Joe Stewart's Article: Internet Network Marketing - Why 97% Fail Read more: http://business.ezinemark.com/publish/internet-network-marketing-why-97-f

http://www.charlesprimas.com/

Copyright (c) 2010 Joe Albert Stewart

That is the one fact I always have my eye on. 97% of people who try internet network marketing will make no money, they will fail.

Why this happens is pretty simple. They get sucked in by all of the sales hype and great testimonials, and think network marketing success will just happen in no time. Four weeks down the line, they've written loads of articles, done some videos, made themselves a nice site but nothings happened.

This is the first wall people hit, and it's where most people give up. Success will not come in the first month, it probably won't come in the first six months. But it will come if you stick at it. If you want to make money from the web you need to be a leader. People don't buy into business opportunities, they buy into the person who's selling it to them.... in other words, don't sell the product, sell yourself.

People need to trust what you say, and do what you do. Do you know any leaders out there that desperately chase people, trying to sell to them?

One of the worst things you can be, when you start an internet network marketing business, is desperate. If you need that first sale as soon as possible because you need the money, it'll never come. The people that make all the sales are the ones who don't care if they get the sale or not (because they make so much money anyway).

Here are the two things you need to succeed in internet network marketing:

1) A steady income (day job) 2) Time to commit every day

If you have these two things, you can invest them both into your online network marketing business. 6 months to a year down the line, you'll see the rewards. It can be difficult when you get into this, and that isn't because the techniques are hard to learn, it's because they take time to get noticed. You need to remember the internet is huge, and it will be a while before the search engines start to see your work.

Having a steady income means you won't be chasing every lead you get, trying to bash them with a sales pitch. It takes time for your internet presence to build. Once people start to see you as an authority, they will be coming to you and asking if they can buy your products.

Articles Source:http://business.ezinemark.com/internet-network-marketing-why-97-fail-171d472c0cf.html

About the Author:Click here to see how this "Out of Work" actress banked $23,560 in pure profits on the Internet - (In a Single-MONTH) or find out about creating internet network marketing here.

Four Home-Based Business Myths

Published November 29, 2010 | WomenEntrepreneur.com

The home-based business industry is buzzing with new startups, products and services. If you are considering launching a home-based company, it's a good idea to have all the facts. There are a lot of misconceptions about what it takes to run a successful business from home.

Separate fact from fiction, and find out whether these oft-repeated notions are just myths.

Anyone can start a home-based business.
While anyone can launch a home-based business at virtually any time, not everyone will succeed. It's not as easy as you might think. So before you jump in head first, make sure you're in touch with reality. First of all, building a business from the ground up is a slow and sometimes tedious process. You will not become a millionaire overnight.

There is a lot of information to take in and a lot of junk to filter out. The truth is that running a home-based business is, in most cases, a trial by fire. Lots of people throw in the towel before they ever see any real money.

It doesn't cost anything to start a home-based business.
If you are offering a service, this might be true. Emily Suess, a freelance writer in Indianapolis, launched her business virtually overnight without any startup fees. "I already had a laptop and a high-speed internet connection," says Suess. "The only thing I needed was to find my first client."

On the other hand, if you are selling a product, you will have to front the money for materials and supplies. In some instances, services -- take catering, for example -- require special equipment you'll have to purchase in advance.

In any event, you will need to invest in your business in order for it to grow. As Suess points out, "It can take a long time to become established if no one knows about you. After only a few jobs, I was putting money back into my business to build a website, create business cards and market myself."

The trick is promoting and marketing your business wisely. To make it, you will need the presence of mind to determine who the real experts are and who is just trying to make a quick sale. Not every kind of business should spend money on Facebook advertising, for example. And not every self-professed marketing guru can turn leads into sales. Do your homework before you start throwing money at vendors.

If I build an online business, I can make money while I'm sleeping.
Actually, this can be true. But -- and it's a big but -- getting to this point usually requires years of hard work. You have to establish your business, build your reputation (and web traffic), and offer a product or service that sells itself. The best way to approach your home business is to accept the fact that you will get out of it exactly what you put into it.

I can quit my day job in just a few weeks.
This isn't likely at all. Do not rely on your newly established business to pay the bills the moment you start it. If you have a day job, keep it. Lots of people build a home-based business while still working full time or part time at another job. This allows you to grow slowly and build stability. Plus, if you make a mistake or two along the way, you can recover without giving up your home or filing for bankruptcy.

If you're serious about building a home-based business, none of these things should deter you from your dream. However, you need a plan and the ability to see through all the hype. Starting your own business can be tough, but it can also be very worthwhile.

 

www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2010/11/29/home-based-business-myths/

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Regards,

 

Charles C. Primas

 

http://www.charlesprimas.com

 

Get PAID for products and services you use EVERYDAY. Let me show you how.

 

 "Those who do not move, do not notice their chains." - Rosa Luxemburg

 

http://www.whatsthedealaboutlandmark.com/

What is Network Marketing? – The Basics

Posted on November 21, 2010 by Brian Summers

http://iarticle.org/freepress/

Network marketing is a business form that is based on a company distributing products and services through a network of independent contractors. Network marketing is as well popularly known as multi-level marketing (MLM), affiliate marketing, and tiered marketing. Some of the most well known network marketing companies worldwide are Shaklee, Amway Corporation, Tupperware, Mary Kay and Avon.

To understand how network marketing works, it may be helpful to think of a business model that nearly all consumers are familiar with, franchising. In a franchise, an owner pays a company for the right to do business using that company’s products, services, and name. The parent company agrees to provide the owner with education, development, advertising and marketing support. While the name on the outside of the building is that of the parent company, the actual location is privately owned by an independent business owner.

While networking marketing is not actually a franchising model of business, it does work in a similar fashion. In fact some large MLM companies refer to its business plan informally as “private franchising”. In network marketing, a company distributes its products and services through independent business owners (IBO) who in turn market these products and services to customers of their own.

The key factor that has made network marketing so attractive is that independent business owners not only have the ability to sell products and services to retail customers they are also able to expand their business by setting up others in their own businesses as well. This is generally known as “sponsoring” in the MLM industry. Sponsoring others allow a business owner to not only profit from what he directly sells, but also allows him to profit from the sales production of those he has sponsored.

Here is an example of how an MLM business works: let’s say that Owner One is an existing IBO who sells $100 US Dollars (USD) worth of goods each month. In addition to any retail profit he earns he also receives a monthly bonus for his sales volume. Owner One decides to expand his business and sponsors Owner Two.

Owner Two develops a business that also sells $100 USD worth of goods every month. Like Owner One, Owner Two receives a bonus for his sales volume on top of any retail profit he has made. By sponsoring Owner Two, Owner One who has generated $100 USD of sales, is also credited for the $100 USD produced by Owner Two. Therefore Owner One’s total business sales volume is considered to be $200 USD.

If Owner Two decided to expand his business and sponsors Owner Three, Owner Two would be credited for any sales volume that Owner Three produces. Lastly, because Owner One sponsored Owner Two, Owner One would also be credited for the sales volume of both Owner Two and Owner Three. It is this ability to generate revenue streams from multiple sources that has made network marketing a popular and profitable business for many.

Because of the structure of a network marketing business, many people mistakenly believe that all MLM companies are illegal pyramid schemes. In actuality legitimate network marketing companies are not pyramids. The belief that MLM companies are illegal pyramid schemes may have popularly taken root in 1975, when the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) accused Amway Corporation of being an illegal pyramid. However in 1979 a US Federal Judge determined that the networking marketing plan used by Amway was indeed a legitimate business model. This decision in turn helped to legitimize other MLM companies.

This does not mean however that every companies who purport to be legitimate businesses, are. The entrepreneur who is considering network marketing should consider these factors:

• The length of time the company has been in business. – The up-front investment to start the business. Many reputable companies do not require a large start-up fee. – The product return policy of the company. Legitimate companies generally allow for the return of products. – The amount of training and development available to IBOs.

Finally, check out this Free video serie called Magnetic Sponsoring. It’s run by a guy named Mike Dillard, He’s a legend in Network Marketing and will show you exactly what to say and do to get people to want to hear what you have to say.

