This has been an exciting week. On Thursday, we discovered that we were included in a book written by Marsha Petrie Sue, "The Reactor Factor: How to handle difficult work situations without going Nuclear". You can imagine our excitement to receive a copy of Marsha's book with quotes from Steve included not only in the book, but on the back cover of the book.
We have always promoted relationship building with our customers in our personal business. For those of you who have done business with us, you know that we don't just sell you products, but make sure to talk with you and find out about you as a person. We want to be sure that we are satisfying your needs. We are more interested in providing a service to you rather than just taking money from you.
It was extremely exciting to hear that Marsha was going to include some of our philosophies in her book, but we didn't want to jump the gun and tell you all about it until we actually saw it in print. We didn't want to get your expectations up. In the next few days, I will have updated our website to show this new book and how you can get your hands on a copy.
Not that I am excited we are in print (and we didn't print it ourselves), but we are quoted on pages 160 and 161 along with a quote by Steve on the back cover of the hardbound book. I have read excerpts from this book and find it exceptional in helping work with difficult situations. Marsha has it set up as a lesson book and work book, so you can apply the various concepts she presents and have a plan of action. Once Steve has finished reading the book, I will finally be able to go through it too. Right now, I have to wait for Steve to fall asleep before I can sneak a few pages of reading. I do plan on purchasing another copy for my own personal use.
This book is useful for people who are employed by someone else, or by someone who is self employed. It teaches you techniques to diffuse difficult situations without you yourself losing control. I highly recommend it for anyone who is in business for themselves, or for anyone who is working for someone else. You will always encounter difficult situations, it is helpful to have on hand a road map on how to work around those same situations. Take a look for yourself www.marshapetriesue.com. Enjoy.
Until tomorrow...
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
More on Waterless Technology
Today I would like to cover two more products that UltraLuster Worldwide carries. One is the tire and vinyl cleaner - Tire & Trim Luster. I am sure you are painfully aware of how messy and dirty it is to clean tires. For those of you with white walls, you probably hate cleaning tires even more. White walls always seem to get dirty faster, and look bad faster than the regular black sided tires.
With our Tire & Trim Luster, all you need to do is to spray the product onto the tire and wipe with a terry towel. You will be amazed at how easy it is to make your tire look new again. If after this you want the tire to have a "wet look" just spray another layer of Tire & Trim Luster on the tire. For the white walls, I actually recommend using an old scrap of Berber carpet (shag works just as well) instead of a terry towel. Just spray the Tire & Trim Luster onto the tire, wipe in with the scrap of carpet and then wipe clean with a terry towel. Cleaning white walls takes a fraction of the time this way. What is even better is that the Tire & Trim Luster is not abrasive and does not leave a sticky residue even after you have wiped it. The benefit of this is that the tire will stay cleaner longer than if you used other products that are heavy in silicone. For cars in particular, this product does an excellent job in removing brake dust from the rims.
Another benefit of using Tire & Trim Luster on your tires, especially in the hot desert areas is that this product has a UV protectant in it. This will help slow down the breakdown and weather cracking of the rubber. Since there is no alcohol in this product, it will not dry out the rubber either and could extend the life of the sidewalls of your tires.
The other product I would like to briefly discuss tonight is MetalLuster. This is a creamy product that polishes bare metal and removes oxidation of paints. If you have bare aluminum or polished steel, MetalLuster will do an awesome job of polishing. Take a small amount (about a dime size) of MetalLuster on a terry towel and work gently into the area. The just buff off with a clean terry towel. Without much work at all, you will have polished the aluminum or steel and not even have broken a sweat. We do recommend though that after you have polished that bare metal you follow up with a layer of UltraLuster Waterless wash so as to put an acrylic coating over the bare metal you just finished polishing. The UltraLuster will not completely seal the metal, so it can breath, but it will provide enough of a coating that you will find the metal remains shiny for an extended period of time.
With regards to oxidation removal, we recommend that you put a small amount of MetalLuster on a terry towel and very gently rub onto the oxidized area. MetalLuster is a mild abrasive, so you do not want to bear down hard when rubbing into the paint. Keep in mind that as you are removing the oxidation, you are also taking a very fine layer of clear coat off the paint too. That is why you do not want to lean into the buffing, you want to take off as little as possible, yet make the paint look fresher. As with the metal, follow up with a coat of UltraLuster Waterless wash to protect the paint that you just removed the oxidation from.
We do have other uses for both the Tire & Trim Luster and MetalLuster, but I don't want to bore you with all those details if it is not going to help you specifically. If you have a specific question about cleaning your vehicle, please feel free to leave a comment or an e-mail at hawgwash1@yahoo.com. To view all of our product offerings, please visit www.hawgwash.net.
Until tomorrow...
With our Tire & Trim Luster, all you need to do is to spray the product onto the tire and wipe with a terry towel. You will be amazed at how easy it is to make your tire look new again. If after this you want the tire to have a "wet look" just spray another layer of Tire & Trim Luster on the tire. For the white walls, I actually recommend using an old scrap of Berber carpet (shag works just as well) instead of a terry towel. Just spray the Tire & Trim Luster onto the tire, wipe in with the scrap of carpet and then wipe clean with a terry towel. Cleaning white walls takes a fraction of the time this way. What is even better is that the Tire & Trim Luster is not abrasive and does not leave a sticky residue even after you have wiped it. The benefit of this is that the tire will stay cleaner longer than if you used other products that are heavy in silicone. For cars in particular, this product does an excellent job in removing brake dust from the rims.
Another benefit of using Tire & Trim Luster on your tires, especially in the hot desert areas is that this product has a UV protectant in it. This will help slow down the breakdown and weather cracking of the rubber. Since there is no alcohol in this product, it will not dry out the rubber either and could extend the life of the sidewalls of your tires.
The other product I would like to briefly discuss tonight is MetalLuster. This is a creamy product that polishes bare metal and removes oxidation of paints. If you have bare aluminum or polished steel, MetalLuster will do an awesome job of polishing. Take a small amount (about a dime size) of MetalLuster on a terry towel and work gently into the area. The just buff off with a clean terry towel. Without much work at all, you will have polished the aluminum or steel and not even have broken a sweat. We do recommend though that after you have polished that bare metal you follow up with a layer of UltraLuster Waterless wash so as to put an acrylic coating over the bare metal you just finished polishing. The UltraLuster will not completely seal the metal, so it can breath, but it will provide enough of a coating that you will find the metal remains shiny for an extended period of time.
With regards to oxidation removal, we recommend that you put a small amount of MetalLuster on a terry towel and very gently rub onto the oxidized area. MetalLuster is a mild abrasive, so you do not want to bear down hard when rubbing into the paint. Keep in mind that as you are removing the oxidation, you are also taking a very fine layer of clear coat off the paint too. That is why you do not want to lean into the buffing, you want to take off as little as possible, yet make the paint look fresher. As with the metal, follow up with a coat of UltraLuster Waterless wash to protect the paint that you just removed the oxidation from.
We do have other uses for both the Tire & Trim Luster and MetalLuster, but I don't want to bore you with all those details if it is not going to help you specifically. If you have a specific question about cleaning your vehicle, please feel free to leave a comment or an e-mail at hawgwash1@yahoo.com. To view all of our product offerings, please visit www.hawgwash.net.
Until tomorrow...
More on UltraLuster Waterless Wash
Today is the second installment on what UltraLuster Waterless Wash and protective glaze can do for your paint and chrome. I mentioned yesterday that when using UltraLuster Waterless Wash you do not need to pre-wash your vehicle (car, truck, RV, boat, plane, etc).
The reason you don't need to pre-wash is that UltraLuster has the ability to emulsify the dirt and organic materials. UltraLuster has lubricants in it that will prevent any hard particles from scratching your painted surface. Water is not a lubricant, so when you are spraying water on your vehicle, all you are doing is using the water to push around all that scratchy dirt. With the lubricants in UltraLuster, there is a protective barrier between the scratchy dirt and your painted surface.
After you have sprayed UltraLuster on the dirt, you need to take either a soft terry towel, or more preferably a microfiber towel and gently work the UltraLuster into the finish of the paint. What you are doing here is working the UltraLuster into the microscopic dents in the paint, ultimately creating a smoother surface. A smoother surface produces a much brighter shine on the paint. I would like to note that UltraLuster is non-abrasive, so you are not removing any of the clear-coat from your painted or chromed surface. After you have gently worked the UltraLuster into the surface, take a different, clean microfiber towel and buff to a shine.
Once buffed, the UltraLuster on the surface becomes another layer of protection from the elements. What is left on the surface of your paint is an acrylic polymer that contains UV protectants to help reduce damage from the ultraviolet rays of the sun. This layer should last for months (depending on how you use your vehicle) before another application needs to be done.
If you use UltraLuster on Chrome, you will find it much easier to keep chrome bright. Water spots are much easier to remove because the UltraLuster dissolves the calcium that is left on the surface. You will also find that once you apply UltraLuster to the chrome, it is harder for finger prints to be left on the chromed surface. That is extremely handy since the oil from hands can begin to wear through the clear coat on the chrome and ultimately eat into the chromed finish.
Another very important benefit of using UltraLuster on your vehicle is that you are helping to save water. Each time a car is washed with water, approximately 100-200 gallons of our drinking water is contaminated with potentially harmful chemicals.
Later I will review some of the other products in the UltraLuster waterless technology line. If you are interested in purchasing some UltraLuster, please click here, if you are interested in second income opportunities with UltraLuster, please see www.ultraluster.com/hawg1 for more information. Otherwise, feel free to contact us or leave a comment.
Until tomorrow
The reason you don't need to pre-wash is that UltraLuster has the ability to emulsify the dirt and organic materials. UltraLuster has lubricants in it that will prevent any hard particles from scratching your painted surface. Water is not a lubricant, so when you are spraying water on your vehicle, all you are doing is using the water to push around all that scratchy dirt. With the lubricants in UltraLuster, there is a protective barrier between the scratchy dirt and your painted surface.
After you have sprayed UltraLuster on the dirt, you need to take either a soft terry towel, or more preferably a microfiber towel and gently work the UltraLuster into the finish of the paint. What you are doing here is working the UltraLuster into the microscopic dents in the paint, ultimately creating a smoother surface. A smoother surface produces a much brighter shine on the paint. I would like to note that UltraLuster is non-abrasive, so you are not removing any of the clear-coat from your painted or chromed surface. After you have gently worked the UltraLuster into the surface, take a different, clean microfiber towel and buff to a shine.
Once buffed, the UltraLuster on the surface becomes another layer of protection from the elements. What is left on the surface of your paint is an acrylic polymer that contains UV protectants to help reduce damage from the ultraviolet rays of the sun. This layer should last for months (depending on how you use your vehicle) before another application needs to be done.
If you use UltraLuster on Chrome, you will find it much easier to keep chrome bright. Water spots are much easier to remove because the UltraLuster dissolves the calcium that is left on the surface. You will also find that once you apply UltraLuster to the chrome, it is harder for finger prints to be left on the chromed surface. That is extremely handy since the oil from hands can begin to wear through the clear coat on the chrome and ultimately eat into the chromed finish.
Another very important benefit of using UltraLuster on your vehicle is that you are helping to save water. Each time a car is washed with water, approximately 100-200 gallons of our drinking water is contaminated with potentially harmful chemicals.
Later I will review some of the other products in the UltraLuster waterless technology line. If you are interested in purchasing some UltraLuster, please click here, if you are interested in second income opportunities with UltraLuster, please see www.ultraluster.com/hawg1 for more information. Otherwise, feel free to contact us or leave a comment.
Until tomorrow
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Waterless Technology - UltraLuster
Tonight I will truly and honestly be brief. The winds have been blowing through Arizona for the last two days and my allergies are really knocking me for a loop. I want to briefly discuss one of our Waterless Technology products - UltraLuster Waterless Wash and Protective Glaze.
UltraLuster Waterless Wash is referred to as waterless because you do not need to pre-wash your vehicle (unless there is so much mud caked on you cannot see any color of your vehicle). UltraLuster is designed to spray directly on top of the dirt on the painted surface of your vehicle (car, motorcycle, RV, boat, airplane, etc). Once you have some UltraLuster Waterless Wash on the vehicle's painted surface, you take either a terrycloth towel or a microfiber towel and gently work the product into the dirt. After that you will notice that the wiped area hazes. That is when you take a clean microfiber towel and buff off the haze.
You will be amazed about how much of a shine will appear after you buff off the haze. In the time it would have taken you to haul out the hose, bucket, soap, sponge, and any other cleaning materials, then hose down your vehicle, soap it up and then dry it off, using UltraLuster Waterless Wash would have already cleaned, sealed and protected your painted surfaces.
The really cool thing about the UltraLuster Waterless wash product is that you don't have to clean your whole vehicle at one time. Granted, you vehicle may look funny with parts cleaned, but the neat part is that you don't have to worry about finishing cleaning. With regards to a car, you can clean the hood one day, the fenders another day, the doors yet another day...you get the picture. The best part is that once you are done cleaning your vehicle, you will find that it stays cleaner longer than if you had used soap & water.
Tomorrow I will continue discussing what UltraLuster Waterless wash does for your painted surfaces and how it works on chrome, Plexiglas, and other non-porous surfaces.
Until then...
UltraLuster Waterless Wash is referred to as waterless because you do not need to pre-wash your vehicle (unless there is so much mud caked on you cannot see any color of your vehicle). UltraLuster is designed to spray directly on top of the dirt on the painted surface of your vehicle (car, motorcycle, RV, boat, airplane, etc). Once you have some UltraLuster Waterless Wash on the vehicle's painted surface, you take either a terrycloth towel or a microfiber towel and gently work the product into the dirt. After that you will notice that the wiped area hazes. That is when you take a clean microfiber towel and buff off the haze.
