Issue #2353
- WEALTHY: 7 wealth-building lessons from billionaires (Michael Masterson)
- HEALTHY: If you never miss a workout, don’t miss this… (Craig Ballantyne)
- WISE: John Emmerling on becoming a millionaire
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- 3 easy ways to improve your customer service (Suzanne Richardson)
- Don’t attempt this SEO "trick" at home (Alexis Siemon)
- It’s Good to Know… about hands-only CPR
- Add "nefarious" to your vocabulary
Imagine Knowing of a Casino Where the Dealer Tipped His Hand Before You Made Your Move and Didn’t Care How Many Times You Beat Him.
When Would You Stop Going There?
This is nothing to do with games of chance, but I hope your answer to that question would be a resounding, "NEVER!!" Assuming you’re sane that is… Well, that is a virtually PERFECT analogy of the power of the insider signal!
It’s often said, "The Stock Market is just a big casino." And it’s true. But the important omission in that statement (to keep the masses out!) is the dealer in this casino tips his hand to the select few… the insiders.
Such powerful knowledge could make YOU very rich indeed… Click to learn more…
"Study well what the billionaire does. It may make you a millionaire."
John Emmerling
Wealth and Wealthy People
There is no shortage of billionaires today. In 1985, there were fewer than 20 of them. Today, there are more than one thousand.
Wealth is gradually moving away from the United States. In 2003, eight Americans made the top 10 in Forbes’ annual list of billionaires. This year, only two (Warren Buffett and Bill Gates) made the list. And less than half of the entire list is made up of Americans.
Still, 443 American billionaires is nothing to sneeze at. Nor is their collective net worth of around $1.6 trillion. At least for the moment, the U.S. still has the world’s largest and most profitable economy. But India and China are catching up. Their economies are growing fast. And they are not wasting trillions of dollars on foreign wars.
With the dollar falling and our economy on the brink of a depression, it’s highly likely that Americans will continue to get poorer in the next few years. It’s also quite possible that the U.S. will be passed by China or India and become a second-tier economy. Even if that doesn’t happen, Americans will have to take quick and drastic action to protect themselves and preserve the wealth they have.
One of the best ways you can create and maintain wealth is by following the lead of people who’ve already done it.
About 33 percent of the very rich got their money through inheritance. The Waltons, for instance. The rest – two out of three – created their wealth through business. About half of those mega-entrepreneurs started with family money, and the other half started from scratch. These are the people – like Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Sergey Brin, and Larry Page – who earned the wealth they have. These are the people I’d listen to if I wanted advice on how to succeed today.
I don’t know any of these billionaire entrepreneurs (BEs) personally, but I’ve done a lot of reading about them. I figured you might want to know what makes them tick and how they got where they are. Here is what I’ve discovered:
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Formal education matters – but not always.
The great majority of BEs – about 90 percent – have a college degree. But it’s not necessary for success. Among the world’s super-rich today, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Fred DeLuca, David Geffen, and Andrei Melnichenko didn’t graduate from college. And David Murdock (Dole Foods), S. Truett Cathy (Chick-fil-A), and Richard Desmond (British publishing magnate) never finished high school.
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BEs work harder and longer than the people who work for them.
Most say they work 50 to 55 hours a week. Some, like centibillionaire Canadian communication mogul Ted Rogers, work 12 hours a day. And some, like Bill Gates (when he worked at Microsoft) and eBay founder Jeff Skoll, took no vacations for years while their businesses were growing.
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BEs are constantly looking for profit opportunities.
When they hear about an economic or business development, they think, "How could I profit from that?"
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BEs don’t dwell on mistakes.
They view problems as learning opportunities. "I don’t remember any mistakes," the late pharmaceutical billionaire James Sorenson told Forbes, "only the opportunity to overcome problems."
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BEs think neither completely positively or negatively, but strategically.
Instead of thinking, "That’s impossible" or "I can do anything," they think, "Is that possible?" and "If it is, how could I do it?"
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BEs don’t believe in luck.
In a recent Forbes poll of the 400 richest people in the world, none said they had become wealthy entirely by luck. Some said they considered luck to be a minor factor. Most, like Oprah Winfrey, consider luck an outsider’s way of describing someone who works hard and seizes opportunity. "Luck," Winfrey says, "is preparation meeting a moment of opportunity."
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BEs are not driven primarily by money.
"Studies show that the desire for financial success is no stronger among entrepreneurs than among those not starting a company," says entrepreneur expert Kelly Shaver. Wharton School management professor Raphael Amit agrees: "No one is saying they don’t like their wealth; but what matters more is the innovation, the intense commitment they have to an idea and the difference it can make. Money is a byproduct."
