Tropins Blog

A newcomer to the world of investments in the notion of “Virtual Real Estate Investing“. Everything from using the internet as an avenue to make more money in real estate to online games such as SecondLife seem to be included in the popular definition of this term.

In order to figure out the truth of the matter, I sought out Bryan Ellis, whose experience in the fledgling industry is truly impressive.

When I began using the term virtual real estate investing in the late 1990s, I did so because I saw clear parallels between the strategies used for profiting from physical real estate and those that would create income in the online world, said Ellis.

An example of the similar nature of “virtual” and “physical” real estate Bryan Ellis likes to point out is the methods of making a profit from domain names compared to physical real estate. He points out that control of a domain name or even a specific web page is much like controlling a real estate property ” those assets can be monetized in similar ways: By selling them for a profit, by leasing them, by offering advertising, etc.

The similarities really are obvious. After all, if you own a valuable piece of real estate, it’s “valuable” because other people are interested in that specific piece of property. Likewise, if you own a desirable domain name, others will find value in it because it serves their purposes. Regardless of the type of asset, you can sell or lease or use any number of strategies to turn the assets into cash.

In our next installment of this series on virtual real estate investing, Bryan Ellis will share the internet analogies to the physical concept of real estate development.

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A leader in value-added membership, affinity marketing and insurance and package enhancement programs and services to consumers, the Affinion Group announced the results of the company’s financial transactions for the first quarter of 2008. The period, which ended on March 31, 2008, revealed an increase of financial growth in comparison to last year’s first quarter performance.

During the first quarter of 2007, the Affinion Group garnered net revenues of $320.5 million. For the first quarter of 2008, the company’s net revenues reached $339.2 million. The positive financial growth disclosed in the 2008’s first quarter results is due to the loyalty of Affinion’s clients and the slight increase of the company’s membership base, both in North America and the international market.

Affinion Group’s North American sector experienced a $2.1 million increase due to the impact of purchase accounting. New memberships also contributed to the positive financial performance of the group for the first quarter, with a 436-membership increase from 8,096 members in the first quarter of 2007 to 8,532 in 2008.

Introduction of new retail programs for the international market and the favorable currency trend were also seen as factors for the first quarter growth. Average memberships also increased in the international scene, from 15,906 members during the first quarter in 2007 to 16,287 in 2008.

Both North America and International offices of the Affinion Group enjoyed significant increase in revenues from membership products and insurance programs, despite a decrease of revenues in some areas due to higher marketing and commissions.

News source for Affinion Group Announces Results for the First Quarter Ended March 31, 2008.

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Chris held the mug of steaming coffee in both hands - and he grew gradually more animated as he described the various successes he had enjoyed during his five year career as a life coach.

In his early forties, Chris liked the fact that he could combine his previous experience of sales and financial services with his more recent training in coaching. One of the most satisfying aspects of his new career, Chris told me, was seeing his clients achieve their long-term goals.

However, Chris was beginning to feel frustrated as his own business, while successful, was not as prosperous as he believed it could be.

Talking with Chris, it soon became clear that he had fallen into the trap that bags so many coaches and consultants. I told him of the maxim my grandfather had taught me when I first started working for myself more than ten years ago.

“There is a limit to how much money you can earn,” my grandfather had told me, “but no limit to how much you can make.”

I suggested to Chris that he was at the stage in his career when he needed to take a little time out to work “on” rather than “in” his business. While he was working very hard each day, he was busying himself swapping his time for his clients’ money.

However, if he wanted to make a successful business - rather than merely be self- employed - then Chris needed to create some mechanisms for earning money even when he wasn’t working.

Chris looked bewildered. I explained that he might start thinking about ways to make “knowledge-based” products - using the unique skills, talents and techniques that he had amassed over the years.

Together we brainstormed several ideas. Chris particularly liked the idea of writing a “tips booklet for top salespeople” - which he could sell at the back of the room when he was giving talks. And, by making the product visible during his coaching sessions, clients might also buy the booklets for themselves or as gifts for friends.