You will be amazed about how much of a shine will appear after you buff off the haze. In the time it would have taken you to haul out the hose, bucket, soap, sponge, and any other cleaning materials, then hose down your vehicle, soap it up and then dry it off, using UltraLuster Waterless Wash would have already cleaned, sealed and protected your painted surfaces.
The really cool thing about the UltraLuster Waterless wash product is that you don't have to clean your whole vehicle at one time. Granted, you vehicle may look funny with parts cleaned, but the neat part is that you don't have to worry about finishing cleaning. With regards to a car, you can clean the hood one day, the fenders another day, the doors yet another day...you get the picture. The best part is that once you are done cleaning your vehicle, you will find that it stays cleaner longer than if you had used soap & water.
Tomorrow I will continue discussing what UltraLuster Waterless wash does for your painted surfaces and how it works on chrome, Plexiglas, and other non-porous surfaces.
Until then...
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Rip's B.A.D. Ride
As promised, tonight you will get a brief history of the B.A.D. Ride (Bikers Against Diabetes). On Sunday, October we attended the 5th annual Rip's B.A.D. Ride in Arizona. This was our third year in attendance and we will continue to attend as the years go on. As always it is a great event, supporting a wonderful cause, fighting Diabetes.
The weather on Sunday was great, especially for Arizona standards. It didn't get over 90, the sun was out, there was a light breeze and not a cloud in the sky. Perfect Arizona riding conditions. There were approximately 30 vendors attending the event this time, with items ranging from health care to jewelery, to shirts. Since this was an event supporting Diabetes research and cure, the American Diabetes Association was very active here too. The American Diabetes Association had shirts and small bean bag toys for sale to help raise money to prevent and cure diabetes. Their other goal is to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes.
Unfortunately most likely due to the tough economy, attendance was not as big as it had been in prior years. Fortunately, the people who attended did all they could to make this event memorable and wonderful. Mogollon was the main band, and Wooden Nickle was the opening band. Both bands were awesome and had people dancing in the bleachers and in front of the stage. The B.A.D. Youth Ambassadors were in attendance and seemed to enjoy mingling with the bikers. The bike show brought in many great bikes, some of the categories included American V-Twin, custom, and metric. The bikes that won the contest were true sights to behold. It was really great to see all types of bikes at the show and all the different bikes that came in to support this wonderful cause.
Did you know that there are 23.6 million Americans who have diabetes? That works out to about one in every 20 people have diabetes. Funds raised through this event help to support the work done by the American Diabetes Association for research, education, community programs and advocacy efforts.
Rip's B.A.D. Ride was started in California in 1997 by Rip Rose who was a biker photojournalist for Easyrider. Rip Rose had a dream of getting the Biker Nation to rally together to help fight diabetes. The first ride had about 300 riders starting from a few different sites to converge into Glen Helen Pavilion. Rip's ride has now gone nationwide with five additional states picking up the cause. Rip's B.A.D. Ride now takes place not only in Northern and Southern California, but in Arizona, Missouri, Texas, Kansas and Iowa. This ride also has the support of Karen Davidson and Willie G. of Harley-Davidson. Rip's ultimate goal was to unite the biker community to continue to fight to prevent and cure diabetes and improve the lives of those affected by diabetes.
If you want to find out more about Rip's B.A.D. Ride, or want to participate at some time down the road, please visit http://www.ripsbadride.com/. This site lists the rally sites, times and provides information on how to volunteer.
The weather on Sunday was great, especially for Arizona standards. It didn't get over 90, the sun was out, there was a light breeze and not a cloud in the sky. Perfect Arizona riding conditions. There were approximately 30 vendors attending the event this time, with items ranging from health care to jewelery, to shirts. Since this was an event supporting Diabetes research and cure, the American Diabetes Association was very active here too. The American Diabetes Association had shirts and small bean bag toys for sale to help raise money to prevent and cure diabetes. Their other goal is to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes.
Unfortunately most likely due to the tough economy, attendance was not as big as it had been in prior years. Fortunately, the people who attended did all they could to make this event memorable and wonderful. Mogollon was the main band, and Wooden Nickle was the opening band. Both bands were awesome and had people dancing in the bleachers and in front of the stage. The B.A.D. Youth Ambassadors were in attendance and seemed to enjoy mingling with the bikers. The bike show brought in many great bikes, some of the categories included American V-Twin, custom, and metric. The bikes that won the contest were true sights to behold. It was really great to see all types of bikes at the show and all the different bikes that came in to support this wonderful cause.
Did you know that there are 23.6 million Americans who have diabetes? That works out to about one in every 20 people have diabetes. Funds raised through this event help to support the work done by the American Diabetes Association for research, education, community programs and advocacy efforts.
Rip's B.A.D. Ride was started in California in 1997 by Rip Rose who was a biker photojournalist for Easyrider. Rip Rose had a dream of getting the Biker Nation to rally together to help fight diabetes. The first ride had about 300 riders starting from a few different sites to converge into Glen Helen Pavilion. Rip's ride has now gone nationwide with five additional states picking up the cause. Rip's B.A.D. Ride now takes place not only in Northern and Southern California, but in Arizona, Missouri, Texas, Kansas and Iowa. This ride also has the support of Karen Davidson and Willie G. of Harley-Davidson. Rip's ultimate goal was to unite the biker community to continue to fight to prevent and cure diabetes and improve the lives of those affected by diabetes.
If you want to find out more about Rip's B.A.D. Ride, or want to participate at some time down the road, please visit http://www.ripsbadride.com/. This site lists the rally sites, times and provides information on how to volunteer.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Inspirational Story
Today I wanted to change the pace a bit. I received a really good story from Cheraba Just, SSgt USMC, that some of you may have seen in the past. Even if this has gone around before, it is a good reminder on how we should conduct ourselves. I know that I sometimes forget what I am about and may not present myself as well as I should. I thought that this story was very appropriate in these tough economic times.
Here is the story:
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each one on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In the first pot, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out ad placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.
Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see."
"Carrots, eggs and coffee," the daughter replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted it's rich aroma.
The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity; boiling water. Each reacted differently.
The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.
The egg had been fragile. It's thin outer shell had protected it's liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, it's inside became hardened.
The ground coffee beans were unique however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?"
Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.
When the hours is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
Take care....
Here is the story:
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each one on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In the first pot, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out ad placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.
Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see."
"Carrots, eggs and coffee," the daughter replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted it's rich aroma.
The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity; boiling water. Each reacted differently.
The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.
The egg had been fragile. It's thin outer shell had protected it's liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, it's inside became hardened.
The ground coffee beans were unique however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?"
Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.
When the hours is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
Take care....
Weight Loss Update
I know, I know, I am late, but hey, at least I am writing about the weight loss. As of Sunday, I managed to lose another pound and a half. This week, as you may remember, I added some light exercising along with using the Core4 products.
I have been using the Cheat regularly, so my fiber intake has increased and I have decreased my caloric intake by about 25%. I am sure that has contributed to some of the continued weight loss this week. I have been very good about taking one Accelerate in the mornings. I did notice that I am hungry prior to every meal. Before starting on the Core4 program, I would not be hungry most of the time, but would eat at the prescribed times anyway. At least now I know my metabolism is working, I am hungry before meals.
I have also discovered that for me, I can only take one Flush pill a night. I personally get better results by taking one Flush instead of the two pills recommended in the Ignite program. I don't know how other people react to the Flush, but I noticed I felt more bloated if I took two pills a night instead of just one. I also seem to react better with I take the Flush with room temperature water instead of hot water or hot tea. I am not recommending this modification to everyone, but if you are having similar issues, you may want to try taking only one Flush instead of two, or taking them with room temperature water instead of hot. These are not major changes, but this does work better for my body.
I have not been very good about drinking the Lean, even though I really like it. I guess you can attribute that to the fact that I have had some really yummy food in the house, and I didn't want it to spoil. For a change, I had food ready for consumption instead of having to cook it each time I wanted to eat. When I am in a hurry and don't have time to cook, I love drinking the Lean. It takes care of one meal that I now no longer have to cook.
If you want more information on the Core4 product offering, please visit www.weightrenegade.com or feel free to contact me at shootershakes@aol.com.
Tomorrow I will give you an update on the B.A.D. Ride we participated in Sunday. (B.A.D. stands for Bikers Against Diabetes). I will also provide some information about this organization and how you can get involved if you want to.
Until tomorrow...
I have been using the Cheat regularly, so my fiber intake has increased and I have decreased my caloric intake by about 25%. I am sure that has contributed to some of the continued weight loss this week. I have been very good about taking one Accelerate in the mornings. I did notice that I am hungry prior to every meal. Before starting on the Core4 program, I would not be hungry most of the time, but would eat at the prescribed times anyway. At least now I know my metabolism is working, I am hungry before meals.
I have also discovered that for me, I can only take one Flush pill a night. I personally get better results by taking one Flush instead of the two pills recommended in the Ignite program. I don't know how other people react to the Flush, but I noticed I felt more bloated if I took two pills a night instead of just one. I also seem to react better with I take the Flush with room temperature water instead of hot water or hot tea. I am not recommending this modification to everyone, but if you are having similar issues, you may want to try taking only one Flush instead of two, or taking them with room temperature water instead of hot. These are not major changes, but this does work better for my body.
I have not been very good about drinking the Lean, even though I really like it. I guess you can attribute that to the fact that I have had some really yummy food in the house, and I didn't want it to spoil. For a change, I had food ready for consumption instead of having to cook it each time I wanted to eat. When I am in a hurry and don't have time to cook, I love drinking the Lean. It takes care of one meal that I now no longer have to cook.
If you want more information on the Core4 product offering, please visit www.weightrenegade.com or feel free to contact me at shootershakes@aol.com.
Tomorrow I will give you an update on the B.A.D. Ride we participated in Sunday. (B.A.D. stands for Bikers Against Diabetes). I will also provide some information about this organization and how you can get involved if you want to.
Until tomorrow...
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Adventures in Dog Grooming
Today I am going to touch on a light-hearted subject, dog grooming. I know many of you will wonder how I can consider dog grooming light, but just hang on, I will clarify..
We have two small dogs (one is around 6 pounds, the other is around 12) that have hair and not fur. Dogs that have hair do not shed like "regular" dogs. Their hair grows just like ours does. The only way to keep them neat is to have them groomed regularly, just like people. Well, in my infinite wisdom, I decided I didn't want to pay the relatively high prices for grooming so got all the grooming supplies to be my own groomer.
I even had a good friend (a REALLY good friend) show me the proper way of grooming our dogs. She is a professional groomer and spent a few hours working with me and we groomed one of the dogs together. Well, that went well, and I was able to successfully groom the other one fairly easily the next day at home.
As we have been traveling, I groomed the dogs every month or so in order that they didn't get all matted up. Now, for some reason, I am having one heck of a time grooming the little guy. I don't think I hurt him at any point, but he is almost unmanageable when I try to groom him. He loves to lean on me when I am trying to clip him, he won't let me get NEAR his nether-regions (I will not cut anything off...promise...) and don't even THINK about clipping the hair on his feet and legs. I would like to think he is terribly ticklish. On a normal day, you really can't touch his feet without him yanking them away. I still haven't figured out how to trim his nails...that will be another blog...
Anyway, now that you know the little guy is a major fidget when it comes to grooming, three guesses how funny he looks after I attempt to trim up his face and ears. I would like to say asymmetrical is a good look and a look for today...but really, when you look at him, he is lopsided...you have to giggle. I do usually get him straightened out, it just takes me time. Since he was always fidgety, and I usually groomed them in the morning, I thought to groom them at night...HA, big mistake. Now I know why groomers don't work in the evening. Boy, he was fidget times 100.
I was able to trim his belly, somewhat, but there are splotches of hair, and worse, spots of NO hair...oops...don't wiggle... Trying to trim around that little stump of a tail has always been a challenge, the tail turns into a clam shell (even the vet laughs, she has trouble getting a thermometer where it belongs), so I can only clip the top of the tail and around... looks really funny when his tail is back up in the air, all that hair on the underside... Last night, just forget about clipping his feet. Two of us could not hold him still enough to get the clippers closer than a few yards of his feet. I had to hold him by the scruff of his neck to try to trim his belly, but that didn't work, he still wiggles...
The upshot is that today, the little guy has big fluffy feet, not groomed, a somewhat even face, a big fluffy butt (I hear a jingle in there...), still very hairy nether regions and bare spots on his belly. I am not really looking forward to phase 2 of his grooming. Perhaps sedation...for me... As an FYI, the other dog looks great, she is not fond of the grooming, but puts up with it, so I really know it is not my TOTAL incompetence, the little guy just got a wild hair...now I know why sometimes when I used to bring them into the groomer, she would sigh when she saw him...
Tomorrow I will update you on my latest weight loss progress.
Until tomorrow.
We have two small dogs (one is around 6 pounds, the other is around 12) that have hair and not fur. Dogs that have hair do not shed like "regular" dogs. Their hair grows just like ours does. The only way to keep them neat is to have them groomed regularly, just like people. Well, in my infinite wisdom, I decided I didn't want to pay the relatively high prices for grooming so got all the grooming supplies to be my own groomer.
I even had a good friend (a REALLY good friend) show me the proper way of grooming our dogs. She is a professional groomer and spent a few hours working with me and we groomed one of the dogs together. Well, that went well, and I was able to successfully groom the other one fairly easily the next day at home.
As we have been traveling, I groomed the dogs every month or so in order that they didn't get all matted up. Now, for some reason, I am having one heck of a time grooming the little guy. I don't think I hurt him at any point, but he is almost unmanageable when I try to groom him. He loves to lean on me when I am trying to clip him, he won't let me get NEAR his nether-regions (I will not cut anything off...promise...) and don't even THINK about clipping the hair on his feet and legs. I would like to think he is terribly ticklish. On a normal day, you really can't touch his feet without him yanking them away. I still haven't figured out how to trim his nails...that will be another blog...
