Category Archives: Commentary

One Door Closes, Another Opens

“This is your last day here.” It has been weeks, but those words still ring through my head. They haunt me. They keep me up at night. It had been nearly 20 years since I had been invited to excel somewhere else and I had never been dismissed due to performance. Interestingly, I lost two jobs in a calendar year back then too and here I was losing a second one in 9 months. Had I made a mistake in leaving a position and company with whom I had been for 10 years? Had I become old and washed up?

I walked to my car in the parking garage in a mix of shock and relief. For several months, the job which I had once felt was a great opportunity had tarnished. I was 95% sure for a week that my time was coming to and end, but the optimist held to that 5%. Back in August I had thought myself fired, but I was still here in October. The sudden meeting request from my boss might mean some disciplinary function other than a separation, but in my heart of hearts I knew the time was ending. On top of that, my boss was suddenly interested in old e-mail chains that still dangled like threads in the wind. He was hands off for months and I knew this was just tidying loose ends. I was done.

During the interview process I was not able to fully articulate what I wanted. For 8 years, I had been a manager, then a merger happened. My team was scattered and I was just an administrator for systems that would soon be merged and turned down. My former boss left as did several colleagues. I felt alone and unused, but there was no hurry to leave. I passed on some opportunities, I missed others. One day, something I really liked came along and I leapt. A few months later, what looked golden tarnished and the client experienced budget cuts. I was a part of the cuts and found myself on the outside looking in. Several new opportunities came, but only one shown. I took it. Perhaps I was hasty, but I am too old to wait.

The first few weeks were great, but as the actual work presented, I wondered if I really wanted to do this. I felt like an outsider and never fully welcomed on the team. I told myself I was paranoid and playing the “old man” card too much. It would get better. One person left the team and then another. Was there a pattern here? The team was composed of two different management lines and the departures were only on one. Coincidence? I told myself no.

A first status check meeting. I’m behind. What was I going to do to right the ship? Hmm… That’s not leadership. Maybe my younger boss wanted my ideas. I gave some and got to work. I met the numbers of which I knew. Surely the next meeting will be better.

I expressed feeling alone and unguided. The work was self-explanatory I was told. The teams were self-guiding I was assured. Just pay attention and ask colleagues. Ok, I’ll so that.

The known numbers were met. New knowledge was acquired. Things were surely going better. Ok, let’s rock this one. I’ve got this. Tickets came and went. But. But….underneath frustration. Some teams were unreceptive. Some teams were uncooperative. Work around it.

Second status check. New numbers presented. Wait. What? When was this put into place? Apparently,  I was supposed to know this by osmosis. Well, that is VERY odd. If a goal has not been communicated, how in the world am I to know to hit it? Ok, new goals. Redouble efforts. After all, the team finally seems to have accepted me and is helpful. Other teams have allowed me to get items done as well. Updates are being tested and code will soon be in production. Surely, I am being paranoid again.

For the third time, the warning signs were unheeded.

I kept telling myself I was too old and it was too soon to look for something else. A few items came and went, but nothing was as good. I talked to others. I talked to the recruiter who got me this job. Maybe I was being paranoid. Maybe I was seeing things that were not there. Maybe it was all in my head.

The team keeps getting more distant. Stand ups are less engaging. No one attends the weekly product meetings I conduct. Few ask high value questions. What is going on?

I sat and listened to the person who would soon be my former boss. I had no emotions. Yes, I was in shock, but I was angry. I was angry with myself that I had not listened three months ago. I was right. I was right about everything and now I had no leverage. No head start. I knew for a week, no for a month, that things were not right. I can’t believe I was losing a second job in a calendar year. I knew other recruiters would want to know why.

I listened to my options. I listened to how much they would give me. I had a few weeks. I would have some time. I checked my e-mail. Oddly enough, two recruiters had returned messages. Before I would leave the garage, one would call me.

Things would be ok. I breathed. Gratitude overcame me. I was thankful. I was happy. I had been released from prison and the next assignment would be better. I knew it. It is.

 

Truth In Advertising Can Be Made

When I came across the idea of a truth in advertising, I began to realize that my reviews of various products might fit into such a realm and discussion. If a person has no desire or claim to self another a service or a particular product, it remains that the former person can give a truly honest and open review. This is the manner on which I have given reviews, in particular of fitness supplements.