This entry was posted in freepress. Bookmark the permalink.

http://www.charlesprimas.com/

My Plan/Vision

http://www.charlesprimas.com/

My Plan/Vision

07/31/2008

Why Network Marketing?

1. Network Marketing, used strategically, can be a tool where communities of people can realize financial independence.
2. Network marketing used strategically can be used a vehicle to other means and other business ventures. You can leverage your residual income in Network marketing to open up other opportunities for you, include being able to develop the capitol you need to invest in your own business ventures.

WHY Fortune Hi-Tech marketing?

1. Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing is one of the few Network Marketing businesses not tied in to a single product. Base your business on products and services you use everyday.
2. The compensation plan is one of the best in the industry.
3. Very low start up costs and very low ongoing costs to stay in business

Why NOW?

The US economy has maybe not reached a low point yet. More and more people are losing Jobs/Homes and their dreams. They need some empowerment NOW. They need opportunity NOW. More and more, we are going to be required to be independent and able to create our own opportunities. To be at the forefront of that is where we need to be.

My Personal Mission Statement:

1. Provide a venue for people to become recession proof and to be financially free.
2. Provide an opportunity for people to reduce their stress about Money
3. Provide empowerment for people to define their goals and to meet them.

Guiding Principles

1. Honesty - Always tell the truth and let people decide for themselves if this is for them.
2. Integrity - Never do anything that would cause harm (knowingly) to another team member or person.
3. Support - Support each other and help everyone grow

http://www.charlesprimas.com/

Direct Selling Offers Flexibility and Financial Freedom

http://www.successmagazine.com/

May 5, 2008

If you want to spread your entrepreneurial wings but have little or no business experience, don’t have a product or service to offer or are simply looking for a proven system for success, direct selling might be the ideal opportunity.

For more than 100 years, direct selling companies have offered independent representatives the ability to purchase products at wholesale prices and earn a profit by selling them at retail prices. Most direct selling companies also allow representatives to earn commissions for introducing new sales reps to the business. This business model relies on independent contractors, rather than traditional advertising, to spread the word about a company’s products or services. The word-of-mouth marketing approach works for several reasons: Consumers appreciate the personal service, the convenience of shopping from home, and the comfort of buying from those they know and trust.

Jim Cramer, host of CNBC’s Mad Money, is bullish on direct selling, especially during a slowing economy. “Direct selling is a great model…with high gross margins, low capital intensity, lots of free cash flow,” he said on a recent show. “It’s a fragmented industry with gigantic room for growth. The top 15 players only account for about half the market.”

Amy M. Robinson, Direct Selling Association Vice President of Communications and Media Relations, points out that, while many people seek additional income during lean economic times, “in all honesty, direct selling is hot because it’s a fun, convenient way to shop that people enjoy. So, poor economic times or not, people fi nd direct selling to be appealing. Great products, personal service and income potential are elements of direct selling that make it a strong economic contender at all times.”

“People motivated to get started in direct selling typically share certain attributes,” she says. “Most seek supplemental income, either short-term or long term. The social aspect also is appealing for those who love to meet new people and many enjoy buying products and services they already use—at a discount.”

With a direct selling business opportunity you can: Join an industry where business is booming and there’s always room at the top. Direct selling, sometimes referred to as network marketing, is a $32 billion industry in the United States and a $110 billion industry worldwide. The millions of individuals building direct selling businesses determine for themselves when they want to move up the career ladder and exactly how high they want to climb.

Tap into a proven system for success. Avoid wasting time or money by learning from others’ experiences and wisdom. Direct selling companies often provide high-quality, high-impact marketing tools, including personal Web sites, brochures, catalogs, DVDs and CDs to help direct sellers present a professional image—at a fraction of what it would cost to produce the same tools on their own. Additionally, training in best practices is frequently offered online and via conference calls as well as at local and national conferences.

Start a business for $500 or less. Direct selling companies offer big opportunity with minimal startup costs. For a small sign-up fee, new reps receive access to training and marketing materials, discounts on products and sample products to show and sell. You can set up office at your kitchen table with phone and laptop. Low overhead combined with minimal(if any) inventory expenses make direct selling businesses affordable. And because many companies handle online orders and deliver directly to customers, independent representatives can focus their time on connecting with potential clients and team members.

Experience flexibility and time freedom. The flexibility to work around full-time jobs or to create an income stream that fi ts into their families' schedules is a huge perk. Because
each representative is an independent contractor, not an employee, there is no set schedule or required number of hours. On average, part-time direct sellers devote three to 10 hours per week to their businesses. Those who pursue the business full time invest 15 to 35 hours per week. In either case, representatives can set their own schedules and build their businesses during off hours and lunch breaks or on weekends.

Earn what you’re worth. When you’re the boss, you don’t have to ask for a raise—you simply go out and earn one. A results-driven industry, direct selling levels the playing field by offering the same opportunity to everyone regardless of age, ethnicity, gender or socioeconomic background. Equal opportunity, a clearly defined career path and no earning restrictions mean there are no limits on what successful direct sellers can earn. While some in the industry are earning millions, it’s more common for direct sellers to use their businesses to earn extra cash per month to pay for dinners
out, private school, college expenses, cars and family vacations.

Maximize your earnings with residual(or passive) income. By building a team of people who love the products and are excited about telling others about the opportunity, direct sellers can leverage their time and maximize their income. Capitalizing on a team’s efforts means a business owner can devote 10 hours a week to their business, but with 10 other people also devoting 10 hours to their businesses, the team leader earns a commission from the collective sales and team-building results of 110 hours’ effort. It also means a team builder’s business has the potential to grow, even while he or she is on vacation.

“I like the honesty about direct selling,” says economist Paul Zane Pilzer, author of The Next Millionaires, “because it openly tells people the way to get rich is residual income: Get paid tomorrow for something you did yesterday—and let it accumulate.”

Reap the rewards of helping others succeed. Building a team definitely makes financial sense, but it also offers significant intangible rewards. Though representatives run their businesses independently, they often develop a family-like connection with their team members and others in the business. The friendships formed and the experiences of helping others improve their personal and financial lives are often as meaningful to direct sellers as the money they earn.

Get the recognition—and prizes—you deserve. In the corporate world, there’s no such thing as a free lunch, much less free vacations, luxury cars or fine jewelry. Direct selling companies know most people work more diligently and with more enthusiasm for a reward. First-class incentive trips to exotic locations, free cars or car allowances, fine jewelry and cash bonuses are offered by many companies to those who excel. And the opportunity to earn such rewards is open to everyone.

Become a better you. Direct sellers are faced with numerous comfort-zone challenges, and by overcoming those challenges they grow personally and professionally. The encouragement and training these independent business owners receive from their companies’ leaders as well as others in the fi eld spur them to step outside their comfort zones to achieve success.

http://www.charlesprimas.com/

The Time to Prosper

Why now is the best time for creating your most successful future

http://www.successmagazine.com/

Amy Anderson June 11, 2009

OK, first let’s acknowledge the elephant in the room: the recession. We’re in one. It’s frustrating and sometimes scary. Now that we have that out of the way, let’s get to the real issue: you.

You are where you are today because of your choices. Sure, recessions, layoffs and stock tumbles have happened before and will happen again. Jobs end. Recessions come and go. Life happens. And it isn’t always easy. But what you must understand if you want to thrive while everyone else around you is floundering is that you have choices and those choices create your reality.

Mel Robbins, nationally syndicated radio host and SUCCESS columnist, calls attention to the recession mindset. “Maybe it’s the words: recession, depression, collapse, layoff. They’re very powerful words,” Robbins says. “Powerfully depressing. And we hear them all day long. They dominate the news.” But there is some good news. Changing your recession mindset is a matter of choice. “If you have the right mindset, it simply doesn’t matter what the market does,” Robbins says.

Waiting for the nation’s financial health to improve before your financial health improves is folly. You determine where you are in life, not the government or the stock market or the boss of a company you don’t own. As Robbins says, “Your mindset controls everything.” You are the one with the power to change your financial health and now is the time to change it.

What’s the Solution?
If you’re ready to turn around that recession mindset and make a choice to prosper, you’ve got to consider your options. Get another job? Find a risk-free investment? Borrow money from family? None of these sound very promising.

