09.30.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 8:13 pm by Robin J. Elliott
If you’re like me, Earl Nightingale was one of your first success teachers. I loved his records, tapes, then CD’s. His teaching is foundational to winning in life. Farmers understand his great teaching – to them, his “Strangest Secret” is not so strange. Nevertheless, his message is very exciting, in that it provides the hope, and indeed the promise, that we can change our lives. Watch this excellent, short movie.
Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com
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Posted in Uncategorized at 8:01 pm by Robin J. Elliott
If you like Boston Legal and hate smoking, you’ll love this Closing Argument
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Posted in Uncategorized at 4:55 pm by Robin J. Elliott
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Posted in Uncategorized at 9:36 am by Robin J. Elliott
Winners know that going the extra mile makes the difference. Watch this excellent, short movie.
At 211 degrees, water is hot. At 212 degrees, it boils, and creates steam. That steam can be used to power a massive locomotive. One extra degree of perseverance, persistence, commitment, and enthusiasm makes all the difference.
In golf, the average margin of victory over the last 25 years in all major tournaments combined was less than three strokes.
Olympic Gold Medals: In the 2004 Men’s 800m Race, the margin of victory was .71 seconds.
Indy 500: The average margin for victory in the past ten years was 1.54 seconds!The average winning was $1,278,000 - second place a mere $621,000.
DollarMakers attracts winners who insist on success and commit to being the best.
Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com
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09.29.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 10:20 pm by Robin J. Elliott
Gambling addicts gamble until they lose everything. Alcoholics drink until they pass out. Certain entrepreneurs feel most alive when they are in a tight financial corner. So they subconsciously have to create that level of threat, pain, and danger in order to be forced to use their creativity to work their way out of the problem. That way, they escape boredom, and the challenge and the overcoming of that challenge puts them on a high. It tests their skills and mental strength, validates their ability, and makes life interesting. It’s the game, baby. Usually, those entrepreneurs are not consciously aware of what they’re doing. They’re blissfully unaware of their self-sabotage and self-made cycles.
At some point in my entrepreneurial life, I recognized that I was partly subject to this insidious and subtle affliction. Success for the sake of success has its downside. Money can be very tedious. (It can also run hand-in-hand with the avoidance of success when success would mean contribution to a hated cause or despised person, or create a situation that is more uncomfortable than the lack of success, however that is not for this discussion.) Self-discovery takes testicular fortitude and incurs emotional pain, however the results are well worth the private confrontation. Recognizing the root cause is one thing, however replacing it is quite another. Artificially exceeding the pain threshold by reinterpreting your circumstances and the ramifications is a smart choice.
In my case, I disciplined myself to accept the success, recalibrate and re-engineer the internal meaning and consequences thereof, and supplant the boredom with massive and intense innovation, creativity, and expansion. The benefits of replacing the challenge in a more positive way surpassed the discomfort of recognizing a dangerous and elusive pattern that took a lot of introspection and detachment to unveil, and strict personal discipline to overcome. Entrepreneurs have the freedom to create massive wealth, however they must first create the foundational, personal freedom that will release that wealth. My book, “Break Free!” may help a bit in that regard.
Obsessive compulsive behavior, perfectionism, high expectations, extreme sensitivity, and self-destructive tendencies often point to extreme entrepreneurial potential. Finding a way to channel the creativity in real entrepreneurs is fundamental to optimal achievement, and running the local sandwich shop or selling tires will simply drive the true entrepreneur to practice the cycle mentioned here. “Let me see if I can still do this job while I’m drunk.” The most effective, powerful, unlimited, creative, and synergistic business model I have found is Joint Venture Broking – that’s why I do it. It offers total freedom, massive contribution, and the opportunity to be true to yourself. By tying your work to your vision and values, and attaching a serious personal cause, especially one that attacks that which you hate, one can, in my opinion, create a much higher high.
Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com
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Posted in Uncategorized at 3:22 pm by Robin J. Elliott
My friend said, “Robin, the best place to find crayfish (lobsters) are in the holes at the rock face, where the waves are pounding the rocks. To get the best, juicy crayfish, you put on your wet suit with a track suit over it to protect it from the sharp rocks, wear gardening gloves, and get between the waves and the rocks, then stick your hands into the holes to find the crayfish. In some of the holes, there are eels, who will bite into your fingers with their razor-sharp teeth. If you put your hand out fast, their teeth with rip your fingernail off. But the risk is worth the crayfish.” We got some great crayfish.
The world is changing fast, and the financial situation is certainly not what it used to be. The waves are certainly smashing against the rocks in their stormy weather. People are regretting certain past choices. Some will use the financial changes to justify all sorts of bad behavior. Others will use the situation as an excuse to put off important and uncomfortable decisions. Those who felt diversification away from certain industries and real estate investments wasn’t necessary are realizing that they were wrong. For some, that realization has yet to dawn.
In every situation, there lurk exciting opportunities, which you can’t see from under your bed. You don’t catch crayfish while lying on the beach. Joint Venture Brokers have opportunities galore in these turbulent times to make money with no cost or risk, to do lucrative deals and help others survive and thrive. Conrad Hilton bought hotels during the depression. The glass isn’t half empty – it’s half full! Turn those lemonades in lemonade! You get to know yourself and others in difficult times. Character is built and revealed. DollarMakers is poised for massive growth as people realize the power and value of Joint Ventures.
You choose: panic and pessimism, or pluck and profit. You can be the victim or the victor. You will find what you look for: catastrophe or opportunity; both are readily available.
Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com
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Posted in Uncategorized at 7:15 am by Robin J. Elliott
Yesterday morning, my daughter, Sacha, took me horse riding in beautiful Langley, British Columbia. Riding with Sacha is always a special experience. We had a great time along the trails and through the fields, and, as always, there were some life lessons to be gleaned. My horse’s name was Drifter, and when we trotted up to a lane that led alongside a large field, the stables owner warned me that, as soon as we cantered or galloped, Difter would… drift. She said he would veer right into the field, and that he always canters at an angle – side on. She said they had found that the easiest way to curb his drifting away from the beaten track was to rein him in on the left, while giving him some heel on his right side.
Sure enough, as soon as we stated cantering and picked up speed, Drifter started drifting quickly away from the rest of the horses towards the center of the field, and, as predicted, a firm left rein and some good, solid kicks on his right side brought him back into the fold. Frankly, I would have liked to have given him the freedom to break into a gallop across the field, but one has to stick to the rules. We had a wonderful morning, and look forward to another outride soon. (I still bounce when we canter, but that hasn’t changed since I first rode at the age of ten, so I guess I’ll always be a “bouncer”.)
