MONEY- MAKING MONTHLY THE Monthly Magazine For Sharp Entrepreneurs
Volume I Number 10 | November 2013 | $97
CURVES FRANCHISE:
What Can Entrepreneurs Learn From This Failing Giant? By Brian Binkholder
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HOW TO LET GO: The 4 People You Must Forgive By Brian Tracy
Page 12
THE ONE SUPREME IDEA THAT CAN BRING YOU MORE CUSTOMERS, INCREASE YOUR INCOME, & REDUCE YOUR STRESS By Perry Marshall
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ABOUT STEVE | NOVEMBER 2013
About the Publisher, Steve Sipress
If you want to grow your business slowly – or just maintain it as is, you’ll have to do that all on your own. But if you want dramatic growth in your income and lifestyle, then Steve’s out-of-the-box and time-tested strategies and tactics could be the keys to your dreams. You can benefit from Steve’s coaching experience and expertise to revolutionize your business – yes, even in this challenging economy – at one of the many in-person entrepreneur events he hosts, OR from the comfort of your own home anywhere in the world. You can also learn basic and advanced direct response marketing strategies and tactics from 150+ hours of video instruction, plus use any or all of Steve’s multi-million-dollar, proven “done-for-you” marketing materials when you take advantage of his 30-days-for-only-$1 trial offer at SSSMarketingUniversity.com. That website has been called The Single Most Powerful Client Attraction Program Available Anywhere, and you could be using it to skyrocket your income anytime you want, 24/7, along with hundreds of other sharp, successful business leaders. Steve is a successful and award-winning serial entrepreneur, who has created and built nearly a dozen successful companies of his own, and he can help you do the same – more quickly and easily than you’ve ever imagined. In fact, you can immediately use plenty of his simple and powerful strategies and tactics that work especially well in this current frustrating economy! Steve is a celebrated author, speaker and business coach who has established profitable businesses and helped thousands of ambitious and aggressive business owners, entrepreneurs, executives and sales professionals all around the world. He has written numerous newsletters and articles on sales and marketing for a wide range of publications and has appeared on radio and television, helping millions of people along the way. If you want the very best, hard-hitting, no-nonsense, caring advice and help you can get, then “Straight-Talk Steve” could be exactly what you and your business need most. If you’re in the Midwest, you can meet other like-minded business people in person and learn from the world’s leading entrepreneur experts at one of Steve’s many “Chicagoland’s Sharpest Entrepreneurs” live events that he’s hosted since September 2008. You also have the chance to work with other entrepreneurs, business owners, executives and professionals like yourself who want to learn better, more effective ways to market their businesses and grow their in es, thanks to Steve’s online group and personal coaching programs. Whether you’re a current or future business superstar, Steve can help you get exactly where you want to go as quickly, easily and powerfully as YOU want – with massive results both short-term and long-term.
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www.SteveSipress.com www.RhinoDaily.com www.SSSMarketingUniversity.com www.Facebook.com/SmallBizHelp
www.Twitter.com/SteveSipress
“An Incredible Experience!” "When we first started, I was terribly in debt and we were just a few months away from bankruptcy. We started seeing a boost right away in our business, we took what Steve's given me and we just started implementing and implementing, and it's just totally transformed my business. Steve has helped me with my laser focus, he helps me implement, he's taken my business to a whole new level. We went from a half a million dollars to a million dollars in two years. It's just an incredible experience to know that where you think you're just dead and things are horrible, to now anything is possible. I can see taking this to a whole new three or four types of businesses -- it's going to be huge. Steve is all business, he is an unbelievably smart, brilliant man. I can't say enough about him. Everything he's told me, I've made so much money it doesn't matter what it costs. They don't make enough money in this world that somebody could pay me so I would stop listening to Steve. Steve is the exact reason why I have a retirement fund now. It's probably illegal how much fun I'm having!"
Jon Bockman Owner, Bockman's Auto Care Sycamore, Illinois
MANNY’S BLOG | NOVEMBER 2013
Manny’s Blog
Canine Thanksgiving The Perspective
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ith Pilgrim hats, pumpkin pies and scarecrows all around the neighborhood, I thought it would be appropriate to ask some of my canine friends what they’re most thankful for this year. Bubba said, “I’m thankful for 21st century commerce. I went on Craigslist and found one of Clifford’s old collars for a song. I’ve always wanted my own hammock!”
