There are several things that make me proud to be a member of YTB and ZamZuu. I mentioned Flags4Vets just before Convention. The company has also been a part of Feed the Future in years past, which provide toys, computers, musical instruments, and other gifts to children. We also can’t forget Passport To Giving which provides a steady stream of income for non-profit organizations who no longer have to beg for money.

This fall YTB and ZamZuu will expand its community service to help even more people in the form of security services for the average person. We know all too well about nut cases who poke and prowl the internet for your personal information and end up posting it publicly for everyone to see. While the information age we now live in can be a huge benefit – there is a segment of society who is suffering for whatever reason – and in their own dysfunctional way, they believe that victimizing others will make their pain go away.

While these people may or may not take responsibility for their own wellbeing and happiness – there IS something YOU can do to protect yourself and your family from this ugly segment of society.

That’s why we have a special interest in what ZamZuu will roll out as a new premier identity theft recovery product called the Entrust America ID Recovery Plan. In the event of an identity theft, the covered member is assigned a certified “Rush ID Recovery Specialists” from Entrust America who performs all the recovery and restoration work on behalf of you, the victim.

Most other plans on the market today merely offer assistance and expense reimbursement, and the victims are forced to do their own recovery. Don’t be fooled by slick marketing tactics, partial solutions and fine print exceptions that protect them, not you.

Last year, as many as 10 million Americans were victims of identity theft according to the Identity Theft Resource Center.

We know how nasty and foul these perpetrators can be – but there is a way for you to remain in control and have peace of mind. Entrust your identity to local, regional, and national police associations and law enforcement (who also use THIS product) with Entrust America who fully recovers the victim’s identity, repairs the damage done, pursues the perpetrator, and takes legal action on your behalf.

The second product ZamZuu will launch is something we believe every parent needs in this day and age. Personally, I have no problem with people coming after me – but when it comes to my family that’s an area that’s so far out of bounds I can’t even put it into words. (And you know me – I have a way with words.)

KidZafe by Zamzuu helps you protect your kids from predators, bullies and sexting and helps you protect their privacy and reputation on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and on the mobile phone.

I could go on for days writing about this – but the mind doesn’t see in words – it sees in pictures – and I want you to get the full impact of what’s at stake here as a parent and what you can do to protect those you love. The video embedded below is powerful – especially if you’re a parent of young children. What I really like about this product is that it doesn’t force you to hide or lock up your children from the scum that may be after them – but it will warn and help you protect them. It puts you back in control of the information they now have at their fingertips.

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It’s been 6 months since I switched my internet provider to CLEAR and I absolutely love it. Not only did I quadruple my internet speed, I added a USB modem to bring the internet with me.

Both for less than what I paid my old DSL service provider.

At the time I switched to CLEAR, the 4G signal was just out of reach at the house. I had towers all around me that were equipped and ready to be turned on. I could drive down to the local Kroger around the corner and have all the speed I wanted with my USB modem – but the house was dead. All the action was two tens of a mile away. Even though I didn’t have the blazing fasts speeds here at the house, the bundle for both home and mobile internet was still cheaper, faster and more dependable than any other mobile internet service I could find.

With the amount of time I spend out and about – the choice was easy.

I didn’t have to wait very long for local service. About a month later, a tower was tuned on that was able to get signal here at the house. Once that happened, I canceled my DSL service and went totally wireless for my internet and never looked back – until recently.

If you’re like me, you hardly use the house phone any longer. Cell phones changed all that years ago. We’re a mobile society now, and if you want to catch me – you’re not going to get me by calling my home. We discussed dropping a home number all together a few years ago. Because our DSL service was attached to the home phone, the big bells made certain that the cost wouldn’t justify doing so however.

Today with the kids growing up, the home phone does ring considerably more with friends and neighbors wanting to get in touch with our two kids. Would you want an 8 year old daughter (who’s going on 16) tying up your cell phone all day long?

Didn’t think so.

So getting rid of the house phone is no longer a smart option for us. But each month, we’d look over the phone bill and see charges for services that we have to pay for, but never use. Long distance is a great example. I mean, why pay so many cents per minute when you can just use your cell phone that doesn’t charge a thing for long distance.

The answer is CLEAR.

One of the most impressive aspects about CLEAR for me (besides the blazing fast speeds) is how the bandwidth doesn’t get choked up. I can pull up a half dozen YouTube videos in different windows and CLEAR doesn’t skip a beat. (Not that anyone would want to watch six videos at the same time, but it’s a great demo when selling this service.) With so much bandwidth available, voice couldn’t be that hard.