If you want to survive and prosper in the first decade of 21st century, emulate the habits of the world’s richest people. Educate yourself about money. Make conservative investments. And seize opportunities to start and/or invest in entrepreneurial businesses.
[Ed. Note: Michael Masterson has said it before: One of the very best ways to get wealthy is to start your own business. At ETR's upcoming 5 Days in July Internet Business Building Conference, you'll learn how to build your own Internet business from the ground up. Check out the details here.]
Click to comment on this article.
Are You Ready for a Thrilling, Positive Change In Your Life?
This may be the life-changing opportunity you’ve been waiting for. If you continue doing everything the same way, you’re going to get the same results. You must make a change TODAY to see a change in 2008.
I’d like to show you how to C02 dramatically increase the chances of making all your dreams – whatever they may be – come true in 2008.
- Charlie Byrne
How to Get a Cranky Customer
Being on the receiving end of bad service can ruin your day. But there’s good news: Every bad customer service experience you have (or hear about) can help you improve your own customer service.
Here’s an example. Heading home from a business trip, I’d made an airport shuttle reservation for 6:45 – leaving me plenty of time to deal with potentially bad traffic, long lines at check in, and slow-moving airport security. (Flying makes me anxious, and having extra time to deal with "hiccups" helps calm me down.)
At 7:00, I called the shuttle company. After a few long minutes, the reservation agent told me that the shuttle would be there… in a half-hour.
Panic set in. Then anger.
I managed to get another ride to the airport. And because I’d allowed myself some extra time, there were no problems. But it started my day on the wrong foot.
Then I called the shuttle company manager to ask her to refund my credit card. To add insult to injury, she wasn’t particularly pleasant.
"They didn’t mean a half-hour from now," she said testily. "They meant that the shuttle would be there a half-hour from 6:45." (This, despite the fact that it was already 7:15.)
Whatever the reservation agent had meant, he’d said 30 minutes from the time I called. The manager tried to argue that I was wrong – which made me madder.
Think I’ll use that service again? No way.
Here are three lessons to take from this:
- If you promise something – like a pick-up time or shipment date – make sure you can deliver. For instance, had the shuttle company said they would pick me up "between 6:45 and 7:30," I’d have felt a lot better about the whole deal.
- If a customer calls to complain – even if his complaint isn’t justified – don’t argue. He is calling because he is upset and his needs aren’t being met. Put your ego aside and listen. Apologize. And come up with a solution that will benefit him.
- Take another look at your business priorities. As Bob Bly points out, "Whenever you fail to make serving your customers your number one priority… you are telling them, ‘I don’t value you, and I don’t want your business.’" So whenever you make a business decision, consider your customer first.
[Ed. Note: Suzanne isn't the only one who's had to deal with bad service. Tell us about your worst customer service experience - and how you think it can it help you improve your business - here.]
Click to comment on this article.
SEO Don’ts: Using Hidden Text
If you’re just learning about SEO, you’re no doubt doing a lot of reading online. Plenty of SEO publications, blogs, and forums have lots of great tips and advice on best practices. But many sites can steer you in more nefarious directions with "black hat" tactics meant to "trick" the search engines into ranking your site.
So how do you know which advice to follow? That’s where ETR comes in. We’re here to teach you what to do and what NOT to do when it comes to running an Internet business.
One thing you should avoid when optimizing your site for the search engines is hidden text.
Also known as "invisible text," hidden text is extra text that you conceal on your website by putting it in the same color as your page’s background color. This hides the text from users, but it is still visible to the search engines. The idea behind this sneaky tactic? To cram a page full of keywords that the search engines would eat up, and therefore rank your site higher.
It’s a ploy that worked for a while back in the mid to late nineties when search engines were much less sophisticated. But it was still search engine spam even when it did work, and it’s search engine spam now. So don’t do it. Hidden text is a surefire way to get your site penalized by the search engines in general and banned by Google altogether.
Listen, you don’t need to revert to dirty tricks like this. Just write great content that both your visitors and the search engines will love!
[Ed. Note: Alexis Siemon is ETR's resident Search Engine Marketing Specialist. You can get more little-known secrets to staying on the search engines' good side at ETR's 5 Days in July Internet Business Building Conference. Learn more about how you can build an Internet business from the ground up here.]
Click to comment on this article.
Reader Feedback: "My first and almost only source for SEO education."