Puddles commented, “I’m thankful for the comforting truths revealed by the rock group Fleetwood Mac: ‘Thunder only happens when it’s raining.’ Now if I could just get someone to reveal that vacuum cleaners only happen when it’s hailing, maybe I could calm my jangled nerves.” Fang said, “I’m thankful that we canines don’t have to fight over buying the latest Air Jordans. True, we have to fight over who gets to CHEW the latest Air Jordans, but that’s not the same.” Butch volunteers, “I’m thankful that my master takes me on a trip to the farm every few months. Then I get to see my uncle Bingo (B-I-N-G-O) and cousins Scrabble, Twister, Battleship, Operation, Mahjong, and let’s not forget the twins – Chutes and Ladders.” Tank says, “I’m thankful that we dogs don’t have to worry about identity theft. No one could pass themselves off as someone else – unless they’re conning a dog with a stuffy nose.” Princess confides, “I enjoy public displays of affection as much as the next pooch, but after watching some of my master’s DVDs, I am eternally thankful that I’ve never
gotten a tummy rub from Wolverine or Freddy Krueger.” Trailblazer says, “I am thankful for the carefree way we dogs can shake hands and kiss babies without having to promise anybody a new bridge or a tax cut or a chicken in every pot.” Killer offers, “I am thankful that I can earn my keep by saving my master trips to the doctor via my cold nose reflex test. True, he has to spend some money to replaster the ceiling, but…” Scottie beams, “I am thankful for tree-huggers. We need to preserve trees. I’m getting too old to chase cats up the side of a high-rise condo.” Sheba says, “I am thankful that the dog groups have finally been expanded beyond companion, guard, hunting, working, herding, and sled dogs. It’s high time we recognized Middle Management Dogs.” Spot exults, “I am thankful that canine ingenuity has made it easier than ever to bring joy and excitement to the humans in the household. Three cheers for the mutt who came up with Muddy Tracks In A Can.” Rex Senior admits, “I am thankful that GPS now spares us the embarrassment of barking up the wrong tree.” Me? Well, I guess I am most thankful that Ben Franklin didn’t succeed in having the turkey named as the national bird. I would hate to have my long, dopamine-induced nap interrupted by being arrested for treason! Have a Happy Thanksgiving and let’s meet again in December!
Manny (full name “Emanuel” or “Dog With Us”) is Steve and Michele Sipress’ crazy, rambunctious cocker spaniel. He has a weak leg (despite a mostlysuccessful back surgery), grey hair, is totally deaf and partially blind. But he still enjoys barking at the mailman and landscapers, pulling dead frogs out of nearby ponds and chasing after his beloved squeaker toy. He loves everyone (even the mailman and landscapers), and everyone loves him.
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WHAT CAN ENTREPRENEURS LEARN FROM CURVE’S FAILURES? | NOVEMBER 2013
FRANCHISE What Can Entrepreneurs Learn From This Failing Fitness Giant? By Bryan Binkholder
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urves, founded in 1992, introduced a new 30-minute workout program to timecrunched moms and female professionals. The first franchise opened in 1995, taking the nation by storm, and by 2007, Curves Fitness Center was named one of the Top 15 Best Franchises by Entrepreneur magazine. Curves was also called The World’s Fastest Growing Franchise in History by Reuters News Service and earned the same recognition by Entrepreneur five years in a row. It seemed they were unstoppable. In 2005, the height of their upward climb, Curves had about 8,000 franchise locations. As of now, the numbers have been slashed in half. What happened to this industry giant? …and just as important, what can entrepreneurs learn from this?
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WHAT CAN ENTREPRENEURS LEARN FROM CURVE’S FAILURES? | NOVEMBER 2013
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Growth can pull your business under just as quickly as having the tumbleweeds blowing in.