After testing the service here at the house for the last couple of months, it’s been extremely reliable. Yes, speeds can vary from one minute to another (you can test your own speed at speedtest.net) but the service is consistently faster than DSL ever provided even at its peak.

What’s even more impressive is that CLEAR and VoIP offers even more services than standard phone companies at no additional charge. While international rates still apply – unlimited calling is offered within the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, as well as Canada and Puerto Rico. Voice mail also comes with VoIP with a nice bonus. Voice mail can be turned into e-mail with a .wav file sent to your work account so that you’re not only notified that someone called, but actually get the message via e-mail. Caller ID and call waiting are also provided for no additional service charges. (Something our phone company charged for.)

A couple other services that come with CLEAR’s VoIP service that we never bothered to add to our old service but are nice additions (for no added cost) are 3-way calling, advanced call forwarding, call blocking, and Do Not Disturb. (Meaning, no more telemarketers during dinner or after 8:00 pm!)

I can’t say the quality is remarkable, because there really no difference between the old service and VoIP, but the technology certainly is. What is remarkable however is that my internet is not only mobile, but I have it for less than what I paid for DSL and basic phone before. Three services for less than the price of two with more features and faster speeds.

Interested in finding out more about CLEAR and VoIP service? You can check it out through ZamZuu and the ZamTek link under Internet Services. It’s super easy to install (plug and play) – faster than anything out there, and fits perfect into your mobile lifestyle.

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My apologies to my regular readers of this blog today. I need to head off into the realm of computer geek to help out fellow iPhone users who’ve upgraded either their phone or their computer in the last couple of weeks who ran a very annoying and troublesome syncing error.

The problem occurred for me more than a month ago, the morning we left for vacation, when I upgraded iTunes only to be greeted with an error after the upgrade that said:

“iTunes could not connect to this iPhone because an unknown error occurred (0xE8000065).”

So my search began for a fix.

It’s not that I haven’t run into syncing problems before – and a fix is usually a quick Google search away for the error code and a related solution found on the first page of results. I wasn’t so lucky this time – with a solution found in an area that very few were looking into.

The “blame game” began with the obvious (or most likely) players in the mix. That being iTunes or Windows 7. After getting a little more in depth the problem appeared to be narrowed down to 64 bit processors and more importantly the new P55 Intel chips that they run on. Patches and fixes were suggested but nothing appeared to work properly, and some solutions ended up causing even bigger problems or would actually slow systems down instead.

After researching the search results and the dates they were posted, the error has been extremely problematic for everyone involved dating back to late 2009. With so many having the same problem and posting their frustrations out on the world wide web for so long, any type of solution would be difficult to uncover at this point.

I even gave up for a time during the month due to some of the needless banter I was reading. I understand people get frustrated, but after the years of needless bashing I’ve seen the last couple of years from the travel industry and clueless anti-mlm folk, my tolerance levels are pretty much nonexistent these days. None of it contributes to a real solution people actually want or need.

But alas, iPhone’s are arguably the most popular smartphones on the market today. With so many phones out there a solution to this strange error would be found and resolved eventually.

Oddly enough, the problem was found in the P55 Express chipset’s USB controller. Newer PC’s with P55-equipped Core i5 / i7 chips and BIOS configuration couldn’t “talk” to the phone. Part of the solution came from those who bypassed the built in USB controller found on the chip for a more generic USB version. Other users were successful in solving the issue by deleting the iPodDevices.xml file from their iTunes folder, by disabling Bonjour or by turning on C-state capability in their BIOS.

While it worked for some, it wouldn’t for others. (Including myself.)

After pinpointing the culprit of the error (that being the Core i5 / i7 chips) I found an update from Dell that was released in the middle of the month. (July 13, 2010) Other motherboard manufactures who now install the Core i5 and i7 chips have also released BIOS updates to fix the problem. These manufactures include (and I have a link to for each download) Gigabyte, MSI and Asustek)

If you’re running a Dell machine like I am, I’d recommend downloading directly from Dell here.

Please note, there were two files associated with this chipset update from Dell, and I have no idea if both are required to fix the USB issue or not. I’m pleased however that the patch was extremely easy to install directly from the desktop, and there’s a noticeable difference in speed and processing time on the plus side.

