Early to Rise Saturday
November 6, 2004
Today:
* If you've always dreamed of living and working somewhere else . .
. we're going to help you do it!
* A great reason to convince your kids to eat broccoli
* What's more important than doing a job efficiently?
Plus:
* You know how the ETR staff answered our Question of the Week -- now
see what your fellow ETR readers had to say about it.
* This Week in Early to Rise
* This Week's Pop Quiz
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I Used to Be Ashamed of What My Wife
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Microbusinesses can give you immediate income -- not a fortune, but
a solid, cash stream -- plus, they can be accumulated, one after
the other, so that one day they may be worth more than everything else
you have put together.
Learn
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WEALTH
The Portable Lifestyle Includes Your Job
In Message #1244, Charlie Byrne talked about the "portability"
trend in America. More and more people want to do what they want to
do wherever they are. As a result, many companies are finding ways to
make their products "portable" and, therefore, more attractive
to these consumers. Charlie suggested that you try to do the same with
your product.
But there's another aspect of the portable lifestyle to consider: your
job.
We've touched on this idea in many past ETR messages -- the idea that
you might want to consider a career change to one that allows you to
live and work anywhere in the world that you choose. In fact, most of
the career programs developed by ETR and AWAI make that possible. For
example, copywriting,
graphic design, and
running
your own direct-mail business. And now we're working on a new program
-- "Laptop Liberator" -- that's going to help you make just
about any job "portable."
ETR reader Neel Roberts made his tax-advisory service portable four
years ago -- and he says it's the best thing that he's done. Here's
what he told us in a recent e-mail:
"Basically, my clients can gather their tax information using
my worksheets on the Internet and can submit it via courier, fax, telephone,
or e-mail. I have called the program 'Zero Stop Taxes,' and the clients
love it. What kind of results have I seen? 40% growth consistently for
four years. In fact, I don't meet over 50% of my clients, and it works
for both of us. I should hit the million-dollar sales mark by the end
of the decade.
"A couple of things to be aware of when going portable. Never
force it on people. Many still like the retail approach because it's
been around so long. Also, don't overdo it. People still develop the
majority of trust with a first impression. And make sure you're accessible.
I've told many of my business clients to get a toll-free number (and
fax also) so customers can contact them from anywhere. Also, I believe
you have to have a functional website. A pro can do a fairly good one
from $1,000-$2,000, and it's worth every penny. If you don't have a
website and your competition does, they'll get the business.
"The lesson here is: It's not how much you will gain by going
portable, but how much you have been losing by not doing it."
Stay tuned for much more on the subject of "the portable lifestyle"
in upcoming ETR messages.
HEALTH
Broccoli -- Nature's Super-Food
You already know that broccoli is good for you, but you might not realize
that it's one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet. Broccoli
contains double the amount of vitamin C of an orange, as much calcium
as a tall glass of whole milk, and it has more antioxidant properties
than most other vegetables.
Like all vegetables, it is best to eat broccoli raw or lightly steamed.
Boiling or microwaving it will remove or destroy most of the beneficial
nutrients.
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The $84,000 Difference
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Learn
more:
WISDOM
Master Your Time -- Master Your Life
Effectiveness, rather than efficiency, is the key to good time management.
Being effective means that you select the best task to do from all the
possible choices -- and then do it in the best possible way.
In his book "How
to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life", Alan Lakein writes,
"Making the best choices about how you'll use your time is more
important than doing efficiently whatever job happens to be around."
This Week's Most Compelling "Speak
Out" Topic:
The ETR Question of the Week
This new feature has inspired quite a response from ETR readers! Lots
of interesting observations and personal stories. Check it out -- and
add your own -- at http://speakoutforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=369.
Do you have a comment or question on this -- or any other topic that
would be of interest to your fellow ETR readers? Post it on "Speak
Out" by clicking on: http://speakoutforum.com/forum/
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How To Get People To Send You Their Money!
I know this seems crazy but it's not. It's not a scheme that you'd
be ashamed to be involved in. And I'm not misleading you in any way.
