We Met Burt Reynolds Driving A Taxi in Lake Tahoe
Well, it wasn’t really Burt Reynolds, but it sure looked like him.
It was, in fact a man named AJ, pictured here with my wife Rosemary, who turned out to be one hell of an interesting character.
I tell my team members all the time how VERY IMPORTANT it is to attend LIVE EVENTS when they are held. I explain the importance of meeting the leaders of the company, rubbing elbows with people just like them who are successful and attaining the very same goals that my new members have set for themselves.
And I tell them they must get to our Marketing Event because of the cutting edge marketing that is taught and the great discounts that are provided to attendees for those that wish to get advanced training.
All of this is true.
But one thing I NEVER considered was this:
When you travel to a Live Event, you get to meet people from all over the country, many of whom have very interesting and inspirational stories. This was AJ.
We had about an hour cab ride from Tahoe to the Reno International Airport. We were still on a high from attending the CC PRO Marketing Event from the day before, and were eager for conversation. In the cab, Rosemary and I were talking about the event, the atmosphere, the new marketing strategies we had learned, and the great parties we had attended after the event.
Our cab driver seemed very interested in what we were saying, and asked us about our company and our business. It turns out that our cab driver, AJ was not just a cab driver. No, AJ had a very interesting story, and the attitudes and beliefs of an entrepreneur.
AJ told us he had been a stuntman in the movies and TV for many years before retiring before the age of 40. Of course, we asked him what he had been in, and he rattled off such movies as Smoky and the Bandit I and II and The Spy who Loved Me. His TV show credits included Bonanza, Rawhide, The Six Million Dollar Man, and many others.
He told us that he looked so much like Burt Reynolds that he served as his double in many of his movies. Even though AJ was much older than in his working days, we could definitely see the resemblance (in fact, Burt hasn’t aged that well, either!)
His most famous stunt? He told us it would have to be skiing at breakneck speed down the mountain being chased by villains in the James Bond classic, The Spy Who Loved Me. You know the one — he flies down the mountain, chased to the edge of a cliff, only to fly off the cliff, open his parachute, and descend safety below, and skis safety away. For James Bond lovers, it’s a very famous opening scene.
But it wasn’t just his stories that amazed us. We soon found out that AJ was a clever entrepreneur who, having invested his wealth early on in real estate, had been able to retire at a very young age. He continued his real estate investments after retirement, never wanting to work for someone else.
Imagine a young 22 year old getting large sums of money for performing stunts, having the foresight and strength to invest that money rather than blowing it all on material things. Most young kids at that age would be spending it faster than they could make it.
The reason for this story? Be open at all times for stories and experiences that can inspire you to new heights, and the can remind you that you, as an entrepreneur are on the right path to freedom and success in your life.
You never know where you might find it… even in a taxi cab in the middle of Nevada being driven by a Burt Reynolds look-alike.
To your success!
How Is Your “Why” Different From Your Mission Statement?
Straight from Network Marketing 101….
Develop your WHY. Make it so strong that nothing can stop you.
Write your Mission Statement. Why are you doing business?
Now, I always thought my “why” WAS my mission statement.
Surely, the reason why I’m doing my business would have to be my “why”, right?
Wrong!
I was doing some personalized training with Jay Kubassek the other day, and we were talking about this very subject.
Jay asked me “Why are you doing your business?”
Hmmm.. not as easy to answer as you might think.
First I thought…. “that’s easy, its to pay for my kids colleges, and buy Rosemary that house on the beach she’s always wanted.”
But then I realized…. that’s my WHY, not my MISSION.
I’ve been trying to distinguish the two ever since.
Here is what I’ve come up with.
- Your WHY is your personal reason(s) why you have joined a network marketing venture. It is usually focused on yourself, your needs, your wants, and your desires.
- The MISSION of your business is a totally different animal. It is (or it had better be) focused on your CUSTOMER or PROSPECT, the person on the other end of the phone that you’re trying to help.
For example, our Business Mission Statement is…
To help each team member become an Independently Successful Entrepreneur and realize their life dreams.
Simple, but effective.
Effective because it’s totally focused on our prospect and not on ourselves.
As Jay put it, no one gives a rat’s ass what we want, they only care about what THEY want.
This is quite possibly the most important mindset shift that one has to make in order to be successful online.