The bottom line is that if you want to take control of your income during a recession, you have to take control of your income source. As Jack Welch, business guru and former chairman and CEO of General Electric, says, “Control your own destiny or someone else will.” People who control their income sources are entrepreneurs who, just like you, decided to stop opting out of their fi nancial choices and take control of their destinies.

Robert Kiyosaki, best-selling author of the Rich Dad Poor Dad book series, says entrepreneurs who break away from typical jobs and create their own sources of income are in the best position to weather an economic storm. They aren’t dependent upon a boss or the economy to determine their annual income. They determine it.

Statistics prove Kiyosaki right. A U.S. Federal Reserve survey shows the average household net worth for entrepreneurs is five-times more than that of the traditionally employed. What that means in this economy is business owners are five-times more likely to come out of the recession in the black because they created income in their own businesses.

In a White House event in March, President Obama said, “Our recovery in the present and our prosperity in the future depend upon the success of America’s small businesses and entrepreneurs.”

He said small businesses are responsible for half of all private-sector jobs, creating nearly 70 percent of all new jobs in the last 10 years. “So small businesses are not only job generators, they’re also at the heart of the American Dream,” Obama said. “After all, these are businesses born in family meetings around kitchen tables. They’re born when a worker takes a chance on her desire to be her own boss. They’re born when a part-time inventor becomes a full-time entrepreneur, or when somebody sees a product that could be better or a service that could be smarter, and they think, ‘Well, why not me? Let me try it. Let me take my shot.’ ”

So why wait to take your shot? Being an entrepreneur, especially at this crucial time in our history, is not only a choice for your prosperity but a choice for the country’s as well.

Why Now?
But isn’t becoming an entrepreneur right now too risky? No. The truth is that starting a business carries risk no matter when you make the leap. The conditions during a recession may actually make entrepreneurship a safer bet. In fact, according to an article in USA Today, recessions are often the best times to start a business.

In a recent survey by the Kauffman Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to entrepreneurship, most U.S. voters view entrepreneurship as the key to solving the current economic crisis. “History has repeatedly demonstrated that new companies and entrepreneurship are the way to bolster a flagging economy,” says Carl Schramm, Kauffman’s president and CEO.

So just for a moment, let’s take a look at the economic facts—not to dwell on what you already know, but to illustrate how even in the worst financial times there is opportunity for growth.

The United States has been in a recession since December 2007, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. And the Congressional Budget Office anticipates this current recession will most likely be the longest since World War II, exceeding the recessions of 1973-1975, 1981-1982 and 1990-1991.

Executives, middle managers, administrative employees and blue-collar workers are all at risk. Even the healthcare industry, until recently considered a safe zone, is trimming areas of its workforce. And companies that aren’t cutting jobs are cutting benefits, from retirement funds to healthcare coverage.

Does it really make sense to bet on a traditional job when job security is so clearly a thing of the past? World-renowned economist Paul Zane Pilzer has seen a dramatic shift in mentality for many workers. The conventional career structure is being replaced, he says, with a new, entrepreneurial mindset: “The traditional wisdom in the second half of the 20th century was this: Go to school, get a good education and go to work for a large company. The idea of going into business for yourself was most often regarded as risky. Admirable, perhaps, but risky… and maybe a little crazy. Today, it’s completely the other way around.”

If the idea of becoming your own boss and taking control of your income appeals to you, but you’re not sure if it’s the right time, again, consider some facts.

“Our recovery in the present and our prosperity in the future depend upon the success of America’s small businesses and entrepreneurs.”
—President Barack Obama

1. A huge influx of unemployed means the talent pool is flooded with skilled, willing workers. A devaluation of consumer goods has made supplies cheaper. And, of course, we all know there has never been a better time to invest in real estate. If your company is based out of your home, you have plentiful tax benefits, including tax-deferred savings and multiple deductions.

2. New Web tools make starting a business and making it into a global enterprise easier and more financially feasible than ever. Simple Web design templates and blogs allow an entrepreneur to have a Web presence in no time. Social networking sites provide endless opportunities for marketing, networking and support from other professionals in your industry.

3. As your own boss, your income isn’t based on a salary cap or an education requirement; it’s based on your activity level, on how much you’re willing to put into your new business. Plus, the freedom and flexibility to work where you want, when you want are priceless.

Where to Start
If you’ve been spending hours lately figuring out ways to save money, why not spend that time instead on figuring out ways to earn it? There are countless small- business opportunities, depending on your industry, your interests and your investment.

“It’s a lot easier to start a business today than it was when I started more than 30 years ago,” wrote Gladys Edmunds in a USA Today column in April. Edmunds, author of There’s No Business Like Your Own Business, is the founder of Edmunds Travel Consultants in Pittsburgh. “Today’s startup entrepreneur has better access to what it takes to succeed.”

Pilzer agrees: “The greatest opportunities today are to go into business for yourself as an entrepreneur.”

“The greatest opportunities today are to go into business for yourself as an entrepreneur.”
—Paul Zane Pilzer

Why Wait?
“Can you imagine the possibilities for yourself, in your business and your home, if you could become excited by the opportunities created by this recession?” Mel Robbins asks. “How different would your life be? What a game changer.”

For most middle-income Americans who still have a job, living paycheck to paycheck has become a way of life. In Rich Dad Poor Dad, Kiyosaki warns of the long-term effects of this kind of lifestyle: “Financial struggle is often directly the result of people working all of their lives for someone else. Many people will have nothing at the end of their working days.”

We’ve all been affected by the recession in one way or another, so finding a reason to start your own business is as easy as turning on the news. But why not turn off the negative messages and start focusing on your positive plan for the future? When you are in control of your income source and your time investment, your money goes further, your attitude is better and your future is more secure.

As President Obama said, “I want to say… to every American running a small business or hoping to run a small business one day: You deserve a chance. America needs you to have that chance. And as president, I will continue to do everything in my power to ensure that you have the opportunity to contribute to your community, to our economy and to the future of the United States of America.”

In their column for BusinessWeek, Jack and Suzy Welch wrote that starting a business now will not only allow you to take control over your income source, but will also give you an advantage over the competition in the near future: “Right now might be the right time to start a business because doing so will position you especially well to enjoy the upside of the eventual recovery. Just think about it. If you start your business now, it will be staffed with smart, energized employees who have learned how to work together to keep costs as low as possible and innovation sky-high. Your company overall will carry no legacy costs. Nor will it bear the monetary and emotional scars of layoffs. You will, in other words, be poised to catch the earliest wave of the turnaround and ride it to the next level. How exciting.”

You’ve always wanted to be your own boss. So what are you waiting for? Stop telling yourself that it’s too late or that you’re underqualified. Stop listening to people who tell you that it’s the wrong time, and instead, pay attention to the experts who say that now is the best time to start a business. With your passion and the willingness to work hard, you can bring your dream to life. Now is the time to take control of your destiny.

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Have a spouse or friend that still needs convincing of your new entrepreneurial venture? Send them this article via the link below.

From Michael Dlouhy Second of 5 pillars

http://www.charlesprimas.com/
http://www.detroitbusinesstoday.net

With the thousands of network companies out there. It is important we find the company that we can call home. Our future depends on it.

Here is the second of five pillars to look for in any network company.

Pillar 2: Has the company passed the "early failure" Time Line? Are the company's Products timed with the beginning of a massive trend of consumer demand?

• Beware of "ground floor opportunities" and start-up companies.
• There should be no rush to get in on the "ground floor".
• 99% of companies don't last two years.
• If the company is good today, it will be great tomorrow.
• Most people don't make money in the first two years while the company is dealing with start-up issues.
• Profit comes AFTER two years. Join then.
• Avoid companies which have passed beyond their "momentum phase" and have become household names.
(The realistic potential for big growth in gone)
• Do not join a company with a product that has no profit margin!
(i.e - a long distance service or a vinyl record company)

Look at all the start ups that are offered every day. Most of these start ups never get off the ground. Most of these are just scams to build an email list to sell.

If a company is going to make it, they will be around in two and why do you want to be apart of the growing pains every company goes through. If the company is good now, it will be great in two years.