Anyway, now that you know the little guy is a major fidget when it comes to grooming, three guesses how funny he looks after I attempt to trim up his face and ears. I would like to say asymmetrical is a good look and a look for today...but really, when you look at him, he is lopsided...you have to giggle. I do usually get him straightened out, it just takes me time. Since he was always fidgety, and I usually groomed them in the morning, I thought to groom them at night...HA, big mistake. Now I know why groomers don't work in the evening. Boy, he was fidget times 100.
I was able to trim his belly, somewhat, but there are splotches of hair, and worse, spots of NO hair...oops...don't wiggle... Trying to trim around that little stump of a tail has always been a challenge, the tail turns into a clam shell (even the vet laughs, she has trouble getting a thermometer where it belongs), so I can only clip the top of the tail and around... looks really funny when his tail is back up in the air, all that hair on the underside... Last night, just forget about clipping his feet. Two of us could not hold him still enough to get the clippers closer than a few yards of his feet. I had to hold him by the scruff of his neck to try to trim his belly, but that didn't work, he still wiggles...
The upshot is that today, the little guy has big fluffy feet, not groomed, a somewhat even face, a big fluffy butt (I hear a jingle in there...), still very hairy nether regions and bare spots on his belly. I am not really looking forward to phase 2 of his grooming. Perhaps sedation...for me... As an FYI, the other dog looks great, she is not fond of the grooming, but puts up with it, so I really know it is not my TOTAL incompetence, the little guy just got a wild hair...now I know why sometimes when I used to bring them into the groomer, she would sigh when she saw him...
Tomorrow I will update you on my latest weight loss progress.
Until tomorrow.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Bike night at Arizona Joe's
Tonight was our weekly Bike Night at Arizona Joe's affectionately know as AJ's to the locals. We have been holding this Bike Night every Thursday night for the last 3+ years. It takes place in the covered patio of AJ's. Believe it or not, this Bike Night has been held all summer long, even through the hottest days. Granted, many people don't show up, but hey, the tradition continues.
Tonight, in order to make people laugh, Steve put on a pair of men's boxer shorts that were to be raffled off and stuck a paper towel roll in the shorts. He then walked around the patio with the ticket bucket hanging from the paper towel roll in the shorts. He had people laughing so hard they were crying. We had a lot of happy people tonight because we were being silly and trying to help people leave the reality of they day behind for an hour or two.
Our Bike Nights have been quite successful over the years, but we believe we need to change the pattern a bit. I believe shaking up things will be for the better. I noticed that we continue to get our regulars, but it would be nice to have something different to draw more people and to woo back some of the people that have grown bored with the status quo. Starting next week we are going to have our first Wet T-Shirt contest.
I have no idea who will be attending and who will be participating in the contest, but it definitely will cause a stir amongst the attendees at Bike Night. Until now, our bike nights consisted of raffles, bike shows and sing-alongs, which is not bad at all. It is time to jazz things up and make people start to laugh. This economy has been so hard on everyone, it is important to give people a little break from reality and have fun for a bit. I am not even going to discuss the average age of our attendees, I will be wrong no matter how you slice it, so it will be extremely interesting to see who will be willing to participate in the upcoming Wet T-shirt contest. I have already received requests from guys to be included, so that should be interesting. I know the first few times are going to be challenging, but hey, it will cause people to laugh...and trust me, it will be fun no matter what.
The week after the Wet T-Shirt contest will be our People's choice bike show. In this anyone can enter their motorcycle or trike, there are no classes and the attendees of bike night will get one ticket to vote for their favorite bike. The following weeks will include a Hot Buns contest, a motorcycle detailing clinic, a sing along with Greywolf, and a motorcycle trivia game. We have more ideas in the works, but this is what we are willing to disclose for now. If anyone out there has some ideas, I would love to find out what else we can do to spice up the bike nights.
If you are wondering why we hold this bike night, it is another form of marketing to your target audience. Every Thursday we always have a product table out, and are always willing to talk to people about our product offerings. What we have started doing with much success is changing what we put on our product table each week. We will not show the same product each week, so that way, each week we get to showcase different products. This keeps your table from getting boring. If the stores change their window displays frequently, we should change our table displays often.
This is a soft form of marketing, you always have product out for people to look at, you answer questions, listen a lot, and just remain available for people. You then become a trusted information source for the attendees of the bike nights and people start looking forward to seeing you and what you will bring each week. This can also generate word of mouth advertising. Once people start expecting you and your products, and using your products, they will tell their friends who will attend the next bike night, and the ball gets rolling.
Bike nights do not need to be expensive affairs, the cost of advertising doesn't have to be more than printing and placing flyers around the local community. There is a huge return on investment on that small expenditure for printed materials and raffle prizes. This type of advertising pays dividends down the road. You have fun, the attendees have fun, and you are remembered as being fun and not just another salesperson with a business you are trying to promote.
Again, please forward any additional Bike Night ideas to hawgwash1@yahoo.com. Thanks so much for continuing to read our blog.
Until tomorrow...
Tonight, in order to make people laugh, Steve put on a pair of men's boxer shorts that were to be raffled off and stuck a paper towel roll in the shorts. He then walked around the patio with the ticket bucket hanging from the paper towel roll in the shorts. He had people laughing so hard they were crying. We had a lot of happy people tonight because we were being silly and trying to help people leave the reality of they day behind for an hour or two.
Our Bike Nights have been quite successful over the years, but we believe we need to change the pattern a bit. I believe shaking up things will be for the better. I noticed that we continue to get our regulars, but it would be nice to have something different to draw more people and to woo back some of the people that have grown bored with the status quo. Starting next week we are going to have our first Wet T-Shirt contest.
I have no idea who will be attending and who will be participating in the contest, but it definitely will cause a stir amongst the attendees at Bike Night. Until now, our bike nights consisted of raffles, bike shows and sing-alongs, which is not bad at all. It is time to jazz things up and make people start to laugh. This economy has been so hard on everyone, it is important to give people a little break from reality and have fun for a bit. I am not even going to discuss the average age of our attendees, I will be wrong no matter how you slice it, so it will be extremely interesting to see who will be willing to participate in the upcoming Wet T-shirt contest. I have already received requests from guys to be included, so that should be interesting. I know the first few times are going to be challenging, but hey, it will cause people to laugh...and trust me, it will be fun no matter what.
The week after the Wet T-Shirt contest will be our People's choice bike show. In this anyone can enter their motorcycle or trike, there are no classes and the attendees of bike night will get one ticket to vote for their favorite bike. The following weeks will include a Hot Buns contest, a motorcycle detailing clinic, a sing along with Greywolf, and a motorcycle trivia game. We have more ideas in the works, but this is what we are willing to disclose for now. If anyone out there has some ideas, I would love to find out what else we can do to spice up the bike nights.
If you are wondering why we hold this bike night, it is another form of marketing to your target audience. Every Thursday we always have a product table out, and are always willing to talk to people about our product offerings. What we have started doing with much success is changing what we put on our product table each week. We will not show the same product each week, so that way, each week we get to showcase different products. This keeps your table from getting boring. If the stores change their window displays frequently, we should change our table displays often.
This is a soft form of marketing, you always have product out for people to look at, you answer questions, listen a lot, and just remain available for people. You then become a trusted information source for the attendees of the bike nights and people start looking forward to seeing you and what you will bring each week. This can also generate word of mouth advertising. Once people start expecting you and your products, and using your products, they will tell their friends who will attend the next bike night, and the ball gets rolling.
Bike nights do not need to be expensive affairs, the cost of advertising doesn't have to be more than printing and placing flyers around the local community. There is a huge return on investment on that small expenditure for printed materials and raffle prizes. This type of advertising pays dividends down the road. You have fun, the attendees have fun, and you are remembered as being fun and not just another salesperson with a business you are trying to promote.
Again, please forward any additional Bike Night ideas to hawgwash1@yahoo.com. Thanks so much for continuing to read our blog.
Until tomorrow...
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Taking Risks in this Economy
Tonight I am going to discuss risk taking in today's economy and if it is a good idea. As I am sure you all know, the economy does not seem very healthy yet. Still, there are opportunities out there, you just have to know where and when to look. If you think about it, the people with money still have the money. The key is to find that niche that puts you in front of those with the money.
It is important to keep your business model very fluid, you need to be able to re-adjust your attention to the areas that are producing results now without just jumping from one idea to another. You do not want to jump from idea to idea willy-nilly, that will kill your business faster than you can imagine. In this economy, it is extremely important to be nimble. If an opportunity appears, and it is in line with where your business is currently going, it is best to jump on the opportunity.
It is critical that you do not choose a risk that does not match what your core competency is. If you choose an opportunity that does not fit in with your current business model, you will need to look very closely at the opportunity. Jumping from one opportunity to another will have your customers wondering if you really have a solid business plan. A scatter-gun approach to adding business opportunities will cause you to lose focus on your core business goals and your customers will become just as confused. It is very important to test and analyse the new business opportunity before you commit time and funds. In future blogs I will review methods of analysis and research to determine if a new business opportunity is a good fit for you.
One of our new product offerings is a brake strap for motorcycles. For those of you who ride motorcycles, if you park on an incline, or want to prevent your bike from rolling forward, usually you place the bike in gear after you have parked it. The gears then prevent the bike from being rolled forward. The disadvantage to this technique is if the bike is jostled a lot (i.e. in trailers during transport) the jostling will cause the gears to clash together and could most likely wear them out faster. Another disadvantage to leaving the motorcycle in gear, which is more of an embarrassment, is when the biker gets back on the bike and forgets that it was left in gear. When you start the bike without pulling in the clutch, the bike and attached rider go lurching forward. This can be very amusing for your friends, but very embarrassing for you. You are also risking falling over depending on where the bike was parked.
The brake strap that we are now offering will allow the rider an alternative to leaving the motorcycle in gear. You just wrap the Hawg-Tied strap around both the brake lever and the hand grip, gently apply the front break and attach the strap. Now the front brake is applied and the bike will not roll (or lurch) forward. When transporting the motorcycle in a trailer, if you use this product, there will also be less wear and tear on your transmission gears. It is far less expensive to replace a pair of front brake pads than to replace the gears in a motorcycle.
We have also developed an innovative program of fundraising for charitable organizations. Again in today's economy, when people are concerned about putting food on their own table, they are going to be less willing to help out and donate money to charities. Our fundraising model proposes a method of collecting a large amount of donations without an undue burden on any one person. The benefit of this program is that a charitable organization will be able to collect a significant amount of donations for an event that would only last approximately 4 hours.
If you are interested in more information regarding this fundraising program, or know of an organization that could use this fundraising program, please feel free to contact us at hawgwash1@yahoo.com. It is our goal to help charitable organizations continue to provide assistance to the community without undue hardships.
I will discuss the fundraising opportunities more in future blogs...
Until tomorrow...
It is important to keep your business model very fluid, you need to be able to re-adjust your attention to the areas that are producing results now without just jumping from one idea to another. You do not want to jump from idea to idea willy-nilly, that will kill your business faster than you can imagine. In this economy, it is extremely important to be nimble. If an opportunity appears, and it is in line with where your business is currently going, it is best to jump on the opportunity.
It is critical that you do not choose a risk that does not match what your core competency is. If you choose an opportunity that does not fit in with your current business model, you will need to look very closely at the opportunity. Jumping from one opportunity to another will have your customers wondering if you really have a solid business plan. A scatter-gun approach to adding business opportunities will cause you to lose focus on your core business goals and your customers will become just as confused. It is very important to test and analyse the new business opportunity before you commit time and funds. In future blogs I will review methods of analysis and research to determine if a new business opportunity is a good fit for you.
One of our new product offerings is a brake strap for motorcycles. For those of you who ride motorcycles, if you park on an incline, or want to prevent your bike from rolling forward, usually you place the bike in gear after you have parked it. The gears then prevent the bike from being rolled forward. The disadvantage to this technique is if the bike is jostled a lot (i.e. in trailers during transport) the jostling will cause the gears to clash together and could most likely wear them out faster. Another disadvantage to leaving the motorcycle in gear, which is more of an embarrassment, is when the biker gets back on the bike and forgets that it was left in gear. When you start the bike without pulling in the clutch, the bike and attached rider go lurching forward. This can be very amusing for your friends, but very embarrassing for you. You are also risking falling over depending on where the bike was parked.
The brake strap that we are now offering will allow the rider an alternative to leaving the motorcycle in gear. You just wrap the Hawg-Tied strap around both the brake lever and the hand grip, gently apply the front break and attach the strap. Now the front brake is applied and the bike will not roll (or lurch) forward. When transporting the motorcycle in a trailer, if you use this product, there will also be less wear and tear on your transmission gears. It is far less expensive to replace a pair of front brake pads than to replace the gears in a motorcycle.
We have also developed an innovative program of fundraising for charitable organizations. Again in today's economy, when people are concerned about putting food on their own table, they are going to be less willing to help out and donate money to charities. Our fundraising model proposes a method of collecting a large amount of donations without an undue burden on any one person. The benefit of this program is that a charitable organization will be able to collect a significant amount of donations for an event that would only last approximately 4 hours.
If you are interested in more information regarding this fundraising program, or know of an organization that could use this fundraising program, please feel free to contact us at hawgwash1@yahoo.com. It is our goal to help charitable organizations continue to provide assistance to the community without undue hardships.
I will discuss the fundraising opportunities more in future blogs...
Until tomorrow...
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Ethics and Business Opportuntities
Tonight I am going to briefly discuss ethics in general and ethics when discussing business opportunities and income opportunities with others. (I say brief because there are classes taught in ethics, we are only brushing the surface here) Let us first consider what "Ethics" are.
If you look up "Ethics" in wikipedia, you will get the following definition, "Ethics (also known as moral philosophy) is a branch of philosophy which seeks to address questions about morality, such as what the fundamental semantic, ontological, and epistemic nature of ethics or morality is, how moral values should be determined, how a moral outcome can be achieved in specific situations, how moral capacity or moral agency develops and what its nature is, and what moral values people actually abide by."
