After work, I burst out on the rooftop garden of the downtown mall at 2:30 pm, at least for now, in full sunshine.

Oblivious to the warmth outside, my hands are cool, I’ve stripped off my ID necklace, sweater, socks and have put on my sunglasses. All smiles, you’d see me make my way to the new bus terminal. Took the number 1 King down a more beautiful access to get downtown, but take the regular bus home overlooking the city on the way up the mountain.

Really, I could become a “Lex” work-at-home agent but I’m not ready yet. Thinking to do that in the fall. I heard it’s basically having your own business. Maybe I’m scared. The Lex agents are bad-mouthed: they’re sitting at home in their pajamas!

Been learning everything I can in the call center because we have access to excellent floor support. Lex agents do the same thing from home, but they have an online “chat” supervisor.

This is a summer of changes. Soon will be an empty nester. Breaking the silence, breaking out of my shell. Will set up my own home office.

7 Somethings to Say About Call Centers:

1. Alternating boring and loud
2. Sharing: headsets, phones, computers, chairs
3. People: all kinds
4. No fresh air, sunshine, clean water
5. Everything is all about metrics
6. Sales education, bonus money
7. Shift work makes you crazy

There, I’ve said it.

Turn it on soon to see if anybody is out there.

There are lots of people out there, of course, but until you stop confusing Google bots and find your passion, fix your funnel, and write your ebook…well, you get the idea. Broadcasting your thoughts is a way to start with social media, and cheaper than finding out you have nothing to say with paid ads.

Watch for new avenues to connect to a partner. Find out what fits you.

My friend is taking an early retirement soon and together we have a wealth of “pet life” stories and practical know-how. This I say to you because stepping stones are not where you end up…did you know that big-time marketers found their start in the wonderful world of pets? The market is so large that it can take more products…people need help!

Random thought: are you being paid to talk at work? Not talking to a growing number of people outside work in odd inverse ratio? Currently not talking to the owner of a call center, potential business venture…that didn’t work out. Turns out he wanted more than my voice!

Keep looking, keep listening. Who are you not talking to?

When we were involved in “proof of concept”, never thought for a moment that we’d fail.

Fail we did.

We were “out of the box”, individual, tied by our training course. And all new we followed new leaders and went forward with speed.

Every conceivable background.

Used every method. A dozen of us. The cream rose to the top, and a split in half was made to the rest (to hedge their bets). Many meetings, and much work by the drones. Eventually there was mutiny and we abandoned ship. Left with my good name.

Oh, but I learned much by the work (online set up and writing) and even more by what really happened. Lost the wind in our sails, at odds, tossed about, without clear vision. Understandable, when you realize the leader is You. That means right here, right now, in charge of self.

Finding yourself on dry dock?

Maybe your gears are found in your watch, or your bike, a car, a locomotive or even a rocket. Maybe you’re at home with a simple manual grinder…whatever resources you have at hand are what you have to work with…that’s fine. Work it today, while developing your vision.

Sucked into many funnels, many went on to take course after course. Others went on to create their own product. Now the funnel is the product, we are told. However, each gear wheel must be solid.

Making money is good when all the gears to fit together perfectly. Simple, to start. Oil, to keep it going. Clean, to keep the sand out of the gears. The power = your passion, oil = $, clean = clear, so not to grind to a halt.

Who you go into business with is important. Understanding how it works by doing, is how to begin. After that, you become Overseer.

One gear wheel is learning sales, and you receive that education by being in the workforce with purpose.

The lesson I learned when our enterprise flat-lined was that speed without control is nothing. Systematic Marketing is a simple machine that works.

Reflection on my broken funnel is replaced by new drive. You’ll win because of a mindset shift.

Back when I was training in kick boxing we trained for one-and-a-half hours, three times a week and, we didn’t know it, but we were an experimental class. The trainers decided to put us through our paces and make it equal to military boot camp.

So by the end of a year we were throwing powerful punches and kicks, our balance had improved so much, and we were jumping like we had springs.

Remember Kill Bill? We could break your nose if you were even six inches close. Anyway, the trainers didn’t nail us alive into coffins and bury us in the ground to get out or die. In the end we just just kicked and broke a piece of wood.

We weren’t even allowed to spar yet, but our bodies “knew”. We built nerve pathways that weren’t there before…our tops and bottoms, right and left sides were “talking to each other”.

In real life a “sucker punch” can get you down for the count. That’s when you lay there flat on the mat looking up and seeing stars and wait for the count to end.

You can’t outsource everything in the beginning in online marketing.

And you can’t send someone else to go a round in the ring. But you need to condition yourself before a match is made. With the “words”, with dealing with people, with the world of sales.

Who has the funnel?

In business, he who has the funnel and a self-created product wins.

I’ve been taught by the best, and they warned me about this. You’ve failed if you give up, but only if you give up your little business idea that you’d like to be a big success.

Trouble is, there’s the free way or the high way. Maybe an intelligent combination is best. Back when I had more time I fooled around and fell in love with this whole amazing online world that I stumbled into.

One way costs money and time, but I see my friends taking course after course…and as my contact Ciaran Doyle points out: you just need to implement what little you know and take it from there.