BUSINESS PITFALLS and How to Avoid Them Looking at the frustrations of many of the Curves franchisees, there are four key ideas we can learn from. Let’s break them down:
1. Growth – The problem with growing too fast What’s wrong with growth? How many times have you heard people say, “You’re too busy? That’s a good problem!” But is it really? Growth can pull your business under just as quickly as having the tumbleweeds blowing in. Some of the franchisees bought too many and were left holding the bag. Here are some things to wisely consider when growth opportunities arise:
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Expansion: When we expand to meet more demand for our product, that’s good thing. But expansion comes
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More clients doesn’t automatically equal more profit. If the projected sales aren’t enough to absorb
at a cost. Growth and expansion take resources, capital and time to build or lease a new building, increase staff and purchase additional equipment. Be sure you are aware of the costs before you make the decision to expand. the additional costs while still providing a profit, expansion should possibly be put off until a later time.
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Biggest or Best? Sometimes it’s much better to stay relatively small while building up capital, than overextending
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Putting the cart before the horse. Another mistake worth mentioning for small businesses in general (not
yourself by taking out loans and trying to saturate an entire area. Why not just be the very best instead of the biggest? necessarily with Curves) is the fact that most individuals occupy a building, hook everything up, put a sign on the door and then wait for the business to grow. That’s a completely backward approach to business. Start by cultivating clients, generating an interest, maybe working as an employee of another company or doing your business as a hobby, networking and then opening your business.
2. Keeping Up With the Joneses In the business world, keeping up with the ideas, advancements, and changes of your direct competitors isn’t just wise – it’s absolutely vital! Your competition should be high on your list of priorities. No, you don’t have to one-up them or become a business that “reacts” to the changes of others instead of blazing a trail yourself, but guess what? Your competition is going to have some pretty good ideas from time to time, and changes they make can (and will) directly affect your business. A published statement from one Virginia Curves franchise owner said, “The new (competing) franchises have more current ideas that make it really hard on us.” Curves refused to adopt the popular platform of rival chains who remained open 24 hours, allowing members to work out at whatever times were best for them. The bottom line on this one is to be willing to change, adapt and grow. Owning a business is not a ‘set it and forget it’ deal. There are constant improvements to be made. You, as a business owner, must be willing to make them. Volume I Number 10 | Pg 3
WHAT CAN ENTREPRENEURS LEARN FROM CURVE’S FAILURES? | NOVEMBER 2013
3. Recruiting Employees and Franchisees the Right Way
There aren’t any successful businesses that don’t require hard work.
Whether you are starting an entire franchise or looking to hire a few key employees, nothing can drive a company to its knees as quickly as a company full of people who are just there for the wrong reason.
Having your own business isn’t easy, so you have to be passionate about what you do. If you aren’t excited about helping your clients, how can you expect to want to come to work every day? You won’t, and your business will suffer as a result.
If you have franchise owners who think they are going to make some easy money but not give it their best effort, it’s just not going to work. The same is true with employees. Look for integrity and work ethic above all else. Work ethic is more important than talent, knowledge, and even experience. Do you know why? Because if a person has the right attitude, anything can be learned.
You only live once. It’s important to love what you do. If you have the drive and determination to run a business at all, at least choose an industry that you’ll love.
One of the best ways to bring in a new staff member is by headhunting them. If you are a business owner you should be actively looking for new employees wherever you go. If you see a bright light, someone who has drive and dedication, someone who likes what they do, has self confidence, communicates effectively and raises the bar as far as integrity goes, you’ve just found yourself a winner.
4. The “W” Word The final reason for failure is that dirty little four-letter word called WORK. Running a business or owning a franchise is work –
HARD WORK! Ask any business owner – especially the successful ones – how many hours they work on an average week. 99% of them will answer, “More than 40 hours.” If you think it just doesn’t take all that, maybe you shouldn’t work for yourself.