Oh, and yes, it resolved my sync error with my iPhone once and for all. ;-P

With any luck, this post will find its way to the top of the search engines for other folks who have the same sync problem so they can resolve it in a matter of minutes instead of days like myself.

I’ve always joked about “Ain’t technology grand?” when things go awry. This problem was no joke however and far more problematic than any would have ever imagined.

Hope you find it quick and that it helps.

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One of the nice features about a blog is the ability to track how people find you. I’ve always kept a pretty close eye on search terms and referral links coming into this site because it’s one of the best ways to come up with new material and topics. It’s also a good indicator of what’s on people’s minds.

The biggest mistake I see people make when writing a blog is it’s all about them – and that’s the wrong way to look at it. If you want readership – you have to cater to topics that interest your readership. It’s not that you can’t write about what you want or have personal opinions about your topic of choice – but you really need to think from a readers perspective.

Case in point – a really hot search right now is finding an alternative to Bing’s Cash Back program. The current number of searches is alarming and plenty of people are scrambling for alternatives. When I wrote about Bing flushing their program back in June, not only did I find out that Bing wasn’t making any money, (giving 100% back to consumers who shopped there) but some of the extremely high cash back percentages were actually coming out of Bing’s pocket.

The plan behind stacking the percentages of cash back was to drive more user traffic. In a roundabout way, Bing was paying for more traffic in cash back in the hope that it would eventually lead to more advertising dollars. When you look at Google earning revenue of $22.8 BILLION in 2009 just in advertising revenue – you’d want a piece of that pie too. But Google also dominates 71% of all search queries in the United States, while Bing captures only 9%.

Microsoft in their infinite wisdom had a better plan. When Microsoft bought Jellyfish.com back in 2007 to get into the online shopping game they eventually stripped away the “refer a friend” percentages and the revenue split that Jellyfish.com made to continue to build and develop and gave it all away to the shopper – betting they could make it up in ad revenue.

The beginning of the end came in August of 2009 when Bing doubled their cash back percentages – costing them even more money without the sufficient ad revenue to compensate. They were betting that it would drive considerably more traffic and it did – for shoppers – but it never turned into loyal search users or more advertising dollars.

When Microsoft bought Jellyfish.com back in 2007; this small little company was profitable. The cash back splits were sufficient, and word of mouth or referrals were working like a charm. Although I had no idea who they were at the time, they were by far the fastest growing cash back option on the internet at the time. Dozens of startups tried to copy them or add their own little twist to get in on this growing trend of e-commerce.

But Bing had a better plan – while going head-to-head with traditional cashback programs firmly entrenched in the market for a decade or more: Ebates, MrRebates, Upromise, MyPoints, and Memolink.

While Bing was great for shoppers and garnered a number of loyal fans it was the wrong model for business. You can’t give away more than you make and stay in business for very long.

So loyal Bing shoppers are off searching for new alternatives. Some have already found them, while others appear to be somewhat disappointed that some of their favorite cash back stores have been cut in half.

If you’re a follower of this blog (or YTB and ZamZuu) you’re well aware of the illusions some people have about MLM and Network Marketing. How MLM is the only model who takes huge cuts out of their price to pay all the people at the top. It’s a myth and illusion I find fascinating. If you look at business as whole – every company has a pyramid structure to it. (So does government and your family tree for that matter.) Why MLM is singled out as being the only pyramid that’s wrong, immoral or a scam makes me question the intelligence of those who rant and rave with their harsh and bitter commentary.

When it comes to these shopping sites, most all out there keep about half the commission for themselves to stay in business. They need to pay for employees, local management, area management, and regional management, VP’s, Senior VP’s, Partners, Presidents and CEO’s. The higher up the pyramid (excuse me – make the “ladder”), the bigger your cut of the revenue earned.

How some miss that – makes me question their intelligence.

That being said, let’s look at ZamZuu simply from the consumer experience and compare it to other “traditional models” that have been around for a while.

When you take a look at this document which lists a side by side comparison of other leading cash back programs, you’ll clearly see that ZamZuu stacks up really well. While some may be a percentage or two higher or lower, nobody really comes out as a clear winner in this chart from a consumer point of view. It’s interesting to note that all the programs listed are “traditional models” and not MLM or Network Marketing companies.

From this perspective, ZamZuu is no different from a traditional model or cash back program.

