I have become a Donny Deutsch fan. Ever since I saw him interview Dani Johnson, I knew I liked this guy. Well, he posted on his website a series of questions you need ask yourself, honestly, about how you view success, wealth, wealthy people etc:

The American Dream Self-Sabotage Test

Do you ever ask "Why should I try to be successful?"

- Yes
- No

Do you consider money dirty , un-cool , or pretentious?

- Yes
- No

Do you have negative opinions about wealthy people?

- Yes
- No

Are you afraid of making more money than your parents?

- Yes
- No

When you walk into a room, do you prefer to remain unnoticed?

- Yes
- No

Do you tend to refuse opportunities to give to charity?

- Yes
- No

When you lose money on a bad deal, do you hold onto it as a regret?

- Yes
- No

The more questions to which you answered YES, the more you may be standing in the way of your own success. Remember, money isn't a bad thing. The more money you make, the more good you can do with your money.

You can check out Donny Deutsch's site at: http://www.cnbc.com/id/24528760?__source=RSS*blog*&par=RSS

It might be something worth watching on TV again… LOST and The Big Idea… two great shows!

Have you tried making money with Google Adsense yet… no I mean REALLY tried?  A lot of people have tried Adsense… maybe throwing a few ads up on their page, but they really didn't know what they were doing.  It's kind of like joining an MLM company and sitting at home doing nothing, wondering why everyone isn't coming to your door asking you to join.

Listen, there are people who are making 4, 5, and even 6-figure monthly checks with Adsense… and they're doing it without cheating.  I liken building an Adsense empire to building a network marketing downline.  The more distributors you have, the more money you make.  And, it's not just any ole distributor… you want quality distribors.  Same thing here.  The more web sites and web pages you have, the more money you make.  But, it's not just any ole site.  You need to learn to put together quality sites with quality ad placement.

So, why do I mention this?  Because, in my opinion, Google Adsense may just be the perfect compliment to what you are doing in building your other home business.  You're not cross recruiting.  You're not even recruiting at all.  You're building a secondary stream of income… or even primary one at that… that provides residual income.  How cool is that!

Anyway, I've been doing Adsense for over 3 years now.  I learned what I know from a guy named Joel Comm.  I've bought his ebooks and material in the past for $97.  Not bad at all.  Well, he just released his 4th edition, over 200 pages, and it's only $9.95.  I simply don't know why you would get it.  Here's what I recommend.  Go spend $10 and buy they ebook.  Don't let the fact that it is only $10 make you think there isn't value.  Joel Comm is pretty much the guru of guru's when it come's to learning Adsense. 

I really believe you can't go wrong here.  Go check out Joel's Google Adsense Secrets 4.  You can also click on the little button. 

Finally, let me say this.  I enjoy the whole network marketing industry.  My wife is okay with it.  She likes the products, but she doesn't like the hype.  But, she loves Adsense.  She types articles for my websites every week.  She's as much a reason that I receive a nice fat Adsense deposit at the end of every month.  It's something that many people in your family can do.  It's not just a geek thing of building websites.  Dont' let that part hold you back.  Joel teaches about that too.

Here is some great advice from the Network Marketing Business Journal.  If you're ever at Barnes and Noble, go over to the business section of the magazines, and you will find the NMBJ newspaper.  It's a great newspaper where there is news, industry advice, expert stuff, legal stuff, and usually highlighting a company or two.  I highly recommend you buy a copy.

“It is true that people are spending less. It’s also true that business owners, due to that observation, are marketing less. Well, take advantage of that! If you market more you will pull in the business instead of those others that aren’t marketing,” advises David Olgivy, author of Olgivy on Advertising . “What should you do in time of recession, when you need every penny to sustain your earnings? Stop advertising? If you stop advertising a brand that is still in its introductory phase, you will probably kill it – forever. Studies of the last six recessions have demonstrated that companies which do not cut back their advertising budgets achieve greater increases in profit than companies which do cut back,” he says.