Many people drift away from their goals, veer off target, get sidetracked, and don’t know how to get back on track. Now drifting away from the pack is a great thing if the pack is heading in the wrong direction, and we know that the seething herd usually is heading the wrong way, but if you’re working with winners and you’re part of a winning team, here are a few pointers:
1. A strong, successful team will be aware when you drift off course, and they will bring it to your attention.
2. When you’re moving fast, you need to take more drastic, focused action than if you’re ambling along. I had to be strong with Drifter, not whisper sweet nothings in her furry ear.
3. Be aware of where you’re headed, where the rest of your team is, and keep perspective. Horses don’t have a reverse gear. And don’t spend the rest of the ride apologizing and beating yourself up; just don’t repeat the mistake, and if you find yourself drifting again, correct fast. (Like when you’re scuba diving: “equalize early and often.”)
4. Take advice from people who are experienced in dealing with your challenge. Drifter’s owner knew and understood both the challenge and the remedy, and she had the solution for me. Jim Stoval said, “Never take advice from anyone who doesn’t already have what you want.”
By the same token, when you see that you’ve linked up with a bunch of losers, find yourself a winning horse that drifts easily, and gallop as fast as you can away from them.
Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com
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09.26.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 1:47 pm by Robin J. Elliott
As the financial markets are being rocked in the US and the ripple effect is being felt around the world, those people who smirked arrogantly when I said I would never invest in mutual funds or RRSP’s have egg on their collective face. Those “financial planners” who hard sold “investments” to every Tom, Dick, and Harry in order to make a commission are aware that many people are losing a lot of money.
So when I tell people they can make 12% on their money through a SAFE investment, I really mean it. It’s what I do, and why I’m not having sleepless nights worrying about my stocks and my 401K. And when people buy my books for ten dollars and sell them for twenty dollars, they make a 100% ROI. When people do Joint Ventures and everything they earn is 100% profit, that’s a good return on their investment of a little time, a little work, and a little training. Our mantra at DollarMakers is “No cost, no risk, very little time”, and that’s why we’re make dollars instead of making losses.
The best investment anyone can ever make is in education, as long as that education is applied and turned into money. Benjamin Franklin said, “Empty your purse into your mind, and your mind will fill your purse.” Learn how to fish, and you’ll catch a lot of fish throughout your life. Lat night on the Documentary Channel, Norman Lear shared a Talmudic saying with Howard Schultz (Starbucks). I’ll try to remember exactly what it said. “In one pocket of your coat, keep a piece of paper on which is written, ‘I am nothing but dust’. In the other pocket, keep a piece of paper on which is written, ‘This world was created for ME.’” This keeps people dreaming big, with big expectations, but it also keeps us humble and reminds us of who we really are. Joint Venture Brokers see the world as a candy shop full of opportunities.
Most people pay credit card companies and banks a huge amount of interest. Joint Venture Brokers borrow from the bank at 6% or from a credit card company (introductory offer) at 2%, and lend the money out at 12%, so they make money on other peoples’ money and the bank or credit card companies’ money.
Most people sell their time/ life, while JV Brokers sell other peoples’ time.
While most people are losing their money on the stock market, we’re making money through alternative and very simple, legal, uncomplicated systems.
When I told my bank manager that the best investment I can possibly make is in my own business and my own training, she didn’t understand, because she’s an employee. She wants me to invest in the bank for three percent while the cost of living is 7%. I’m not stupid. People ask is the 12% investment I use is “safe”, while they lose money hand over fist – how dumb can you get?
Now is the time to reconsider your financial status and future. Now is the time to get out of that very uncomfortable comfort zone and take advantage of the opportunity. The Chinese word for CRISIS is Danger + Opportunity. NOW is the time for you to consider what DollarMakers has to offer you.
William Shakespeare: “There is a tide in the affairs of men
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures..”
Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com
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09.25.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 10:29 pm by Robin J. Elliott
If you receive information, which, if applied, can earn you an unlimited amount of money, what is that information worth? The information on the Bootcamps makes David Dubeau $84,000 per month. It saved Kumar Ramlal $145,000. It allowed Patrick Giesbrecht to retire in seven months with more residual income than he needed to live on. It allowed me to retire twice. It has made people millions of dollars.
Would you pay $5,000 once, to be able to earn $10,000 and more per month for the rest of your life? Of course you would. Let me tell you why certain people balk at the measly $500 we currently charge for a seat at a Bootcamp – two reasons: first, it’s too cheap, so they think the content can’t be worth much. They don’t realize that we make it cheap so that we can reach and help more people. Second, they don’t believe in themselves: they know they’re lazy and weak, and that they never follow through on things they start. Winners know that they always succeed in everything they do.
A winner will never ask, “How much did YOU make from the Bootcamp?” or, “How much did others make?” Why? Because winners know that most other people fail most of the time. They know themselves. They know they always rise to the top. They have a track record. They know how hard working and disciplined they are. If they evaluate the Bootcamp and believe the information works, they will pay for it and apply it and get rich. Winners will take action and MAKE it happen, while losers and parasites will pose and procrastinate and analyze and make excuses until they find another seminar to attend.
How much is the security, retirement, peace of mind, self-respect, adventure, freedom, time, and happiness afforded by having enough money worth to you? What would you pay to be able to live your dreams, help others financially, travel to exotic places, and be free of fear and stress?
You will learn proven, tried and tested technologies and skills that you can use to create wealth anywhere, under any circumstances, regardless of your background, age, or education, or whether you have a business or not. What is that worth? Ten thousand, twenty thousand dollars? You’re learning from people who actually do what they teach. This is not some seminar by a conman that has you running to the back of the room to buy the “real, meaty stuff” at ridiculously high prices. This is the real thing. Get it while it lasts. Whatever you pay for it, it’s too cheap.
Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com
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Posted in Uncategorized at 8:29 am by Robin J. Elliott
The most lucrative Joint Venture one can engage in usually involves a Center of Influence, that is a person who has the respect, admiration, trust, cooperation, and attention of a large group of people with whom he or she regularly communicates. This database of people is strongly inclined to follow the directions, instruction, advice, and suggestions of their leader, and they often do so blindly, as do most sheep.
