DIY Investor

I also need more hours in each day and several more days every week – just to stay current.  A lot of “Gurus” talk about everything they do.  They need to be honest.  It may get done under their name – it’s just not them doing the actual work.  They have teams doing their marketing, creating content for blogs, social media, ads, etc.  IT teams to keep the many websites up and running and frequently updated.  They have office help.  And home help.  Someone to wash the car and dogs, cut the grass and tend the garden.  A cook, a dozen house cleaners, a chauffeur.   Me, I get to do all that – and more.  Unfortunately, anything that gets done requires me to do it.  Maybe one day when the money gets to flowing (inward rather than outward), I, too, will have things done for me.  I can’t wait.  That day cannot get here fast enough.

Have you ever been in a networking company and really liked its products, its people, the management and the payout plan?  I have.  More than once.  In no particular order, there was Destiny International.  That was a calling card company that burst on the scenes when the use of calling cards was in its infancy.   They made some beautiful cards.  Many were like collector cards.  I still have mine – somewhere.   (I’ve moved four times since then and who knows which box they are in.  do hope to find them again.)  They had only been public two or three months when the Attorney General shut them done because of some type of complaint.

Another great company was Southern Gardens.  It was a candle company located in Texas.  Some of the best smelling candles – ever!  I still have some.  Fill the entire room with a lovely scent.  The scent isn’t just in the jar at the top.  It smells great when burned, all the way to the bottom.  They had some lovely setups and a huge variety of fragrances.  Then the owner formed a “committee” of high rollers from other networking companies.  They started adding items to the product list and making all these improvements.   I think the company was actually sold and then shortly failed thereafter.  Too much, too fast.  Why mess with a good thing?

I even liked Amway – at least the products.  They required a lot of weekly purchases of superfluous things.  Tapes and  empowering items.  All good for the networker’s soul, to be sure.  Yet a drain on the pocket book when not enrolling new members.  I lost a lot of money during my stay with them.

One would think I would have learned early on that those MLM type companies were not my strong point.  I spent many thousands of dollars buying required point purchases, books, tapes, seminars for all told total of less than $100 in return.  I mean collectively through dozens of companies and over a long span of time.  Crazy, huh?  And I still know the concept works – for some others, just not me.  While the lesson was slow in coming to me, I think I have finally conquered the thought process.  If I want to use the products, buy the products from a distributor.  And if I can become a distributor to save money buying just the products I want at a fabulous discount, then I’ll become a distributor.  Yet a distributor to encourage others to become a distributor, or a distributorship requiring X amount of products a week or month that I cannot consume in a normal basis, then no, not for me.  I wish for all who currently follow that MLM pathway much success.

BNI.  Business Network International.  Have you heard of it?  It was founded by Dr Ivan Misner in 1985.  It is touted as the world’s largest networking organization.  BNI is in 49 countries and continues to grow.  Local BNI chapters are composed of local business professionals who practice the “Giver’s Gain” principle:  ”If I give you business, you will want to give me business.”

I am in the newest chapter in Louisville, Kentucky.  How new you ask?  We won’t have an official name until next Wednesday.  We have it narrowed down to two selections:  Power Partners and Mid-day Money Makers.   (P squared and M cubed for you math whizzes.)  We just had our visitor kickoff day this past Wednesday and have already doubled our chapter size from the applicants that we selected.  Doubling a chapter’s size leads to triple the referrals.  Last year, 141,000 members passed over 6.5 million referrals and generated over $2.8 Billion in business.

26 Sep Update:  Our chapter voted to be known as Power Partners.  I like it.  Has a ring to it.  (kaching)

There are a few rules associated with being a BNI member.  One is to always be on time and attend the entire meeting (90 min).  Meetings are weekly and 2) only three absences per six months are permitted.  (We just released a member from our club for missing four times in the past two months.)  If you need to miss a meeting, you can send a substitute and that is not counted towards your three absences.  Each chapter only allows one member from each professional group.  (There can be numerous attorneys, for example, in a chapter.  Their practice cannot compete.  One may fill a real estate seat, one a senior law or family law seat, and one may fill personal injury.  And while they can practice more than one type of law (our state does not authorize lawyers to “specialize”), only the type of law for which they are filling the seat in the chapter can be promoted in the group.

There are numerous BNI chapters one may visit.  A visitor is allowed to visit twice before making the decision to join.  The visitor needs to have a member sponsor their visit.  If you don’t know any members of BNI and would like to visit a chapter, you can visit the official BNI website at www.bni.com and search for a chapter.  This will lead you to the name of the Director for the region.  Send  a message requesting to visit and you will be put in touch with someone who can connect you with a member, usually the chapter president.  Of course, I’d love to sponsor your visit to our chapter.  If you live in or around the Louisville, Kentucky area, please contact me for further details.  863-588-3800 or email me at mktgitall@usa.com

If you are a “core” type member (realtor, financial planner, mortgage broker or certified public accountant) and there isn’t a local chapter, you may request information on how to start your own group.  It is a worthwhile endeavor to grow your business, meet some great like-minded people interested in growing your business, and developing some strong friendships with people who you can easily refer because you know, like and trust them.  When you make a referral to a friend or family member, you are putting your reputation on the line.  You want to know that the person you recommend can deliver on their services, and even go beyond your expectations.  In BNI, you get to know each other through one-on-one meetings, through personal work experiences with that provider, and from testimonials from other members and their clients.