Basically, in the business opportunity spectrum, ethics is treating people fairly and with respect. Ethics means that you are not going to tell untruths to people, that you are going to represent business opportunities fairly and equally, and you are going to be as honest as possible when asked questions about various income opportunities ("I don't know" is an honest and valid answer). There are many people out there that are going to give half-truths and make promises that they know, deep down, are never going to occur. Many sales people are going to use everything they can to sway the customer into believing what the sales person wants them to believe. They seek to manipulate values and behavior for their own gain.
This type of unethical behavior is what has given salespeople in general bad reputations, and multi-level marketing a major black eye. You see it on the Internet, get rich quick schemes, how to make $1,000 a week, etc. Everybody has their own spin on how to make money with their specific business opportunity. It is our responsibility to be honest with customers looking into second income streams and various business opportunities.
Ethically we need to let the people know the risks involved, that you may not make a lot of money, also that there is a tremendous amount of work involved in this type of income opportunity. Many who are looking at second income opportunities are not willing to put in the time and effort (especially if they are tired after working at their first job). It is our responsibility to work with each individual and find out what they really want and what they are willing to do to achieve that result. As much as I would love to say, "all you have to do is show the product and it sells itself", it is not ethically correct to do that. True, if someone sees a particular product work, they may be impressed enough to want to make a purchase. But first you have to get yourself in front of that person.
We have been so bombarded by people selling us stuff (from the Fuller Brush man and going forward) that we have become very cynical. This cynicism is probably generated by the unethical practices of some sales people. If sales people continue to make false promises of wealth, and falsely state that "with minimal work you too could earn thousands", when an ethical person comes along, nobody is going to believe them.
As you build your business, it is critical to treat people ethically. That treatment will pay dividends in all future dealings with the public. Once people realise that you are really stating the facts, you are not giving false promises, and that you are not "white-washing" the work involved, you will begin to be trusted. Once you are trusted, these customers will tell their friends of the ethical way you treated them. Then word spreads and business begins coming your way. But the minute you treat someone in an unethical fashion, they will tell EVERYBODY and even people they don't know. In a heartbeat, you will have developed a reputation for being unethical and continued business will not be in the stars for you.
We (Hawgwash, LLC) make it a policy to not promise more than can be achieved by a reasonable person. We do not approach anyone with a statement that with our business opportunity, they can earn thousands of dollars in the next few weeks. We allow people to see that we are in business, we let them know we have business opportunities available and opportunities to earn a second income, but after that, we expect interested people to and ask us further questions. I will not chase someone down and insist they must get into any particular opportunity. My personal feeling is that we are all adults, if someone is interested in what I have to offer, they will ask me, otherwise I leave them alone. Again, bringing back the advertising angle, I let people know I am in business, give very basic information and then, if the person is interested, I will provide more detailed information. I will not burden anyone with too much information initially and then badger them into getting involved in one thing or another. I put more emphasis in becoming a trusted, reliable source instead of how many people I can sign up in a particular business opportunity.
So in a nutshell, if you want to have customers come back for more of what you and your business have to offer, treat them ethically. Don't lie, don't candy-coat, don't make promises that either you or the opportunity cannot uphold. Treat people as you want to be treated. Your customers will thank you, your friends and family will thank you too and good quality business will come your way.
Until tomorrow...
If you look up "Ethics" in wikipedia, you will get the following definition, "Ethics (also known as moral philosophy) is a branch of philosophy which seeks to address questions about morality, such as what the fundamental semantic, ontological, and epistemic nature of ethics or morality is, how moral values should be determined, how a moral outcome can be achieved in specific situations, how moral capacity or moral agency develops and what its nature is, and what moral values people actually abide by."
Basically, in the business opportunity spectrum, ethics is treating people fairly and with respect. Ethics means that you are not going to tell untruths to people, that you are going to represent business opportunities fairly and equally, and you are going to be as honest as possible when asked questions about various income opportunities ("I don't know" is an honest and valid answer). There are many people out there that are going to give half-truths and make promises that they know, deep down, are never going to occur. Many sales people are going to use everything they can to sway the customer into believing what the sales person wants them to believe. They seek to manipulate values and behavior for their own gain.
This type of unethical behavior is what has given salespeople in general bad reputations, and multi-level marketing a major black eye. You see it on the Internet, get rich quick schemes, how to make $1,000 a week, etc. Everybody has their own spin on how to make money with their specific business opportunity. It is our responsibility to be honest with customers looking into second income streams and various business opportunities.
Ethically we need to let the people know the risks involved, that you may not make a lot of money, also that there is a tremendous amount of work involved in this type of income opportunity. Many who are looking at second income opportunities are not willing to put in the time and effort (especially if they are tired after working at their first job). It is our responsibility to work with each individual and find out what they really want and what they are willing to do to achieve that result. As much as I would love to say, "all you have to do is show the product and it sells itself", it is not ethically correct to do that. True, if someone sees a particular product work, they may be impressed enough to want to make a purchase. But first you have to get yourself in front of that person.
We have been so bombarded by people selling us stuff (from the Fuller Brush man and going forward) that we have become very cynical. This cynicism is probably generated by the unethical practices of some sales people. If sales people continue to make false promises of wealth, and falsely state that "with minimal work you too could earn thousands", when an ethical person comes along, nobody is going to believe them.
As you build your business, it is critical to treat people ethically. That treatment will pay dividends in all future dealings with the public. Once people realise that you are really stating the facts, you are not giving false promises, and that you are not "white-washing" the work involved, you will begin to be trusted. Once you are trusted, these customers will tell their friends of the ethical way you treated them. Then word spreads and business begins coming your way. But the minute you treat someone in an unethical fashion, they will tell EVERYBODY and even people they don't know. In a heartbeat, you will have developed a reputation for being unethical and continued business will not be in the stars for you.
We (Hawgwash, LLC) make it a policy to not promise more than can be achieved by a reasonable person. We do not approach anyone with a statement that with our business opportunity, they can earn thousands of dollars in the next few weeks. We allow people to see that we are in business, we let them know we have business opportunities available and opportunities to earn a second income, but after that, we expect interested people to and ask us further questions. I will not chase someone down and insist they must get into any particular opportunity. My personal feeling is that we are all adults, if someone is interested in what I have to offer, they will ask me, otherwise I leave them alone. Again, bringing back the advertising angle, I let people know I am in business, give very basic information and then, if the person is interested, I will provide more detailed information. I will not burden anyone with too much information initially and then badger them into getting involved in one thing or another. I put more emphasis in becoming a trusted, reliable source instead of how many people I can sign up in a particular business opportunity.
So in a nutshell, if you want to have customers come back for more of what you and your business have to offer, treat them ethically. Don't lie, don't candy-coat, don't make promises that either you or the opportunity cannot uphold. Treat people as you want to be treated. Your customers will thank you, your friends and family will thank you too and good quality business will come your way.
Until tomorrow...
Monday, October 19, 2009
Mobile Waterless Car Wash
Today was a beautiful day to have a mobile waterless car wash. We cleaned a 2000 Jaguar that I had originally thought was just black. We used UltraLuster Waterless Technology to clean this Jag.
After we moved it out from the garage and started some basic cleaning, I discovered that the Jag was actually more of a metal flake grey, not black. There was a lot of life in the paint on that car, the lighting in the garage did not do the car justice. This car has been lovingly maintained, so once we started cleaning the paint came to life.
As a general rule, this car had been cleaned without water for several years. The problem the owner recently encountered was finding another detailer who would clean the car without water. Due to our networking (as mentioned in an earlier article), they discovered that we were available to detail the car.
Before we were able to give an accurate quote on how much it would cost to detail this vehicle, it was necessary to see the car. (Note: do not necessarily believe the owner that the car is pristine, or do not rely on the fact that the car may be new, you don't really know what condition the car is in until you physically go and look) When we opened the hood of the Jag, we found evidence that it had gone through a spray wax process several times. It then begged the question if the fabric top was also spray waxed (which it was). This does add to the cost of a detail. It takes a lot of work to get spray wax out of fabric.
After we looked over the car, we gave an estimate, which the owner was more than satisfied with. We then proceeded to clean the vehicle using UltraLuster products. For a full detail, we clean the engine compartment, which is done first. We used UltraLuster Tire for cleaning the engine oil and spray wax in the engine compartment. We then worked on the fabric top to remove all of the spray wax and finished by cleaning all the rubber trim work around the car.
Before cleaning the exterior paint, we then used UltraLuster's LeatherLuster for cleaning and treating all of the leather interior. The fabric cleaner was used to remove sticky substances from the carpet on the floor. Once the interior was cleaned, we then cleaned the tires and rims of the Jag.
After all of the interior, trim, rims and tires of the car were completed, we then completed the detail by cleaning and polishing the exterior paint. This took some extra time because we had to work to remove the dead wax that was layered on the paint. As we cleaned the exterior paint, we also made sure to detail the door jams and the painted surfaces inside the trunk.
By the time we were completed, the Jag sparkled like a gem. The owner was thrilled, even more so when it was discovered that the top looked brand-new. They didn't know that the wax had been sprayed on the top, and thought the faded and cloudy white look was just the top wearing out.
This section is where networking comes in again; after payment was made for the detail of the Jag, we discussed the costs of putting the vehicle on a maintenance program to keep the interior and exterior protected. We let the owner know that if we got referrals, the price of the monthly maintenance would decrease. The owner was so thrilled, that they were more than willing to let their friends know about the mobile cleaning services we perform.
The best kind of advertising is word of mouth. If you are hiring someone for the first time, you want to be sure the person is reputable, so you ask around. If you come highly recommended and continue to produce excellent work, your business will grow faster through word of mouth advertising than any other form of advertising.
Until tomorrow...
After we moved it out from the garage and started some basic cleaning, I discovered that the Jag was actually more of a metal flake grey, not black. There was a lot of life in the paint on that car, the lighting in the garage did not do the car justice. This car has been lovingly maintained, so once we started cleaning the paint came to life.
As a general rule, this car had been cleaned without water for several years. The problem the owner recently encountered was finding another detailer who would clean the car without water. Due to our networking (as mentioned in an earlier article), they discovered that we were available to detail the car.
Before we were able to give an accurate quote on how much it would cost to detail this vehicle, it was necessary to see the car. (Note: do not necessarily believe the owner that the car is pristine, or do not rely on the fact that the car may be new, you don't really know what condition the car is in until you physically go and look) When we opened the hood of the Jag, we found evidence that it had gone through a spray wax process several times. It then begged the question if the fabric top was also spray waxed (which it was). This does add to the cost of a detail. It takes a lot of work to get spray wax out of fabric.
After we looked over the car, we gave an estimate, which the owner was more than satisfied with. We then proceeded to clean the vehicle using UltraLuster products. For a full detail, we clean the engine compartment, which is done first. We used UltraLuster Tire for cleaning the engine oil and spray wax in the engine compartment. We then worked on the fabric top to remove all of the spray wax and finished by cleaning all the rubber trim work around the car.
Before cleaning the exterior paint, we then used UltraLuster's LeatherLuster for cleaning and treating all of the leather interior. The fabric cleaner was used to remove sticky substances from the carpet on the floor. Once the interior was cleaned, we then cleaned the tires and rims of the Jag.
After all of the interior, trim, rims and tires of the car were completed, we then completed the detail by cleaning and polishing the exterior paint. This took some extra time because we had to work to remove the dead wax that was layered on the paint. As we cleaned the exterior paint, we also made sure to detail the door jams and the painted surfaces inside the trunk.
By the time we were completed, the Jag sparkled like a gem. The owner was thrilled, even more so when it was discovered that the top looked brand-new. They didn't know that the wax had been sprayed on the top, and thought the faded and cloudy white look was just the top wearing out.
This section is where networking comes in again; after payment was made for the detail of the Jag, we discussed the costs of putting the vehicle on a maintenance program to keep the interior and exterior protected. We let the owner know that if we got referrals, the price of the monthly maintenance would decrease. The owner was so thrilled, that they were more than willing to let their friends know about the mobile cleaning services we perform.
The best kind of advertising is word of mouth. If you are hiring someone for the first time, you want to be sure the person is reputable, so you ask around. If you come highly recommended and continue to produce excellent work, your business will grow faster through word of mouth advertising than any other form of advertising.
Until tomorrow...
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Weekly Weight Loss Update
Hi everyone. Since today is Sunday, it is the day I have to fess up and give you an update on my weight loss. The good news is that the weight is continuing to come off, just slowly so I guess that is a healthy weight loss. Sometimes I am envious of the people who can drop the pounds in a very short period of time. Again, I have to think...Healthy weight loss. By losing weight slowly, I stand a greater chance of not putting the pounds back on.
Believe it or not, you are all holding my feet to the fire, I know that I have to check in with you once a week...and boy, there are days (like today) where I would rather forget to check in. I don't want you thinking that the products I am using are not working. Actually, they are, but I have been cheating like mad this last week and am somewhat embarrassed to admit it.
As you may remember from last week, I was starting the Core4 Ignite program again this week. It was my goal to go through the Ignite program (it is only 9 days long) about once every other month. Well, I put off starting the Ignite program until Tuesday. I did very well Tuesday and Wednesday. Then...stuff happened.
We went out to eat, and these chicken wings just happened to find their way onto our table. I have chicken wings about once a year, and boy, do I LOVE chicken wings. These wings in particular are awesome. I just COULDN'T pass up on those wings even though I was on the Ignite plan. The good news is that by Thursday, I had managed to lose 2.5 pounds, even with my not following the Ignite program properly.
I did well for the next day and a half until Saturday, when we were working at the Gold Canyon Marketplace. It was over 100 degrees out there, and I kept drinking a lot of water. The problem was that I needed to stay away from "white" foods and this bag of Cracker Jacks magically appeared at the booth. I didn't want to eat anything heavy, but the only sort of non-white food was the Cracker Jacks. So, they found their way into my belly...
