In Your Home Mall

The Social Shopping Revolution

2012-02-07T21:18:00.000-08:00

If one is in the UK, the first thing someone does before ever making a purchase is to seek out opinions from friends… but not in person or even calling them up… they use social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, and other channels.

Americans are catching up using Tweets, Facebook and other Social Network Channels and businesses everywhere are taking advantage of this new Social Shopping Revolution. The only challenge is consumers are still limited in getting the word on great deals… it is a one-to-one relationship.

But what if a company took this Social Shopping Revolution to the next level by offering comparison shopping from multiple stores in one location which consumers could Tweet or Facebook out to friends and family? One such company has done just that by making it easy to search and compare prices in “one” location which will go viral faster because of additional rewards such “Cash Back”. And, if you ask how much the cost is for this service? It is totally FREE!

Here is an excellent scenario showing the sheer brilliance of this new shopping resource and service: Let’s say your friend receives a Tweet that a special sale is taking place at a favorite store. You both go there looking for a special garment, gift, pair of shoes, pants (you get my drift), and your friend gets all excited about “The Find” and says “I have just got to get this!” You look at the price and it is $94.95 which is $40.00 off the regular price… great deal right? Well up till now it would have been.

You pull out your mobile device and bring up www.InYourHomeMall.com to see if the same item is online and discover it is, and at the same price at the same store however, because you searched for the item InYourHomeMall.com not only did “The Find” show up in that store it also showed up in two other stores. One particular store has “The Find” for $10.00 less at $84.95. That store however is located 25 miles away. Some people will go 25 miles to save $10.00 however you don’t have to go there. Not only can you save $10.00 by purchasing “The Find” in the other store, you are going to save time and the cost of gas. What’s even better is the possibility of no sales tax when purchasing on the internet; because of the economy, and stiff competition, businesses are beginning to wave shipping and handling.

So, you order “The Find” InYourHomeMall.com and continue enjoying the day shopping without having to lug around “The Find”. But wait… there is one other advantage in purchasing “The Find” InYourHomeMall.com. As you were comparing prices of “The Find” there was also a little green “Cashback” next to “The Find” displaying an additional 6% cash back when purchased InYourHomeMall.com. That is an additional $5.70 savings.

Now tell me you aren’t going to go out and share that type of savings with family and friends on Twitter, Facebook or any other social media outlet. Of course, everyone shares great deals they find and in this case referrals are rewarded with an additional reward. Click on and view the video below for more information and be prepared to become part of the Social Shopping Revolution.

Whose Future is it Anyway?

2011-07-05T10:31:00.000-07:00

In March I subscribed to Success Magazine, not to be confused with Success from Home Magazine. At that time I did not know the impact this subscription would have. Within days my health began sliding downhill. After loosing 50lbs in less than 3 weeks I found myself in the emergency room and the hospital. All total, I was bed ridden for over 60 days, so weak there wasn’t much I could do other than sleep and other things, leaving that part to your imagination. It has only been the last couple of weeks that I have regained my energy and during the recovery time, I began paying attention to the news… and what I heard greatly disturbed me.

It was not so much that the unemployment is now close to 10%, rather how the news media and the government was playing up the victim card, how desperate people had become; all of this in order to drum up support to justify the government’s wanting to spend more on unemployment, making it even more enticing for people to stay unemployed. On top of that, the government wants to pass additional stimulus funding for additional jobs. Up to now not a single new private sector job has been created, only for government positions and to raise wages for current government workers. Remember the old Chinese proverb “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” What has become of us and to the resiliency of the American People? Are we loosing sight of what made this country great?

As I began reading the July 2011 issue of Success Magazine, something profound hit me and tugged at my heart. Each article seemed to be speaking directly to me, including the 3 business owners interviewed on the audio CD. Then I realized something… I am not the only one experiencing doubt, uncertainty, and frustration as a result of negative news and the doom and gloom of our government and news media. Talking down our country long enough, people begin to believe what they hear. The longer people hear doom and gloom, the more people begin to wonder who will help them… who will provide for them… they become believers that only government is the answer for their subsistence.

Even I was falling into the doom and gloom trap; usually I am very positive and upbeat with a positive outlook on life… but when all I was hearing and seeing was doom and gloom… well you get the picture. Then I recalled what I always told my daughter… “you are who you hang out with” and here I was hanging out with these negative inputs to my life. It wasn’t until I picked up Home Magazine and began reading the articles and listening to the CD that I decided to do something to not only help change my life, but something that possibly could help change others, no matter how big or small.

There are some great stories surfacing about people doing amazing things when it comes to helping others move their lives forward. If given the chance, many more of us can do the same without sacrificing much time, energy or money. We just have to keep our eyes, ears and even minds open for ways with which to make a difference.

This month’s issue of Home Magazine (July 2011) focuses on a new kind of revolution, “The Industrial Revelation”. Darren Hardy, SUCCESS publisher and Editorial Director, starts out his “up front” article by stating that “The revelation is this: The way we were… is over.” From there he goes on explaining how technology is changing the entire landscape of our economy. According to Darren Hardy, there has never been a greater time in history to be creative and take charge of our lives. Darren Hardy explains “With the mind-blowing velocity of change and the throng of competition, the skills needed for the 21st century success are less about academic or industrial or technical training, and more about what might be called the “soft skills: Emotional intelligence, adaptability and resiliency, networking, interpersonal and relationship-developing skills self-motivation, accountability and productivity skill; personal branding, social marketing and persuasive communication skills along with leadership, recruiting and people-building skills.” And where did Darren Hardy say we can get these “soft skills”? From Success Magazine… and for sure the July edition certainly substantiated his claim.

Darren stats “Over the last decade, we began hearing the death rattle of a bygone era. The corporate structure and system has begun to crumble.” What was really amazing was his point that “All this deconstruction and loss of control by the few, the behemoths, the entrenched, spells freedom… and opportunity for the rest of us. As entrepreneurs and individual achievers, it is our time to thrive!” Yes, you read that correct… it is important to understand that America is the land of the free, home of the brave, but most importantly, the leader in resiliency, the ability to recover quickly from setbacks without outside interference. It is up to our actions to surround ourselves with winners, with resources that will take us to once again become a resourceful and resilient country, it will force government to once again get out of our way and let free enterprise work its magic… it has every time it has been tried. A great example of this can be seen as far back as the middle of the 1800’s.

Samuel Smiles was an incredible individual, a Scottish author who was born on December 23, 1812 and died April 16, 1902. According to Deborah Huso, author of “Teaching Man to Help Himself”, Samuel Smiles “believed in the importance of strong character, perseverance, thrift, independence and individuality in achieving both self-improvement and success” through many of his articles and in his famous book, “Self-Help”. Samuel Smiles became a student of what works and what doesn’t by surrounding himself with successful people as well as being well read. Sound familiar? Samuel Smiles believed the best way to get ahead in life was through practiced “Self-Reliance.”

Just so you know, “Self-Reliance” is the brilliant work of Ralph Waldo Emerson. This essay, written during the 1800’s, is as relevant today as it was then.

“I read the other day some verses written by an eminent painter which were original and not conventional. The soul always hears an admonition in such lines, let the subject be what it may. The sentiment they instill is of more value than any thought they may contain. To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, that is genius. Speak your latent conviction, and it shall be the universal sense; for the inmost in due time becomes the outmost, and our first thought is rendered back to us by the trumpets of the Last Judgment….” Read Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay “Self-Reliance”.

“Smiles taught his readers that self-help was “the root of all genuine growth in the individual.” He began to conclude that outside help, such as a government social program, was often “enfeebling” because it removed the “stimulus and necessity” required to make people take care of and advance themselves. “Where men are subjected to over-guidance and over-government, the inevitable tendency is to render them comparatively helpless.” For more information about Samuel Smiles, go to Deborah Huso’s article, "Teaching Man to Help Himself."

It is important for all of us to do what we can not only in supporting those individuals having a burning desire to make a change, but guiding those who seem to have lost their way in uncertainty; who are confused and who may seem to believe there is no hope. We know it cannot be left up to the government for solutions… it has never worked. Look at everything that has been tried; there isn’t a single successful government program and yet we are to believe the government and news media when they tell us that we want more? Who have they been talking to? It is up to us as Americans to look out for each other and I know for a fact that in today’s economic uncertainty we have opportunities abound. We need only to keep our eyes, ears and especially our minds open. Rather than look only for a job, be willing to look for opportunities. Always be aware of your surroundings and when an opportunity does happen to appear never jump too quickly. If you think you have found the perfect opportunity, tell yourself to wait, sleep on it for a day or two – do your do diligence. If the opportunity is that great it will still be great the next day after doing your homework, and getting all your questions answered and by all means get others to help with your evaluation; but only those with whom you trust and value their opinion. You can only rely on successful people having the background and credibility to provide constructive and intelligent input. Who in their right mind would ask Uncle Bubba, or Daryl and his brother Daryl to evaluate a business when none of them have ever been successful at anything in their lives?

It is after all, YOUR future!

Drawing Attention to the Cosmetic Industry

2010-12-27T09:40:00.000-08:00

"For the first time sold in the United States, exclusively distributed by Market America, Matriskin™ Collagen MP Serum visibly reduces the look of lines and wrinkles. Its advanced peptide technology helps to firm and revitalize the skin." All over the internet one will find claims being made about this produce and that, but where's the "poof"as Inspector Clouseau would say. Well amazingly enough, in this case the real proof is in the hands of satisfied customers, Matriskin™ really does work, and people are giving it rave reviews.

According to Market America, "The Collagen MP Serum is a new collagen based formula with micro-collagen and patented peptides that help counteract the aging process. A special skin penetration element is added (palmitoic acid) in order to help the collagen molecules and the peptide to be instantly absorbed. Thus, the cellular regeneration and the structure of the skin are promoted. The viscoelastic properties of the hyaluronic acid have drawn attention to the cosmetic industry. This is one of the main components of the extracellular matrix that makes it possible for the skin to maintain hydration, due to its great capacity to retain water."

And what about the Primary Benefits of Matriskin™ Collagen MP Serum which is exclusively distributed by Market America in the US?

It visibly reduces the look of lines and wrinkles
Contains hyaluronic acid and humectants to pull moisture deep into skin cells
Advanced patented peptide technology proven to increase skin firmness
Promotes collagen production leading to skin revitalization
Texture and luminosity are dramatically improved
Works well for all skin types, including delicate skin

Everyone probably agrees that people love to buy but they hate to be sold. So how do consumers know if they are being deceived by being sold a bill of goods? By being smart and going where consumers actually share information and experiences by reviewing products and services, two of which are what I can safely say are credible sources. The first would be from the very company that distributes the product, second by a site that provides product reviews which helps shoppers avoid costly mistakes, Buzzillions.com. Buzzillions offers product reviews and tools for consumers to research purchases before buying.

On Market America's site you will find 48 reviews. On Buzzillion's site you will find 72 reviews. Both sites are showing an extremely high satisfaction rating.

The Future of Business & Shopping... has just got Closer

2010-12-17T12:25:00.000-08:00

On December 15, 2010, countless stories broke with ground breaking news of MarketAmerica.com and Shop.com. On the 15th, Internet Retailer was one of the first to break the stunning news of Market America purchasing Shop.com "Shop.com is among the last original shopping comparison sites to merge or be purchased." Amazingly news continues to buzz the airways, newsprints and the Internet. In the official "marketamericanews" the story led off with "Market America to Acquire SHOP.COM Business to Create Social Shopping Site Positioned to Rival Internet's Leading Shopping Destinations, Acquisition will Combine the Power of Cash Back Program, Personal Networks.

This acquisition bringing together MarketAmerica.com and SHOP.COM will create a new ‘social shopping' movement! JR Ridinger, President and CEO of Market America, stated, "To date, no one has truly harnessed the power of technology to provide a high touch, personal shopping experience combined with the depth of selection available through instant search of the more than 43 million products in our database. Our business model rewards customers at every stage – by making their shopping easier and more efficient, and rewarding them with cash back for shopping with us. This unique strategy positions us for explosive growth and to compete head-to-head with the biggest, most dominant shopping sites on the Internet."

For the full story, Click on this link...

Triangulation: Leveraging Social Media Channels

2010-12-10T16:40:00.000-08:00

In January of 2009 I wrote an article titled "Triangulation the Cornerstone of Business Development and Organic SEO". Ever since then I have been amazed just how fast social networks have exploded. However, are business owners as quick to embrace this exploding “word of mouth” phenomenon? According to some experts such as Billy Adams, maybe not, “Surveys find some owners are intimidated by the technology and others just don't have the time. A significant minority simply can't see the point of it all.” Now the operative words here were “some owners” and a “significant minority”.

In most cases when talking with a perspective client who either doesn't have a website, or has one that is either unattractive (killer for any business owner competing in a tough marketplace or industry) or inefficient (making it difficult for visitors to get what they came for), I find the problem has mostly been either due to a lack of knowledge or just simply being unaware of the popularity social media has within the market place and the impact it can have on business. Business owners are all masters at what they do but when it comes to marketing, which breaths life into any business, all too often they are unaware of the changing dynamics taking place with advanced technology reshaping the marketplace. Unfortunately, these same businesses will be the ones out of business in a very short period of time. But it’s not too late!

With advancements in website platforms and software, eCommerce, social network channels, along with keen competition among providers, huge cost savings make it extremely affordable for businesses to leverage technology and services. What used to cost 10s of thousands of dollars yesterday is extremely affordable today; so much so Small- and Medium-Business owners can easily leverage high-tech turn-key business class websites, social networks, customer support and other resources providing an “investment” for their businesses rather than an expense. However business owners need to take action, and they need to take it now! Why? Their competition is running a race to grab as many customers as possible, as fast as possible. The longer a business waits to leverage the Internet with all the affordable resources available, the greater the odds they will not be around in 3, 2 or even 1 year.

Discussed In the article “Triangulation the Cornerstone of Business Development and Organic SEO” was how triangulation was used to facilitate Organic Search Optimization providing Strength, Relevancy and Duplication in supporting Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Management (SEO/SEM). Today Triangulation goes well beyond what and how it was used for only two years ago. Social media channels have created a path which not only greatly increases a business’s odds by capturing more customers, but has also been shown to successfully keep those customers and isn't that the objective of all businesses – identify, capture and keep customers?

In order for a business to properly take advantage of triangulation they need to have a business class website and at least one social media channel and one blog site. However, having two or more social media channels greatly increases exposure in order to fully optimize social media channels to reach a maximum audience. The objective is to create relevancy gained from having two or more sites passing information “of interest” about the business and its website, another significant case for having a business class/professional website. And while on the subject of a business class/professional website let me make a recommendation. A new business or a business with a limited budget should have their priorities set on getting an efficient and effective “entry level” site. Don’t get me wrong, it still has to be a business class site but so long as the site is “professional” in appearance, there should be less emphasis given to how the site looks. Once the business profits are up and has become successful, the owner can always come back to give their site a makeover. Emphasis should be placed on how a site operates, how robust are the features so the business owner is able to efficiently operate and manage his/her online business. In other words, the business owner should not get hung up on how great or beautiful the site looks so long as it doesn't look amateurish. How many times have you seen a business, located in a ritzy shopping district, whose website looks as if a friend or relative put it together? A site that doesn't look or feel like a professional business class site turns people away, especially if they are surrounded by high class businesses with professional sites. Remember, you get what you pay for and a professional looking and functional site, tied to mutually “relevant” social media channels passing “relevant” information about the business is far more important and “relevant”. If you think I am using that word, “Relevant” a great deal… you are right! It just cannot be stressed enough as to the importance this one word has on marketing. The stakes are too great and the business owner must stay on top as best as possible. According to the dictionary, relevant means “having social significance, having some bearing on or impact for real-world issues, present-day events, or the current state of society.” Here is another question for you: Is it possible to gain relevancy in a passive marketing strategy such as radio spots, newspaper ads, or even in the phone book? You be the judge.

If this seems like alot for a small business and its owners to take on, it could be! Remember Billy Adams above? There are those who either do not have the time or just don’t see the point. Well if a business is not generating the needed income what else can the owner do? Something must change otherwise insanity sets in and the business goes under. So what must the owner do in order to generate more income? Get the word out about his/her business! But what are the options? There really are only four:

Without website: Advertise in newspapers, radio and/or TV, or phone book
With website: Advertise in newspapers, radio and/or TV, or phone book
With website: Hire 1 or more employees having expertise in this area
With website: Outsource to expert company(s).

Which of the above do you believe is the least expensive, and yields the most productivity?

Advertising without a website: How much does it cost in your area to advertise on local TV, radio, newspapers or even the Yellow Pages? Five hundred, a thousand, two thousand, and is that monthly? And how does the owner track and manage which ads are providing the best return on their investment (ROI)?
Advertising with a website: Costs would be the same however website owners have the ability to monitor ROI but only if the website has the tools to capture, track, and manage the data.
Hiring Employees for managing the website: How much do you think it costs to find someone who has the expertise in developing and operating a “business class” website? Could that person also create and manage social media channels while providing content to both the website and multiple media channels? If not, can the business owner afford hiring a second person? Depending on the size of the business the owner may be paying $30 to $40k per year for 1 or more employees just to help market their business online. So what is the cost in finding one or more “reliable” employees to hire?
Outsourcing: There are companies today specializing in professional business class websites, social media channel development, SEO/SEM, along with associated customer support resources at rates less than $6,000… and that’s for standing up an entire turn-key solution. This is far less expensive with fewer headaches than any of the other three choices, with results that are seen in a very short period of time… usually within 30 days according to Stephen Jones of Growth Strategies a “Hands on” Sales and Marketing Strategy and Implementation Services Company.

So how important is social media anyway? Well, below is what two business owners said about the impact social media had on their business:

“We went from page 8 on Google to page 1 within 2 months with the help of your social media program. Thank you!”
"The budget cut we received from corporate for marketing was 15%, and we had to scramble for a new way to reach our targeted market. We knew we could reach them online, but didn't know how, or which direction.

Your expertise in branding our image online, and to our target niche was what we needed. I had no idea that so many of our key audience was so active in Linked-In and Facebook, and I didn't even know what Twitter was!

Because our sales team is working leads brought in by the education your team is doing for our Groups online, their close ratio is about 7 out of 10.”

Social media has become an extremely powerful tool! Once a business is able to lasso and leverage this beast, the owner soon asks the question, why didn't I do this earlier? Triangulation incorporates three important components which every business needs… Strength, Relevancy and Duplication!

Strength: Strength comes from “word of mouth”. Strength also comes in numbers; numbers of people who the business may or may not know spreading the word. This buzz is what creates interest, which in turn sells products or services, equating to significant cost savings. Word of mouth also edifies the business, its products and/or services. The business isn't beating their own chest or boasting how good they are; kudos are coming from 3rd party resources from various social media outlets being tapped. Word of mouth is very powerful! As businesses provide “educational” and supporting information, consumers and customers begin to spread the word about the business. Here is where professionals are able to provide the level of expertise which business owners just do not have. Why? Well for one good reason… credibility and good press. Bad news travels much faster than good. Professionals help keep the business owner from stumbling because once bad press gets out into the social media channels, it is difficult if not impossible to get back one’s credibility.

Relevancy: One of the most powerful, if not most powerful, tools to gain positioning on the search result pages is having a large number of people and sites talking about your website. This is known as relevancy and is also part of organic search engine optimization. Once businesses go down the path of leveraging social media outlets, SEO/SEM almost becomes irrelevant. Why? Well what used to take months to get results on the web using SEO/SEM techniques now takes only a few weeks. Once the buzz is created by using social media networks it almost takes on a life of its own. Word of mouth, an extremely powerful phenomenon, quickly gets the word out in front of potential customers. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying SEO/SEM is no longer relevant, it just means those companies who used to rely solely on SEO/SEM are now also leveraging social media channels as part of their overall service to businesses.

Ranking on search engines is challenging to say the least. Leveraging as many technologies as possible is the name of the game. But which technology should we leverage? Just like in the original article, in order to get a business to reach that prime #1 page-1 ranking on the Internet, a business owner either spent a great deal of money and/or a great deal of time optimizing their Website. And it’s getting tougher and tougher if not impossible for many businesses to reach even page 1, especially plumbers, doctors, or any number of professions where literally hundreds if not thousands of the same businesses are in a small geographical location. The only relevancy found as a result of successful SEO/SEM is in matching key words on websites to words entered in the search, and only “when someone is actively searching”. The importance of SEO/SEM will never go away, however it can no longer be the only focus on marketing a businesses website.

Duplication: The most beautiful part of triangulation is that of duplication. What better way to create a buzz than people spreading the word? Information about a sale, a special, great services, great food, and great fun to mention a few can quickly spread, duplicating each time someone shares the information on the internet. This is the ultimate goal of any business.

One industry which successfully utilizes duplication is the motion picture industry. Here is a great exercise to conduct which best illustrates the power in “word of mouth” and the duplication which takes place when implemented.

We are often bombarded with advertisements and trailers on TV just before a movie is to be released. The next time a new movie is about to be released, check how many times you see it advertised on TV, on the radio, in newspapers. Take note how often you see or hear the new movie advertised. Once the movie is out see just how many times you see or hear the movie being advertised on the very same media channels. You will see significantly fewer ads, if any, after the movie is released. Why? Word of mouth! Those who have gone to see the movie tells a friend, who then goes to see the movie who tells a friend, who tells a friend, and so on and so on. The movie industry knows that before the movie they have to flood as many channels as possible to create the interest for people to initially go see the movie. Once the movie has been released they no longer need to spend money on advertisement because “word of mouth” takes over, the buzz is created. This same concept is applied in social media marketing for businesses.

Which Option to Choose: Given the four options business owners have as seen above in 1, 2, 3, or 4, which makes greater sense, doing all the work or leveraging? Does paying thousands and thousands of dollars every year to possibly get into the top few pages as good as paying a few hundred and having people on social networks create the buzz about “your business”?

Let’s look at a scenario where a business owner of a specialty designer clothing store decides to have a special sale because she accidently fell into a fantastic deal. This business owner has spent a great deal of time and effort in getting high ranking on the search engines. Let’s say for discussion purposes Barbara, the owner, is proud of the fact that her business always comes up #1 on Page 1 when people search for designer clothing. Now let’s say my wife Cheryl decides she wants a special designer outfit and would love to find a special deal so she goes hunting. Unless she happens to search for designer clothing during the very timeframe Barbara is having her great sale, Cheryl will miss the sale completely. But what if Barbara was networked on one or more social media channels, and during one of her postings she put out information on a special purchase recently made on the hottest and most popular designer apparel which just came in. Cheryl happened to be following a friend of a friend who happened to “like” what Barbara had posted and not only did Cheryl get a great deal but within a day or two of the buzz first starting the entire shipment was snagged up.

Now for the small business owner who has a limited marketing or advertising budget, do you think it was necessary to put out an ad? Probably not! I would say this was the very best marketing or advertising strategy that could ever be developed.

Triangulation and leveraging social media channels is all about marketing businesses easier and more cost effectively, regardless of business or service provided. Strategic marketing is about leveraging technology, partnering if you will with businesses that put businesses out in front of people actively and inactively engaged in looking for you rather than “by chance” finding you.

In wrapping up, business owners should have a game plan for increasing business and revenue with the least expense. It is important to identify and create a marketing strategy, a road map if you will, to a business’s desired result. Below are a few “initial” objectives business owners began with and notice not all of them were in the business of selling.

To create a powerful sales message and tool that provides urgency, and generates revenue
To build sales through a variety of mediums, and create a clear message and vision of the business from the client's perspective
To build business partnerships for this state run organization
To build customer loyalty and increase market share
To create strategic marketing initiatives, and a new marketing plan
To save money on advertising methods, and establish partnerships with businesses who share their customers
To build market awareness, and better communicate her unique selling advantage
To become distinguished in the marketplace, and become established as the only viable choice
To increase awareness of club's facility and build relationships with churches and local businesses

What is your objective? Knowledge is a very powerful commodity to have… businesses in today’s economic slump cannot afford to stay uninformed. Every business owner needs to keep an open mind, keep their eyes and options open for solutions which can change their business.

