School is NEVER Out!

This is one in a series of excerpts from a book that is part of my daily personal development routine.  The book is written by Mike Brescia entitled "Today is Your Day to Win."

It's a quick morning read and is set up in a daily reading format so when you get to the end of the book you just start again.  I've been using the book nearly 10 years and I get something new and fresh from each read.  I strongly encourage you to add this title to your success library.

It contains great motivational quotes as well as great questions to ask yourself about improving every area of your life.

Here are a few excerpts from today's reading:

Today's Empowering Quote:

Phil Jackson knows how to coach me.  He gets me angry.  When I get angry, I dominate.  It's perfect.  -Shaquille O'Neal

Today's Empowering Question:

Who else can I learn important skills and lessons from now?

Today’s Winning Beliefs:

•    I see each day's new challenges as the way toward high achievement

•    I overcome all challenges that come my way

•    I learn something valuable from everyone I meet

•    I'm now achieving my potential

•    I am getting better at everything I do

•    I believe I can learn anything

Every day is a great day to learn something new and develop new skills for life and business.  Incorporate these ideas and concepts into your daily routine consistently and you'll begin to see gains in the areas of your life you're seeking to improve.

________________________________________

Imagine a business where you can earn almost $10,000 in ONE transaction and take deeply discounted vacations whenever you like.  NOT mlm or network marketing.  NOT a gifting program.  NOT your ordinary home business.  And it's been working for over 22 years.  Click here for details.

Is Coastal Vacations the right business for You?

Well, that depends...

There are literally THOUSANDS of home businesses out there to choose from.

I use that word "businesses" loosely, because there's a lot of junk on and off the internet.

Cash gifting, HYIPs, autosurfs, and other pie-in-the-sky schemes are often called businesses when there's no real product or service being exchanged.

At least with mlm/network marketing you normally have a product or service, but very few people are making any money because they cannot create the organization it takes to generate the massive sales volume needed to throw off substantial income.

With so many choices out there...good, bad ,and ugly; why choose Coastal Vacations?

What makes it stand apart from all the others?

Well, first of all, let's look at some facts:

According to a recent home business poll, here are the TOP 10 criteria people are looking for:

Substantial immediate income
Low initial capital
Extreme Product value
No need to keep product on hand
Easy to use system
Company stability
Duplicatable
Worldwide appeal
Exponential growth
Long term income

Now, that's a pretty tall bill for any one business to fill.

Most businesses meet at least 2 or 3 of these criteria, but very few can meet more than that. Many people have tried program after program, trying to find the perfect one, and finally decide to give up. They lose hope that the "REAL THING" truly exists.

Well, what if I told you that Coastal Vacations meets *ALL* of the above criteria, and even more?

We have merged two of the hottest industries today - Travel and the Internet. The result is a business that blows the competition away.

Let's take a closer look at that list again as it applies to Coastal...

Substantial immediate income - $1,000 - $9,705 for every new client referral

Low initial capital - Start your very own REAL business for less than $1500 capital up front.

Extreme Product value - The Coastal level I Package is worth over $15,000, and yet we retail it for just $1,295.

No need to keep product on hand - You mail the order to the shipping center, and they drop ship the product directly to your clients.

Easy to use system - Full training provided by your own personal mentor who has had established success in the business and can show you the ropes. If you can give out a website address and a phone number, you can do this!

Company stability - The Coastal package is over 25 years old, and has been marketed this way for over 20 years. All the companies we represent are at least 15 years old, and are all licensed and bonded, as well as listed with the BBB.

Duplicatable - The company offers tools for your success and also for the success of anyone you teach. Marketing systems are already in place, one simply has to plug-in and get started!

Worldwide appeal - The Coastal opportunity is available worldwide. The package can be used by anyone, anywhere.

Exponential growth - Although Coastal is NOT mlm or network marketing, there is exponential growth built in.

Long term income - Once you are a Coastal Director, you are a Director for life! There are no yearly agent fees, no minimum sales requirements, no inactivity penalties.... this business is yours forever.

But we don't stop there..... there's more.....

