Sunday, September 29, 2013

The Economy is DRIVING People to our Business–as a NECESSITY!

Here's an article that stresses the LOGIC of working our business.  People are being squeezed out of the job market and they are having fewer and fewer options.  So naturally they are beginning to understand that in order to control their futures, they're going to have to start their own business. ...Dennis

Unemployment Makes Self-Employed a Necessity, Not a Dream



With over 26 million people either unemployed or under-employed, and many not having any real prospects of landing a job, a self-owned business may no longer be an option but a necessity! There seems to be little doubt that unemployment is going to remain high -- quite possibly for years to come. A good part of unemployment is said to be structural in nature with the skills and capabilities of many workers no longer demanded by the market. But lets face it, when the cash register quits ringing, the first jobs to go are those that business owners can't justify.


Threat of extended unemployment may very well force an explosion of self-employed and independent small businesses by disillusioned unemployed who will seek to go out on their own, not as a dream but a necessity. Factory workers are replaced by robots, middle managers forced by executives to do more with fewer people and business owners not willing to hire because of increased taxes, insurance cost and a lack of capital, the outlook for a job growth is dismal.

It is said that necessity is the mother of invention, and while the self-employment is not for everyone, neither is unemployment. I know because I faced the same situation many years ago, and rather than take unemployment benefits or a job I didn't want, I elected to start my own business.

When you are out of work you look at your options:
1) Take unemployment until jobs return
2) Take a lesser job than you are qualified for or a job you don't want
3) Start your own business

But how do you start your own business when money is already an issue and you have bills to pay? (you call a Nu Skin Distributor of course!) The same way you look for a new job. It's the same problem -- rather than spending money on gas to go on an interview, now you are spending money to sell yourself and your company.

Even economists who think unemployment will be high for five or more years believe those numbers will eventually return to normal levels. But ask yourself, what if this time, something's really different? You don't need an economist to explain the simplicity of the situation -- jobs are the primary way that purchasing power gets delivered into the hands of consumers -- consumers without incomes can't drive the economy. That equals no job growth.

Jobs will continue to go overseas until it is no longer cheaper to do so. Technology and automation will speed up replacing traditional jobs. I assure you this will be the longest period of unemployment we have seen in decades and self-employment will become a viable solution not just a dream. Will you work harder than ever before? I guarantee you will. Will you be scared? Absolutely. Will there be money problems? You have them now.

While necessity is the mother of invention, extended unemployment may prove to be the mother of entrepreneurship. If you elect this path you will become the boss, the secretary, the bookkeeper the sales person, the reason it works, and if it fails, the reason it fails. Those that don't want to wait for jobs will start their own businesses and learn everything about selling, as a necessity and a solution, not just as a dream.


Friday, September 27, 2013

Leadership Lessons From Some Crazy Guy...

You may have seen this already, but it is certainly worth watching more than once. There's some REAL truth here!  Enjoy...Dennis



Thursday, September 26, 2013

BREAKING NEWS! Galvanic Spa Cleared by FDA

It's about time!  Nu Skin today announced that it has received FDA clearance to market the Galvanic Spa for "over the counter" cosmetic use.  It should become available for sale during the first half of 2014.  Great news for us!

Nu Skin Obtains FDA Clearance of Facial Spa Device

PROVO, Utah, Sept. 26, 2013 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. NUS +0.26%today announced that it has received FDA clearance to market a facial spa device for over-the-counter cosmetic use. The company's 510(k) application was filed approximately one year ago. The company estimates that the facial spa will become available for sale some time during the first half of 2014.

"We have seen great demand for our innovative spa products throughout the world which has helped us to become a global leader in the home-use skin care device market," said Joseph Chang, Ph.D., chief scientific officer. "We are pleased that our U.S. sales leaders and consumers will be able to enjoy the benefits of this skin care device."

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Housing Market–Not a True Rebound

I agree with this article which states that the so-called housing recovery is "just a facade fueled by Wall Street."  Most people do not realize that houses are being bought today PREDOMINATELY by investment firms which purchase hundreds of homes at a time, and convert them into rental properties.  This article spells it out as well as explaining WHY first-time buyers are being squeezed out of the market.  ....Dennis