And herein lies the challenge: there are some dishonest and psychopathic centers of influence that misuse and abuse their power and their people, selling their loyal followers pigs in pokes, and taking advantage of their position of power to the disadvantage of their flock. One wants to identify and avoid these centers of influence like the plague. You will be judged by your associations and the company you keep, and aligning yourself with con artists is financially tempting, but as unwise as eating chocolate cake doused in strychnine.
Seek out the honest and sincere centers of influence. I would rather spend $2,000 working on a relationship with one genuine center of influence who has integrity, than reach hundreds of individuals who are not centers of influence. Thos who have successfully Joint Ventured with good centers of influence know how valuable those relationships are. This is BY FAR the most valuable activity of any JV Broker: finding and pitching centers of influence.
Here are seven pointers that you would do well to be aware of:
1. Not everyone who has a large database is a center of influence – there are characters lurking on the Internet who have plagiarized lots of information and built large opt-in databases under false pretenses – those databases are usually low quality, and your hit rate and conversion rate will be very low, while those you do convert will be low quality, too. You want a high quality relationship between the center of influence and his or her people, and a high quality person in the database. Quality is more important than quantity.
2. Centers of influence can lose their credibility with their flock as the products, services and investments they sold their followers prove to be scams at worst, and empty promises at best. The chickens come home, as it were, to roost. Be on top of things and be current in your information about your target centers of influence. Things change, and there are a lot of posers and has-beens out there. Some centers of influence are on their way out.
3. All centers of influence are busy, and what we hate more than anything else is an MLM type that sells lotions, potions, swill, and pills, snake oil and weight loss products, magic drinks, and overpriced vitamins and placebo effect products. Realize that JV’s that involve the aforementioned and start-ups, unproven, miracle investments, gold mines in far-away places, and property/real estate “investments” in volatile, unstable third world countries are not JV’s most intelligent and honest centers of influence will even consider. We hear a lot of hype, and we have “BS Detectors”.
4. Don’t be intimidated by a center of influence. They all want more money, and they all realize they can leverage their database. And they’re all looking for good, solid, lucrative, and viable JV’s that don’t involve cost, risk, or time.
5. Your presentation: look, act, groom yourself, dress, and present yourself at least at the same level of professionalism as your prospect. Showing up badly dressed, unshaven, covered in cat hair, answering your cell phone in the meeting, surreptitiously glancing at your Blackberry or cell phone every few minutes (usually the sign of a lack of discipline and/or desperation), being unprepared, or smelling of tobacco, will simply irritate your prospect and end the meeting before it begins. And if you’re overdressed (glitzy, embroidered French cuffs, bling, big mouth, loud, ostentatious, aggressive and egotistical), you simply reveal that you’re intimidated, nouveau riche, or stupid. (Or all three.) Be demure, professional, high quality, self confident, relaxed, and focused.
6. Your offer and approach: Your offer has to be sufficiently financially rewarding to get the avid attention of your prospect. Get it in writing. Run it by your lawyer. I use Pre-Paid Legal and save a fortune on lawyers. (See here). Be very specific. Be concise and to the point, and remember that you have little time and only one opportunity to make a good impression. Talk about the bottom line and the time it will take to deliver the profit. Also mention who will control the money. This can easily be a deal breaker. Do your homework and position yourself. I will personally not even consider doing a JV with someone who is not a Member of DollarMakers.
7. This is a JV between equals, and you’re not a sales person or employee, so don’t act like one. Be prepared to walk away from the deal. No center of influence wants to deal with someone who is in financial distress or under pressure to make money.
By seeking out solid, professional, and honest JVp[artners, you build your financial future on a firm foundation. Be selective, patient, and focused, and the sky’s the limit when dealing with centers of influence. DollarMakers is built on JV with good people. You can also use a DollarMakers Certified Business Mentor to help you set up your JV’s with centers of influence.
Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com
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09.24.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 2:55 pm by Robin J. Elliott
Too many entrepreneurs work too had, too long, for too little. They’re chasing an elusive and beautiful, butterfly dream, with a broken net. They’re killing themselves to get to a place where they have the time and money to have a life: dying to live. It’s a sad reality. There are three kinds of entrepreneurs: those who have lots of time, but not enough money, those who have lots of money, but not enough time, and then there is the three percent, who have both time and money.
Of course there is a solution for the rat whose feet are bleeding as he runs in his wheel, but yon rat has to see the solution and believe in it. I often hear people say, “When I make the money, I’ll attend the training.” Let me this share superb response to that kind of statement by DollarMakers Certified Business Mentor and Country Director for DollarMakers USA, Anthony Obey: “You shouldn’t do the program unless you are ready, but waiting until you have earned the money from JVs is like saying you’ll wait until you have earned money working on patients before you go to medical school. It is the investment you make so that you can have the career. You don’t get the career then get the training.” Yup, it’s not “I’ll believe it when I see it”, because then you’ll never see it. You have to believe it in order to see it.
What kills businesses more than anything else? Cash flow. When you have high overhead and all your eggs in one proverbial basket, be that basket a particular product, service, or demographic or geographic restriction, anything that slows your sales, even events beyond your control, can put you out of business as fast and effectively as a 9mm bullet between your beady eyes. How to overcome that, especially as the world enters the autumn of a serious recession? How can we move effectively and swiftly from surviving to thriving? The powerful, unlimited, leveraged power of Joint Ventures. You can attend a JV Bootcamp or apply to become a DollarMakers Certified Business Mentor, or you can hire a DollarMakers Certified Business Mentor to come and rescue you from your straight jacket and take you out of your dank, padded cell, into the sunshine of your life.
You can’t enjoy the beach with your family when you’re recovering from a serious heart attack, brought on by working hard, instead of smart. Learn how to leverage other people’s time, money, credit, equipment, credibility, resources, and databases. Discover the freedom of earning residual income at100% profit. Enjoy the peace of mind that comes from multiple income sources. The time to start living is November 2 in Cancun at the DollarMakers Fourth Annual Convention, not in ten years when you’re fifty but you look like eighty. Stop dying to live and start Joint Venturing!
Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com
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Posted in Uncategorized at 1:09 pm by Robin J. Elliott
There’s a fellow in the Excited States that has been e mailing me off and on for over a year now. He always has questions and never takes action – paralysis of analysis. Last night, he sent me a very nasty e mail. Why? Well, last week, we announced that Anthony and Crystal Obey have been appointed DollarMakers Country Directors for the United States, and this has upset Mr. Procrastinator, since he genuinely feels he should have been considered for the position! Amazing.