If

I plan to be more active on here. Befitting of a media activist, don’t you agree?

For those who don’t know, I was fired from the worst job I ever worked, in February, 2010. It’s been a long, sometimes painful, journey to June of 2011. Yet, here I am. Stronger and happier than ever. I have found something that allows me to help people, get paid more consistently with what I am worth, and love my job. Do you know that 90% of Americans working dislike, or even hate, the job they work? And look how much time we spend there. As a nurse, it didn’t matter that you scheduled 12 hours of overtime every week – they wanted more. (And then as reward, when the patient census would go down, they would call you and tell you to stay home. Tough luck about having bills. So much for gratitude of helping them when they needed it.)

So what am I doing that I love so much? And who is it that I am helping? Small business owners are facing tough economic times and they need help. The world of the internet, the way marketing and advertising has changed and the rapid rise of social media and mainstream of YouTube has brought about changes in the way small businesses need to be doing business. And some don’t even have a website yet!

You know, I went to the dentists that I used for many years. (I have moved from the town, from the state and from two other states back to driving distance of these dentists.) No website – and no desire for a website or other modernizations. These dentists are a pair of twins. And wow! lots of gray hair. Their clients are now 15-20 years older. And sure, I’m sure some of their clients’ children have started using these guys. Yet, most of their client database is older – like me, like them. And they are doing nothing to compete with other dentists for new business. How suicidal is that?

I have a video for you to watch. Only a little over two minutes long. Yet, very informative. If you are a small business owner or know one, this might open your eyes.     Click here to watch.

As a matter of fact, even large companies can integrate these services into their marketing and their daily routines. (For example, if you are an administrator of a hospital, you deal with call-ins for sickness or emergencies, or even “no-shows” on a daily basis. What if, instead of your unit director or the staffing personnel spending hours dialing their lists of employees for a replacement, they could send one message to everyone on their list at the same time.  Go about their duties and wait for a return call from an interested employee. Think that could save any valuable time? Make the staffing coordinator or unit manager more productive in that amount of time? I think you would agree that is a distinct probability.)

And I can now offer – unlimited – text messaging (and all the features that come with it) for a low annual price.  You control when you send the messages, to whom, and how often.  I will help you set up the keywords to correctly segregate the groups (as in the hospital example, a floor nurse cannot cover the intensive care, yet an intensive care nurse can work the floor if she wants to.  Hence, the need for two groups for these employees.)

Again, watch the video by clicking here.

Call Kacy   863-588-3800 or  270-287-3540

Do you own a home and want or need to sell?  Do you have little or no equity, or maybe even upside down a little?  That makes it a definite “NO” when talking with a real estate agent.  You know, there are Realtor commissions and fees and closing costs.  So to sell, you need to come to the table with money.  Lots of money.   That adds Insult to Injury.

We may have found a solution to help you.  You need to be current on your mortgage payments.  Your home needs to be worth today about what you owe on it.  Could be a little more, could be a little less, or right on the nose.  You won’t get a lot of money out of the sale; you may not get any.  Yet, the important question is:  Do you want money or do you want to get out from under the yoke of owning this piece of real estate?

Each person we help will be in a different situation and so each deal we structure will be tailored to fit your special circumstances.  We want you to be happy that you could sell your house.  We want the new homeowner happy they could afford to buy your house.  And we want to be happy that we were able to help.

We would like for you to call one of our branches and provide your details about your house.  We will be given your data and we will contact you within 48-72 hours to further discuss your situation.  (When you call, our assistant Pat will only be a data collector and have no knowledge of what we can offer or do for you.)

We plan to say “YES” to help you sell your house.  We just need you to call and get the ball rolling.   702-666-9955

Wholesaling, with a smidgen of luxury homes, was the topic for the weekend here in Orlando.  Presented by the normally effervescent Jason Rodriquez.  (He seemed a little distracted, or something.  Not quite the dynamic presentation I have come to link with his name.  He must have felt it-he even downed a 5 hour energy drink.)  A good sized class full of many new faces to me.  Not much outside selling, which is always a bonus.  Kinda ironic.  The seminar presenters say one should be focused and use only one, and maybe two, strategies, yet they bring every product line in for sales pitches.  Ah, the almighty dollar and what it has to say.  Has anyone else noticed that the self-proclaimed millionaires no longer even provide coffee or tea, let alone breakfast or snacks?  Too much expense.  Some don’t even opt for tables for the students to write on.  And then they have the nerve to be disappointed when they know we have $25,000 and won’t cough it up for one of their “necessary for success” products.  I’m just saying….