The Government And Money…

One of the biggest issues here in the US, and probably all over the World right now is about money, taxes, and benefits in general. And with reason. Money is tight for everyone right now, be it an individual, a family, a city, state or the national government.

This is an issue we need to look at very closely. But the subject is a VERY touchy subject for many of the wrong reasons, as it deals with individuals and their goals.

This is were I see things as it deals with the US, my family and I…

First off, we need to start at the bottom and at the top of the structure concurrently. I will start here with the “top”, national government of the US, and work down to my family and finally me.

Having worked in the US Government initially in the US Army, and now as a Veterans Administration Employee (as well as one other position) I have seen how the US Government spends money and how small or big it is. Many aspects of our US government are WAY too large, while in a few they are way to small. We spend too much money on financing and looking at entitlement programs for individuals and “groups” (those groups beings social/racial/sexual) and in managing those programs once they are set up. Once we realize that EVERYONE is a human, and treat everyone the same, regardless of their race/creed/sexual preference, and get rid of a vast majority of the entitlement programs out there, our national budget will start (but not get there) to get under control. At the same time, because we are doing away with the programs, the size of the over reaching government will shrink. (Don’t worry, I’ll talk about jobs as well!)

The Government, at the top levels needs to start participating in the health and retirement programs, which probably should stay in place, just like their constituents are required to. And once they leave office, they should have the same benefits that would be given on the “civilian side”, meaning they don’t get their non-contributing pension when they leave, even if they served for only one or two terms. Speaking of terms, ALL positions in the US Government should be term limited, with no more than eight (8) years of service before moving on. Since the majority (ALL?) of the members of Congress are not farmers or active business people anymore, we need to do away with the long term breaks, which were set up to allow the original members to go back to their farms and plant, harvest, etc. They are paid full time salaries now, work full time like the rest of us. They should have the same leave (vacation) practices that the rest of the Government employees have. In just these steps, several millions of dollars are actually saved.

Our law making process needs to be looked at, and in many cases cut back on. Funding the “investigation” into laws that “protect the individual from themselves” needs to be cut out, and the emphasis should be on laws that protect the citizen from others. Removing laws that protect an individual from themselves (what they can eat, where they can get it, adults wearing seat belts (although I think every person should wear one, that should not be a law that requires monitoring, etc.), etc. should happen immediately. Laws should deal with protecting someone from someone else. Requiring children to wear seat belts makes since, as they do not have the reasoning capability to understand the dangers of not doing so. Laws on toy manufactures restricting what they can use in the production of toys that may harm kids makes since. This change in our law system will save even more money, and help focus the time spent on the floors of Congress being reviewed and in-acted.

There are some government organizations that do need to be increased in size. Our military as it makes since for readiness and ability to respond to US issues and, in a somewhat more limited fashion, global issues. Our intelligence agencies should be properly funded and staff to meet our need for proper intelligence for the safety of our nation. And laws should be review, rewritten and/or deleted to better focus on the national protection of citizens, more so than individual protections as it seems to currently be.

Now, how do we fund these things? First off, EVERYONE, individually, not business (more on them shortly), in every State of the US should be taxed the same. My recommendation is a flat 10% of gross income, across the board, for all income levels. Eliminate all the tax loopholes that are out there that stop people from getting breaks, which will reduce the need for such a large collection agency we call the IRS, reducing it’s size significantly, although not getting rid of it, as it has a valid function, allowing only charitable donations as a reduction of taxes up to 25% of the total tax paid. Tax should be done on gross income, before expenses. This is earned income, including on investments, etc. Once you earn it, you pay the taxes. If you reinvest that earnings, after taxes, be ready to pay taxes on the earnings that investment garnishes later! No deferment till you actually put it in your pocket, because when you invest it again, you put it in your pocket for a second before you re-invested it!

Business should be taxed at a flat rate of 10% as well, after operating expenses are deducted. Again, aside from operating expenses, get rid of all loopholes to reduce taxes. Public companies should pay their taxes BEFORE paying dividends, which should not count as operating expenses, but benefits to investors. Buying back stock is NOT an operating expense in this case either. However, assisting employees in medical expenses IS an operational expense!

With the reduction of Government jobs as outlined above, there will be some people “on the streets” without work. We need, as a nation, to get back to providing our own food. Farming needs to become an important business again, and that will require many hands and bodies to work the fields and make things grow. This will do several things. It will decrease, in the long run the cost of food. We need to open our own oil fields. This will further reduce the cost of food, while it helps reduce the cost of oil products as well. Both of these two endeavors will increase the need for labor pools. We need to get back to being the innovative nation we use to be, bringing our industries back within our shores and building things again, from the ground up!