I don’t know if this guy is simply the most arrogant character I have ever met, or if he is genuinely more stupid than a grasshopper. He never earned the right, even to my response to his e-mails, however let me tell you what my response to him was, to illustrate my point. “The Obey’s joined DollarMakers, drove 19 hours from Indiana to Toronto and back to attend a Bootcamp, booked and paid to attend our Convention in Cancun in November, Booked and paid to host a Bootcamp in Indiana, which ran very successfully on Saturday, applied, were accepted, then booked and paid to attend the DollarMakers Certified Business Mentor Training program next month, joined my Pre-Paid Legal downline, and have been consistently building relationships with other DollarMakers Members since they joined. They have already booked Bootcamps in Dallas and Evansville for April next year. See www.DollarMakersUSA.com .
You, on the other hand, have done nothing, contributed nothing, wasted a lot of my time, and proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that if you qualify for anything, it’s a kick in the pants.”
It’s amazing how aggressive losers get when they realize they’re losers. Procrastination is the assassination of motivation. You snooze, you WILL lose. I will only do business with Members of DollarMakers, and even then, they have to prove themselves before I even consider working with them. Earn the right. The cream, they say, always rises to the top. Leaders emerge – you don’t have to seek them out, because they will seek YOU out. In DollarMakers, we only promote people who are capable and highly motivated. We’re not here to rescue losers – we tried that, and it failed miserably.
Capitalists reward producers in proportion to the value they create. Socialists and mystics reward moochers and parasites for being losers, and they steal the money from producers to reward these losers. The Success Train will only stop in your station for a few minutes – get on, or don’t, because the train, baby, is leaving. The window of opportunity will slam shut on your fingers while you’re trying to get permission from your wife to get on board. ACTION and CONTRIBUTION gets results. Talk is cheap, but money buys the whiskey. I meet a lot of talkers. Their specialty is posing, posturing, procrastinating, and preparing, and when they wake up, the train has left, never to return. Step up, or step down. You only get one chance with me.
Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com
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09.23.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 9:08 am by Robin J. Elliott
Are your financials somewhat floppy? Cash flow lurking somewhere between tenuous and feeble? Supine sales? Carnivorous competition? Is your business engine screaming at high revolutions and burning out, while your bottom line is sleepily sliding into a cold coma? Does the word, “Recession” cause a dry mouth, shaky hands, and a sweaty brow?
You’re not alone. Many people are starting to panic as they realize that we’re not in the winter of an economic downturn, but in fact only in the fall. And the fall has just started. The only thing that won’t fall is gas prices, unemployment, sales, and profits. Fear causes customers to cut spending and the ripple effect of a recession affects everyone.
But there is good news. Many fortunes have been made during tough economic times, and the difference between those who falter and fail and those who prevail and prosper is the way they THINK about business and money. Do the names Hilton, Rockefeller, Rothschild, and Kennedy spring to mind? They should, because these families thrived in a bad economy. It’s not the wind that puts your sailboat on the rocks – it’s the way you trim your sales. And the wind of recession can either drown you or drive you to Treasure Island. You can proudly ride the wave to prosperity, or be dumped, along with the steaming herd, into financial failure. Your choice.
Wearing sandals in an Alaskan winter won’t work, and those who refuse to bend with the wind and suppress their egos long enough to consider an alternative approach will suffer severe financial frostbite. So take off the judge’s robes for a minute and consider the following three facts:
1. Most businesses fail because of inadequate cash flow, because sales are down and they have all their proverbial eggs in one basket, with fixed overhead, rising costs, and diminishing income.
2. When you’re focused on only one product, service, industry, demographic, or geographic area, or one principle marketing or income source, you become one of the first victims of a recession.
3. When your income depends on your LOCAL economy, weather, political situation, construction, market, and / or consumer base, you’re financially fragile.
Change is the only constant, and during a recession, change can be exponential. Flexibility and resilience are vital – ask any willow tree. The more options you have, the more likely you are to be able to sidestep the oncoming train and dodge the bullets. Do the words “lean and mean” spring to your cluttered mind? The fact is that you need alternatives. Ask the genius 2010 Winter Olympic Games organizers how they felt when they experienced a rock fall and the closure of the ONLY route to the Olympic venue. Fortunately, it happened before the games.
Joint Venture Brokers are ultimately resilient. They can work with NO overhead – no employees, no inventory, no leases, licensing, loans, liens, or logjams. They can operate with no cost or risk in multiple markets and industries simultaneously, in different geographic and demographic markets and fields. Everything they earn, therefore, is 100% pure, unadulterated PROFIT. There are no broke brokers. They develop multiple, growing streams of residual income and they can add new income sources fast and at no cost. They have lots of time and lots of money. We call these lucrative Joint Ventures “Dollarmakers”.
But WAIT! What about the business owner who is locked in to his or her business? You can use Joint Ventures to double and quadruple you profits in short order, while at the same time adding multiple additional income streams that flow directly to your bottom line, with no cost or risk and very little time. People who understand and use Joint Ventures know that they are really powerful cash creating money machines, or Dollarmakers, and that there is really no limit on the amount of Dollarmakers that you can create, anywhere in the world, in virtually any industry.
For more information, visit www.DollarMakers.com – you can be trained as a DollarMakers Certified Business Mentor or attend a Joint Venture Bootcamp, either in person or online. Or you can have a DollarMakers Certified Business Mentor contact you and consider accepting you as a client. DollarMakers is the world leader in providing training, support, products and services to individuals and the owners of small and medium-sized businesses. Since 1987, we have rescued people from recession, mediocrity, and stagnation, and put them firmly on the road to financial freedom and prosperity. Your flaccid financials are about to end. Put seat in the upright position, close your tray table fasten your seat belt, and get ready to ride to affluence and peace of mind.
Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com
ALSO SEE www.DollarMakersUSA.com
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09.22.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:32 am by Robin J. Elliott
We heartily congratulate Antony and Crystal Obey on their official appointment as the DollarMakers Country Directors for the United States of America www.DollarMakersUSA.com
Robin J. Elliott, President, DollarMakers.
