Issue #2632
- WEALTHY: Where to find houses cheaper than a car (Christian Hill)
- HEALTHY: The imaginary workout (Matt Furey)
- WISE: Norman Vincent Peale on exercise
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- How to be the smartest person you know about the business you’re in (Michael Masterson)
- Are you wasting money on advertising? (Paul Lawrence)
- It’s Fun to Know… about the new mini baby boom
- Add “impassible” to your vocabulary
== Highly Recommended ==
A Recession Days Underdog That Can Churn Out Steady Cash
Where oh where can you make money these days?
Don’t look at the stock market. The Dow’s all over the map. May be up one day – but is that real or the dreaded “sucker rally”?
Don’t look at your boss. According to a survey by Watson Wyatt Worldwide, 42 percent of employers have instituted a salary freeze – and 14% of those who haven’t, plan to do so.
Don’t look at the government. They have other worries.
BusinessWeek suggests you look at an old standby: the e-mail newsletter.
It’s not fancy or high-tech. But it can bring in serious ad revenues – even today. Better yet, it can help attract investors looking for safer places than the stock market to stow their money.
Look at DailyCandy.com, which sold to ComCast for $125 million just last fall. Then there’s Thrillist, which is making profits on $5 to $10 million a year.
And ETR itself shot up from a little “start-up” to a $25 million company in the past few years!
Start your own Internet business, set up an e-mail newsletter, and you could make $50,000 to $5 million starting this year.
Get the exact blueprint for doing so right now.
Home Sweet Home
My hometown of Detroit has been all over the news recently. Thankfully, it’s been for something other than the transgressions of our former mayor.
The rest of the country (and world, it seems) has realized that Detroit has incredibly cheap real estate, and plenty of it. Investors – some from as far as away as the U.K. – are buying up lots of houses (for as little as $10,000) to fix up and rent out.
While it might be tempting to buy an investment property for only $10,000, there are at least three reasons to be cautious:
• In comparison to other parts of the country, real estate taxes in depressed areas are high and could get worse. A shrinking population means a smaller tax base, so everyone left has to cough up more money.
• Take your rehab bill and double it. Not because of cost overruns but because your upgrades will walk out the door at night. Theft is a major problem.
• Don’t count on getting government-assisted renters. The easy days of the government sending you the rent check are long gone. According to a friend of mine who has a few rental properties in Detroit, the number of landlords looking for Section 8 renters far outstrips the supply.
With that being said, I believe investing in Detroit is worth considering… as long as you do your homework first. Where else can you buy a house for less than a new car and generate cash flow every month?
[Ed. Note: Whether you're interested in real estate, the stock market, or other investment opportunities, you can get Christian Hill's take in Investor's Daily Edge, Early to Rise's sister publication. Sign up for free right here.
Buying and renting out real estate is just one investment you can profit from in 2009. This June, 9 financial experts will show you exactly how you can make a fortune in today's market. Find out how you can get their top recommendations for making 2009 the best year ever for your portfolio right here.]
What If You Have No Time for Exercise?
By Matt Furey
Tuesday morning, I got up early, ironed my clothes, and got mentally prepared for the talk I was to give at an AWAI Web Copywriting event in Austin, Texas.
Before leaving my room, I did a 10-minute routine of internal exercise. This put me into a peak state… and off I went.
During my talk, I demonstrated a kung fu form I practice every day, without fail. This demo was useful to the group, because I explained how writing copy is the same, in terms of structure and principles, as practicing kung fu.
Not only that, but doing this routine for even a minute during the talk ensured that I got some practice time in that day. (There’s always a way to train – even when you don’t have time.)
After my presentation, I went for lunch at a Brazilian-style restaurant, Foco de Chao. Twas awesome, per usual, for this type of joint.
Then it was back to my room for a brief power nap, followed by packing my bags and leaving for the airport.
Once on board the plane, I practiced my routine over and over again. I felt my nerves and muscles twitch as my breathing went up and down – in and out.
Where was I while I practiced? In the aisle? Standing on my seat?
I was in my seat, sitting comfortably, eyes closed at times – eyes open at other times.