To get all five pillars now and more detail into each one, get your free ebook,
http://waynepetty.successin10steps.com/?mad=49209

Wayne Petty
Mentoring for Free
Anything is posible

From Michael Dlouhy first of 5 pillars

http://www.charlesprimas.com/
http://www.detroitbusinesstoday.net

Network marketing can pay your children’s children for the rest of their lives. If the company is still around and they don’t steal your check. Michael Dlouhy has developed a simple method to measure a company.

A company may have the greatest products and the best pay plan on the planet, but if it is lacking any of the Five Pillars, you could lose everything overnight. Your income and reputation are a stake.

This is the first of 5 pillars.

Pillar 1: Does the company management have personal experience building their own network organization? Have they done it with Integrity?

• Search Google for the owners of the company.
• Do the owners have Integrity? Add the word 'Scam' to your search.
• Do the owners have a Corporate background or an in-the-field Network Marketing background?
• Read your "Policies & Procedures" and "Terms & Conditions";
both are part of your Legal Contract.
• Look for the word "Ongoing".
• Look for policies that strike you as "Unreasonable". Like "Termination, with or without cause".
• Ask yourself "Does this contract protect me or the company?" "Is it clear which way it leans?"
• Does the company charge you for training or a company web site?
• Does the company charge you for each paycheck they send you?
• Rules of Thumb:
• The longer the contract, the greater the possibility that the policies important to you are being hidden in "Legalese"!
• If it's a "Cash Only" business...It's a Scam!
• If you can buy a position at the top...It's a Scam!
• If you are offered a "Special Deal"...the playing field isn't level for all.
• If the products are sold on eBay at a greatly reduced price...Buy there instead.
• If a company is publicly traded, Financial Decisions Will be made in Favor of the Stockholders at the Expense of the Distributors.
• Check these two websites: www.MLMwatchdog.com and www.MarketWaveInc.com.

Too many people spend years building a business then have it taken away with no recourse. Protect yourself and do a little research to make sure the company and the management are sound.

I will be doing the 2nd Pillar next week. If you want to learn more of the truth and how to become a success at network marketing go to http://waynepetty.successin10steps.com/?mad=42403

Wayne Petty

http://www.charlesprimas.com/
http://www.detroitbusinesstoday.net

Network Marketing Brings Out Women’s Entrepreneurial Spirit

By Leslie Dinaberg, Noozhawk Contributor | Published on 07.06.2010

http://www.noozhawk.com/

Having more control of your financial well-being, flexibility in your schedule and command over the amount of time you spend working are desires shared by many people. Women, in particular, are looking for “financial independence while raising a family,” as well as opportunities to strengthen leadership skills and “connect with a sisterhood of like-minded females,” says Bonnie Ross-Parker, CEO and founder of the The Joy of Connecting, a group designed to support women entrepreneurs, business owners and other professional women.

Network marketing, sometimes called multilevel marketing, is a multibillion-dollar worldwide industry that relies on direct selling. From well-known mega-companies such as Amway, Shaklee and Mary Kay to up-and-comers such as Pampered Chef, Silpada and Xocai, the basic business model is the same: It’s a direct-selling process where independent agents sell goods and services and are encouraged to build and manage their own sales force by recruiting and training other people.

Most women are familiar with the home-party drill. A friend or acquaintance invites you into their home for nibbles, frequently accompanied by cocktails and some kind of product demonstration. You are then urged to (1) buy the product, (2) have a party/production demonstration at your home, where you can then receive free product or buy it at a considerable discount, and (3) become a sales representative.

Many women dabble in this type of business motivated primarily by product discounts and/or the desire to do some type of low-key work outside of the home. About 80 percent of network marketers are women, according to MLM Advantage, a site that provides tips and training for network marketers. The failure rate for network marketing is estimated to be 97 percent to 99 percent — a daunting statistic until you consider the number of hobbyists who don’t really treat it like they would another type of job.

However, people who approach this type of career with the same time of discipline they would in the corporate world can be quite successful.

“There are pros and cons to network marketing businesses. The right person can be very successful. Most women I feel want to run their business like it’s a hobby, yet they expect to make a ton of money doing it,” said Kimberly Reddington, a business growth and marketing coach who specializes in working with women. “Almost every single mother in my neighborhood has tried a networking marketing business at least once in the 10 years that I have lived here. Some have tried multiple ones. I feel that you really need to have a passion for the business in order to be a success. Network marketing businesses do not make money if you run them like a hobby. I have seen so many women dish out money, time and energy to get their business started and it goes nowhere.”

“I believe the profession works if there exists a supportive environment, for example, a spouse who is his wife’s cheerleader and family and friends who offer encouragement,” Ross-Parker said, adding that another important factor for success is a woman who has “flexibility in her life — to lead parties, network, go to trainings and she believes in her product or service and knows that it takes time to build an organization.”

As a graphic designer, Christine Flannery already had a fair amount of independence in her work, but she wanted to make some additional income. She said she did her research and thought long and hard before associating herself with Xocai, a line of health-enhancing chocolate products. A neighbor introduced her to the company.

“I thought, ‘Hey, this is wonderful.’ I love the health benefits of it and the nutrition, and I love that it’s chocolate and it’s simple,” Flannery said. “It’s not as much to learn as some of the other health products I looked at. Still, it took me a while to make my decision.”

Her thoughtfulness will help her be successful, Ross-Parker said, adding that it’s important that “a company has a strong track record, great training and support and offers products or services that have lasting value.”

“I read things about it, I looked into the company. I went to the headquarters in Reno. I met the owner, Jeanette Brooks, the lady that came up with this idea,” Flannery said. “That made me realize that this is a family-owned business and I really like their excitement, their enthusiasm about everything. So I thought, ‘OK, I’ll try this.’”

“A woman has to work it to be successful,” Ross-Parker said. “I always say, ‘Full time or part time but never some time. Some time never gets results and leads to discouragement,’ and lastly she must extend beyond her family and friends. Nothing is more disheartening than exhausting a warm market and then having nowhere else to go. The key to network marketing is networking.”

So far, the response to the product has been positive, Flannery said.

“The fact that it’s chocolate means most people are willing to listen,” she said. “If it were something complicated, I think it would be a lot harder for people to pay attention. I think you find out right away if someone is interested or not, or whether they are interested in starting a new business or just buying some chocolate. So that’s pretty easy.”

The company also set her up with a Web site and provided extensive training on both the product and how to market it.

“I’m not a salesperson,” Flannery said, “but I don’t really think of this as sales as much as referral, because if it’s something that you really like, like a restaurant or a movie, you just tell people about it, and that’s kind of what this is.”

“The appeal is the fact that women can host parties and do what they do well — socialize,” said Patricia Kagwiria Makhulo, author of The Little Black Book of Home Party Plan Business Secrets. “It is supposed to be a pressure free, stress free, personalized selling environment, simply because women do not like to be sold under pressure, but we do love to buy.”

— Noozhawk contributor Leslie Dinaberg can be reached at leslie@lesliedinaberg.com.

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Business to Consider: Direct Selling/Network Marketing

Brenna Fisher May 28, 2010

http://www.successmagazine.com/

In its simplest form, direct selling (aka network marketing) is nothing more than one person promoting or selling a product or service directly to another. Today, an endless variety of products are distributed using the direct selling business model, including vitamins, weight-loss aids, cleaning products, clothing, jewelry, home décor, cookware, legal insurance, travel services, financial products,

books, toys, educational and motivational products… and the list goes on. If you have an interest in a particular industry, chances are there’s a direct selling company that supplies products in that category.

Rather than paying for massive advertising efforts and retail outlets, direct selling companies rely on an independent sales force to spread the word about them and their products. Many companies have added social media, print and broadcast advertising campaigns, but most advertising is done person to person, face to face… or Facebook to Facebook.

Perks of becoming a distributor include deep discounts on products and compensation for helping the company attract other distributors. Those who develop a network of independent representatives can leverage their time and maximize their earning potential. Not only are they paid for their own sales, they’re paid a percentage of the sales made by members of their organization (or downline). The more people a direct seller brings into the company, the greater his or her earning potential.

Other benefits can include bonuses and prizes for a job well done. These can include luxury travel, fine jewelry, cash or cars. Beyond the tangible rewards, direct sellers gain other benefits, such as communication and sales skills, greater self-confidence and leadership capabilities.