About Brian Binkholder Bryan Binkholder is better known as The Financial Coach™ and America’s Motivational Mindset & Leadership Coach™. He’s the author of six books on finances, mindset and attitude; hosts a syndicated radio show called The Financial Coach Show and he’s a leadership trainer and consultant for businesses throughout the country. Pick up a copy of his complimentary training program on Goals and Visions by going to: www.BryanBinkholder.com
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THE ONE SUPREME IDEA THAT CAN BRING YOU MORE CUSTOMERS | NOVEMBER 2013
The ONE SUPREME IDEA That Can Bring You MORE Customers, INCREASE Your Income, & REDUCE Your Stress Better Than Any Other By Perry Marshall Please answer this question and be brutally honest with yourself: Are you searching for the trick, the technique, the magic pill that will tip you over the edge into success and freedom? The problem is, most “tricks” work for a few weeks or months and then expire. They often don’t work at all. If you and I just had 30 seconds together before terrorists busted through the door and whisked me away in a black sedan, my final words of business advice to you would be: Thoroughly master 80/20. 80/20 is not a trick. It is a far-reaching principle and deep truth that describes almost everything in the world. I was talking to Richard Koch, the British 80/20 expert, worth over 100 million dollars. We both agreed – 80/20 is the one “magic
pill” that actually works! The old business adage is that 20% of your customers produce 80% of your business, and the other 80% your customers only give you 20% of your business. During this last 10 years I’ve taken the 80/20 principle and quietly added a completely new layer to it – a “black box,” if you will – and incorporated it into every aspect of my business thinking. What I’m about to share with you affects almost every business move I make. There is hardly anything I do or teach that does not have this formula behind it. I kid you not. This has completely transformed my own business, from small details to the grand scheme…
What you’re going to discover today is more powerful than ANY technique, because…
It’s not a technique. It’s a PRINCIPLE.
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THE ONE SUPREME IDEA THAT CAN BRING YOU MORE CUSTOMERS | NOVEMBER 2013
Some time ago an entrepreneur, Rob, came to my 4-man Intensive from Europe. He was buying clicks on Google, collecting info with an opt-in form and selling sales leads. He was already doing everything “right.” Finely groomed Google campaigns, well-chosen keywords, professionallooking landing pages, a streamlined sales process. Not surprisingly, he was doing well. Rob felt as though he was doing everything he ought to be doing, but surely incremental improvements were possible. He thought we were going to write better Google ads, better landing pages, all that jazz. Yeah…. OK, we did eventually get around to all that. But I wanted to double his business first. So I did what I always do – I applied the 80/20 rule across not one but three dimensions of his business and in minutes – seconds, even – saw a huge opportunity, money he was leaving on the table.
Rob is a man who acts on advice, and he began taking notes. First, there was the value of the leads themselves. He was charging a flat rate for those leads, and for the most part in his industry, people expect to pay a flat rate. A lead is believed to be a commodity. But I used my X-Ray vision and predicted that he could get two to three times as much money for some of those leads. With a 30% increase in average price overall. Second, I saw an opportunity in the delivery of those leads. Even something as simple as the speed at which they were made available. Hotline access to hot, fresh leads could be worth more money to the right people. Third, I saw a new dimension of value in adding a level of membership for his clients. I knew that if he could create a higher level of service for the most ambitious lead buyers, they would pay for access.
I advised Rob to create a tiered system, like this: 1.
He would invite his buyers to join an elite leads club, where they would pay a monthly fee to get hotline access to the very best leads. More money for Rob through membership fees – selling exclusivity.
2.
Hot fresh leads would be made available to Premium members only, under a preview system. They could bid for the leads and compete against fewer lead buyers because of their membership. More money for speed.
Three more dimensions of value that he was not exploiting at all. I asked him what he sold the leads for, and he told me. He described the customers who purchased the leads and his relationship with them. I said, “I think I know how you can double your business – and you can do it just as fast as you implement the idea I’m about to give you.”
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THE ONE SUPREME IDEA THAT CAN BRING YOU MORE CUSTOMERS | NOVEMBER 2013
3.
The best leads would be snatched up at a much higher price. After that, any unsold leads would be released to “garden variety” lead buyers. More money for quality.
He executed and now instead of one source of income (leads at market price) he has three: His usual earnings from standard “Market Price” leads Rob collects a substantial amount of monthly membership fees from his Premium lead buyers Premium Price leads, often sold within minutes of their release – for 30% to 200% more than before, it turns out! In three months Rob doubled his business.