“There is a consequential effect that marketing has on your business one, two, three years and more down the line if you don’t market during a recession. And while the cost of living increases along with inflation and other factors, you will be losing sales and income down the road when you will really need it if you cut back on marketing during times of recession. But as I say, even though unfortunately, companies will invariably cut their advertising budget during a recession so be smarter and use that to your advantage - for more business and growth now as well as in the future, because if you do you will come way out ahead when the recession starts to wane,” Olgivy maintains.

Source:  http://www.nmbj.com/resources/on-line/MLM_news/default.asp?ID=274

The basic advice is even when you need to tighten your budget and possibly even trim some expenses, don't stop marketing. 

That headline alone is enough to earn the respect of just about any business person from any walk of life.  Do you know how much makeup that is?  Do you know what kind of focus, drive, commitment and perseverance it takes to earn one Pink Cadillac, let alone 14?

Congratulations to Susan Ehrnstrom!

"Getting the first one was the most memorable. You visualize yourself driving it. Before I won the first one I took the emblem off the front of an old Cadillac and put it on my car," Ehrnstrom admitted, saying she got inspiration from that. Her license plate reads VCTRY, which she said was inspired from a biblical song she heard in church.

"I was very busy this past December, which is when one of the sales periods are and I got to thinking that I might not reach the goal, but thankfully it was above the mark," she said.

In years past, she has also won a mink jacket and a full length white mink coat among other company awards."

That level of achievement over a period of 28 years is worthy of honor.  I may not want to sell makeup, but I have to give honor where honor is due.

Source:  http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080403/COMMUNITY/804030679

Has Anyone Seen the New Cutting Edge Media Magazine?

On April 3rd, Cutting Edge Media released a new magazine that you can use for your business.  You can find their press release, if you want to read it, by going here.

According to the PR, it is not going to be a regular sized magazine.  Instead, it is going to be a digest or pocket-sized magazine that you can give to your prospects.  If it's like their last magazine, they use when they generate their own leads, as well as develop a nice circulation to put your business out in front of a lot of people.  You can find the details on their new website:

http://www.yourhomebizmagazine.com

You will find a place there where you can request a free sample at the bottom of the website.  They also have a flyer you can download if you are interested in advertising in the magazine.

Speaking of advertising, I know of several people who have used CEM's magazines rather successfully to build their business.  It's a more traditional way to build your business, but I know it still works.  If you are going to advertise on your own… you better be ready to put up some money.   But, if you can get 3 - 5 people together, it can be worth it.  If you get too many people, then you greatly reduce the number of leads a person gets.  I would also suggest committing to 4 - 6 months of advertising.  If you can't advertise for at least 2 months, I would suggest not doing it at all.

Anyway, a new magazine and more advertising.  Cutting Edge Media usually does things right, and being the largest leads company out there, they have the resources to pull this off.

So, go check out the new Your Home Biz magazine.

Let me begin by saying that Melaleuca is a decent company, good products, and good distributors.  However, don't get caught up in the dream of untold riches unless you know exactly what you're getting into.

Rod Cook was one of the first to point this out… and he calls it the Melaleuca Law.  And, I have seen this first hand with a few of their distributors.  Here's the deal.  Melaleuca thinks they need a monogomous relationship with their distributors.  If any distributor (or even another family member) would participate any other type of business opportunity, they are gone.  And, it seems that if you make it into the top 5% of the company, you have a target on your back that the company is waiting to sue you.

http://www.mlmwatchdog.com/mlm_melaleuca_non_compete_lawsuits.html

There's nothing wrong with monogomy.  I've been married for 19 years to one person.  But, this isn't marriage, and this is 2008.  People participate in multiple opportunities.  If you want a one-company relationship, never to participate in anything else but your beloved Melaleuca, then maybe that is for you.  But, if there is ever any possibility that you will buy a bottle of Xango, build a web site to sell an ebook, drink a can of Verve, or use a dental discount program like Ameriplan, then you better think twice about signing on the dotted line.

Again, don't get me wrong.  I like Melaleuca and think they have great products.  But, their lawsuit hungry corporate staff and their policies are about 100 years behind the time, and I can't imagine any Generation X or younger people being attracted to them and expecting such ridiculous loyality.

Anyway, those are my opinions.  My opinion is there are plenty of other opportunities out there that are well worth your time.