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Posted in Uncategorized at 11:26 am by Robin J. Elliott
If you have a bus that is making its way to a vast, unlimited field of strawberries, more than anyone could ever wish to pick, you would certainly benefit if a few of us would share the cost of the gasoline to get to that field, wouldn’t you? And when we got there, we could all pick a many strawberries as we liked, and each would benefit from his labor. There are only two kinds of people in this world: producers, or creators, those who make things happen and work, and the looters, or parasites, those who want to live off the hard work of the producers. They want you to pay for the gas in the bus but they don’t want you picking any berries. They think in terms of scarcity and poverty. Actually, they would prefer it if you gave them a ride on your bus, picked the strawberries, and gave them the strawberries. That’s called socialism, and it’s a disgusting poison that permeates our society in many ways. By all means teach a man to fish - don’t steal the fish that the producers caught and hand them to the looters; leave that to the mystics and politicians.
Have you seen how people can be very amiable and friendly until there’s a lot of money at stake? Isn’t it amazing how people can change when they think they can make a quick buck? It’s been said that everyone has his price, but it’s amazing how low that price can be. Then again, desperate people do desperate things, and aggression is usually the result of fear. When the water rises, all the boats in the harbor rise. Together, we can accomplish more, as long as each is paid directly according to his proportionate contribution, instead of riding on the backs of others. We get paid for production, not positioning, posing, pouting, and posturing.
When people truly understand abundance, value, potential, and money, they become less competitive and more synergistic an inclusive in their approach to business. They understand that Joint Ventures, like any good relationships, need to be fair and generous, not antagonistic and distant. On can’t hide behind contracts and threats and expect to lat in the JV world. Fear and trembling, passive aggression, and collectivism repels winners. Together, we can conspire to create opportunities, brands, and markets that offer us the collective opportunity to individually produce wealth.We are only entitled to that value which we personally create.
Ayn Rand said of money, “To trade by means of money is the code of the men of good will. Money rests on the axiom that every man is the owner of his mind and his effort. Money allows no power to prescribe the value of your effort except the voluntary choice of the man who is willing to trade you his effort in return. Money permits you to obtain for your goods and your labor that which they are worth to the men who buy them, but no more. Money permits no deals except those to mutual benefit by the unforced judgment of the traders. Money demands of you the recognition that men must work for their own benefit, not for their own injury, for their gain, not their loss - the recognition that they are not beasts of burden, born to carry the weight of your misery - that you must offer them values, not wounds - that the common bond among men is not the exchange of suffering, but the exchange of goods. Money demands that you sell, not your weakness to men’s stupidity, but your talent to their reason; it demands that you buy, not the shoddiest they offer, but the best that your money can find. And when men live by trade - with reason, not force, as their final arbiter - it is the best product that wins, the best performance, the man of best judgment and highest ability - and the degree of a man’s productiveness is the degree of his reward. This is the code of existence whose tool and symbol is money.”
As DollarMakers grows internationally, with Members in fifteen countries and the launch of DollarMakersUSA, DollarMakers UK, DollarMakers South Africa, and more to come, our Members, JV partners, and Team of Directors all benefit from our branding and exposure, however each benefits in direct proportion to his or her contribution. Join us on our quest to teach people around the world how to create real financial freedom with no cost or risk.
Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com
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09.17.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 8:48 pm by Robin J. Elliott
Enjoy the words of someone who believed in himself and made his dreams come true, namely Muhammad Ali:
“I’ve seen George Foreman shadow boxing and the shadow won.”
“The fight is won or lost far away from the witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road; long before I dance under those lights.”
“Silence is golden when you can’t think of a good answer.”
“I’m so fast that, last night, I turned off the light switch in my hotel room and was in bed before the room was dark.”
“Inside of a ring or out, ain’t nothing wrong with going down. It’s staying down that’s wrong.”
“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”
“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”
These are LOSER sayings:
“I’ll TRY”
“IF I can”
“I HOPE so.”
“More or less”
“I GUESS”
“I’ll do my best”
“It wasn’t my fault - I couldn’t help it”
Winners take responsibility and make their dreams come true. Here is Paul J. Meyer’s recipe for success:
#1 — Crystallize Your Thinking
Determine what specific goals you want to achieve: short range, long range, tangible and intangible. Writing crystallizes thought, and thought motivates action. When your goals are clear and vivid, they act as a magnet that draws you to them.
#2 — Develop Your Plan
Develop a working plan for achieving your goal and a deadline for its attainment.
#3 — Create Sincere Desire
Create within yourself a sincere desire for the things you want in life. A burning desire is unquestionably the greatest motivator of every human action.
#4 — Develop Supreme Confidence
Develop supreme confidence in yourself and your abilities. Confidence helps you deal honestly with your shortcomings and compels you to make needed corrections. Successful people never give mental recognition to the possibility of failure.
#5 — Choose Dogged Determination
Dogged determination is a choice, so choose to follow through on your plan regardless of circumstances, obstacles, criticism, or what other people say, think, or do. It matters little what the past has been except for the lessons we have learned from it. Our prime concern should be the necessary changes we must make to create a happy and successful future. Change brings with it a compelling motivation to create something new, to reach for a shining star, no matter how elusive it may be. In addition to a willingness to change, develop an “I will not be denied” philosophy.
Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com
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Posted in Uncategorized at 3:40 pm by Robin J. Elliott
Due to overwhelming demand from DollarMakers Members and the public around the world, we have created an Online Webinar Joint Venture Bootcamp. People who previously couldn’t physically attend a Bootcamp now have the privilege of attending a live, online Bootcamp with weekly, one hour sessions, massive extra value and downloads, homework, and questions answered.
The first session starts October 8th, so book your seat now for an exciting ride.
More Information:
http://www.dollarmakers.com/online
If you bring people onto this Bootcamp, you will earn $200 per referral! For more information, contact winston@dollarmakers.com
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Posted in Uncategorized at 12:34 pm by Robin J. Elliott
Fanny Mae, Freddy Mac, Lehman Brothers, AIG, housing construction at a 17-year low, comparisons with the great depression, - we hear it all every day, and it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better. In a topsy-turvy, scary, rollercoaster world, where people are losing tens of thousands of dollars that they were relying on for retirement income, and many businesses are going belly-up, Joint Venture Brokers remain untouched. When we hear that Nortel has slashed its forecast and put one of its key businesses up for sale, we don’t sink into a deep depression.
With U.S. equities down 24% and foreign shares off 33% from their October peak, soaring gas prices, home prices falling, and all the other tumultuous events, Joint Venture Brokers calmly sit back and take advantage and all the opportunities that reveal themselves in this bear market. How can we remain serene, while others contemplate suicide? Simply because we operate with no overhead, no employees, inventory, risk, rent, or geographical limitations. We have multiple income streams that span the globe, and everything that comes in is 1005 Net profit. We don’t invest in mutual funds or the stock market, and we get a solid 12% on our money. . It’s easy to retain one’s big picture perspective when the old wolf isn’t scratching at the door. And if we do run a conventional business, we have multiple additional, diversified back-end income sources.