The best advice I can give to business owners? First ask, “What is my strategy for increasing business and sales?” Then go out and Leverage Social Media Channels.

GrowOnlineNow.com: Internet Ad Banners

2010-12-06T14:54:00.000-08:00

In a BizReport article, Ad blindness remains challenge for marketers, Helen Leggatt brings to light an interesting perspective on a study from Adweek Media and Harris Poll which finds that "...despite an increase in innovation and creatively in online advertising, many consumers are still blind to banner ads."

It seems consumers like banner ads almost as much as I like commercials while watching one of my favorite TV shows or movie. Although on the surface this may seem to be a significantly negative report, there really is no way of knowing what were on the minds of those polled. I wouldn't be too overly concerned about these findings however I would recommend becoming knowledgeable in how best spend your marketing and advertising money. What should be instructive for business owners is how we, the consumers, are looked upon when vying for our business. In today’s viral environment, people are telling their friends, who are telling their friends and so on about what they like, bought, didn't buy and why. And, it is easier then ever because of all the social networks channels available today. And, what are they telling their friends? A business owner would hope customers are telling their friends of the great product and/or service they received. Banner ads just might have run their course... and it may be as a result of "in your face" tactics. Not by the average business owner, but by ruthless advertisers and what they think are cool tricks to get consumers to notice them.

Ignoring Internet Banner Ads

The oft-maligned promo unit takes yet another hit

Nov 29, 2010
- Mark Dolliver

It wasn't a banner day for Internet banner ads when an AdweekMedia/Harris Poll asked consumers to cite the kind of advertising they're most likely to ignore (see the chart).

Search-engine advertising also didn't fare very well in the poll, which was conducted last month.

Despite having come of age with the Internet, the survey's 18-34-year-olds were about as likely as their elders to pick banner ads as the genre they ignore the most (42 percent made that choice). Likewise, 21 percent of the 18-34s said search-engine ads are the genre they're likeliest to ignore.

The biggest variation by age cohort came with respect to TV advertising.

While advertisers might think of the 55-plusers as a comparatively docile TV audience, that age group had the highest proportion of respondents picking TV ads as the kind they ignore the most. Twenty percent of the 55-plusers made that choice, vs. 9 percent of the 18-34s, 13 percent of the 35-44s and 14 percent of the 45-54s.

Banner ads are passive advertising. For businesses to have a better chance in surviving, they should be more creative with active advertising which is where the social media can take them. Even TechCrunch’s Robin Wauters knows this to be a challenge. “Survey Says: 63% Of You Ignore The Ads On This Very Page.” According to the survey, Robin knows that when you view his article more than half of the viewers will ignore the banner that appears on his page
. So it may be interesting to ask, is Banner Ads the best tool and use of your marketing dollars in a tight economy?

In Hal Becker’s book “Can I have 5 Minutes of Your Time”, he brought up a very interesting and important parallel on using the “right” tools: “Did you ever change a faucet at home? And did you try to do it with whatever tool you had around, or did you use a special tool – like a ratchet – that goes under the sink? If you didn't use the right tool, what was it like? It was hell! And how long did it take? Forever! But it if you have the right tool, the job takes only a few minutes, and it's a snap!” OK, you plumbers probably are saying there is no such thing as a ratchet for plumbing jobs, perhaps a pipe wrench along with a large pair of water pump pliers and an open end wrench, but you get the gist.

The right tool is the right tool regardless if you are marketing or managing a website. There is the old rotary dial phone which still works and there is the high tech phones which require no wires and you can get answers to questions in seconds from professionals who have an entire website dedicated to answering your question, all from the phone... so the question is, which phone would you prefer? The rotary phone or the high tech phone?

Don’t be fooled… that old adage you get what you pay for still holds true! Network and work with people you can get to know and trust, people you can rely on. Building relationships with your customers is important… building relationships through a strong business network is "critical" for survival. This is important so we can worry less about what we don’t know, and focus more on the things we do know.

And for a little light tongue and cheek humor, according to Robin Wauters: As for Web advertising – one can only hope brands and publishers alike realize that they need to get more creative and work on better targeting, not try and find ways to make surfing the Internet even more of a nightmare by throwing more intrusive advertising units and more *($@!# “welcome screens” our way.

And marketers, Hugh MacLeod and myself would like you to never ever forget:

New High Tech solutions are everywhere… just ask questions and become better aware of what tools and strategies can and will work best for you and your business.

Did You Know…

More holiday projections are in from eMarketer experts which predict a 14.3% rise in online sales over last year! That would bring the season's total in ecommerce sales to $38.5 billion! When it comes to profiting during the holiday season, eCommerce is no longer an option for businesses – it's a necessity! For those businesses not yet up on the internet, or those who do have an eCommerce site but lacks a reliable eCommerce solution, do not let another year of opportunity slip through you fingers...it's time to establish a digital presence that gets results!

All the Best,

Bruce…

Bruce Swartz is a consultant for small- and mid-size businesses as well as entrepreneurs. His goal is in educating and providing affordable solutions with profitable results. Bruce reaches out to his network of professionals for not one person or company can possibly have all the answers when it comes to providing full solutions based upon business owner’s needs, requirements and budget. Feel free in contacting Bruce at anytime for free consultation or visit his site at www.growonlinenow.com.

This Holiday Season Can Bring Unexpected Savings

2010-12-05T12:11:00.000-08:00

Can you just imagine the convenience of shopping at Macy's, or Target, or K-Mart, or any number of well known stores, even JCPenney, Old Navy, Lands' End, and literally thousands more, and not have to leave the comfort of your home?

InYourHomeMall.com does exactly that but with a twist... if you go directly to each of those stores just mentioned, and purchase from them online you do not get cash back however, when you go through InYourHomeMall.com to those very same stores, you still get the same great deals, sales, promotions etc, but we will pay our customer's Cash Back. Depending on the store up to 35% Cash Back. And we push any and coupons to our customers as well so there is no need to find out if there is a coupon for that item... or store. We do all the grunt work.

Below are just a few examples... click on the image

Earn up to 20% MA Cashback on Holiday Fashion

Motives® Professional Nail Grooming Set

Earn up to 6% MA cashback on Video Games

PetHealth™ Holiday Pet Pak

And if you are looking for the hottest deals on the internet? You really don't have to search any longer, we are pushing great deals out to our customers... All of these features and services are absolutely FREE.

These truly are great "unexpected" savings!

Check out some of these Hot Deals! For example, December 5th's Deal of the day is JCPenny. Check this page often for the Deal of the Day and save more.

Hot Deals Including the "Hot Deal of the Day"

We are looking for the next Model for Motives

The winner will receive $1,000 worth of product from Motives by Loren Ridinger and will appear on stage at the 2011 Market America World Conference, February 3-5, in Miami. This appearance, in front of 25,000 people, will serve as the official launch for the new model of Motives cosmetics. Click on "Find Out Now" for details.

My Amazing Journey – The rest of the Story

2010-12-01T18:36:00.000-08:00

We ended “Ulcerative Colitis – My Amazing Journey”, with “Understand everyone’s body is different so what I did will not necessarily work for the next person… but another important element to this story helps level the playing field, a factor which can get the most out of prescription medication, nutritional supplements and even regular food, but you will just have to wait. I will give you a hint however – it has to do with unlocking energy blockage in the body. It also is the very best way to quit smoking, one which I “personally” experienced. This story will soon be told...”

In Chinese medicine there is something called Meridians that run through the body. I will never attempt to educate anyone on Chinese medicine, if interested you can find more by searching the internet for resources such as Wikipedia. However, I will tell you the science behind Chinese medicine has been studied, researched and proven with much of what is known being introduced into Western Medicine for many years. Meridians provide the flow of energy throughout the body and if blocked, by any number of reasons, cause adverse health issues. So in my particular case, my Ulcerative Colitis (UC) could have been initially triggered as a result of a severe back injury that occurred in the mid 80’s. Then I had a severe automobile accident in 1992 and my back was injured even more. When looking at the meridians on a chart, it just so happens that the area of my injured spine is directly associated with the colon. Although my back was 100% back to normal, unbeknownst to me the flow of energy had been severely disrupted as a result of the trauma. This is as far as I will go in discussing Chinese medicine and what happened to me for I am not the expert. All I know is energy blockage was the problem I was facing. When I was able to control my UC it was as a result of successfully fighting inflammation. All the things I had been doing were certainly working, but I was taking a large quantity of supplements in order to keep my UC under control.

Now the rest of the story!

In 2007 I was introduced to the ONDAMED through an email informing me of a conference call that would be taking place where Dr. Shari Lieberman would be presenting the results of 4 case studies which she conducted. Dr. Shari Lieberman was someone Cheryl and I knew very well and I had to be on this conference call. After listening to the call I knew there was something special about this machine. After listening to additional conference calls along with conducting my own research, the ONDAMED turned out to be what I now refer to as the “missing link”.

Research has proven that certain frequencies or vibrations “unblocks” the flow of energy, and the ONDAMED has been proven to do this extremely well along with having many other benefits, especially pain management. A great deal of information is now available on multiple sites, the main one of course being www.ondamed.net. Another resourceful site contains that very first conference call. www.teleconferenceinfo.net also contains many other conference calls with discussions on the various aspects of the human body, how the ONDAMED works in conjunction with the human matrix, meridians as well as other case studies.

In 2008 I was introduced to Dr. Mark Armstrong, a local naturopathic physician here in Atlanta who at the time was one of two practitioners owning an ONDAMED. After only a few visits to Dr. Mark it became apparent that the ONDAMED had made remarkable and significant changes to my health:

The first noticeable change was the ability to significantly cut back on the nutraceuticals that were necessary to keep my UC in remission. This was a tremendous cost savings and was a direct result of the ONDAMED unblocking the flow of energy.
The second; I had been trying to quit smoking for sometime however with each attempt my UC would flare up but would go back into remission when I continued smoking. This was extremely frustrating. Practitioners have successfully used the ONDAMED in treating smoking cessation so I decided to give it a try. In only a single one hour session, not only did I no longer have the cessation to have a cigarette, my UC flare-up I was expecting never occurred.

As a result of these remarkable successes I continued to do whatever I could to spread the word. Then I received a call from Jim B. who had listened to a particular conference call highlighting Dr. Valerie Hunt on TeleconferenceInfo.net. He was so impressed by the Dr. Hunt and other information on the site Jim purchased his own ONDAMED. During our discussion Jim had been asking me all kinds of questions about the ONDAMED. When asked how long I had owned my ONDAMED, I told him I had not purchased one. Jim was surprised based on the knowledge I had of this amazing technological device. It was from that discussion I made the commitment to get my own ONDAMED.

Since owning my own ONDAMED I have had ample opportunities in helping people with amazing results. After going through ONDAMED’s training in NY earlier this year, I came away with greater confidence not only in the ONDAMED, but in my own capabilities. Truly the ONDAMED is an amazing piece of technology.

So, what is the ONDAMED? It is a battery-powered biofeedback device that a medical practitioner uses to determine which frequencies of sound, as well as the accompanying weak pulsed electromagnetic fields, cause a response in a patient's autonomic nervous system. Temporary stimulation by these frequencies, combined with the patient's cognitive and non-cognitive participation, promotes relaxation, muscle re-education, and various other prescription uses, such as pain relief, stress relief linked with reduction of inflammation and potential improvement of the immune system. Therapists throughout Europe have been using ONDAMED for over 10 years with great success. Patients and practitioners using ONDAMED frequencies have reported benefits on all levels of well-being: physical, emotional, and mental. ONDAMED is a tool that will put your practice on the cutting edge of mind-body medicine, psychoneuroimmunology, and pain management. No practitioner should be without it.

Recently I have been working with a local chiropractor in bringing a proven capability of the ONDAMED to the Atlanta area. Dr. Michael Cone is as passionate as I in helping people beat the ravages of smoking. Having personally experienced just how effortlessly it was for me to beat this addiction, I along with Dr. Cone look forward in helping anyone, serious yet struggling with their addiction, the opportunity in breaking their smoking cessation by integrating the very same ONDAMED Smoking Cessation Protocol that has been successfully implemented in Europe. As easy as it was for me, it can be equally difficult for others. The reason is simple... I was mentally ready and it was my own idea. I was not pressured. When working with candidates for the program, it has to be determined they are as ready. This takes practice and patients in determining the right candidates. There are many ONDAMED practitioners who have successfully implemented the Smoking Cessation Protocol, so no one is alone.

Where ever you may be, if you want to know where to find practitioners utilizing the ONDAMED for Smoking Cessation Therapy, just contact me or ONDAMED Corporation. ONDAMED practitioners are there to help make you feel better!

It is now easy to become a Motives Pro-Artist

2010-11-29T19:27:00.000-08:00

Motives by Loren Ridinger now offers professionals a very powerful program. Motives Pro-Artist program gives makeup professionals (makeup artists, fashion stylists, costume designers, models, on-air talent/performers and photographers) exclusive access to Motives by Loren Ridinger, a cutting-edge cosmetics line. This program offers the makeup professional a direct link to Motives by Loren Ridinger, as well as member-exclusive benefits such as a Motives website, where makeup artists can sell directly to their clients and earn up to a 40 percent retail profit on Motives cosmetics and skincare products. Throughout the program you can count on us to provide you with the highest level of service, exclusive benefits other makeup artist programs do not offer, and the most comprehensive, highest-quality line of makeup. The beautiful part of this program? Annual Membership Fee is Only $40(US)!

Training is offered for anyone interested in auditing the Motives program. See first hand just how consultants and professionals are trained by those who have been there and done that. Only successful Motives business men and women are eligible in becoming "Certified" Motives Consultants. The sky is the limit for those interested in one of the most lucrative professions in the world. Women must always look beautiful regardless of the economy and the beautiful side-affect of Motives is afford-ability. High end cosmetics and beauty products are second to non in quality and performance.

Hot Deals, Hot Deals, Hot Deals and more Hot Deals

2010-11-22T12:33:00.000-08:00

Consumers can now check day after day for the hottest deals on the internet from such stores as Home Depot, Walmart, K-Mart, Toys R Us, JC Whitney, Sony, Dell, Best Buy, Newegg, Staples, CircuitCity, Victoria Secrets, Old Navy, Macy's, PetSource just to name a few. Keep coming back for the latest Hot Deals or better yet, become a Preferred Customer, get our maWidgets or maToolBar.

Hottest Deals on the Internet

To become a Preferred Customer just click on this link and register. Use bruce@growonlinenow.com as the person who referred you. This is a FREE service...

Ulcerative Colitis – My Amazing Journey

2010-11-15T17:35:00.000-08:00

When first diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis (UC), I had no idea what was in store for me. Because of the unpleasant nature of this condition, I will spare the gory details. If you want to know more about this condition may I direct you to such sites as the Mayo Clinic, Medline Plus, Google, etc.! What I will tell you – it was horrific. Doctors had me on all types of medication and when my condition worsened, I was warned surgery would be next in order to remove the damaged and diseased colon. This was not going to be an option for me, and I am so glad I made that decision for someone I knew, suffering the exact condition, had her entire colon removed. Not only did it not solve her problem, today she has even more problems.

Cheryl, my wife of 40 years now, had gone to school to become a dental hygienist however she never had the opportunity to practice. After graduating Cheryl and I were married, and for the next 7 years traveled all over the world. Then Cheryl gave birth to our one and only child, Sabine. My background and profession was as an analyst for the Navy and in the field of research, development, testing and evaluation (RDT&E). Between the two of us, we begin the journey to find a solution. With Cheryl’s knowledge of the human anatomy and my ability to dig for information and truth, we searched and searched. I tried just about everything that was being promoted as the best cure for this, for that, for just about everything. Even when I didn’t see any scientific information I still tried it, hoping it really would work, but they never did. Now I am not the most brilliant individual, but I know that each of us are different… where some people have success with one medication, others have to use something else. There is no difference with these so called elixirs that are popping up everywhere, usually pushed by MLM companies… none of which I will mention. We know the claims… no need to explain further.

By accident we came across a company called Market America, a company that turned out to be truly an honest product brokerage company. What I mean by that is simple! They do not make anything; they merely identify billion dollar markets and then find companies to manufacture the product, or supply the service, get exclusivity, test market, and then bring the product or service to the consumer should it pass all tests. One of those products was and isotonic solution called Isotonix® OPC-3, a unique and very powerful anti-oxidant which truly amazed me. Within a rather short period of time I began feeling better, so much so I was able to regain some of my life back. It was not a magic potion; just like all the other products we investigated and tried, we did our due diligence and researched this stuff also known as “The Pink Stuff”. Specifically we reviewed much of the “Science” found on their site. Unlike other stuff we looked into there were numerous scientific data available. Rather than claims, or their so called studies, we found research on OPC-3 appeared to have been evidenced-based.

What was even more impressive about this company, Market America, is their level of training for both consumers and distributors. So Cheryl and I took in one of their trainings attending the Product Symposium. In a very short period of time Cheryl and I walked away with more detailed information about my condition than with all of the doctors I’ve seen since first being diagnosed with UC. It wasn’t that the Product Symposium provided this training, but you can just imagine the level of professionals either attending or training on all aspects in advanced nutraceuticals. I found numerous practitioners, doctors, and scientists from all areas of academia more than willing to meet and discuss specifics about my UC. Long story short, I learned UC is an immune deficiency disorder… my body’s inability in handling inflammation. And the medication I was taking was specific in fighting inflammation. One really doesn’t have to be a researcher or an analyst to think through logic. If I were to find an alternative “natural” substance(s) that could help reduce inflammation in my body, wouldn’t that be healthier than taking a drug to fight inflammation? I’m sure your answer is the same as mine was. Cheryl and I evaluated the information and put together my own “customized” concoction of supplements, all of which were isotonic, and began taking it along with fish oil, greens and other supplements. Within 30 days my condition improved to the point I was weaning myself off all my medication, including prednisone. I was medication free on Thanksgiving, 2004. Since then, Market America has come out with a site dedicated to gaining additional knowledge on their Isotonix® delivery system and nutritional supplements.

So, why am I telling this story? Shortly after developing my own “customized” Market America Isotonix® supplements, the company came out with the nutri-Physical, the ability for people to easily customize their own blend of isotonic capable supplements. This was a considerable benefit for it saves money over the manual mixing of supplements, besides making it easier and cleaner. But even that isn’t the whole story. In July of 2010, after all these years with the success of my initial custom blend, I decided to change my custom blend. What happened next surprised and caused me considerable alarm. Two days after beginning the new custom cocktail my UC flared up. I thought this may have been as a result of a major back trauma which occurred right at the same time. The problem was there was no way to bring the flare up under control. I wound up in the emergency room, and after 3 months of agony I thought all that which we had accomplished was over. What was I going to do now? Cheryl and I discussed it at great length and we finally decided it must have been the result of changing my custom cocktail formulation. We changed back to the original formula and almost as fast as the UC flared up occurred it went back into remission.

I have always had a passion for helping friends, family or anyone needing, or “Wanting” my assistance. So it would not be surprising as a result of my success that I became a partner with Market America in order to become better educated and better help others. Let me ask this simple question… How many of us will tell others of a new cold medication that worked amazingly well for them? Has that ever bothered you or your friends? Probably not! Now how many of us have ever been compensated by sharing their story… did any of us get compensated for sharing how well that new cold medication worked? Nope! So three things I want to leave you with:

What is the moral of “my” story? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I certainly confirmed the specific formula originally designed in my original nutri-Physical indeed worked best in fighting inflammation.
Always be open minded… you just never know where a solution to your challenge, or a challenge to someone close to you, will come from. With today’s easy access to the internet we have at our fingertips a wealth of information which we can use. So, when given advice or information on a product, new or otherwise, investigate it like I did, then make an educated decision base on knowledge and logic. You will never go wrong! This was an amazing journey for me because I never gave up and kept searching.
Understand everyone’s body is different so what I did will not necessarily work for the next person… but another important element to this story helps level the playing field, a factor which can get the most out of prescription medication, nutritional supplements and even regular food, but you will just have to wait. I will give you a hint however – it has to do with unlocking energy blockage in the body. It also is the very best way to quit smoking, one which I “personally” experienced.

Click here for the "Rest of the Story".

A New Era has Emerged in Online Shopping

2010-11-13T17:38:00.000-08:00

Technology and Techniques has emerged at such a fast pace, unless businesses are on top of marketing trends, they just might be left behind… or, they can tap into the one company that certainly has been proving all others are lagging behind. Market America has gone where no other online company has, and not only is it great for the consumer, which is what they had in mind, it is also great for companies from large chains like Wal-Mart, Kmart, Sears and the like, to small companies who can be showcased with all the giants. Market America has made portals such as our InYourHomeMall.com BIGGER, BETTER, FASTER and EASIER for anyone. Let me explain:

BIGGER
Our overall presence in the marketplace is really exploding. We've gone from “Word of Mouth” to “World of Mouth” and Market America is quickly becoming a household name.

Some rather impressive partnerships with major celebrities have emerged with our newest UnFranchise Owner Basketball Hall of Famer, Scottie Pippen, who recently introduced his new product, Prime™ Joint Support Formula by Isotonix®. Earlier this year in Greensboro, NC, Reality TV Star, Kim Kardashian introduced her Loren Jewels "Kim Kollection” and told a story which you must watch yourself about how in a couple of hours her bank account went up to $3,700 by simply sharing the portal with all her friends. I think we all understand that not many of us have over 3 million followers on Twitter, but Kim demonstrated the power of sharing through the use of social media to spread the word about getting paid to shop.

Although Bing threw in the towel on its “paid to shop” program earlier this year, our revolutionary ma® Cashback program continues to grow even bigger as we currently have over 2,800 Partner Stores offering cash back, more than 640 of which offer more than the 2 percent. And with exclusive countdowns and limited quantity offers, customers can now earn up to even 50 percent cash back!

BETTER
I can't think of a BETTER example of how we've gotten better than being ranked the No, I Most Improved of Top 100 Online Retail Sites for 2010 by ForeSee Online Retail Satisfaction Index. Not only were we ranked the very best at getting better, we moved up 12 spots over the previous year to rank 54 on Internet Retailer's Top 500 List. The reason behind this jump is even more powerful, we actually outgrew Amazon, Wal-Mart, Apple, Best Buy and all the other online retailers currently ranked in the top 25. When they experienced sluggish growth or even decreases over the previous year's numbers, Market America got better — our Internet sales grew by 35 percent!

The redesign of our home page was one of the biggest presentations at this year’s International Convention. Chief Operating Officer Marc Ashley and Senior Vice President Loren Ridinger went over all the enhancements that make the new look so much better. It's clean and it's organized, with higher cash back deals made very prominent. Also launched was maAuctions, a new site where the hottest products are up for bid, bringing in even more traffic. And with the Recommendations Engine still being developed — where results will soon be customized to each individual shopper based on their buying habits, and what other customers have purchased — the best just keeps getting better. What does this mean to the consumer, and our customers? Greater cash back for we are getting better and better in driving traffic to our affiliates and partners who then redirect even more advertising dollars to us which in turn drives up even more cash back. This is unheard of in the marketing industry!

FASTER
As social media continues to fuel the biggest paradigm shift since the Industrial Revolution, Market America has already implemented the latest technology to capitalize on it. maNetwork bridges the gap between social media and online shopping with one simple, easy-to-use interface that lets you search, shop, save and share with over 500 million potential customers! We’re merging the old techniques with the new technology; adapting the practices and fundamentals this business was built on with more efficient and more effective ways of doing things.

