The rumble you heard or felt at 10:05 am Eastern yesterday morning wasn’t an earthquake.

Rather what you might have heard or felt were thousands of faithful Convention goers who were told that the product and name they know and love is now back, front and center.

YTB Travel Network.

Seriously, the place went absolutely nuts! As if a long lost member of the family had just returned from the war.

The announcement was made very first thing Friday morning by YTB Travel Network President, Kim Sorensen. A man who just weeks prior had a double lung transplant. (Seriously!) He first told his story about the process and how grateful he was that a donor was not only found for his rare blood type, but he could have the surgery so quickly. It was important for Kim that he be the one to tell the Convention floor first hand that the ZamZuu Convention everyone thought they were attending – would actually be a YTB Convention because YTB and Travel is back.

It’s not that ZamZuu and online shopping will be ditched altogether. There are some great products and stores associated with that side of the company. Nor do I dislike the idea of ZamZuu and online shopping. I’ve been hooked up with stores and been doing affiliate marketing and direct sales like this long before ZamZuu ever came along.

That being said, I signed up with YTB Travel Network to get paid for doing what I was already doing. Telling anyone I could that “a cruise was the best vacation money could buy”. I tried to get paid for doing just that before I joined, but YTB was the first Host Agency that didn’t snub their nose at me because I didn’t have the education or the experience they told me was required.

So I went via the route of “on the job training”. Learning as I went along, accessing the vast amount of opportunities and training available through the company and the industry as a whole to create my own work experience and my own client base.

Funny thing is – YTB became such a dominant force in the industry by attracting folks just like me that before everyone knew it the company was growing at such a rapid pace it scared the snot out of same noses that once snubbed at me. What they said couldn’t be done was in fact being done by a bunch of so called MLM Yahoo’s.

As a result the company, it’s people and the model was viciously attacked by these same snobs. A few resorted to daily rants on blogs and message boards in an attempt to shame the company into submission. Others tried to turn vendors against the company as a pariah that cost them money and hurt their bottom line and reputation. While others who have no idea what a pyramid scheme actually is convinced a couple gullible Attorney Generals that they could actually shut the company down with this illusion that we were paying for the opportunity to recruit others.

I can’t say that none of that worked – at least to some degree. But for those of us who are capable of making up our own mind, following our own values, morals and ethics, and can actually comprehend how and why MLM works, we find we’ve come full circle as a company that’s now 10 years old. YTB is no longer just a bunch of “greenies” who you can kick around and mock to have us cower in some corner.

Ignorance, intolerance, and injustice has never been something I’ve tolerated very well. Fact is, nobody in YTB’s 10 year existence ever “paid for the opportunity to recruit others”. What everyone paid for was a Host Agency, a vehicle to sell travel services with. With the exception of my first year in business back in 2005, I’ve never lost money from travel commissions earned. (Although I did have enough bookings in the hopper my first year to cover those costs.)

Today, I have the best compensation package in the industry, and have had it for years. It’s the only company that will pay anyone who actually produces bookings what they are worth. I’m proud to be a member of YTB Travel Network because we’ve succeeded where no one else has. And while that may rub some in the industry the wrong way, and we may see a resurgence of the shaming, the spin and the lies – at this point it speaks more about their own intolerance and insecurity than it ever will about anyone in YTB.

We’ve seen it all the last couple of years. Claims of bankruptcy, or the entire industry pulling out, outrageous lawsuits, speculation that our Founders would run off with our money, and this fantasy that the company would be ditching travel altogether. None of it came true or at least worked out the way these snobs and critics claimed it would. And this “TravelPro” couldn’t be happier to inform them of that fact.

With the Hall of Fame inductions coming up next weekend – I’m reminded of a 2007 speech given by Michael Irvin. He talked about his trails, his failures, his adversity in being a man and a player worthy of being a member of the Hall of Fame. I can still see the tears in his eyes as he recited the words he heard at one of his lowest points of his life.

It said “Look up. Get up. And don’t ever give up.”

If you want to be a part of history – If you want to be truly successful in life – If you want to matter in this world and leave a legacy – that’s exactly what you need to do.

My thanks to Coach, Scott, and especially Kim Sorensen for “Looking up. Getting up. And never giving up” on this company, this model, and our people.

YTB is back!

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If you’re a regular reader of this site – you should know my views about the Better Business Bureau. Truth is, regular reader or not, the articles I wrote last year are widely read with links from BBB Roundup and Google searches from individuals questioning the validity of the BBB.