Your thoughts?
To your success!
One Year Ago Today……
Exactly one year ago today, I was sitting at my wife’s bedside, watching her lie in pain on her hospital bed. Rosemary had just been through 6 hours of surgery to remove cancer from her breast. It was a complicated surgery and, although it had went well, it had obviously taken a toll on her fragile body.
And today I look at her, vibrant, full of life, and I thank God for every minute I have with her. Ours is a story of survival. We are one of the lucky couples, because Rosemary’s cancer was caught early.
I have never been a terribly spiritual person, although I do have my own beliefs that I keep private. But I do believe in a higher power, my “God” as it were. And I do think that last year God had a hand in steering our lives in a certain direction.
Let me explain.
In late November of 2007, Rosemary was due to have her annual mammogram at a local radiology office. We were not yet married, and this office was closest to her home. We knew that they didn’t have the latest advanced imaging equipment (digitized imaging), but thought it didn’t matter much, since it was just a routine screening. There was no history to suggest otherwise.
The day of her appointment, I drove Rosemary to the Center to get her mammogram. As we entered, they informed us that their only imaging machine had broken down again, and we would have to reschedule. I was upset at the inconvenience, and told Rosemary that we should go elsewhere.
Close to my home was a new, state-of-the-art breast imaging center, and we made the new appointment. It was here that, using advanced digital imaging, they found Rosemary’s cancer, almost undetectable but definitely suspicious.
The technician and doctors at the Center told us that, if she had done her usual screening using the older, antiquated imaging machines that they had at the first Center, it was a virtual certainty that the cancer would have gone undetected for another year.
And the results would have been much, much different.
Although caught early, it was an aggressive cancer and had already started to spread. But following four surgeries and other treatments, Rosemary has been given an excellent prognosis. 
Why do I tell you all this?
Because both Rosemary and I feel that God has given us a second chance at life together. We felt his hand in guiding us to the proper treatment that day. And we feel a renewed meaning in our lives to GIVE BACK to others in as many ways as we can.
Believe it or not, this is one of the main reasons that we are extremely driven to succeed in our quest to become financially independent.… no- make that RICH – in our home business opportunity.
Because when you make more money, you can give more away.
We understand that making a great deal of money will come with certain material benefits to us. But we are especially driven to finding just and noble causes to which to give a large part of our new-found wealth.
We believe that God has other plans for us, rather than to just go from day-to-day in our 9-5 job making mediocre pay.
We plan on making millions, and then giving most of it away.
To leave this Earth a better place than when we entered.
Just two people, looking to make as big a difference as possible.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to us. We have found our path and our mission.
To YOUR success, and to finding YOUR mission in this world!
Global Internet Business Coach and Mentor
Do You Have What It Takes To Succeed In Network Marketing?
Congratulations! You started a home business, and you are officially a Network Marketer.
Now the question is, do you have what it takes to succeed?
From my experience, I believe that your ultimate success will come down to what I call the 3 P’s:
Patience, Persistence, and Positioning.
- Patience — when everyone first starts their new home business, visions of dollars flowing into their back account cloud what is truly the reality of any business, from the internet to brick and mortar: success in any business is seen over time. You might be surprised how many people start in network marketing all gung-go, ready to light their business on fire, only to quit within a few months. They failed to understand that success requires patience while the components of your business are being put into place: your mindset, your marketing and your mission (Hint: Go watch your Inside Out DVD again until you get this).
- Persistence – your business will not thrive without constant attention, taking action regularly to start seeing the results you want to see. Another word for this might be consistency. Consistent effort is a key to the success of your business. Being persistent means moving forward ESPECIALLY when things are NOT going so well. Persist in your marketing. Persist in your personal development. Persist in gaining the knowledge to become valuable to your prospects.
- Positioning — you will never reach your ultimate level of success in your business until you are positioned so that you are not leaving money on the table. For those in Carbon Copy PRO, that means positioning yourself at the M3 level. I know, most of you are saying that $20,000 is way too much to even consider. You just don’t have that kind of money. Fine, I can accept that. But what is your plan? How do you plan to get to this level? You need to have a realistic plan to get to the M1, M2, and M3 levels BEFORE you lose patience that you are not seeing the results you imagined.
That’s it….. Patience, Persistence, and Positioning. The 3 Pillars to Success for your New Business.