With the new "Invite Friends" tool, it only takes a few clicks to share the opportunity to get paid to shop with millions others. Our paid to shop program is a magnet that naturally attracts customers, more orders, and yes, even business partners. Imagine the results… this is the fastest way to take a quantum leap to either help friends save money and earn cash back, or even if one chooses to do business.

EASIER
The "Invite Friends" tool makes is so easy to share with friends so they may take advantage of the search, shop, save, and share opportunity on our portal… but we made it even easier. If you manage emails through Gmail, Hotmail, Outlook or Yahoo!, with one click and you'll be sharing with your friends, family and others you know ways they can save money with thin minutes. Stop to think… who wouldn't want to get paid to shop? Plus, now all a person needs is to register as a Preferred Customer (no money or time commitments whatsoever) and they can start sharing and creating an ongoing income.

And even easier is the new Home Shopping List which conveniently identifies superior ma® "Branded" products to save on — items you use most often within your household. Experience the quality, value, and difference of ma-branded and EZ Cart purchases while earning 2%-50% ma® Cashback on all the products you need and want.

With the Associate PC program, registered customers can use widgets and share banner ads, in addition to the Invite Friends tool, and the income potential is unlimited for all those involved. The new customer gets paid up to 50 percent cash back on their purchases, the Associate PC who referred or invited them gets 1/2 percent on all their purchases forever, and the UnFranchise owner gets the IBV. There is no other business system that works like this!

For businesses, we have also made it easy for you. Businesses can either become a Market America Premier Partner, and take advantage of a unique opportunity to position their business in front of a world of shoppers who are looking for quality products and services or join the Market America Affiliate Partner Program. With Market America’s more than 180,000 Customer Managers and over 3 million Preferred Customers who frequently shop for products and services on our Web Portals, exposure to such a vast consumer base can have a positive effect on your sales, revenue and profitability. For more information, visit "Partner With Us".

Cheryl and I invite shoppers to check it out for themselves. There is nothing to loose, and everything to gain… Like that commercial says… what’s in your wallet? How would you like to keep more of it? Go now to InYourHomeMall.com, sign up as a preferred customer and begin saving and sharing; and when asked who referred you, use email address bruce@growonlinenow.com.

Don’t wait until Black Friday to begin Saving!

Changing Attitude’s in Health & Wellness

2010-11-11T08:06:00.000-08:00

A Two Tiered Approach for Health Professionals

EDUCATION:
In 1968, the American Medical Association (AMA) adopted the following definition on Continuing Medical Education or CME:

"Continuing medical education consists of educational activities which serve to maintain, develop, or increase the knowledge, skills, and professional performance and relationships that a physician uses to provide services for patients, the public, or the profession. The content of CME is that body of knowledge and skills generally recognized and accepted by the profession as within the basic medical sciences, the discipline of clinical medicine, and the provision of healthcare to the public."

Today we are seeing a significant shift in public awareness to wellness, health, and nutrition due to rapidly rising costs and uncertainty in the healthcare industry which is also causing a rapid change in consumer and physician attitudes. As a result of nonstop commercials sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry, physicians are getting bombarded by patients demanding prescriptions however these same commercials are also creating rising anxieties over drug side effects. Doctors are not only hearing patients ask if there are alternatives to drugs, they are seeing their patients actively search for alternatives however they are finding out that all too often their patients are hesitant in discussing alternatives with them. This causes an adverse doctor/patient relationship. Today’s Consumers are more educated and as a result more aware of the enormous health risks involved with medications. The challenge has been a lack of reliable, validated & verifiable scientific resources health professionals can access, not just in quality nutraceutical supplements, but education, training, and implementation of wellness programs into practices.

A major paradigm shift is taking place… today patients are searching for and seeking out health professionals providing alternative health and wellness solutions. Patients are searching for physicians committed in providing the latest and most scientifically advanced supplements and believe it or not, who are also capable of holding an “intelligent” conversation on the subject of health & wellness, anti-aging and weight management! But where do they go? Who do they seek out? And how do they know if their physician and/or staff have been trained or educated in the field of health and wellness? And how up-to-date are they?

Doctors really do have their patient’s best interest at heart however due to sky rocketing costs in healthcare, doctors just cannot afford the necessary time to research and educate themselves in health and wellness. Where can doctors and practitioners go? How do they seek out advanced education and the latest in research, clinical study, and trials? An incredible thing happened a few years ago when a small emerging company sought to address these very concerns. Hundreds of health professionals, in all fields throughout the United States joined together and are now expanding the nutraMetrix® division within that once small emerging company. In order for health practitioners to be successful, nutraMetrix® stood up nutraMetrix® Educational Institute (NEI), an advanced education organization designed by health professionals in all fields for health professionals.

The mission of the NEI, a non profit 501(c)(3) organization, is to educate a diverse group of health professionals on the role of nutrition and nutritional interventions. Through the Educational Institute, health professionals learn how nutrition and nutraceuticals serve their patients and enhance their practices. The Institute taps into the collective knowledge and experience of clinical and guest faculty representing a diverse and experienced group of integrative health practitioners to present innovative and world-class curricula. The aim is simple Promote the Health of America, One Health Professional at a Time.

For the first time health practitioners are invited to explore unique CME/CEU accredited courses specially designed for all health professionals. They can discover what courses are offered, "meet" distinguished faculty members and browse around their website to learn how this incredible institute, and their certified field nutraMetrix® Consultants, help physicians and practitioners bring the very latest in science and technology into their practice and to their patients. Physicians come away with confidence when they see that the nutraMetrix® Educational Institute serves a vital role for all health professionals; they are invited to learn about the Educational Institute’s goals to educate and enlighten health professionals on the role of nutrition and nutraceuticals in the clinical practice in order to promote health and wellness, and to expand educational offerings for the clients/patients of health professionals via on-line, CD, audio programs, etc. Physicians who attend these accredited courses are armed with the latest in science, knowledge, technology, becoming a valuable health and wellness practitioner to their patients.

However, there remains one critical component…all this incredible knowledge is worthless unless the health professional is able to implement it into his/hers practice. Remember, physicians are focused on seeing patients so how can they afford to educate patients, train their staff and bring this incredible knowledge base into their practice? The answer lies within the “System”. Just like a franchise, the nutraMetrix® program provides the infrastructure which no practice should be without.

IMPLEMENTATION & SUPPORT:

Doctors and practitioners focus most of their attention on patients and rely heavily on the staff for a smoothly operating office, if they even have a staff. Often there is more work then there is help which often turns practices away from implementing anything new into their practice. An entire “system” was developed to solve this challenge which affords doctors all the necessary support in implementing the “system” into their practice. Part of the nutraMetrix® system is in having professional support available without any out-of-pocket expense to the practice.

Our Mission: Provide Financial Solutions, not Added Burden!

Meet the nutraMetrix® Consultants! Through the NEI, nutraMetrix® Consultants (NC) are trained and certified in a career path second to none! With a thirst for knowledge and a desire to make a difference, nutraMetrix® consultants represent a unique breed of dedicated, knowledgeable and devoted individuals who work closely with health professionals and their staff to achieve the goals and mission of nutraMetrix®. Each NC goes through rigorous training programs which includes a pre-test, the training itself and a post-test. In addition, each NC is required to achieve certification status within 2 years – a nutraMetrix® policy that sets new standards for the industry. These nutraMetrix® Consultants are the conduit bringing physicians, staff and patients together, without ever costing the practice any financial burden. As a matter of fact, just the opposite occurs. These consultants help increase the bottom line of each practice that successfully implements the nutraMetrix® program; a win, win, win solution; a win for doctors, their staff and their patients.

Speaking of patients, what happens when they become healthier? Healthy patients become an invaluable resource to the practice. Patients will always talk about their doctor, good, bad, or indifferent. Health and Wellness practices with happy and healthy patients grow exponentially, one side effect that is acceptable and welcome. When patients become happy, doctor’s and their staff become happy. We are turning what is currently considered the sickness industry into the wellness industry — one doctor at a time — through the nutraMetrix™ Advanced Nutraceuticals program.

We may be Changing Attitude’s in Health & Wellness
However we are finding Health & Wellness is Changing Attitudes.

Whether a physician or someone looking into the NC program, we invite everyone to visit nutraMetrix™ and ask to be introduced to the nutraMetrix™ program. Email Cheryl Swartz to schedule a consultation to get the rest of the story. We are seeking current and former pharmaceutical representatives looking for better working conditions as a nutraMetrix® Consultant where they can help doctors and their patients with a unique health and wellness alternative through the nutraMetrix® program.

Click here and listen to an interview with Dr. Peter Harvey who implemented the nutraMetrix® program and the impact it had on his practice.

Paid to Shop & Paid Online

2010-11-06T14:05:00.000-07:00

Paid to Shop: Can consumers get paid to shop from over 3,500 stores, with no Membership and no Sign-up Fees? Yes it is, and by going to www.InYourHomeMall.com, Search, Shop, Save and Get Paid to shop is as fun as it is economical. Cheryl and I invite you to experience the wonders of our portal www.InYourHomeMall.com, powered by Market America, the most Efficient and Friendliest experience found anywhere on the World Wide Web. As a sophisticated shopping web site, www.InYourHomeMall.com provides an unparallel online destination where consumers can get almost anything they want, all at a single location and get paid cashback as well. There is no limit to how much one can save and earn by sharing with others.

And this is extremely important... no other website exists where consumers & customers instantly earn cashback simply by referring our portal to others.

No Membership and No Sign-up Fees.

Paid Online: There have been many customers who, by sharing “InYourHomeMall” within their sphere of influence, have seen a remarkable natural viral effect take place! These are the customers who then discover how they could get paid online for what has naturally taken place by simply sharing with others how to Shop, Save, & Share. I can think of no better way of paying it forward… can you? We provide a way which a customer who has simply helped others capture income as a result of sharing with their friends. The best part... the customer is in charge for asking how to get Paid Online... there is no bait and switch.

Watch this 5 minute video with Loren Ridinger, Senior Vice President of Market America and the creator of the award winning cosmetic line, Motives® by Loren Ridinger. I can’t think of a better way to start out the 2010 holiday season than by sharing InYourHomeMall so everyone can save and earn cashback on just about everything they need or want.

The Incredible Shrinking Phone Book!

2010-10-31T10:46:00.000-07:00

When Cheryl brought in AT&T’s 2011 “The Real Yellow Pages” Book and sat it next to the 2009, she said “Check this out.” The 2009 book was almost a half inch thicker than the 2011. The 2009 Yellow Book page listings ended at page 1179 while the 2011 ended at 911; 268 fewer pages. For those who know me, I am all about finding solutions to problems, especially for business owners struggling with their marketing, and I continue to be amazed at how many business owners still prefer and rely solely in this single resource for exposing or marketing their business.

According to an article titled “The incredible, shrinking American telephone book” by Paul Huggins, Staff Writer of the Decatur Daily.com “The telephone book may soon join the typewriters, film cameras and video rental stores as another mainstay made irrelevant or inadequate by technology.” Cell phones have turned into “smart” phones capable of finding businesses and companies on the fly, like restaurants during a trip. Who’s going to use a phone book? What about when you’re shopping at the mall and you see what could be a great deal on a TV. Not going to look up other retailers in a phone book and call each one to get a price on their TV are ya? You're going to use your smart phone, and there certainly are many more examples. The phone book just isn’t relevant like it used to be before the age of computers, smart phones, Facebook and the many other social media channels.

In Paul Huggins article “‘I think the directories have maybe another five years in them, only because of the massive amount of layoffs of their sales reps, which is a good indicator of what they’re doing,’ Evans said. Adams Hudson, who manages Hudson, Ink, a marketing firm in Montgomery for in-home service contractors like plumbers and electricians, said he doesn’t think the phone book will become extinct, but it will have a smaller role… There’s still a truism that if a business is not listed in the yellow pages, it’s not legitimate, he said, but that’s even truer now for businesses without websites. Many small businesses continue to advertise in the yellow pages simply out of tradition, but as they learn their return of investment doesn’t support the cost, they will reduce yellow page ad size or eliminate it altogether, Hudson said.”

The problem is will the business owner wait too late? Are they going to wait until the volume of business gets to the point the business simply cannot bounce back? With today’s viral marketing through social networks, once the buzz begins for one company it is extremely difficult for competitors to catch up. For some it may already be too late if the thickness of these two books is any indicator – however there could be other factors. It could be possible that many business owners who previously poured their advertising dollars into the “Real Yellow Pages” have redirected their dollars to more economical methods having a greater return on their investment.

No matter how a business owner looks at it, their marketing strategy and decision as to where to place their marketing and advertising dollars has to be based on a few questions:

Is your business growing?
How are customers or perspective customers comparing your company with the competition?
How easy is it for customers or perspective customers to find your business?
How easy is it to keep your customers?
How easy is it for your customers to refer your business to their family or friends?

You get the point! I compare the phone book in today’s high-tech, fast-paced, and viral world with the rotary-dial phone… both still work however can you call on the rotary-dial telephone while driving in your car... and will the phone book help you while your traveling on the highway in another town, state, or country? If a business is not utilizing or leveraging the latest strategic marketing assets available, how can they compete in their industry, in their market. If a business today doesn't have a website and integrates that site with the latest social media, they simply will be out of business tomorrow. Look around in today’s economy… the competition is stiff and getting stiffer.

The facts are there, do the math: 1179 – 2011 = 268 fewer pages. Oh yea, one could also argue the font is smaller, and it appears it is. Does it change anything? It’s still the Incredible Shrinking Phone Book!

The Digital Solution: A Global and Local Marketing Tool!

2010-10-30T11:29:00.000-07:00

Here is food for thought if you are a small- or medium-sized business; Does your online solution empower your business to reach not only local, but new markets far and wide? This is especially significant in light of a recent "User View Wave VII" survey by BIA/Kelsey and ConStat, which reveals that 97% of consumers use the Web to shop locally!

In a statement about the survey, Steve Marshall at BIA/Kelsey said, "The Internet has indeed become an integral part of consumers' local commercial activity...The data suggest we're at an inflection point where the balance of power in local shopping is shifting to online."

What does that mean for smaller companies? Digital marketing expert Lisa Barone says it's "a sign that without a Web presence, your SMB may find itself invisible."

That's why it's vital for all business, small or medium, have or establish a high-quality professional Web presence! With today’s high tech solutions and the explosive Social Networking Channels, businesses can “affordably” create a virtual storefront that appeals to local and distant customers, especially if their platform provides site promotion tools necessary to draw those customers right to their door!

Barone writes, "...use your Web site to share your company story and information, target your neighborhood by providing localized content, give answers to common questions, establish your own authority, and to help you grow an on-site community. Your small business Web site should tell the story of who you are and why someone should trust doing business with you."

It is easier and by far less expensive today than even a year ago in reaching an untapped market right in the business’ own neighborhood!

And should you know of a business owner who needs more incentive to go local, tell them that according to BizReport, "local marketing is a $140 billion marketplace!" ...and that's just the current total. With the sweeping popularity of local-oriented business marketing - from Groupon to Yelp to simple search engine optimization keywords - the stakes will continue to rise over the next few years!

Grow Online Now

and

Growth Strategies

Grow Online Now and Growth Strategies have combined both advanced technologies and highly professional services to bring an unheard of solution to small- and mid-sized businesses.

GrowOnlineNow.com provides Feature Rich "Customizable" Web Sites plus "Powerful Marketing Channels" with unlimited, free support from highly-trained specialists in the filed of local digital marketing!

Growth Strategies is a service for business owners providing “Hands-On” Strategic Sales and Marketing services to new and small-to-medium sized businesses including Vision, Direction, Strategies & Structure for business marketing. As a "Pay for Results" organization, Growth Strategies provides a System, Process and a Structure for Sales and Marketing. “All of our programs are month-to-month” which is UNHEARD OF in the world of marketing, sales and advertising!

Grow Your Business with Social Media Marketing

2010-10-25T11:41:00.000-07:00

Age does make a difference! Does't it?

I had a very good friend tell me that everybody and their mom is on Facebook. Jeremy was being rather comical with his own personal experience "We’ll spare you our own traumatic anecdotes of the monumentally bone-chilling, clammy-hand-inducing moment that we discovered our mother had joined Facebook and successfully posted a message on our Wall using her favorite pet name for us." What Jeremy was alluding to was that we now know for a fact that Internet users "of a certain age" are flocking to social media sites. It has become extremely important for business owners to recognize that yep, the Social Network Scene is not just for the young. It is extremely important for all players involved in the digital marketing game to acknowledge and engage this demographic – especially when it comes to businesses aimed at that 50+ crowd.

Unfortunately, that doesn't always seem to be the case. Plenty of companies out there either 1: avoid social media marketing because they don't think their target market (those age 50 and up) uses the sites regularly or 2: leverage social media to market their business, but totally ignores Boomers and the like. That's a shame for many reasons, not the least of which being that this group also frequently falls into the "affluent" category – a valuable audience, to be sure.

What is making Social Media so important for business owners?
The Pew Internet and American Life Project published a survey back in August of this year that makes a case for the attention of older Web users. The survey revealed that almost half of Internet users age 50-64 and more than one in four users 65+ use at least one social networking site. Evidently, Twitter is especially experiencing a Boomer boom, with a year-over-year jump from 5 percent to 11 percent.

We all have heard that well known phrase from Capital One “What’s in your wallet?” Well all small business owners should be asking themselves, “What’s in your Website?” Which of the Social Network Media Channels are you linked to?

If not, why not?

Introducing InYourHomeMall.com Shopping List

2010-10-21T19:07:00.000-07:00

On a daily, weekly or monthly basis, we all make essential purchases for our household, our family, our business or even ourselves. Groceries, toiletries, personal care, health care, office supplies, the list is practically endless; it just depends on what we need. But do we ever get paid cashback when we shop at Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, or any of the millions of stores across the country... stores where we shop everyday, week, and/or month? Not until we came along and as a result our customers have come up with an exceptional idea. We really do have the greatest customers in the world!

How many companies do you know either listens to, or relies on, customer input, suggestions, and/or recommendations? When we introduced our cashback program, recommendations, questions, suggestions began coming in. One particular idea was brilliant, place on our portal a shopping list tool to help match up items normally purchased at stores where no cashback is received, to our branded products on our InYourHomeMall.com portal where the customer can receive between 2%-50% cashback. As a result, the Home Shopping List was developed… and it only took a few months for our developers to bring this invaluable tool and economically brilliant asset to our portals. And, you can rest assure, this tool will only get better in time… this is only the beginning.

Cheryl and I invite you to check into this great new Home Shopping List feature. Evaluate first hand cashback and savings that can be enjoyed by “transferring” normal purchases from stores where they do not pay cashback, to our InYourHomeMall.com portal that does. And, if savings and earning between 2%-50% cashback is not enough of an incentive, for everyone currently not a Preferred Customer, when you take the challenge, identify, and purchase any item from the Home Shopping List, not only will you get cashback and savings, we will email you a free Restaurant.com gift certificate worth $25.00. So, by simply signing up as a Preferred Customer, which is absolutely FREE, and purchasing at least one item from the Home Shopping List, InYourHomeMall.com, I will receive a FREE Restaurant.com gift certificate worth $25.00? Yes You Will!

Remember, we are encouraging you to find ways to save money not cost you more on products you normally purchase on an “ongoing” basis. We want to help you identify those superior products InYourHomeMall.com you can save on… items you most often use within your household. Experience the quality, value, and difference of ma-branded and EZ Cart purchases from InYourHomeMall.com while earning 2%-50% ma® Cashback on all the products you need and want.

For all of our current Preferred Customers, simply go through the Home Shopping List and on your first order we will also provide you with a Restaurant.com gift certificate worth $25.00. And here is an additional incentive: when you refer others they not only receive the very same Restaurant.com gift certificate offer, we will send you another Restaurant.com gift certificate when you send us a copy of their registration and when they purchase their first product though our Home Shopping List. This is a win-win situation… and there is absolutely no risk for anyone… and it is totally free for everyone.

When you go to www.InYourHomeMall.com you will see the new Home Shopping Logo. And, when you click on it you will be taken directly to the Home Shopping List page.

Here are a few tips which are also on the Home Shopping List Page:

Browse through our selections by clicking on any of the tabs at the top of the shopping list
You can check any category from the right to add to your home shopping list
You can remove a selection from your shopping list by simply clicking the trash can icon or uncheck the item from the right
You can save your home shopping list selections at anytime by clicking the "Save" button
You can click the "Start Shopping" or any of your selections to see products immediately.

Depending on the region you live in, grocery shopping may not be available. We continually work hared in bringing these and other valuable products and services to our customers. It’s only a matter of time. Enjoy shopping InYourHomeMall.com, the greatest shopping experience you will ever have. And if you have any questions, feel free in calling us at 678-392-3218 or email us at bruce@growonlinenow.com

The New Elite "Online Medical Concierge" Service

2010-09-13T17:48:00.000-07:00

Below is the audio player where you can listen to Andrew Weissman's interview with 3 very special guests; Director of nutraMetrix Brandy Murphy, Director of Field Development for nutraMetrix Mark Cathell, and the creator of the nutraMetrix Elite services Dr. Steve Schnur. The nutraMetrix Elite services is an “Online Medical Concierge” where one can get instant access to doctors, health coaches and the best products, 24/7. It is a vibrant online medical community that encourages interaction and dialogue between members, from patients to medical professionals to individuals, looking to lead a healthier lifestyle.

This call provides information at 3 levels… From the corporate level as to why the nutraMetrix program has become so vital for the success of today’s health professionals, from an actual practitioner’s level and just how much of a value it has been for him and his practice, and from an educational level in just how we just don’t provide a shallow program, but an in-depth partnership program at all levels to ensure success to professions and their patients. This evening’s conference call will become one of the most listened to conference calls because of its timeliness with respect to today’s wellness needs.

For more information, vist nutraMetrix Elite page on nutraMetrix.com

Starting Off Right with a FREE Nutri-Physical

2010-08-27T08:34:00.000-07:00

Anyone who is looking to attain optimal health and vitality should take the Nutri-Physical™ Nutritional Analysis. Learning about oneself is the key to maximizing these desired outcomes and the Nutri-Physical™ does exactly that by utilizing your individual responses to specific health and lifestyle questions in several important categories.

And always remember, reaching optimal health and vitality means asking your health professional to identify any pre-existing conditions or to review the recommended nutritional supplements you wish to take and relate them to your current condition and any prescribed medication. You can always ask Bruce and Cheryl, your Nutri-Physical™ Administrators, for information on recommended nutritional products as well as the ingredients and nutritional facts. You can also click on the pictures of the recommended products for more information.

InYourHomeMall with Wal-Mart Cashback

2010-08-24T13:20:00.000-07:00

Wal-Mart is one of over 3,500 affiliate and partner stores we have InYourHomeMall.com with resources, services and incentives unmatched on the internet. And it is FREE.

For at least the rest of this YEAR, that's right, until the end of 2010, our customers are enjoying 2% cash back when purchasing anything from Wal-Mart via InYourHomeMall.com. This is a trial period and if for the next week we are able to get as many people as we can to at least go into InYourHomeMall.com when they go to shop at Walmart, they will consider doing this full-time.

Wal-Mart has never offered this to anyone before, so this is truly an offering we would love passed on to our customers. It will only happen with your help.

InYourHomeMall.com not only gives a 2% Cashback and EXACT SAVINGS when you shop with our affiliate and partner stores, we also reward you when you refer us to friends with an additional ½% Cashback on all qualified purchases InYourHomeMall.com.

We Push Coupon Codes to the Consumer InYourHomeMall.com
Here is a huge service... many websites such as CouponCabin, retailmenot, and couponcodes4u to mention a few, offer coupons for purchasing products on individual websites. The challenge is, you have to separately hunt for the deals, compare different websites, get the codes and decide which one offers the best deal.