An ounce of “doing it” is better than a pound of learning how.

Free costs less in money, but I’m thinking it takes time anyway, even if you take an expensive course. There’s the overwhelm, ya know? Some never get pass the overload.

Now, back in the real world of paying your rent…your capital crime lands you right back in working for the man and being in chains again.

Plot your escape. At least now the money is rolling in to take care of the basics and you’ve found out what’s free and what’s not. Give yourself a break. It hasn’t even been 3 years yet, and in real bricks ‘n mortar business in the real world it takes failure that will be turned into blinding success!

Damn it. Publishing is the only way to go. I’m going to put it into an ebook for real. I love free. That is my passion.

Convert capital crime into capital…that’s it, that’s all.

Kids, I’ve got something to say.

It ain’t gonna be easy. No sirree Bob.

Have a bit of patience with yourself.

Just because no one wants what you have, or rather what you are, doesn’t mean diddly.

I’m going to point out the obvious: even in nature plants take time to grow.

Listen to me: it’s at the point of doubt where the sharks come in and sell you on their help prematurely.

And this is nothing more or less than a post to say: stick with it longer. We’re not babies here…we’re entirely growed up grown ups.

Some of us are planting a seed that’s never been planted before. Kind of like a Jack-n-the-Beanstock “surprise”-changes-everyone’s-life-forever-stick ‘n mud-types-would-rather-you-didn’t-kind-of-magic bean.

Are you insane?! Can’t you be somebody else?

Just a reminder that you can’t. Be somebody else. Who the heck would be you?

If I had a stand-in, why, I’d be in Japan where you can actually get an actor to be you at your own birthday party. They’re called substitutes.

What I want to know is: if everyone is a substitute, then who’s enjoying my party?

It’s enough to make a grown man cry in his whiskey and corn flakes.

This is good, old-fashioned encouragement to stick with it. No use comparing yourself…those success brands are rolling in momentum.

Feel better now?

I seem to be friends with the band on Facebook now, except for the lead guitarist. Might have attained even this had we stayed to visit the guys after the show. But, really, 1am is way past my bedtime.

My friend Nissim is not exactly a nice Jewish boy. Let’s just call him a complete Jew man. And he is a man. Not a boy. Only a very brave man would make an honest woman out of me.

He gets up early for me and stays up late, because we’re in different time zones. Finally we’re talking the possibility of two countries and some time apart. Engagement, married living, a place prepared, civil ceremony here, a better celebration there.

I’ll show him the City of Waterfalls. And we’ll walk and we’ll talk. The end of my ruined life.

Everything you EVER wanted to know about mobile phones is here.

It all started with radio phones.

Anyway, Don’t Lock My Freedom talks about locked cell phones, which you may not realize you have.

Did you know there are not quite 2 billion online computer users compared to nearly 5 billion cell phone users?

And that one in 10 cell phones is secret? For various reasons

Cell phone etiquette:

• be nice and clean
• be quiet
• keep a business ringtone
• get approval for texting
• pay attention
• tell you’re using a cell

One fifth of US has no landline. RIP, mine was finally let go yesterday.

Looking into setting up a Skype number, since my internet speed is twice as fast now.

For mobile marketing use AWeber autoresponder trial $1 to get opt-in templates that acts as a mobile capture page.

Use OfferMobi and SponserMob

So funny: you don’t need a cell phone to do it!

It’s like Groucho Marx shows up in your mind and says:

“I’ve had a perfectly wonderful time. But this wasn’t it.”

And mindset keeps us solo. Or not.

Even though we might end up alone on a hill, in a shack with a cat. Or even worse, next to a bad neighbour.

Which is why there are times of trial. Trouble is, trials are half hearted.

Well now, it will always be a mystery then.

On the other hand you can find out as much as you can about yourself, dive into a new realm armed with the basics about the new culture. Ask as many questions about potential partners as they ask about you. Names. Family. Friends. And ask about those you met next time you meet.

Helps if you love people and desire a change but it is a legal matter.

It’s what grownups do.

It has a Canadian “Add to Cart” which is nice, considering that we’re America’s hat. Just kidding…if we were American’s hat, or rather toque, then what does that make Alaska? It’s pom-pom?

2. All kidding aside, today I spoke to two men that had an actual product for a “one up” (not the one from the previous post) that pays the first qualifier (auto-dialer all-in-one system). So you end up paying for the product, which happens to be training for setting up your online business. Strictly for MLMers. Others won’t “get” it. Admin fee, but no monthly fees.

Now, I was holding back until I heard this, and then I heard myself getting excited. Gary Vernerchuk’s Crush It! impressed me and I’m always on the lookout for what will sustain my passion long term. Apparently I’m passionate about training and fun. Probably from my 11 years in a training institute working with 400 volunteers.

3. Here’s a review you may find helpful on private lending for real estate.

My interest in real estate is pretty much surface level: took a correspondence course years ago (after business intro in high school), attended a seminar (buying, fixing, flipping), sold my condo for profit. with help!

Funnel, funnel, who’s got the funnel? Private business deals. Goes on all the time.