But there could be greater dividends still, I told Chris. For example, by tailoring the contents of the booklet, he could contact companies that specialise in financial services and persuade them to buy his product to help their salespeople become more successful. By making bulk sales, Chris could seriously enhance his wealth - with minimum effort.

The beauty of making knowledge-based products, Chris agreed, is that the hard work is only done once! The real money comes through replicating the product - which is a relatively cheap process. Indeed, as Chris pointed out, if he were to sell his booklets on the web, he could get customers to pay to download his knowledge - without the transaction costing him a penny!

Olivia Stefanino is a leadership development consultant and executive coach, who works with blue chip organisations, SMEs and individuals. To find out more - and to download your free e-booklet “128 ways to harness your personal power”, visit http://www.beyourownguru.com

© Olivia Stefanino 2004

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Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, collectors are not allowed to disclose a consumers past due debt to anyone other than the debtor and in some cases a spouse. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act would have required collectors to identify the registered name of their business in any pre-recorded messages to consumers or debtors. Since the name of many collection agencies indicates that they are a debt collection agency or that they are calling for the purpose of collecting a debt, this would have caused them to violate the FDCPA. The TCPA creates unworkable contradictions with collectors and creditors who are following the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) of 1991 was created in response to consumer concerns about the growing number of unsolicited telemarketing calls to their homes and the increasing use of automated and prerecorded messages. The FCC has rules to aid consumers who wish to limit these uninvited calls. On June 26, 2003, the FCC revised its rules implementing the TCPA and established, in coordination with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), a national do-not-call registry.

The term “telephone solicitation” does not include calls or messages placed with the receiver’s prior expressed permission, by or on behalf of a tax-exempt non-profit organization, or from a person or organization with which the receiver has an established business relationship, such as a creditor or a collection agency. An established business relationship exists if you have made an inquiry, application, purchase, or transaction regarding products or services offered by the person or entity involved. Consumers, who add their number to the Do Not Call list, will not stop collection calls. This will only stop unsolicited telemarketing calls.

Congress and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will be reducing the abuse of the legal system through frivolous lawsuits. Also, the U.S. Senate approved a bill to reform class litigation. ACA International has been instrumental in getting these changes made. ACA International has used its over 5,300 members to help build support for this bill in order to reduce the number of frivolous lawsuits filed against companies and collection agencies including ACA members.

Michelle Dunn is the Author of the FREE e-book How to Help You Get Paid, Credit & Collection Forms and Letters. She has also written and published How to Make Money Collecting Money, Starting a Collection Agency that is available from http://www.michelledunn.com and all major bookstores. For more information on Starting a Collection Agency, order her book for immediate delivery or sign up for her consulting services to start your own agency. Michelle opened and ran her own very successful collection agency for 8 years. She has over 17 years experience in debt collection. To sign up for Michelle’s FREE online networking group visit http://www.credit-and-collections.com. Get FREE forms and tips for starting your own agency.

Please visit http://www.michelledunn.com for information on her consulting packages for Starting a Collection Agency or Starting a Home Based Business.

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Eating properly can help keep you healthy and fit. As long as you eat nutritionally your overall life will be more rewarding. Learning to eat nutritionally will keep you fit and usually you will be able to keep the proper weight for your size.

There are six food groups that you should add to your diet. These six food groups form the food pyramid as some people refer to it.

The base of the pyramid is the Bread, Grain, Cereal and Pasta food group. These foods provide complex carbohydrates, which are an important source of energy. You should have 6 to 11 servings of these foods in a day. Examples for one serving include 1 slice of bread, 1/2 cup of rice, or pasta, and 1 flat tortilla.

The next food groups going up the pyramid include the Fruits group and Vegetables group. In both groups, these foods will provide you with important nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin C, folate or potassium. They are also low in fat and sodium and high in fiber. You should have 3 to 5 servings of vegetables or fruits each day. Examples of one serving of fruit include one medium size apple, orange or banana, cup of canned fruit, and cup of fruit juice or about 4 ounces. Only count 100 percent real fruit juice. Examples of one serving of vegetables include 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables, cup of other vegetables either cooked or raw, and about 4 ounces of vegetable juice.

