The Death of Residual Income (email from Ann Sieg)

I got an email from Ann Sieg last week that I *really* needed to share (I hope she doesn’t mind)! It’s not like it was a personal email – we’ve only met once in person and she’s SUPER nice This was an email she sent to her list about an upcoming product launch. I’m NOT re-posting this email to talk about the product launch. I’m re-posting it because she discusses something that has been VITAL to my business.

Nope, it’s not just some tip or strategy on how to build my list or something. This goes MUCH deeper than that. This is something that can be a total paradigm shift for many people if they truly grasp it. A total game-changer.

First let me share the email, and I’ll comment on it after.

Friend,

I’ve got a serious question that I want you to think
about.

It may sound like a silly hypothetical question but
it actually has huge implications about the way you
perceive the very IDEA and PROMISE of the entire
network marketing business model.

Here it is: If you won the powerball tomorrow (the current
jackpot is at $220 million) would you take it all in
one lump sum or would you take it in installments?

A lot of people opt for taking it in installments.

But from a BUSINESS standpoint, and where you and I
are really concerned, it’s ALWAYS better to have more
cash upfront than it is to wait.

If you took all the cash upfront you could turn around
and invest it into assets that have REAL value and
continue to appreciate.

You could also use it to grow a business faster by
putting it into advertising that generates more
customers, and training and development that equips
you with new skills.

And then there’s the “invisible tax” of inflation.

If you take the payments, who knows how much the
money is actually going to be worth in 5 years…
even 1 year from now after another gazillion dollars
are printed and pumped into the economy.

(( edit from Adam: if you don’t know what Ann’s talking about here, take about 30 mins and go through this mini-documentary on our money system here. ))

But MOST importantly…

Having more cash upfront opens new doors and
opportunities for you that may have never been
available otherwise.

These opportunities can in turn lead to a cascade
of more profits and even more opportunities, the
value of which is impossible to calculate.

Now you could say that when you’re talking about
$220 million it probably doesn’t matter.

But when it comes to your business, differences
in thinking and accounting like this do matter.

A lot.

I’d go as far as to say that putting a focus on
getting paid NOW versus getting paid LATER is one of
the single biggest deciding factors in the success
of every major guru you currently know today.

====== email continues, but we’ll cut it short for the purposes of this blog post ======
(( you can learn more about Ann Sieg here:
http://therenegadenetworkmarketer.com/ ))

Okay, seriously sit back for a moment and relate this to your mlm business.

If I looked at my mlm business from many moons ago (like 6 years ago now) it looks almost archaic how we were “supposed” to make a bulk of our money. And especially in this economy, people aren’t looking to make decent money after 5 years. They NEED to make money NOW.

In my opinion, direct sales is a BIG part of why I work from home now. Yes, affiliate marketing and my own products play a big part as well. But if you notice one commonality of ALL of my main income streams: I get most of my profits NOW.

I’m not living on some promise that “one day” I’ll have a big downline and can “retire”.

1. The days of “downlines” are DEAD in my opinion.
2. “Retirement” is a FALSE IDOL.

This is something that I really never thought of challenging when I was growing up because it’s so accepted. “Retirement” was just something that you did after you worked for the same company for 40+ years. You put in your time, got your pension, cashed in your social security, and traveled the US in your Winnebago.

Well, nowadays most people don’t stay with a company for more than a few years, there’s no such thing as a pension, if you’re banking on your 401k you probably now realize that you have no real control over that either, and if you’re in my age group social security won’t be there… Not that I”d ever want to live on $1300/mo anyways…

If you haven’t picked up a copy of Timothy Ferris’ book “The 4 Hour Work Week”, I suggest checking out these posts on “mini-vacations” on his blog first. Read 5-10 posts and you’ll start to get the picture.

And as for the Winnebago, I’m making it a goal for myself to do just what one of my buddies balked at me for: I’m going to RV across the US with my wife and son (who will only be 1yrs old) next summer. Earlier if possible, but the definite goal will be June 1st of 2011 (1 year from today).

After I re-work my New Years resolutions and timeline of goals from the beginning of this year (got a bunch done, and crossed off a few that just don’t seem that important anymore) I may even move that date up to as early as January 3rd 2011 (my wife’s bday).

So, going back to the email from Ann: make as much money as you can NOW and take “mini-vacations”. Enjoy life as it happens instead of delaying it until you’re too old to really enjoy yourself.

If you’ve ever had someone laugh at your goals or put you down for wanting MORE out of life, comment below with your goals and let’s all chime in and support eachother.

Life is about uplifting our fellow man and empowering each other to live life to the fullest. Let’s do it!

To Our Success,

Adam Holland