This is true of customers, of employees, managers, departments… AdWords campaigns, product lines, market segments. In any business there are literally dozens of 16 times spreads between seemingly equal people and projects. 80/20 thinking happens when you discover how to identify the tiny number of AdWords elements, products and market segments that have 16 times leverage. Those SIXTEENS start adding up fast. You push through your current income limit, where you have enough profit to take yourself out of the daily running of the business. And if you start multiplying those sixteens, it increases exponentially.
Dear reader, YOU know what it’s like to practically kill yourself making your business go. A victory like this would feel like climbing to the top of Mount Everest and skiing all the way down. The stress would melt away and the financial pressures relax. That feeling of being constantly overwhelmed and having information overload recedes. You’re finally rewarded, finally vindicated for your hard work and vision. I’d like to tell you that Rob’s smash success was because of Perry Marshall’s ingenious wizardry and intuition, but the truth is… it was a systematic process that I had already developed. It took mere minutes for me to lay it out for him, and a life-transforming, income-producing expansion became a reality. Years of effort came to fruition, and he now dominates a market that is becoming difficult for his increasingly alarmed competitors.
What the 80/20 Rule Really Is… But More Importantly, What It Can Be Let’s say you go out and hire ten new salesmen. The 80/20 rule says that 2 of them will produce 80% of the sales and the other 8 will produce only 20% of the sales. Which means if they’re on commission, the guys who are successful make SIXTEEN TIMES as much money as the rest. That’s right, 16 times. A sales manager who invests time developing the two best salesmen gets 16 times as much progress working with them, compared to working with the worst ones.
About Perry Marshall Entrepreneur Magazine says: “Perry Marshall is the #1 author and world’s most-quoted consultant on Google Advertising. He has helped over 100,000 advertisers save literally billions of dollars in Adwords stupidity tax.” He is referenced across the Internet and by The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune and Forbes Magazine. My new best-selling book “80/20 Sales and Marketing” is my Magnum Opus. It’s THE metaprogram for business success. Join me in the application of this powerful new knowledge and liberate your time, your money, and your imagination. Get your copy for only one penny at: www.Free8020Book.com
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IS THE NFL’S PINK CAMPAIGN REALLY JUST A SCAM? | NOVEMBER 2013
Is the NFL’s Pink Campaign Really Just A Scam?
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grew up in the 1960s less than 10 miles from Shea Stadium, home of the New York Jets and the biggest star in all of sports at the time: Joe Namath.
I was a crazy sports fan as a kid, and I covered the walls of my bedroom with dozens of sports pennants and posters. My favorite poster of all was one of Joe Namath as he dropped back to pass, wearing his stylish white cleats. Up until then, every single college and pro football player in history had worn black shoes. But Namath seized every opportunity to be a trend-setting renegade, both on the field and off. Clearly, “Broadway Joe” was a shining example of Peter Drucker’s famous declaration: “The business enterprise has two – and only two – basic functions: marketing and innovation. Marketing and innovation produce results; all the rest are costs.” But I digress… Nowadays, of course, one simple pair of white cleats would hardly stand out on an NFL field, especially for the past five seasons during the “National Breast Cancer Awareness Month” of October, when hundreds of players all over the league can be seen wearing pink shoes – to go along with pink gloves, wristbands, towels and more. Then there are the pink referee flags, pink goalpost pads, pink cheerleader pom poms and even pink ribbons on the official game balls – not to mention over 1,000 “pink”
By Steve Sipress
items in the NFL’s online store, including hats, shirts, jerseys, blankets, sweatshirts, jewelry and more. It’s all a part of the NFL’s “A Crucial Catch” campaign to raise awareness and money in the fight against breast cancer. Clearly, they have the “raising awareness” part of the equation mastered. Who isn’t “aware” that there’s a disease called breast cancer? So what about the “raising money” part? Unfortunately, that’s a different story. Last week, a report by Business Insider detailed how only 8.01% of all “pink” revenues generated by the NFL actually goes towards cancer research. Which, I guess, is a huge improvement over last year, when the same source reported: “When we contacted the NFL’s online shop for clarification, we were told 5% of the sales are being donated to the American Cancer Society.” According to that article, only $3.54 of every $100 worth of NFL “pink” merchandise sold went to the American Cancer Society, while the NFL kept up to $45 of it. And that leads many people to the conclusion that the NFL is wrongly profiting off of their whole “Breast Cancer Awareness” program, instead of just doing a good deed. On the other hand, there’s the argument that whatever little money the American Cancer Society is getting from the NFL’s program, it’s better than nothing and they should just be grateful and not ask questions. Here are my thoughts… I’m okay with whatever percentage of the NFL’s “pink” sales goes to the charity – as long as that fact is clearly communicated to the people who purchase the merchandise. (Although if the NFL disclosed how little of the money actually goes to charity, it’s extremely likely that their “pink” sales would plummet faster than a quarterback getting sacked by a 350-pound lineman.)