The next food group above the Fruits and Vegetables are the Dairy Items and the Protein Items. Dairy items provide your body with protein and vitamins and minerals, especially calcium. You should have 2 to 3 servings of dairy products in your diet each day. Examples of one serving of a dairy item include 1 cup of cottage cheese or cup of whole milk. Protein items provide your body with much needed protein, iron and zinc. You should include 2 to 3 servings of protein daily in your diet and each serving should be between 2 and 3 ounces. Examples of one serving of protein would include 2 to 3 ounces of any type of meat, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, 1/2 cup cooked dry beans, and 1/3 cup of nuts.

At the top of the food pyramid are the Fats and Sweets. The foods in this group do not provide much in the way of nutrition. They do provide calories, which is one culprit for weight gain. Examples of this food group include salad dressings, oils, cream, butter, margarine, sugars, soft drinks, candies and sweet desserts.

For different types of diets, refer: http://www.vitaminsdiary.com/diets.htm

Nitin Jain for www.vitaminsdiary.com. Descriptions and information on various vitamins, amino acids, minerals, herbs and nutritional supplements and their possible uses. You are free to publish the above article in your ezine or website, provided the credit is given to the author and a hyperlink (HTML clickable) is given to www.vitaminsdiary.com

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Read essays, articles, or books on creativity and you will more than once you will read that you can heighten your creativity and create new ideas by reading magazines that you wouldn’t typically read. The suggestion is to go to your local newsstand and pick up magazines you wouldn’t ever read and read them for ideas, connections and trends.

This is an often repeated example of using outside stimulus as a way to jumpstart our creativity.

I have read this suggestion many times. I’ve suggested it myself. I’ve even done it a few times. But I’ve never seen anyone show someone an example of doing it.

Until now.

Earlier this week I found the April edition of Wired Magazine in my briefcase as I traveled. I had picked it up a couple of weeks before in an airport because I was drawn to the cover, which suggested that the main focus of the issue was “The New World of Games.”

While I am not a current subscriber to Wired Magazine (used to be) and you might not be either, I think you will find both the process and my results enlightening and fun.

My Process

Reading a magazine for creative insights is pretty easy. Get a magazine, a highlighter, and perhaps some paper or your Journal. Then begin reading. Don’t skim or read only the things that are immediately or naturally interesting to you. Read everything. Read the articles AND the ads. And while you are reading, be asking yourself things like…

What does this remind me of?
How does this relate to my situation, problem or challenge?
What did they do that I can do?
How could I use this?
How can I learn from the experiences or suggestions in the article (or ad)?

These certainly aren’t the only questions you can ask, but they are enough to get you started. You can go into this creative journey with a very specific challenge or problem in mind, or you can just do it to see what serendipitous ideas you generate - either way is fine!

In this case, my journey was a random one - I wasn’t thinking about a specific issue or challenge, I was just reading to see what I might find.

How to Read the Rest of This Article

The rest of this article will provide some of my ideas and what spurred them. I encourage you to read on observing my process and seeing what ideas or insights you get from my insights. In other words, I encourage you to use the process I just described on the rest of this article!

You may also decide to go to the library and get the April 2006 Wired Magazine to see all of what I am describing.

My Journey

… page 26 - a side bar asks the question, “Is a half hour show too long for today’s viewers?” Three people answer with different perspectives. My first reaction is that this is an interesting question…. And my second was that the answers given basically come down to the quality of the story. If a good story is told, people will watch (hey, we sat through 3 + hours for Titanic!) So while this is an interesting question, it is a bit backwards. The relevant question is, how good the story? This relates to my work in terms of training - how long do people want to learn at one sitting, etc. Do I think that times are changing? Sure I do. But people are still people. They will worry less about time is they are engaged. In the end - whether through story or great interaction in a learning situation, the right question is how can we engage people, not how long is the experience.