I then had made rice and chicken for dinner. Unfortunately some of that rice did manage to find it's way onto my plate, but I didn't eat much (justification...). Today, I ate some more rice but really fell off the wagon, Steve made macaroni & cheese, and I really like that too...so I had some.
The good news is that I am still down 2.5 pounds from when I started on the Ignite program Tuesday. I am quite sure that if I was better at following the Ignite plan, I would have taken off more weight by now. I am still thrilled with 2.5 pounds and even when I am not being very good at eating, I am continuing to slowly lose weight.
I guess you could say I have a very "sticky" body. It likes the extra pounds I acquired over the last 4 years and doesn't want to give it up. I will be starting on a very light exercise schedule (beginning at home tonight) since I am no longer walking the dogs several miles a day. When we were traveling, I had to walk the dogs, now, all I have to do is open the back door and let them run around the backyard.
We shall see how well I do by adding more exercise to my schedule. Hopefully by next week, I will have even better news about the weight I have continued to lose. Again, I am very thrilled that I have not added any weight since starting on the Core4 products, I just wanted to lose weight faster than I have been.
Once I get the combination right for my body, I will let you all know. Please e-mail (hawgwash1@yahoo.com) me if you want more information on the Ignite program or go to www.weightrenegade.com to find out about the Core4 products.
Until tomorrow...
Believe it or not, you are all holding my feet to the fire, I know that I have to check in with you once a week...and boy, there are days (like today) where I would rather forget to check in. I don't want you thinking that the products I am using are not working. Actually, they are, but I have been cheating like mad this last week and am somewhat embarrassed to admit it.
As you may remember from last week, I was starting the Core4 Ignite program again this week. It was my goal to go through the Ignite program (it is only 9 days long) about once every other month. Well, I put off starting the Ignite program until Tuesday. I did very well Tuesday and Wednesday. Then...stuff happened.
We went out to eat, and these chicken wings just happened to find their way onto our table. I have chicken wings about once a year, and boy, do I LOVE chicken wings. These wings in particular are awesome. I just COULDN'T pass up on those wings even though I was on the Ignite plan. The good news is that by Thursday, I had managed to lose 2.5 pounds, even with my not following the Ignite program properly.
I did well for the next day and a half until Saturday, when we were working at the Gold Canyon Marketplace. It was over 100 degrees out there, and I kept drinking a lot of water. The problem was that I needed to stay away from "white" foods and this bag of Cracker Jacks magically appeared at the booth. I didn't want to eat anything heavy, but the only sort of non-white food was the Cracker Jacks. So, they found their way into my belly...
I then had made rice and chicken for dinner. Unfortunately some of that rice did manage to find it's way onto my plate, but I didn't eat much (justification...). Today, I ate some more rice but really fell off the wagon, Steve made macaroni & cheese, and I really like that too...so I had some.
The good news is that I am still down 2.5 pounds from when I started on the Ignite program Tuesday. I am quite sure that if I was better at following the Ignite plan, I would have taken off more weight by now. I am still thrilled with 2.5 pounds and even when I am not being very good at eating, I am continuing to slowly lose weight.
I guess you could say I have a very "sticky" body. It likes the extra pounds I acquired over the last 4 years and doesn't want to give it up. I will be starting on a very light exercise schedule (beginning at home tonight) since I am no longer walking the dogs several miles a day. When we were traveling, I had to walk the dogs, now, all I have to do is open the back door and let them run around the backyard.
We shall see how well I do by adding more exercise to my schedule. Hopefully by next week, I will have even better news about the weight I have continued to lose. Again, I am very thrilled that I have not added any weight since starting on the Core4 products, I just wanted to lose weight faster than I have been.
Once I get the combination right for my body, I will let you all know. Please e-mail (hawgwash1@yahoo.com) me if you want more information on the Ignite program or go to www.weightrenegade.com to find out about the Core4 products.
Until tomorrow...
Friday, October 16, 2009
Networking and Advertising Your Home Based Business
Never underestimate the value of networking and advertising your home based business. No matter how you advertise, do not expect to achieve results immediately. Granted, it would be great if you could achieve immediate results, and sometimes you can, but do not expect immediate results. Advertising can take time, you have to find your target market and be able to choose the proper vehicle in order to advertise to your target market.
There are many forms of advertising, in the paper, sending out fliers, knocking on doors, Internet advertising and over the air waves (radio & TV). Many of these forms of advertising require an expenditure of money. Some require more money than others, and sometimes spending lots of money will not produce the results you are looking for. If you are just starting off in your new business, it is useful to get some form of advertising, but you do not need to spend thousands of dollars in advertising immediately. There are other ways to advertise without spending large amounts of money.
Networking is a form of advertising, but I believe it to be a softer form of advertising (and not very expensive). By networking, you are letting like-minded people know that you are in business and are open for business. In return, other people let you know that they too are in business. Sometimes you and the other businesses can join forces and assist each other to attract more customers. There are networking groups all over the country. These groups are sometimes through the local Chamber of Commerce, local business groups, or are lead by other small businesses in the area. Networking may not bring immediate money in the door, but on the flip side, you are not dedicating a large amount of capital to advertise. The advantage of networking is that people and businesses get to know not only your business, but you personally.
The personal touch in business (especially in these tough economic times) is very important. If someone is faced with a choice of going to two different businesses that offer the same product for similar prices, the deciding factor could very easily be if they know you personally or have heard of your business ethics. A good reputation for treating customers properly can go a very long way to attract new business. I truly believe that if you conduct yourself and your business ethically, that will pay large dividends over time. There will be occasions where someone may have gone to the less expensive competitor, but was not treated in an ethical manner. After a bad experience, people will be very willing to pay more in order to be treated ethically and fairly. Also, by behaving in a fair and ethical manner, you will end up getting more word-of- mouth references.
So the upshot is that you do need to advertise that you are in business. One potentially inexpensive way of advertising is by networking, either joining a networking group or creating your own networking group. Again, this method may not pay dividends immediately, but will definitely pay dividends as time goes on.
I will talk more about some other forms of advertising later posts. If you have questions about how to find a networking group in your area, please feel free to contact me and I will do everything I can to assist you (hawgwash1@yahoo.com). If you are interested in some home based business opportunities, please see www.hawgwash.net for assistance.
Until tomorrow...
There are many forms of advertising, in the paper, sending out fliers, knocking on doors, Internet advertising and over the air waves (radio & TV). Many of these forms of advertising require an expenditure of money. Some require more money than others, and sometimes spending lots of money will not produce the results you are looking for. If you are just starting off in your new business, it is useful to get some form of advertising, but you do not need to spend thousands of dollars in advertising immediately. There are other ways to advertise without spending large amounts of money.
Networking is a form of advertising, but I believe it to be a softer form of advertising (and not very expensive). By networking, you are letting like-minded people know that you are in business and are open for business. In return, other people let you know that they too are in business. Sometimes you and the other businesses can join forces and assist each other to attract more customers. There are networking groups all over the country. These groups are sometimes through the local Chamber of Commerce, local business groups, or are lead by other small businesses in the area. Networking may not bring immediate money in the door, but on the flip side, you are not dedicating a large amount of capital to advertise. The advantage of networking is that people and businesses get to know not only your business, but you personally.
The personal touch in business (especially in these tough economic times) is very important. If someone is faced with a choice of going to two different businesses that offer the same product for similar prices, the deciding factor could very easily be if they know you personally or have heard of your business ethics. A good reputation for treating customers properly can go a very long way to attract new business. I truly believe that if you conduct yourself and your business ethically, that will pay large dividends over time. There will be occasions where someone may have gone to the less expensive competitor, but was not treated in an ethical manner. After a bad experience, people will be very willing to pay more in order to be treated ethically and fairly. Also, by behaving in a fair and ethical manner, you will end up getting more word-of- mouth references.
So the upshot is that you do need to advertise that you are in business. One potentially inexpensive way of advertising is by networking, either joining a networking group or creating your own networking group. Again, this method may not pay dividends immediately, but will definitely pay dividends as time goes on.
I will talk more about some other forms of advertising later posts. If you have questions about how to find a networking group in your area, please feel free to contact me and I will do everything I can to assist you (hawgwash1@yahoo.com). If you are interested in some home based business opportunities, please see www.hawgwash.net for assistance.
Until tomorrow...
Thursday, October 15, 2009
History of Bike Night at Arizona Joe's
I wanted to briefly talk about our bike night at Arizona Joes in Apache Junction. We hold a bike night at Arizona Joe's (AJ's) every Thursday. We started the bike night three years ago in October and it has been going on ever since.
Our original plan when we approached AJ's three years ago was to have a bike night until May(ish). After May in Arizona, the heat gets almost unbearable and we figured most of the motorcyclists would not want to ride to a bike night that is held in an outside patio during the heat of the summer. Our other reason was that we usually start our traveling after May and could not be in attendance during that time.
What happened surprised us all. Once we got the bike night going, people didn't want to stop showing up. Even though we planned on leaving to attend motorcycle rallies around the country, the attendees of AJ's bike night and the owners of AJ's decided to continue the event through the summer. We were able to get a few of the attendees to help manage our table of products and hand out raffle tickets while we were gone. Believe it or not, the bike night went all year long that year and has continued since then.
This year our bike night is expanding. Originally there was us, Hawgwash, offering waterless cleaning products for sale, and some other people selling miscellaneous other items related to motorcycling. We held a raffle at the end of each evening and we had various people performing during the evening. Now we have several people showing up each Thursday offering items for sale, we periodically hold a 50/50 drawing where 50% of the proceeds go to the winner and the remaining 50% goes either to a local charity (Legion riders, VFW, Wounded Warrior, etc) or to help pay for the raffle prizes that we give away each week and we have an awesome band to keep everyone entertained.
I would like to point out that the 'band' is one person, Greywolf, but he and his computer are the best thing to happen to our Bike Night. Greywolf keeps the crowd entertained, plays the music that we all want to hear, has an awesome voice and plays a mean guitar. He does have a band that plays on Saturdays at AJ's, but he does all his solo work on our Thursday bike nights. If nothing else, it would be worth while to come to bike night just to hear Greywolf perform.
We hold a free raffle weekly, each person who comes to bike night receives one raffle ticket. The items for raffle are donated by Arizona Joe's. We also get prizes from some of the people who are offering items for sale (we donate every time we are in attendance), and some of the regular attendees of Bike Night make up gift packages to raffle off. The raffle gets to be a lot of fun since you never know what will be raffled off. Sometimes if a guy wins a girl's shirt or other item of clothing (leave that to your imagination), we make the guy try on the clothing item before they can return to their seat.
This winter we are going to start up our bike show again holding that once a month (we haven't figured out which week yet), we are looking into doing a "walking" poker run, so people can wander around AJ's without leaving the premises, maybe a treasure hunt, we may try a wet t-shirt contest (you would not believe how many guys want to be the ones to pour water on the front of the ladies...), we will be holding motorcycle care clinics, and are open to other ideas that people have to suggest.
Hopefully, if you are in the Apache Junction/Mesa area of Arizona, you can come on by some Thursday night to AJ's and partake of the fun....
Until tomorrow...
Our original plan when we approached AJ's three years ago was to have a bike night until May(ish). After May in Arizona, the heat gets almost unbearable and we figured most of the motorcyclists would not want to ride to a bike night that is held in an outside patio during the heat of the summer. Our other reason was that we usually start our traveling after May and could not be in attendance during that time.
What happened surprised us all. Once we got the bike night going, people didn't want to stop showing up. Even though we planned on leaving to attend motorcycle rallies around the country, the attendees of AJ's bike night and the owners of AJ's decided to continue the event through the summer. We were able to get a few of the attendees to help manage our table of products and hand out raffle tickets while we were gone. Believe it or not, the bike night went all year long that year and has continued since then.
This year our bike night is expanding. Originally there was us, Hawgwash, offering waterless cleaning products for sale, and some other people selling miscellaneous other items related to motorcycling. We held a raffle at the end of each evening and we had various people performing during the evening. Now we have several people showing up each Thursday offering items for sale, we periodically hold a 50/50 drawing where 50% of the proceeds go to the winner and the remaining 50% goes either to a local charity (Legion riders, VFW, Wounded Warrior, etc) or to help pay for the raffle prizes that we give away each week and we have an awesome band to keep everyone entertained.
I would like to point out that the 'band' is one person, Greywolf, but he and his computer are the best thing to happen to our Bike Night. Greywolf keeps the crowd entertained, plays the music that we all want to hear, has an awesome voice and plays a mean guitar. He does have a band that plays on Saturdays at AJ's, but he does all his solo work on our Thursday bike nights. If nothing else, it would be worth while to come to bike night just to hear Greywolf perform.
We hold a free raffle weekly, each person who comes to bike night receives one raffle ticket. The items for raffle are donated by Arizona Joe's. We also get prizes from some of the people who are offering items for sale (we donate every time we are in attendance), and some of the regular attendees of Bike Night make up gift packages to raffle off. The raffle gets to be a lot of fun since you never know what will be raffled off. Sometimes if a guy wins a girl's shirt or other item of clothing (leave that to your imagination), we make the guy try on the clothing item before they can return to their seat.
This winter we are going to start up our bike show again holding that once a month (we haven't figured out which week yet), we are looking into doing a "walking" poker run, so people can wander around AJ's without leaving the premises, maybe a treasure hunt, we may try a wet t-shirt contest (you would not believe how many guys want to be the ones to pour water on the front of the ladies...), we will be holding motorcycle care clinics, and are open to other ideas that people have to suggest.
Hopefully, if you are in the Apache Junction/Mesa area of Arizona, you can come on by some Thursday night to AJ's and partake of the fun....
Until tomorrow...
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Second Income Opportunity Summary
Well, this is going to be a relatively serious (but brief) discussion on Second Income Opportunities. As you may be aware, we offer several different business opportunities through Hawgwash, LLC. We like to view ourselves as "Second Income Specialists".