Once upon a time, the Better Business Bureau was a well-respected and viable source to gauge a company’s performance. However in recent years, the Bureau has come under tremendous fire with high pressure “pay to play” shenanigans mistakenly reserved for Network Marketing companies.

Their problems all started when the BBB changed their system in January of 2009 from a simple “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory” rating system to an A to F “grading” system. Since the switch, the BBB has been exposed as playing favorites to those who pay for better grades or downgrade companies who complain to the BBB about their existing grade – which misleads the public. I’ve seen several posts on Facebook over the last 9 months about an ABC news piece that exposed their horrid tactics. When the BBB gives an A- to an organization like Hamas (the Middle East terror group) and an A+ to a skin head white racist group called Stormfront who bought their grades simply by paying the BBB for accreditation – it raises some serious heat. Anyone who saw the piece knew that the BBB themselves were on the take.

After the airing of this news piece last year, Connecticut attorney general Richard Blumenthal sent an official demand letter to the national headquarters of the Better Business Bureau to stop using the grading system, stating the grading system was “harmful and misleading” to consumers.

Imagine that?

Since writing the articles last year, I’ve yet to see a single thread of evidence that the BBB has changed their tune. As far as I’m concerned they’re still just as shady as the day is long.

To my surprise last night, a memo came from the YTB home office about the companies poor rating the last few years being upgraded to a C+ rating. I have to admit – the first thing that crossed my mind when I read the memo was that the company had succumbed to the BBB’s pressure tactics and paid for accreditation. I’m happy to report however, that the home office DID NOT pay for this upgrade. (YTB is still listed as a Non-Accredited Company.)

So what’s with the change in grade from the BBB?

First, the company’s explanation to the BBB’s change of heart.

According to the memo that was sent out to the field, both Sandy Pippins and Casie Fuqua have been working with the local BBB chapter to clear up some of the misrepresentations the BBB has concerning YTB. Another huge plus for the upgrade in their system is the frivolous lawsuits filed against the YTB International (and other non-relevant third parties who were also named) is now behind the company. I don’t know what happened to “innocent until proven guilty” in this country – but the mere filing of a lawsuit (no matter how outrageous the suit appears to be) constitutes a failing grade with the BBB.

Anybody can file suit – but then you have to actually prove your case in the court of law to determine the outcome.

I realize there are groups of individuals who believe that deflecting on “issues” or trumped up “problems” is the way to go. The BBB grade the last few years was one of the “issues” people were warning others about to stay away. While venting makes these idiots feel better (momentarily), there’s never really any resolution or solution attained using this method. We’ve seen that example all too often from irate and irrational critics who’ve been attempting to slander YTB with what ever they can dream up. If you take a look at then, verses now – these same clowns are no closer to a resolution than the day decided to start crying about these so called problems.

YTB on the other hand is a company that focuses on solutions rather than problems. They act like adults rather than children who haven’t attained the proper tools to resolve the most elementary issues. By discussing their differences calmly and logically (instead of emotionally charged outbursts) any differences or issues are eventually resolved.

Anyone who’s willing to sit down honestly with YTB (or anyone for that matter) will have a completely different view with proper dialog. If you’re capable of actually learning and comprehending basic business – it’s not that hard to see why YTB or Network Marketing works. Besides, if a company can manage its way through all the mudslinging and false claims it had levied against them – there’s got to be something more to YTB than what you may have seen or read here on the Internet.

Another reason why the BBB may have upgraded YTB’s rating is the BBB, (like Steve Cox, President and CEO of the Council of Better Business Bureaus) may finally realize that they need to supply a more honest review of businesses if they want to salvage any chance of being a respectable organization. From what I hear, pay to play is a big “no no” – and with the cat out of the bag about the BBB – it’s about time they make some changes to this hideous grading system. While the apology from Cox for the BBB’s lack of proper investigation and strong arm tactics was certainly warranted – it’s really just lip service unless you actually DO something to change the way you grade and operate.

As a result, I’m somewhat torn about this new upgrade in YTB’s grade. On the one hand, I want to give the BBB the benefit of the doubt that they’re attempting to make an obvious wrong right. People do it, and companies do it. On the other hand, I also know how lazy our society has become and how a growing segment of the population don’t actually take the time to investigate anything on their own. A C+ could prompt someone to dig a little deeper and the smart one’s would be pleasantly surprised if they obtained information from sources that actually have some type of experience or logical insight.

I guess until I see some more real – honest changes from the BBB, they’re still on double secret probation. Extreme caution and other more reputable sources are still in order when it comes to the BBB for the time being. (I do however hope they can pull it off.)