In fact, DollarMakers is poised for unprecedented growth as the economy makes our services a lot more attractive to business owners, investors, and people who formerly imagined (and often told us) that they didn’t need us. Now, we’re there to help their cash flow and save them financially. For a small sum, people can learn the skills and obtain the access and support that can bail them out of their financial dilemma. Our DollarMakers Certified Business Mentors are suddenly becoming rescuers and saviors for struggling businesses. These tough times are revealing DollarMakers as an idea whose time has come.
Difficult times are often great opportunities dressed in shabby clothes. Samson said, “Out of the eater, came something to eat. Out of the bitter, came something sweet.” The fact is that the market will rebound, house prices will go up again, and all will be well. After the winter, comes the spring. Fortune Magazine tells us, “The [US] economy shrank marginally (-0.2%) in the fourth quarter of 2007, but otherwise it’s been growing steadily for years. In the most recent quarter it grew at a vigorous 3.3%, fueled not by government stimulus checks but by a strong rise in net exports. The OECD has just raised its forecast of U.S. growth for the full year from 1.2% to 1.8% - not blistering, but still the fastest growth of all the G-7 countries.” (Geoff Colvin, senior editor at large - September 17, 2008). You can’t keep a good man down. During these hard times, DollarMakers will open the eyes of many people to the amazing leverage and wealth creation possible through the correct use of Joint Ventures, and when the cycle turns and the bull market returns, they will clean up their competition with their Joint Venture skills and do better than ever before.
So have a good look at DollarMakers and take advantage of our services, while humming softly to yourself, “The best is yet to come, and babe, will it be fine…”
Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com
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09.12.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 6:29 am by Robin J. Elliott
Your Self Talk is your secret weapon for success in whatever you do, no doubt about it. What you tell yourself about your circumstances, options, challenges, opportunities, strength, and abilities, determines, MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE, what you will become, and what you will achieve in life. Your self talk is a prophecy of your future. I can predict what you will do by what you say. And what you do determines what you achieve in life.
Winners never say, “IF I win”, or “I’ll TRY”, or “I’ll do my best”, or “I hope”. They believe in themselves, they are self disciplined, the have high self-esteem, and they they expect to succeed. They say, “I WILL”, “WHEN I win”, and “I CAN”. And they mean it.
Victors tell themselves, “I can handle anything. I am unstoppable. I and strong and focused. I’m a lean, mean, money machine. I never quit. Every day, in every way, I’m getting better and better. “I believe it and I will achieve it.” They consistently act in spite of the opinions of others. They don’t allow losers to get in their way. They have high self respect, they set their own standards, and they make no excuses. They never fear the opinions of other people. They are honest and outspoken. Read the words of Winston Churchill and General George S. Patton.
Listen to what a boxer says before his fight, and you can accurately predict if he will win or not. Think of Mohammad Ali. Achievers take responsibility for thier lives and choices, and they don’t make excuses. Control your self talk, and you control your destiny. A congruent lifestyle empowers winners, and they never compromise their values. Winners are eagles, warriors, and visionaries. Read “The Fountainhead” by Ayn Rand.
“Invictus” is a favorite short poem of mine, by the British poet William Ernest Henley. The title is Latin for “Unconquered”. It was first published in 1875. At the age of 12, Henley became a victim of tuberculosis of the bone. In spite of this, in 1867 he successfully passed the Oxford local examination as a senior student. His diseased foot had to be amputated directly below the knee; physicians announced the only way to save his life was to amputate the other. Henley persevered and survived with one foot intact. He was discharged in 1875, and was able to lead an active life for nearly 30 years despite his disability. With an artificial foot, he lived until the age of 54. “Invictus” was written from a hospital bed.
INVICTUS
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate;
I am the captain of my soul.
Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com
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09.11.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 12:59 am by Robin J. Elliott
“Hi Robin,
Thank you very much for the exciting boot camp this past Sunday.
After it was all over, I was speaking to Rika, and she suggested I contact you with this question. She said sometimes you mention it in the seminar, and sometimes not.
I have been in a successful business for 37 years and am well aware of networking……for free, of course.
Joint Ventures is a networking process…..but I would get paid.
Rika was suggesting you have a script for this. How do you start charging people that you have given many free referrals in the past?
I know how to approach new people, but what could we say to our existing friends/clients that we have being helping out for free, as well as the reverse for them?”
Thanks for your e mail. Here’s the pitch:
YOU: “Hi John, I want to apologize to you.”
JOHN:”What for?”
YOU: “Well, John, I attended a Joint Venture Bootcamp with this funny looking bald character, and he said I’m cheap, because I never offered to pay anyone a commission for business they send my way. So, here’s what I will do: from now on, whenever you send me any business, I will pay you 20% of my profit, on an ONGOING basis, because without you, I would never have had that business.”
JOHN: “Why thank you, Sally, that’s very generous of you.”
YOU: “No problem, John. I think 80% of something is better than 100% of nothing, so from now on, expect a check for 20% of my profit whenever you send me business. AND JOHN, WOULD YOU MIND DOING THE SAME FOR ME WHEN I SEND YOU BUSINESS?”
Gotcha!
Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com
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09.10.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 6:10 am by Robin J. Elliott
Orrin Hudson teaches that chess is a metaphor for life; one’s moves in life determine the consequences. “Chess trains you to do what works – learn from champions,” he says. “When you make smart moves in life, you get smart results. Success leaves clues. The chess board is a great neutralizer – everyone has the same opportunities. Make good choices. Play to win. Chess is a level playing field, and we all have all we need to win the game. The only thing that determines your success is your mind, so get your head in the game.” He teaches kids to play chess and uses it to teach them life skills.
In chess, we learn that patience, focus, and good decisions have consequences, and the same goes for business. Learn chess from a chess master. And learn business from someone who actually makes money. I was referred to someone recently who has a very impressive website that makes him look like a business guru par excellence. I was very impressed with his resume and the testimonials on his site, however I know from personal experience that this man doesn’t have two cents to rub together. Yet, he is teaching people how to make money in business! The blind leading the blind, very common on the Internet, where losers can pose as experts.
