Growth is your only option!

In life, there are challenges. During these times, it is easy to think retreat, to give up and think you can save your way out of a situation. Prudent managing of money is important every time, and a budget (please don't call it that, call it a "money management system" or you won't do it) are is essential, but no one got rich by cutting costs. In good times or bad, it is the same. They key is growth. Everyone needs to grow, themselves and their business.

Ben and Jerry go into their book "Ben and Jerry's Double Dip: How to Run a Values Led Business and Make Money Too" about how they were faced with a situation with their business where they had the options of staying the same, decline or growth. In response to this, they decided growth was really the only option.

Well, if it is good enough for Ben and Jerry, it is good enough for me.

New name, same URL.

I have changed the name of the Blog from "The Rants of The Rich" to "The Revelations of The Rich". Paying respects to the Law of Attraction, I felt it needful to drop the rants (which has violent overtones and often related to negativity), and replace it with revelations. Still my giving two cents, but a bit more position.

Defintion of rant here:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/rant

You can't please everyone, but watch your sig!

I have been using MySpace to end up promoting myself and network for my business. I have been getting out there and making friends. Well, I think I finally got it nailed down. But I get blasted by some teenager on there for being a comment spammer and telling me to die. I know earlier on I overdid it a bit, but now I happened to reduce it to a one liner at the bottom of my signing a thank you to being added with: "My blog on being Rich: TheRantsOfTheRich.BLTeks.com". YES I am marketing there, and getting people to visit here, but not overly so.

All I can say is watch you sig and don't do it. Well, I also had someone else inquire into what I am doing, and if that translates into business, then that is what matters. One won't please everyone, but it is important not to overdo it either.

Basic net etiquette gives one 1-3 lines below their sig to promote. Please respect that.

A job is something that turns unlimited effort into a fix expense.

People who think that having a job is great because of the supposed security they have, may be failing to realize they are taking their unlimited effort and turning it into a fixed expense for a business. About the only place one can get around this in a job, is in the area of sales. But, when it comes to just about every other profession, you set yourself up to become a fixed expensed for a business, that enables them to maximize their profitability.

Why do people go for this? Well, part of it is conditioning not to think as a business owner. Another one is a false sense of security people having, that they would be safe by just pleasing an owner of a company and making themselves into a fixed income wage slave. Well, my experience tells me that, the first change in economic conditions will result in you being at risk of being downsized. Oh, and forget a pension when you retire to. Companies, over half of them now in the United States, have shifted to a 401K setup where what is put in, including matching bonuses, is all you get out.

Ask yourself, is doing unlimited effort for a fixed amount of money, while really having no promise of lifetime security, REALLY worth your total focus? If not, have you given thought to starting your own business?

The Rich has a Myspace page.

If you want to learn more about me, visit my Myspace page. You can see it by going here: http://www.myspace.com/BLTeks .

Cavemen don't get rich!

There is an auto insurance ad with the tagline of "So easy a caveman can do it."

Again, I will take a shot at the whole "duplication" and "replication" racket again. Money comes from mastering skills. If it is "So easy a caveman can do it", then odds are, it won't make you rich. This DOESN'T mean people can't master skills. Skills are learned and take time to master, and selling is one of the easier jobs people can have. It sure beats digging dirt.

Anyhow, if you think something a caveman can do will make you rich, ask yourself when the last time you saw a rich caveman... outside of the auto insurance ad.

My experience with passive income and no skill income programs...

I figured now would be a time I could go into my experience with them. Here is a list of programs I have done, and my experience with them:
1. 12 Daily Pro (No Skill Income): I borrowed money on my credit card to put money into it. It collapses right before I could get the money in. I decided to start a business with the money.
2. Passive income importer startup: Managed to get over $1,400 in commissions from people recommending it. Also, I put $600 of my own money in. Currently, they are being audited by the S.E.C and payouts are frozen to people until the S.E.C approves. There is discussion of merely returning the principle back if things don't go right. Apparently they broke some obscure rule or two, and the S.E.C came down. If this works out, I will be getting over $10,000 from the investment I made here. But it is at risk.
3. A travel club that paid returns on purchases (Passive Income): Started out fine, but has run into problems with hackers stealing funds, and checks being delayed due to changes in the payment plan over time to new purchases. Checks apparently were being paid "like clockwork" up until I got involved.
4. Two surf programs with one company (No Skill Income): I borrowed against my credit card, maxing it out. Went fine several months. Right before I was about to get funds out, things started to go wrong. First they said they were having problems with the server, then they said they were having fraud on the part of members. Surfs are now set to go through relaunch, and I am awaiting to get paid. It is going over 3 months now since people have been paid consistently. The company is now looking to get set up with the S.E.C to engage in legitimate investing. Company is also going through an auditing process. Their excuses sound like a "dog ate the homework", but I wait and see.