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IS THE NFL’S PINK CAMPAIGN REALLY JUST A SCAM? | NOVEMBER 2013
It’s extremely likely that their “pink” sales would plummet faster than a quarterback getting sacked by a 350-pound lineman.
Here’s the lesson for all entrepreneurs… It is certainly a winning strategy to tie your business to a charity. You and your clients both feel great because you’re helping a worthy cause, and you benefit financially because you attract more clients. But… If you are at all shifty about how much of your “proceeds” go to charity, and/or you donate only an insultingly miniscule percentage of sales to charity, then your strategy is likely to backfire and result in an increase of bad will, distrust and overall negative feelings towards your business – which will, of course, lead to a decrease in revenue and profit. Here’s how to do it right… I asked business owners to donate goods and services for a charity auction at my Chicago Recession Buster seminar in January 2011, and was overjoyed that as a result we were able to contribute over $14,000 to Junior Achievement Of Chicago to help our next generation of entrepreneurs. Neither I nor any of the donors kept one single penny of any of the winning auction bids. In my opinion, THAT’s how you support a charity properly. Or you could do it the NFL’s way, and open yourself up to the possibility of negative publicity about your business. Numerous articles published online and elsewhere,
Photo courtesy of NFL.com
including “The Breast Cancer Charity Scam” and “The Conflicting Truth About the NFL’s Pink Campaign,” have at the very least raised questions about the NFL’s commitment to altruism, some going as far as calling the officials involved with the NFL and ACS partnership “more concerned with enhancing ... public images -especially among women -- and ultimately, revenues,” than addressing breast cancer.
To find out more about Steve Sipress and how he can help you have more fun and make more money with your business, see the Inside Cover Page. To get new money-making strategies and tips every weekday from Steve and other top business-building experts from around the world, and to join in the conversation with your comments in response to this article and others, visit his blog: www.RhinoDaily.com
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HOW TO READ FASTER WITH ONE EASY TRICK | NOVEMBER 2013
How To Read Faster With One Easy Trick by Howard Berg
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ore information today is published each week than in all of human history through the year 1800; yet, the average reading speed is only 200 words-per-minute, with a mere 10% being retained into long term memory. In the time it takes you to read this sentence, I can read this entire page...and another as well. Recognized as The World’s Fastest Reader, I will help you learn to read faster so you can keep up to date with everything you need to quickly and easily, and still find time for things that you enjoy.
The Roots of Slow Reading You already possess the ability to rapidly read essential information. It is an innate ability. Let me prove this to you. Think about how much information your brain must process while driving an automobile on a highway. It must view and analyze the motions of the surrounding cars, road conditions, weather conditions and read signs, and at the same time avoid hitting animals or people who might cross the road. Instead of being overwhelmed by all of this information you become so bored that you might turn on the radio, talk to other passengers or make cell phone calls. If your brilliant brain is so adept at swiftly reading a road during a drive, then why can’t it read text just as quickly and easily? The answer is simple. Instead of seeing a book
during reading, your brain hears a voice that pronounces the word sounds printed on the page. Quite simply, you don’t see a book – you hear it. Yet, vision is faster and more powerful than hearing. By becoming a more visual reader you will instantly increase your reading speed. Let’s begin this process together.