Every move you make in business has a long term consequence: every relationship, every deal, and every phone call. The right strategy, decisions, choices, and people will determine who wins and who loses. Chess is about the right pieces / players doing the right things / making the right moves in relation to others. Joint Ventures is very much like a chess game, where we all win or lose based on having relationships with people who are making good moves. Think about where you are on the chess board of business and life before making your next move. Perhaps you need a DollarMakers Certified Business Mentor to guide you along.
Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com
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09.09.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 10:04 am by Robin J. Elliott
I worked with an office supply company that we partnered with a computer store that both fixed and supplied computers, software and networking. We cross-sold and bundled their products and services to their respective databases and then collaborated on a shared newsletter. We used Gift Certificates for a Business Consultant, an interior designer that focused on offices, and someone who supplied rented art for offices. We provided Gift Certificates for a complimentary office design consultation by a Work Study expert as buying incentives in order to ramp up the existing transaction value of purchases and we also Joint Ventured with a health club to distribute our discount vouchers to their Members. Finally, we offered business seminars at the local Chamber of Commerce in order to build our database and get new customers. We increased profits in the office supply company significantly, and their new website doubled the size of their database within a month.
Every business can use Joint Ventures to dramatically increase profits, fast. Our DollarMakers Certified Business Mentors expertly impact a business in six major areas with 43 systems to double and quadruple profits. When we look outside the proverbial box and develop an inclusive, reciprocal mindset focused on creating value by leveraging existing resources, we become creative, innovative, and empowered. The Wedding Planner forgets that the wedding is only the start of ongoing, rivers potential residual income for her. After the wedding, people buy stuff, change their insurance, breed, move, and need many products and services that you can introduce them to for payment. And 50% of them will need a divorce lawyer! Another income opportunity for the smart Joint Venture Broker.
Whether you have a business or not, almost every person and every business is a potential money generator / cash machine / DollarMaker for you when you look for ways to solve their problems, help them achieve their goals, and get paid for it. There are no limitations for JV Brokers. Every resource you need is already available, and this skill set is transferable into any industry, geographic or demographic scenario. By joining DollarMakers and accessing our training, resources, and Membership, you position yourself to use Joint Ventures to make all your dreams, and the dreams of many others, come true.
Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com
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09.05.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 1:42 pm by Robin J. Elliott
Our official DollarMakers Vision and Mission, as presented on www.DollarMakers.com, is:
“DollarMakers is the natural choice for individuals and owners of small to medium sized businesses worldwide who want to use Joint Ventures to create wealth and success. We continually expand our services, products, and network to provide affordable and accessible tools and systems to create wealth for anyone, of any background, and in any circumstances, anywhere, who understands that, by becoming financially free, they can gain, regain and maintain their dignity, self-respect, quality of life, and success, while at the same time being in a position to help others to help themselves, or to help others who cannot help themselves. We help to spread Capitalism, Rationalism, Responsibility, and Freedom, and the understanding that every person is responsible for their own choices and success, and that they are able to attain that freedom through Joint Ventures, with no money, no risk, and relatively little time.”
We are systematically creating and improving on this reality. The dynamic, unified DollarMakers Team continually works on realizing our magnificent and worthy vision. We now have Members in fifteen countries. Zig Ziglar said, “You can get anything you want out of life, if you’re prepared to help enough other people to get what they want,” and that’s our philosophy, too. Our Team Members become wealthy helping other people find financial freedom. We constantly and diligently remove non-productive people, products, and systems and replace them with new ones that work and that fit our mission and philosophy.
New developments include a brand new, hard copy DollarMakers Newsletter with a CD or DVD reaching a thousand people in the first month at no charge, our highly successful DollarMakers Certified Business Mentor training program, twelve Bootcamps in Canada, the UK and the US before the end of the year, our Fourth Annual DollarMakers Members Convention in Cancun, Mexico in November, the growing DollarMakers Women’s Club, DollarMakers UK, DollarMakers South Africa, and very soon DollarMakers USA. Along with our seven weekly ezines, already over 100 websites, new products, and a growing Membership, plus a very exciting new service to be launched soon that will revolutionize the way we deliver our training, and a few more things in the pipeline that may or may not come to fruition, we are well established as the international leader in our field.
BUT WE NEED HELP. There are simply too many opportunities out there to cope with, so we are looking for the right people to join us on our stimulating journey. Yes, we are very selective, we have high standards, and we want winners, and that is why we’re growing so steadily and so fast. This is a fantastic opportunity to hitch your wagon to a star, to ride the wave, to get in on the ground floor, because we have hardly even scratched the surface. In John McCain’s acceptance Speech at the Republican Convention, he said, “Nothing brings greater happiness in life than to serve a cause greater than yourself.” And that is true. DollarMakers offers selected, hard working people the opportunity to get rich, have lots of fun, and enjoy remarkable happiness and fulfillment, by offering a unique way for millions of people to achieve financial success. We are looking for special people to work with our powerful, focused, and highly creative Team to make all their dreams come true. Together, we do amazing things.
If you’re a Member of DollarMakers and you’re looking for a cause to join and believe in, that will also help you achieve all your goals, you might want to start getting more involved. E-mail me if you have questions about how you can qualify to wok more closely with us: robin@dollarmakers.com.
Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com
“Whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe, and enthusiastically act upon, must inevitably come to pass.” ~ Paul J. Meyer
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09.04.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 9:12 am by Robin J. Elliott
This is a fun exercise: Look at your business, your income, and your Joint Ventures, and try to work out where each of your top business contacts and incomes streams originated. Where did the biggest deals come from? Can you create a kind of “Family Tree” or genealogy to trace back which person originated that income? Sometimes, it’s obvious that the big money comes from Jack, and Jack was introduced by Jill, who came from Bonnie, who was introduced by Clyde, who came from Tom, who was introduced by Dick… But sometimes it goes too far back to be able to trace. I think you get my drift.
The reality is that often, “duds lead to studs”, but more often, good people lead to more good people, birds of the feather flocking together, and all that, however it is impossible to know what and who one contact might bring. This, I do know, and that is that Paul J. Meyer was right when he said, “What’s behind this door, I cannot tell, but this I know, and know it well: the more I open, the more I sell.” The more people you make contact with, the more money you can ultimately make, however we all have limited time available to schmooze and network, “making the contacts and writing the contracts, moving and grooving”, so the higher the quality of the people we network with, the higher the amounts of money we will ultimately earn.