Be Patient in Your Expectations
Be Persistent in Your Efforts
Get Positioning to Maximize your Income
When you’ve solved these, you will become your company’s next star and leader!
To your success!
Global Internet Business Coach and Mentor
Is Your Mission Statement Holding You Back?
Every business, from the largest corporations to the smallest work-at-home business needs a Mission Statement. In other words,
Why Are You Doing What You’re Doing?
For what reason? What do you want to get out of your business venture?
When most people sit down and think about it, they start thinking about what THEY want out of their business.
A new car.
A Caribbean vacation.
A boat or new house.
Fire their boss. Freedom. Wealth.
But wait….
THIS IS A CRITICAL MISTAKE!
Now you’re probably saying something like, “What’s wrong with that?”
Nothing, and EVERYTHING.
Let me ask you a question. If I approached you to join my terrific business opportunity, and you asked me this very simple question…. “Why should I join you?”
How do you think you’d react if I responded,
“You should join my team because I want a new car, a new boat, a vacation, financial freedom.”
I’m sure you’d say, “Who give a s’&t!!”
And you’d be absolutely right.
People want to join a business, or buy a product, because there is some benefit to THEM, not the seller or the business owner.
And the sooner the business owner understands that, the better.
If your Mission is solely SELF DRIVEN, this will come across to your prospect and you will repel them.
However, if your Mission is to benefit others, then your prospect will be attracted.
Rosemary and I have a Mission Statement for our business. Here it is:
Our Mission Statement is to help as many people as possible live the life they desire.
NOTICE – There is….
No “US”
No “WE”
No “I” in our Mission Statement.
There is no room for these words in your mission statement.
It needs to be all about what’s best for your customer.
To your success!
Global Business Coach and Marketing Strategist
What Is Your “Leadership Value” To Your Customers?
Home business opportunities abound on the internet today.
Someone seriously looking for a home business opportunity can easily become overwhelmed with the choices.
- Which business?
- Which products?
- Which compensation plan?
You now what?
None of this really matters.
What people really want is someone to follow!
Someone who they can count on to show them the ropes, how to be successful, and someone to lead them out of the mess they currently call their “lives”.
So how does one become a leader of value? Simply by posturing or positioning? While these are components of demonstrating leadership, they don’t define it.
If I had to think of one work to define Leadership, it would be this —
VALUE
In order to be a leader to someone, you must have value to that person. Maybe that value comes in your marketing or business knowledge. Maybe it’s your interpersonal skills and phone skills. Maybe it lies simply in the fact that you are successful online and they are not.
Whatever it is, if it’s NOT there, you won’t have a chance at sponsoring that person.
How does one go about INCREASING LEADERSHIP VALUE to attract more customers?
It’s fairly simple — making a consistent effort every day to increase your knowledge and skills.
I liken it to making deposits in a piggy bank.
When you’re first starting out, you are learning more elementary components of your business. In essence, you are putting pennies in your bank. But pennies build up, right?
Your knowledge and skills build as you take consistent steps to learn. With every step, another penny.
And then a funny thing happens. You start learning more advanced business or marketing ideas, and instead of depositing pennies in your bank, now you are depositing dimes. Dime after dime you are improving your value.
Then it’s quarters, and then dollar bills. The more skills you know, the more valuable you become. The more knowledge you accumulate, the more you have to offer to your customer.
And the more leadership you begin to display.
And what happens to your stuffed piggy bank?
That money begins to double, triple, quadruple and more… for it’s a well known fact that the more you have to offer, the more VALUE you have in the MARKETPLACE, the more money you will make.
The key is to make consistent, determined efforts to improve your knowledge and your skills so that you, too, can become the leader that everyone else will want to follow.
Once you’ve attained that status, you can write your own check.
To your success!
Global online business coach and marketing expert
What Is Luck Anyway (and How Do I Get MORE)?
As many of you know, in addition to being a global internet business coach, I am also a scientist in New York City, where I work in a laboratory that specializes in infertility.
When I was first getting started in that line of work, back in the early 90’s, I was “lucky” enough to land a job as a Laboratory Director at one of the most prominant Infertility Programs in Boston.
It was my first real break, and many of my colleagues thought I was lucky.