As More People Rent, Housing Rebound Questioned

Real estate market experts are questioning the sustainability of the rebound in the U.S. housing market. They reason that investment firms and individual investors, and not those who would use the houses as a residence, have bought a significant number of homes. Therefore, it can’t be considered a true rebound of the housing market. 
The quantity of home purchases by investors “raises the question of whether rising home prices really indicate a sustained market recovery, or if the growth is just a facade fueled by Wall Street,” a Daily Finance article states. 
The article ends with a cautionary note: “The most important takeaway is that the underlying housing environment may not be as rosy as Wall Street has made it out to be.” 
Investors buy many homes and convert them to rental properties, and first-time buyers are priced out of the market. First-time buyers can’t compete with investment funds that are flush with cash. 
Historically, first-time home buyers are an important factor in a rebound. However, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) states that the number of first-time buyers dropped from approximately 40 percent over the past three decades to 30 percent in the last year, which doesn’t bode well for the real estate market, according to a report by the Consumerist. 
It isn’t only that first-time buyers have been squeezed out of the market because of investors, but rigid underwriting standards, larger down payment requirements, and high student loan debts are also part of the equation.
Additionally, a recent increase in mortgage rates is another driver of the real estate market slowdown. This makes it more difficult to borrow in the long term. 
For example, a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was at 3.80 percent in September 2012 and has risen to 4.75 percent by September 2013. The 15-year fixed rate mortgage changed from 3.09 percent to 3.82 percent during the same period. 

Renter Nation 

The large housing inventory has decreased significantly since the height of the recession. However, a significant number of homes were not bought by individuals, but by investment firms.
For example, the Blackstone Group L.P., a multinational investment firm, “has been busy buying up scores of single-family homes at dirt-cheap prices, fixing them up, and then turning around and renting them out,” according to a recent Street Authority Daily report. 
The renter’s market has hit a 16-year high, according to a Census Bureau and Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Research report. 

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Want to Fly Like an Eagle?

What does it feel like to be a Team Elite Executive and KNOW that your financial future is secure? Well...how would you like to have a REAL bird's-eye view?  A Trainer strapped a GoPro Camera on an Eagle's back, and the results are very cool indeed.  Check it out...Dennis


Monday, September 23, 2013

Guess What Outnumbers ALL Households in Northeast U.S.?

How many more months can we as a nation continue at this pace? Hard times are here for a LOT of people these days and this last JUNE was no exception as a NEW record was set for American households on food stamps.  As you think about this tragedy, consider the following question: Is it possible to create your own business on a shoestring budget?  ABSOLUTELY! ...Dennis


23,116,928 to 20,618,000: Households on Food Stamps Now Outnumber All Households in Northeast U.S. 


(CNSNews.com) - A record 23,116,928 American households were enrolled in the federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—AKA food stamps—during the month of June, according to data released this month by the Department of Agriculture.

That outnumbers the 20,618,000 households that the Census Bureau estimated were in the entire Northeastern United States as of the second quarter of 2013.

The 23,116,928 million households on food stamps in June also outnumbered the 15,030,000 home-owning households in the entire Western United States in the second quarter of the year and the 18,018,000 home-owning households in the entire Midwest.

(According to the Census Bureau, in the second quarter of 2013, there were 20,618,000 households in the Northeast United States, including 13,021 households that owned their residence and 7,597 that rented. In the Midwest, there were 25,944,000 households, including 18,108 that owned and 7,926,000 that rented. In the West, there 25,322,000 households, including 15,030,000 that owned and 10,293 that rented. And, in the South, there 42,794,000 households, including 28,475,000 that owned and 14,318,000 that rented.)

The record 23,116,928 households on food stamps in June also equaled 20.16 percent—or more than one-fifth--of all 114,663,000 households nationwide in the United States as of June, according to the Census Bureau.

The 23,116,928 household on food stamps in June was an increase of 45,908 from the 23,071,020 household on food stamps in May.

In fiscal 2009, the year President Barack Obama was inaugurated, there was a monthly average of 15,161,469 American households on food stamps, according to the Department of Agriculture. The 23,116,928 households on food stamps in June exceeded that 2009 monthly average by 7,955,459 households—or 52 percent.

Thus, in America in June, there were 52 percent more households on Food Stamps than there were in the average month of the first year President Obama took office.

Sunday, September 22, 2013

OK...This ought to be EASY...

Just as an item of interest I thought I would share this Eighth Grade Exam from 1912. Have you ever seen the movie “Idiocracy”?  It is a movie about an “average American” that wakes up 500 years in the future only to discover that he is the most intelligent person by far in the “dumbed down” society that is surrounding him.  

Unfortunately, that film is a very accurate metaphor for what has happened to American society today.  We have become so “dumbed down” that we don’t even realize what has happened to us.  

But once in a while something comes along that reminds us of how far we have fallen.  In Kentucky, an eighth grade exam from 1912 was recently donated to the Bullitt County History Museum.  When I read this exam over, I was shocked at how difficult it was.  Could most eighth grade students pass such an exam today?  Of course not.  In fact, I don’t even think that I could pass it.  



How about you? ...Dennis


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