Daily Inspiration 8-15-12

"Expecting something for nothing is the most popular form of hope." -- Arnold H Glasow The Internet is a wonderful idea and is constantly changing and offering more and more to choose from. Many of those choices are 'get rich with no investment and by spending only 30 minutes per day or less.' They remind me of the 10-minute, twice a week no belly fat magic. In the 1800's they called people that pushed that kind of stuff, 'snake oil salesmen.' This magic potion, that miraculous cream, pills to grow parts of your body and all sorts of claims were made by them. Those claims are alive today with the variation of the way they are spread: the Internet. MLM's (Multi-Level Marketing) are everywhere now. There are thousands of them. They used to promise making a few extra dollars and now it seems that the new Ferrari and mansion on the hill with $50,000 per month is the draw. They show people with those cars, on vacations we dare dream of, living the life of ease, luxury, and complete freedom. I know many people involved in these and a few I've even looked at some to see what the numbers show. 99% make less than $1,000 per month and 90% of them make less than $250. There are all these projections of how fast the company is growing and, well. . . it is what you might expect if you check it out. I have experience at this. I did Multi-Level-Marketing for two years full time in Shaklee Products. I jumped in with both feet rather than playing around part time. And, I learned a ton about what it takes to 'make it' in those business models. I'm all for receiving a windfall now and again, but I don't ever expect that will come on a consistent basis. Though it may certainly happen for a couple here and there, it isn't a strategy. Here's some lessons I've learned: If it sounds too good to be true, it generally is. If there is no investment, there is probably no reward. Providing real value in a product and/or service is worthy of reward. If you're looking for a couple of super stars, that could take years. People are easily excited in the short term, but business is long term. If you would buy your own products and/or use your own services even if you weren't in the game anymore, that speaks volumes to others. Making it a business is far more than calling it one. You can't consume your inventory, you must sell it. It isn't easy. It may seem simple, but it isn't easy. There is far more hard work than anyone ever told you about. There is an extremely high failure rate. If these kind of opportunities are done well and treated as a legitimate business with investment, planning, execution, doing well is a possibility worth entertaining. If it is a quick ride to the promised land one is after, the likelihood of that is slim and none.

Just My Humble Opinion, Of Course. Spread Some Joy Today--Give hugs to many today. People love hugs. Don't you?