I was practicing my form in my imagination. Over and over again.
The beginning, the middle, the end – and all parts in between. Reviewed, viewed, and previewed.
I corrected mistakes. I noted glaring errors. I saw and felt where I was moving correctly. I noticed what I could do to make my practice better.
A few hours later, when I disembarked, I was feeling the same, if not better, than I do when I practice by moving physically.
When I got on board that plane, I didn’t know if I would have time to physically practice my form before midnight. That’s one of the main reasons I did the imagination exercises.
My wife picked me up after 11:00 p.m. After securing my bags and driving home, we pulled into our driveway at 11:55.
Both of us got out of the car. She began to walk toward the house. I took off my coat and laid it on the trunk.
“What are you doing?” Zhannie asked.
I said: “Practicing. I still have five minutes before midnight. I can get the form done at least once.”
The moon was out, the stars were shining, the wind was blowing. And although I had all the excuses in the world, there I was – turning and twisting, stomping and spinning, flowing from one move to the next.
Sweat poured off me as my breath quickened and energy moved up and down my spine. It was the most powerful execution of the form I had ever experienced.
I patted myself on the back for hitting my before-midnight goal once again. Then I grabbed my grip and went inside the house.
How many times did I really practice on Tuesday?
Did the time on the plane, practicing in my imagination, count?
Of course it did.
In fact, it may have counted just as much, if not more, than when I did the form physically.
Why? Because when you imagine that you are doing something, your nerves, your cells, your muscles, your brain – everything that is part of you – gets the message and responds accordingly.
Even if you’re in bed with the flu – or something worse – you can still train in your imagination. And doing so will have a healing effect beyond what you can fathom.
Throughout history, there have been stories of strongmen who rose from their deathbeds – from a weak, sickly state of ill health – and became powerful.
They didn’t just survive the tough time. They thrived.
The key is understanding that success is a combination of physical practice and mental practice. He who does both rises to the greatest heights of achievement. In fact, in any endeavor on the face of the earth, if you were to ask the question “How much of success is mental” to those at the top, the most common reply would be “Most of it. Ninety percent or more.”
This being the case, why don’t more people learn how to harness the awesome power of the creative imagination? It makes sense, right?
[Ed. Note: Matt Furey is a national collegiate wresting champion (1985) and a world shuai-chiao kung fu champion (1997). He publishes the Zero Resistance Living program that teaches average Joes how to change themselves into the person they've always wanted to be. Matt says that it doesn't matter whether the results you want are physical, financial, or emotional - Zero Resistance Living has the answers you've been looking for. Right now, he is offering this program at half the regular price. Simply enter 2009 as the coupon code, and you'll be all set.
For unbiased information on critical men's and women's health issues... the latest breakthroughs in alternative medicine, fitness, and nutrition... as well as motivational guidance to help you achieve your goals, sign up for ETR's natural health newsletter.]
Important Message If You’ve Lost Money From Your IRA or 401(K)
I don’t know about you, but I’d barely trust Wall Street and the Big Banks with the 63 dollars in my wallet right now, never mind my IRA, 401(k), and life savings!
That’s why thousands of smart Americans are now taking matters into their own hands and quietly moving their money into much smarter positions “off Wall Street”.
One investment of as little as $1,000 has the realistic ability to quickly swell into a full year’s salary in just a few weeks time – and then repeat over and over again.
Another is currently offering the chance to gain year-in and year-out returns of 65% with 99.77% certainty – even in today’s economy.
7 Steps to Becoming the Best in Your Field
To make this year the year you successfully start a profitable business (or make the business you have already started more profitable than ever), resolve to be the smartest person you know about the business you are in.
It’s a bold objective, but it is possible. Here’s how to do it:
1. Read the business press voraciously but efficiently. You don’t need to spend more than 30 minutes a day on this. Be selective about your reading. Focus on books, articles, and essays that pertain to your industry – primarily the “how-to” pieces. Give preference to authors who’ve done it themselves as opposed to academics and/or journalists.
2. Supplement your reading by going to seminars and attending conferences. Person-to-person contact is invaluable.
3. Take meaningful correspondence courses. When you find a good home-study program that pertains to your field, don’t hesitate to invest some time and money in it.