One income opportunity is CNI, which have the Core4 weight loss products that I usually talk about on Sundays (in conjunction with my personal struggle to lose weight). Not only can CNI help you to get back to your ideal weight without major changes to your eating habits, but you can earn some money while losing weight. The hardest thing to do is to tell others about what you are doing to lose weight, and invite them to look into the opportunity. There is no inventory you have to carry, and if you are involved with CNI, you already have a pre-designed website for people to review. The sign-ups are free and there is no fee to become a distributor. The only thing you pay for is the cost of the products. Not a bad deal, relatively easy to earn a second income without impacting your current job.
Another opportunity we offer is in UltraLuster, our Waterless cleaning company. Here again, you can use the products to clean your own vehicle (car, boat, motorcycle, RV, airplane, etc) and you can become a distributor and make money by just showing others how you use waterless cleaning products. Again, you do not need to carry inventory, but it is advisable because if someone is interested in cleaning their vehicle without water, they usually want to do it NOW. The good news is that you do not need to carry a large amount of inventory. The costs involved to become a distributor are minimal, there are several options. Please contact me with specific questions.
A third business opportunity is with Mona Vie. Mona Vie offers several nutritional juice drinks focused on helping to keep the human body healthy. Mona Vie just introduced Mona Vie Energy, an energy drink that rivals all the modern drinks, but contains 80% juice and no added caffeine. With Mona Vie it is recommended that you carry some inventory because you need to have people taste the juice. Once people taste how good Mona Vie is, they are more willing to continue to drink the juice and get involved with the company. Mona Vie has been expanding rapidly as people discover the benefits of the acai berry and how good the Mona Vie drinks taste.
Lastly, our fourth second income opportunity is Pre-Paid Legal. With Pre-Paid Legal (PPL), you can get personal legal coverage, coverage for families and small businesses. The best way I can describe this opportunity is comparing it to corporate health plans. For a low monthly fee, PPL offers legal benefits for some of your most common legal issues. PPL also offers with their plans the ability to write wills for you and your family. These wills can be updated annually at no extra charge. There is no inventory to carry here, you offer people legal coverage, and then they can earn money by offering legal coverage to others.
I will discuss each of these opportunities in more detail in the weeks to come. In the meantime, if you have specific questions, please feel free to contact me at hawgwash1@yahoo.com.
Until tomorrow...
One income opportunity is CNI, which have the Core4 weight loss products that I usually talk about on Sundays (in conjunction with my personal struggle to lose weight). Not only can CNI help you to get back to your ideal weight without major changes to your eating habits, but you can earn some money while losing weight. The hardest thing to do is to tell others about what you are doing to lose weight, and invite them to look into the opportunity. There is no inventory you have to carry, and if you are involved with CNI, you already have a pre-designed website for people to review. The sign-ups are free and there is no fee to become a distributor. The only thing you pay for is the cost of the products. Not a bad deal, relatively easy to earn a second income without impacting your current job.
Another opportunity we offer is in UltraLuster, our Waterless cleaning company. Here again, you can use the products to clean your own vehicle (car, boat, motorcycle, RV, airplane, etc) and you can become a distributor and make money by just showing others how you use waterless cleaning products. Again, you do not need to carry inventory, but it is advisable because if someone is interested in cleaning their vehicle without water, they usually want to do it NOW. The good news is that you do not need to carry a large amount of inventory. The costs involved to become a distributor are minimal, there are several options. Please contact me with specific questions.
A third business opportunity is with Mona Vie. Mona Vie offers several nutritional juice drinks focused on helping to keep the human body healthy. Mona Vie just introduced Mona Vie Energy, an energy drink that rivals all the modern drinks, but contains 80% juice and no added caffeine. With Mona Vie it is recommended that you carry some inventory because you need to have people taste the juice. Once people taste how good Mona Vie is, they are more willing to continue to drink the juice and get involved with the company. Mona Vie has been expanding rapidly as people discover the benefits of the acai berry and how good the Mona Vie drinks taste.
Lastly, our fourth second income opportunity is Pre-Paid Legal. With Pre-Paid Legal (PPL), you can get personal legal coverage, coverage for families and small businesses. The best way I can describe this opportunity is comparing it to corporate health plans. For a low monthly fee, PPL offers legal benefits for some of your most common legal issues. PPL also offers with their plans the ability to write wills for you and your family. These wills can be updated annually at no extra charge. There is no inventory to carry here, you offer people legal coverage, and then they can earn money by offering legal coverage to others.
I will discuss each of these opportunities in more detail in the weeks to come. In the meantime, if you have specific questions, please feel free to contact me at hawgwash1@yahoo.com.
Until tomorrow...
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
My Weight Loss Upate
Well, I know that it is Tuesday, but I didn't post anything on Sunday, let alone discuss my progress with the Core4 products. In a nutshell, I have been very bad in the last week about taking any of the Core4 products to help me with my weight loss.
I have not been taking the products regularly for no particular reason other than I had a rotten cold and didn't want to bother with ANYTHING unless it was the bare necessities. That means if I ate anything at all (which was junk food...again...) I did not remember to put Cheat on it, nor did I remember to take any Accelerate in the mornings or any Flush at night. I didn't even look at the Lean for any smoothies. I did remember to have my coffee (it cleared my sinuses...) but then did nothing concerning my weight. Subsequently, I now feel bloated, tired and a bit cranky. Luckily, my middle did not expand like I would have expected it to.
The really good news is that I didn't gain more than a pound, and that was most likely water weight. I am feeling better this week, not 100%, but better than last week. I don't look like Rudolph the Red-Nosed reindeer either, but I am still blowing my nose a lot. My appetite has been good all week, I just wouldn't bother to pay attention to eating anything particularly good for me, so I consumed a LOT of pizza (it was easy and makes great leftovers).
So, because I completely stopped taking the Core4 products last week and I am not feeling as energetic as I should be, I am starting the Core4 Ignite program today. I know that I have talked about how using Core4 you don't have to change your diet, but I have a particularly "sticky" body that does not like to lose any weight. The Ignite program is something that utilizes the products you already have, it just has you modify your eating to a certain program for 9 days.
Because I allowed my metabolism to basically stop again, I am going to use this short-term Ignite program to get my body up and running again. What I really like about the Ignite program is that it is only 9 days long and I feel so much better even half the way through the program. I feel cleansed and energetic, even though you are not eating as much as normal. I really like the fact that my weight loss starts within a few days on the Ignite program and then, after the 9 days, I can start eating "normally" (my version of normal) again and continuing to use the Core4 products.
I will be better at using the Core4 products after this 9 day program, I should continue to lose a pound or more a week going forward. I still am focused on getting back to my ideal weight before this Christmas season and with the products, and eating properly, there is no reason why I can't get back to my ideal weight by then.
Weight loss does not have to be difficult and you do not need to starve yourself in order to lose weight. This 9-day program is short enough for anyone to do without having to feel like you are a martyr, and long enough to help kick-start your metabolism and help your body to start learning to shed those extra pounds. Then we can all look great before the holidays and still enjoy all that wonderful holiday food...
If you are interested in finding out more about this new break-through weight loss program, please e-mail me at shootershakes@aol.com with any questions, or check out the website, www.irepcni.com/shooter. I will gladly answer any questions you have, so please feel free to ask.
Since I am not on the road for any length of time for the next few months, I will be able to keep all of you posted on my ongoing weight loss progress on Sundays, so stay tuned...
I have not been taking the products regularly for no particular reason other than I had a rotten cold and didn't want to bother with ANYTHING unless it was the bare necessities. That means if I ate anything at all (which was junk food...again...) I did not remember to put Cheat on it, nor did I remember to take any Accelerate in the mornings or any Flush at night. I didn't even look at the Lean for any smoothies. I did remember to have my coffee (it cleared my sinuses...) but then did nothing concerning my weight. Subsequently, I now feel bloated, tired and a bit cranky. Luckily, my middle did not expand like I would have expected it to.
The really good news is that I didn't gain more than a pound, and that was most likely water weight. I am feeling better this week, not 100%, but better than last week. I don't look like Rudolph the Red-Nosed reindeer either, but I am still blowing my nose a lot. My appetite has been good all week, I just wouldn't bother to pay attention to eating anything particularly good for me, so I consumed a LOT of pizza (it was easy and makes great leftovers).
So, because I completely stopped taking the Core4 products last week and I am not feeling as energetic as I should be, I am starting the Core4 Ignite program today. I know that I have talked about how using Core4 you don't have to change your diet, but I have a particularly "sticky" body that does not like to lose any weight. The Ignite program is something that utilizes the products you already have, it just has you modify your eating to a certain program for 9 days.
Because I allowed my metabolism to basically stop again, I am going to use this short-term Ignite program to get my body up and running again. What I really like about the Ignite program is that it is only 9 days long and I feel so much better even half the way through the program. I feel cleansed and energetic, even though you are not eating as much as normal. I really like the fact that my weight loss starts within a few days on the Ignite program and then, after the 9 days, I can start eating "normally" (my version of normal) again and continuing to use the Core4 products.
I will be better at using the Core4 products after this 9 day program, I should continue to lose a pound or more a week going forward. I still am focused on getting back to my ideal weight before this Christmas season and with the products, and eating properly, there is no reason why I can't get back to my ideal weight by then.
Weight loss does not have to be difficult and you do not need to starve yourself in order to lose weight. This 9-day program is short enough for anyone to do without having to feel like you are a martyr, and long enough to help kick-start your metabolism and help your body to start learning to shed those extra pounds. Then we can all look great before the holidays and still enjoy all that wonderful holiday food...
If you are interested in finding out more about this new break-through weight loss program, please e-mail me at shootershakes@aol.com with any questions, or check out the website, www.irepcni.com/shooter. I will gladly answer any questions you have, so please feel free to ask.
Since I am not on the road for any length of time for the next few months, I will be able to keep all of you posted on my ongoing weight loss progress on Sundays, so stay tuned...
Friday, October 9, 2009
Tucson Hogtoberfest
Good day all. We spent most of the day today preparing for the upcoming Tucson Hogtoberfest XXI that starts tomorrow afternoon. Granted this is not a week long event, but we do want to be as prepared as possible for all shows.
The weather should be great, mid-to upper 80's, sunny with some high clouds. If you are near Tucson, please come on by, we will be located at the Tucson Harley Davidson, just northwest of I-10 and Ina Road. (www.hogtoberfestaz.net) The kick off party starts at 5 pm tomorrow night.
Yeah, I know that sounds like an unabashed plug for Hogtoberfest, but hey, what the heck. It should be a lot of fun...we will be there... The really cool part about this event is that it is free to attend. If you want to participate in the poker run, then you have to pay a small fee.
The people from Tucson Harley are also really great. They have always been kind and welcoming to vendors and participants alike. They are always striving to improve this annual event. They have to be doing something right for this to be the 21st year...
Anyway, it has been busy for us today, we need to hit the road early tomorrow, so I am keeping this blog short. With luck, I will be able to post from Hogtoberfest tomorrow night. If you don't hear from me, then you can probably safely assume that we are having so much fun, I won't have time to update until after the event ends on Sunday (don't forget about the free pancake breakfast at 6 am Sunday..). The event wraps up around 5pm on Sunday.
Hopefully we will see some of you this weekend. If not, be safe whatever you do. I will keep you posted on the fun tomorrow... Until then...
The weather should be great, mid-to upper 80's, sunny with some high clouds. If you are near Tucson, please come on by, we will be located at the Tucson Harley Davidson, just northwest of I-10 and Ina Road. (www.hogtoberfestaz.net) The kick off party starts at 5 pm tomorrow night.
Yeah, I know that sounds like an unabashed plug for Hogtoberfest, but hey, what the heck. It should be a lot of fun...we will be there... The really cool part about this event is that it is free to attend. If you want to participate in the poker run, then you have to pay a small fee.
The people from Tucson Harley are also really great. They have always been kind and welcoming to vendors and participants alike. They are always striving to improve this annual event. They have to be doing something right for this to be the 21st year...
Anyway, it has been busy for us today, we need to hit the road early tomorrow, so I am keeping this blog short. With luck, I will be able to post from Hogtoberfest tomorrow night. If you don't hear from me, then you can probably safely assume that we are having so much fun, I won't have time to update until after the event ends on Sunday (don't forget about the free pancake breakfast at 6 am Sunday..). The event wraps up around 5pm on Sunday.
Hopefully we will see some of you this weekend. If not, be safe whatever you do. I will keep you posted on the fun tomorrow... Until then...
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Adventures with Super Glue
Good day all. Today is not a day to be serious. How can I be serious when I receive an urgent request if I had any nail polish remover?
For those of you that know me, the last time I had nail polish on my finger nails was at least 10 years ago. I do keep a bottle of polish remover around here somewhere, but haven't had to use it in YEARS. The polish remover was purchased years ago because I had played a joke on a friend who kept falling asleep when we were all sitting around talking. So, one day, I got out an old bottle of nail polish and painted all his nails. At the time I forgot that I didn't have remover. Boy, was he pissed when he woke up and found both his fingers and toes painted...he was even madder when I didn't have the supplies to remove the paint.
So, fast forward to now. I am happily catching up on e-mails, and get this frantic yell down the hall...did I have any nail polish remover? Immediately I get up to see what is going on...
Apparently Steve had been trying to glue together a broken license plate light cover and ended up getting super glue all over both of his hands. He subsequently glued all of his fingers together, so both hands looked like cups, with the fingers all glued together. Unfortunately for him I started laughing. Then he started laughing. As he was laughing, he was trying to separate his fingers (to no avail) and then told me he had to go to the bathroom. He couldn't even unzip, let alone take care of business. That got me laughing even harder which made him laugh harder.
He then started begging me for the nail polish remover so he could separate his fingers. He said that the glue was getting harder and he couldn't even bend his fingers together anymore. That didn't help matters for me because I was laughing so hard I was crying. I can't see squat when I am laughing that hard, and I still had absolutely no idea where the nail polish remover was.