… page 29 - Lexus presents a four page advertisement for a PBS series with Charlie Rose. It contains very interesting excerpts from two shows in the series. This content was so compelling to be almost worth the price of the magazine itself - far better than many articles I have read in the past. It reminds me that advertising can be relevant and that when we educate and inform others in a valuable way, we might do a better job of marketing, persuading, or selling, than by trying to market, persuade or sell.

… page 56 - talks about a feature film based on a Beastie Boys concert. This movie was created from footage recorded by 50 fans from cameras the band gave them for the length of the concert to film their entire experience. Over 100 hours of raw amateur footage was edited together for this movie. Though I don’t own a Beastie Boys album and haven’t been to their one of their concerts, I am completely captivated by this idea! It appeals to me because the band got this idea and implemented it (the collection of the footage) in 3 days - from conception to footage. 3 Days. This has been challenging my thoughts about how long it takes me to implement or being willing to implement something . . . fast. It also speaks to the power of getting your Customers involved in the experience of your product or service. This two thirds of a page has had me thinking a lot in the last few days.

… page 66 the Play section of the magazine shows pictures and brief descriptions of new products. One on this page is called the Storm Tracker (This is an umbrella that has a bulb at the end of the handle that collects forecast information from local forecasts (wirelessly) and tells you if you need to carry it, based on how much it blinks. The more it blinks, (up to 100 times per minute) the more likely rain will fall. While I don’t see many people paying $99 for this, I was intrigued by the use of a small “non computer” device to give us data that we might be able to use. While I don’t design products like this, I am fascinated by how these types of technologies might be able to aid, impact or influence performance and learning in the future. The Storm Tracker has opened my eyes to be watching and thinking about this question.

These examples get me through less that half of the magazine, and I didn’t even share all of my insights from the first 66 pages!

Rather than continue in this article, I encourage you to read more on my blog, as I will be sharing more of these snippets there.

I hope that riding along on my journey has been interesting, and I hope that you got an insight or two through my examples above. More than that though, I hope that I have convinced you to pick up a magazine you’ve never read before, and try this process for yourself. If you do, I promise you will learn something, and you may solve a vexing problem or identify an amazing opportunity along the way.

Kevin is the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group (KevinEikenberry.com ), a learning consulting company that helps Clients reach their potential through a variety of training, consulting and speaking services. To receive your free special report on Unleashing Your Potential go to www.kevineikenberry.com/uypw/index.asp or call us at (317) 387-1424 or 888.LEARNER.

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Take a look at Miss Piggy from the muppets. She was always very outgoing and confident, but more importantly she had amazing self-esteem. She thought and firmly believed that she was stunningly beautiful and she displayed it in a very dramatic way. Everyone fell for it, everyone found her to be glamourous. What’s more, Kermit the frog even went and fell in love with her! But let’s look at the truth of the matter - she was a pig!

Now she was no curvaceous Jessica Rabbit from the film “Who framed Roger Rabbit” who was a text book stunner! Miss Piggy certainly did not have the qualities of your typical super-model, I would even put my neck on the line and say that she was a bit chunky.

Developing self-esteem and oozing confidence can and does distinctly increase your ability to be irresistably attractive. It can and very often does create an illusion or aura of value, worth and desirability.

Why do we find a person with high self-esteem to be attractive? What is it about them that draws our attention and admiration? Is it the mystique? Is it an aura? That certain “je ne sais quoi?”

Look at what is happening here; a person who exhibits strong self-esteem is telling the world they value themselves. After all, the meaning of “self-esteem” is the esteem (value) of the self. It is the estimation of worth that you are giving to yourself. So when a person recognises their own self-worth and exhibits that to the rest of us, we start to think that they know something that we don’t! In other words, they think they are special and have value.