All of this requires that we begin re-building our education system as well. Which will require more teachers, again more jobs. Our education system should get back to the basics, focus on the foundations of business and innovation, reading, math, history (to learn from past mistakes and good events), and social studies. It should include the arts: music and art, which should be MANDATORY up to a certain age, and start early to get the foundation there.

This nation was built on “faith” in God. That faith needs to come back as well. This will cause ripples, but it is fact, and should be looked at closely, as the departure of that faith has caused many of the problems we now see here in the states!

SHiFT! – Turn Prospects into Customers – A Book Review

For the past several years I have been on LinkedIn member, building connections and business. In the process, I became connected with Craig Elias, a very successful person that has done outstanding in the sales area. One of my weak areas, but an area I have been deep in as an owner or senior executive of several business.

He recently published a book with Tibor Shanto outlining their well developed sales techniques for all to use:

Over the past several years these two gentlemen have developed a system that seems to me to work well.

The book takes you through the process of evaluating your past successes, and showing you how to fine tune recognizing what works and what hasn’t worked, but the focus is on what works.

They then take you through the process of knowing who and when to make your sells calls, and how to go about it. The detail they give you and the reasoning behind what they tell us is VERY valid and matches what I found upon reviewing my past successes after reading this book.

Throughout the book you are taking to their web sites to get some great paper tools to help you through the process, and for even more great information.

You can also get more information by going to this page where you are able to get on their email list for great info, and get a better preview of the book.

If you are in sales, and in almost any job you are in, you are involved in sales in one form or another, this book is a MUST read book. It is available at Amazon.com in both Kindle format and in hard and soft format.

Watkins Products.

I don’t normally post much on this blog about Watkins or it’s products, I do that on “Watkins Ramblings“, but I thought I’d bring the business and products out here as well again. (I’ve done it before, most recently here, but will try not to do it too often… )

Watkins is a 141+ year old company that has great “Green” products for home and personal care, and some of the best spices and flavorings you will ever find. Once you buy any of these products, you will never go back to store bought products!

Now, comes the good part, for a fee of $39.95/year, you can become an Associate and receive a 25% discount on all products you buy for yourself, and you receive at least a 25% commission on any products you sell. You can sell in person, over the Internet, by mail, etc. There is no need to buy products and store them in your already full garage. You take your orders, send the order in and three to seven days later the products are either delivered to you, or if you want, directly to your client/customer.

As you get clients that like to buy a lot of products each month, you talk to them about becoming an Associate themselves, giving them a 25% discount on the products from what they were paying you for them, and they begin saving. At the same time, you receive from 1% to 15% commission on their use and sales of product, provided you are still using or selling the products yourself. (There is no commission just for having a person sign up. Both you and the new Associate need to buy or sell product to earn a commission!)

You can also go straight to a person and share the business concept with that person and have them start out as an Associate. The same principles work here.

Now, the secret, and it’s not a secret, but that is what draws people in right?, is to USE THE PRODUCTS yourself. One, the products are great. The food products taste good, and are of the highest quality and of the best production. The household products are made to Green standards, are all natural and will not cause health issues to the users, or kill pets, etc. The personal care products are great as well. (I know, I may be prejudice, as I’m a Watkins Associate, but it was the products that sold me on it, and caused me to join over 8 years ago.)

Now, I know I’m going to get the nay sayers who are going to say that this business is nothing but a Pyramid Scheme. First off, all business are pyramids in pay structure for the most part. The person at the top makes more money than the person directly below them, and they make more money than the person directly below them, all the way down to the bottom person in the company. In Watkins, you can be “under” someone and make more money than them, by building your client base and selling more product and/or by building your “sales/use” team bigger than that person above you, making you more money than they make. And you don’t make money on the person joining. ONLY when they buy (or sell) product is there any upward commission.

This is not a get rich quick scheme either. It will take you from three to ten years to make a strong business of it, based on a 5 to 20 hour work week. Meaning, you work the business for 5 to 20 hours a week talking to people, and sharing the products. It can be done quicker if you work more. (But in today’s world, who can always put more time in a “side job”?) The first key to this business is to use the products yourself. If you do this, first you get great products that do a great job, and you get your volume in. (If you use the supplements, house cleaning products, and/or personal care products on a daily/monthly basis, you will reach your needed volume without any sales, to earn commission on those you bring into the business. Sales brings you added volume and revenue, so never overlook a sales opportunity!)

Like any business, this business requires money. But not alot. You can start out by buying products you normally buy from the local store from yourself. You can advertise for free through blogs, free websites (and, if you join under me, you are giving, at no cost to you, access to some great marketing tools such as this which help you get leads), letters and emails to associates, etc. You can always purchase leads through various sources, and your best avenue is just sharing the products with others, or products made from Watkins products.

This business is fun, you get a great support team through me, and my up line, which includes access to a great training system (again for free) with tons of tools and information about building your business.