Becoming A More Visual Reader Watch a child read and what do you see? You see those reading words one letter at a time, such as D-O-G spells dog. As an adult, your brain barely notices the letters appearing on the page. Instead you see entire words like dog, or even entire phrases like “hot dog”, “ice cream” or “United States of America.” “United States of America” contains four distinct words, almost the width of an entire column in a textbook or newspaper. If you can see four words, then why can’t you see entire lines, sentences, paragraphs or even an entire page at a glance? You can! You just need a simple system that improves your brain’s visual reading efficiency. The first step is to understand how your magnificent brain is at decoding text on the unconscious level. Once you become conscious of this unconscious activity you will be able to speed it up to a higher reading speed still being able to comprehend, store and recall essential information.
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HOW TO READ FASTER WITH ONE EASY TRICK | NOVEMBER 2013
During my studies I learned how our brain uses schema, or more simply our map of the world, while decoding text. Each of us has a lifetime of experiences stored in our memory map – stored experiences that writers expect us to possess and use while reading. Let’s use an example to learn how you use schema to interpret text. Imagine I wrote a story and told you, “the woman wore a red dress.” I would expect you to know what I meant by the word woman. As a reader, you don’t expect me to explain to you that a woman is a female. You already know this information. You are using your schema, or life database, to read this text. Probably the best way to demonstrate schema’s important role in making text meaningful is by giving you a paragraph to read that is completely lacking any schematic clues. Although the words in this passage taken from my Mega Speed Reading Program are simple and familiar, you will find them almost impossible to read: This is an easy thing to do. If possible you will do it at home, but you can always go somewhere else if it is necessary. Beware of overdoing it. This is a major mistake and may cost you quite a bit of money. It is far better to do too little than attempt to do too much. Make sure everything is properly placed. Now you are ready to proceed. The next step is to put things into another convenient arrangement. Once done you’ll probably have to start again really soon. Most likely, you’ll be doing this for the rest of your life. It’s pretty tough to decode this text, because it lacks any schematic clues. Did you guess that this paragraph is discussing doing a load of laundry? Picture the word “laundry” printed right above this text as a single word title, and then read this passage once again. Isn’t it amazing how much clearer this passage becomes simply by adding a single schematically significant word? Even a single schematic clue can make text understandable. From this example, it is clear that schema plays a major role in making text meaningful.
About Howard Berg When FOX, ABC and over 1,100 radio and TV shows look for the authority on speed reading and brain-based learning, they turn to Howard Berg, The World’s Fastest Reader. Howard attended the State University of New York at Binghamton, where he majored in both Biology and Psychology. He became interested in Psychology during his junior year and completed the four-year program during his senior year. He was told it would be impossible, and that is what spurred him to develop his first accelerated learning program. To date, Howard has created more than 14 brainbased learning programs, including his TimeWarner book, “Super Reading Secrets,” which is currently in its 28th reprint. Barron’s books requested him to write “Speed Reading The Easy Way,” and Nightingale-Conant has sold more than 650,000 copies of his “Mega Speed Reading” program. Howard invites you to experience a FREE Video Training, where you will learn how to easily double your reading speed and increase your comprehension so you can… • Take control of “information overload” • Breeze through every email message, article, book – virtually any reading material • Remember facts in a snap • Save tons of time • Plus tons more! www.SpeedReadFree.com
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HOW TO LET GO | NOVEMBER 2013
How to Let Go: The 4 People You Must Forgive
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here are four people you need to forgive if you are serious about changing your life and learning how to live in the now. The first are your parents, living or dead. You must absolutely forgive them for every mistake they ever made in bringing you up. At the very least, you should be grateful to them for giving you life. They got you here. If you are happy to be alive, you can forgive them for everything else. Never complain about them again. Many of my seminar participants have phoned or visited their parents and told them that they forgive them for everything. Often this simple act of courage and character has had a profound effect on their relationship with their mother or father. From that day onward, they have become good friends, which lasted the rest of their lives together. On the other hand, by not forgiving your parents, you remain forever a child. You block your own chance to grow up and become a fully functioning adult. You continue to see yourself as a victim. Even worse, you keep your negative feelings of inferiority and anger alive. If your parents die without your having forgiven them, it can bother you for the rest of your life. The second person or people you must forgive are the
By Brian Tracy
people from your marriages or relationships that didn’t work out. These intimate relationships can be so intense, and so threatening to your feelings of self-esteem and self-worth, that you can be angry and unforgiving toward those people for years. But you were at least partially responsible. Have the personal strength and integrity to say, “I am responsible,” and then forgive the other person and let him or her go. Say the words, “I forgive him/her for everything and I wish him/her well.” Each time you repeat this, the negative emotion attached to the memory will diminish. Soon it will be gone forever. Many of my graduates have found that “the letter” is the key to putting a bad relationship behind them forever. This is a powerful technique that can free you from feelings of anger and resentment almost instantly. Here is how it works: You to sit down and write the other person a letter of forgiveness. It consists of three parts. First you say, “I forgive you for everything you ever did that hurt me.” Second, you write out a description or list of every single thing that you are still mad about. Some people write several pages in this part.