InYourHomeMall.com does all the heavy lifting for you. Simply select the item you wish to search for and we provide the affiliate stores carrying the item, we automatically pull their coupons for you while you compare for the best prices AND the highest Cashback. NO other company provides the consumer with such an easy way to shop, save, compare and earn cashback.

Click here now to begin getting paid Cashback for shopping at Wal-Mart.
Let’s see if we can get Wal-Mart to make Cashback permanent. So long as you see the Cashback Logo, you will get 2% Cashback.

Cashback now InYourHomeMall with OfficeMax

2010-08-24T12:03:00.000-07:00

OfficeMax is one of over 3,500 affiliate and partner stores we have InYourHomeMall.com with resources, services and incentives unmatched on the internet. And it is FREE.

OfficeMax emails weekly specials to those who request the weekly deals and when you find the special you want you simply click on the flyer to make the purchase. However, you only get that discounted item, you DO NOT get Cashback. Also, located at the top right corner of the email flyer is a “Forward to a Friend” button however OfficeMax DOES NOT provide Cashback for referring a friend either.

InYourHomeMall.com not only gives a 2% Cashback and EXACT SAVINGS when you shop at OfficeMax, we also reward you when you refer us to your friends with an additional ½% Cashback on all their purchase at OfficeMax through InYourHomeMall.com.

We Push Coupons to the Consumer
There are many websites such as CouponCabin, retailmenot, couponcodes4u, to mention a few that provide coupons for purchasing products on websites. The challenge is, you have to separately hunt for the deals, compare different websites, get the codes and decide which one is the best deal.

InYourHomeMall.com does all the heavy lifting for you. Simply select the item you wish to search for and we provide the affiliate stores carrying the item, we automatically pull their coupons for you while you compare for the best prices AND the highest Cashback. NO other company provides the consumer with such an easy way to shop, save, compare and earn cashback.

Click here now to begin getting paid Cashback for shopping at OfficeMax.

Inspirations by Loren Ridinger – Motives Cosmetics and Loren Jewels

2010-08-01T12:14:00.000-07:00

More and more celebrities as well as who’s who in the cosmetic industry are quickly becoming aware of Loren Ridinger… the mogul and genius behind Motives as well as a new line of jewelry.

Motives by Loren Ridinger has become such a hit that Motives is finding themselves being invited at grand openings such as Ella Bella Rozio in Coral Gables which beScene Magazine was invited… “This two story boutique was located in the heart of Coral Gables and was sure to leave you in awe…” they wrote. “The event was throughout the whole boutique and I mean this boutique is massive! When I walked in I was welcomed with a glass of Nuvo who sponsored the event, also there was a jazz player playing soothing beats the whole night. There were two fashion shows, one inside and one on Ella Bella Rozio’s rooftop which was absolutely breathe taking.” “The Grand Opening awed fashionistas as they saw high fashion models walking down the Couturier’s elegant staircase, wearing the duo’s one-of-a-kind creations. The models adorned in “ella bella roZio” Couture and make-up by MOTIVES cosmetics (Loren Ridinger) rocked out the team’s creations in the season’s hottest colors. Their Couturier was filled with Miami’s trendsetters enjoying the fabulous designs while sipping on pink cocktails by NUVO liqueur and satisfying their taste buds with delicious food from Coral Gables finest restaurants.”

Loren has made great friends and business associates along the way like that of Colombian born celebrity makeup artist Claudia Betancur. Claudia has worked with people such as Oscar de La Renta and Agatha Ruiz de la Prada before moving to the United States. Once in the United States, Betancur quickly made a name for herself with the country’s biggest stars. Betancur has now become Loren's personal makeup artist and also includes assisting Loren with research and development of the Motives cosmetics line of products and helping to develop the make-up methods that make the Motives one of the most successful on the market. Bentancur is recognized by media as one of the top makeup artist and celebrity artist and has been working with Loren for over 5 years. Claudia Betancur, was recently featured in the Colombian magazine, Semana, for her professional accomplishments as a makeup artist to some of the world’s hottest stars!

And if cosmetics weren’t enough, Loren just recently partnered with Kim Kardashian, a business woman, fashion designer, entrepreneur, executive producer, perfumista and star of E!’s number 1 show, “Keeping Up With The Kardashians.” Loren and Kim will be designing an exclusive line of earrings to be called the “Kim Kollection.” “This stunning 20-piece collection will incorporate diamonds, emeralds, rubies and other precious gems and metals offering Hollywood glam exclusively through Lorenjewels.com. “Kim’s a fashion icon and millions of people are inspired by her style making our collaboration on the “Kim Kollection” a natural fit,” said Ridinger. Kim’s glamorous Hollywood lifestyle inspired her to design and collaborate with her close friend, Loren Ridinger, to create this ultra-chic line of earrings. “Kim Kollection” is scheduled to be released this fall and will be officially launched on August 7th at the marketamerica.com International Convention with over 25,000 attendees.

If there were ever any doubts before, there certainly are none now for Motives by Loren Ridinger is rapidly becoming the most sought after cosmetic line in the industry. And for those who love, or ever thought of getting into, the cosmetic industry will certainly be surprised by the unequaled training and support provided to them by certified Market America trainers. It was inevitable, Market America has become the most innovative company ever to have hit the 21century. They are exploding at every endeavor.

Below is an overview of Motives by Loren Ridinger.

ma's New & Exclusive Auctions Web Site!

2010-07-31T13:45:00.000-07:00

Wow! Save even more with the new maAuctions Web Site with everything you’ll love – from watches to jewelry to items for the house and home to sports memorabilia – all starting at $1.00 with no reserve!

You’ll see brands you’ll love and deals you’ll not want to pass up! So, keep your eyes open in order to be one of the first to head over to maAuctions and the first to bid on fantastic merchandises at fabulous prices. You will not find this type of shopping experience anywhere!

Since the unveiling of the new maAuctions online, incredible deals have been hitting the internet with a frenzy. Get a jump on your gifts for all occasions and save like you have never saved before from our InYourHomeMall.com portal. This new program will not only let you bid on items starting at just $1, but you’ll also have the opportunity to earn cashback from InYourHomeMall.com.

This is just another example of why we are leading the industry. Market America consistently searches for additional and better resources and opportunities in order to lesson the burden on our Preferred Customers' during this down economy. Internet Retailer's statement says it all: "Mass market web retailer and online marketplace operator Market America rolled out a 2% cash-back program in November that helped boost 2009 online sales to $321.3 million, a 35% increase compared with 2008." Just imagine what 2010's final numbers will be. This is a direct result of our ability to bring these great resources to all our Preferred Customers... it only stands to reason why we were rated No. 1 Most Improved of Top 100 Online Retail Sites for 2010 by ForeSee Online Retail Satisfaction Index.

If you have not taken advantage of this "FREE" service as of yet, go to www.InYourHomeMall.com and register as a Preferred Customer. And please do use my email address bruce@growonlinenow.com as the person who referred you. I too like receiving .5% Cashback whenever you get between 2 to 35%, even up to 50% Cashback on our Branded Market America products. Everyone wins and the best thing is... there are no obligations! You save and earn while helping others save and earn... for FREE!!!

Desktop Sharing at a GLANCE and with a Single Click

2010-07-06T18:26:00.000-07:00

“Cheryl, there is no way I can possibly meet all these people.” My lovely wife Cheryl is awesome at bringing home names of people interested in learning more about our “InYourHomeMall.com” Cashback program. How you may ask does Cheryl get all these names? Simply by asking them “If you could get paid to shop from the stores you already buy from, without any extra cost like so called buying clubs charge, would that make economic sense? Would you like more information or better yet, would you like it if my husband Bruce were to give you a personalized tour of our Portal and the Cashback program?” Well what do you think they are saying? Of course, it does make economic sense to save money and get cash back and who wouldn’t want me to sit alongside them giving them a personalized tour.

Then there is my maWebCenter business through “GrowOnlineNow.com” where I simply set appointments with business owners after they view my video to see if our solution will be of value to them and their business. See, I am not there to sell them a website – I’m there as a consultant in order to identify solutions to their online business. Just like above, there just isn’t enough time in the day to meet each person… especially in Atlanta. If you have ever been to Los Angles or Washington DC you can imagine Atlanta’s traffic. So, what is the next best thing to actually being there in person?

Be there virtually – Leverage Technology!

Where it all started: A business partner in Jacksonville needed assistance with a little training on a graphics design package she had just purchased. In order for me to show her how to use the tools I really needed to be there with Cindy. A few weeks earlier a lady in NY introduced me to a pretty cool and easy to use desktop sharing tool when she was having difficulty with a website… Cindy had actually seen this tool as well. We brought up www.glance.net, Cindy initiated the session, gave me the URL link and Session Key, and in less than a couple of minutes we both were working live on her desktop. I have seen and used GoToMeeting and there just wasn’t any comparison… it was by far faster and easier to use. This was just too easy… as I explained the basics of the software to Cindy I could watch her follow my instructions. And when she had a challenge, I easily and quickly moved my mouse to show her how and what to do. Switching control of the mouse between the two users couldn’t be easier.

Later that day, I went to http://www.glance.net/, checked out their site and then connected with Mike Walsh, Account Executive with Glance Networks, Inc. I have been testing Glance for two weeks and here is just a sample of what I experienced.

I first tried Glance with my client who wanted more information on how to edit their back office. Glance made it so very easy for me to take him by the hand and actually walk him through the process. Far easier than trying to do it in the blind and wondering if they clicked on the right button or entered in the correct information in the fields without seeing it in person. Ever help someone over the phone and you ask them to put in a URL address in the address bar, and they instead put the information in the search bar? Frustrating isn’t it. Here, there was never any problem… and we come across extremely professional.
Remember all those names Cheryl was bringing me? Glance made it so easy to walk them through our Portal showing just how easy it is to search and find what they want, how to save, and get the highest cashback values, savings or both. It is really enjoyable walking folks through the Portal as they get into all the possibilities available at their fingertips – the savings, how to search, how to invite. And when they are walked through the process of becoming a Preferred Customer they are empowered to go out and share the Portal with all their friends, family, and co-workers… everyone wins. And since there are no costs or fees, why wouldn’t they want to share with everyone. So exposing my Portal just got easier.

So, what’s the purpose of me telling everyone about Glance? Well, just like telling my customers how they can get savings and cash back by using the Portal, we have an opportunity in getting a break on pricing if we collectively help each other while helping our clients, customers, and business partners. Check it out for yourself, do your own due diligence with their FREE evaluation like I did. Try it on your clients, your perspective customers. You will be blown away by the ease of use, Glance’s expert technical support staff; the entire experience will make your decision easy. Then contact Mike Walsh glance@glance.net and tell him Bruce Swartz sent you. Here is your way of leveraging technology to the max.

And for those who use GoToMeeting... how about a little comparison between them:

Glance allows you to host from a Mac or PC. Any platform may join a session
Your session guests do not need to download any software to view a session. They use their web-browser to join with either our ActiveX viewer or Java applet
Simpler for both host and guest and no distracting menus, buttons or controls for your guest
GoTo is a meeting tool which requires organization and set up time, Glance is a presentation tool that can be built into any process and executed on the fly with little to no preparation
GoTo requires an email address, and a fairly large download that stays on your guest's machine, it takes a while and your guest might not allow this download: Check the side by side comparison in the below video... see for yourself why I prefer Glance over GoTo. Be thinking of two letters while viewing the video, C & C... Costumers and Convenience.

GoTo has extra buttons and features that get in the way and are not used while conducting most presentation
GoTo screen sharing is noticeably slower than Glance, with lots of flickering, and failing to load web pages after a significant amount of time

Who knows – perhaps by working together Glance will be added as a partner store. Why not? Glance with a single click is simply awesome, and many would flock to Glance if they became an affiliate store on MarketAmerica.com.

The Trilogy Technology on my 2004 Ford F150

2010-07-05T10:01:00.000-07:00

When I first purchased my 2004 Ford F150, I was fortunate enough to put on the Fuel & Air Saver. At that time this technology had been re-designed from the original inventor’s design to make it more efficient, especially for the heavy duty diesel trucking industry.

WorldNCI, the manufacture of the Fuel & Air Saver has two main goals:

Capture and Eliminate Crankcase Emissions from entering our environment
Better Fuel Efficiency through the Elimination of Crankcase Emissions.

As their Webmaster, I of course had to see for myself just how this technology would work so I installed the Fuel & Air Saver on my new pickup. I did realize some increase in mileage however what I realized was a significant change in my oil; it remained cleaner… so much so I was able to better than double the mileage between oil changes.

That was the first savings which I realized. Then I introduced Friction Free 3000 and my mileage appeared to slightly improve even more however, when I added the Fuel Enhancer that was when all three really kicked in which I now call the “Trilogy” effect. Since adding the Fuel Enhancer to each tank of gas, I am now getting a minimum of 18 mpg when driving no faster than 75 mph in the Georgia hills. And when driving in flatter country, I was getting in excess of 19 mpg, significantly better than 16 mpg.

I have to attribute the greater mileage to all three products. The Fuel & Air Saver, the Fuel Enhancer and Friction Free 3000 works so well together that I had to put the information onto WorldNCI’s Fuel & Air Saver’s Website along with the widgets for both Friction Free 3000 and the Fuel Enhancer.

With over 80,000 miles, my F150 runs as good as when I first bought her. And now that I have added the Fuel Enhancer, I am getting a “continuous” 18-20 mpg depending on driving conditions and speed which more than pays for this product. The Fuel Enhancer is an incredible fuel additive, providing maximum performance with a "noticeable" punch when accelerating. Check the reviews coming in from other customers. You just can't go wrong.

And just so you know, engines which require high test fuel with higher octane were able to use regular gas after being equipped with the Fuel & Air Saver, providing significant cost savings at the pump. Let me know if you are interested and I will make sure you get a great deal on the Trilogy Package.

The Embedded Non-Profit Organization Program

2010-07-04T10:59:00.000-07:00

I met Dr. George Barkett in June at the Advanced ONDAMED training symposium in New York. During that weekend, Dr. Barkett told me about a rather worthwhile project he was working on called Songs for Peace. “We have started an annual worldwide contest to see who around the world can write the best songs promoting world peace, brotherhood, acceptance, tolerance, kindness etc. We have a website www.songsforpeace.net where songs from anywhere in the world can be uploaded and people from all over the world can listen to and vote for their favorite song.”

Successful Online Presence: Songs for Peace allows peace-loving people everywhere to use music, the one universal language, as a bond in order to help promote harmony among all the people of the world. Their website is now receiving over 200,000 hits a month with 41% staying on the site for an hour or longer. George has been privately financing this project since its inception, and according to George, in order for this project to become self-sustaining and accomplish the vision of Songs for Peace they will soon be a 501-3c non-profit organization.

Challenging Times: George went on to say “… in these very difficult economic times many would be contributors are stressed financially, and many worthwhile charities are suffering as a result. We feel that our project cannot totally rely on the generosity of donors sustaining us and we should take steps into becoming somewhat self sufficient. We are looking into programs that involve innovative ways with which to efficiently and effectively generate charitable contributions and memberships.”

A Unique Solution: It may have been by accident or by divine intervention that George and I met and was teamed together during the ONDAMED symposium. Once I learned about Songs for Peace it became apparent that I may have the missing link for George. Market America, a Product Brokerage and Internet Marketing company, recently introduced an entirely new program specifically designed for Non-Profit Organizations (NPO). Although the concept had been around in many ways, shapes, and forms, this new program was truly an “original” concept designed from the ground up. It is so unique and beneficial it will forever change the way charities generate funding and operating capital while “automatically” growing their membership through a totally free program where there are no Membership or Sign-up Fees for the NPO members; a totally FREE program providing an unequalled support vehicle for non profit organizations. Even non profit organizations are not required to spend a single penny.

When George and I went over the new NPO program, how it was designed and implemented, he described it as a uniquely “Embedded Contribution” program. Thanks to Dr. Barkett, I now refer to the Market America’s NPO program as the ENPOC (Embedded Non-Profit Organization Contribution) Program.

For more information on how this program works, view the video and/or contact Bruce Swartz at Bruce@GrowOnlineNow.com or 678-392-3218. “The concept is one that fills the need for everyone; Songs for Peace, our supporters, and their families. It truly is a win-win-win for everyone. The ENPOC Program makes it possible for many more people to help a cause that they believe in without any undue financial stress.

Look for Dr. Barkett’s announcement in the coming weeks introducing Songs for Peace’s ENPOC Program.

Referral Marketing Like You have Never Experienced

2010-03-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

When shopping where do we go, Home Depot, Target, Wal-Mart, or any number of stores at malls or locations near us correct? In today’s economy we look for deals... we save as much as we can… always looking for ways to make every penny count... but in doing so, we often waste gas and precious time. Well what if we could save time and gas... would that be of value? For my family it is. But here is something else that became a value to our family... Cash Back...

Think about it, when you do go shopping at that favorite store of yours, do they or will they:

Pay you cash back for buying from them?
Pay you when you tell your friends you found a great deal on that thing you bought?
Or even pay you for simply stopping in and looking around – my wife calls it window shopping?

Of course the answer will always be no… well that was until now, and what is truly amazing, it costs consumers absolutely NOTHING. The beautiful aspect of this portal of ours? We don’t have to sell anyone anything! The portal exists to help you search to find the products and services of your choice, saving you money at the same time, stretching every dollar as far as possible… and we even pay you to do just that, and to spread the word.

Everyone Wins... Businesses we refer & customers who refer us.

marketamerica.com – The Ultimate Online Destination with partner stores including Target, Best Buy, GAP, Sears, Travelocity, Apple, Victoria’s Secret, Office Depot, Wal-Mart, and thousands more. Includes a universal shopping cart making checkout easy! We have Comparison shopping and “Exclusive Hot Deals” you do NOT want to miss out on. Everything you will want and need in one simple place. Powered by Microsoft FAST, blogs and social media content, weather, digital magazines, it is truly the Ultimate Online Destination. Combined with people power we provide the most efficient and friendly experience found anywhere on the World Wide Web. But it gets even better.

Watch Loren as she explains just how anyone can get paid to shop… that’s right, paid to shop. Anyone can get anywhere between 2-35% cash back just for shopping… and there are No Membership or Sign-Up Fees. And what if you tell your friends? We pay you! Yes, you also get on-going residual income just by sharing this with your friends, family, neighbors!

Again – NO MEMBERSHIP OR SIGN-UP FEES... no stinking Buying Club!

Learn more – and begin searching, shopping, saving and sharing – this is the shopping destination of the future... here... now… marketamerica.com.

maCashback with Loren Ridinger...

And to help you realize we are not like any other cash back program... you can do your own comparison by going to our Search, Shop, Save & Share page. Cheryl and I do value your opinion, and your friends oppinions... visit us online and check us out... and soon we will be paying our customers just to browse. The concept of "Pay it Forward" is at hand... and no one else has it... NO ONE!

We refuse to allow the economy to slow us down... and our affiliate stores are paying our customers back just for our sharing this beautiful concept.

All the Best, Bruce & Cheryl Swartz with B&C Enterprise & InYourHomeMall.com

New Matriskin Technology

2010-03-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

Complet information on Matriskin

With Seven Patents

Matriskin™ Technology Collagen MP Serum Promotes
Collagen Production Leading to Diminished
Appearance of Wrinkles and Skin Revitalization.

What makes Matriskin™ Collagen MP Serum Unique? Matriskin™ Collagen MP Serum visibly reduces the look of lines and wrinkles. Its advanced peptide technology helps to firm and revitalize the skin. This will become the number one "need to have" in any spa or home.

The Collagen MP Serum is a new collagen based formula with micro-collagen and patented peptides that help counteract the aging process. A special skin penetration element is added (palmitoic acid), in order to help the collagen molecules and the peptide to be instantly absorbed. Thus, the cellular regeneration, and the structure of the skin are promoted.

The viscoelastic properties of the hyaluronic acid have drawn attention to the cosmetic industry. This is one of the main components of the extracellular matrix that makes it possible for the skin to maintain hydration, due to it's great capacity to retain water and in pulling moisture deep into the skin cells providing a firm youthful glow. With seven patents, Primary Benefits of Matriskin™ Collagen MP Serum:

Exclusively distributed by Market America in the US
Visibly reduces the look of lines and wrinkles
Contains hyaluronic acid and humectants to pull moisture deep into skin cells
Advanced patented peptide technology proven to increase skin firmness
Promotes collagen production leading to skin revitalization
See a difference almost overnight
Texture and luminosity are dramatically improved
Works well for all skin types, including delicate skin

What is probably the most impressive about Matriskin™ Collagen MP Serum? The ingredients.

For the first time, Matriskin™ Collagen MP Serum is now available in the United States, distributed exclusively by Market America.

How great is Matriskin™ Collagen MP Serum? How about some testimonials:

I can see and feel the difference!
Pros: A little goes a long way, No longer dry, Skin feels amazing, Visible results in a week
Best Uses: In the evening before bed, On the face and neck
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
At 49, my skin has become really dry despite moisturizing every day and night. Matriskin has made a huge difference in my skin in a week! It no longer looks dry and it feels great. I really love my skin now! I cant wait to see the results in a month!

You can feel the transformation!
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
I absolutely LOVE this product!! I have been using it for 7 days both in the morning and at night after cleansing and toning. My skin looks extra smooth and polished with a more youthful glow! I have absolutely noticed a visible difference!

Amazing product!
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
I use Matriskin twice a day after I cleanse and tone with Cellular Labs. After one month, my skin is so soft and tight that people think I am losing more weight and it is my skin and face that is thinner due to the tightening of my skin. This is amazing and my wrinkles are diminishing Wow, what a great product. Thank you Loren

Ah-mazing
Pros: Clean feel, Ease of Use, Instant satisfaction, Weightless
Cons: Having to share w my BF
Best Uses: Before moisturizing, Just before makeup, On clean skin
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
I LOVE this product! The sensation for me is as though Matri-skin is gently and comfortably shrink-wrapping my face! I'm only 30, so I wasn't sure whether it would dramatically benefit me; I used it more for prevention. Since I started only a week ago, I get continual compliments! Everyone says my makeup looks great (Motives by Loren Ridinger!), which of course it does - but this week I've had this Matri-skin secret!! I took it with me one day for a friend to try - my boyfriend called - after only trying once - to ask where the magic potion was! LOL This product is IT, don't hesitate!!

If that isn't enough, see more reviews... we expect more soon...

If you own a spa, beauty salon, or any facility where your clients are looking for health and beauty solutions, contact me to see just how we can get this incredible product in the hand of your clients, increase your bottom line and drive more customers to your business!

Marketing Your Business with No Upfront Cost!

2010-03-22T20:26:00.000-07:00

First question… Are you missing out on potential online sales? What would your answer be if someone came up to your business and asked "would you like to have your business positioned in front of 6 million customers?" Your response would most likely go something like this… "How much will it cost?" The good news is, not as much as you may think... welcome to ma Merchant! Market America Premier Partner program allows business owners to take advantage of a unique opportunity to position their business in front of a world of shoppers who are looking for quality products and services. We provide easy-to-use tools to help manage their account, integrate their product catalog, and manage orders and payments and the best part, it is free to join with minimal overhead costs.

How it works is simple, customers purchase your products from one of our thousands of Market America Web Portals and check out using our convenient ma EZ Cart. You are then notified when an order is placed; all you need to do is ship the products to the customer. It’s that simple!

As a Premier Partner, you will enjoy:

Heightened exposure for your business and products
Access to our extensive network of Preferred Customers
The ability to cross-sell and upsell products through new venues
Real-time payments
Immediate access to funds after a completed sale
Account management from anywhere with just an Internet connection

Let Market America drive revenue to your business! How? We have a vested interest in your business with our Cash Back program where customers happily refer our portals to people they know. With Market America’s more than 180,000 Independent Distributors and over 3 million Preferred Customers who frequently shop for products and services on our Web Portals, along with another 3 million casual visitors, exposure to such a vast consumer base can have a positive effect on your sales, revenue and profitability.