You see, at the time I worked in another laboratory in an adjacent building, and had come to know many of the doctors in the Infertility Unit over the course of a couple of years. I was working as a Postdoctoral Fellow doing research at Harvard Medical School. I was preparing for my future.
As my Postdoctoral Fellowship was coming to an end, this particular position as Laboratory Director just happened to open up.
Luck, right?
I don’t think so, although it depends on your definition of luck.
Roy D. Chaplin, Jr, former CEO of American Motors, once said it best…
Luck is the Time When Preparation and Opportunity Meet
What a perfect definition. I was not “lucky” in the classic sense to have landed that job. I was preparing for that job for many years, doing research, learning skills, meeting people (networking), and “paying my dues”.
Then the opportunity came. Was I fortunate to be at the right place, just as I was looking for a job? Absolutely.
Was I lucky? Well, I was prepared when the opportunity presented itself.
There are 2 key components here.
First is preparation. In Network Marketing, that means learning your craft, honing your skills, and learning new and better ways to do things. Things like marketing, networking, closing sales, and phone skills. These skill all need to be developed and improved for success to occur.
Second is OPPORTUNITY. Knowing a good opportunity when it presents itself, and MOVING ON IT. I’ve seen so many qualified people come and go through the network marketing industry because they were unable to or unwilling to take advantage of an opportunity when it came about.
There is nothing more frustrating to watch.
I see it in people looking for a better way of life, looking to stop the madness of trading time for dollars with no freedom and no savings.
These are people that I KNOW could succeed in Network Marketing, yet they don’t move on an opportunity because they are paralyzed by either fear or procrastination.
You must be able to ACT on an opportunity. If you can’t act, then it doesn’t matter how prepared you are.
I was “lucky” to get that first Laboratory Director job back in the 90’s. And I am again “lucky” to be a successful Internet Marketer today.
And both times, luck came for the same reason.
Preparation met Opportunity, and I took advantage.
That, my friends, is the key to success in life.
To YOUR success!
Dr. Bob Clarke
Global Internet Business Coach
Cresskill, NJ; February 21, 2009
How An Entitlement Mentality Will Destroy Your Home Business… Before You Even Get Started
The Entitlement Mentality. I see if everywhere I go.
Entitlement is defined by Websters Dictionary the following way:
The belief that one is deserving of certain privileges.
I see it in our workforce, people believing they should get a raise even though they are lazy in their jobs.
I see it in our children, who believe they deserve material things just because everyone else has them.
I see it in our society, who believe that everyone is entitled to own a home, even if they don’t have the means to support it (now hasn’t THAT gotten us into a heap of trouble!).
And I most definitely see it in Would-Be-Entrepreneurs. The people who believe that simply by starting a home business, the profits should automatically roll in.
I could write a book on each of the above examples, but for today I’ll focus on the last group, because experiences are fresh in my mind.
I find it fascinating talking to people who call me, asking about starting their own home based business. I am part of a rather popular opportunity because of its many automated features.
In this opportunity, the automated system pretty much does everything for the business owner, except for one thing…. Marketing. Yes, SUCCESS does take work, and study, and perseverence, and getting through lean times…. just like anything else worthwhile.
But I continue to get calls like this from people who have joined our business opportunity.
Caller: I don’t get it. I paid my money to get into the business. I read over the website. But it’s two months into it and I still haven’t made any money.
Me: Tell me what you’ve done in marketing so far.
Caller: Ummm.. well… I’ve read over the marketing material on the website and I understand it pretty well.
Me: Okay, but what action have you taken?
Caller: Well… ummm…. I haven’t actaully taken action yet, but I plan to very soon.
Me: Good! Call me back about a month after you’ve taken some action, placed some ads, put your face out there… and we’ll talk again.
Caller: Silence. Ummm.. okay.
Thankfully this isn’t an every day occurence, or I’d be ripping out whats left of my hair.
But every time it happens, I just sit there looking at the telephone in amazement.
People think they are entitled to make money on the Internet simply because they bought into a business.
People get really pissed off when the money doesn’t automatically just start rolling in.
And many times, people quit without really taking any action at all. And they blame it on the business, or their sponsor, or the bad economy, or a hundred other circumstances going on in their lives.
They point the blame everywhere but where it belongs….
IN THE MIRROR.
The reality is simple.
Business is Business.
Business is Work.
Business is Sacrifice.