This is my experience with Passive Income and No Skill Income programs. I press on with EDC while waiting for issues to get ironed out. With EDC I am in decent control, and depend on my skills, plus I have gotten training also. With their release of Promo Black Box in May, I will be able to make around $500 per sale, plus a 5% residual on future sales to the same business.

Procede in these type of programs at your own risk, and make sure you can afford to lose what you put up. These programs are of greater risk than your own business because you have less control. One thing I have found is any glitch and delay can drive one to possibily panic. I know I have had to deal with it.

If you teach a man to fish...

This saying is something I read awhile back in the forum (the lesson at the end is my observation):

It is said that, if you give a man to fish, he will be hungry tomorrow. But, if you teach him to fish...

Well, the relevant way to express this statement, if you are selling is:
It is said that, if you give a man to fish, he will be hungry tomorrow. If you teach a man to fish, he will then realize he needs a rod, some lure, a boat, training, and cleaning equipment, which you then can sell to him.

The meaning of this line here is that, if you education customers to why the need something, you create a demand for what you are trying to sell.

A word on "No Skill Income" (NSI) Programs

I am commenting here on something I am calling "No Skill Income" (NSI) Programs. These are programs like passive income programs, but require people to do things that anyone can do and require no skill.

NSI programs are arguably a "Holy Grail" in the business opportunity arena. Even network marketing gets pushed sometime like this. Just join program X and do these three simple things and you will make a TON of cash.

Well, want to know the truth? Unless such programs are actually have people doing investing in a business in some manner, where the money is used by the company to make money, what is being pushed is a lie.

In reality, people make money in one of two ways, if they aren't working a job. You either have your money working or you own systems that make you money that enable you to leverage your time. The former is investing, which is a skill unto itself of due dilligence and checking out legitimacy. The later is being a business owner, which involves not only doing due dilligence but effectively running the systems you own so they are profitable. Included in this is the skills of sales and marketing (list building), cashflow management, record keeping, and hiring (hiring includes finding specialists like lawyers and accountants to do your paperwork). All these skills are learned and take time to master. There are also others, but these are mentioned as examples of skills used in business.

In the business opportunity arena you get a majority of people who want to make money without developing any new skills. They will jump from one opportunity to the next thinking that it is the opportunity that is the problem, when it is themselves that have the problem in most cases. Each time, they will try to seek out something promising to be more and more of a sure thing while requiring less and less skills. Then someone rolls out what looks like a "passive income" program, but it is a no-skill program, particularly when individuals fail to effectively research and do due dilligence. Treating things like crapshoots and blindly just doing is NOT doing due dilligence, it is gambling.

All I can say is get skills of SOME sort and keep learning, and don't expect to find something that will just drop in your lap, and demand NO skills from your part and expect it to work miracles just because you joined. Your success and failure are up to you. End of story here.

New URL AND New Name.

Ok, in my prior entry, I had kept the URL, but changed the name. Now, the name is changed. If you want to reach this site in the future, enter: http://RantsOfTheRich.BLTeks.com .

Same URL, new name.

Ok, I changed the name of the site. Say hello to "The Rants of the Rich". I was kicking around this name change. I was thinking it sounded better, and stood out. The word "Blog" is now on the tired side (queue Wired Magazine list).

HYIPs are scams you can't win with.

In keeping with passive programs, I will post my two cents. These flat out are scams. I am not talking longer term high-yield passive programs, but those that promise 40%-50% return a day, or hourly, that will often say "backed by ForEx and other investments". If they worked right, but were a scam, you could do what is called a "hit and run". Put your money in, get interest, then pull your money out and ride the growth on the interest, pulling out a certain percentage of the amount like clockwork. However, want to know why you can't win? Admins of the system will freeze withdrawals, preventing you from getting funds out. And then the entire thing collapses. Oh, there is an off-chance you may get some funds out early, if you are lucky. But, most of the time, you will lose.

Well, this is my experience with them.

Are passive programs worth it?

I have been pondering when to do a post on passive programs here. I decided now was the time.

You may see these programs on the net. My experience with them is that they have a LOT of ups and downs with them. Because once you put your money in, you can do nothing to change anything. These seems like a good thing if you have no confidence in your ability to recruit or sell. But the inability to change anything means that when things go wrong you are in a helpless spot.

My advice here is to treat them like you would if you were investing. Due your due dilligence, and then only put in what you can afford to lose, and then wait. Don't panic, and know you can lose the money going in. Even autosurfs here would qualify.