We’re looking for vendors and manufacturers that have unique products and the capability to ship and track them nationally, to join Market America’s Affiliate Partner Program. State your interest by sending an e-mail to partners@marketamerica.com, and be sure to include details about your store, your name and contact information, and the best time to contact you. Feel free to preview our knowledge base for additional information on this monumental program to help your business evaluate if this will be the correct marketing strategy for you and your business. Market America is all about providing solutions both for consumers as well as businesses. B&C Enterprise is here to add to your business development. Visit our portal InYourHomeMall.com which is a great place to begin just to see how we interact between business and consumer. Take it for a spin yourself by becoming a Preferred Customer to see how we interact with our customers. Then refer us to your friends, your customers and see the value for business owners.

So what if your business doesn’t have a website… don’t worry; we can build one for you. And, if your business has a website, but lacks e-commerce, no problem! We can provide that, as well.

Take the first step toward expanding your business with a partnership with Market America!

maCashback Program

2010-03-21T16:21:00.000-07:00

I love to buy, but hate to be sold. Anyone else like me? Don’t try to sell me and please, stop sending me email blasts when I don’t even know you. Referrals are what I am all about. If I like something or if I don’t, I will tell all my friends and that is what I’m doing here… “Telling everyone I about this FREE service call maCashback.”

When we go shopping at our favorite store(s), do or will they pay cash back for buying from them? Pay us when we tell our friends to go to their store because we found a great deal? Or even pay us for simply looking around the mall – my wife calls it window shopping? Not that I know of – until now! And what’s amazing, it costs absolutely NOTHING. No limits, no special requirements, and no membership fees, hassles, NOTHING!

Cheryl and I are proud to provide consumers with over 35 million products and services from over 2,500 stores so anyone can save money on their own terms and get paid while doing just that;

Save by comparing prices between competing stores

Get paid up to 35% cash back after saving money
Get paid ½% on all qualified “referral” purchases by simply telling others how they can do #1 & 2
Get paid just for window shopping.

This program is second to none - place your cursor on the window above and click for more information.

Future blogs we will be sharing with our customers, followers, strategic partners and the entire world news, features and benefits we are bringing to our consumers. Things like new partner stores, new products, what our customers are saying. We will just keep everyone informed so they can make the intelligent choices when it comes to saving money for their family. And by all means, you are always welcome to call on us for questions or even suggestions as to who you would like to see as a merchant on our portal. Feel free in contacting bruce@growonlinenow.com and tell us what great product or company you feel should be included… why not get even more cash back from someone you already do business with.

The Ultimate Information Destination for Entertainment Enthusiasts Everywhere

2009-12-01T08:31:00.000-08:00

Conquer Entertainment is a new idea, a new concept, and a new facet of maMyWorld which was recently launched. Conquer Entertainment through the maMyWorld portal, will allow unsigned, independent music artists and exclusive songs from top selling recording artists, to sell their own music on the maMyWorld Portal. It will also offer professional services to help emerging artists break through into the mainstream. This includes the opportunity to work one-on-one with Grammy Award-nominated producers, engineers, and artists!

Coming this January in Miami, Florida, maMyWorld and Market America will be launching the UnLabel, the latest paradigm shift in the music industry — giving artists the option to either just distribute their music (Distribution Package) or own an UnLabel™ Business and get access to services such as:

Professional Mixing/Mastering
Regional Photography
Customized Website/Graphic Design
Global Distribution
Global Promotion/Marketing

Conquer Entertainment’s mission statement says it all:

Conquer Entertainment’s mission centers on revolutionizing the way music and all forms of entertainment are marketed, produced and ultimately delivered to the end consumer. With Conquer Entertainment, UnLabel Owners are empowered to manage and operate their own record label — complete with a proven system, unlimited support, and the necessary tools and to do so — while providing a platform for emerging artists to expose their music to the world.

Prior to the launching of the UnLabel™, maMyWorld will be launching their Distribution Package. This package will include tools and an infrastructure which artists can upload their recorded music to maMyWorld. Artists who have recorded their music can contact me for information on the Distribution Package launch.

A Special Offer: We do not want anyone to have an advantage over someone else so, for all artists who have not recorded their music but would like to be part of this exciting launch, you can also contact me and I will schedule you for a 2 hour recording session with a local recording studio. This 2-hour session includes 30 minutes to set up, 30 minutes to break down, and one hour to record your music. This is a live event; not a practice session. There will be no editing in this package price. Cost for this 2 hour session will only be $300.00 and covers more than the just the recording. This special offer package will include the 1st year Distribution Package cost and registration, a CD of the music recorded during the session as well as a DVD of the session.

If you want to see first hand where the industry is heading, check out the below links containing information by leading news professionals and media outlets… see why Conquer Entertainment and maMyWorld will be right for you.

No more giving your music away for FREE…

Where We Live: The Future of Music with David Kusek of Berklee Media, Aired: 06/30/2009 (listen to audio)
The Record Industry's Decline… Record sales are tanking, and there's no hope in sight: How it all went wrong by Brian Hiatt and Evan Serpick “…report on where the music business went wrong…”
The Future of music… what people in the industry have been saying for several years

With over 3 million Preferred Customers and over 180,000 independent maWebPortals like www.InYourHomeMall.com world wide, we will become your best partner in the music industry.

A Convenient, Secure, and Reliable Vault for all Our Valuables

2009-09-23T08:53:00.000-07:00

Many of us have purchased small fire and water proof mini vaults for storing and safekeeping important documents should a disaster such as flood or fire destroy our homes. Then there are those who store even more valuable items or documents at local banks. There are many ways with which we can store, back up and keep important information safe… but how manageable is it, and how convenient is it should a disaster occur?

Imagine driving up to the scene of an accident as an Emergency First Responder. After checking vitals what is the next probable thing that will occur? The first responder most likely will check pockets for IDs such as a wallet or purse… and what if during their search they found a card that contained medical information for that individual which they simply pop into their computer, which all first responders now have? It just might be the difference between life and death!

What if my home was flooded? Living here in Atlanta no one would have guessed it was possible for thousands to have had their home destroyed, but it happened in the September ’09 flood. Important documents such as insurance, financials and portfolios, pictures, computers, all gone… what would I do, what could I do? And who would control the data?

We are proud to announce the introduction of maVault, an electronic service designed to provide the means and tools to store and manage all vital personal and business information in one secure, simple to use solution… and the key point is, manage… I control my data not some other institution.

More than just electronic storing of personal and business documents, maVault software enables the owner to enter important facts about personal information such as vehicle title, funeral wishes, insurance policies, pictures as well as providing a $25,000 Identity Theft Insurance program and many more important features.

And if that wasn’t enough, maVault connects with thousands of financial institutions world-wide to keep transactions and account balances automatically up-to-date. Set it up once and track accounts 24/7 from anywhere with internet access!

This is high tech, state-of-the-art service at its finest… maVault gives individuals, and those closest to them, peace of mind especially when faced with unexpected events. It gets them properly prepared for difficult circumstances by consolidating important information and documentation all in one place so that they can provide their loved ones access to information at a moment's notice.

This is another service provided by B&C Enterprise along with our strategic partner Market America. Click here for a virtual overview of maVault’s benefits and features. And as with all of our products and services, our 2% cash back program will be applied when purchasing maVault from InYourHomeMall.com.

Watch this report hosted by Alexander Haig and Business World Review interviewing Boyd Soussana, President and CEO of The Estate Vault

US Gaming ArenA - A Perfect Place for our 21st Century Children

2009-08-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

How often are we inspired by a business, or couple, in a community that has gone above and beyond? Leann & Britt Stephens is one such couple who touched the hearts of one local community. I would love to have all who read this story, click on the link provided and help me by simply Endorsing their Story - "Shine a Light" on Leann & Britt for all America to see what a wonderful couple they are. Thank you so very much... http://alturl.com/qh35

Where in the world can our children go in these economic times for wholesome and safe entertainment? I remember a time when I was a child where we would simply take our bikes out into the woods and ride until it was supper time. I met up with Leann and Britt Stephens almost a year ago and found a remarkable facility, perfect for our 21st Century Children. Then it was called Computer ArenA, a great little facility nestled just north of Atlanta in Roswell, GA. What made this facility so special? Well to Leann and Britt, it’s all about our children as well as their parents… providing an environment rich in wholesome family entertainment but with a huge twist. I hope you’re sitting down… a Gaming Paradise as well as a Community Technology Center for All ages that includes computer & console gaming, tournaments, leagues, corporate events, classes, camps, after school programs, and finally a café that actually serves wholesome food, not high calorie, artery blocking junk food, a perfect environment for our children, and yes even our “grown up kids”. A place where they both can play games and actually be on equal ground… or not?

When I first walked into Leann and Britt’s Computer ArenA I knew I had discovered a gem. Along with all the state-of-the-art computer and gaming technology, they had classrooms, the perfect facility for me to hold my WebCenter Classes with built in overhead projector, screen, and internet connections for my students to plug in their laptops. When I enquired as to the cost, (I have a tight budget) both Leann and Britt went above and beyond “the call of duty”… they allowed me to set pricing for the use of their classroom.

As you know, these are tough times… many companies are laying people off right and left. But Leann and Britt are extremely agile and savvy business owners. They put their innovative minds to work and came up with solutions to diversify as well as simplify their operations. Rather than lay people off, Leann and Britt turned over the PC Repair and Sales component of their business to their employees who had been running it anyway. By allowing them to take ownership in that part of their business freed Leann and Britt to concentrate in developing other areas of their business while bringing in additional revenue by renting out that part of their facility occupied by their new PC Repair and Sales tenants, a win, win, situation. The current economic situation provided the stimuli that took Computer ArenA in an entirely new direction. Why not diversify the business model to include educational services instead of just being a typical game center, repurposing their computer equipment for multiple services by offering a technology center for association meetings, Meet Ups, network gatherings? A facility offering private tutoring, public classes and summer camps for kids aged 10 – 17.

Leann and Britt are currently developing a curriculum for students 11-17 which will give them a head start towards a career in Game Design and Media Development with courses that will be offered at their facility as well as at local public and private schools. Their vision is to start up a youth pilot Game Design Pipeline Program designed to identify, mentor and nurture local students between 7 – 17 years of age with the intent in providing a constant pool of talented home grown game designers for the gaming and computer industry. A solid and productive way in which to develop future computer genius’s with a solid skills base that will easily carry them into future professional and/or business careers.

During the course of their first year in operations, bobbing and weaving in order to stay afloat during some of the hardest economic times in our nation’s history, Leann and Britt have managed to find ways to give back to the community. Their commitment to charitable causes and community involvement spawned numerous events including:

Pwning for a Cure – November 2008. Computer ArenA hosted a large New Game Sneak Preview for a local Game Development Company benefiting the Leukemia and Lymphoma foundation.

High Hope Community Development Corporation Hosted Back to School 2009 Event – Computer ArenA provided Remote Internet Access and technology services to a local charity for 1000 underprivileged kids to receive assistance with haircuts, dental work, medical assistance, auto check ups, groceries, financial assistance, gift cards, and book bags filled with back to school supplies. Also given away were two scholarships for 2 students to participate in their Game Design Summer Camp in 2009.

Donated 2 free parties at Computer ArenA for Country Club of Roswell’s Bert’s Big Adventure and Metro Atlanta Recovery Residences’ benefits.

Good Friend Mortgage was allowed to utilize Computer ArenA’s classroom for a free public event offering free credit score reviews for persons interested in taking advantage of the government’s first time home buyers $8,000 stimulus package. Additionally, Computer ArenA donated a free party as a door prize at the event.

In their first year alone, Computer ArenA donated over 30 free parties for high schools, middle schools, elementary schools and other organizations to help with their fund raising efforts.

ArenA, along with Mr. Jeff Roe of Forsyth County CIB, presented a Free Public Internet Safety Presentation providing awareness in how to protect children from online predators.

Computer ArenA participated in the National Night Out at Roswell City Hall, a program designed to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness and strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships. A free party raffle was also provided for their event.

In addition to participating in local charities, Computer Arena has allowed The Clay White Group to use their facility on multiple occasions as a therapeutic outing for socializing those afflicted with autism and asperger’s Disease.

Wounded and recovering vets from Iraq have benefited from Computer ArenA’s facility. Leann and Britt have allowed the use of their facility as a form of physical therapy for nerve muscle stimuli and exercise at their Wii gaming stations.

Free of charge, the US Marines have used Computer ArenA’s classroom to meet with new recruits.

Local military recruiters have used Computer ArenA’s Dance, Dance, Revolution (DDR) and gaming stations to help with new recruit’s coordination skills development prior to basic training.

Recently Leann and Britt changed the name of their facility from Computer ArenA to US Gaming ArenA. Leann and Britt and US Gaming ArenA has made such an impact in the local community the word has gotten out and today they are receiving inquiries from all across the nation into cloning or “Duplicating” their business model. I can see in the very near future US Gaming ArenA’s popping up everywhere, a welcomed new business opportunity that sprung up out of a down economy which will bring wholesome family entertainment and an advanced technology educational system to many US cities and neighborhoods.

As a retired Navy Senior Chief, I find that Leann and Britt continuously demonstrate their commitment to excellence by their “Can Do” attitude and forward thinking for even the smallest of details. If you are a first time visitor, what better way of being welcomed than receiving two full free hours of gaming experience. But here is the best part, my background has been in the world of advanced technology and within the RDT&E community, and I was pleased to learn of the many high tech security features that have been incorporated into their facility such as Fingerprint scanning to keep track of their customer accounts and any notes or details about that person, Smartlaunch which is a café management software application that allows the facility to use ESRB ratings to ensure kids only gain access to age appropriate games, as well as incorporating Deep Freeze to lock computer hard drives so that each time a new user logs into the system they have a clean, virus free environment, to operate on without fear of contamination from site visits or downloads that may have occurred from previous user’s activities.

State-of-the-Art technology, a feature rich, fun, comfortable and safe environment to be entertained by, educated and trained in, to hold meetings & classes, or simply just to hang out… there is no doubt, US Gaming ArenA is a Gem which is about to be unveiled for all America to see and a brilliant way in which to bring the family unit back together.

High Tech, High Touch… a New Era in Magazine Subscriptions

2009-08-23T17:21:00.000-07:00

Is it Web 2.0, 3.0 or 4.0… who knows, and to be honest, who cares. All that matters is that it is the coolest way to subscribe to magazines I have ever seen. A brilliant strategy all the way around from marketing, viewing, but most importantly consumer’s saving a huge chunk of their hard earned money.

What are we talking about? It is the latest and hottest service to come out of the virtual environment. Through the brilliant Imirus Digital Edition technology, a new paradigm shift in subscribing to magazines is launched. Thumbing through and reading articles in a magazine, then trying to find that great product you saw on page 151 by fumbling around the internet are a thing of the past. One-stop everything, anything… where articles can be read from your laptop, or desktop, as well as easy shopping conveniences only thought possible a couple of years ago, are here today. Plus, rather than spend an enormous subscription cost to a favorite magazine, why not pay a fraction of the cost for a “virtual” copy of the same magazine. OK, so you won’t be able to touch it, feel it, smell it and get black ink on your nose, but lets walk through a possible scenario;

It’s the exclusive special edition of Haute Living with articles including “When a PDA is Not Enough”, “The Inevitable Domination of Donny Deutsch”, “Marketing Fabulous” a story on Kimora Lee Simmons and her signature touch to a new partnership, etc., and all of a sudden on page 151 you see that gift your sweetheart was hinting to you for that very special upcoming birthday. Had you been holding the magazine in your hands, you would have had to find something to write with, and on… then copy the link shown on the page… then in the cloak of darkness you sneak away to your computer and fire it up hoping the sound is not to loud as it boots up. Then you have to get onto the internet, type in the link of the website and after getting that “Server not found” several times you get the link correct and the website page finally loads. The next 15 minutes, if you’re lucky, are spent searching for that special gift. Finally, you find the actual page and after ordering it and paying for it you are able to sneak back to bed… thinking you were such a smarty…

OK, it’s plausible right? Bet you know someone who has done that… or perhaps didn’t because it was “A Hassle!” Well what if… what if the following scenario was possible;

It’s the exclusive special edition of Haute Living with articles including… you know, the same as above… and all of a sudden on page 151 you see that gift your sweetheart was hinting to you for that very special upcoming birthday. I click on the page and it suddenly takes me right to the website… “wow this is really cool”, then I click on the item, it goes into the shopping cart, I pay for it and bam… it’s ordered. Wow – that was easy, knowing you are such a smarty!

Well this is not a dream or something that may happen in the future… Virtual Magazines are a reality. What has taken hours before can now be done in minutes. Not only that, magazines can cost a fraction compared to newsstand prices and if that isn’t enough, each issue can be downloaded and during that long flight you have your reading material right there on your laptop… How cool is that?

Forbes has become the very first magazine to launch this new technological era with Market America. Forbes is a bi-weekly magazine that includes 26 issues in a one-year subscription. The cover price in print is $4.99 per issue or $129.74 per year. Now on the ma Newsstand, through marketamerica.com, one can get all 26 issues in a cutting-edge digital format for only $19.99! This offer is at an unbelievable savings and is only available through marketamerica.com. But wait, something else has been happening along the same timeline… Market America has sweetened the pot. Not only will consumers receive subscription cost savings, but what about savings on products or services from those ads and/or cash back. Cash back? That’s correct! Market America is introducing their cash back program; a whopping 2% cash back for all products purchased off their portal. So what’s the catch? No catch, unless one would think in order to get cash back the company needs to know who the individual is. And how does that work? All the customer has to do is register as a Preferred Customer… a very simple process.

High Tech, High Touch… a New Era in Magazine Subscriptions is here… and oh how it is addictive, and fun.

Oh boy, here we go again... another one of those things

2009-07-10T17:13:00.001-07:00

Full time Real Estate agent, Sandy also worked as a cosmetologist in a salon. One day Sandy received a mistaken phone call and when she heard "a home based business" she thought, oh boy, here we go again... it's another one of those MLM things. But through her persistence and a single product which Sandy thought could be use in the salon, Sandy finally took a look at the business plan. As she explains to David, Sandy thought "...well I could do this, it just look so doable." With the smallest check one could earn being $300.00 Sandy thought wow, if I could only make that much a month for a car payment... the rest is history. Sandy talks about how she just didn't know how she could possibly put one more thing on her plate, but she brings it all home as to what it has led to, a duplicatable system by which anyone can simply follow, a perfected system with step-by-step instructions through the Legacy Builder's business building tools. So what does Sandy advise people who are looking? Do your due diligence... the more you look at different businesses and opportunities, the better we look. Sandy loves being around people of like mind.

Get the rest of Sandy’s story along with Holly Whaley’s who spent 25 years in organizational development, corporate communications and the music industry. Get the rest of the story: http://is.gd/1u3wk

Local Search and its Benefits to Your Business

2009-04-24T19:29:00.000-07:00

by Robin Dale

To a greater extent search engines and local services are being used by people in your hometown to find what they are looking for.

A deep research has shown that somewhere in neighborhood of 70% of households do some kinds of search for a local product or service on a daily basis.

That's the reason, why every local search is becoming more and more important to your advertising campaign and major search engines are rushing to become the next local search engine.

But, what is a Local Search and how can it be helpful to your Business? Let's get ahead to know more about it.

What is a Local Search?
For an example, lets assume Google, but most of the search engines have a parallel system to Google.

When you search for anything using a location in your keywords you will find Google will display a map at the top with links to 10 local results, then the usual organic results will be displayed.

In fact Google has made some changes to its algorithm recently so that when you search for anything Google will display local results fourth in the list. It does this by reading your IP address and detecting where you are based. The aim of this is to give people the most relevant results and helping them to find a local business.

How Local Search can be Beneficial to your Business
Well as you will already know it is really important to appear as high up in the search engine results as possible. As the local results are now appearing high up for the majority of searches you can get added benefits by submitting your site to the local results.

You also need to think about the fact that many people will want to deal with a local company. If you are nowhere for local results then you could miss out on valuable customers.

At this stage I do not think local search has the same power as the standard organic results. However as Google puts more importance on it so will searchers which will make it more and more important to be featured in the local results for your area.

How to Get Your Business Listed in a Local Search Engine
In order to get listed in the local search you will need to have an account set up with Google search engine. You will need to give them your postal address, telephone number, URL and a brief description. Once these details are verified it will probably take 24-38 hours for your site to be listed for your selected areas.

It should only take a few minutes to get everything set up once you have an account. When it is this easy it is absolutely vital that you use this service if you work locally and will be looking to get local businesses.

Some Important Tips for Local Businesses
If you are looking for customers that are based locally you should also consider placing your business in local directories. Probably the Yell is the UK's most important local search engine. The reason for this is that most people know and are aware of the Yellow Pages and so are happy to use it online.

As everyone uses the internet more and more you will find that more people will use the internet to find the service they need rather than any other type of medium.

Considering the reasons above it is absolutely vital that you consider local search. Getting listed in Local search engines is very much important for your business and without it you would be missing out on many opportunities.

About the Author: Robin Dale is the webmaster for the SEO|SEM|UK Web Hosting at www.teeky.org, offering useful & quality articles and news about Search Engine Optimization, Internet Marketing, Search engine marketing, Dedicated Hosting, hosting tips & UK Web Hosting.

The Web continues to increase in popularity, even during the downturn!

2009-04-22T16:31:00.000-07:00

According to the Opinion Research Corporation, "The Internet is fast becoming the retail outlet of choice for Americans". The firm's recent survey found that 36% of respondents reported the percentage of online purchases they made last year increased, and those respondents cited the following reasons:

25% said it's easier to locate items on the Web
19% said they found better discounts
14% said they upped their online purchasing because it saved them time
13% said online purchasing is more convenient

ORC's Linda Shea said, "...the dynamics of the online world are very different than they are in-store. The most successful online merchants are investing in tools and technologies that facilitate the shopper's entire purchasing experience..."

Business owners need solid and reliable online tools! Innovative e-commerce features, video embedding capabilities and customer reviews just to mention a few of the technologies needed which enhances a site visitor's experience and increases the business’ conversion rate! This is crucial! Why? The news from ORC gets even better! Twenty-two percent of the respondents said that, despite the economy, their online purchasing will increase again this year!

Linda Shea said it's "...clear that shoppers are increasingly turning to the Internet as the channel of choice when they do buy."

It's just more evidence that consumers are hopping online to find the products and services they're looking for-especially during the troubled economy! While brick-and-mortar numbers are down, online retail is looking up!

Grow Online B&C Enterprise & Growonlinenow.com

Salon Owners – How to Secure and Grow Your Business

2009-03-23T14:42:00.000-07:00

No matter who we talk to, everyone seems to know someone struggling in our current economic situation. Salon owners are no different... and in most cases not only are Salon owners concerned with keeping their doors open, their staff is concerned as well.

What if there was a way where not only the salon owner could guarantee success for themselves, but for everyone in the salon… and even create an economic incentive for stylists to remain with the salon? No one wants to loose their stylists, but we all know what happens when a successful salon owner looses a well liked and successful stylist… clients all too often follow their stylist and the salon owner looses not only a great stylist, but the loyal clients as well.

Well what if a salon owner never had to worry about that scenario ever again. And what if everyone could win with a system so easy to implement that it could easily cause a snowball effect in any geographical location? Two very successful business owners, a owner who devised this incredible idea and implemented it in his salon, and a corporate executive with the McDonalds Corporation for over 20 years, who leveraged from this new concept to help others share their success with Laura Laire, Director of Field Development and Training for Motives and Personal Care for Market America. Follow this Link to listen as Laura and her two guests explain just how simple it is and the possibilities. Everyone wins – Salon owners, their staff and their loyal clients and customers.