No waiting on checks - You are paid directly by the customer, so you get paid FIRST. You then send the wholesale cost into the shipping center, and the package is drop shipped to your client. Because the company doesn't pay you anything, they don't keep track of what you do. There are no 1099s at the end of the year. It is up to you to keep track and report what you make.

No restrictions on marketing - Most companies make you get your ads approved and have to "OK" your ideas before you can use them. Not Coastal. This is YOUR business. You are completely independent. If you can dream it up, you can do it.

Everyone loves to travel!!! - Travel is the one thing that has universal appeal. Families, businesses, non-profit organizations, retired couples... everybody.... loves this package. Even the biggest skeptic will perk up his ears when you start talking about the benefits of wholesale vacations with the Coastal package.

Dozens of effective marketing methods - Our Directors use many different methods.... some use the Internet exclusively, some just over the telephone, others solely in person. You can use postcards, seminars, trade shows, newspapers, magazines, the Internet, business-to-business... the possibilities are endless! And, as part of your personal training, you will be taught about each of these methods and how to use them.

What an incredible opportunity!  I've been developing businesses for over 20 years and I’ve never seen a business that offers such reward for so little risk.  As Coastal Directors, we earn between 77% and 88% commission from every sale we personally make.

Coastal Vacations is lucrative enough even within the first few months to support an entire household by itself.

How many people can say that? That their business they run from their home pays all their bills all by itself?  Very few.

I encourage you to take the 3-step tour at our website and view the recorded webinar found there.

After that, you may have some questions, but you should have a pretty good idea if this is right for you. Please feel free to call me at my home office, 270-339-3672 with your questions.

To your Success,

Curtis Staggs

Coastal Freedom

I am NOT an Avon representative, but I know a good one

Everyone has heard about Avon.  They've been around since 1886 and have maintained a good reputation for quality products primarily for women.

And as the title of the release says, I am NOT an Avon representative; but, my wife is, and as a good husband and friend, I must take a few moments to help promote her endeavor.

Since I'm a student of history and I love a good story I'll share a little history about Avon that I learned recently.  

According to the company website, the founder, "David H. McConnell didn't originally intend to create a beauty company. A traveling book salesman, he founded Avon in 1886 after realizing his female customers were far more interested in the free perfume samples he offered than in his books. During his book selling days, McConnell had also noticed that many of his female customers were isolated at home while their husbands went off to work. So he purposely recruited female sales Representatives. McConnell believed they had a natural ability to network with and market to other women, and a passion for his products. At a time of limited employment options for women, the Avon earnings opportunity was a revolutionary concept. It marked the start of the company's long and rich history of empowering women around the globe."

http://www.avoncompany.com/aboutavon/history/

Now, a little history about my wife (my empowered woman) and I.  We've lived in Madisonville Kentucky for almost thirty years.  She has supported my business endeavors over the years and there have been many.  I started my first brick and mortar retail store at age 19 and she was there.  She has seen my boom and bust.  She has witnessed the good, the bad, and the ugly.  And recently, she has started her own home based business.  I am very happy for her.  

So, if you enjoy Avon products or know someone who does you can buy Avon online.  FREE standard shipping with $35 order or more.

Avon is the world leader in anti-aging skin care products, fragrance and color cosmetics. Its product line includes beauty products, fashion jewelry and apparel and features such well-recognized brand names as Avon Color, Anew, Skin So Soft, Avon Solutions, Advance Techniques Hair Care, Avon naturals, mark and Avon Wellness.

5 Ways A Home Business Can Make Your Life Easier

Home businesses come in many different shapes, sizes and forms. These types of businesses provide individuals with an alternative to the office job setting and provide various freedoms to the business owners as well. In fact, there are five often-cited ways in which a home business can make one’s life easier overall.

Child Care Issues

Perhaps one of the most often cited features of a home business which can make one’s life easier is that by owning a home business, individuals are able to work while staying at home with their children. This makes the need for daily child care a nonexistent factor. Although some individuals who work from home still opt for putting their kids in daycare, having a home business does make doing without child care a possibility.

