I was telling someone a few weeks ago that things were going to be very slow news wise up until the National Convention in a few weeks. I have to apologize to that person…Boy did I get that one wrong! It made perfect sense when I said it…why would the company release any new features, announcements, upgrades before the biggest meeting of the year?

Of course it’s not all YTB’s fault. We certainly can’t help that the news media took a keen interest in our Lady Liberty that’s now complete and ready to ship to the convention.

The last few days YTB has come to the forefront once again and the speculation is flying all over the place. I would have thought both events would have been worthy enough to save for the Convention. We can all figure out just why we took the Booking Engine and Steals and Deals links off the Marketing sites. It has been mentioned that this was long overdue and really should have been done at the same time the Rep Links were taken off the Booking Engines years ago. It’s my believe that this separation between the Marketing Site and our Booking Engine is going to prove to be an important element, but for different reasons.

The news yesterday, I suspect was offered up in response to some rumors that I’ve heard about running around the Network Marketing circles which surfaced a few weeks ago. Rumor has it that YTB is getting out of the MLM business.

I’m really not at Liberty (pun intended) right now to write about what all this means. (Other than I REALLY like the idea of being a Franchise Owner.) I do want to point out that the company is only “contemplating” at this time. I’m amazed and dazzled however at how some of our critics who are so well versed as “MLM Experts” were able to switch hats at a moments notice and suddenly become “Franchise Experts”. How they know so much about everything astounds even me.

Here is what I will do. I will post the Press Release here in its entirety and the emphasis will be mine as you read the company statement. For those of us in YTB who truly understand our model, please read carefully and it’s my hope that with my emphasis, you will get a more accurate interpretation of what is being conveyed in this release.

We can let the “experts” speculate on their own. Frankly at this point, I’m actually very amused over some of the interpretations and concerns over this. Reading comprehension and full understanding of YTB’s two separate and unique business models are at a premium. Lack of fully understanding our current business model can be oh so dangerous.

YTB International Contemplates Implementation of Franchises

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Did you notice a change to our YTB Marketing Sites yesterday? It’s actually pretty small, but I think it will prove to be a very important development in the months and years to come. If you subscribe to my Free Newsletter you already knew about this change, but I wanted to let others who may not be aware know not only what has just transpired, but why.

“As YourTravelBiz.com and YTB Travel Network continue to grow we are working diligently to define the differences between the travel and marketing businesses. Beginning Monday, July 14, 2008, the “Book Travel” link and the “Deals and Steals” link will be removed from the marketing website. You will no longer be able to access the travel website from the Marketing home page. In order to access your YTB Travel Network booking engine, you must go directly to www.ytbtravel.com/userID.”

It is important to understand that we must differentiate between the marketing and travel businesses.YTB Travel Network ranked 26th in the nation by Travel Weekly with over $414 million in travel sales in 2007. (That’s an 83% growth in TRAVEL SALES over last year by the way and a 9 spot jump from #35 in last year’s list.) As our travel sales continue to increase, our vendors and our critics need to see a clear separation between the travel business and marketing business. Having the “Book Travel” link and the “Deals and Steals” link on the marketing site fuels their confusion. Not our fault, but the critics especially are just a little slower than others and it is our hope that this step will help our critics see this separation on our Marketing Sites and curb some of the criticism and outlandish claims about a business model they are having so much trouble grasping and understanding.

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Everyone is talking about what’s going to happen in just 23 days! When we took our trip up to the Home Office for Red Carpet a few weeks ago we noticed that Josh and Scott Tomer were behind closed doors, spotted brief cases with handcuffs attached to them, papers being shredded, and conversations cut short when we entered rooms. Very strange, mysterious, and hush hush type stuff that certainly didn’t fit what we have come to know concerning YTB.

So strange, that it’s caught the attention of a very special “Secret Agent”.

Bond…James Bond…

Okay, so it’s not James Bond (sorry ladies) but who ever this agent is; he’s on to something and is attempting to uncover the truth about what’s REALLY going on at the Home Office.