Likewise when someone shows the world that they have low self-esteem, we tend to believe and think that if they do not think very highly of themselves, then why should we be impressed or respectful of them? We certainly don’t usually allow ourselves to be dazzled by them.

In both cases, we simply go along with the estimation that what the person has signaled to us is valid. We tend to just believe the verdict that the person has put upon themself.

So why is that attractive? We, as humans, are naturally attracted to that which has been deemed valuable. We also tend to want to be a part of a larger group. We often follow the lead, join groups, and go along with the majority opinion - just to be part of the group.

High self-esteem can also create an illusion of attractiveness, or competence, even when it is not necessarily there. It is possible for us to be fooled. After all, attractiveness is a subjective attribute.

Self-esteem is the way that you feel about yourself, self-confidence is the way you feel about your abilities. Both can enhance your ability to attract partners, pay-rises, friends, sales, success, achievement and lots more. I think it would be valuable to learn how to increase your own self-esteem today. Hey, if it gets Miss Piggy pulling at someones (some-frogs) heart strings, it can do the same for you.

Adam Eason is a UK based consultant, speaker and best-selling author. Please visit his website for a vast range of resources from the fields of hypnosis, NLP, personal development and human potential and to receive your amazing, free, instantly downloadable hypnosis session for ultimate relaxation: www.adam-eason.com Thank you.

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“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” - Winston Churchill

If anyone had told me two years ago that I would write a book, I would have told them they were insane. I didn’t think I knew how to write a book! A whole book? Are you crazy?

And yet…gradually…from listening to the encouraging voices around me, and the passion within me, I realized I could at least try to write a book. I could at least try to get it published. And I would not have been able to muster up the courage, believe me, if I had listened to the nay-sayers. When one acquaintance heard of this endeavor, she remarked “and what makes you qualified to write a book?”. If I had listened to the nay-sayers, people who are often too wrapped up in their own fears to break free of them, I would have slipped back into my own uncertainties, and very likely given up when challenges appeared.

Consider these tips to help you avoid the nay-sayers and stay connected with positive energy as you march towards the pursuit of a dream:

Discover your internal support and stay tuned into it. Whether it’s writing in a journal, doing yoga, walking or jogging in nature, meditating or praying, or something else, discover what gives you internal strength. Stay regularly tuned into that source.
Trust your instincts when others aren’t supportive. It’s likely that some people in your life will not be able to appreciate your courage. Minimize your precious time with those who don’t support you.

Protect yourself from chronic pessimists. Some people are just stuck in their own negativity. It’s nothing personal against you. But they will sap your energy if you let them.

Surround yourself with those who lift you up. Actively create a support system. Invite an encouraging friend out to lunch or out to talk after the kids are in bed. Email or call supportive friends who live elsewhere. Positive energy is really infectious and is often just we need to keep moving forward.

Avoid the nay-sayers, seek out the “You-Go-Girl!” people in your life and keep connected with your internal strength. You will likely enjoy a much smoother path as you take baby steps towards bigger goals.

© 2006 by Bria Simpson
All rights and media reserved.

Bria Simpson, MA
Life Coach and Parenting Specialist
Author, The Balanced Mom Raising Your Kids Without Losing Yourself

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There are many things that a golf stretching program will do for a golfers’ game.

Firstly a golf stretching program will tremendously improve the golf swing in terms of the power as well as helping the golfer to control the direction. These are two key aspects that will help to spectacularly reduce the score of any golfer.

A golf stretching program will also help a golfer significantly reduce on the risk of injury which can keep them away from the course for a long time. In a few unfortunate cases, injury has even rudely and permanently halted the game for some golfers.

Yes, injury has often ended some golf careers that were showing great promise.

Usually golf stretching programs improve on the strength of the muscles as well as the endurance levels. The result is that a golfer is able to enjoy their round of golf much more than was the case prior to their entering the golf stretching exercise program.

This is the reason why golf stretching programs have considerably risen in popularity amongst various levels of golfers. Usually golf stretching programs are part and parcel of a golf exercise routine that will also include weight training.