"ETR - you’ve done it again. My first and almost only source for SEO education. Thank you for taking the time to explain the intricacies of SEO (and for working toward eliminating the ‘exclusivity’ of it all).
"I read all your SEO articles at least twice.
"Wendy’s article ‘Rescue Your Website From the Internet Black Hole‘ and Alexis Siemon’s article on Google ranking were very helpful.
"The information on keyword richness struck home, especially in all the tags, including the alt tags – which I hadn’t thought of before this. The good thing is I used a Web page builder (Dreamweaver) for creating my own site, so I can now go in and make these changes immediately."
Terri Mitchell
Stawell, Victoria, Australia
twohandsdancing.com
Should You Take a Break From Exercise?
If you are regularly training with weights or doing interval training (as you should for maximum health benefits and fat loss), consider taking off a week for recovery every three months.
For example, if you are currently doing resistance training and interval training three days per week, you could do only one normal workout during your recovery week. You should stay active every day, but for the rest of that week, you’d engage in low-intensity activities only, such as walking or bodyweight exercises.
Taking a week off will give your muscles and joints a rest, and help avoid overuse injuries. So schedule a week off before your body schedules one for you.
[Ed. Note: Fitness expert Craig Ballantyne is the creator of the Turbulence Training for Fat Loss system. For a free online source of information, motivation, and social support to help you improve your health, lose weight, and get fit, sign up for ETR's free natural health e-letter.]
Click to comment on this article.
It’s Good to Know: Hands-Only CPR
For decades, the recommended CPR method for heart attack victims has included both mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and chest compressions. But the American Heart Association recently announced that hands-only CPR should now be standard practice when helping someone in cardiac arrest.
The new method: uninterrupted chest presses, 100 per minute, until paramedics arrive or an automated external defibrillator can be used. Mouth-to-mouth is still recommended in some situations, though – if, for example, an adult or child has collapsed as a result of breathing problems, drowning, or carbon monoxide poisoning.
(Source: Associated Press)
Click to comment on this article.
The Greatest Medical Discovery of the Century
Scientists have discovered a remarkable substance that has the power to prevent diabetes, stop heart disease before it starts, and kill cancer cells on contact. In fact, this substance has been shown to prevent and treat more than 20 major diseases in all!
However, more than 85% of the population is deficient in this disease-killer at least part of the year. And believe it or not, medical professionals and health authorities actually advise people to avoid the single greatest source of this vital substance.
Click here to learn why you probably haven’t heard about this revolutionary discovery.
Word to the Wise: Nefarious
Something that’s "nefarious" (nih-FARE-ee-us) is extremely wicked or villainous. The word is derived from the Latin for "crime."
Example (as used by Alexis today): "Plenty of SEO publications, blogs, and forums have lots of great tips and advice on best practices. But many sites can steer you in more nefarious directions with ‘black hat’ tactics meant to ‘trick’ the search engines into ranking your site."
Copyright ETR, LLC, 2008
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Michael:
I know it’s fashionable to blame the war on terror for our economic woes and to de-link the war in Iraq from the war on terror.
The problem with that idea is, the historical record tells us one thing for sure: If we don’t fight them over there, we will fight them over here. The historical record tells you all you need to know about the terrorists and their motivations.
The reason China and India aren’t spending billions on the war on terror as well is because, right now, they don’t have to. At least one of them is a tacit promoter of terrorism. And that country is engaging in an unprecedented military buildup, specifically to take on the United States.
The best thing we can do is make it so economically painful for them to confront us militarily that a military confrontation with them never happens.
Loved the rest of your article.
Mr. Fiala:
THANK YOU for saying what most people don’t, and for speaking up instead of hiding in the shadows.
Amy
Houston, TX
The problem with that idea is, the historical record tells us one thing for sure: If we don’t fight them over there, we will fight them over here. The historical record tells you all you need to know about the terrorists and their motivations.
Baloney!! You have no idea what you’re talking about. Read Robert Pape’s “Dying to Win: The logic of suicide terrorism.” Almost all suicide terrorism is caused by foreign military occupation.
You should be ashamed of yourself for repeating such bald-faced propaganda.
Fiala> the historical record tells us one thing for sure: If we don’t fight them over there, we will fight them over here. The historical record tells you all you need to know about the terrorists and their motivations….
I’m sorry what or which historical record?
The question You did’t ask. Why “they” want to fight US? Why “they” are agains us?
>The reason China and India aren’t spending billions on the war on terror as well is because, right now, they don’t have to.
?ha? why WE have to?
China have Tibet and India neighbors
> At least one of them is a tacit promoter of terrorism. And that country is engaging in an unprecedented military buildup, specifically to take on the United States.
