to meet with the local authorities about my mother’s false accusations. We left that day thinking we were going to help my mother turn her finances around and get her out of the mountain of crap she created for herself.

Several days later we were greeted to voice mail messages calling us, my wife and I, liars and thieves. I have since had to change my phone number to avoid her calls. She couldn’t remember my wife had used her money to pay her bills, have groceries delivered to her house, and she was pissed off because we put her on an allowance. My mother HAD the funds necessary to continue living a long, comfortable life, but her constant spending led to bounced checks and the inability to pay her property taxes. Seh needed help that we tried to provide and got treated like common criminals by her.

My mother has alienated everyone in her life; her twin sister doesn’t even talk to her. Now, I am hearing that she may be going to live somewhere other than her home. I haven’t spoken to her in over a year. I’m not sure if she is going to an assisted living community, a nursing home, or an Alzheimer’s home. We did receive a letter from a social worker who wanted some information about my mother, but, in my still pissed off state, I never returned a phone call or letter. I have problems and issues of my own to deal with and I don’t need hers as well!

My mother suffers from Polio and I have been taking care of her since I was ten; I can’t do it anymore. We have the solutions to her problems, but she doesn’t want the help.

On to the Mother’s Day Dilemma

Mother’s Day, according to Wikipedia, is “A celebration honoring mothers and celebrating motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, yet most commonly in March, April, or May. It complements Father’s Day, the celebration honoring fathers. Celebrations of mothers and motherhood occur throughout the world; many of these can be traced back to ancient festivals, like the Greek cult to Cybele or the Roman festival of Hilaria. The modern US holiday is not directly related to these.”

She is my mother; I do love her. She shared all of her best recipes with me while she taught me how to cook, I learned how to deal with her special needs, which is good because my youngest daughter has Spina Bifida, and I really enjoy working with students who have special needs. But I didn’t ask to be born and I certainly do not miss the guilt, the lying, the yelling and the belittling. She is mean, conniving, and full of hate towards anyone who will not drop what they are doing to satisfy her needs.

I want to send her a greeting card and a small gift that tells her I lover her, but I don’t want to speak with her, and I am not willing to let her have my new phone number; I am not going to call, but I want to. Now, you see my dilemma. While we never shared any Mother’s Day crafts making sessions, and she did teach me many things, I cannot seem to forgive they way she treated my wife. Mom has always treated me that way and I can handle it, but to have called my wife those nasty names when we were only helping her continue living an independent life is unforgivable in my book.

Mother’s Day: My new Meaning

I look forward to sharing mother’s day with my wife and giving her time to enjoy her special day, but I am not sure I will send my mom a Mother’s Day greeting card, but I will send one to my wife. I might send several greeting cards just to let her know I lover her.

Mother’s Day means something totally different to me now that the focus is on my wife. I don’t ever want my kids to have to deal with the same dilemma, and My wife is doing a great job making sure that never happens. She is our Queen this Mother’s Day, and we are going to make sure she knows it.

I never did really write Mother’s Day poems for my mother, but I sure do write them now for my wife because she deserves a Mother’s Day gift every day.

It’s hard to believe that Whitney Houston was only five years older than I am. I remember back in high school we used to jam out to her songs.

Her songs were powerful and sweet and always help young lovers seal the deal. We would try to sing with Whitney Houston but never could hit those long, long, long high notes she could cary from Tuesday until next Monday.

Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown

Whitney Houston got herself mixed up with Bobby Brown of New Edition fame and it seemed her life went to hell soon after. So far authorities are classifying her death as unknown. Is it too soon to tell? Or, does someone need time to clean things up?

Click on the link below and you will soon learn that moments before the time reported as Whitney Houston’s death, strange sounds echoed throughout the hotel were she was staying.

Were the thud sounds coming after Whitney Houston was discovered? Were the thud sounds coming just before her estimated time of death?

The story of Whitney Houston’s death is still in its early stages but I think we will soon find out that her past may have caught up to her and the years of constant drug abuse will have claimed the life of another young superstar who died a broken down has been.

Music exec: Whitney Houston looked ‘healthy and beautiful’ days earlier – CNN.com.

Whitney Houston

Whitney Houston was a talented superstar who had risen to the top of the music industry and took the music business by storm. Her songs rose to the top of the charts and she had millions of fans clamoring over her everywhere she went. Once she met Bobby Brown her life was over and her shocking death yesterday proves it. Maybe Whitney Houston had cleaned up her act and was far away from the drug use; maybe she was just hiding it. Addicts and abusers lie, lie, lie and lie some more.

Whitney Houston died way too young.