MLM Scheme Or MLM Star, The Difference

Network Marketing

MLM Scheme - Your Money Is GoneSometimes it is not so easy to tell a good MLM program from an MLM scheme.  Funny, but in the past two years there have been a lot of ponzi or pyramid schemes in the online world.  Those based in the United States are usually shut down by the FTC but it may take a few years.  In the mean time, unknowing participants are shelling out anywhere from $100 to $100,000 to participate; often losing everything they have ever saved.

An MLM scheme does not have to be illegal, but may sound better than it actually is.  How do you know if a MLM program is worth your time and or money?

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Lose Weight Fast: How I Lost 23 Lbs In 3 Months

Entrepreneurship, News
Brian Weight Loss

Brian in St Petersburg

Yes, I lost 23 lbs in 3 months time.  Got my A1C down a lot.  Added muscle.  You can lose weight fast too.  In this article I am going to tell you all about how I lost the weight quickly.  But first, what does this have to do with business?

I am a business writer after all.  The problem with business is that we are often working so hard and are so focused that we often lose track of the important things in our life.  Our families, our sidelines or hobbies, and our health.  Health is an important feedback loop because the more we neglect it, the more it impacts our business, and the more we neglect it.  It is important to pay attention to our health regardless of what else is going on in our life.  If we need an hour or two a day to take care of ourselves, do it.

Often taking care of our health is a positive feedback loop.  It gets us away from our daily wallow and often provides us with new ideas worth exploring.  It could be potentially the most productive time in our day.

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Federal Tax Return: The Dread Of Filing My 1120

Finance, Management, News

federal tax return - form 1120If you did not know by now, your United States C corporation 1120 federal tax return is due in April this year (2017) rather than March, assuming your business runs January through December.  Note that I am not a CPA so I am not an expert on all things taxes, I just know that Illinois and the Federal Government made this deadline change in 2017.  This does not mean that I am ready to file or pay, though I always have good intentions.

My main complaint with filing my 1120 is that it is busy work.  While it might be my only federal tax return that I file for the corporation, it is certainly not the only filing I make during the year, or the only paperwork that needs to be done.  I know, I know, the tax man needs his money, but it comes at the expense not only of cash, but of my time to do more financially productive things.  Here is an idea of all the busy work you must do with a corporation:

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Business Problems: Dealing With Serious Issues

Academics, Sales And Recruiting

business problems - waiting for the crashI had a rough winter.  One that was only two years after my last rough winter.  And it has not gotten much better since.  Sure, we are getting by, but do not have enough business to get ahead.  We are still much better off than others in our same situation.  I am speaking of my consulting business.  By March/April, I have always been very busy, not this year.  Should I lay down and die, just be depressed, or is there another option?  There must be good ways to deal with business problems.

It is easy to do.  Wallow in self pity.  Be depressed about your situation.  But it is certainly not constructive.  Spending your time worrying about what is going to happen will not do anybody any good.  Instead, problem solve your situation.

So how do you problem solve your situation?

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Could Global Climate Change Actually Be A Hoax?

Academics, Marketing Research and Strategy, News

Global Climate Change - The SunWe now live in a world of facts and alternative facts.  Just to make it clear, facts are true and non-facts are not true.  True and false.  Black and white.  Could facts turn out to be non-facts?  Sure, it is possible, but scientific truths, i.e. facts, are usually measured, tallied, counted, concrete, and iron.  They are the things we know, for a fact, are true.  Things like global climate change.

A hypothesis, on the other hand, is a strong theory based on the facts that is likely.  There may or may not be a way to prove it absolutely true, but the facts point to it being true.  A scientific hypothesis is often backed up by other scientists, published in a journal, argued, debated, and open for discussion.

Why would I write about global climate change, being a business writer?  Because as business people, we often have to make tough decisions based on the facts.  If there can be two sets of facts, well then, how do you make good decisions?