Getting started as a direct selling representative involves signing on with a company and purchasing a startup kit with brochures, access to online resources and product samples. In many cases, free local training, webinars and teleconferences are available to help representatives learn more. Many companies also hold annual conferences where they offer additional training and recognition.

The Bottom Line

You will need to purchase a startup kit and sign an agreement to become part of a direct selling company. To receive full commissions, you may be required to purchase products on a monthly, bimonthly, quarterly or annual basis, depending on the company.

This type of business can be done in as many or as few hours a week as you choose, which makes it ideal as an income supplement or for building up to a certain level of earnings before leaving a full-time job. That said, to earn a substantial regular commission check, you must commit to treating this opportunity as seriously as you would any other job or business endeavor. You are the boss… your hours are flexible, but not optional.

Is It Right for You?

Recommended skill set: People skills, consistency, self-confidence, drive to grow and market business, belief in the product or service you are promoting.

Risks: With some companies, representatives are expected to stock inventory or receive regular shipments of product. If you do not use or sell the products consistently, you could end up with a garage full of boxes. False expectations are one of the greatest risks.

Potential income: Varies greatly (from $0 to $10,000 or more per month), depending on your level of effort, skill and the company’s compensation plan.

Pros and Cons at a Glance

1. Minimal investment	1. No guaranteed income
2. Easy to fit into an already busy schedule	2. You may have to regularly place orders to receive commissions
3. Residual income	3. Overcoming misconceptions about the industry
4. Maximum control over your time and income	4. It may take months to build to a substantial level of income
5. Built-in personal growth opportunities	5. Products or services without a unique selling position may be difficult to sell

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Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing Becomes Title Sponsor of the Bluegrass State Games

May 25, 2010

By iHigh Staff of Bluegrass State Games


FORTUNE HI-TECH MARKETING BECOMES TITLE SPONSOR OF BLUEGRASS STATE GAMES

LEXINGTON - The Bluegrass Sports Commission (BSC) is pleased to announce that its signature event, the Bluegrass State Games, has a new title sponsor. Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing (FHTM) has agreed to a one-year deal with the option for a multi-year agreement with the Games.

This commitment to the Bluegrass State Games helps strengthen the organization and its mission to promote amateur athletics and healthy lifestyles, while injecting more than $6.5 million into the Central Kentucky market each summer. The Games continue to grow in participation with more than 16,500 entrants in 2009.

FHTM President and founder Paul Orberson, whose company specializes in relationship marketing and improving the lives of Kentuckians, knows this sponsorship of the Bluegrass State Games was a perfect fit for his company.

"As the old African proverb says," stated Orberson, "alone you can go faster, but together we can go further." "The Bluegrass State Games has a similar mission and focus. At Fortune, we are proud to support this event which has been a rich tradition in the state of Kentucky for more than 25 years."

"Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing is one of Kentucky's best kept secrets," said Alan Stein, Chair of the BSC and BGSG. "Their mission, like that of the Bluegrass State Games, is to improve the lives of Kentuckians, one person at a time. Through this wonderful partnership, both FTHM and the Games will be able to reach out to all our citizens of the Commonwealth. This is a true win-win, especially for Kentucky. We salute Paul Orberson and his team and look forward to a long and fruitful relationship."

Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing, Inc., is a team of highly motivated and dedicated individuals working together toward a common goal: achieving success with integrity. FHTM provides an opportunity for thousands of FHTM independent representatives, regardless of education, experience or current financial situation, to reach their goals through hard work and successful sales efforts. FHTM strives to provide its representatives with the support, encouragement and guidance they need in order to become the best possible advocates of its quality, name-brand products and services. FHTM has become a leader in the relationship marketing industry and with the help of its representatives, loyal customers and fantastic employees, will continue to break barriers for years to come.

Self-employment thrives as economy stabilizes

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Self-employment thrives as economy stabilizes

By Ebony Horton Published: April 21, 2010

http://www2.dothaneagle.com/

Perryion Griffin Jr. knew as a kid that he wanted to be self-sufficient.

Five years after opening up his own barber shop in Daleville, 31-year-old Griffin is still among those calling their own shots after one of the worst economic crises the nation has seen.
“It’s been tough, like any business, but instead of worrying about losing a job or making big people millions by me making chump change, I might as well put the change in my own pocket and work for myself. People will always need haircuts, so I’m meeting a demand,“ said Griffin, who owns Fadez 4 Dayz barber shop in Daleville.

Residents throughout the country have invested in their own businesses since the economy appeared to turn for the worst two years ago.

Some of those businesses in the Wiregrass remain secure, and more self-owned businesses in fields like healthcare, farming, sales and service are expected to rise even more in the state through year 2014, according to the state Department of Industrial Relations.
Earl Eutsey, who owns The Crab Shack in Ozark, said he opened up shop last year as an opportunity to do better for himself.

“When you know how it feels to lose a job and then you find something where you can do better for yourself, it’s good. Times have been hard sometimes, as with anything, but this has been my dream,“ Eutsey said.

Phil Holland is the founder of http://www.myownbusiness.org, a resource for entrepreneurs seeking to start their own businesses.

Holland said traffic to the Web site over the last two years has increased monthly to as many as 400,000 visitors, some of which may have had no other option but to start their own career.
“This country hit a time for some of these people where there was not the alternative of a job. They had to find something, whether it was a business from home in addition to their career,“ said Holland, who founded multiple businesses in California.

Holland said some key basics to starting a business would be to start small with a minimum investment and build over time, as well as establishing some kind of web traffic to market the business.

“The basics of business are spelled out pretty clearly. You don’t make mistakes. Our Web site has 16 different sessions that show you mistakes in any one of those can blow up a business. But if educated, you can have an understanding of where the pitfalls are,“ he said.

Some other opportunities for self-employment include participating in larger corporations.
Alfred Alexander, a retired Army command sergeant major and a business owner who sells products and services for Fortune Hi Tech Marketing, said he became a part of Fortune because of its income potential.

“This is a business model that an individual can do without regard of education, experience or current financial situation and can help them reach their financial goals,“ he said.
Alexander’s business partner, Marilyn Jinks, agreed.

“Fortune’s compensation plan afforded me the opportunity to build residual income over time and the ability to make a substantial income while the residual income is building. This has been my sole focus for a year,“ she said.

Your Job In 2020

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http://www.forbes.com/

Your Life In 2020
Your Job In 2020
Martin Ford 04.08.10, 6:00 PM ET

The greatest economic challenge the United States faces in the coming decade will be reversing its dismal unemployment situation. The past decade has been an unmitigated disaster for job creation.

To keep pace with population growth and prevent the unemployment rate from rising, the economy needs to consistently create between 1 million and 2 million new jobs per year. Yet private-sector employment has actually fallen over the last 10 years; the U.S. now employs at least a million fewer people than it did in 1999.

What are the prospects for turning things around by 2020? Some analysts are sanguine. A recent report sponsored by the MetLife Foundation predicts that due to a gradually aging workforce, the U.S. may in fact actually face an overall worker shortage as early as 2018.

What this type of demographic analysis misses is the extraordinary acceleration we are likely to see in information technology. Already job automation technology has had a dramatic impact on employment over the past decade. In the manufacturing sector factories that continue to operate in the U.S. are able to survive only by automating the production process as much as possible.

In the service sector automation often comes in the guise of self-service: ATMs, automated checkout isles and online banking are just a few areas in which technology allows customers to do the jobs that once required workers. Meanwhile, advances in information and communications technology have accelerated the globalization of corporate workforces--in particular the trend toward offshore outsourcing, or "offshoring," where jobs are transferred to low-wage countries.

While the technological progress over the past decade has been dramatic, it's nothing compared to what we can expect in the next 10 years. Historically, advances in computing power have followed Moore's Law, which stipulates that computing capability roughly doubles every two years. There will always be the natural inclination to assume we will witness the same degree of progress in the next 10 years that we saw in the last 10--but that view is deceivingly simple. It fails to account for the exponential nature of technological advances.

If Moore's Law holds throughout the next decade, we can expect that the power of computing will increase by a factor of approximately 32. That's 32 times the technical capability we have now--and there is every reason to expect that dramatic increase in computing power will be leveraged to drive down costs by automating jobs.

