Network Marketing: Finding Balance Between Business and Life…

Very few people have the luxury of starting a home-based Network Marketing business without having to juggle with finances, primary employment, kids, family, and the list goes on.  Many people have the desire to  create this kind of a business, but they are not sure how to find the time to make it work with all the other tasks and duties that are already their responsibility.  If you are considering such a decision, you might want to consider the following ways that you can find the balance; you can make it happen! There are two secrets I would like to share – one is about time and the other is about selecting the right business.

Blocking the Time

You are not alone!  Virtually everyone who ever decided to shift from employed to self-employed suffered the same anxiety, “How am I going to fit in something else?”  One of the primary keys is truly about blocking out specific time for specific activities and knowing that if you can discipline yourself for this time that you will find yourself more capable than you first thought.  Most home businesses can be managed in roughly four hours per week.   Don’t think you can find that many extra hours?  Simply shift your thinking and your expectations and decide how long you want to work to make this transition happen.

You might want to put your toes into the water, so to speak, with just a couple of hours a week, until you get the hang of blocking out your time.  This way you can get a good feel for which hours actually work best for you – – around your already existing schedule.  You might also have to have a little heart to heart with yourself about your expectations as to how quickly you want to shift from your JOB… maybe  you would prefer getting up an hour earlier each day, or make some other time sacrifice, knowing the ultimate benefit you gain in the time to build your place as an entrepreneur.

Much of what will happen really comes down to your mindset and the amount of personal motivation you have in getting the results you acknowledge you desire.  You must, simply must, look at this venture as one of “creating a business” and not just entertaining some hobby that might or might not work out.  Ask yourself the hard question before you consider such life-altering changes:  “Am I willing to create the necessary time and commitment to succeed – no matter what?”  Your answer will drive your results!   If the answer is yes, if you want something badly enough, you will make it happen.  It takes consistence and persistence to run any business – and you are stepping up the pace just a bit when you decide to put forth the effort and energy to create a different future for yourself and your family.

Making the Right First Choice

Many people run around in the proverbial circle – not sure what the best home-based business would be for them.  They fall prey to every sharp sales person who offers them an “opportunity” to strike it rich.  I just spent the better part of an hour glancing through  a home-based business magazine.   Now, one would think that if someone had the revenue to advertise in such a magazine would a) be doing well financially, and b) be totally on the up and up.   Well, let me tell you… just for fun I did a bit of due diligence on a couple of the expensive full page ads and found that one is a know Ponzi scheme and another one that had 38 scam reports on just one directory!

However, due diligence aside – there are a number of really great Network Marketing companies available for you to use as the foundation of your home-based business, if that is your choice.  The bigger question is more personal in nature – what business would be really attractive to you?  You might be stressed out and just looking for a lifestyle change.   That is a good place to be, provided you look into the many options that are available to you and select one that is interesting, appealing, and matches your core values.

Once you have decided that the opportunity is a good one, that you will get adequate support and training, and that you can actually accomplish what you set out to achieve… your next step toward wrapping up that first best choice about becoming an entrepreneur is to make the shift in your mind from being an employee to that of being a business owner!  Trust yourself that you have made the right decision; trust yourself that you can make it happen; trust yourself to seek out the training or other resources you may require; and trust yourself to have courage and an open mind!

The primary difference in mindset is that this will all be up to you… it can be done and becoming a successful entrepreneur works – provided – you are willing to work at it and make it happen with the attitude of Lisa Nichols, “No Matter What!”  It will always come back to your being personally responsible for the work that does or does not get done.  If you have made the right first choice you will know it… you will never look back and the financial gain you desire will become the by-product of working harder than you ever worked for your employer – doing something that you love!

Jan Vitale… supporting Network Marketing – the business model for a troubled economy.

Vital Enterprises, LLC – – where you can always find great tips, tools and resources about nutrition, vital document storage, disaster preparedness, identity theft, network marketing, networking, and travel…

Note:  I mentioned Lisa Nichols in this article – if you have not read her book, and you are in the mood to be MOTIVATED… you might just want to slip over to Amazon and get a copy… it is a great, and memorable read.   One of those books that – if you read it at just the right time of your life, will give you the most amazing kick in the seat of the pants you could hope to experience! If you are considering making that transition from JOB to self-employed…  NOW would be the perfect time to read it.