The key difference for me and why I promote ZamZuu is the “refer a friend” percentage – which clearly trumps the others by a long shot. There is a distinct difference in model and mindset in this instance however. I look at ZamZuu as a business model – not a hobby. The ability to refer friends, family, neighbors, and co-worker and earn 60% of what they earn in cash back is the game changer for someone who understands business. Instead of that 60% going to the President or CEO of Fatwallet or Extrabux it comes to me as an Independent Business Owner.

Clearly, these “friends” will be hard pressed to find a better all-around cash back alternative for themselves in this growing market of online shopping. It’s free for them to sing up, and they have the added benefit of finding comparable travel deals through a 10 year old Travel Agency that also ranks with other power houses in the industry.

Just our way of separating fact from the fiction. More like illusions if you ask me – but that’s another article for another day.

So if someones looking for an alternative to Bing Cash back – feel free to save this document and show them a side by side comparison. I can promise you, they won’t have any better relationship with anyone from these other companies. But they do have one with you.

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You know, I looked for this list last week and didn’t see it. Then mid-morning yesterday, it dawned on me that it might be out this week. After writing about this Power List the last 4 years (because YTB has made the list all 4 years) I can go directly to the URL without even needing to look it up. I’ve enjoyed the publication (I enjoy it all year long actually) and it’s fascinating to see the chess match that goes on in the travel industry.

Ironically, Travel Weekly appears to see it as a chess match as well, but on a much grander scale – the last decade. There have been some new faces (like YTB) that have shown up in the last few years and others that have either gone completely out of business or have been acquired by or merged with other companies. (More of the latter from what I can tell.)

The biggest surprise to me was who knocked off the #1 and #2 positions the last few years. American Express and Carlson Wagonlit have had a lock on the the number one and number two spots respectively until this year. (American Express has had a lock on #1 since 1992, when the Power List first came out.)

Online giant Expedia jumped over both this year to take the number one spot.

Yep, online travel is now king.

The list also shrunk in size this year (from 61 total to 52) because – well 2009 was a rough year for travel. Bookings may have been up – but with prices cut in half to get people on board ships, into hotel rooms, and on vacation you literally needed to sell twice as much in order to even maintain your spot from last year.

How did YTB fair in all this?

Not too bad actually. YTB did drop from 25 to 29.

Considering the economy, the incessant and dysfunctional obsession from industry “professionals” about YTB’s MLM model and our fine group of ambulance chasers who can’t quite grasp the meaning of the word “NO” – 29 is actually pretty good.

On the other hand, most clients who book with YTB don’t know (or don’t really care) that there’s an MLM arm attached to the company. Technology plays a big part in that.

I’d highly recommend taking some time to read Travel Weekly’s cover Story “10 Years In Review” to attain their perspective on how technology has changed the face of travel. I’ve been writing about it for years here – but I’m just one of those MLM “Yahoo’s” – a newcomer to the industry who really doesn’t know how things work. (Or so some would have you think.)

Turns out that the internet and technology has not only changed the rankings considerably over the last ten years, but it’s essential in the growth and viability of the vast majority of the agencies who are still around. That’s not to say high touch and high service doesn’t continue to play a role like most of the old dogs would have you believe. (The ones who demand this type of service from YTB in order to legitimize the model.)

A total focus on high touch and high service however, would have certainly landed YTB on the outside of this Power List looking in.

Back in 2001 when YTB was founded, they saw a trend towards technology. Today, over $50 BILLION in travel was purchased online last year between Expedia, Orbitz, Priceline, and Travelocity. While all four certainly produced top 10 rankings, Travelocity didn’t provide sales numbers and wasn’t included in this years rankings. (See “What happened to…” in the Travel Weekly report.)

Those who have embraced this shift and taken advantage of the paradigm shift from brick and mortar to click and order have done very well for themselves over the last ten years.

Those who haven’t? Well, you can now find them on various message boards, forums and some have even created their own blogs to bitch and complain about how MLM not technology has ruined their business.

Change is a little more difficult for some – and honestly, some may never come around. (I certainly wouldn’t count on it.) I wouldn’t worry about it however. They’re the ones who are faced with another Power List with the name YTB Travel Network in it for the forth year in a row.

Instead, embrace the technology YTB has provided with new an innovative ways of booking travel.

In fact, you can do that tonight if you’d like. Carnival will be featured once again on our booking engine with yet another “Sail-A-Thon” to wind down Carnival Month with YTB. It’s a live 4 hour blowout sale and you could get up to $160 Cash Back from Carnival if you book with us tonight.