You counted two, which one?
sorry, you wach to much TV and CNN
>specifically to take on the United States.
is there any reason for that?
to occupying US, ha, ha, ha
reason?
@Michael
the price are/will be payed by us, US citisen.
but oil profits will be shared by few.
s
I’m recently out of US TV influence.
There is an historical record, its just called history for anyone who wisheds to check out the warmongering efforts of the muslim races. They desecrated india, conquered with terrtorism hundreds of years ago, way before the word terrorism was in vogue. The muslim races by nature and religion are warring races, some more so than others due to their extreme religiouu doctrines. Read the Koran and find out for yourself what this book preaches. May give you an insight. Occupation by other countries does not make for terrorism, they’re terrorists already. India was not aoccupying iraq/iran or any other mslim country when the mmuslims decided to ride across the deserts to conquer and destroy hindu india.
DT
There are numerous exquisite hindu temples all over india that have been partly or mostly destroyed by the muslims trying to convert the native people in their own country to the foreign occupiers religion!! Visit Vrndavan in uttar pradesh and see some ancient hindu temples that were 10 storeys high now at 3, destroyed by the muslims hundreds of years ago. Hindus are peaceloving and tolerant people, easy targets sfor ruthless terrorists. Heard of the muslim kazi in west bengal, in 1700s, went from hindu village to village, destroying, burning, looting, and breaking the mrdanga, which is the main hindu instrument for chanting hindu prayers, until chaitanya mahaprabhu converted him through his religious potentcy,compassion and logic. The muslims are trying to take over india more and more these days, i go there regularly and hav been doing so for 25 or so years. They are not happy to just practice their own religion, they’ve got to press it on everyone else as well. No religious tolerance or respect for others and this is at the heart of their harsh acts we call terrorism today. Their religious doctrine is fundamentally flawed. And even in other countries they are doing the same thing, they are the occupiers! forcing their own opinions and viewpoints on the society they have invaded demanding their own schools, living in their own insulated communities, demanding their own land for mosques, so does all this mean we’re justified in becoming terrorists ourselves because the muslims are occuping our country. Wake up people. They have one agenda only and that ais to take over as much as they can.
DT
ANYONE OUT THERE WILLING TO TAKE ME BY THE HAND AND SHOW ME HOW TO ; STEP BY STEP GET A WEBSITE AND DRIVE TRAFFIC TO IT AND MAKE MY FIRST MILLION DOLLARS? I WILL HELP YOU IF YOU WILL HELP ME, AS I AM A VERY GOOD CARPENTER/BUILDER, THAT CAN OVERSEE AND/OR BUILD YOU ANYTHING POSSIBLE, SUMMER HOME, OUT OF THE COUNTRY LIKE PANAMA HOTEL 4 OR 5 STAR IS MY DREAM, REFURBISH MULTI-UNIT APPARTMENTS, MOTELS, HOUSES TO FLIP OR RENT OUT, I HAVE ALL THE TOOLS AND 33 YEARS EXPERIENCE, BUT NOT A MILLIONAIRE FROM ALL OF THIS, SO I WANT A WEBSITE AND A GOOD ONE AND LEARN HOW TO CHEAPLY DRIVE TRAFFIC TO IT AND MAKE SALES, OR I WILL SPLIT AN INVENTION I DESIGNED THAT WILL SELL WORLDWIDE ACCORDING TO DAVISON INVENTIONS, I JUST DO NOT KNOW HOW TO RAISE $10,000.00 FOR A PATANT AND THEN THERE IS MANUFACTURING ON OUR OWN KEEPING ALMOST 100% OF THE ROYALTIES, I GAURANTEE MY PRODUCT WILL SELL TO EVERY CAR OWNER, TRUCKS, BOATS, BUSES AIRPLANES TRAINS ANYTHING THAT MOVES WITH WHEELS FOR $19.95 TO $29.95 OR MORE IN STORES, AND WE WILL NEED TO DISTRIBUTE WORLDWIDE TO ALL WALMARTS, K-MARTS AUTO PARTS STORES, VARIETY STORES ETC. OR ON-LINE WEBSITE. PLEASE CONTACT ME BY EMAIL OR PHONE. tuffbarn05@yahoo.com
or 785-242-7238 THANK YOU ANYONE WARMLY, KYLE HAINES
Interesting, I say, to all those who took the rather wide turn away from Michael’s comment about the US economic outlook… into a discussion about terrorism, Iran, Iraq, and the like.