Though given such a foundation, what can be said or expected on the manner of income for these reviewers? Can it be justified, or perhaps expected, that reviewers can be paid and remain unbiased? What if these reviewers are paid by a third party that claims or accepts no directly derived outcomes? Suppose makers of any products are only paying for access and time, and not for any particular review. That manner of contract would allow for openness and honesty, in particular if the speech of the contract demanded complete and total transparency and accepted the occasion of a negative review.

Yes, such a particular situation can be created and should allowed to exist. My reviews are of this manner, even when products have been provided with no expense on mine part. Several manufactures have sent me products to review. Not once was there an expectation the review be unforthrightly positive.

With the Universe as a witness, it is hereby declared upon the Creation of Thought and Reason, a company shall arise, a Commercial and Advertising company at that, which will provide the Resources required to interview and create the content upon which reviews and interviews can be justified to supplement manufactures. Yes, honest and complete openness.

My various supplement and fitness videos are well documented to be without purchase and influence. It is time for the advertising company that wishes to promote these such arise.

YouTube is not removing my videos

Over the last couple of weeks, the YouTube demonitization bot has hit some of the biggest names on the site: Phil DeFranco, Boogie2988, Dave Cullen (Computing Forever), etc. During this same time, a few subscribers noticed an odd occurrence on LapeTV, videos were removed. Concerned, they sent notes asking why.

Some speculated it was YouTube removing content of free speech believers. Some wondered if it was due to how bad they were. Not watched for too long? Remove? What bot was now running amuck on YouTube?

Alas, the truth is far simpler. Thanks for noticing though.

Both the YouTube channel and the blog were started for the same reason. I was involved with a business opportunity called Carbon Copy Pro. It also went by the name of Pro U. Many videos and blog posts were made in an attempt to get search engines to find it.

Yes, the article on SEO included.

Though many people found the blog and the links to the landing pages for the business (I used embedded codes for every lead source), I was never able to fully close any sales. I will honestly admit that I had 100% unsubscribe rate from the Aweber list, despite buying so of the best copy for the e-mails. A few hundred started down the path, none completed the sale.

I eventually quit Pro U and tried another opportunity, but it too failed to generate cash flow. Yes, it did hurt in the wallet a bit. In some ways, I’m still paying. Those business opportunities vanished as well over time. That is the reason why the people who create and run them are serial entrepreneurs. It is not anything insidious like they are scammers and running from the law, most of it is the ever changing market and consumer expectations. Any, I am digressing.

Many of these older videos make references to websites that no longer exist, or which have had their purposes change. This site is the latter. At one time it was a landing page for Pro U and then Remarkamobile, but now it is my personal blog (when I write). Plus, these videos see very few views anymore. It was time to prune.

There you have, dear reader. It was not YouTube removing my videos, it was me. There is no conspiracy to keep Brainmuffin down or to end LapeTV. It was simply a matter of removing old, useless content that no one watched to make room for the future.

Please, view all of the ones that remain.

Thanks for the like.

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Understand What, Then Build

Search around the Web these days and it is easy to find all manner of self-help-isms that tell about starting with Why or to make a dream so large that seeing it consumes and drives you or to take massive action. All of these are great advice, but all of them lack a simple, often overlooked part. Before any of that can be done, one must understand What. What is the goal? What is going to be built?

When a clear, end goal is not known, a plan that has an end cannot be designed. Therefore, something cannot be built. All too often, people will start a new endeavor with goals such as “get debt free,” “spend more time with the family,” “go on vacation.” All of these are excellent goals, but none of them define What you are building. And no, the goal “to change the world” isn’t any better.

Deciding what to build can be quite easy and small. For instance, suppose one wants to build small business. Many times these are built on dreams, not reality. First, what kind of business? For this example, let’s say it is a flower shop. How big and located where? Will it be a specialty shop or general flowers? Who will be the targeted clientele? How many employees? What skills should they possess?

Define it. One step at a time.

For the flower shop, massive action may include market research to understand where the shop should be located and how to reach the target audience. Starting with Why will generate motivation when times go slowly or tough, a message to which customers can relate, and a direction to reach them.  Understanding What to build will make the dream not only real, but give it tangibility.

Understand exactly What you want to Build, then Build.

 

Who Is Hayden Hawke?

A treant from World of Warcraft
A treant from World of Warcraft (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

You see her image on nearly every site dealing with World of Warcraft. There are many videos on YouTube with her voice over. They are all to sell the same thing: Hayden Hawke’s gold guide for WOW.