Transportation Issues

Another way which home businesses can make a business owner’s life that much easier relates to transportation issues. When owning a home business, one can conduct their daily business affairs from the convenience of their home office. This gets rid of the need for commuting to an office each day and putting mileage on the car, not to mention paying costly gas bills. It is also a time saver with regard to not having to commute to and from work which is also a highly regarded trait of owning a home business.

Tax Deductions

One who has a home business is also able to reap the benefits of multiple tax deductions and incentives which may be available to them. Using a home office enables a business owner to save money in the long run by seeing deductions on their annual tax returns. Although this only happens once a year, the rewards are often quite good for home business owners who operate their business out of their home office.

Being Your Own Boss

An additional incentive for home business owners is that they are their own boss. This is a wonderful thing to consider. No more bossy employers enforcing strict, unyielding schedules. Being your own boss is a sure way to make one’s life easier. One can work when they want to, take a break if they like and pursue their occupation in the manner which they see fit.

Reduce Overhead This Way

Lastly, an individual who runs a business out of their home will often find that their life is made easier by saving themselves money in the end. As opposed to those individuals who own businesses which are run out of separate offices, home business owners will see large reductions in overhead. Making use of the home as a workspace is a great way to make life easier on the individual and their wallet.

Coastal Vacations is an association of entrepreneurs, professionals and home-based business owners dedicated to providing the highest quality vacation values and travel benefits on the market today, and making them available to their clients at rock-bottom prices. This has in turn created one of the hottest and most lucrative business opportunities in the World.  I have been a member of Coastal Vacations since 2004.  This business has saved me money, allowed my family to take more and better vacations, and continues to create cash flow from the comfort of my home.  For more details about Coastal Vacations, click here

What Innovation Can Do to Your Life

It's a talent that everyone has, yet they think they don't. The power of innovation. If you've ever marveled at somebody's creative prowess, guess what, you can create and innovate too. It just takes time. Everyone is born creative. The box of crayons in kindergarten were not limited to those who possessed potential; because the truth is, everybody has potential.

You know how long it took to learn to ride a bike or drive or to never commit the same mistake again? It's the same with innovation. It takes a  bit of practice and a lot of time before this mind function comes easily  when called. This article will teach you a few tips on how to bring innovation into your life.

Don't listen to what other people say. Follow the beat of your own drum. Allowing for the input of other people will only bring cacophony to the music you are trying to make. If you have an original idea, don't waste your time and effort trying to make people understand. They won't. And the help you will probably get comes in the form of negative feedback. If all those geniuses listened to their peers, we would probably still be living in the middle ages.

Spend time on it. I cannot stress that enough, although, please do not mistake this tip to tell you to quit your day job entirely. Do not. This involves some tricky time management but with a little discipline you'll be able to squeeze both in.

Exercise. Take a walk. Run a mile or two. Send all those endorphins coursing through your veins. Exercising certainly clears and relaxes your mind and allows for anything to pop up.

Record your dreams. Aren't some of them just the craziest things that your conscious mind would never have thought of? If you've had these dreams before, and I'm sure have, this only shows you the untapped innovative power you have lying within. So jot down those notes. Those dreams may just create an innovative spark in you.

Find your own style. You can always tell a Van Gogh from a Matisse. You'll know Hemingway wrote something by the choice of words on the paper. So it is the same with you. People will appreciate your innovation more because it is uniquely yours and that no one else would have thought of what you were thinking. That will let people see how valuable an asset you are.

Don't hide behind nifty gadgets or tools. You don't need the most expensive set of paints to produce a masterpiece. The same way with writing. You don't need some expensive fountain pen and really smooth paper for a bestseller. In fact, J.K. Rowling wrote the first book of the Harry Potter Series on bits of tissue. So what if you've got an expensive SLR camera if you're a crappy photographer? Who cares if you've got a blinging laptop if you can't write at all? The artist actually reduces the number of tools he has as he gets better at his craft: he knows what works and what doesn't.

Nothing will work without passion. What wakes you up in the mornings? What keeps the flame burning? What is the one thing that you'll die if you don't do? Sometimes people with talent are overtaken by the people who want it more. Think the hare and the tortoise. Ellen Degeneres once said that if you're not doing something that you want to do, then you don't really want to do it. And that's true. Sometimes you just want something so bad you become a virtual unstoppable. And that is passion. Passion will keep you going.