Automation technology will continue to hit hardest in the areas where we have come to expect it: the manufacturing sector and low-wage, unskilled jobs of all types. Yet the reality is that by 2020 we will also see increasing penetration of automation into occupations that require significant training and college degrees. The six-figure knowledge workers who now inhabit oceans of corporate cubicles will be heavily threatened by software automation and specialized artificial intelligence applications that can perform many of the routine tasks and analyses that occupy their days.

Where technology is not yet sufficient for full automation, businesses are likely to turn to offshoring as an interim solution. Advancing software tools--in some cases enhanced by technologies such as machine learning--will continually upgrade the capabilities of low-wage offshore workers. As both job automation and offshoring become cheaper and more accessible, both practices are likely to be employed increasingly by the small businesses that have historically been responsible for the bulk of U.S. job creation.

---

Many dismiss this rather pessimistic view by pointing to the fact that, while technology eliminates jobs, it also creates new industries and employment sectors. This argument glosses over the fact that new technology-based industries tend to be capital intensive: they do not employ large numbers of people. Compare McDonalds with Google: In 2008 McDonalds employed 400,000 people with revenue of $59,000 per worker. Google had just 20,000 employees--each of which brought in, on average, over a million dollars in revenue. The question we have to ask is: What happens when McDonald's begins to look more like Google?

Advancing technology may indeed create more Googles, but the same progress is almost certain to eventually have a highly disruptive impact on employment in the more traditional, labor-intensive industries that employ the bulk of the workforce--potentially eliminating entire job categories by 2020.

The economy of 2020 may well be characterized by substantial, broad-based and ever increasing structural unemployment, as well as by stagnant or plunging consumer spending and confidence. Mainstream economists, content to rely on quantitative models built in the last century, are largely oblivious to and ill-equipped for the reality of the next decade.

If 2020 finds us on the brink of an age in which our workers are becoming increasingly superfluous, any solutions to the problem will likely be radical and, by 2010 standards, politically unthinkable. By 2020 solutions will have to be found. Ultimately the viability of capitalism and of our democratic institutions will demand it.

Martin Ford is the author of The Lights in the Tunnel: Automation, Accelerating Technology and the Economy of the Future and blogs regularly at econfuture.wordpress.com.

Home businesses on the upswing in tough economy

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Home businesses on the upswing in tough economy

by Scott Spjut

Mar 18, 2010 | 661 views

http://www.tooeletranscript.com/view/full_story/6765835/article-Home-businesses-on-the-upswing-in-tough-economy?instance=home_news_left

- photography / Maegan Burr" title="Tim Smith points out areas on a bicycle that need new grip tape Monday afternoon. Smith runs a licensed bike repair shop out of his garage. So far in 2010, Tooele City has approved 78 home business licenses, up from previous years.
- photography / Maegan Burr" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; max-width: 250px; float: none; margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; text-align: left; ">

Tim Smith points out areas on a bicycle that need new grip tape Monday afternoon. Smith runs a licensed bike repair shop out of his garage. So far in 2010, Tooele City has approved 78 home business licenses, up from previous years.
- photography / Maegan Burr

Chris and Rebecca Busico, of Tooele, both worked at Deseret Chemical Depot until 2008. When they were getting ready to have their second child and knew layoffs were on the horizon, they decided to re-evaluate their employment situation.

“We were both making pretty good money, but we didn’t want to both get laid off at the same time,” Chris said.

So with the help from his uncle, Chris started a lawn care company that focuses on fertilizing, weed control and pesticides. The business is now in its second year, and has doubled its customer base, he said.

“My uncle gave me a bunch of customers to get going,” he said. “We’re doing better than we expected.”

Busico’s story is more common today than even two years ago, when he launched the business. Tooele City has seen an increase in home-based business applications this year as more residents turn to self-employment as a way to weather a difficult economy. By mid-March of 2008 and 2009, the city had processed 56 and 59 applications, respectively. So far in 2010, the city has already seen 78.

“I think people who may have lost their job are going with a home business,” said Tooele City Deputy Recorder Lisa Carpenter. “They’re trying to come up with creative ways to bring in an income.”

But sometimes those creative ways run counter to established laws and codes — such as the need for a business license.

That’s why Carpenter scans the newspaper these days to make sure advertising home businesses have their city paperwork in order. She also occasionally pounds the pavement, as was the case last Friday when she noticed two men selling hand-made beaded bugs, coins, mugs and vinyl records at Vorwaller Homestead and RV Park. They didn’t have a license.

“I told them, ‘You should be grateful it was me who came by and not a cop,’” Carpenter said.

As part of Tooele City code, any resident offering a service for compensation needs a business license. This includes daycares, tutors, any sellers of merchandise, freelancers and home repair services. There are exceptions, including yard sales, kids’ lemonade stands and teenagers mowing lawns. Non-profits must also get licensed, but for them the city will waive the $40 fee.

“Anytime you’re making money, you should be licensed,” Carpenter said. “We’ll work with them, but it’s always good to be informed and ask regarding all types of businesses.

Tooele County also requires licensing for home businesses, although county officials haven’t noticed the same uptick in startups as city officials have.

The county approved 58 home occupation applications in all of 2009, and has approved eight so far in 2010. Most applications are for general home offices or various consulting ventures. But the county also receives applications for hair salons, flower shops, candle stores, dog treat productions and even belly casting for pregnant women.

The home occupation application is used to gauge how many deliveries or pickups will be made at the home, how many customers will be visiting the residence regularly, what type and how much product will be stored on site, and what the hours of operation will be, regardless of the type of business.

“It’s more about the impact on the property and the neighbors,” said Kent Page, Tooele County senior planner. “We don’t want to have the character of the residence or of the neighborhood changed. We don’t want unusual noise or traffic.”

For most entrepreneurs, licensing is a minor hurdle to overcome compared to the uncertainty of starting a home-based business.

Abe Patterson, of Stansbury Park, had been thinking of opening up a business in his home for a few years, and was recently approved for a property maintenance operation. His work will focus on repairing rental properties in between leases and tenants.

“I just saw a possible niche,” Patterson said. “I know a lot of unemployed contractors, and would like to get people working and get them a little extra money.”

His home would work as a central office where he could dispatch people for work and do general bookkeeping.

“I would like the added income,” he said. “But more so lately, I would like to help people out.”

Brenda Marquette of Lake Point took early retirement from Alliant Techsystems two months ago after 30 years of working for the aerospace and defense contractor. She started the paperwork for her own home business before she retired, and is in the process of finishing it. She plans to do part-time contract work in line with her expertise.

“Larger companies are looking for contract help, rather than hiring new employees they may have to train and then lay off,” Marquette said. “I see it as an opportunity to still utilize the skill set I have.”

For others, a home business is a chance to turn a hobby into a little extra spending money.

“I’m a cyclist, and there’s no shop available about here,” said Timothy Smith, who runs a bike repair shop out of his Stansbury Park garage in his spare time. He works full time as a radiologist at Mountain West Medical Center.

He’s considered opening his own bike store some day, but doesn’t anticipate being able to get a loan from the bank. In the meantime, he’s content with working on whatever bikes he can.

“I’m not as busy as I’d like to be,” Smith said. “It’s an interesting adventure. And it’s not an easy one.”

Page feels starting a home business is a good option for many county residents.

“It seems like that’s the first step. Try something at home, without investing a whole lot of money into it, and then build it from there,” he said. “We’re trying to be sensitive to the economy. We want to allow an individual to do what he wants with his property, as long as it doesn’t affect his neighbors.”

The county is currently considering different zoning options to help home businesses, Page said. They feel a new zoning category, something between residential and commercial, may help.

“The code is here to serve us — not us to serve the code,” he said. “But we haven’t put anything in writing yet. We’re just brainstorming.”

Scott Spjut: scottspjut@tooeletranscript.com

John Zogby: What American Dream?

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The Way We'll Be
What American Dream?

http://www.forbes.com/

John Zogby, 03.18.10, 12:01 AM ET
A year ago there was real concern that the U.S. economy might fall into what economists consider a depression. That type of depression did not happen, but our polling finds strong evidence of another kind of depression: a loss of faith in the American Dream.

Zogby International has been testing the public's beliefs and definitions of the American Dream for more than a decade. Our latest Zogby Interactive survey shows a significant decline in believers from a year ago and an even bigger drop from 10 years ago.