 

Who is Hayden Hawke?

 

Sure, there is an image of a cute, young woman. Her blonde and silvery blue eyes. But is she a real person? After all, the name choice is interesting in that she hawks her guide. Hayden is also a name that could be either a man or a woman. Looking at slightly older images used in the adverts shows she has either bloomed well or is making some much real money with her guide she could afford an upgrade.

 

Is she real?

 

I’ve seen it speculated that she is a Photoshop creation. Her voice is someone’s girlfriend and that there real isn’t a Hayden Hawke. She has the correct amount of gamer nerd appeal, without being ridiculously hot that people ignore her. Yet, she is easy to ignore. Just like Zygor Guides, Hayden Hawke is now a synonym for site WOW spam. It’s all just noise anyway.

 

And what’s the secret guide have? Ways to use some addons to turn the AH into a commodities exchange. Buy low, sell high. That’s the ticket to more gold in WOW. Oh sorry, Hayden.

 

 

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A Coffee Shop Millionaire Review

English: Roasted coffee beans photographed usi...
English: Roasted coffee beans photographed using a macro technique. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Over the years, I’ve tried all manner of business. I’ve been in Amway. I did the iMall when it first started. I’ve tried Russ Dalbey’s real estate notes business. So naturally I had to try Coffee Shop Millionaire.

Like many people who have fallen so this scam, I came across a video narrated by Anthony Trister. Here he claims to show ClickBank accounts that he “hasn’t touched in 3-4 months” and are on “autopilot”. The numbers look impressive. A few thousands dollars in sales everyday can really add up. Wow. Tell me more.

Anthony goes how to say how this video will not be on the Internet for long and that it could be taken down at anytime. This is, of course, total bunk and is there to make you turn your purchase into an impulse buy. This is the take away maneuver.

The Coffee Shop Millionaire video continues to show sales by “ordinary people” who are using the system. The next phases being how much the program is worth. Anthony claims it is worth thousands. The truth? Simple searches using Google will show you all the Coffee Shop Millionaire program will teach you for free. Want to know about Google adwords? Search for it. Want to know how to use YouTube or FaceBook to generate leads? Search for it. The Internet has all this information for free. Why buy the Coffee Shop Millionaire to get free information?

This is why the price for the program drops the longer you watch the video. The value is given in thousands of dollars, yet the price starts in a few hundred. Then it drops to $97. Then $37. Some links will give you $10 off the price and therefore the worthless program can be had for $27. If this program was really worth thousands of dollars, do you really think it would be sold for $27? Image if this was a house and the bank claimed it was worth hundreds of thousands, but they stated it could be purchased for only $3,000. Would you wonder what is wrong with it?

Oh wait, there’s a users’ forum. Oh goody. Here people who have no idea what they are doing can exchange worthless ideas with one another. Yeah, no thanks.

In all, the Coffee Shop Millionaire is a worthless program. Want to do affiliate marketing? Spend some time searching the web for information, blend it together and find your path. Want to know SEO? Search on adwords and SEO, do it in your blogs and test the results. You surely don’t need some worthless Coffee Shop Millionaire program.

 

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Coffee Shop Millionaire…a review

English: A photo of a cup of coffee. Esperanto...
English: A photo of a cup of coffee. Esperanto: Taso de kafo. Français : Photo d’une tasse de caffé Español: Taza de café (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Have you seen the videos for the “Coffee Shop Millionaire”? They are hard to miss. They are everywhere. In 2011, I signed up for this program. Here’s what it really is.

They claim you don’t need your own website. Wrong. You not only need one, you need several. They gladly will sell you a domain and have hosting. Your site will be complete gibberish, but the search engines will like it. It is all geared to drive traffic. Forget having good keywords as those are too expensive. You will get some crappy key words. Such goes life.

Next you will need product to sell. Money of your money goes out the window. You will not get traffic, nor will you get sales. The “Coffee Shop Millionaire” system is about separating you from your money.

Sure. The videos show numbers going into ClickBank accounts. Yes, that money is real, but it is not typical nor is it what you can do. This is Anthony’s account. After all, he made the system and sells the system. You don’t have the access.

The member’s area is pathetic. No training. No nothing. What a joke.