Don't worry about inspiration. You can't force it; inspiration hits when you least expect it to, for those unpredictable yet inevitable moments you should prepare. An idea could strike you on the subway, yet alas, you poor unfortunate soul; you have no sheet of paper to scribble down a thought that could change the world. Avoid these disasters. Have a pen and paper within your arm's reach at all times.

I hope this article has helped you bring more innovation into your life. Keep in mind that you're doing these things for your own satisfaction and not anybody else's. But soon enough they will notice, and everything should snowball from there.

12 Second Commute

I recently discovered 12 Second Commute, also known as 12 SC, and what I have found is a treasure trove for anyone building businesses online.  It has certainly made my life easier and saved me time promoting my businesses.  They have all the tools and resources an internet marketer needs to earn income online, it’s affordable and in one all inclusive system.  Here’s a sampling of some of the system’s features:

** World-class Autoresponder that can be setup by anyone in less than 40 seconds.
** Ad Tracker, Contact Manager, Capture Page Creator, URL Rotator and more.
** Unbiased Training and Support so you never struggle again.
** Multiple Streams of Income built in so you earn as you learn.
** Stunning capture pages you can use to promote any program

The people behind 12 Second Commute have been helping others earn money online in a solid and consistent fashion since 1999.  They even give you a FREE trial account with no credit card required so you can see how powerful and easy to use our system will be.  So, what do you have to lose.  Click here to try it out.  You might like it.  I’m betting you do!

Tips For Making Your Website Look Professional

Many people believe that designing a website is difficult, but that in only true if you do not take the time to learn how to build one. Like pretty much everything done on the web today, there are many software programs available which can make web design really simple.

Continue on for some great tips on how to choose the best web design program to build your site.

Before you publish any web page, check it carefully for broken links. Nothing is more frustrating to a visitor than clicking on a link and being taken to an error page. You can check your links manually, or there are programs that will scan your site for you and report any broken links.

Allow users to cancel an action if they so choose. This could mean ordering products, opting in to an email newsletter, or returning to the homepage from deep within your site. If visitors cannot cancel an action they are not interested in, such as providing their contact information, they will feel they do not have a choice and won't buy anything.

Give your visitors the ability to search your site so that they can more easily find what they are looking for. If someone cannot find what they are looking for right away, their next thought will be to look for a search field. Put this somewhere obvious and include a search button.

Always ensure you are giving meaningful feedback, as this is what creates the communication between a website and its visitors. For example, if an action taken by a visitor results in an error, do not simply display "error occurred."  Instead, provide a message that explains what happened and how the visitor can correct the error by taking a different action. Without this feedback, visitors are more likely to grow frustrated and just give up by leaving your website.

Have a site map. These are useful to your clients and the search engines, as they give a detailed overview of your entire website. It can be a guide for viewers searching for a certain part of your site, and also allow you to keep track of its structure and layout.

Use a tracking service, rather than displaying your visitor counter for all to read. Many websites still display their counters, yet they do not serve any real purpose. There are many high quality tracking services available, and some are even free. Use these instead of showing off how many people visit you.

When designing your website, you should avoid using too many different types of fonts. You must also consider how different fonts appear on the standard computer screen; smaller serif fonts (Times New Roman, for example) are somewhat hard to read. Most sites use Vedrana, which is easily read in different colors and sizes.

Do not use images for your background. When you think about some of the biggest websites on the Internet, they do not have images as backgrounds. When you use image backgrounds, you represent yourself as someone who is not well-versed in web designing. Images as backgrounds also cause your site to load slower, which can lead to user frustration.

Make text easy to ready by using colors that contrast or backgrounds that are easy to read text on. When your text is harder to read because the background or text color creates eye strain or portions of text that are unreadable, site visitors are less likely to stick around.

As stated in the above article, web design today is made simple with the many easy to use software programs that are on the market. If you can follow some simple instructions then you too can enter the world of web design.

Apply the tips from this article so you can understand what to look for in a web design program.

Curtis Staggs

Shameless American Capitalist