On the basic question of whether "it is possible for you and your family to achieve the American Dream," 57% said it is possible in a Feb. 17 Zogby Interactive poll of 2,031 likely voters. That is a 10-point drop from a similar survey conducted immediately after the 2008 elections. When we asked that question in July 2001, less than two months before the Sept. 11 attacks, 76% said they could achieve it.

As some readers may know, I've studied people's attitudes about the American Dream at length. It served as the subtitle of my book, The Way We'll Be: The Zogby Report of the Transformation of the American Dream. I have found the American Dream evolving and enduring. In that book, I wrote:

"The American dream still exists; it's not going anywhere. But in so many ways, it's being refashioned and repackaged to reflect the new circumstances of so many of our lives ... The new American dream, I've found, is far more textured because the American experience at the start of the 21st century is so different from what it was just a half century ago. We still dream great things for our children, but today we do so within the context of the new limits in our own lives."
Our standard set of questions about the American Dream measures those "new circumstances" and "textured" ideals. From these questions, I've formulated four categories of American Dreamers: Traditional Materialists who define it as material success; Secular Spiritualists, who see it more through spiritual fulfillment; Deferred Dreamers, who believe their children are more likely to attain it than they are; and finally the Dreamless Dead, who say neither they nor most middle-class Americans can achieve it materially or spiritually.

Compared with November 2008, the first three categories remained stable. The percentage of Dreamless Dead jumped from 12% to 20%. We found this pessimism increasing across all demographic groups. Predictably, the jump was greatest among those earning the least (annual household income below $25,000), going from 19% to 44%. Other groups that also had higher increases of Dreamless Dead included women, political independents and those without college degrees.

Clearly, a very weak job market is the prime cause for this loss of hope. A poll released this week by ABC World News found 28% of middle-income Americans and 39% of lower-income earners say someone in their household has been laid off or lost a job in the last year. In a recent ABC/Washington Post survey, 57% of middle-income Americans and 68% of lower earners said the U.S. economy is in "long-term decline."

It certainly seems as though people see the current recession as more than just a down period in the normal business cycle. Last month I wrote here about the deep loss of confidence in our major institutions, especially in big business, banks and government. Actions taken by leaders in both the business and political realms have given people in the political center, left and right very good reason to lose faith. Each can cite their own litanies of what they see as failure and even contempt from the nation's most powerful people.

More alarming may be the self-fulfilling prophecies that this skepticism cultivates. For the economy, people are more likely to hunker down and diminish any chance that consumer spending will restart the economy. For government, cynicism moves people away from the process, pushing political discourse further to the extremes and making government even more dysfunctional and less responsive that it already is.

None of this can be separated from rapid and all-encompassing technological change that is altering both our personal and institutional relationships. Inevitably, our institutions must change to keep up.

I am an optimist; in this case about America and its dream, and about those who will sort through and find solutions, the under-30 generation I call First Globals. What Winston Churchill said in 1947 is still true: "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time." It may take some time, but the generation that has grown up wired, connected and open to the world will make our institutions responsive again, and perhaps create new ones.

They will also keep the American Dream, and continue the path that defines it not as material, but as personal and spiritual fulfillment. Carpe diem.

John Zogby is president and CEO of Zogby International and the author of The Way We'll Be: The Zogby Report on the Transformation of the American Dream. He writes a weekly column for Forbes.

Outlook for job market is grim

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Outlook for job market is grim
Updated 1/8/2010 8:13 PM

http://www.usatoday.com/

By Paul Wiseman, USA TODAY

As they scoured the job market and counted down the days to graduation last spring, most of Christopher Hutchens' friends at Johns Hopkins University decided the transition to real life could wait: They'd seek sanctuary in graduate school until the economic thunderclouds cleared.
Hutchens' prospects were sunnier. His coursework at Johns Hopkins had prepared him for one of the nation's hottest careers: biomedical engineering. He landed a good job at a Philadelphia maker of medical devices — though even he didn't get the offer he wanted until the last day of classes.

Hutchens is one of the lucky few. Prospects for most job seekers are expected to be grim for years, no matter what Friday's government report on payrolls and unemployment shows.

Barring dramatic changes in economic policy, "We're going to have high unemployment for the next few years," says former Labor secretary Robert Reich, now professor of public policy at the University of California-Berkeley. "Even when the jobs come back, they're not going to be very good jobs."

Even as economic growth recovers from the deepest recession since the 1930s, many U.S. jobs will continue to move overseas or be replaced by technology. And consumer spending, which fuels economic and job growth, is likely to remain weak as households continue to sober up from the credit card, home-equity loan binge-spending of the past decade, economists say.

"It's going to be a long slog," says Steven Cochrane, managing director of Moody's Economy.com.

Moody's expects the unemployment rate — 10% in November — to remain high. The past couple of decades, joblessness has hovered around 5%. In the next decade, Cochrane expects it to stay closer to 5.7%.

"All signs point to a rocky recovery," says economist Heidi Shierholz at the Economic Policy Institute. "We will likely see elevated unemployment for at least the next five years." She reckons joblessness could still be stuck at 8% in 2014.

The economy must clear some imposing hurdles, Shierholz says:

•State governments, their tax revenues eroded by the recession, are slashing programs and jobs to meet balanced-budget requirements.

•The Federal Reserve, having pushed short-term interest rates close to zero, doesn't have many tools left in its economic fix-it kit.

•Consumers, whose spending accounts for 70% of economic activity, are exhausted after years of piling up debt and splurging on everything from iPods to vacation homes.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects consumer spending to grow 2.5% a year from 2008 to 2018, down from average annual growth of 3% in the previous two decades. Spending on durable goods, excluding autos, will grow 4.9% a year through 2018, down from 8.1% annual growth from 1998 to 2008. Sales of cars and light trucks won't reclaim the heights they reached in the mid-2000s, when they surpassed 16 million a year: Government forecasters expect auto sales to hit 14.4 million in 2018. Foreign competition and automation will continue to kill manufacturing jobs: The government expects factories to cut 1.2 million manufacturing jobs by 2018.

"If you work in a textile mill, the days of your job are numbered," Moody's Cochrane says.

Still, the government's Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the overall economy to generate 15.3 million new jobs (not counting replacements) from 2008 to 2018 and forecasts 5.1% unemployment in 2018.

Where will the new jobs come from?

Depends on how you measure job growth. On a percentage basis, the fastest-growing occupations of the next decade tend to pay well and to demand highly skilled workers.

Computer network and data analysts (median wage: $71,100) will see their ranks surge 53% from 2008 to 2018, the government predicts. And financial examiners, who ensure that companies are complying with financial laws and regulations, will grow in number by 41%. Their median earnings: $70,930. (The median wage figures — half earn more, half less — are from May 2008.)

A 'cool' future for some

Seeing the fastest job growth at 72% through 2018 are biomedical engineers (median wage: $77,400). "I can see myself staying in the medical device industry," says Johns Hopkins grad Hutchens. "It's only growing. There are going to be a lot of cool projects to work on."

Johns Hopkins' undergraduate biomedical engineering program turns out about 100 graduates a year. They find a wide range of employers, says Julia Galeazzi, associate director of the university's career center: private companies seeking to design medical devices; the Pentagon looking for ways to counter bio-terrorism; the U.S. Patent Office hiring engineers who understand the latest medical gadgets. One recent graduate was dispatched to study whether cellphone frequencies pose any health risks. "The opportunities are so vast," she says.

The trouble is, the top-paying occupations are a minuscule component of the labor force: Biomedical engineers, for instance, will account for just 12,000 of the more than 15 million new jobs expected to emerge through 2018.

Measured by sheer numbers, the new jobs of the next decade don't look nearly as lucrative: The number of home health aides, for instance, is expected to expand by 461,000. But their median earnings come to just $20,460 — well below the median U.S. wage of $32,390.

Sonia Ortiz, 47, has been working in home health care for two decades in Los Angeles. She feeds the elderly and disabled, does their laundry, helps them take their pills, drives them to the doctor. She earns $9 an hour.

"It's very difficult to get by," she says. "You have to think twice about how to pay rent, buy gas, set aside a little money."