Technology and travel…

It appears to be the right mix if you ask me. ;-P

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One of the most forward thinking and innovative suppliers in the Travel industry in my opinion is Carnival Cruise Lines. They were one of the first to embrace YTB in the early days, and haven’t been swayed by myths or phobias surrounding the Network Marketing industry. It’s just “business” – and they don’t get caught up in the drama. YTB has consistently produced sales for the cruise line which in part enables the line to maintain their distinction as “Most Popular Cruise Line in the World.”

In another innovative move – Carnival will be launching a “cash back” promotion next Monday (June 7th) of up to $160 per stateroom with a variety of cruises through February 2011.

While I’m sure YTB  would like to take credit for this promotion which currently provides “cash back” through ZamZuu, Carnival designed the program on their own to entice more people to book cruises.  Saving money is still a big hot button these days, and they’ve found a way to capture what’s hot. By offering “cash back” in amounts ranging from $80 per stateroom to $160 per stateroom via a shipboard credit, the hope is that it will tip the scales in Carnivals favor over other cruises offered during this time.

Cash back amounts are based on cruise length and can be redeemed on board during the cruise for a variety of options and amenities. If by chance you don’t use your allotted amount – you’ll get a check at the end of your cruise.

Credits will be offered starting on 3-day and longer cruises and include the Caribbean, Bahamas and Mexico from 15 convenient departing ports in the US.

The “Cash Back” details are as follows:

• $40 per person (max $80 p/stateroom) on select 3-, 4- & 5-day sailings
• $80 per person (max $160 /stateroom) on select 6-day or longer sailings

The shipboard credit is automatically applied on guests’ Sail & Sign accounts when they board their cruise and can be redeemed toward shore excursions, spa treatments, gift shop items and a variety of other shipboard purchases. Any unused funds at the end of the cruise will be returned to guests on debarkation day in the form of a check.

The new promotion is capacity controlled and applies to new individual bookings for category 4A and higher. Bookings have to be made between June 7 and June 30, 2010 to qualify for the promotion and it is valid with the “Fun Select” advance purchase discount fares. Guests must request fare code OCB when making the reservation.

The Cash Back promotion will be promoted nationally via TV commercials and local radio spots as well as through a direct-response TV spot. I suspect it will also be a very hot topic during tomorrow nights YTB Travel Network webinar with Ann Sedgwick. (For YTB Travel Network Agents only.)

If you happen to be on our newsletter, you already know how to register for this webinar, and I highly suggest that you get yourself registered. If you’re not on our newsletter – shame on you! (Get yourself registered now.) In the meantime, if you don’t have the info to get on this, send a support ticket to the home office through your back office and they’ll get you the hooked up with the webinar tomorrow night.

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Before YTB, I was living the American Dream – or so I thought. The “reality” was I had been bumbling through a number of companies that left me high and dry. Any illusions I had about the corporate world were quickly being shatter. Family Golf ran out of money and was bought out by an Asian group who promptly fired everyone. Anicom got caught cooking their books – was shut down by the FTC and the founders imprisoned. ISP lost its manufacturing contracts to the internet for the territories I covered. iAutomate never reached the internet dominance it aimed to achieve and was downsized. And my last stint with Hi-Fi Buys eventually ended in bankruptcy court.

The American Dream of getting a good education and finding a J.O.B. was a carrot I wasn’t willing to chase any longer. My discontent over the lie about working for someone else had me frustrated and looking for options when YTB came knocking.

Three guys – Coach, Scott and Kim turned me onto the idea of being in business for myself. They offered my first products I could offer and sell as an “independent representative”. Harv Ecker and Bob Proctor soon followed in my journey who showed me other income streams. All of the streams they create are “passive” – meaning I don’t have to be there to generate income. Guys like Mike Dillard taught me the value of branding myself. If you’re a newsletter subscriber, you’ve heard that name before – and many have bought Mike’s Magnetic Sponsoring courses. Mike’s primary business teaches the value of something called a “funded proposal”.

Coach, Scott and Kim taught the value of building a business within the YTB business, but I also like what Mike calls it.

“You, Inc.”

I became a student of “You, Inc.”. While everyone knows I’m tied to YTB, now ZamZuu – my brand is “Just Picture It Now”. With this brand, I now own a well visited blog with various tools and affiliate products that create income. I also own a list of subscribers that now reach thousands each and every week. Auto-responders within our newsletter create a steady stream of income that work on auto-pilot. Articles on this blog also create a steady stream of income with well ranked organic links. Articles I’ve written years ago continue to produce income almost every month. Those are the passive income streams that Ecker and Proctor taught me.