No Matter What!: 9 Steps to Living the Life You Love

 

Nutrition: Coffee Facts

Coffee… you either love it or hate it!  I know of friends who were not allowed to drink coffee as a kid – because her parents believed it stunted growth.  Is this fact or fallacy?  What you can pretty much count on is that from time to time – new studies and new technology will invalidate previous beliefs – and create new ones.  How about a few…

Coffee Consumption Statistics

The National Coffee Association and The Specialty Coffee Association of America conduct annual surveys regarding coffee consumption each year. The gathered data below can be extremely beneficial to anyone wishing to start a business or just have an insight on coffee consumption.

Results of Gathered Data:

• Nearly 52% of Americans over 18 years of age drink coffee every day.
• This represents over 100 million daily drinkers.
• 30 million American adults drink specialty coffee beverages daily; which include a mocha, latte, espresso, café mocha, cappuccino, frozen/iced coffee beverages, etc.

Average Beverage Price:

• The average price for an espresso based drink is $2.45
• The average price for brewed coffee is $1.38.

Coffee Cup Consumption per Day:

• Men drink as much coffee as women; each consuming an average of 1.6 cups per day.
• Women seem to be more concerned about the price than men.
• Among coffee drinkers, the average consumption in the United States is 3.2 cups of coffee per day.

Average Cup Size:

• The average coffee cup size is 9 ounces.
• 30% of the population drinks coffee occasionally.

Time of day:

• 65% of all coffee is consumed during breakfast hours
• 30% between meals
• 5% with other meals

Preferences:

• 35% of coffee drinkers prefer black coffee
• 60% prefer to add sugar and/or cream

Motivations:

• Women indicated that drinking coffee is a good way to relax.
• Men indicated that coffee helps them get the job done.

Miscellaneous:

• The United States imports in excess of $4 Billion worth of coffee per year.
• Americans consume 400 million cups of coffee per day making the United States the leading consumer of coffee in the world.
• On an average, 250 Cups of espresso and coffee drinks are sold per day at almost any espresso drive-thru business with a great visible location. (500 cups per day is extraordinary.)
• Independent coffee shops manage to sell 31% of espresso-based drinks, while the rest is brewed coffee.

There you have it – as a nation we consume more coffee than probably anyone could possibly imagine!  Is coffee your “thing?”  If so, you will want to check out a great gourmet coffee that has been combined with an amazing natural ingredient to create a great-tasting beverage that offers a cleaner, more sustained energy, as well as revitalization for your entire body.
We fittingly call it — Café 2.0!

Jan Vitale,

Vital Enterprises, LLC – – where you can always find great tips, tools and resources about nutrition, vital document storage, disaster preparedness, identity theft, network marketing, networking, and travel…

 

Identity Theft: New FTC Ruling Protects Consumers

My purpose is to provide you resources and that sometimes will be in the form of documentation that is not of my own creation.  This is such an item… an FTC Ruling that not only protects your identity, but also protects you from unscrupulous vendors who lure you into services under the guise of providing you the annual free credit report allowed every person.

Posted in: Identity Theft News By Mar 12, 2010 – 10:34:07 AM

Amended Free Credit Reports Rule Helps Consumers Avoid ‘Free’ Offers That Cost Money (04/01/2010)

Starting tomorrow, a new Federal Trade Commission rule will help consumers avoid confusing ads for “free credit reports” – which often require them to buy credit monitoring or other services – with the federally mandated no-strings-attached credit reports available at AnnualCreditReport.com, or 877-322-8228.

Under the Federal Trade Commission’s amended Free Credit Reports Rule, ads for these “free” offers must have clear disclosures. For example, Web sites offering free credit reports must have a disclosure, across the top of each page that mentions free credit reports, with links to AnnualCreditReport.com and FTC.gov. The amended Rule also requires nationwide consumer reporting agencies – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion – to delay advertising for products or services on AnnualCreditReport.com until after consumers get their free credit reports. The amended Rule is effective on April 2, 2010, except for the wording of disclosures for television and radio ads, which takes effect on September 1, 2010.

Information in credit reports may affect whether consumers can monitor for identity theft or can get a loan or a job, so it is important for consumers to check their reports and correct any inaccurate information. Each of the nationwide credit reporting companies is required to provide consumers with a free copy of their credit reports once every 12 months upon request. Consumers can learn more about their right to a free credit report under federal law at http://www.ftc.gov/freereports.

Jan Vitale, Your Investment Protector

Vital Enterprises, LLC

 

Identity Theft Danger Alert: Hotel Key Cards

Sometimes a good piece of information comes along that you simply must pass along.  I have no need to claim ownership of this writing; however, I do feel responsible for making it available for your awareness.

You all need to know this… identity theft is an easy thing to have happen to you if you fail to retain and destroy hotel key cards which contain far more than an access code for the room!    I have to admit, the first time I saw this – I found it hard to believe.  The same message keeps coming up from different sources.   Now is the time to share that with my loyal readers and followers.