Spokane, Wash., home health aide Susie Young, 61, who's been in the business 22 years, says she sometimes thought: "I can go to McDonald's and make more money than I do now." She says wages and working conditions have improved since workers at her agency joined the Service Employees International Union in 2003.

Untransferable jobs

The economy will also demand 400,000 new customer service representatives, an occupation with median earnings of $29,860 a year; and 394,000 workers who prepare and serve food, including fast food, earning $16,430.

"These services have got to be done in person and so cannot be easily done, as so many manufacturing jobs can be done, by low-wage workers abroad," former Labor secretary Reich says. "They normally involve providing personal attention that can't easily be done by computers and software."

More than two-thirds of new jobs won't require any education past high school. For several decades after World War II, high school graduates could find decent-paying manufacturing jobs. But factories are shedding workers or closing altogether.

"It's much harder for someone who has a modest set of educational credentials to find the equivalent of an auto industry job," says Gary Burtless, senior fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution. "You can't just have a diploma and six months of on-the-job training, and expect to get wages and benefits equivalent to $18 or $30 an hour. Those kinds of jobs are much harder to get than they were in the '60s and '70s."

One bright spot: nursing. The country is expected to need 582,000 new registered nurses — a profession that pays a median $62,450 a year. Hospitals and doctor's offices in southwestern Indiana, southern Illinois and western Kentucky snap up nurses as fast as the University of Southern Indiana can turn them out, usually at starting salaries in the mid-$30,000s, says Ann White, assistant dean of nursing. But nursing isn't for everyone, she says. The university exposes nursing students to real clinical conditions as early as possible to weed out the squeamish and uncommitted. "You've got to want to be a nurse," she says.

Overall, the jobs market is stuck in an awkward place, says Daniel Stelter, a senior partner at Boston Consulting Group and co-author of the forthcoming book Accelerating Out of the Great Recession: How to Win in a Slow-Growth Economy. Old industries such as auto and steel manufacturing are shedding jobs; and promising new industries such as solar energy and biotechnology aren't mature enough to make up the difference. "Old industries are under pressure, and new industries are not yet big and strong enough."

He expects the U.S. government will attempt to salvage manufacturing jobs by promoting new industries and by exploiting a weak dollar, which makes U.S. exports more competitive overseas. Already, he notes, Germany's Daimler, citing the weak dollar, last month announced plans to boost production of C-Class Mercedes cars at its plant in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

For all the forecasts, no one really knows what the labor market will look like in a few years. In 2003, a quarter of U.S. workers were in jobs that didn't show up in government occupational listings in 1967, a report by the White House's Council of Economic Advisers noted last year.

"We don't know what technologies will be developed or what is going to happen on a national or global level," says Galeazzi at the Johns Hopkins career center. "Nobody can really predict what the job market will look like in 10 years. ... What we're trying to do is prepare our students to go out and be flexible."

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February 18, 2010

Retirees Trade Work for Rent at Cash-Poor Parks

By KIRK JOHNSON

http://www.nytimes.com/

ROMA, Tex. — A cold wind whipped down the Texas plains on the night last month that Sharon Smith, 68, and her husband, Bill, 73, arrived here to be work-campers.

In the dark, they had trouble setting up their camper. But Ms. Smith, a former teacher’s aide from Sioux Falls, S.D., said she looked up at the starry sky, shook off a few of the burrs she had picked up lying on the ground working on their truck, and told herself it would get better.

It did.

The life of a work-camper, volunteering in places like Falcon State Park in deep South Texas in return for free rent, is not without its bumps. But as Ms. Smith also quickly discovered, the rewards can be deep as well — like making cinnamon rolls as part of her job at the camp recreation center, where she and Mr. Smith are working as hosts through the end of March.

“We’re here for three reasons,” she said, as she spread sugar on the dough. “No. 1, we like to travel. No. 2, we like people. And No. 3, we’re on a budget.”

An itinerant, footloose army of available and willing retirees in their 60s and 70s is marching through the American outback, looking to stretch retirement dollars by volunteering to work in parks, campgrounds and wildlife sanctuaries, usually in exchange for camping space.

Park and wildlife agencies say that retired volunteers have in turn become all the more crucial as budget cuts and new demands have made it harder to keep parks open.

Work-campers come together in one place — leading nature walks or staffing visitor centers, typically working 20 hours to 30 hours a week — then take off to their next assignments. As they move about, they keep in touch with one another through cellphone numbers, e-mail addresses and Facebook postings, creating virtual communities filled with the people they meet.

Camp life, especially in this bird-watching hotspot, revolves around the great outdoors: picking up trash, guiding visitors and, with luck, perhaps spotting the rare roadside hawk that has been reported in the Rio Grande Valley. Night brings a round of socializing: wine around the picnic tables out by the bird feeders, an open-mike sing-along at the recreation center, an evening walk through the South Texas scrubland.

Estimates of the number of work-campers nationally vary, but a spokesman for Kampgrounds of America Inc., a private company that franchises camps, said that 80,000 or so might be a good guess, based on KOA’s percentage of the camping market and the number of its work-campers.

“It attracts a certain kind of person,” said Wendy R. Forster, 70, a retired biologist who lives alone in her motor home and has been leading bird-watchers’ walks here since January. “There’s a lot of companionship and security.”

Recession has cut a fierce crosswind through the subculture, recreation experts and campers say. Some parks in California that once needed volunteers have closed, for example, as the state’s budget crisis has intensified. Many campers are also trying to stay longer in one place to cut travel expenses.

But other recreation managers say they have become more dependent than ever on a national network of volunteers, partly because of spending cuts and partly because remaining staff members have to prioritize what they can do.

“Basic trail maintenance, for example — picking up trash,” said Nancy C. Brown, who coordinates volunteers for the South Texas Refuge Complex, which includes three large wildlife areas. “It’s important for wildlife purposes, but when you’re faced with a choice of dealing with oil and gas permits or maintaining a trail, the trail is the first thing to go.”

In the last decade, Ms. Brown said, the number of campsites set aside for volunteers in the complex, including those at Falcon State Park, has risen twentyfold, to 65 from 3.

In some places, the retired volunteers are about the only staff members left.

“We did a state park in Arizona this year that had laid off so many people, we basically ran it,” said Carolyn Miller, 71, a former small-business owner from Colorado who has work-camped from Alaska to Maine with her husband, Warren, 73.

For many work-campers, the appeal of a nontraditional retirement was also linked to a life-changing event — the death of a spouse, a divorce, money trouble, a midlife reassessment of priorities. For whatever reasons, they said, staying put became an unappealing or unavailable option.

And for some, there is romance to be found. Sandra Noll, 65, a retired nurse who has been leading canoe trips for bird-watchers on the Rio Grande since early January, met her partner, Erv Nichols, 66, three years ago.

Mr. Nichols, a retired photographer from Big Bear Lake, Calif., had set out to downsize his life. With Social Security as his only income, and two previous marriages that ended in divorce, he was so sure of a solo life, he said, that he ripped out the front passenger seat of the little motor home that a friend had given him as a gift.

Ms. Noll, who was reassessing her own life after a divorce and a move back West, where she grew up, found Mr. Nichols’s zeal in tossing aside his possessions appealing. “You wanted to simplify your life,” she said, glancing across the table at him in their little trailer. “That drew you to me.”

Ms. Forster, the retired biologist, became a volunteer partly out of grief. When her husband died of cancer 17 years ago, in his 50s, she immediately set off, she said, continuing the motor-home life they had imagined together, but now on her own. She has led bird-watching trips all over the country and has already made plans to come back here next year.

“We’re nomadic,” she said. “But a lot of us are coming back next year, so that will be a reunion.”

Other campers are moving down the road. Ms. Noll and Mr. Nichols, for example, are headed next to Nebraska, to work as guides along the sandhill cranes’ migration route. Starting in June, the Smiths, from Sioux Falls, will work on an island in Puget Sound. Ellen Lawson, 66, of Evansville, Wyo., will head for a dulcimer festival in Mississippi. She said she was already dreading the goodbyes when she and her husband, Ron, 67, leave here in March.

“I cried when I left home to come here,” Ms. Lawson said while raking leaves at Falcon State Park’s Butterfly Garden, “and I’ll cry when I leave.”