Here I am, laughing so hard I am crying, trying to look in cabinets, under sinks, in boxes for that elusive nail polish remover, all the while Steve is complaining that he has to go to the bathroom and was getting desperate. That didn't help me, I ended up laughing all the harder...poor Steve... I ended up dumping boxes upside down, trying to locate the nail polish remover.
I never did find the acetone (nail polish remover). What I ended up doing was spraying Simple Green (since it was in the bathroom already) all over his hands and then running water over the whole mess. Steve then started trying to pry his fingers apart while I kept spraying Simple Green and water on his hands. Eventually, the glue gave way and he could separate his fingers. It took time, and you can see the spots where the glue pulled a layer of skin off (not much, just really pulled dirt and a little bit of callous off). Steve is spending the rest of the day picking the glue off of his fingers.
Note to self, always keep a bottle of acetone in the medicine cabinet. You never know when you might need it and even though it is not medicine, it belongs where it can be found quickly.
Hopefully this brightened your day. Until next time...
For those of you that know me, the last time I had nail polish on my finger nails was at least 10 years ago. I do keep a bottle of polish remover around here somewhere, but haven't had to use it in YEARS. The polish remover was purchased years ago because I had played a joke on a friend who kept falling asleep when we were all sitting around talking. So, one day, I got out an old bottle of nail polish and painted all his nails. At the time I forgot that I didn't have remover. Boy, was he pissed when he woke up and found both his fingers and toes painted...he was even madder when I didn't have the supplies to remove the paint.
So, fast forward to now. I am happily catching up on e-mails, and get this frantic yell down the hall...did I have any nail polish remover? Immediately I get up to see what is going on...
Apparently Steve had been trying to glue together a broken license plate light cover and ended up getting super glue all over both of his hands. He subsequently glued all of his fingers together, so both hands looked like cups, with the fingers all glued together. Unfortunately for him I started laughing. Then he started laughing. As he was laughing, he was trying to separate his fingers (to no avail) and then told me he had to go to the bathroom. He couldn't even unzip, let alone take care of business. That got me laughing even harder which made him laugh harder.
He then started begging me for the nail polish remover so he could separate his fingers. He said that the glue was getting harder and he couldn't even bend his fingers together anymore. That didn't help matters for me because I was laughing so hard I was crying. I can't see squat when I am laughing that hard, and I still had absolutely no idea where the nail polish remover was.
Here I am, laughing so hard I am crying, trying to look in cabinets, under sinks, in boxes for that elusive nail polish remover, all the while Steve is complaining that he has to go to the bathroom and was getting desperate. That didn't help me, I ended up laughing all the harder...poor Steve... I ended up dumping boxes upside down, trying to locate the nail polish remover.
I never did find the acetone (nail polish remover). What I ended up doing was spraying Simple Green (since it was in the bathroom already) all over his hands and then running water over the whole mess. Steve then started trying to pry his fingers apart while I kept spraying Simple Green and water on his hands. Eventually, the glue gave way and he could separate his fingers. It took time, and you can see the spots where the glue pulled a layer of skin off (not much, just really pulled dirt and a little bit of callous off). Steve is spending the rest of the day picking the glue off of his fingers.
Note to self, always keep a bottle of acetone in the medicine cabinet. You never know when you might need it and even though it is not medicine, it belongs where it can be found quickly.
Hopefully this brightened your day. Until next time...
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
The cost of bottled water and the water crisis
I have not been writing for the last two days because I have had a horrible cold. When I get a cold, I make an effort to drink large quantities of water to flush out the sickness and impurities in my body. I have a reverse osmosis system installed in my home, so all I have to do when I want water is go to the kitchen sink, place my cup under the special faucet and put water essentially from the tap into my cup. I do not like drinking bottled water, I think it tastes funny.
I realized that over the last weekend, I did not drink too much water (again) because once we finished what we brought from the motor home, we had to purchase bottles of water from a local vendor or the store. Walking over to a local vendor, we could purchase a 7 oz bottle of water for $3.00 per bottle. And here we were complaining about the cost of gas... We complain if we spend $3.00 for a gallon of gas to make our vehicles run. Here is someone charging $3.00 for 7 oz of water that is probably not any purer than that from the water tap. That cost made me curious.
I went online to find out what I could about costs of bottled water. On average (an not purchasing the top of the line water [is there such a thing?]) a 16 oz bottle of water could cost around $1.50 (when not at a motorcycle rally...). If a person drinks one 16 oz bottle of water every day for a year, they will have spent $547.50 in a year. If they just filled up a 16 oz thermos or container of water from the tap, it would have cost them approximately $0.02 per 16 oz, they would have spent approximately $7.30 for the same amount of water over the period of a year.
For starters, the price of bottled water is driven by access, if you are at a rally, you don't find many water fountains. Also, sometimes the tap water tastes funny due to chemicals added or to the hardness or softness of the water in the area. The United States has strict guidelines on how clean the drinking water is, and as a general rule, you will not get sick drinking water from the tap in the U.S. But, as our water tables continue to lower, even our tap water is going to get expensive due to scarcity and pollution.
If you believe that you are saving water by purchasing bottled water, think again. Going back to the example of drinking 16 oz of tap water for 365 days, you would have consumed 57 gallons of water. If you drank that same amount of bottled water, you would have also caused about 114 gallons of extra water to be used for production and purification of the bottled water. I am not even going to discuss what happens to all the thin plastic bottles that are left after you drink the water... This is not a way to save water or even save the environment.
Granted there are places in the world who have such a polluted water source that they have to use bottled water. Our goal is to become aware of the global water crisis and begin taking steps to preserve our drinking water before we have to rely on bottled water.
One way to reduce wasted drinking water is to not wash your car or other vehicle with water, but to utilize some of the waterless cleaning products on the market. The advantage of using a waterless wash on your vehicle is two-fold: first, you do not waste drinking water by pouring water all over your car to first get it wet and then rinse off the soap; secondly, you do not mix additional chemicals (soaps, cleansers, etc.) with the water run-off and then possibly pollute the local water table.
A waterless cleaning product that I think very highly of is UltraLuster Waterless Wash. When you use it, you are not using any more than would go on the car, there is no run-off onto the ground. You can stop when you want in the cleaning process, you are not obligated to complete the whole car before calling it quits. And lastly, in less time than it would take you to rinse, soap, rinse, dry and then wax your car, you have cleaned, polished and protected your paint.
With the current economic times, you want your car to look good for longer, it is critical that you take care of the paint on your car. UltraLuster Waterless Wash does an excellent job in maintaining your paint and not wasting water in the process. You car paint will look great much longer than if you used traditional soap, water and wax and you will have also helped to save water.
If you have questions about our Waterless Wash products, please feel free to contact me at hawgwash1@yahoo.com. Until next time...
I realized that over the last weekend, I did not drink too much water (again) because once we finished what we brought from the motor home, we had to purchase bottles of water from a local vendor or the store. Walking over to a local vendor, we could purchase a 7 oz bottle of water for $3.00 per bottle. And here we were complaining about the cost of gas... We complain if we spend $3.00 for a gallon of gas to make our vehicles run. Here is someone charging $3.00 for 7 oz of water that is probably not any purer than that from the water tap. That cost made me curious.
I went online to find out what I could about costs of bottled water. On average (an not purchasing the top of the line water [is there such a thing?]) a 16 oz bottle of water could cost around $1.50 (when not at a motorcycle rally...). If a person drinks one 16 oz bottle of water every day for a year, they will have spent $547.50 in a year. If they just filled up a 16 oz thermos or container of water from the tap, it would have cost them approximately $0.02 per 16 oz, they would have spent approximately $7.30 for the same amount of water over the period of a year.
For starters, the price of bottled water is driven by access, if you are at a rally, you don't find many water fountains. Also, sometimes the tap water tastes funny due to chemicals added or to the hardness or softness of the water in the area. The United States has strict guidelines on how clean the drinking water is, and as a general rule, you will not get sick drinking water from the tap in the U.S. But, as our water tables continue to lower, even our tap water is going to get expensive due to scarcity and pollution.
If you believe that you are saving water by purchasing bottled water, think again. Going back to the example of drinking 16 oz of tap water for 365 days, you would have consumed 57 gallons of water. If you drank that same amount of bottled water, you would have also caused about 114 gallons of extra water to be used for production and purification of the bottled water. I am not even going to discuss what happens to all the thin plastic bottles that are left after you drink the water... This is not a way to save water or even save the environment.
Granted there are places in the world who have such a polluted water source that they have to use bottled water. Our goal is to become aware of the global water crisis and begin taking steps to preserve our drinking water before we have to rely on bottled water.
One way to reduce wasted drinking water is to not wash your car or other vehicle with water, but to utilize some of the waterless cleaning products on the market. The advantage of using a waterless wash on your vehicle is two-fold: first, you do not waste drinking water by pouring water all over your car to first get it wet and then rinse off the soap; secondly, you do not mix additional chemicals (soaps, cleansers, etc.) with the water run-off and then possibly pollute the local water table.
A waterless cleaning product that I think very highly of is UltraLuster Waterless Wash. When you use it, you are not using any more than would go on the car, there is no run-off onto the ground. You can stop when you want in the cleaning process, you are not obligated to complete the whole car before calling it quits. And lastly, in less time than it would take you to rinse, soap, rinse, dry and then wax your car, you have cleaned, polished and protected your paint.
With the current economic times, you want your car to look good for longer, it is critical that you take care of the paint on your car. UltraLuster Waterless Wash does an excellent job in maintaining your paint and not wasting water in the process. You car paint will look great much longer than if you used traditional soap, water and wax and you will have also helped to save water.
If you have questions about our Waterless Wash products, please feel free to contact me at hawgwash1@yahoo.com. Until next time...
Sunday, October 4, 2009
My ongoing Weight Loss Project
Well, as promised, even though I don't want to discuss it, today is the day that I talk about my progress on weight loss. To be honest with you, I really don't know if I have lost any more weight in the last week, I have not had the energy or fortitude to get on the scale.
Each morning I have been getting up early and starting to get everything ready for the show. By the time I realize I needed to weigh myself, I was already dressed and out the door. I don't know if part of that is psychological, but since I keep forgetting to put the scale out (in a motor home you have very limited space, so you tend to put stuff away if you are not using it NOW), I don't remember to step on it until I am showered, dressed and out the door. We have been so busy with the booth that I have forgotten several days to take my Accelerate in the morning, and I have been really bad about remembering to take the Flush at night.
By the time I get home from the booth, I have just enough energy to eat at the buffet, then catch up on e-mails and then it is off to bed. I should just take the Flush when I sit down to work on the computer (since I can only spend about an hour before I can't keep my eyes open anymore), but because I am tired, I don't remember the Flush until I am warm, in bed and my body starts relaxing. The good news is that since I have been eating at the buffet, I have greatly increased my fresh fruit and salad intake, so my fiber intake has gone way up. That is probably off-setting my not taking Flush daily for now... I have taken it tonight (because I am thinking about it) and now that the show is over, I should be better able to remember to take both the Accelerate and Flush regularly.
Part of my current issue is that I have been eating full breakfasts in the morning, snacking on junk food during the day (no time for a real lunch at the booth) and eating dinner at the buffet each night. I have been using Cheat on my food for both breakfast and dinner, but not using it when eating the junk food at the booth. I have sprinkled the Cheat on the donuts, but I haven't figured out how to put it on Cheetos...
I can tell you that I am still able to close my belt on the last notch, but the belt does not feel like it is getting any loser...yet. Once I get home again, I will be much better about weighing myself. I have a digital scale in the bathroom and I have always stepped on that scale before getting into the shower. I don't have that luxury here in the motor home.
Also, I believe that because of the Cheat on my food at night, I find I do not make as many trips to the buffet line as I used to. I don't have the cravings for sweets like I used to also. I find I am taking smaller initial servings of food and then am not really inspired to go back for seconds. I have been hitting the salad bar a lot (more by choice than necessity) and have been eating the salad last, in place of desert. So the upshot is that I have not had to let my belt go out a notch, but I probably have not lost any weight yet either. At least I have been maintaining my current weight, which is better than I could have expected.
If you want more information about what I am using (since you are learning what it does for me personally), please check out www.weightrenegade.com. Please e-mail me with any questions at shootershakes@aol.com. For the month of October, the company, CNI, is offering an extra bottle of Cheat with the $149.00 30-day pack of products. If you are considering purchasing the 30-day pack, this is a GREAT time to purchase. It is nice to have more than one bottle of Cheat around, that way you can leave one at home and carry the other around for when you eat out.
That is all for now, until next time...
Each morning I have been getting up early and starting to get everything ready for the show. By the time I realize I needed to weigh myself, I was already dressed and out the door. I don't know if part of that is psychological, but since I keep forgetting to put the scale out (in a motor home you have very limited space, so you tend to put stuff away if you are not using it NOW), I don't remember to step on it until I am showered, dressed and out the door. We have been so busy with the booth that I have forgotten several days to take my Accelerate in the morning, and I have been really bad about remembering to take the Flush at night.
By the time I get home from the booth, I have just enough energy to eat at the buffet, then catch up on e-mails and then it is off to bed. I should just take the Flush when I sit down to work on the computer (since I can only spend about an hour before I can't keep my eyes open anymore), but because I am tired, I don't remember the Flush until I am warm, in bed and my body starts relaxing. The good news is that since I have been eating at the buffet, I have greatly increased my fresh fruit and salad intake, so my fiber intake has gone way up. That is probably off-setting my not taking Flush daily for now... I have taken it tonight (because I am thinking about it) and now that the show is over, I should be better able to remember to take both the Accelerate and Flush regularly.