A word on replication.

Network marketers LOVE to throw the word around about "replication". The concept is one that if you have a replicatable enough system, you will have mass success. It presumes that life consists of humans like "The Borg" and your objective is to clone these people.

Replication is a myth. People can get TRAINED, if they are motivated to. Systems can be REUSED by mass numbers of people, particularly in the internet. Ideas can be shared and reused, but replication? It is a myth. If you think you will just find some simple system and just follow three steps and make TONS of money, you are sadly mistaken. Eventually these steps to grow old and wear out. And if everyone does the same thing (gee, we replicated the prototypical rep for a company) it gets old. People see it a mile away and end up disapppointed.

Again, replication is a myth. Training, and reuse of systems that work are not.

Is the money in the list?

There is an expression, "The money is in the list". Well, this is true ONLY if the list you have consists of people who want to hear from you. If you buy some list of luck warm prospects, who signed up some form to get a free videogame system, and then you spam them with a money making opportunity, well that list isn't worth anything. There is no money in the list. If you stole someone else's list and tried to spam, that isn't worth much either.

So, is the money in the list? Only if it consists of people who want to hear from you and what you have to offer, preferably your OWN list you built. List building is a top skill that, if you acquire a skill at it, you will make money.

Is network marketing a scam?

Network marketing (also goes by the name MLM, although not all network marketing companies are MLMs) has often been knocked as scams and pyramid schemes (most times by people who failed at them). Most people do fail at them, which leads to this. Often times, you will get pitched to you an MLM that promises you the moon, and then tries to have you sell products you can buy at your local supermarket or health food store for more than 50% off. I could name multiple possible ones I feel are scams, but that is not the point here.

Despite all this, is network marketing a scam? While prone to scams and where the entire idea becomes to make money recruiting, network marketing does offer you a chance to make legitimate money, if the products and/or services the company is offering is one you feel is worthwhile. Of course, there are some who will pervert this and speak of how much earning potential is there, and show the "Hall of Heavy Hitters" to get you thinking that you can do it (without any training, just sign up).

But, I will say network marketing is NOT a scam. It can be a legit opportunity to make money. Not all will get you rich, but if you acquire the right skills, you can make money. And, if you find a legitimate list of products and services, you will be doing a favor for people you provide these products and services, beyond the get rich quick bit.

And a 1Step System person complains about my Truth About Passport to Wealth site.

The world of home business has its ups and downs. You try to market and you tick people off. Here I am, I have a webpage comparing EDC Gold (what I sell) vs Passport to Wealth (a recent competitor that I consider a knockoff), and I get a complaint from someone who is selling the 1Step System (I used to sell it but dropped it). The person says I sounded like I was too negative and scared. Anyhow, I will leave it to you to decide. If you want to see the site, go here: http://TheTruthAboutPassport.BLTeks.com .

I personally find EDC Gold offers a great value, and will soon be providing a way to make $495 per sale of some leading/bleeding edge marketing tools to small businesses. I will post more on this as more information arises. If you want to learn more about EDC Gold and the other programs in EDC visit: http://Dubbs.BLTeks.com . This redirects to a site by a top money earner in EDC Gold.

TooDamnEasy.com is TooDamnStupid.com

Ok, excuse me a minute here for this rant. It is based upon a bit of a snap judgement, but I believe it is sound. It is just I went through the Opportunity World magazine and saw this ad for toodamneasy.com .

Go visit the site here: http://www.toodamneasy.com .

Flat out, this appears to be a gifting program. I am using this rant to explain why gifting programs suck, and why this web page would represent why marketing for gifting programs suck.

A gifting program is based upon the premise of "the last guy in gets hosed". This means, you pay in hopes of getting the next sucker in, so you can get a payday. You get nothing in return for this, except the hopes of getting paid. In other words, "the last guy in gets hosed". This is why gifting programs suck. Now it is true that with opportunities, the last guy in can get screwed, in gifting programs their mission is to do this.

Now, why do I pick on this site in particular? Well, go to it and see. The guy's proof is how much money he is making. That is all he pushes. Yep, look at me, I am making money. Watch me count it in my bill counter. See the proof? You don't believe I have this pile of money here? Well, guess what, I do... click click click... the bills are counted.

Ok, I am off the soap box here.

Welcome to my Blog. The Rich posts his first entry.

Hello world! This is the first entry by yours truely, The Rich. I am not a jerk, just Rich. Anyhow, I will post my vents, rants, good news and bad news and what I consider straight talk on the nature of business, life and so on. I can't guarantee every day, but I will rant here from time to time, particularly when I see something of interest or what I consider stupid.