Of course, all things can be linked in many ways. And to ignore those connections is to embrace oblivion. However, I have to say that I think you’re letting a point that’s either equally as powerful or perhaps more so escape you: the U.S., right or wrong, is not headed in a good fiscal direction.
Michael is only making the point that the dominant financial security the U.S. enjoyed in the 20th century is no longer a sure thing for the years ahead. And, as long as we’re talking about the historical record, the events being written on today’s pages support that forecast.
You can support the so-called “War on Terror” (an odd concept, for anyone who follows military history) or abhor it, but there’s no denying that the dollars you worked to save now buy less than when you put them away.
You can blame the Arabs, you can blame the American occupiers, or you can blame geology, but there’s no denying that oil is more expensive — a fact that impacts virtually everything in our petroleum-fueled economy.
You can love the current administration, you can be a rabid supporter of any of the new candidates, or you can distrust politicians altogether, but there’s no denying that our government now absorbs, spends, and borrows more of the world’s wealth than ever. It is an increasingly widening black hole, a yawning gap, into which we pour more and more of our sweat and output, for less and less return.
It is statistical analysis supporting this view. No opinions required. And the true bottom line is, that regardless of where your ideology falls, your risk financial ruin it you don’t take the reins and take back the responsibility for providing for yourself and your family. Nobody else — including those who have promised otherwise — will do it for you.
Those who have done exactly that, the billionaires Michael refers to, provide some fine lessons on exactly how to do this. I’m just reiterating that fact in case, in the fog of tangential debate that seemed to follow, those lessons get lost or forgotten.
Not that there isn’t a place for political debate or that politics aren’t important at some level. But go back and read the article. I think you’ll see what I mean.
JF
Anyone out there also willing to show me how to work hard on a website without having to put out a lot of money to make a lot of money? I am a hard worker, but just dont have the right knowledge to make money on the internet, except on eBay, but I would like to try something after doing that for years and just getting by. I’ve always had a second job so I’m used to working hard but I’d like to put that hard work into something that would help. Thank you.
Should have left my email address with the above comment: sydneyhope@hotmail.com
Thanks again
The world is fighting terrorism in the wrong way.Terrorism is a disease that has to be treated by scientific methods not by waging unplanned wars.terrorism has a soil on which it feeds and by which it expands.Look and see how terrorism spreads in third world countries run by dictatorships where poverty and the humiliation of the human dignity are prevalent.In this horrible atmosphere where poor people are fit up with their miserable conditions the terrorism masters plant their seeds and successfully harvest poor ignorant persons by washing their brains by well known religious doctrines.In other dictatorships countries the economy is great but the freedoms and aspirations of the people are suffocated by the few persons who posses the destiny of their own people:Those are the dictators(all kings in the third wold are dictators plus other leaders that believe the peoples are their own property)I’m deeply sorry to say that the U.S.A has always defended and protected these regimes at the cost of suppresses and oppressed nations.It is a matter of cause and effect.America spent about trillion dollars on this war in Iraq.They could have paid ten billion dollars in compensations to the Iraqi miserable people thus preventing brain washing by terrorists.Instead the U.S.A CREATED AND SUPPORTED A CORRUPT REGIME THAT CARES THE LEAST ABOUT THE PEOPLE AND THEIR WELFARE IN A COUNTRY THAT HAS 25 PERCENT OF ALL THE OIL IN THE WORLD.
None of the billionaires think luck is a material factor? They should read, “Fooled by Randomness.” Working hard and seizing opportunities are certainly required for extreme success, but they are not likely to put you in this group of outliers on their own. Luck (good timing, knowing the right person, and just plain randomness) is a key ingredient to becoming ultra-successful rather than merely successful. I don’t think any of these BEs would be where they are without a good dose of it.
For the historical records that document world events like military occupations,political campains,or geographical disasters, yes we do have records, and they are presented to us by an elite group of historians, or should I say “journalists”. these individuals have the priveledge of documenting history as it happens.But as we have seen within the last 1/2 decade, our working media has lost much credability in the public’s view.you can’t rely on everything on the news these days since we know that one network is biased in contrast to another network,or a newspaper targets a political figure wether for ratings or “truth” these days it’s impossible to discern what could be the real truth,(9/11, afganstn,iraq,housing-credit,oil,global warming…and so on. It kind a makes you wish to take a time-retro pill to when the worst political news was our commander-n-chief dictating a lesson on smoking a cigar to an eager whitehouse intern
In response to the article on getting a cranky customer article, have you ever tried to get ETR’s customer service to call you back after they say that they will? I have 4 times and have never gotten a response.