HOTEL KEY CARDS…

Where identity theft danger lurks.

Ever wonder what is on your magnetic key card?

Answer:

1. Customer’s name
2. Customer’s partial home address
3. Hotel room number
4. Check-in date and out dates
5. Customer’s credit card number and expiration date!

When you turn them in to the front desk your personal information is there for any employee to access by simply scanning the card in the hotel scanner. An employee can take a hand full of cards home and using a scanning device, access the information onto a laptop computer and go shopping at your expense.

Simply put, hotels do not erase the information on these cards until an employee reissues the card to the next hotel guest. At that time, the new guest’s information is electronically ‘overwritten’ on the card and the previous guest’s information is erased in the overwriting process.

But until the card is rewritten for the next guest, it usually is kept in a drawer at the front desk with YOUR INFORMATION ON IT!

THE BOTTOM LINE IS…

Keep the cards, take them home with you, or destroy them.

NEVER leave them behind in the room or room wastebasket, and

NEVER turn them into the front desk when you check out of a room.

They will not charge you for the card (it’s illegal) and you’ll be sure you are not leaving a lot of valuable personal information on it that could be easily lifted off with any simple scanning device card reader.

For the same reason, if you arrive at the airport and discover you still have the card key in your pocket, do not toss it in an airport trash basket. Take it home and destroy it by cutting it up, especially through the electronic information strip!

If you have a small magnet, pass it across the magnetic strip several times.. Then try it in the door, it will not work. It erases everything on the card.

Information courtesy of:  Metropolitan Police Service.

Applaud yourself for taking time to read this!  Unfortunately, it remains your responsibility to protect yourself from identity theft and other such actions, but you can’t respond to something if you are unaware of it.

Jan Vitale, your Investment Protector

 

Tough Times are Ripe for Identity Theft

As you can tell, I am passionate about informing and providing the public with information and products to protect and organize individuals in every-day life.  When our lives are in order, we have peace of mind and we are able to relax and enjoy life.

Based on security expert reports, crimes involving identity theft tend to increase during hard economic times.  Your employment and financial stability aren’t the only things you have to keep an eye on during a recession.  It isVital  that you protect your identity as well.   Don’t make the mistake of thinking, “It can’t happen to me!” Whether male female, young, old, rich, poor; there is no status in life that makes you any less of a candidate for identity theft.  This, then, poses the question:

How Do Thieves Steal Your Identity?

Skilled in their trade, identity thieves are creative in obtaining personally identifying information such as your name and social security number, credit card numbers or other financial account information.  My intent is not to make you paranoid about security, but to provide theVital knowledge to treat your personal data with caution and protection.

Database Breaches

Stop and think of how many databases hold a significant amount of your personal and financial information.  As of this writing, more than 245 million consumer records have been exposed to data breaches in the past four years.  Unfortunately, it is beyond our ability to protect ourselves against this form of Identify Theft.

Just last month I received notification from my bank informing me that my debit card number was stolen from one of their bases.  A new debit card was issued; however, I have to wonder what other information was stolen.  The good news is I don’t have to “worry”.  I had previously invested in both an Identity theft Shield and Prepaid Legal Plan to “Protect and Restore” my identity should I become a victim.

Diverting Mail

There are currently increasing numbers of protective actions being put into place by credit card companies to help prevent mail diversion.  However, there are still large numbers of reports of change of address mail fraud.  It is Vital  that you monitor your monthly statements regularly.  In any given month, if you do not receive a statement immediately make a telephone call to confirm that your address has not been changed.

Impersonation/False Pretext

We are called upon to learn a new language to protect ourselves from the practice of identity theft on the internet.  One of those words is “phishing” – the act of thieves who impersonates a representative of a financial institution or other well-known company and sends span or pop-up messages to get you to reveal your personal information.  It is Vital  that you be suspicious of any actions of this nature and not respond.  In addition, never give out any personal information on the phone unless you have initiated the call and have knowledge of the person you are speaking with.  There are cases every day where thieves have used false pretenses to obtain personal information pretending to represent financial institutions, telephone companies and other sources.

Dumpster Diving

Many identity thieves go dumpster diving – rummaging through trash – looking for bills or other paper with your personal information on it.  The best way to protect yourself from this act is to purchase a “cross” shredder and make sure that any mail or personal information you discard goes to the dumpster shredded.   Identity thieves have been known to try and piece together shredded documents.  Owning a “cross” shredder is Vital  in order to prevent the piecing together of shredded documents.