“You Inc.” provides me the option to pursue opportunities that interest me such as writing, up-in-coming technology, and pay-per-click income that keeps my brand diversified, fresh and profitable. I pick and choose who and what I promote with incredible flexibility and versatility. This diversity has enabled me to stay with YTB far longer without any worry of the outside forces attempting to tear it down. The economic meltdown of late 2008 and 2009 and the hit the travel industry took forced many to make changes. The needless “YTB bashing” that goes on about their “model” being something other than viable or legitimate has forced others to make changes as well.

Me? I was diversified enough that income actually increased while millions all over the country were being laid off, downsized or scrambling to find other sources of income which had dried up.

I’ve always been an independent thinker. I never would have gotten involved with YTB in the first place if I wasn’t. I saw right through the hype and trash talk about pyramid schemes that we often see from those who haven’t any experience to speak of. I’ve heard it said that if somebody tells you what they think – take it with a grain of salt. If someone tells you what they’ve experienced however – you better listen.

What I’m about to tell you may sound shocking to some – controversial to others – but it rings true for me. Based on my experience in the corporate world, the bickering and fighting going on by traditional travel agents who have seen commissions either diminish or completely vanish and the Directors in YTB who built large organizations who are now with different companies – I’ve come to this conclusion.

True independence and success comes from multiple opportunities and various streams of passive income.

Last week YTB announced its new Director level and enhanced compensation starting at 250 active IBC’s. The new level also provides additional guaranteed income with fully paid medical and life insurance paid for by the company. I didn’t write about it here, but I did put it in last weekend’s newsletter – because it’s news. Honestly, when I heard about the new level, I was surprised at me first initial thought’s. When I did put it out on my newsletter to my subscribers, it was uncomfortable.

Then, earlier this week I was asked to pick either YTB or my other “ventures” and my gut reaction was shocking – even to me.

As good as the Directors program is and as much as it provides to individuals and their families – it’s not the right goal or option for me.

I’m an “Independent Representative” not a “Director”.

How do you like them apples?

I got into YTB to create my own independence. Over the last 6 years I’ve built and now utilize several profitable income streams. It’s enabled me to survive the chaos and the slandering where others haven’t because they were counting on a single source. Directors who built large organizations are now gone because they relied on one company. Travel Agents have been bickering for years, or are out of business doing something else because they rely on one stream. Even I was forced to jump from company to company for years because I relied on a single revenue streams before I found YTB.

The true value for me in YTB are all the income streams – not the Directors program. The position lands me right back where I was 6 years ago and doesn’t provide the current options and streams I’ve been able to create and build on my own.

It’s not that I’m upset or angry with YTB. To the contrary – I couldn’t have dreamed of a better vehicle to start my journey. YTB has been a wonderful experience for me and was the first company to provide multiple streams. I had never been with a company with so many possibilities prior. Likewise, the Director program is a first of its kind. The medical, life and guaranteed income benefits not only rival but are the envy of the corporate world. With benefits like these – the company has every right to attach reasonable conditions for that privilege.

It’s their company and they make the rules.

But as good as it is and as much as I wanted it – along the way I found my own true independence and own income streams where I make the rules.

The world has changed. Likewise, the internet and technology continues to evolve and change at a rapid pace. It’s exciting – it’s fresh. The internet offers up endless possibilities and an abundance of opportunities to market and promote whatever I want. It didn’t really occur to me until I was asked to make a choice between my own business here on the internet and the one I run with YTB. Without realizing it until this week – I’ve successfully generated a brand that’s more valuable and meaningful on my own.

I don’t know what’s going to happen over the next couple of days guys. While my gut reaction was instant and sure – I told YTB that I had to think about it. But my gut has never been wrong. It’s a message from the Divine. There may be an applicable resolution to all this that I can do both – and I’d like to do both. I love YTB – and I especially love the people I’ve been able to help. Thousands rely and count on me each and every week to inform and mentor them. I’m not looking to steal anyone or trash YTB in any way. That’s selfish and unprofessional.

Overall, YTB has been far too good to me and I’m incredibly grateful to them for showing me the path to my own independence and freedom.

But I also own this blog and my list of subscribers which provided me the freedom and flexibility to speak my own mind and provide my own path.

I’m at complete peace with anything that may come my way. If I can survive horrendous economic conditions and needless trashing of a company I promoted wholeheartedly – I can survive anything.

That my friends is real – true independence.

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