Savvy entrepreneurs know that it is better to spend ten hours with one really good person than one hour with each of ten wanna-be’s, has-beens, losers and posers. Three percent of people are truly successful, while 97% are good people who wonder what’s happening. Find contacts in that top 3% and focus on building relationships with them, and you can’t help getting rich with Joint Ventures. The 97% never go further than playing the Cash Flow Game, while the 3% implement the valuable lesson they learn playing the game and actually make the cash. You can be an expert at playing the game and impress other, equally dim people, or you can go out into the really world and make money.
One good contact can dramatically change your life and transform your holiday in a leaky tent at a miserable camp site to a suite at Club Med. One good contact can forever change the way you think and do business. You can open the door to the chickens back yard, or you can open the door to a palace, depending on the doorman. The contacts you make are either winners or losers, and while a loser can frustrate and irritate you beyond measure, a winner can introduce you to someone who makes you rich beyond measure. Eagles know other eagles. One good contact is potentially worth millions, when you see how good people lead you to more good people (and rats and snakes lead you other to rats and snakes, as I have discovered.)
What would you pay for a good contact? I know a few people in DollarMakers, any one of whom would be worth at least twenty thousand dollars to meet, since the return on investment would more than justify it. Please don’t email me and ask for their names, because THEY have the right to decide whether or not they want to wok with YOU.
Where do you find good people? In DollarMakers, the same percentages and statistics apply as everywhere else. The three percent are to be found on the conference calls, in the Members Meetings, at the Convention, in the Team, hosting Bootcamps, sponsoring DollarMakers events and projects. The cream always rises to the top. Even then, do your due diligence, look for a track record, and jealously guard your time. Kiss less frogs – princes know other princes!
Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com
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09.01.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:27 am by Robin J. Elliott
Ayn Rand said, “Happiness is that state of consciousness which proceeds from the achievement of one’s values.” Stephen Covey agreed with her premise. Most people use political correctness to justify their own failings, to avoid responsibility, or to feed their passive aggression. But people who honestly endeavor to be politically correct cannot, by definition, live according to their core values, unless they share the core values of an entire population, which isn’t possible. Each of us has a unique and sophisticated value system, and cloning that value system, much as the mystics and politicians would love to be able to, is impossible.
Being afraid of offending others, rocking the boat, or challenging the opinions or perceptions of other people, none of whom care about you or your life, is a poison which will force you to ignore your own values and live with frustration, regret, resentment, and self-recrimination. It is a false front and a grimy mask. It is the province of the collectivist, the passive aggressive, the politician, the criminal, and the psychopath. Congruency and integrity will elevate and improve self-esteem, peace of mind, creativity, mental and physical health, and personal relationships. It takes courage and thought, though. Someone said, “The pain of discipline weighs ounces, but the pain of regret weighs tons.”
I have more time for a raving fundamentalist with whom I don’t agree, than with the slimy hugger who smiles his way into my back pocket and eases his knife into my back. I have noticed that secure, happy, and successful people seldom get offended by or take personally honest opinions and beliefs of others. Ayn Rand again: “Have you noticed that the imbecile always smiles? Man’s first frown is the first touch of God on his forehead. The touch of thought…” Having the guts to say what you really think and be who you truly are rewards you with true happiness.
Think about the words, “This is not personal; it’s business” - objective, capitalist entrepreneurs understand the truth in this statement, and appreciate the necessity of being straight forward, outspoken, and honest. This foundation made it possible for Churchill to accomplish what he did.
Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com
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Posted in Uncategorized at 9:24 am by Robin J. Elliott
This is an exact copy of the letter I wrote to my Dad in South Africa this morning. After writing it, I thought my Blog and ezine readers would benefit from sharing it with him. I know he won’t mind.
Dear Dad,
I wanted to tell you that the other night I was lying in bed, trying to fall asleep, and thinking of all the RIDES I have even been on. As a child, you arranged for me to fly in ex President FW de Klerk’s Lear Jet out of Waterkloof Air Force Base, as well as on a Dakota, in a glider, a Tiger Moth, and a Piper Cub. And of course I went on all the rides possible at the fairs and shows, like the Dive Bomber, the Figure Eight, the Octopus, etc. And we rode on boards down those giant sand dunes on the beaches near Nahoon. When I was in the Air Force, I flew in C130’s a lot, as you know, to the border and to Rhodesia. Then, as an adult, I have flown a lot on many different aircraft, as well as enjoying some great rides at Disney World and Disneyland. And I’ve had some nice rides on fast boats, too. Of all the rides, though, the one I enjoyed the most was when you built me that great box cart and had the dogs pull me around on it at great speed at the farm. That’s the one I enjoyed the most.
Sometimes, I’ve learned, it’s not the level of sophistication that most impresses us, but the level of involvement. When I lived in Rhodesia during the war, they cleared large tracts of dirt along the sides of the road so that Mugabe’s terrorists couldn’t hide there to ambush cars with their rocket-propelled grenades. When we returned on our horses from a ride, we would ride on that sandy stretch and really let the horses go. They would gallop home at full speed, and we knew there was a sharp curve in the road coming up close to the stables. The smell of the horses, the wind whipping my face and my bush hat, the always present 9mm pistol on my belt, the anticipation of the dangerous turn, is with me to this day. And riding in that box cart, especially when it hit a cement flower box on the side of the house and I was catapulted through the air, was really most exciting.
But the best ride of all was a different ride - it’s been my business. I think being an entrepreneur is the most stimulating thing one can do, as you know from your successful entrepreneurial endeavors with the plastic moulds, Mini Transport, the scooter taxi service, and the catering service business we created and sold for the Allied Building Society, among others. The amount of personal growth and lessons learned as an entrepreneur can never be accomplished in a job, and it’s an invigorating, challenging, exciting ride, with massive consequences and benefits if we learn from our mistakes and press on to the objective. No airplane leaves the runway without a flight plan, and when you flew bombing raids in the war and the shuttle service down the length of Africa after the war, I know you had detailed plans, and a great sense of relief, exhilaration and accomplishment when you reached your varied destinations in South Africa, Egypt, and Italy. My business goals will always be before me, and success, as Paul J. Meyer says, is the PROGRESSIVE realization of personal, specific goals, so as we celebrate the achievement of the small goals along the way, we keep our eyes on the big objectives.
Thanks for always contributing so much excitement and creativity, stimulation, and support to the rides in my life.
Lots of Love Always,
Robin XXXX
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