Forget about making money online with this system. It isn’t possible. I was able to get some money back, but not much. The “Coffee Shop Millionaire” is 100% scam. No checks. No autopilot money. No nothing. It does not make money. Period.

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The Importance Of Your Niche

Niche in the wall
Niche in the wall (Photo credit: RahelSharon)

Back in my Pro U days, Gregg Davison was very keen of stating we needed to find our niche. This was more than finding an opening in a market. Your niche is defined by who you are and how you will express your voice. You must fit well into your niche as you need to own it fully. Choose a niche that doesn’t fit you and your customers will notice.

The idea of a niche was also repeated in training by Michael Force and Andrew Cass. It was a shared and correct idea. It again came to the foreground in workshops lead by Justin Woolf and Aaron Rashkin. Find your niche. Find your niche. Find your niche. Ok, I get it.

Recently I decided to return to trading. I had success before and the market seemed to have at least some direction. It was time to do homework and paper trade to understand trends and cycles. I had mostly failure, but this was the beginning. Time to get some guidance.

The other day I called Michael Parness to seek his knowledge. Previously I had been a member of the Orange belt options service and I was one of the first to sign up for the website www.parnesseducation.com. We talked for about half an hour and near the end I heard a familiar phrase, “You need to find your niche.” Again?

One may wonder why one would need a niche for trading stocks. It is quite simple. Your niche is your methods: the way you trade, why you trade, how you do plays and when you get out. It is about what you do in your trades. It is about you.

Your niche. What is it? Learn to find it. It is your voice. It is who you are. It is the way to your future.

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No Duh Goes To Peter Morici

duh!
duh! (Photo credit: pumpkincat210)

And the “no duh!” award goes to…. Peter Morici

Peter Morici is a guest blogger for CNBC and is professor at the Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland. Ok, that’s nice. During the recent presidential campaign, no rally cry with the Democrats and their sheeple voting block was “Sock the Rich!” It seems these brilliant thinkers believe taxing those who create jobs is a good thing and it will help balance the budget.

Not so fast there Skippy.

The good professor has figured out that soaking the rich will not solve the problem. No kidding? You mean the problem is not one of revenue? Oh my goodness. We are all so dumb.

Yep, the facts are in. Spending is the number 1 issue with the budget. There’s way too much. Welfare, military, foreign aide. You name it. All of it needs to be reduced. For too long the politicians have been buying votes off the back of the unborn. The good professor is right. Tax increases will not bring in enough money. The frugal US government will spend all that in 6 days.

Thanks professor.

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Real Friends Have Anal Sex

Freedom
Freedom (Photo credit: Moyan_Brenn_BE_BACK_on_10th_OCT)

Now that I have your attention.

As I am not busy enough, I blog in several spots. On my WordPress blog, I posted a story about a friend of mine and the tactics she was thinking of employing to get leads for her business. I helped her see what manner of leads she would most likely get and showed her a different path. Time will tell if she will stick to it.

Marketing is an art. Marketing is a science. Many people complain about too many advertisements here and there. Fact is, the ads are there because they are effective. Marketers don’t have endless barrels of money. They must get results or they will try something else. Often times, a well researched campaign will fall flat while something wild and spontaneous will have roaring success. Each effort is measured against the business it brings in. Much returned, campaign continues. Nothing returned, campaign is stopped.

Nearly two years ago I started down a new path with Carbon Copy Pro. Gregg Davison was my sponsor and a whole new world was opened to me. I have never been the same. I have stopped accepting mediocrity and strive to do better. When I find myself in ruts, I really get annoyed and look for ways out.

I also have little patience for those who choose, no want, to stay in their ruts. Those who are able bodied and have their hands out annoy me the most. America is not there to guarantee you a color television and a cell phone. It isn’t there to guarantee you a job. It is there to guarantee your Liberty. Take it and live free.

Yeah, so what? What about anal sex?

Though some may have been turned off by the terms so far, living in Liberty has much in common with anal sex. Very few practice it and the few who do feel liberated. They more one lives in Liberty, the more one wants. Same as anal sex. Many are scared by Liberty and feel it unnecessary in a country whose government is providing everything. After all, there are other less painful sexual practices, anal isn’t needed.

Yes, the analogy does start to break down. But living in Liberty is about breaking down constraints. Breaking down walls. Striving in your own business is about finding your way in Liberty. Perhaps my friend was right, it is also about enjoying anal sex.

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