The claims I'm making are factual. They are all based on experience.
Learn
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This Week in Early to Rise
11-01-04 How to Invest When You Have Less Than $100,000
As I pointed out in Message #1240, unless you have at least $50,000
to invest in stocks -- and $100,000 is better -- you probably shouldn't
be investing in individual stocks. And you definitely shouldn't be trading
options and futures. So, what should you be doing with your savings
now? What can you do with $25,000? Or $18,000, for that matter?
11-02-04 What to Invest In When You Have More Than $100,000 but Less
Than You Need to Retire
I recommend investing in stocks only after you have passed the $100,000
plateau. While you are still actively building wealth and are not yet
in the final (retirement) stage of managing your money. So today, let's
talk about that -- where your money should be during the third stage
of wealth building -- when you have built up your investable net worth
to between, say, $100,000 and $1,000,000. Here's what I think your "stage-three"
portfolio should look like.
11-03-04 Stupid Employer Tricks
As Gary North points out in today's essay, what we learn in college
rarely has anything to do with our ability to perform in a profit-driven
business. The skills required to master a job are not those imparted
by a college-level textbook. No company requires candidates for career
advancement to sit in business-operated classrooms for 50 minutes a
day, 14 weeks per term, and to take notes and read textbooks. But there
are lots of businesses that require this of entry-level jobseekers.
"No college degree -- no job."
11-04-04 What Makes for a Great Headline?
There's a lot of good advice available about how to write headlines.
I've spilled some ink on the subject myself in past ETR messages, in
AWAI's copywriting course, and in our Mail Box Millionaire program.
Sometimes, though, a great headline will defy any explanation.
11-05-04 Five Valuable Lessons From a Remarkable Family
Meb Keflezighi is 29 years old, weighs 127 pounds -- and he's faster
than greased lightning. You may recognize the name. He took the silver
in this year's Olympic marathon in Athens, running 26.2 miles in just
over two hours and 11 minutes. If you're counting, that's a pace of
about 12 miles an hour. Most people can't run that fast for 100 feet,
never mind 26 miles. But Meb is more than just one of the world's fastest
runners. He's also got a degree in business communications from UCLA.
This Week's Pop Quiz
How much do you remember about some of the things you learned this
week in ETR? The answers to this week's Pop Quiz are at the end of today's
message.
Part I:
1. In Message #1248, I said that if you have less than $25,000 in savings,
there is only one thing you should invest in: (a) stocks, (b) bonds,
or (c) your own small business.
2. In Message #1249, I gave you my recommended portfolio for "stage-three"
of your wealth-building career -- when you have an investable net worth
of $100,000 to $1,000,000. One of the things I think you should be investing
in at that point is hard assets or collectibles. My preference is fine
art -- and not only because you can make some decent money with it.
What are some of the other "gifts" that an art collection
offers?
3. If you never got a college degree and -- for whatever reason --
feel the need to get one now, Gary North suggested several alternatives
to actually going back to school in Message #1250. What are they?
4. In Message #1251, I gave you the secret of the "Four U's"
-- the four critical characteristics that every headline should have
-- to help you write great headlines. The first one is "Urgency."
What are the other three?
5. Meb Keflezighi is (a) one of the world's fastest runners, (b) the
prime minister of Uzbekistan, or (c) Johnny Depp's real name. (Message
#1252)
Part II: Quick Tips
6. Which is correct? (a) "Alex use to have a green car" or
(b) "Alex used to have a green car." (Message #1248)
7. In recent years, the cost of placing a banner ad has plummeted.
Still, many direct marketers find them unprofitable. At ETR and AWAI,
though, we've had some success with strategically placed banner ads.
So, given the low cost, we think you should consider them for a small
part of your Internet marketing budget. True or False? (Message #1249)
8. Researchers recently discovered that eating kiwifruit can (a) help
you lose weight, (b) help bald men grow hair, or (c) improve heart health.