News on Resveratrol - 60 Minutes and Other Credible Resources

2009-01-26T11:17:00.000-08:00

In Morley Safer's 60 Minutes report, (video below) he reports on scientists who have found a substance in red wine that is slowing down the aging process in mice. Will it someday lengthen the lives of humans, too?

Research has been going on for some time now. Resveratrol is a natural antioxidant found in red wine. Resveravine^® is a natural extract from Vitis vinifera standardized to contain 20% oligostilbenes. Resveravine is 100 to 300 times more concentrated in trans-resveratrol than other products made from grape skin. It provides antioxidant protection of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles, promotes normal platelet activity, vasorelaxation and blood flow, all which support cardiovascular health. It has been shown to promote apoptosis (programmed cell death) in unhealthy cells. Another proposed mechanism of action involves the study of the SIRT-1 gene (also known at the longevity gene). Sirtuins, known as Silent Information Regulators (SIRs), are deacetylase enzymes identified in all living creatures. Sirtuin proteins are known to play an important role in keeping regions of chromosomes turned off. Sirtuin controls the enzyme that converts acetate, a source of calories, into acetyl-CoA, a key component of cellular respiration. In humans, there are seven different sirtuins, SIRT-1 to SIRT-7. SIRT-1 has been studied by scientist for its potential effect on human cell lifespan.

Resveratrol promotes normal activity of SIRT-1. Studies have shown that SIRT-1 activates a critical component of calorie restriction in mammals and promotes fat mobilization. The most recent study (Nature 2006) demonstrated that obese mice fed red wine extract (resveratrol) were in better health and lived longer than obese mice that were not fed the red wine extract. The resveratrol group, were more able to maintain heart health compared to mice that were not fed resveratrol. SIRT-1 activation also supports healthy mitochondrial function and supports energy expenditure. Resveratrol has also been shown to have phytoestrogen activity and may support optimal estradiol activity. Other studies have documented neuroprotective benefits associated with resveratrol supplementation.

Watch the video below and by all means learn more about this incredible "natural extract" providing incredible benefits. Scientific research coupled by an Isotonic delivery system, there really is no better combination on the market... clicking on this link, for additional scientific research and studies that have been conducted on Resveratrol as well as even more benefits from red wine and wild blueberry extracts that were not mentioned in the Morley Safer's report.

Watch CBS Videos Online

Triangulation, Cornerstone of Business Development and Organic SEO

2009-01-01T17:43:00.000-08:00

First let’s look at some definitions found in Wikipedia:

In trigonometry and geometry, Triangulation is the process of determining the location of a point by measuring angles to it from known points at either end of a fixed baseline, rather than measuring distances to the point directly. The point can then be fixed as the third point of a triangle with one known side and two known angles.

A Triangle is one of the basic shapes of geometry: a polygon with three corners or vertices and three sides or edges which are line segments. A triangle with vertices A, B, and C is denoted ABC. In Euclidean geometry any three non-collinear points determine a unique triangle and a unique plane (i.e. a two-dimensional Euclidean space).

A Pyramid is a building where the outer surfaces are triangular and converge at a point.

OK, so what do pyramids, triangles and triangulation have to do with business development and “Organic Search Optimization”? Strength, Relevancy and Duplication!

First we have to keep things simple… this is not a math class so it is not necessary to go into theory of math and geometry applications, just understand that the Triangle is a very powerful tool for computing and is rapidly becoming an extremely valuable asset when it comes to business and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) applications. The concept of Triangulation has recently become extremely important due to the dawning of a new era. We are becoming a society of networkers, and social networking is become the “In” thing which brings people together from all walks of life, backgrounds, ethnicity, and social standings. It is becoming a way for people across neighborhoods, cities, states and countries to be connected. Out with the old “Information Age”, and in with the new “Relationship Age” or what could be called the “Connected Revolution”.

Search Engine Optimization and Business Development is becoming more and more dependant on one’s ability to connect. Connect with customers, connect between businesses, connect between entrepreneurs… connectivity is endless. Ideas, products, information, introductions, all have been done through developed networks. And believe it or not, networking is not new… it has been around since the dawning of time. Traders between villages, townships, countries, even between continents used the art of networking. This was known as trading but nonetheless it was “The Art of Networking”. Because of the “Information Age”, networking became more efficient, effective and faster. Most importantly, networking has become popular as a result of the “Information Age” through “Social Networking Websites”.

As you know, Google has been pushing technology to the limit in almost anything web related, but they are certainly the leader in search engine optimization by which other search engine services look to. According to the University of California at Berkeley, “Google has one of the largest databases of Web pages, including many other types of web documents (blog posts, wiki pages, group discussion threads and document formats (e.g., PDFs, Word or Excel documents, PowerPoints). Despite the presence of all these formats, Google's popularity ranking often places worthwhile pages near the top of search results. Our web searching workshop reflects the fact that Google is currently the most used search engine.”

OK, so we have established some facts, now let’s put it all together… and that brings us right back to the term Triangulation. The figure shown is a representation of what I like to refer to as “The Art of Triangulation”, a simplistic way in which to show just how Search Engine Optimization or SEO can be organically developed. In order to get a business to #1 Ranking on the Internet, a business owner used to either spend a great deal of money, or a great deal of time optimizing their Website to gain relevancy of their site in order to reach that prime #1, page 1 real estate position. Relevancy equates to how relevant information on that site is when someone searches for a product, service or just plain information using certain “key” words or phrases in the search bar. Since Google is currently seen as the most widely used search engine, a new term has appeared such as “Google” something or even someone as in “Google me” or Google Bruce Swartz, and I will use the term “Google” for that purpose. Although Keywords and Meta tags are still important, they are not as important as they used to be; they are not the sole focus to reach that #1, Page 1 positioning.

There are many factors to reach #1, Page 1 positioning, but we will be focusing only on the most critical aspect which is relevancy. In order for a Website to be ranked higher in searches, there must be a high degree of relevancy of the site’s content to searches, and no longer is just the content of that website the only factor used in search engine’s algorithms. A Website needs to have relevancy with other Websites. For a period of time Websites could simply “Hyperlink” between other Website in order to be seen as having relevancy. Website administrators would contact administrators of other Websites having a common business interest either in content or some other logical business connection. Unfortunately it didn’t take long for the art of “swapping links” to become abused. SEO companies sprang up like flies, raising the cost of positioning. SEO companies began taking advantage of linking sites together having no logical relevancy between them making it more and more costly and difficult for legitimate companies to where small businesses were finding it harder to compete in their market or industry.

In the most simplistic of explanations, what Google did was redefine how these links can be made more relevant through “The Art of Triangulation”, the ability to establish and legitimize relevancy between resources, Websites, and industries having commonality and ties. Just like the connectivity found in the lines of a triangle and the natural strength found in pyramids, businesses are able to build strong associations among three or more connected points that strengthen Website legitimacy and relevancy, helping them to “organically” percolate up to that prime #1, Page 1 position. Will it guarantee you that #1 position? No, but it does level the playing field for those leveraging its application.

And this brings us to the term used earlier, the “Relationship Age”. I like keeping things as simple as possible so the best way for me to do that is by using a couple of easy to understand networking service types being used today.

There are Business Networking services as well as Social Networking services. Business’s industry and market will determine the network type but to be honest, any networking service will suffice so long as there are at least two which have a common relationship. Remember the Triangle and Pyramid explanation? Strength, Relevancy and Duplication are a direct derivative from the very nature of triangles and pyramids. If a business is not able to establish a common synergistic relationship with another business, social networking services are key resources in creating that relationship for needed relevancy. Information passed between the three resources in the “Art of Triangulation” figure must be relevant. In other words, not only must there be hyperlinks between them but content found in each of the three sites need to be relevant with each other.

Let’s use Larry, a small plumber in a large city with a tight budget. Larry has a service of course but he also carries a small inventory of parts along with sinks, faucets and other items. One of Larry’s business strategies is for his Website to gain better ranking on the Internet; he is looking for that #1, page 1 positioning when someone searches for a plumber. Below are paragraphs numbered 1, 2, & 3 representing three separate Websites and services.

1. Larry’s Website contains information about his company, frequently asked questions, tips and lists products he sells through his online shopping cart and ecommerce account. His Website also shares information between two other sites as described below.

2. Larry lives near a community that has its own Website or Portal such as PortalHood, similar to the service we have here in Brookhaven Fields, and the community’s Web Administrator asks Larry to provide information that is considered informational and educational to the community. Larry’s contribution gets placed onto the community’s site which has links back to his own Website. Larry’s Website also contains information detailing how he helps the BFCA community with content that provides educational material which helps homeowners do simple tasks themselves, an invaluable community service. As a result, a two-way link of relevant information is being passing between the BFCA Social Networking site and Larry’s Website. There is also a link to a third Website as described in the next leg in this triangular network.

3. Through Bruce, Larry learns about another service by which Larry could leverage off of in order to get more in-depth and detailed information about him personally and his company. This service allows Larry to write a very in-depth Bio about himself along with links back to his plumbing company as well as details pertaining to the BFCA’s community Website. Larry is also able to create simple bulletins (blogs) allowing him to share with readers specific details such as activities associated with his church. In one of Larry’s bulletins he talks about Christmas in April, a program where his church, once every year, identifies a family whose home is in need of repair. Larry’s bulletin describes how the church pulled together a team of volunteers to make the repairs and lists all the companies, including his, that supplied equipment, material, along with links back to each participating company’s website as well as naming all the volunteers supplying the labor.

This is a very simple case in how the “Art of Triangulation” can be implemented, and just how Larry’s Website is able to gain significant relevancy among the two associated sites. As a result, Larry gains a far better chance in reaching top ranking on the Internet over his competitors who are spending thousands annually on SEO. Does it happen overnight? No, but it does happen in time along with consistent updates which do not need to be elaborate. Little stuff, simple stuff is all it takes, but these little things add up by leveraging the “Art of Triangulation” which has become the cornerstone of Business Development and Organic SEO. Every business owner should look into some form of a Social Networking service, and by all means should seriously look into controlling their personal information by getting in the Q by Getting QAlias. Along with a Website that includes technology for submitting Websites to search engines, business owners can now take back full control of their marketing strategy. Smart SEO companies can provide an invaluable service to business owners by leveraging this same technology, and by greatly reducing costs and passing savings on to business owners, the “Art of Triangulation” is a win-win situation for everyone.

Small Business Websites are back in the news!

2008-12-24T11:53:00.000-08:00

Melanie Linder at ABC News recently wrote an article describing some key tips for small business Websites. First, she touched on why a professional, high-quality site is so important for today's small enterprises. "...entrepreneurs can't just build Websites these days-they have to build great ones that truly snag viewers and turn them into paying customers," she wrote.

Linder interviewed SEO expert Rand Fishkin, who echoed the importance of a well-designed site, "For many businesses, a Website is the first way that your clientele will look at you--even if it's just to find your address and phone number...The quality of your site is often a measure of the quality of your business."

"Indeed, having a well-oiled site could be the difference between surviving the current recession and succumbing to it," Linder wrote, citing one manufacturing company that gave its site an overhaul, including the creation of a catalog with images, descriptions and a search function. The result of the manufacturing site overhaul? Linder wrote that the company "has thrived, thanks in great part to the 20,000 potential customers who surf the catalog every month."

But as you undoubtedly know by now, consumers expect more from business Websites than ever before. "Having a Website isn't just about letting people know you're out there; it's also about establishing credibility," Linder writes. She advises business owners to use their site to provide information about the company and its leaders. She also suggests using testimonials to solidify company credibility. This phrase might ring a bell, too: "The most gorgeous, easily navigated site in the world won't do much good if no one can find it."

Melanie Linder hits the very hot buttons that any serious small business owner has. So why are many small business owners either unhappy with their current Web solution, or going without a Website altogether, especially if they know how critical it is for both credibility and in their competitiveness? The answer mainly is costs normally associated with conventional Web development. Small business owners are struggling just to make it during these gloomy economic times and developing a Website, or getting a face lift, just isn’t in their budget – especially when developers turn business owners away if they have less than a $5,000 budget. Often business owners turn to someone they know to put up a cheap Website… and they always get what they pay for don’t they? On a frustration scale of 1–10, where 10 is the highest… average business owners are so frustrated they easily blow the top right off the scale.

So if there is only a small budget to begin with, or no budget at all, where do these small business owners turn if their only choices are cheap template type of sites, home made sites from those who enjoy dabbling in Web development, or expensive Web developers? Well how about with a company having solutions that has been “The Best Kept Secret”… a company that has targeted that niche in the market that lies in-between the “cheap” and the “expensive”? Now when I say expensive, it’s always relative to what a business can afford but what if… what if a business owner was able to sit with an expert, evaluate a fully integrated “Online Business Solution System” which includes fully functional “Turn-Key” Websites, custom designed for and in their industry, and is then allowed to literally kick the tires, make changes, add pictures, create pages, and get all their questions asked without ever having to spend a single penny? Would that be of value to them? And then what if they had determined that this total “Online Business Solution System” was the perfect solution for their businesses, not only just meeting their needs but exceeding their wildest expectations? And what if after evaluating this technology the business owner realizes they could have everything in a single package, normally costing tens of thousands of dollars from conventional Web developers, for a fraction of the cost from a company such as B&C Enterprise and GrowOnlineNow.com? Would that be of value to their business? I had one business owner literally ask “Can’t you make this any simpler?” What a great tribute to this solution and our technology!

Forward thinking companies having developed inexpensive and unsurpassed solutions for businesses, industries or customers become future leaders in their industry… and that is precisely what GrowOnlineNow.com and our partners are accomplishing. Through innovative and advanced technology, hundreds of thousands of satisfied business owners of Small- and Mid-size businesses have taken back ownership of their online strategic marketing. Rather than having to rely on costly Web administrators to make changes and updates, owners have saved thousands annually, allowing them to put additional resources to work in their company.

Our successful and popular “Online Business Solution Systems” have accomplished what conventional Web developers have only been able to dream of… the ability to duplicate highly efficient, fully integrated, “Turn-Key” Websites in any industry. Even smart Web developers looking to bring more affordable solutions to Small- and Mid-size businesses are beginning to leverage our technology. Just like Henry Ford created the affordable vehicle for people, GrowOnlineNow.com and our WebCenter partners have created the affordable Internet vehicle for business owners.

Without the fear of costly development, consultation fees, or the spending of any money to evaluate a completely developed “Online Business Solution System, what “serious” business owner wouldn’t take advantage in evaluating this technology and getting all their questions answered in order to ensure it is of value to them and their business?

And with our “Personal Relationship Building” approach, we have literally blown all conventional Web developers out of competition. We’re making it easy for any company to grow and thrive. Well-designed, credible, offering endless exposure to new markets... it is everything a business owner needs! After all, like Linder put it, how many businesses would benefit from exposure to 20,000 potential customers every month? That is what we are able to provide… great exposure, great solutions, great relationships, and great opportunities unlike anything ever seen. We are helping small businesses get back into the news… not news of their closing… rather news of their thriving.

Internet Marketing Company joins Jenny McCarthy, Jim Carrey, Dustin Hoffman, Anthony Edwards and others in fight to help children with Autism.

2008-11-16T12:59:00.000-08:00

GREENSBORO, N.C. (June 4, 2008) — Market America announced today that it is in the development and testing stages of a new line of nutraceutical products that will support the health of children with Autism and related neurodevelopmental challenges. Specialized laboratory testing often demonstrates sub-optimal levels of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and fatty acids in people with Autism, which can be addressed with nutritional supplements. Despite these findings, Market America found in its research that parents and health professionals alike are frustrated with the limited nutritional products available in the marketplace.

Nutritional supplementation has also been addressed by parents of children with Autism, including actors Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey. In a recent article McCarthy and Carrey authored on cnn.com, they state that one of the factors believed to have helped their son recover was vitamin supplementation, along with a gluten and caffeine free diet, detox of metals, and anti-fungals for yeast overgrowth that plagued his intestines. To read the article click on the following link: cnn.com.

Market America's announcement follows a conference held with prominent doctors who specialize in areas related to Autism at Market America's Greensboro headquarters. The doctors in attendance were Dr. Emi Hosada; an Internist in Washington State, Dr. Jim Sensenig; prominent naturopathic physician and founding president of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians, Dr. Susan Beltz; a neuroscientist and clinical scientist and founder of the Mont Black Academy in Hook Set, NH which specializes in educating and treating children with ADHD, Metabolic Disorders and Learning Disabilities, and Dr. Anne Hines; a family and Defeat Autism Now (DAN) physician in Winston-Salem, NC.

Market America is working in conjunction with these doctors to develop a regimen of nutraceutical products that will promote a high quality of life for those living with Autism. "It is simply mind-blowing and disheartening when you read the statistics about children afflicted with Autism," said Marty Weissman, executive vice president of Market America. "One out of every 150 children is diagnosed with Autism and 67 new children are diagnosed per day. As a company founded on science based products, it is time that we use our expertise to support the health of these children."

The conference was held to identify areas that are lacking in Autism therapy and how Market America could develop products that meet the special needs of these children. "The consensus among the panel of experts was that children with Autism need nutritional supplementation that is complete and easy to take," Said Dr. Julian Blumenfeld, Chief Medical Officer at Market America. "Current products on the market are not complete and do not enhance patient compliance. With our advanced Isotonix® delivery system we can offer nutritional supplementation designed for children that is easy to taste and tolerate. Enhancing compliance is critical for the efficacy of children's supplementation and will make the parents lives so much easier."

As a result of their effort, MA came out with 3 Isotonix® deliverable products, Might-A-Mins® Spectrum Isotonix® MultiVitamins, Might-A-Mins® Spectrum Isotonix® OPC-3, and Might-A-Mins® Spectrum Isotonix® Digestive Enzymes. Below is a testimonial I received on Lane, it was worth passing it on.

Many testimonials from around the country circulate through our network...THIS IS ONE THAT NEEDED TO BE SHARED...

Lane is 5 years old. His issues before were the following: - very little eye contact, anti-social, reactive to loud noises, sensitive skin, multiple nervous tics such as grunting and squinting, fussy eater, angry, focused on spinning such as fans, tires, wheels on toy cars etc, could not remember where he sat in class every day since starting in school. He was diagnosed with Aspergers Disease, on the Autism Spectrum. Now he is very alert, good eye contact about 90 percent of the time, smiles and laughs, constantly carrying on an interactive conversation. Does not appear to have the skin sensitivity but is still timid around loud noises but at least does not break down and cry when it happens. Much better appetite. Having an issue with bed wetting but this is being addressed by having him go to the bathroom immediately before going to bed. He was a little too energetic so we backed off to half dosage on the Spectrum Mightamins because he had too much energy. One thing we did notice is that he was no longer tired when he came home from school/kindergarten since prior he would always want to take a nap as soon he got home. Lane’s therapist has also noticed a difference.

Our new Spectrum line targeted toward children that fall in the range of Autism, Asperperger's Syndrome, ADD-ADHD range has been developed by a group of health professionals (including DAN physicians) and our medical and scientific research team. I am passing on the following testimonial from Skip in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area. I was fortunate enough to speak with Skip earlier this morning regarding the results they have had with their grandson, Lane. Skip is using all 3 of the Spectrum products; Spectrum Multi, Spectrum OPC, and Spectrum Digestive Enzymes with great success. The combination Skip is using: (1) Multi, (1) D.E. and (2) OPC. As the testimony indicates, the results have been monumental. Skip mentioned that they had started Lane with (2) caps of Spectrum Multi, but reduced it to a single cap because of the high energy level Lane had. A couple of comments in particular that Skip stressed... typical of kids with the Autism, Asperger's issues is how taxing the school environment is for them. Very, very tired upon coming home from school; needing to sleep. Lane no longer has a need to sleep when coming home from school. As noted, a great difference in concentration, etc. Overall, just an amazing transformation for Lane and his family. I should note that I have also learned of other similar results from a pediatrician in Iowa. Of course, this is very exciting. Hope we can share this with many others and see the same types of results. Many thanks to Skip and others who pass on this helpful information.

Cases of Autism have been on the rise in recent years and even though there has yet been full medical evidence as to what causes Autism, with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) finding that 1 out of every 150 children suffers from Autism, making it more common than childhood cancer, diabetes and AIDS combined, there is a rising concern as to what can be done to recover from this horrendous condition. It is important for parents to learn as much as possible, knowledge is power. CNN’s Larry King discussed this condition with Jenny McCarthy and a panel of doctors. Jenny McCarthy was also interviewed by CNN on her son Evan’s recovery from Autism.

I have the contact information for Skip and Charlotte if anyone is interested in talking with them... they love to share information about what the Spectrum line is doing for their grandson and what we believe can do for all children. Simply contact me and I will be happy to make the introduction so you can speak to them directly. To contact Skip & Charlotte, email Bruce Swartz.

Findings are also becoming available on heavy metal toxicity as a contributor to the onset of Autism in children. Listen here for information which may of use for anyone you may know having a child suffering from Autism. More detailed conference calls from practitioners, scientists with case studies can be found by clicking here.

Jobless Rate Bolts to 14-Year High of 6.5 Percent – How to Protect Ourselves

2008-11-07T18:37:00.000-08:00

On Friday, November 07, 2008, MoneyNews.com reported on the Labor Department’s unemployment picture claiming “…crucial jobs market deteriorating at an alarmingly rapid pace.” With government releasing news that the unemployment rate hit a 14-year high of 6.5% as the result of another 240,000 lost jobs, how can anyone be sure their job will be spared? So far this year, over 1.2 million jobs have been lost. “Job losses were widespread. Factories cut 90,000 jobs, construction companies got rid of 49,000 jobs, retailers cut payrolls by 38,000, professional and business services reduced employment by 45,000, financial activities cut 24,000 jobs, and leisure and hospitality axed 16,000 positions.” The report went on to say “It was stark proof the economy is almost certainly in a recession.”

If this is the case, are there any known companies having a proven track record of stability during a recession? Are there any industries showing less vulnerable than others? The answer for both questions is few. And even if someone could identify a company and or industry having a proven track record in safeguarding or insulating itself against a downsized market, what are the odds the competition wouldn’t be so staggering making it virtually impossible in landing that job; and what about the pay? What are the odds the pay will be better or even the same as with the previous employer… not good! Because so many people are vying for that position, the employer is able to keep the pay scale lower than during a prospering economy. Remember, business owners want to remain in business just as much as the job seeker wants employment… they must keep their overhead and cost to a minimum.

There really are companies that do have proven track records for being successful, even in a down economy. But it can be hard to see the forest for the trees. I am already beginning to receive an onslaught of emails with all sorts of businesses and schemes containing wild claims. Its times like these that we must be alert, knowledgeable and well informed on what’s real, what’s fake; what’s plausible, what’s implausible. The consumer must arm themselves with solid facts that are not merely quantifiable, but statistically proven in order to make an informed decision… after all – it is our future that is at stake. But how and where can we get quality information? By doing our own investigation! My career has been spent in the field of research and analysis, and without going into great detail of how I came to be where I am today, suffice it to say I researched a company for two years because I needed a back up plan that I could rely on. A company that I not only became proud of, but a company that responded to my need in a back up plan, providing security in direct proportion to the efforts I put in. A company where there is no competition in order to secure financial security.

With that said, I uploaded a podcast recording for those individuals sincerely concerned in what their future has in store for them. I cannot think of anyone I personally know who cannot relate to any of these three individuals, all whom come from average background, education, and/or success. This is the most secure and safest way for anyone to begin their investigation into a company that has proved itself since opening their doors in 1992. A company that has successfully been through many trials and tribulations of economic ups and downs which few companies can claim; a company that has never experienced a single negative quarter of growth since the day their doors were opened. A company that, even though are not publicly traded, publishes an annual report which is exactly what any smart business person needs in their decision making process.

