I think you might keep this in mind when "sharing" what and how you do Local Stuff.

I wasnt meaning you Michael ... you have been a big encouragement to me with my own dreams personally, and have even taken personal time to help me and even pray for me ... I appreciate the HECK out of you!

I think that even some of the old schoolers, who have now learned alot of lessons about the nature of helping a small biz created some disasters when they first started out... ... which resulted in the crash of the dot com boom... some of those guys are well qualified from their failures now and have learned with time.

Everyone Im sure cares about the business owners...

My point is, why not give them a step by step on how to help biz owners instead of saying "You arent qualified" and bashing them for trying.

John

My comments above are accurate and real. I don't discourage anyone ... I encourage noobies to build a business, not some fly by night idea that lasts 15 minutes. Most people who are new to business have no idea what or where to start.

So, they jump in and fail ... when failing was quite easy to avoid with a plan, some advice from an experienced person, etc.

You see my signature file below. I mean it with my whole heart. I have been in biz with, and, without education, experience or mentors. "With" those 3 things is much better.

Many of your posts are critical of somebody or something. You are good at twisting whats on the page into some passionate diatribe. Unfortunately, I would disagree with your sentimental views, but I don't say so.

Yep, this is a free country where a person is free to try anything within the law. That's a pretty big and deep pool.

I have helped and continue to help people all over the world in their businesses ... for free. Numerous have retired when they were 25 years younger than me because how much money and personal success they have had in a short time.

All of the past and current associations came with rules. The rules kept them on track and focused on the basics of running a business. They aren't affiliates. They are partners. They all have one thing in common. They listened, asked the right questions, enacted a plan, followed the plan. They worked hard at what they wanted to do. I just showed them the short cut is the long cut.

Forty years in biz and loving every single day, even the bad ones. Forty two people have partnered with me over the past 35 years. I did for them what several someones did for me, along the way.

They told me the truth about how to succeed in biz, showed me, guided me and a few times financed me.

I use the same darn rules found in any college entrepreneurship textbook. The last rule not in the textbook is mine and a requirement of the association. "Once you are successful for 5 years of growth, you must do the same that I have done for you - teach another new person to succeed at what they want to do, each year, a new one (That's all the retired ones do now). Then they can buy me out, but most have started well before 5 years is up ... hint: that's one of the secrets to their success.

Like most new people in business, perhaps you presume too much, and conclude too soon.

My first rule: Be patient and listen and ponder the idea or concept without emotion.

That was the lesson I learned from the man I grew up 2 houses away. He was the most successful insurance agent in a mid-size city. I was 14 and he taught me how to dominate my market with patience, excellence through planning and execution.

I found out years later, the he had 15 or so agents he had "grown" into their own agencies around the metro area. My activities for and with others is similar but with a twist.

My concept was stolen from the popular TV show of my youth, "Mission Impossible". I kinda became a Mr. Phelps, to bring some people together to help a new guy, a NOOB. Some of the new guys and gals had some money, some had nothing but a job. But they had a dream to do something.

A great and heart warming one, was the gal in Texas, now a Mom, who had been an orphan in her teens. She wanted to start an orphanage but saw it was better to recruit parents to adopt orphans in her area. She and her husband are still at it and hundreds of kids have had parents, instead of social services. And, totally self-funded.

So, as I encouraged the other fellow to do his thing with local search, but don't mess with seminars, until he was an expert in performance, I encourage you to become better at not overreacting to words on a screen, as if you know everything you need to know to make a judgement about someone or some idea. That way, you won't miss the subtle lessons laid out before you.

An old lesson from a wise woman: "What would you think, if you knew that one important/critical thing about that person, you don't now know?"

Peace brother.

TB