For the past 8 years, my focus on this business has been to use the products I like in my daily and monthly life and acquire new associates who are wanting to do the same, and make money while they are at it. Before becoming a Friar, I had over 300 people in my team, and because I quit being an active user of the products, allowed about 280 of them to go to another team. Twenty some stayed with me, and I’m now growing that team up again.

Here is how I do it. I am on a round of sponsoring 10 people that I will keep directly under me. The next 10 people I sponsor go one each under those 10, and then the next 10 go under them again in a round robin system. Those that follow the system of at least using the product, I continue to place people under as I sponsor more people., putting the next 10 under me, following the above pattern for those 10, then I will start placing the rest under those 20, or at least the ones that are active.

Are you ready to be one of the first 10 in this next round of growth for my business? If so, drop me a line here, and I will help you get started. If you would like to research the business on your own, before talking to me, go here.

I look forward to working with you in building your second income, which may become your main income should you wish to make it so!

Catching up with myself…

A very good friend of mine in California complained that all I write about now is related to religion… This post will have some of that too, but basically I will honor her request and update what has been going on this past 12 months or so…

Last year I was accepted into the Brothers and Sisters of Reconciliation as a Friar. I would have started my Seminary studies this past August (2009). Roughly in October of last year the Archbishop of Miami decided that the Order had not been set up properly or supervised by a (Arch)Bishop correctly and that the Order was to be closed effective immediately and that any and all vows given were to be released effectively immediately. I applied to two Franciscan Orders, both of which decided that I was too old. (Most Religious Orders stop accepting a person after they turn from 25 to 35, depending on the Order.)

During this time of discernment with the Orders, a VERY good lady friend (at the time), Debbie and I continued to talk about the possibility of getting together. About the time the Orders were starting to get back to me, Debbie and I decided to get married. The great day of our Marriage was March 4th, while I was visiting from Florida. I returned to Ashland in April, and we got married in her Church on May 15th. I now live with her in Ashland, KY.

(Very pretty up here, pretty much year around so far! People are friendly, and all speak English!)

At the end of April or beginning of May (can’t remember!!??) I began working at Crisp Dairy Treat so that I could continue to pay Child Support and other bills. I work as a short order cook, ice cream maker, and food issuer. (Hand food to the customers, and take their money. )

I have re-opened my martial arts school, Circular Wind Ryu, Inc. here in Kentucky and am open for business. I have also gotten more active, yet again, with Watkins and am selling those GREAT products! (Check out the products at http://www.watkinsonline.com and when you “sign up” use my Associate ID of 335373!!) I am also available to fix computers, install software and train people on how to use their computers and software. TDBell Enterprises, Inc., now a sub-unit of Circular Wind Ryu, Inc. is open for business in IT Operations, Business Operations and Business Plan Development consulting on an hourly basis. (http://www.tdbellenterprises.com)

I am aggressively looking for a job with at least a bit better pay, and mainly for one that has medical benefits. (I know, deep request in today’s world…) I am looking for a job in IT Management, Business Management, or IT technical areas. If you know of any such openings in the Ashland, KY/Huntington, WV area, let me know!

I am still very involved in a Secular yet Religious life, and very much still in love with the Church (Roman Catholic, but Christian faith in general), and still active in the Church. (As if you couldn’t gather from my post here…)

In Christ!

More Information

Yesterday I posted on becoming a Watkins Associate. Today I will point you (since I forgot to yesterday) to a web site that will give you some information about being a Watkins Associate under me. Please click this link.

Watkins can be a great residual income stream if you run it right, and with as little or as much time as you want to spend on it. Granted, you get more if you spend more time.

You never need to store products, and, if you follow the Summit Group’s success, you basically spend your time USING those Watkins products you like, and sharing the concept of buying form yourself to others, who do the same once they join, use the products, and share the business opportunity with others. Each person that does this builds a VERY solid residual income.

Writing a book…

Well, actually two books. I am currently, and have been for a few years now, trying to write a couple of books. One is based on a characters life in the military, and the other is a business book on how to write business plans (as I recommend here).

As I read what I write, I stop, erase everything and start over. I should probably stop erasing everything and just keep writing until I’m done, then let someone else read it over and erase it.

Are there any writers out there reading this? If so, how do you do it? It seems difficult to not be so critical of your own work! I know I have these two books (and a few more) in me, it’s just getting them on paper in a way I like!

Business BLog Coming Back

As I bring this blog back up I am also slowly bringing back my TDBell Enterprises, Inc., Business BLog back as well. That blog talks about business topics, to include the Watkins business, but mainly how to set up and structure your company for success. I talk about how to get funding, and what to do/not do in that area.

I hope you enjoy it for those of you that are in business.

Consulting Web Site.

After about four months of it being down, I have decided to bring back up my business web site. It will probably have a business blog up on it soon, and may soon have an in house photo gallery. Enjoy!