4. Seek the advice of experts. Write personal notes. Send e-mails. Call for interviews.
5. Study the competition, especially companies that are growing. If a competitor is doing well, you can assume he knows at least one important thing about your business that you don’t. Do whatever it takes to learn his secret.
6. Network. The more people you know, the better chance you will have to find someone to solve every one of your problems. A big network is also a steady source of opportunity.
7. Be generous with your colleagues and your competitors. When people learn that they do well whenever they work with you, they will be more willing to come to you with opportunities.
There is no limit to the number of new businesses the Internet, with its worldwide reach, can absorb. If you have a product or service that is needed (or simply wanted), you can be successful – and you will be successful if you commit yourself to learning.
[Ed. Note: Get more of Michael Masterson's surefire strategies for getting ahead in business in True Path to Profits: A Master Entrepreneur's Guide to Business Success. Find out more (including how you can get a bonus subscription to his VIP newsletter, Ready Fire Aim) here.
Discover how you could be making $50,000 to $5 million starting this year right here.]
Reader Feedback: “ETR is the best newsletter I’ve come across in years.”
“‘How to Make Your Ideas More Valuable‘ was a very informative article, giving me exactly what I need to make sure my JV proposals are tight.
“ETR is the best newsletter I’ve come across in years.”
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If It Works, It’ll Be Right Away
When you buy advertising space in a newspaper/magazine or on TV/radio, the salesperson will almost always encourage you to buy a “package.” His argument will be that it’s going to take time for their readers/viewers/listeners to notice you.
In my experience, that is simply not true. If your ad is going to work, it should work the very first time you try it. It is possible that tweaking the ad copy, offer, etc. will improve your response rate. However, simply repeating the same ad for the purpose of making readers/viewers/listeners aware of you rarely achieves a better result.
Unless you have an advertising budget like Coca-Cola’s and can afford to spend your advertising dollars without seeing a direct ROI (return on investment), you should spend money only on space advertising that returns a profit.
So buy space for one ad. If it does well, then you can consider running additional ads.
[Ed. Note: Paul Lawrence is an entrepreneur and business author who's started over a dozen profitable enterprises with under $100 in capital. For more information on his Cheapskate Marketing Program, click here.
For 12 marketing methods that can help you reach your prospective customers exactly at the moment they want to buy, pick up a copy of the Amazon.com bestseller Changing the Channel: 12 Easy Ways to Make Millions for Your Business.]
It’s Fun to Know: The New Mini Baby Boom
More babies were born in the United States in 2007 than in any other year in the country’s history: 4,317,119. The previous record was set in 1957 at the height of the post-World War II baby boom.
Researchers don’t expect this mini baby boom to last, noting that the birth rate has already started to decline as a result of the economic recession that started at the end of 2007. (The lowest recorded birth rates in the U.S. occurred during the Great Depression.)
(Source: Associated Press)
== Highly Recommended ==
Transform Your Life In Only 15 Minutes A Day!
Would you be willing to set aside 15 minutes a day if it meant you could…
- Pay off your credit card bills?
- Rebuild your financial portfolio?
- Buy or sell a house?
- Grow or start a business?
- Lose weight?
- Prepare for early retirement?
I thought so.
I’d like to show you exactly how you can dramatically increase your chances of achieving these (or other) goals in 2009.
Click here to continue…
Word to the Wise: Impassible
“Impassible” (im-PAS-uh-bul) – from the Latin – means (1) not showing feeling or (2) incapable of suffering.
Example (as used by Ulysses S. Grant in Personal Memoirs): “As he was a man of much dignity, with an impassible face, it was impossible to say whether he felt inwardly glad that the end had finally come, or felt sad over the result, and was too manly to show it.”
[Ed. Note: Become a more persuasive writer and speaker ... build your self-confidence and intellect ... increase your attractiveness to others ... just by spending 10 VERY enjoyable minutes a day with ETR's new Words to the Wise CD Library.]
Copyright ETR, LLC, 2009
Norman Vincent Peale
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