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HOW TO LET GO | NOVEMBER 2013
Third, you end the letter with the words, “I wish you well.” You then take the letter to the mailbox and drop it in. At that moment, you will feel a huge sense of relief, and you will be free at last. By the way, don’t worry about how the other person might react. That is not your concern. Your goal is to free yourself, to regain your peace of mind, and to get on with the wonderful life that lies ahead of you. The third person you must forgive is everyone else in your life, who has ever hurt you in any way. Let them go. Forgive every boss, business partner, friend, crook or betrayer who has ever caused you grief of any kind. Clean the slate and forgive to forget. Wipe each of their names and images off by saying, “I forgive him/her for everything, and I wish him/her well.” Repeat this statement each time you think of the person or situation until the negative feelings are gone. The fourth and final person you have to forgive is yourself. You must absolutely forgive yourself for every silly, senseless, wicked, brainless, thoughtless or cruel thing you have ever done or said. Stop carrying these past mistakes around with you. That was then and this is now. Think of it this way. When you did those things in the past that you still feel badly about, you were not the person you are today. At that time, you were a different person, younger and less experienced. You were not your true self. You were an immature version of the person you have become with experience. Stop beating yourself up for something that occurred in the past that you cannot change. Just say, “I forgive myself for every mistake I ever made. I am a thoroughly good person and I am going to have a wonderful future.” Whenever you think of that event or situation, just repeat, “I forgive myself completely.” And then get on with your life. Focus on the future rather than the past and don’t look back. Look at where you are going rather than where you have been. Finally, if you did something that hurt someone, and you still feel badly about it, you can go to that person, or write, and apologize. Tell the person you are sorry for what you did or said. Whatever his or her reaction, positive or negative, it doesn’t matter. The very act of repentance, of expressing regret, will set you free.
About Brian Tracy Brian Tracy is a best-selling author and world-renowned speaker, trainer and expert on success, as well as the owner of a multi-million-dollar training company, Brian Tracy International. For the past four decades, Brian has dedicated his life to the study of success – and to sharing his findings with success-oriented individuals. Brian says that while many people look for others to grant them “freedom,” the truth is that you can create your own personal freedom – and your own success. Brian is offering a complimentary eBook, “5 Reasons Why Most Don’t Become Wealthy,” which he designed to give you his proven, step-bystep process for achieving financial independence and building wealth. Brian went from being a homeless man without a high school diploma to a multi-millionaire and THE expert on success – so he has a lot to share. Get your copy of Brian Tracy’s free eBook, “5 Reasons Why Most Don’t Become Wealthy” here: www.BrianTracyFreeReport.com
Volume I Number 10 | Pg 13
MONEY-MAKING MONTHLY Volume I Number 10 | November 2013
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This Month’s Money-Making Info
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How to Let Go: The 4 People You Must Forgive By Brian Tracy
The ONE Supreme Idea That Can Bring You More Customers, Increase Your Income, and Reduce Your Stress Better Than Any Other By Perry Marshall Publisher Steve Sipress Successful Selling Systems, Inc. 869 E Schaumburg Rd #237 Schaumburg, IL 60194 (p) 773-236-8134 (f ) 847-232-1535 Questions? Comments? Suggestions?
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