Over the last few weeks, this “Agent” has sent us several letters, and an undercover video that really raises our eye brows! Yesterday, he sends us something he snagged and pieced together from the shredder directly from Josh Tomer’s office, and while we’re not sure the pieces are in the right order, or if all the pieces are actually there, we felt it was important enough pass this along in hopes that maybe you can assist in helping us unravel this mystery.

He’s sent us a double secret web site which is password protected, and if you can unlock the code to enter the site, you will gain access to the letters, video, and documentation of what he’s uncovered.

Go to www.ytbsecretagent.com, unlock the code, and see if you can figure out what Josh and Scott are trying to keep quiet!

Why can’t they be more like Coach? (Coach can NEVER keep a secret!) How could that DNA bypass two generations of Tomers?

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If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time you should know that I am a die hard Steelers fan. I grew up in Pittsburgh during the years of the Steel Curtain, Lambert’s Lunatics, Franco’s Army, and four Super Bowl Championships in the 70’s. You can take the boy out of the city, but you could never take the Steelers out of the boy.

My only memories of the Steelers, even as a small boy are three Coach’s, (Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, and Mike Tomlin) two stadiums, (Three Rivers and Heinz Field), and one ownership, the Rooney’s. In 1933, Art Rooney Sr. (“The Chief”) purchased this NFL franchise for $2,500. The other four current NFL teams in existence at that time were the Chicago (Arizona) Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears and New York Giants.

To state that this Franchise is riddled with history is an understatement at best.

You may also know if you’ve been with YTB for any length of time that Coach is also a Steelers fan. He grew up just outside of Pittsburgh, and even after moving away many decades ago, he like me, still bleeds Black and Gold.

I’ll never forget the first night my wife and I saw this business. It was during one of the Founders Tours back in 2005 and Coach was there and when he got up to speak, he said something, and honestly I don’t remember what the exact word was, but it was a very distinct Pittsburghese, and I turned to my wife and told her right then that Coach was from Pittsburgh.

She looked at me like I was nuts, (Wasn’t the first time, and wasn’t the last. ;-P) but when I was introduced to Coach after the presentation, I asked him if he spent any time in Pittsburgh. He was shocked that I picked up on his dialect, but we Pittsburgher’s N-at always know!

While I am aware of some cities who have attempted to have Coach change his loyalty to other teams, Coach knows who the REAL American Team is! (Isn’t that right Charlie?!)

That being said, it has come to my attention that for the first time in over 75 years, the ownership of the Pittsburgh Steelers may be jeopardy of changing hands. Four of the Rooney brothers plan to get out of the NFL and focus their business efforts on their racetracks and other interests. (Ownership in gambling, such as racetracks, is against NFL policy and regulations.)

According the Official Steelers site Dan Rooney, and his son, Steelers President Art Rooney II, are arranging a financing plan to buy Dan’s brothers’ shares in the team in order to continue substantial ownership of the franchise by the Rooneys.

However, word has surfaced that the Steelers may have been secretly shopped around and an outside buyer has come into the mix, who may take control of the team.

Oh the HUMANITY!

So that got me thinkin’. (Dangerous, I know.) IF the Steelers are being shopped around, who better to take over than our very own Coach Tomer! He has the money, he has the loyalty, and I can’t think of a better Coach in the world! What I like most about this idea is that he surrounds himself with quality people and delegates jobs and tasks to people who excel in those areas.

Can you imagine…Coach Tomer, part owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers? Okay, hard to wrap, even for me after all these years of stability in this franchise, but like Cowher in 1992 and now Tomlin who’s now in his sophomore year, I can adapt.

What I like most about this idea is that for as long as I’ve known Coach, he’s always done what was best for people. The man has a heart of Gold. It’s not just us either. You may know about the cruises he gave away for Military and their families this spring. While I can’t document what I’ve heard about what this meant to every single family, and I’ve heard some very sincere and touching stories. Apparently it got back to the Top Brass and to have a Naval Commander take the time to write and thank our company for its service and aid in these families quality of life is truly astounding.