Part of my current issue is that I have been eating full breakfasts in the morning, snacking on junk food during the day (no time for a real lunch at the booth) and eating dinner at the buffet each night. I have been using Cheat on my food for both breakfast and dinner, but not using it when eating the junk food at the booth. I have sprinkled the Cheat on the donuts, but I haven't figured out how to put it on Cheetos...
I can tell you that I am still able to close my belt on the last notch, but the belt does not feel like it is getting any loser...yet. Once I get home again, I will be much better about weighing myself. I have a digital scale in the bathroom and I have always stepped on that scale before getting into the shower. I don't have that luxury here in the motor home.
Also, I believe that because of the Cheat on my food at night, I find I do not make as many trips to the buffet line as I used to. I don't have the cravings for sweets like I used to also. I find I am taking smaller initial servings of food and then am not really inspired to go back for seconds. I have been hitting the salad bar a lot (more by choice than necessity) and have been eating the salad last, in place of desert. So the upshot is that I have not had to let my belt go out a notch, but I probably have not lost any weight yet either. At least I have been maintaining my current weight, which is better than I could have expected.
If you want more information about what I am using (since you are learning what it does for me personally), please check out www.weightrenegade.com. Please e-mail me with any questions at shootershakes@aol.com. For the month of October, the company, CNI, is offering an extra bottle of Cheat with the $149.00 30-day pack of products. If you are considering purchasing the 30-day pack, this is a GREAT time to purchase. It is nice to have more than one bottle of Cheat around, that way you can leave one at home and carry the other around for when you eat out.
That is all for now, until next time...
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Update on Las Vegas Bikefest
As you all probably know, we have been working at Las Vegas Bikefest. This has been a fun event for us throughout the years and it was again fun this year. Tonight is our last night for LV Bikefest and I am already looking forward to next year's event.
This year we were located at the Las Vegas Harley Davidson on Eastern Ave. We had not been there for a year and didn't remember the other events that LV HD had going there. I got to see my first wet t-shirt contest. Of course Steve wanted me to take pictures "for the Marines on the Marine website"...yeah right, who are we fooling, but Steve did not want to get close up to the stage.
That left me (all 5'4") trying to wind my way up close enough to the stage to take pictures. Normally that would not be too difficult, but I felt like I was the only girl in the crowd. I didn't realize how many guys were a LOT taller than me. That became painfully obvious when I kept trying to take pictures of the girls on stage only to have some guy move his head. All I got was a great shot of the back of some guy's head or his camera. If you think about it, my shots were pretty funny, there were more pictures of the backs of guys heads, arms, camera phones, cameras, than there were shots of the girls in wet t-shirts.
I am not going to post those pictures on this website (this is a "G" rated site - my rules...), I will leave the pictures up to your imagination. I will post a picture of a really neat person we met, his name is "RayRay" and he does custom license plates and frames. What really fascinated me about "RayRay" was that his leathers matched his bike almost exactly. I liked the fact that even though he had a LOT of blue on the bike, it was tastefully done, and not overdone. Even his leathers looked very classy. It is not often you see blue chaps and vest, but "RayRay" pulled it off with panache.
The weather here was awesome, if you don't mind winds. We had very strong winds on opening day, Thursday and they again picked up on Saturday afternoon. The good news is that the 90+ degree weather ended on Thursday and even though we had lots of sun, the temperatures didn't get much past mid-80's the whole event. It was absolutely perfect riding weather and great rally weather.
One of the best things about coming to Las Vegas Bikefest is seeing all of our friends from the Las Vegas area. Even though we worked at the booth, our friends were able to take some time and come to visit. It was almost like going to old home week, we had so many friends stopping by.
Bikefest ends tomorrow, Sunday, so if you are near, come on by, otherwise hopefully some of you will be able to take some time next year to attend Las Vegas Bikefest. It is a fun time, you get to see Las Vegas at it's best and there is some awesome riding in the Las Vegas area. We look forward to seeing some of you next year.
Until tomorrow....
This year we were located at the Las Vegas Harley Davidson on Eastern Ave. We had not been there for a year and didn't remember the other events that LV HD had going there. I got to see my first wet t-shirt contest. Of course Steve wanted me to take pictures "for the Marines on the Marine website"...yeah right, who are we fooling, but Steve did not want to get close up to the stage.
That left me (all 5'4") trying to wind my way up close enough to the stage to take pictures. Normally that would not be too difficult, but I felt like I was the only girl in the crowd. I didn't realize how many guys were a LOT taller than me. That became painfully obvious when I kept trying to take pictures of the girls on stage only to have some guy move his head. All I got was a great shot of the back of some guy's head or his camera. If you think about it, my shots were pretty funny, there were more pictures of the backs of guys heads, arms, camera phones, cameras, than there were shots of the girls in wet t-shirts.
I am not going to post those pictures on this website (this is a "G" rated site - my rules...), I will leave the pictures up to your imagination. I will post a picture of a really neat person we met, his name is "RayRay" and he does custom license plates and frames. What really fascinated me about "RayRay" was that his leathers matched his bike almost exactly. I liked the fact that even though he had a LOT of blue on the bike, it was tastefully done, and not overdone. Even his leathers looked very classy. It is not often you see blue chaps and vest, but "RayRay" pulled it off with panache.
The weather here was awesome, if you don't mind winds. We had very strong winds on opening day, Thursday and they again picked up on Saturday afternoon. The good news is that the 90+ degree weather ended on Thursday and even though we had lots of sun, the temperatures didn't get much past mid-80's the whole event. It was absolutely perfect riding weather and great rally weather.
One of the best things about coming to Las Vegas Bikefest is seeing all of our friends from the Las Vegas area. Even though we worked at the booth, our friends were able to take some time and come to visit. It was almost like going to old home week, we had so many friends stopping by.
Bikefest ends tomorrow, Sunday, so if you are near, come on by, otherwise hopefully some of you will be able to take some time next year to attend Las Vegas Bikefest. It is a fun time, you get to see Las Vegas at it's best and there is some awesome riding in the Las Vegas area. We look forward to seeing some of you next year.
Until tomorrow....
Friday, October 2, 2009
How to decide what opportunities to take
In yesterday's discussion I talked about risk taking and being true to your values. Today I would like to briefly talk about how to measure what opportunities (business opportunities or other types of opportunities) may be best for your to take. Again, I am not going to recommend one opportunity over another, but would like to basically toss ideas out for you to measure against your own personal measuring stick. What may feel right for me may be absolutely wrong for you, but at least I can hopefully get some thoughts going for you.
If you are interested in getting into a business opportunity, or want to earn a second income, be sure it is in an area that you are personally passionate about. You may already be working in a position that earns an income, but you may not be that crazy about what you are doing. In second income opportunities, you want to enjoy what you do and look forward to working the business.
Before you start any new project, it is a good idea to talk to people you trust. They may not have the opinion you want to hear, they may even think you are crazy to start something new, but listen to them anyway. You do not have to take their advice, but it is important that you gather as much information as possible from all angles. Keep in mind that some of your trusted people may not like what you are proposing because it scares them, not because you may fail. Be prepared to hear negative comments about your ideas, but again, remember what is important to you, do not let anyone sway you away from an idea just because they don't like it. I like to remember the phrase from William Shakespeare, "To thine own self be true". Even if you fail at a project that your friends thought was crazy, at least you gave it a whirl. You will always find that you learned something from the project, either what not to do in the future, or what was a great idea...
I read a really good article by Joyce Shafer about being "true to you". In this article she brings up some really great questions that you should ask yourself before starting on a new endeavor, such as:
If you are interested in getting into a business opportunity, or want to earn a second income, be sure it is in an area that you are personally passionate about. You may already be working in a position that earns an income, but you may not be that crazy about what you are doing. In second income opportunities, you want to enjoy what you do and look forward to working the business.
Before you start any new project, it is a good idea to talk to people you trust. They may not have the opinion you want to hear, they may even think you are crazy to start something new, but listen to them anyway. You do not have to take their advice, but it is important that you gather as much information as possible from all angles. Keep in mind that some of your trusted people may not like what you are proposing because it scares them, not because you may fail. Be prepared to hear negative comments about your ideas, but again, remember what is important to you, do not let anyone sway you away from an idea just because they don't like it. I like to remember the phrase from William Shakespeare, "To thine own self be true". Even if you fail at a project that your friends thought was crazy, at least you gave it a whirl. You will always find that you learned something from the project, either what not to do in the future, or what was a great idea...
I read a really good article by Joyce Shafer about being "true to you". In this article she brings up some really great questions that you should ask yourself before starting on a new endeavor, such as:
- "Who would you really like to interact with?
- Why them?
- What about them or their lives will be different as a result of engaging with you? and
- What are the ways you might do this with or for them?"
These are some really good thought-provoking questions. Another one I personally believe in is: Who do you want to associate with and who do you want to associate with you? You are usually only as successful as the people you interact with. If you hang around a bunch of nay-sayers, then odds are that you won't progress very far past what they have done.
I am reminded of the story of the frogs who tried to climb a building. (I am paraphrasing) Some of the little frogs tried to climb the building, but all their friends kept telling them that they could not climb the building so as a result the frogs did not get to the top of the building, except for this one little frog. The reason this frog succeeded where the others failed is because this frog was deaf and did not hear all the comments about the task being impossible.
I believe in listening to others, researching, and looking at all angles, but in the end, you have to follow what you believe in, not what others believe you can or can't do. Be like that little frog and listen to your heart. You will be amazed by what you can accomplish.
If you are interested in looking at second income opportunities or other business opportunities, please visit www.hawgwash.net or feel free to e-mail us with questions. We may not have what you are looking for, but there is a chance that we may be able to help point you in a direction you are looking to go...
Until next time...
Thursday, October 1, 2009
What do you want out of life?
I am not about to tell you what to do with your life, or what you should do with your life. This article is a brief discussion about making sure that whatever you want to do with your life, that you remain true to your personal values and goals.
In this economy everyone gets very edgy with good reason. You don't know from one day to the next if you are going to have a job, if you are able to get a job, or if you can pay all your bills and make ends meet. These times are extremely stressful, even for the successful business person. Many of the businesses I have talked to have seen a decrease in their profits this year and we don't see any particular end in the near future.
The key is to remain true to your personal values despite what the outside world throws at you. If you remain true to yourself (I know that sounds so cliche, but it is very true) you will end up being less stressed and ultimately a happier person. It is times like these that actually help create new ideas and ways of doing things. People start looking for alternative ways to earn income, and look for innovative ways to sell products and services. This is actually a really good time to get into a new business because if you can get the business to survive in these tough economic times, then you are poised to do very well when the economy turns around (and it will turn around).
If you are wondering what to do and ask friends or family for suggestions, be open about what they have to say, but also weigh what they suggest against what you personally believe. Sometimes their ideas may trigger a great idea for you, sometimes their ideas may just be a reflection of what they would rather be doing, not what is best for you to do. Remember that some ideas may sound scary, but that may just be due to the fact that you don't know enough, or that it is risky. Risk is not something to be avoided at all costs, it is something to be measured and used with care. If you didn't take risks, there is a chance that you may never cross the road to see what is on the other side. The Wright brothers took a risk in flying aeroplanes, most entrepreneurs also take risks in starting new businesses.
Risk taking is necessary in business, but again, you have to take the risks that seem right to you, not your friends or family. If you feel passionately about something, it just may well be worth the risk in trying it (as long as it is not illegal or immoral..) despite what some friends or family may say. Be reasonable about what you want to do, but do not be risk averse. Without risk we would not have become the greatest country in the world.
If you take the risk and fail, at least you know you tried. If you don't take the risk, then you may always wonder what would have happened if you had taken the leap of faith. You do not want to finish your life wondering what happened, you should be happy you finished your life by going for that golden ring. It is not the end that is important, it really is the journey to get there. Be true to yourself and your values. By doing so you will find that good things should happen and if your are honest with yourself, you will discover that the risks you took were well worth the end result.
I will continue this discussion tomorrow...
In this economy everyone gets very edgy with good reason. You don't know from one day to the next if you are going to have a job, if you are able to get a job, or if you can pay all your bills and make ends meet. These times are extremely stressful, even for the successful business person. Many of the businesses I have talked to have seen a decrease in their profits this year and we don't see any particular end in the near future.
The key is to remain true to your personal values despite what the outside world throws at you. If you remain true to yourself (I know that sounds so cliche, but it is very true) you will end up being less stressed and ultimately a happier person. It is times like these that actually help create new ideas and ways of doing things. People start looking for alternative ways to earn income, and look for innovative ways to sell products and services. This is actually a really good time to get into a new business because if you can get the business to survive in these tough economic times, then you are poised to do very well when the economy turns around (and it will turn around).
If you are wondering what to do and ask friends or family for suggestions, be open about what they have to say, but also weigh what they suggest against what you personally believe. Sometimes their ideas may trigger a great idea for you, sometimes their ideas may just be a reflection of what they would rather be doing, not what is best for you to do. Remember that some ideas may sound scary, but that may just be due to the fact that you don't know enough, or that it is risky. Risk is not something to be avoided at all costs, it is something to be measured and used with care. If you didn't take risks, there is a chance that you may never cross the road to see what is on the other side. The Wright brothers took a risk in flying aeroplanes, most entrepreneurs also take risks in starting new businesses.
Risk taking is necessary in business, but again, you have to take the risks that seem right to you, not your friends or family. If you feel passionately about something, it just may well be worth the risk in trying it (as long as it is not illegal or immoral..) despite what some friends or family may say. Be reasonable about what you want to do, but do not be risk averse. Without risk we would not have become the greatest country in the world.
If you take the risk and fail, at least you know you tried. If you don't take the risk, then you may always wonder what would have happened if you had taken the leap of faith. You do not want to finish your life wondering what happened, you should be happy you finished your life by going for that golden ring. It is not the end that is important, it really is the journey to get there. Be true to yourself and your values. By doing so you will find that good things should happen and if your are honest with yourself, you will discover that the risks you took were well worth the end result.
I will continue this discussion tomorrow...
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