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Get What You Want By Altering Your Thoughts

Academics

Jeff in thought

It is an interesting twist on reality.  Some believe that you create your world with the things you think and believe.  That you can bring wealth by believing you are a wealthy person.  That you can get your dream house by believing you already possess it.  I am here to tell you that it is true.  But how is that possible?

Some would say that the universe bends to your thoughts.  I am a little more pragmatic than that.  I believe magic exists in reality.  Not that magic is real, but sometimes reality can look magical, and sometimes it can be interpreted as magic.  Or perhaps as the universe giving you what you really want.

I do not see this as religion.  I just believe that your thought life can have a real impact on your real life.  That the things you think show up on your face.  That the way you deal with problems is impacted by the negative outcomes you think about.  Having a positive attitude in your thoughts shows outwardly to other people, and makes you more attractive.  People help people they like more than people they do not.  It could just be little things like making an introduction, or it could be bigger things like offering you your dream job.

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Ideas For Success In A Network Marketing Business

Creating Value, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Management, Network Marketing
ideas for success - Big Texan

The Big Texan

I was thinking of making the title “How To Succeed In Business” because perhaps these tips could be applied to any business and not just in network marketing (or MLM).  Business is business right?  The following are my ideas for success in a network marketing business, that probably could be applied to any business.

Have Your Own Brand

The first step to succeeding in business is to have your own brand.  If you are Joe, the XYZ distributor, you are promoting the XYZ company.  Create your own brand… perhaps Joe Smith, Network Marketing Coach, or Joe Smith Company; something to differentiate yourself from all the other distributors in your company.

Add Value

If you are just “You can buy from me too”, you are adding no value.  You must add some sort of value.  For instance, a while back we made great looking baskets and sold them as a product.  By reorganizing the product the way we did, we added value to the product.

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We Ended Our Retail Operation, Should You?

Entrepreneurship, Network Marketing, News, Sales And Recruiting

We used to be a big huge sellers on Amazon.  Big.  We had a basement warehouse and bought by the pallet fulls.  We used FBA on Amazon… sending in shipment after shipment of product.  In fact, at one time we had more product in the Amazon warehouse than in our own stock.

We also sold direct to consumer, which was a bit of business.  We sold locally by delivery and nationally by mail.

It sounds like we should have been rolling in cash but we were not.  Amazon was tricky because we sold a commodity product that others could also be selling.  Lowest price wins, and many sellers would sell for a loss.  So we took a different tactic, we started selling items that were soon to be discontinued or were already discontinued, buying up a large portion so we could outlast the other sellers.  Sometimes we won, sometimes we lost.  We gave away a lot of product that our buyers did not want.

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Why Network Marketing (MLM) Doesn’t Work For You

Network Marketing, Sales And Recruiting

It is seriously irritating.  You see all of these successful people who do really well, often on a weekly basis, and you just cannot seem to sponsor consistently or build any kind of business.  In this article, I am going to give you some suggestions on what you might do differently in order to attract people into your business.  Perhaps some things you have not even considered.

Get a life

At one point, all I was doing is working hard at my business.  And as they say, all work and no play makes Johnny very dull.  Nobody wants to be around you if all you do is talk work.  All you know is work.  All you are is work.

Often the way to break this habit is to play golf, be in the moment at your children’s activities, travel, do something that adds to your subject matter rather than just work.  If you can talk to people about normal, common things, they will relate to you more.

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Declare Your Independence Day

Entrepreneurship, Marketing Research and Strategy
July 4, 2015 in Gilbert, AZ

July 4, 2015 in Gilbert, AZ

Happy 4th of July to those of you who live in the United States.  Back 240 years our country declared its independence from England and set off on its own course, and the rest is history.  How about you?  Have you thought of declaring your own independence from your job?  Becoming your own boss and generating your own income rather than depend on a company you have no control over?  In this post I am going to tell you exactly how to be an entrepreneur so that you can work towards being an independent business person.

1. Find a product or service to sell

A business starts with a product or service that is in demand by customers.  Keep your eyes open for needs that people are having a hard time filling, this is a good clue.  Tune your mind to look for good opportunities.

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