We are all about educating and empowering individuals; knowledge from our educational resources in making informed decisions to tools for leveraging in order to create successful and profitable businesses. Stability, flexibility, agility are the keys to success in our UnFranchise® System and business model.

2008 Holiday Shoppers Prefer Web to In-Store Shopping

2008-10-24T11:15:00.000-07:00

The E-Tailing Group's latest consumer survey reveals that the Web is definitely the preferred shopping channel for multi-channel shoppers. While only 44% said they'd be shopping in brick-and-mortar stores, 49% of respondents said they intend to shop online during the holiday season. Those online shoppers had a variety of reasons for choosing the Web over stores:

• 88% said they'd shop online to save time.
• 84% would use the Web to seek out hard-to-find products.
• 83% wanted to access a larger selection using the Web.
• 83% planned to shop online to avoid crowded malls.
• 80% said they'd shop online to save money.

We've said it before- now is the time for these businesses to prepare for the holiday season. It's clear that a vast number of shoppers are going to opt in purchase their holiday gifts online this year. Do you know business owners who are not prepared, who are not where they need to be? It is definitely not too late. Help us help them by not letting these valuable customers slip through their fingers… to their competitors! I know of no other company capable of providing a faster

Turn-Key, Fully Integrated, Online Business Solution System

at a fraction of the cost of traditional Web Developers. And, if that isn’t enough of an incentive, what if the business owners were given the opportunity to see, touch and feel an entire site, suited to their industry, even before purchasing? Getting hands-on and able to see how it could be of benefit and value to a business owner is a “Dream Come True”. No up-front money to see if it will work, simply evaluating and if the solution works for them they are online within hours, not weeks or months… plenty of time to meet the holiday rush.

Have them contact us and Request a Free Online Business Solution System Evaluation

The Seed of Growth for a Successful Business

2008-10-15T17:35:00.000-07:00

Never before in the history of business have small- and mid-size businesses ever faced such challenges and uncertainty as they find in today’s daunting economic instability. Cash flow is down, credit has tightened up, productivity is uncertain, putting an uneasy light on the future of many business owners. For the first time many of these owners wonder how they are going to compete with companies having excess capital to sustain them… how do they better market themselves while keeping their own costs down… how will they grow their business? What is that magic seed that will help them grow their business?

Up till now many business owners were complacent… never seriously thinking about, or looking into a marketing strategy… they were happy by simply “getting by”. Many business owners thought about having an online presence in order to increase their market share, but it was just too expensive and too daunting – they just didn’t know who to turn to for advice. And some business owners relied on friends, family members, or anyone dabbling with Web sites to provide assistance because that is all they could afford. But now the tide has turned and their simple little Web site could become an embarrassment, or even worse, a deterrent. Potential customers who themselves have been hit by the economy will in no way give that business having an unprofessional site a second look. Instead, that potential customer is heading off to their competitor’s professional looking Web site because it easy to navigate, convenient to purchase from, and has the look and feel of a professional business. Now more than ever it is no longer a question of being able to “get by”, it has turned into the question – “will I sink or swim!” And what about those businesses that don’t have a Web site… their future is even bleaker!

Our focus at B&C Enterprise and GrowOnlineNow.com is to “identify” businesses urgently needing to create or refocus their marketing strategy. Business owners are no longer simply interested in whether or not they can ride out current uncertain economic storms, but are focusing on ways to excel… their future is on the line. As a result, business owners are yearning for, and in search of, someone to come in and provide guidance, solutions, opportunities and who will not take them for all they have; a silent partner, if you will, that can and will help them to build or in rebuilding their reputation, marketing strategy, or both.

It all begins by having a rock-solid Online Business Solution System and we’re not talking about a simple Web site, rather a robust and powerful online presence that will impel them forward in the market place and at a fraction of the cost from traditional developers. But I am getting ahead of myself... forget the cost – what is the importance of a great price or deal if the solution is not the right solution? Having an inexpensive Web site means nothing if the solution has no value, does not meet or exceed the business needs or requirements? Nothing is more important to a business owner than identifying whether or not the solution is “the” right fit for them, and of “value” to their business. It must meet all the business owner’s needs… it must be of value!

So, how can B&C Enterprise and GrowOnlineNow.com help? By letting business owners take the lead for a change; for the very first time in history there is a company that has literally turned Web Development on its head by letting the business owner tell us what is important, and by letting them be in the driver seat. Even more important, business owners need to have the ability to actually kick the tires even before getting into that driver’s seat. Where has that ever happened before? The business owner, along with all the decision makers, are provided with full functional walk through of online “industry specific” solutions in order to evaluate the technology, identify their requirements, and even engage in defining the price structure for this multi-million dollar online business solution suite, specifically designed to give control to the business owner with the largest leveraging tool ever created for their specific needs. An asset or an investment, rather than an expense or a liability, having a value unparallel in the Web development industry.

There has never been a time in history of Web development where business owners have been allowed such power in controlling their own online presence. Help those business owners who you believe could be struggling. Introduce them to GrowOnlineNow.com and let’s turn their business around. There has never been a company seeking our solution that we have not been able to help… you can let them know that we stand by our motto, “We earn your trust first… before we earn your business!” We are that “Seed of Growth” for a successful business marketing strategy by which all small- and mid-size businesses can grow a successful and prosperous future.

Using Web 3.0 Technology… A Brilliant Marketing Strategy!

2008-09-20T10:47:00.001-07:00

Think about it… today when we see an item we like in a magazine or a catalog what do we have to do? Either go to the store or get on the computer to purchase it correct? How convenient is it to drive around town, wasting all that gas just to find the item we saw, especially with today’s high gas prices? Yes, we can go onto our computer and Google to find it, or go “online” to their virtual store rather than drive to that store. And when you purchase that product or service, just how many steps did it take… how long did it take us from the time we saw that item until we made the final purchase? What if there was a better way, a more convenient way? Would that be of value to the consumer?

Ever hear of the term or wonder what this thing they call Web 2.0 or Web 3.0? Some may think of it as a new software package… I know I did. Well Web 2.0 is nothing more than a term describing changing trends in the use of the World Wide Web technology aimed in enhancing creativity, information sharing, collaboration and functionality of the web. Web 2.0 concepts have led to the development and evolution of web-based communities and hosted services, such as social-networking sites, video sharing sites, wikis, blogs, and folksonomies. The term became notable after the first O'Reilly Media Web 2.0 conference in 2004. Although the term suggests a new version of the World Wide Web, it does not refer to an update to any technical specifications (software), but to changes in the ways software developers and end-users utilize the Web. According to Tim O'Reilly, “Web 2.0 is the business revolution in the computer industry caused by the move to the Internet as platform, and an attempt to understand the rules for success on that new platform.” (More on Web 2.0 can be found in Wikipedia)

So what about Web 3.0? It is the additional “Transformation” of technology. Web 3.0 has been described as the "executable web". One can look at it this way, Web 1.0 was "read-only", Web 2.0 is "read-write", and Web 3.0 will be "read-write-execute". Will be? The "executable web" can morph online applications into Omni Functional Platforms that deliver a single interface rather than multiple nodes of functionality. This brings me back to my first question “… what do we have to do?” Go to the store or shop online?

Well, the “will be” is now past tense. It “is” now a reality. Recently, Market America (MA) launched maNewstand, an “online” virtual newsstand featuring magazines, catalogs and books for viewing/reading and downloading. This is leading edge technology and a hint of the future of internet access into a world of instant availability to anything anyone wants. This is the future today connecting people with products through interactive advertising. Welcome to the greatest example of Web 3.0 yet to appear, but what makes this such a great breakthrough and how will it help the consumer?

Let’s look back to the beginning… imagine if you will finding that something in a magazine or catalog which I am interested in… but instead of finding the item in an actual magazine that I can physically hold, I am able to see it in the very same magazine only on my computer… appearing exactly like the real thing. I see the item which I am in the market for but instead of having to drive around town or searching for it on the Internet I can simply click on the item, located on page 6, which automatically takes me directly to where I can purchase the item. Within seconds rather than potentially hours, if not days, I am able to either purchase the item right there, or at the very least get additional information on that product.

But wait… there’s more… what if when I clicked on that item it directs me to a page where I can compare companies selling the same product? That is where MA is heading, and in the very near future, for Google and MA partnered to do just exactly that... MA knows that when companies compete with each other for your purchasing power, the consumer wins. But for now, thanks to MA, Google and Web 3.0, what "will be" has become "what is"; and consumers can today enjoy the reality and take full advantage of the internet and the power of this technology. To see exactly how this new technology is put to practice visit maNewstand in Your Home Mall today. And just to tease you a little bit more, what if you no longer had to search for daily deals from company’s holding special blow-out and hot deals. Each month, each week, each day, companies conduct “Discount” and “Clearance” sales… but instead of you wasting your time searching for them, we bring them to you, the consumer. Visit Hot Deals in Your Home Mall to see what’s hot today… and every day.

Bruce & Cheryl Swartz
B&C Enterprise
www.inyourhomemall.com

Brookhaven Fields Civic Association (BFCA) - A Tribute to Real American Patriots

2008-08-29T19:21:00.000-07:00

Brookhaven Fields Civic Association (BFCA) - A Tribute to Real American Patriots

Diversification, Longevity, and Stability – in the Health Industry?

2008-08-04T19:47:00.000-07:00

For those who don’t know us, Cheryl and I have this deep passion for helping people. Whether entrepreneurs like us, business owners, professionals, or folks interested in additional family income. We have been there helping people in one form or another for over 30 years... but our greatest success in helping people came in 2000 when we partnered with a dynamic and very forward thinking product brokerage and Internet marketing company. Business can be tricky, defiant, heartbreaking, and difficult if not darn-right impossible… especially if someone has never been in business before. Why do you think so many new businesses fail? And on the flip side, ever wonder why franchises have been so successful, and why there are so many? One word – systemization. But in order for us to be successful helping people with business development, we had to have a system that included some very important and key elements such as Diversification, Consistency, Stability, Longevity, and most importantly, must be Duplicate-able; all key components and strengths of our business and our business development system.

Diversification: the ability for us to allow individuals to successfully develop various areas of business or professions
Consistency: the ability to always maintain repeatable results congruent to one’s effort with minimal or no variation to their outcome
Stability: With Consistency comes Stability, the ability to maintain a steady and reliable outcome of one’s effort in developing a profession, business and/or market
Longevity: The ability to build permanence in a business to endure for a lifetime, or for generations to come. To build a family legacy if that is the goal
Duplicate-able: The ability to duplicate the success of others through a “system of systems”, something which I have never seen before in any industry.

Since 2000, Cheryl and I have been plugging people into a system that delivers unparallel educational resources and “growth building” business solutions for industries, markets, professions, and yes even individuals looking for a change. How? By leveraging off of a company that has become the leader in 1-to-1 marketing and business development.

Ever know anyone who seems to bounce from one opportunity to another? Never settling down? Always looking for that big break to make their fortune? And how many times has that buddy Bob approached his friends with his “Great Opportunity”? “Bruce, this is the greatest opportunity I have ever seen. It’s going to be fantastic. We’ll make millions. I’ve gotten in on the ground floor.” The challenge is not that it won’t work, but how does Bob know that it will? Sounds great to Bob, but what proof does he have? How credible is the company which unfortunately may reflect negatively on his credibility if it fails. Where’s the data? And even if it is successful, how long will this “Great Opportunity” last? What are the risks? Then, if and when it fails or disappears, what happens next? Bob has to go out and find another “Great Opportunity.”

What if? What if there was a company that actually took the risks out of the above scenario, and to be honest the above scenario occurs weekly if not daily. I can’t tell you how often I’m bombarded with another “Great Opportunity” or Deal coming into my in-box. But what if there was a way to actually evaluate whether or not a new “Opportunity” was valid or real? What if there was a company that is capable of providing the security of knowing that should a trend or “Opportunity” no longer be of value to the consumer, that our friend Bob is not left out in the cold having to look for another “Great Opportunity?” And what if there was... would Bob be in a position to grasp the concept and take advantage? Would he be “open-minded?”

Well there is a company that does all that and it is called Market America or MA for short. As a Product Brokerage and Internet Marketing company, MA identifies Billion Dollar Markets and brings those markets to the consumer through their business partners. Their success story in the Direct Marketing industry is phenomenal. With over 60 continuous quarters of growth since they first opened their doors in 1992, MA has created a business environment and model with the precise “strengths” as discussed above.

So what is the importance of that one might ask? Well for one, MA takes out all the concerns, all the uncertainties, all the risks with rock-solid answers and solutions. The “What Ifs” are now the “What Is”. And one of the biggest Billion Dollar Markets, or in this case industry, is in Health & Wellness. We hear everyday how our healthcare is under attack. Will it be there tomorrow? Will we be able to afford it? And even more importantly will it or could it become nationalized. I for one hope it will never come to that for if you look to Great Britain and Canada you will find people lining up for help at clinics and hospitals and becoming fed up with how they are being treated by Nationalized Health. My Mother-in-Law is from England, and the horror stories we get first hand is never reported in our news media.

Where does this all lead? Well since the Health & Wellness industry is a Billion Dollar industry, and being it has been reported that by 2012 it will have become a Trillion Dollar industry, MA along with health professionals and doctors have for the past 5 years been implementing a wellness solution that is spreading all across our nation. It gives me great pleasure in introducing to you another MA success story, nutraMetrix™, the most powerful resource and business solution any health practitioner could have in his or hers practice. Developed by and for doctors and health practitioners, the nutraMetrix™ System has had incredible success. There is a successful track record, there is documented data, there is unquestionable credibility, but even more important, there are critical factors built in which were mentioned above – a duplicate-able system with consistency, stability, longevity with a system that provides an additional level of security – diversification. A way in which any individual, with a desire and passion for helping others, can leverage powerful technologies and advanced systems among systems, forever becoming a component within an endless stream of “New Opportunities” without risking alienating friends, families, and/or neighbors.

For more information about the nutraMetrix™ System, click on the link below to hear from health professionals and practitioners as they provide details on nutraMetrix™ - A Fast Growing Solution that is Making History! A way which anyone can create Diversification, Longevity, and Stability within the Health Industry!

What type of Opportunities are People Looking For?

2008-04-23T18:02:00.000-07:00

In today's economic and environmental uncertainty, people are stressed over their future. You hear it in the news each and every day. What happens when the price of gas reaches that tipping point to where families can no longer afford their summer trip or worse the company they work for is impacted directly, or indirectly, from gas prices and faced with having to cut hours or even worse, jobs? And honestly, what industry is not affected by these new economic challenges? Where can people turn to get an infusion of cash without spending an additional 8 hours working a second job? Or a 3rd job… Does one have to find a belittling job to make extra cash? And what if that threat of loosing a job becomes a reality? What back-up plan do they have to replace that income? But even scarier, can that back-up plan even work… how does one find the truth? Can one really believe the pitch made by the business, the head hunter or even the recruiter? Is there risk… what is that risk?

There are so many different companies offering "Great Opportunities", looking for people who are stressed and need to add extra income to help them get by, or to help the business owner which already has more than they can handle with their hectic schedule. Here is the challenge… just how many of those business opportunities focus in only one area or market? Most if not all, and even if that company is strong today, how vulnerable is their market or industry to the impact of an uncertain economy, gas prices, or even the marketplace itself? Will their product or service go out of favor with the buying consumer or will the same consumer continuously purchase from that company over the long term? Is their product or service consumable? Does that great opportunity actually have a proven success record? What is their profit margin… do they have a profit margin or does the opportunity rely solely on individual's ability to get as many people as possible to sign up into some sort of program in order to make money rather than an actual business model that moves products or services to the end consumer?

It simply amazes me just how many different opportunities I look at on a monthly basis. My email box receives hundreds of these opportunities each month. Like so many successful entrepreneurs, I keep my eyes and mind open. To be successful in any venture, one must be able to evaluate every suggestion, every submission, every introduction no matter how painful if for no other reason than to make an intelligent comparison between companies, organizations, opportunities, etc.

Like many I too bounced around between a few "Great Opportunities" in my earlier years only to be disappointed. This was necessary for me because I was learning! By accident however I identified a company in 2000 that had the most profoundly different business model I had ever seen. My background is in research and analysis and after 2 years of researching this company I came to the conclusion that it will be a very long time before another company has the capability, or the genius, in developing a business model having a foundation with the stability and resourcefulness as that found with an UnFranchise®.

How many malls have you ever visited in your life? Think about the owner(s) of your favorite mall… now think of the financial security from owning that mall. Yes, it will be dependent upon its location, but if it is in a good location the stores within that mall will be successful… or will they? Does the owner of the mall have any monetary interest with any of the stores in that mall? Probably not however the owner of the mall gets paid nonetheless. What is the financial impact to the mall owner if a store fails in that mall? Not nearly as much as that of the store owner does it.

If you take that concept of owning a mall or a group of malls into a virtual environment where one owns 1 or more malls with profits being generated as a result of customers purchasing from those malls and/or distribution channels that would be a pretty good concept would you not agree? Well that concept has been a reality for a few years now, and the company responsible has surpassed the one company which used to have the most skews on the internet, Amazon.com. With over 36 million products and services available to over 3 million of their preferred customers, companies are beginning to compete on their sites for those customers. This is a huge advantage for consumers and business owners alike; and for the very first time in history it is a huge opportunity for individuals who wish to leverage off high tech resources, a verified marketing strategy, and an ingenious and proven business model. Since opening their doors in 1992, this company, Market America, has had continuous quarters of growth. A record rare if even matched in today's economic uncertainty.

It is no longer a matter of whether or not one can succeed in business, it is a matter of which industry one wishes to succeed in. With over 13 vertical markets to build from, anyone can investigate, evaluate and if they wish, customize a rock solid business and never have to worry if the economy is going to have an adverse effect on their ability to increase their bottom line or establish a reliable and resolute back-up plan.

This is the new era in product brokering based upon One-to-One Marketing & Mass Customization. Simply the most powerful marketing company to have ever been developed with profit margins ranging anywhere from 30% to well over 100% depending on the industry of choice to major in… people owe it to themselves to get more information and see how successful businesses are developed adding value to their lives, their business, and more importantly in securing their family's future. Financial security comes in the form of diversification; the ability to be agile yet secure at the same time. So what is it that people you know really looking for and where will they go to find it?

SMBs Still Not Leveraging the Internet

2008-03-26T09:42:00.000-07:00

Netflare, a marketing strategy firm in the UK, recently completed a survey of small businesses in multiple sectors. The results show that small businesses (SMBs) still aren’t leveraging the Internet as a convenient way to simultaneously increase revenue and decrease spending.

In some cases, the businesses had a Web site, but didn’t keep it up-to-date! In fact, 23% of the small business Web sites in the survey hadn’t been updated since their launch, meaning much of the content was obsolete or inaccurate. The average age of a Web site was 4 years—that’s a lot of time for a business to change inventory, focus and pricing!

The survey also found that only 8% of respondents had e-commerce technology on their Web sites. Here’s what Netflare’s Jon Beal had to say about those results:

“We were completely staggered by the tiny percentage of small business owners who were actively using their Web sites to generate sales.”

A majority of the small business owners indicated they wanted to use their Web site to increase sales. Beal said, “It is beyond comprehension that small business owners are ignoring one of the fastest growing sales opportunities there has ever been…the fact that small businesses are neglecting this huge and growing marketplace is astonishing.”

So what’s keeping businesses from doing more with their sites? “It seems that once small business owners have a Web site, they do not really know what to do with it so they ignore it,” Beal said.

On a different Note:
According to research by Harris Interactive and eMarketer, people aged 13-21 have a growing impact on purchasing decisions in their parents’ households!

As a matter of fact, teens as young as age 14 said they have debit cards or were using their parents’ credit cards to make online purchases. Kids said they had particular influence in business categories such as travel, clothing, movies/video games and books.

Find the solution:
So the questions must be asked,

“Is my business or market in any of these business categories?” or, “Is my business in other categories that would appeal to this demographic?”
“Am I able to keep my web site up-to-date, do I know how? or “Who do I turn to, who can I trust to be honest with me without having their hand out for my money?”
Am I accepting online orders?

These are only a couple of the many questions which must be answered if a business owner is to have a successful and profitable online business. The business’ web site must have a fully “dynamic” e-commerce solution to keep up with their competition, it must be a solution they have full control over, and it must be affordable!

There are Online Business Solution System resources assisting business owners in identifying Internet leveraging solutions in order to take advantage of the numerous opportunities on the Internet. These resources should provide business owners with a free online evaluation of the technology, specific to their market, in order to see if the technology will have value to them and their specific industry before purchasing a web site. This eliminates the risk of paying web site development companies up front for a web site which may not include everything they need to fully implement their business on the Internet. What is the risk? Small business owners often do not have it in their budget to loose money as a result of poorly designed web sites, or the price tag for add-ons which were not explained up-front; after all, there are some unscrupulous web site design companies out there who prey on honest business owner’s who are dependent on advice in a technology they know little.

Bruce I. Swartz,
B&C Enterprise and GrowOnlineNow.com

Bold New Innovative Online Shopping Technologies

2008-03-06T05:29:00.000-08:00

When it comes to competing in an industry, companies need to have vision, leadership, skills and a culture that stimulates ideas. However, if a company is out to lead or even create an entirely new industry, they must have in addition to the above, the desire to go where no others have ventured, or even dare to venture… dare to move in bold directions. Given what has happened to the dot com world during the 90's and during the new millennium, one may think that would be a risky proposition, but many companies got smart and we are now seeing a great surge as a result of new technologies. MA’s accomplishments are nothing short of astonishing as a result of their brilliant strategies in leveraging off these new technologies.

Originally MA started out to change an industry only to find they actually created an entirely new one. One-to-One Marketing has been talked about in recent years but MA actually started the development of this One-to-One Marketing strategy in the early 90’s and today they are exploding with capabilities one could only imagined a couple of years ago... And, in actuality MA was in the process of developing concepts and creating strategies with which to leverage from these emerging technologies. And this of course could not have happened without the exceptional support from its field of pioneers consisting of UnFranchise® owners and distributors. Understanding how they do it boggles the mind, but what is even more mind-boggling is what they are up to now.

During the month of February, MA introduced to the field several new technologies which would be implemented on over 160,000 web portals world wide either directly or indirectly which services over 3 million customers and/or clients. This is huge! The over 20,000 business owners and guests, yes that’s right guests, who attended the 2008 Leadership School in Miami were simply blown away. There is no way one could possibly expressive in writing the incredible response received… one just had to be there.

For the first time since the announcements at Leadership, MA corporate members Andrew Weissman and Steve Ashley introduce the new technologies which have already been integrated in over 160,000 Web Portals and the future technologies which are about to be integrated along with new partnerships, some of which have never before been developed in the industry. Here is a company that isn’t developing technology, rather they stay in front of trends and in at least this case, develop new trends by leveraging technology in order to bring staggering conveniences and opportunities for consumers and entrepreneurs alike.

As you listen to Steve discuss some of the technologies that have been implemented, you can view them by going to http://www.inyourhomemall.com/

Necessity, the Mother of Invention…

2007-12-21T09:16:00.000-08:00

On a beautiful summer morning, I sat down with a group of business owners at our regularly scheduled Wednesday morning network breakfast and was introduced to a newcomer who had an interesting story to tell. Charles is not only a successful businessman for a very large tire company, but he is also a very active and sought after speaker with Dale Carnegie and a singer on the side. During one of his speaking engagements, Charles was at the beginning of his presentation when all of a sudden he began hearing music coming from the audience. This of course took Charles by surprise and as you can imagine, off his focus. Afterwords, Charles asked the two what they were doing… “We Googled you to find out more about you.” Charles was quite surprised by the fact that there was information out there on the internet about his hobby. When Charles got back home, he met with a couple of sharp college students who were very savvy internet users and developers and asked them if they knew of any services available that would allow people to control their personal information on the web.