Like the Rooney Family, I feel the same way about the Tomer family and that’s why it’s such a perfect fit in my view. The Rooneys and the Tomers have always done what’s best for the team, and its fans.

“The Chief” was the laughing stock of the NFL for many years, and had only a handful of winning seasons before he hired Chuck Noll back in 1969 as their head Coach. Art Jr., one of two Rooney brothers who worked full time for the team, was so skilled as a scouting director that his drafts in the late 1960s and early 1970s were largely responsible for the Steelers winning four Super Bowls in six years.

His 1974 draft alone produced Hall of Famers Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth and Mike Webster and led to Art Jr. being nominated for the Hall of Fame. No argument from me that this “recruiting” was the best in NFL history.

“The Coach” doing what he has done in the Travel Industry, taking a bunch of nobodies, and producing a top Travel Agency in only his 8th year in business, seems to me at least, to be a top pick in working WITH the Rooneys in keeping the legacy and the tradition alive and well in this blue color town who’s foundation was built in a melting pot of all walks of life.

It could prove to be a lot of fun, and isn’t that what life should be all about?!

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Television station WGN AMERICA decided that YTB’s amazing Lady Liberty being built for the 2008 YTB National Convention was important enough to make it their Cover Story. The video is now available via this direct link and it’s something that those of us in YTB should be proud of.

If you made last years National Convention, you’ll know that Beryl Martin is the same company that put together last year’s event and from the looks of it, this year will be even better than last. While no one really knows, it’s been reported that bids have come in for this stage costing $8 Million.

While this is purely speculation at this point, I have to wonder if UPS will take advantage of being the “Official Transporter” of Lady Liberty from Lake County to St. Louis with a 3 mile long caravan of 80 UPS trucks the first week in August. (The plans of 40 semis have been changed.)

This isn’t the first time Lady Liberty has made news. Back in April, ABC news gave us our first glimpse of what she would look like, and to our surprise, it was also aired on Good Morning America the next morning.

It won’t be the last either, you can be sure of that. A documentary is being filmed as we speak concerning the creation of Lady Liberty for the National Convention, and as much as I’d like to see it culminate there, it’s my belief that our story will end at Lady Liberty’s final resting spot. The front runner at this point is Crown Point, Indiana for a tribute to fallen Police Officers, Fire Fighters, and Soldiers.

There is already word of all three Major networks having press boxes at the Convention along with more than 20,000 Reps and RTA’s. Twice the amount of last year and from the looks of it, in 5 years, YTB won’t even be able to fit in the Edward R. Jones Dome.

It going to be the don’t miss, must see event of the year!

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Television station WGN AMERICA (Chicago WGN show News at Nine – local, satellite, and cable) will air a story on YTB’s amazing Lady Liberty being built for the 2008 YTB National Convention.

(Story and video air on Chicago’s local WGN station show News at Nine, but broadcast nationwide on WGN America)

SEE IT TONIGHT
10 pm Eastern, 9 pm Central, 8 pm Mountain, 7 pm Pacific

Check your local listings
DIRECTV Channel 307
DISH NETWORK Channel 239
CABLE Channels vary by provider

The story and video will be available at http://wgntv.trb.com/ after the show airs. Alert the team, the neighbors, and the family about tonight’s broadcast and tell them to check the WGN TV website later if they missed it or to see it again. (Keep checking – the video will be posted tonight or in the morning).

The number of video hits on the WGN website will determine to what extent WGN will air something special about YTB’s Convention. (There is already word of all three Major networks being there with 20,000 Reps and RTA’s.)

This is a not to be missed opportunity to increase national exposure to our fast growing company – on our way to becoming the largest online travel network in the world!

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Hope Ya’ll had a great weekend. (For you Pittsburgher’s like me, replace “Yunz Guys” with “Ya’ll”) We had family in town since the middle of last week, and while I did do some “work”, some things, like internet activity, took a back seat. (Which would include this blog.)

I started to think about what to post today and honestly didn’t have anything prepared. There are a couple of key people I like to read for inspiration, and many of them you can find to the right as part of my “favorite authors”, but there is one who isn’t on my list who I’ve known via the Internet and message boards who I’ve admired for years. As a success, I have attempted to model in my journey in my own home based business.