The weight training is for strength but the golf stretching program greatly helps the golfer consolidate the gains in strength they get from using dumb bells.

The other factor that has favoured the golf stretching program is the fact that many effective stretch exercises can be done form the comfort of the office or the home. One does not really need to go into the trouble of finding a gym or special exercise area.

This has meant that even busy executives can participate in the golf stretching program more frequently and do them with the same frequency that other golfers with more time in their hands can. They are therefore able to reap the full rewards of a golf stretching program.

About The Author: Mike Pedersen is the featured expert for Golf Magazine’s GolfOnline.com site, one of the top golf performance experts in the country, author and founder of several cutting-edge online golf fitness sites. Take a look at his just released golf fitness dvds and manual at his golf swing tips site - Perform Better Golf.

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In today’s global marketplace, it’s important to understand the differences between
cultures, as well as how those differences affect the way you do business. One of the
ways to understand culture is to look at it in the four dimensions established by
Hofstede:

1. Individualism vs. Collectivism
2. Small or Large Scale Power Distance
3. Uncertainty Avoidance
4. Masculinity vs. Femininity

The first dimension is Individualism vs. Collectivism. The issue in this
dimension is the relation between an individual’s interests and the interests of the
group. In individualist societies, the individual exercises loose ties between others,
is concerned with his own self-interests, and possibly the interests of his immediate
family. Individualist societies normally have a large degree of freedom and liberty,
which encourages people to pursue personal goals and ambitions. In collectivistic
societies, individuals are not so much concerned with their own interests as they are
the interests of their group, which can include immediate and extended families.
Every country theoretically fits somewhere along the Individualist-Collectivist
continuum.

The second dimension measures Small or Large Scale Power Distance. The
fundamental idea is how each society deals with inequality. All societies suffer from inequality, but some are more unequal than others. Some of the variables which
contribute to inequality are physical size, intellectual giftedness, wealth, and
heredity. In organizations, scholars like Hofstede contend that the degree of Power
Distance is associated with centralization and autocratic leadership.

Uncertainty Avoidance is the third dimension. In short, this dimension deals
with how each society copes with the uncertainty of an unknown future. Some
societies accept more readily this uncertainty without much fear. These “Weak
Uncertainty Avoidance” societies take life as it comes, do not work as hard, are
willing to take risks, and are very tolerant of almost any behavior and opinion. On
the other hand, other societies experience anxiety because of an uncertain future.
Also known as “Strong Uncertainty Avoidance” societies, these cultures are marked
by emotional stress and aggressiveness.

Finally, the fourth dimension is Masculinity vs. Femininity. The issue is role
divisions between men and women in society. In every society, men and women
perform certain roles; men normally take more dominant roles, while women are
concerned with more caring and supportive roles. One can use these types of roles
to describe similarities between cultures. “Masculine” cultures value a high degree of
achievement, money, and work first. More “feminine” societies value quality of life,
relationships, and helping others before power and money.

From these four dimensions, we can understand why it is wrong to assume or
assign one management theory to work for all cultures and societies. Much of the
writing on management over the past couple of decades, especially about
leadership, models of organization, and motivation, have been written from an
American point of view. Economically, this points to the importance of the US
economy during this period, but culturally it does not consider the impact on other
societies.

While more works needs to be done to understand the entire scope of the role
culture plays in management, understanding that there are differences, and using
these dimensions to explore them, is the first step.

Carmelo Di Salvo was born and raised in Buffalo, New York and received his B.A
in economics from the State University of New York in Buffalo. He graduated from
Regent University in 1995 with his M.B.A. In the years following, he spent time
working for businesses like Liberty Tax Service and RBC Centura, as well as several
years in the hospitality industry. He returned to Regent in 2003 to pursue a
Doctorate in Strategic Leadership. His current focus is on teaching and consulting in
the areas of strategic leadership, foresight analysis and creativity in the workplace.

Check out more on this topic at http://www.northstarconsultingllc.com.

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