Theft

Other than being very cautious about how you handle your purse and/or wallet, you have little protection from those who will perpetrate outright theft of purses and wallets.  A few  Vital   suggestions are as follows:

1. When grocery shopping keep your purse on your shoulder or arm instead of the grocery cart.
2. When paying by credit or debit card or showing your identification be sure to put back the card where it belongs immediately.
3. Never leave your purse or wallet unattended or in the car.

Note: If you have been a victim of identity theft and would like to share your story please e-mail me at janvitale@cox.net.  We will review your story and contact you to authorize publication in the article section. Your story may be extremely valuable in stopping identity thieves from creating another victim.

If you would just like more information about the protection that is available to you, you are encouraged to look around my website.

Jan Vitale, your Investment Protector

When you need an attorney …

who will you call

 

Who’s in Your Wallet?

We live in an information-oriented society. Technology allows us to do business – making transactions literally in a matter of seconds. Unfortunately, this abundance of information has given rise to identity theft.

Did you know that… * 28 million Americans have been victims of this crime in the last five years. * According to CBS News, “Every 79 seconds, someone’s identity is stolen.” * The direct cost to us, the consumer, is over five billion dollars. * According to the FTC almost 60% of identity theft issues don’t pertain to existing credit card accounts.

Are you aware of medical identity theft? Do you know there are approximately 250,000 cases per year? It is estimated by one of the largest health insurance companies that $600 million per year in expenses is attributed to medical identity theft. We the consumers pick up the tab for this in higher medical costs and higher health insurance costs. Medical identity theft occurs when someone uses a person’s name and other parts of their identity (such as insurance information) without the person’s knowledge or consent – to obtain medical services or goods or to make false medical claims.

Medical identity theft frequently results in erroneous entries being put into existing medical records, and can involve the creation of fictitious medical records in the victim’s name. Medical identity theft is a crime that can cause great harm to its victims. Yet despite the profound risk it carries, it is the least studied and most poorly documented of the cluster of identity theft crimes. It is also the most difficult to fix after the fact, because victims have limited rights and recourses. Medical identity theft typically leaves a trail of falsified information in medical records that can plague victims’ medical and financial lives for years.

HIPPA rulings do protect our medical records, but has no real mechanism for enforcement. Legislation has established penalties for such crimes, but there are no reporting mechanisms or inspections to make sure compliance is guaranteed. There have been numerous cases where an employee of a hospital, doctor’s office or clinic sold patient information. This crime is very profitable to the thieves involved in selling the information.

What can you do to take an active roll in trying to protect your medical identity? Many hospitals use your social security number as your identification number when you become a patient. Your social security number or other identification appears on your chart and wristbands for anyone to see. At check-in, ask the hospital to use a different number to circumvent this problem. If they won’t cooperate with your request, ask them to black out all but the last four numbers. Also request that the last the computer only show the last four digits of your social security number. You may not even know your medical records have been stolen until you are denied coverage because of a condition that is considered “pre-existing”, a condition you don’t have.

To protect yourself against this particular crime, ask for copies of your medical records. Treat your them as you would your bank statements. Make sure you go over your medical records on a regular basis; if anyone meddles with your information, you’ll be aware of it, and immediately be able to work toward correcting the situation.

Once an individual’s identity has been stolen – trying to rectify the situation can take numerous hours and a substantial amount of money – including costly attorney fees. Over the past several years numerous companies have sprung up offering protection. Many insurance companies offer identity theft coverage extended from home and auto insurance policies. However, none of these companies offer as broad as coverage as the identity theft shield.

Kroll Inc. in partnership with the identity theft shield provides the expertise in working with those individuals that have had their identity stolen in addition to constant monitoring those that have purchased the protection. For more than 35 years, Kroll has helped companies, government agencies and individuals reduce their exposure to risk. Kroll is an operating unit of Marsh Inc., and with offices in more than 60 cities in the United States and abroad, Kroll can: * operate and restructure businesses; * scrutinize accounting practices and financial documents; * gather and filter electronic evidence for attorneys; * recover lost or damaged data from computers and servers; * conduct in-depth investigations; * screen domestic and foreign-born job candidates; * protect individuals; * and enhance security systems and procedures. Over the last several years, Kroll has developed a unique solution for victims of identity theft. Kroll has the expertise, the knowledge and experience that far surpass all of these new start up companies who offer to protect and restore (in some cases) identity theft.

Who do you want on your side an experienced company or a start up company?

For more information on the identity theft shield please visit my website

Jan Vitale

Vital Enterprises, LLC