I stumbled into one of his articles late last night and can’t tell you how thrilled I was to see someone like Tony with the same belief I have concerning working at home with kids.

To some, this may seem odd, and some who’ve never experienced this may think that people would find this “unprofessional”. Like Tony, I’ve never seen or heard a single person in all the years I’ve been home with my kids that anyone has ever been “put off” by my kids who may interrupt, make extra noise, or need something during a call.

As a matter of fact, I get more compliments and most everyone with children desire what I have more than anything else.

So I’m going to step aside for today and let Tony take it from here with a copy and paste from Articlebase.

How to Succeed in a Home Business Even if you Have Kids

Author: Tony Rush

You’ve seen the ad in the magazines and online. I call her the Perfect Work-At-Home Person. She’s a beautiful lady with perfect makeup and hairstyle. She’s sitting at her computer in her home office and her two-year old is quietly playing with her toys on the floor.

Or perhaps it’s a picture of a man who’s lounged by the pool laughing and talking on his cordless phone while his children are floating around in the pool.

Let’s pause for a reality check.

As I type this, I’m holding an 18-month old who has barged into my office and demanded his favorite past-time: to sit on my lap while listening to iTunes. (Right now, we’re listening to “How Long” by The Eagles and he’s desperately trying to climb onto the keyboard to get my iPhone.)

In fact, less than an hour ago, I had a phone call from a potential business partner who had to hold for a moment as I made sure that my oldest son had his phone charged and knew to be careful crossing the street to go to his friend’s house.

Of course, I could close the door. I could ask my wife to watch him for a bit while I take care of some business.

And sometimes I do that. But, usually, I’m doing business or taking calls throughout the day while I’m enjoying being with my family.

Welcome to the Home Office of the 21st Century Family: Where family is the top priority and we don’t feel the need to pretend that our home office is a picture from a magazine.

It wasn’t always this way, though. I remember not too long ago, if the phone rang, I was shrieking at everyone to be quiet because I was “working”. Or I spent huge swaths of time with the door to my office closed because I was “working”.

What a drag. What’s the point in working at home if you have to pretend you’re in a corporate environment? Or where everyone around you is stressed out because they feel like they’re walking on eggshells.

I suspect that most home-business entrepreneurs are living the same way and doing it for the same reason: fear.

They’re afraid that if someone hears a child in the background, it means they’re not “professional”. But the truth is that most of the people you talk to would love to be able to work from home and be with their loved ones every day. And this is especially true if you’re in a business where showing people how to get out of the corporate environment is what you do.

The truth is that working at home and being connected with your family is cool today. Today’s best “power lunch” is when you’re making money while slicing a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich for your kids. And the best suits to wear when doing business is a swimsuit.

Just this week, I was on the phone with a potential business partner and my son, Pate, came in to get a hug and a kiss before going to bed. I asked my prospect to hang on, laid the phone on the desk and spent the next 45 seconds tickling my son, telling him how much I love him and that I’d see him in the morning.

When I picked up the phone, I said, “There was a time I would have apologized for that but that’s actually the whole reason why I do what I do.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone and my prospect said, “That’s the kind of life I want. How do I get started?”

And of course, when the situation requires, you can always close your door. There’s nothing wrong with that, either. It’s all about choice.

So, the message is simple: don’t be too quick to assume that working at home requires you to be “slick” or “professional”.

I earn a multiple six-figure income from home and I’ve been able to do that while enjoying my family; not hiding them. Don’t expect that I’ll always answer the phone if you call my office.

And if I do, you might just hear the sounds of The Eagles or a Nintendo Wii in the background.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/how-to-succeed-in-a-home-business-even-if-you-have-kids-297523.html

About the Author:
Here is Easton’s contribution to the article: aaaaaaazzzzzzzzzz3g9]

For more information on Tony Rush, visit http://www.tonyrush.com

Couldn’t have said it better myself Tony.

Thank you.

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