(Message #1250)
9. In Message #1251, we gave you several good ideas on how to "steal"
a few minutes of productivity during the day. One idea is to use your
commuting time to listen to motivational tapes or study a foreign language.
What are the others?
10. A simple way to bring your marketing copy to life is to replace
boring, ordinary verbs with action words that create a striking visual
image. Give some examples. (Message #1252)
Part III: Word to the Wise
11. The word "harebrained" (which means "with no more
sense than a hare") used to be spelled "hairbrained."
Is that because "hair" was once a variant spelling of "hare"?
Or because the meaning of the word used to be "having a hair-sized
brain"? (Message #1248)
12. We use the term "dark horse" to refer to a political
candidate who is unlikely to win. Did the term come from (a) jousting,
(b) horse racing, or (c) Shakespeare's "Richard III"? (Message
#1249)
13. Something that is "eloquent" is (a) vividly expressive,
(b) missing, or (c) shaped like an oval. (Message #1250)
14. We use the word "implicit" for something that is implied
or understood, though not directly expressed. What word do we use for
something that is directly and clearly expressed? (Message #1251)
15. The "Pacific Rim" refers to countries bordering the Pacific
Ocean that share political, economic, and environmental interests. It's
an informal, flexible term, often used by investors, that is generally
regarded as a reference to the markets of East Asia -- Japan, China,
and Taiwan. What other countries might the "Pacific Rim" include?
(Message #1252)
Answers to This Week's Pop Quiz
1. c - You can't start a capital-intensive business with that kind
of money. You can't for example, open a restaurant or create a new line
of pharmaceuticals. But you can start a small direct-mail business by
investing a few thousand dollars (and a lot of hard work) and see it
grow into a business that's worth a million. I've done it many times.
I've coached people who have done it. Stories are published in magazines
every month about people who have done it. We've even developed a program
(Mailbox Millionaire) to help you do it.
2. (1) The pleasure of learning, (2) the excitement of building a collection,
(3) the stimulation of new friends, and (4) a wider, more sophisticated
view of history.
3. Take written exams to quiz out. The main ones are AP, CLEP, Dantes
(military), and DSST. If you hustle, you could pass one a month. In
two years, you've got an Associate of Arts degree. There are also a
handful of colleges that offer a B.A. by examination.
4. Usefulness, Uniqueness, and Ultra-Specificity
5. a - Meb took the silver in this year's Olympic marathon in Athens,
running 26.2 miles in just over two hours and 11 minutes. That's a pace
of about 12 miles an hour. Tomorrow, just two months after his silver-medal
performance in Greece, Meb hopes to become the first American since
1982 to win the New York City Marathon.
6. (b) "Alex used to have a green car" is correct. "Used
to" is another way of saying "formerly did."
7. True
8. c - The University of Oslo recently reported that kiwifruit cuts
the amount of fat platelets being pumped around the body, while also
thinning the blood. Eating kiwis lowered subjects' triglyceride levels
by an average of 15%.
9. Learn a new word each day during your coffee break. Or use the time
you wait in lines to catch up on newspaper and magazine articles related
to your field. (I make it a point to clip interesting articles and keep
them in my briefcase or pocket to read at moments like these.)
10. Instead of saying "Profits went up 239%," say "Profits
soared 239%." Instead of saying, "We offer excellent advice,"
say "We deliver excellent advice." Any "to be" verb
("am," "is," "are," etc.) is a perfect
candidate for this exercise.
11. It's because "hair" was once a variant spelling of "hare."
12. b - In a horse race, a little-known contender that makes an unexpectedly
good showing and defeats its more famous rivals is called a "dark
horse." Not because of its color (which could be anything) but
because of its obscurity. The term has been extended to apply to competitors
in other kinds of contests (especially political candidates running
for office) who are unlikely to win.
13. a
14. explicit
15. Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Hong Kong/Macau, Indonesia, Laos,
North Korea, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands,
the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam
Michael Masterson
Copyright ETR, LLC, 2004
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