But done correctly, business can be wonderfully profitable and provide you freedoms that you cannot possibly imagine in a J-O-B.
But you are not ENTITLED to it.
You have to WORK for it. Just like the rest of it.
And when you work for it, and you succeed, and you have that first 5 figure month, there’s no better feeling.
To your success and your work ethic!
Dr. Bob Clarke
Dr. Clarke’s Income Opportunity
Who Do YOU Look To For Inspiration in Your Life?
Everyone knows someone who have been faced with terrible obstacles (health, financial, personal) and come out the other side to find tremendous success. You read in the paper or on the Internet on a daily basis of such inspirational stories.
Lucky for me, I don’t have to look too far. Just across the breakfast table.
I have told this story before, but for new readers, a brief summary.
Rosemary in the Bahamas
A little more than 1 year ago, my wife Rosemary was diagnosed with breast cancer. Further, they tested her for a genetic mutation that would increase dramatically her chance of getting recurring cancers in her breasts or ovaries in the future. She tested positive for this mutation.
It was also at this time when we were launching a couple of new home business ventures.
My reaction was to put everything on hold and focus on Rosemary’s health.
Rosemary’s reaction was that NOTHING was going to stop her, and we should move forward with everything.
She is a very brave and courageous gal.
Today, we got back from the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. In between, Rosemary endured 4 operations and various setbacks, and I am so happy to announce, cancer-free.
It was not just a week of vacation. It was a celebration of life.
And a celebration of our perseverence. Neither of us ever thought for one moment that Rosemary would not be cured. And neither of us would let her illness stop the progress we were realizing in our business.
Check out the new video we just posted on this subject:
Now, I’m no fool, and neither is Rosemary. Both of us realize that, if it were not for very early detection of her cancer things could have turned out a lot different. But we also believe with all our hearts that mindset and a positive attitude is extremely important when trying to attain anything in life, whether it be recovering from an illness or trying to attain a seemingly unreachable personal or financial goal.
Mindset is very powerful. It should never be underestimated.
I’ve seen it time and gain in members of my business team. There are those that have everything going for them — the knowledge, the brains, the finances– but they fail.
In comparison, I’ve seen team members who I doubted would be able to make their business work — no money, no prior experience — but they flourished and grew their business exponentially.
The difference? MINDSET.
The group with seemingly little or no chance spent a lot of time developing their mindset. At least an hour each day of learning techniques to stay positive, visualize their goals, and to make smart uses of their time.
My advice for everyone is find someone inspirational to you and pay close attention to their mindset. My bet is that they are positive, upbeat people who pay close attention to what goes on between their ears.
Stay positive, folks!
Do You Overcome Obstacles or Let Them Stop You?
A quick post because I am writing this from the incredibly beautiful Atlantis resort at Paradise Island in the Bahamas. Rosemary and I are spending our belated honeymoon here, and it is as close to heaven as I have been!
But it didn’t start out that way. Rosemary and I booked a cheaper package online at another ‘resort’, all inclusive and seemingly a much better deal than Atlantis.
I put ‘resort’ in quotation marks because it was a PIT. I mean, words cannot describe it.
Let’s just say their picturesque beach property was nothing more than a bunch of sand dumped on the shore of a small lagoon separated by railroad ties or some such thing…. about the size of a small bedroom. Unbelievable!
And the place was dirty, furniture ripped, fixtures coming off the walls…. you get the picture.
So we called Travelocity who first said they couldn’t (or wouldn’t) help us. Arranged to have a supervisor call us back.
Never did.
Kept trying Travelocity and getting different answers each time.
We wouldn’t be denied.
Finally, we took matters in our own hands. We checked out of the ‘resort’ after 2 hours and booked a beautiful room at the Atlantis.
Now THIS is a honeymoon.
And I just called Travelocity and let them know that I expect a refund of 3 nights to my Visa card immediately, or I will challenge the payment on my credit card.
Boy, did I feel empowered.
The point of all this?
OBSTACLES. OBSTACLES. OBSTACLES.
You’ll always be faced with them. It’s what you do about them that makes all the difference, in your personal life and in business.
Don’t allow obstacles to stop you.
It’s the people who continually overcome obstacles that make it big in life — personally, spiritually, and yes, financially.
I’ll let you know how the trip comes out.
Til next time,
Bob
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