This was the beginning of an entirely new capability and opportunity; a new service never before made available on the internet, controlling what the web say about you. When Charles finished telling us of his story and then showed us what these brilliant kids put together for him as a result of this shortcoming, I instantly saw the big picture. Charles of course was totally blown away when I began explaining to him all the benefits which I immediately saw in his application… I could easily apply total control of the information about me and my business and be guaranteed #1 ranking on the sponsored links, and it was totally affordable. I have never used sponsored links because of their costly expense. This was nothing short of brilliant!

I signed on right away and began applying all the features and the benefits were amazing, everything I hoped it would be. I then introduced Charles to Andy, a friend of mine who is in his own right is a very successful marketeer… that’s right, not a simple marketer but a marketeer, and with whom I suggested Charles be interviewed on his radio show to introduce and explain this fabulous new resource. Then Andy signed onto the new service and that was when things really started popping for Charles, and as a result, a great service got even greater.

So, what is this all about? Well, when someone wants to know about you what will they do? They Google you – believe me – it happens everyday. Andy experienced an amazing epiphany:

“I was stunned to find, during a business meeting, that each of the people at the table from our new potential client had Googled me prior to our meeting. They didn't tell me, but I knew this, because they brought up things they found in my online profile. Wow, were the connections strong ones.”

Personally, this new service has given me greater credibility and exposure on the internet and negotiations are the smoothest they have ever been. Go ahead, Google me, Bruce Swartz, check out for yourself just how detailed one can get by using this incredible invention which was brought on as the result of the necessity for Charles to control his personal information on the internet. Then go to http://www.getqalias.com/ and test it yourself. This is the most deadly efficient manner of personal optimization in search engine traffic available today; - and the most cost efficient as well, at $9.95/month.For only $9.95 per month (with a month to month agreement) this is what you get:

Page 1 Guaranteed Sponsored Listing on Google
A one page informational website – easy to create and maintain!
NO extra pay-per-click costs or other expenses
A Bulletin – which is a combo blog and email newsletter
Online Business Cards (so when you forget them, are short on them, or whatever), just say-> Google my name! (Try it now – Google Bruce Swartz)

No matter how common your name – no matter how many others with that name sign up – you’ll always obtain top page-one listing and control what the web says about you through your own informational website, at the top of the sponsored links!

And, if you sign up today, the rate is only $9.95 per month – simply go to http://www.getqalias.com/ and get in for this AMAZING and almost embarrassing rate.

Get your listing started – it takes only 5 - 10 minutes to sign-up. Plus, you can pay your fee by PayPal or credit card, and your profile shows up almost immediately!

One other tip – be sure to write your bio page in a separate program, like Microsoft Word and then paste it over, as the servers will be very busy with this special offer. This will make the sign up process even easier.

Plato was right, Necessity is the Mother of Invention…

Empowering Your Neighborhood with Community News

2007-10-16T13:10:00.000-07:00

I live in a neighborhood that is in one of the most convenient and beautiful locations in all of the greater Atlanta, Ga. area. Neighbors are friendly and always available to help each other whether to collect newspapers when a neighbor goes away for a weekend, or to provide a name of a painter or landscaper. These neighbors are also very civically involved, providing information on the latest home or commercial development to newly opened restaurants and activities for families. Neighbors often meet during evening hours at social activities such as wine tasting, neighborhood walks, or by getting together at the park with their children. They use many different means to communicate these activities or events but all too often the information is late and many who would like to have participated often miss out. The website has been a constant uphill endeavor to keep the supply of information flowing but it often has been too little too late. Then there is our community newspaper, which is often very informative, but again too little too late due to its quarterly appearance. So what is the answer?

A new comer to technology has appeared on the horizon or rather in our neighborhood in the form of an Online Community service called PortalHood. Before PortalHood, members of neighborhood associations and local organizations had to rely upon newsletters, phone calls, groups such as Yahoo, and face-to-face meetings to obtain information. Too often, however, the news was old (the event already occurred) before members received notice. Group websites, too, which everyone applauded in the beginning, gradually became as interesting as day-old bread. The announcement about the Christmas gathering remained through the summer because maintenance fell upon the shoulders of one or two individuals who were too busy to take the time.

Everyone is busy, but community and group members must be informed. PortalHood satisfies the need to exchange timely news quickly and easily.

Empower Neighborhoods, Civic Groups, Church Groups, Social Organizations!

Ever wondered how to connect better with members within your organization? Better yet, have you ever wondered what it would be like to be part of an even larger part of the population within your community, where not only your information is available on your website, but information from other neighborhoods, civic and church groups or social organizations surrounding you? How would that impact your members? And when important news about an event, fund raising or other activity is posted, wouldn’t it be nice to have neighbors elsewhere to have instant access to your information? The significance of this type of communications is very powerful, and available. Think of these benefits:

Provide an engaging, cost-effective, user-friendly communication vehicle for your group’s members and those in charge of administration.
o Become paperless!
o Post articles
o Operate photo gallery
o Download forms
o Publish electronic newsletters
o Offer online payment for dues
o Take advantage of minimal input of time and FREE* subscription.
Eliminate the need for paper communications and one-on-one updates.
Complete updates quickly and easily with non-technical, one-click maneuvers.
Encourage dynamic information sharing among members with user-friendly navigation and simple submission options.
Obtain access to relevant, attention-grabbing syndicated news posted by other member groups.
Post only appropriate content based upon your administrator’s discretion.
Utilize your website as a money-making enterprise by offering targeted advertising to the businesses you choose to solicit.
Safeguard group and members’ information with state-of-the-art security.
Test or join with zero risk.

What are the results of these benefits? Through PortalHood, vital community news reaches residents, grassroots campaigns flourish, and individuals make informed decisions. Members efficiently seek and share a variety of information – from fundraising for a local cause to finding a lost dog. Members are able to create forums to meet their specific needs. This all allows members to take action when the time is right!

PortalHood differs greatly from typical Homeowner Associations or other local group websites!

PortalHood provides many of the features you'd expect from a community web site but with a special benefit that links your site to other community sites in your area. This network of communities provides members with better quality and more timely news. Many websites become static and stale because updates, which are usually the responsibility of one person, take too much time. Or the person moves out of the community and no one takes over the job. Such a website has no purpose. Since PortalHood is user-friendly, updates are quick and easy, requiring no high-tech skills. Anyone who is a non-technical person can administer the website. In addition to the ease of posting fresh articles, bulletins and newsletters, PortalHood provides the capacity to download forms, make reservations for use of amenities, update the membership directory, and to access and publish syndicated news. Further, PortalHood engages readers with Web searches, online games, movie listings, etc. like a local community newspaper—only better!

Achieving active, ongoing use by members, communities’ PortalHood websites become an ideal medium for paid advertising, creating a constant fundraiser for neighborhoods, groups and organizations.

For more information on this incredible community service that can be more than a community communication service, but an actual revenue creating asset, email Kim Gokce (kim@PortalHood.com) or visit PortalHood.com.

20 Start-Up Secrets that will Hyper-Grow Your Business

2007-09-18T08:30:00.000-07:00

“The office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) reported in 2006 that home-based sole proprietors generate $102 billion in annual revenue with the remainder of “all other” largely home based firms contributing an additional $431 billion to the U.S. economy. Family-care concerns, working more hours for the same (or less pay), lack of opportunities for job advancement, and a dislike of their jobs are just a few of the many reasons an increasing number of Americans are starting home businesses.” (October 2007 Home Business Magazine)

In the October 2007 issue of the Home Business Magazine, great ideas and guidelines make the process of starting up a business easy to understand and to some degree implement. The key to any business is not just what is hot today, but will be hot tomorrow, 5 and 10 years down the road. It is important to know whether your business venture will still be a good source for on-going income in future markets and/or technologies.

So the question is, where are you today, what are you doing that secures your future, your family’s future, your retirement future? Knowledge is power, and my advice to you or someone you know looking, thinking or acting to make that change, go to the nearest newsstand and get a copy of the October 2007 issue of “Home Business The Home-Based Entrepreneur’s Magazine” which features “Start a Home Business in 5 Days, Start-Up Guide Shows How!” in order to best leverage work done by others in establishing either a complete career move or a simple augmentation to current income. With “20 Start-Up Secrets that will Hyper-Grow Your Business” this is an outstanding resource for anyone looking or taking action in starting a home-based business.

Bruce I. Swartz,
B&C Enterprise and GrowOnlineNow.com

FACT: Every business needs a website!

2007-09-10T12:02:00.000-07:00

Why YOU need a Web site and How Advances in Technology is making it affordable and profitable at the same time.

Global Online Populations:
Worldwide Internet Population 2005: 1,800,000,000 (Computer Industry Almanac)
Projection for 2011: 2,000,000,000 (Computer Industry Almanac)

Online Retail Sales:
BizReport : Research : August 01, 2007
U.S. online retail sales may break $200 billion barrier
After a modest start to the year, U.S. online consumer spending is back on the increase. The second quarter of 2007 has seen overall online consumer spending exceed $47 billion, an increase of 23 percent on the same quarter last year.
by Helen Leggatt

In Q1, 2007, year-on-year growth in U.S. online consumer spending was just 17 percent. New figures from comScore, released this week, show that Q2 has recovered somewhat and is matching the growth rates seen in previous years, with a year-on-year online sales growth of 23 percent.

Sales of consoles and video games saw the biggest gains with a 159 percent rise in sales on Q2, 2006, no doubt aided by new console releases from major players. Other categories experiencing sales increases over Q2, 2007, include sports and fitness (58 percent), consumer electronics (51 percent) and event tickets (44 percent).

Based on the results for the first half of 2007, overall U.S. online consumer spending is on target to reach $200 billion by year end. Overall U.S. online consumer spending for 2006 totaled $170.8 billion.

"However, in the past, we've seen growth rates accelerate as the year progresses, culminating with the online holiday shopping season, so $200 billion may actually turn out to be a conservative estimate," said Gian Fulgoni, chairman of comScore.

And, while on the subject of the impending holiday season, now is a good time to be reviewing last year’s campaign results and planning this year’s programs.
Source: Online Retail Sales Grew in 2005 by Enid Burns, January 5, 2006

Most Americans Have PCs and Web Access:
Internet Users (71% of all adults, up from 50% in 2003)

47%: Broadband at home
15%: Dial-up connection
5%: Connection type not specified
2%: Use Internet at work only
2%: Use Internet in location other than work or home

Source: Pew Internet Project February-March 2007 survey of 2,200 adults

2005 Holiday E-Shopping Exceeds 2004
Weekly shopping sessions at online retails rose from 348.3 million in 2004 to 462.5 million in 2005. This is an increase of 33%.

Shoppers Shift to Online Browsing at online retailer sites has increased almost a full hour over previous two years. In 2003, the average shopper spent 2.4 hours shopping online, the 2005 survey records an average of 3.1 hours per week. Twenty-one percent of shoppers count purchases from Internet sites as part of their overall shopping, not a supplement to in-store buys. That's a six-point increase over 2003.

This trend continues to increase each year:
“I believe that if you show people the problems and you show them the solutions they will be moved to act.” ----Bill Gates

It has been said that if a business owner in not on the Internet today, they will be out of business by 2010. The Internet is a billion dollar industry and technology is growing at a rapid pace (

Moore's Law).

So how critical is it for businesses to be on the Internet? It is totally up to the business to make that determination, and if it is critical how crucial is it that they stay on top of the ever evolving technology?

Will the business owner’s website technology today be compatible with the Internet in 2, 4, or 6 years?
What will it cost the business owner to retool their website to be compatible with the Internet?
What about developers; will they keep up with Moore’s Law and still remain competitive with their competitors?

What if there was a way to answer all of these questions?
There is! For the very first time in the history of the Internet, one company has brought together a solution for both business owners as well as web developers. A solution that everyone is capable of leveraging, bringing turn-around development time to the lowest ever while staying on-top of advancing technology along with no added cost to business owners or developers. This is a win-win-win solution.

A win for the business owner in controlling their website content; never spending additional money for development upgrades, technical support, shopping carts, eCommerce, etc.
A win for developers with the shortest possible development time and effort, passing on the savings to business owners while increasing their bottom line.
A win for entrepreneurs interested in the Internet and web development business by identifying businesses needing an online business solution system and developers looking for a more profitable systematized and technically advanced development platform.

To best understand how this is accomplished, first listen to this 30 minute conference call with Jeremy Fennema, Director of Internet Services with MA, then contact Bruce Swartz and learn how to begin leveraging off the incredible MAWebCenter business solution system. It’s a win-win-win situation with no losers to those who head Bill Gates words.

Marketing for online retailers is having positive effects, judging by e-commerce sales.

2007-08-22T10:04:00.000-07:00

Retail E-Commerce Sales Strong in Q2
AUGUST 21, 2007

Americans press the "Click to Buy" button.
Marketing for online retailers is having positive effects, judging by e-commerce sales.

Estimated US retail e-commerce sales for the second quarter of 2007 totaled $31.8 billion on a not-adjusted basis, according to the Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce. That is up 20.7% from the second quarter of 2006. E-commerce sales in the second quarter of 2007 accounted for 3.1% of all retail sales.

"The Department of Commerce data defy the expectations of a number of e-commerce analysts who believed the market would slow down considerably this year," said eMarketer Senior Analyst Jeffrey Grau.

"This growth rate is in line with eMarketer's forecast back in May that online sales would grow by 20.8% in 2007," Mr. Grau added. "The Internet's strength as a shopping channel offering convenience, good prices and wide selection continues to drive consumers to increase their online spending."

Although plenty of online new-product buyers start out as online shoppers, more go online after learning about a new product or service from other media.
The American Marketing Association's "Mplanet" survey, conducted before last year's holiday season, found that TV ads (37%) remained, by far, the best source for reaching and engaging online consumers with information about new products. However, the Internet (15%) and e-mail and online newsletters (14%) ranked higher than other traditional media, such as newspapers, magazine and radio ads.

Learn what else drives online purchasing. Please read eMarketer's
US Retail E-Commerce: Entering the Multi-Channel Era report.

Get More from eMarketer
eMarketer subscribers have access to thousands of reports, articles and charts related to topics like this one.
To learn more, visit: www.emarketer.com

Brought to you by B&C Enterprise and GrowOnlineNow.com

The Leader In 1-to-1 Marketing has done it again!

2007-08-19T18:26:00.000-07:00

What if you could save 50% or more on your phone bill? Would you want to get more information? Better yet, what if there was a way you or someone you know, could talk with loved ones overseas for FREE? Would that be something you would want more information on?
The leader in One-to-One Marketing and Mass Customization has done it again। As a leader in identifying marketing and technology trends, Market America (MA) has teamed up with Voitel™ to bring to the market, a state-of-the-art telephone service with incredible features and benefits

Voitel™ is a "total solution" provider of the latest Internet, Cellular and Voice products and services. Voitel seeks innovative communications technologies to address personal and business needs.

Features enjoy with Voitel VoIP plans include:

Internet Phone-to-Phone for International Calls
Voice Mail
Call Forwarding
Speed Dialing
Call Waiting
Do Not Disturb
Blocked Calls
Nationwide throughout around U.S. and Canada
Online Account Manager
Portability (take your local phone with you when you travel)

This week, Director of Telecommunications Sales for MA, Todd Laire and his special guest, Voitel™ Director of Sales Gary Coben, discuss not only how everyone can save money with Voitel™, but also how to cash in big with Voitel™.

This is a great opportunity to hear for yourself another example of leading edge technology that MA brings to our customers. Why? Because it was requested by our customers! Click here and sit back while Todd and Gary go over the features and benefits of Voitel’s VoiP technology through our Mall Without Walls.

Every Sunday, at 8:00 P.M. EDT you can listen in to a live 30 minute conference call featuring another product or service breakthrough, or other information on MA’s UnFranchise® business. Simply Email Bruce (bruce@growonlinenow.com) and request the conference call number. You can visit our Mall-Without-Walls by going to www.inyourhomemall.com.

Market America Charts Course Towards Mass Customization

2007-08-19T12:53:00.000-07:00

We’re kind of like a cross between QVC and Amazon.com: QVC because we don’t take a thing and market directly to the consumer… and like Amazon because we’re an online shopping experience,” said J.R. Ridinger, president and chief executive officer of the product brokerage and Internet marketing company, Market America Inc. (Greensboro, N.C.). However, a crucial difference in Market America’s effort to revolutionize the way consumers shop is its battalion of 150,000 customer managers, also called ‘unfranchisees’, who develop close, one-to-one relationships with end consumers. And this is precisely what Market America expects to be its big differentiator.

Consumers Drive Product Selection
These close relationships allow distributors to dig down and identify shopping needs by tracking consumer profiles and preferences, which can then be met by Market America’s own Mall without Walls stores and its 2,000 or so Portal Partners. Intriguingly, it’s the consumers themselves who have shaped Market America’s strong nutritional bias, according to Ridinger: 60% percent of Market America’s volume relates to health, wellness and anti-aging—driven by consumer interest rather than by strategic intent.

Focus groups may be the classic mass-market tool for testing a product concept, but imagine being able to tap into thousands of opinions—literally overnight—to guide the development of your portfolio. Whether the item was already manufactured by a third party or merely an idea whose time had come, “almost all of Market America’s nutritional products were originated by one of the company’s distributors,” said Ridinger. “This is the most amazing thing about our company I think. We don’t define what products we’re in... We’ve become largely a nutrition company because that’s what people have asked us to be.”

Information about consumer preferences is reeled in by customer managers via regular surveys of their consumer base. HeadRest Head Comfort Formula, for example, a supplement with feverfew, butterbur, magnesium and riboflavin, was developed in response to over 100,000 requests for a product that would reduce the chance of having migraine headaches. “We knew we had enough of a market and interest to source the product out,” said Ridinger. “The neat thing about it was we knew exactly who it was that wanted it.” Market America even launched a version of its leading dietary supplement, OPC-3, for canines after surveying existing OPC-3 users who were also dog owners. “These are not blind surveys,” said Chief Operating Officer Marc Ashley, but surveys guided by detailed consumer profiles. “Surveys won’t do us any good if we're not sending them to people they’re relevant to.”

Between 100 and 1,000 products or concepts are brought to Market America’s attention each month. An in-house team of some 30 science and medical professionals review the merits of nutritional items. If a product passes muster, and it is a market the company wants to enter, it is sourced out to a contract manufacturer.“We look for a good company with good research, good product development and its own scientists,” said Ridinger. “We’re looking for the best vendors qualitywise; pricewise it’s very sensitive because we’re passing that on to the UnFranchise owner.”...

Click here to download the article Nutrition Business Journal.pdf

(PDF format, Adobe Reader required)

Market America is featured in the recently-released April issue of the Nutrition Business Journal (NBJ). President and CEO JR Ridinger and COO Marc Ashley were both interviewed about Market America's role in the nutrition industry and Market America's overall business model, including the Portal.

NBJ has a powerful readership with 50 percent of their subscribers having the job title of CEO, president, vice-president or director. In addition, NBJ articles are often quoted in major publications such as The New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Newsweek.

Questions Are Worthless Without This

2007-08-15T08:25:00.000-07:00

At a party I was talking to a woman who asked five questions in a row। I began answering the first one, and could very well have said, "I believe you look and smell like a sweathog," because she didn't listen to the first, or any of my answers, since she replied, "Interesting," and then began talking about herself.

I watched and listened as she did that with several other people she met। Sure, we all know we should ask questions. But the effort is wasted if they're not asked in the right way, or if you don't listen to the answers.

++++++++KEY SALES POINT+++++++
When a listener hears a question, their mind immediately is conditioned to begin searching for answers. However, when several questions are posed in rapid-fire sequence, you leave the person confused as to which one they should answer first. And, some questions are not answered at all if you don't give them an opportunity.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

For example, read this scenario without stopping to think about each question, as if you were the person hearing the questions:

Caller: “And what do you feel your company needs most regarding boosting morale and enthusiasm? Do you think it would be compensation related... or maybe training? And how does that affect performance in all of the departments?”

Did you feel like a spinning top, rotating around trying to focus on the questions coming from all directions? Same thing happens with prospect and customers.

EFFECTIVE QUESTIONING GUIDELINES

Ask one question at a time। If it’s not important enough to stand on its own, don't ask it.
After you ask it, be quiet। If they don't answer immediately, resist the urge to answer it for them or follow up with another one. They're likely thinking about what they're going to say.
After they apparently have finished, remain quiet for 1-2 more seconds। You might get additional information, and ensures you don't interrupt।
Follow-up their answer with a related question। Don't ping-pong around from subject to subject। For example, if they answered with, “I believe the main problem we have right now is a lack of motivation,” a logical next query would be, “Oh, what are some specific situations where you've seen a lack of motivation?”
Be confident in your questioning। One reason people ask multiple questions is that they aren't comfortable asking questions. The only way you're going to truly help someone is by finding out about them. You're not intruding. You're assisting.

Fielding multiple questions is confusing for the listener, and counterproductive for you। Ask one at a time, and listen! Speaking of questions, I interviewed sales strategist, Jim Meisenheimer for my Platinum Member's Audio Seminar a couple of months ago. Jim shared his "12 Best Questions to Ask Customers." Wow! I immediately started using a few of them myself, and one helped land a huge sale for me--and I teach this stuff. You can get the audio CD of this one-hour seminar. Go to http://businessbyphone.com/tss.htm

Go and have your best week ever!
Art

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"What we see depends mainly on what we look for."
John

Published By Art Sobczak, Business By Phone Inc.See articles, books, audios, and other resourceshttp://www.BusinessByPhone.com
See Back Issues Athttp://businessbyphone.com/backissuesm.htm

$31.5 million in E-Commerce for 1st quarter of 2007… Businesses today must have a Website!

2007-07-04T08:06:00.001-07:00

For 2007, online sales are expected to grow by over 19%! That means that consumers will spend almost $175 Billion this year on goods and services over the Internet. E-Commerce accounted for $31.5 million of the $999 million made in retail sales during the first quarter of this year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. What does that mean to your business? It means that having a Website in today’s net-crazed society is a matter of survival. Are you in the position to stake your claim to that $175 Billion? Is your web site positioned to help you stake your claim to that $175 Billion?

The challenge in todays fast pace world is daunting:

Where do you go for information?
Who can you trust to provide you a solution that is right for you?
What is your first step?
What will it cost?

Small- and Mid-Sized business owners are good at providing product, services and solutions in their field. Get outside the business owner’s field and they have to rely on “other experts in their field” to provide the solution. And in this case it is to best position your Website to capture more of that 19% growth in online sales.

One way is to identify a company that will provide an “online business solution system” with all of the tools needed to successfully grow your business online. These tools must be integrated together seamlessly to ensure a risk-free online presence. When a Website is created using one software tool, a shopping cart from another, adding statistic management from yet another, slapping in an email management tool in with the mix, etc., you are setting yourself up for future compatibility issues… not to mention the headaches in keeping up with the ever changing technology on the internet. And you can easily assume that as technology advances on the internet, so must your software and its associated tools. How long will the current version of your software be compatible with the internet? And what will you do to keep up. Buy new web development software? Then will the other tools be compatible? You have a business to run and it is more important that you focus on “growing your business online” rather than on “building your online business”.

B&C Enterprise and their “Grow Online Now” business solution system brings to the small- to mid-sized business owners an entirely risk free solution. They actually will put together an entire Website at no upfront cost with all the features any business owner will need in order to take advantage of that 19% growth rate. All your questions are answered, all your solutions are identified and met, all is left is for you to turn the key, start the engine, and begin to grow your business online now.