Regardless of how I feel about the BBB personally – this IS another good sign that the malicious mudslinging that was thrown YTB’s way by confused and uneducated twits’ continues to be wiped away. Like the lawsuits that were designed to destroy a fine viable company – overzealous critics no longer have the BBB to use as a mud ball.

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We’ve been writing our weekly newsletter for the last three years now for YTB and ZamZuu business owners. It’s been one of the most rewarding things we’ve ever done. The compliments and appreciation we get from subscribers means more than we can truly express. What started out as a team newsletter has spread throughout the company. Today, we send broadcasts reaching thousands of YTB and ZamZuu subscribers.

While our publication is designed and written for existing members of YTB and ZamZuu only, there are those who have subscribed under false pretenses. Opting to lie about their identity under an assumed name and e-mail address with the intent to play “Mall Cop”. After the California Settlement was reached two years ago, I was contacted by the Home Office with a list of “violations” from the Attorney General’s Office in California.

The AG had incorrectly charged that our publication was being used as a “recruiting tool” which was most certainly expressed by overzealous critics who desperately wanted to have my publication shut down.

After seeing so many desperate and childish stunts which feed Zealots uncontrollable obsession over YTB, we were well prepared for such an outlandish accusation. We set up our newsletter to verify our members with a valid ID and website address. We also used a double opt in feature to ensure that everyone who signed up actually verified with us they did indeed want our publication.

No shenanigans on our end.

These precautions were two fold. One, I wanted to make sure that everyone receiving this information was actually in YTB or ZamZuu already. And two, I fully expected the trolls to sign up – which they did – and were promptly deleted.

While their first attempt under real names and e-mail addresses were banned from our system, the sleaze then resorted to lying. Finding a YTB member in their local area that mirrored a location close to their own IP address, these parasites sucked off the other site owners ID and website address with a newly created gmail.com account and presto! Success in having our publication diverted to their inbox anyway.

Pretty elaborate scheme don’t you think? That’s the kind of bizarre behavior I’ve come to know while they pretend to be this noble, honorable “Mall Cop” for pour, unsuspecting souls. Truth is, they’re as dirty as the day is long.

A quick fix for the entire Attorney General debacle was a report of my entire list of subscribers with valid ID and website address, verification IP address, minus the user last name and e-mail address. The report clearly validated all subscribers were already in YTB and opted in under their own free will. A letter explaining that it was highly improbable that I was “recruiting” existing YTB website owners based on this report was also sent to the Home Office.

Not sure if it was the last time the AG or the Home Office ever heard about these “violations” again, but I certainly haven’t.

Interesting how morals, ethics, and honesty have no place for an obsessed Zealot that has to be right. When it comes to justifying their perceptions and perpetrating their fears and misconceptions to the general public, all this ethical stuff is mere window dressing they like to hide behind. It’s not just my newsletter they’ve infiltrated either. They’ve signed up as free Reps with the company, have become Fans of every Facebook page YTB or ZamZuu has, and have subscribed to every YTB and ZamZuu publication and newsletter they can get their hands on in order to feed their uncontrollable addiction.

With the latest settlement with the Attorney General in Illinois behind us, a new push by these imbeciles is once again in full swing. Obviously, they’re a bit upset that YTB was able to come to an agreement with another Attorney General and we are able to continue our business model. That’s what normal adults do – come to an agreement. Critics however have resorted to intercepting a new round of private correspondence, making its way to the internet with lists of supposed “violations” to say “see I told you I was right”.

While it’s clear that these correspondence are designed for “members only” – it’s upsetting the owners of these publications. Therefore, I’m offering up a list of items or precautions that you should implement in order to protect your publication and our fine company.

First, you need to accept that there will be sleazy little liars who will do and say anything in attempt to save face or to justify their position. Its part of the game they play. While I certainly don’t agree with it, getting upset and frustrated about it gives them the power and the control. You can take every precaution you want, and they’ll find a way to gain access. They’re that desperate for information and they need something they can spin against you and the company.

Second, most systems have a double opt in feature – use it. With the current CAN-SPAM Act that is in place, it’s not just jerks you want to protect against; it’s the FTC. Signing up someone to your mailing list is a practice we’ve never used. If your information and content is the quality it should be, you’ll get plenty of subscribers the right way. Every single subscriber we have has verified with our system they want our publication.

Third and I know this kind of sounds obvious – but put a disclaimer on your sign up page and in your publication something to this effect:

This newsletter is for information purposes for existing Website Sellers and Website Owners only.
It is not to be used as a recruiting tool for anyone outside the YTB company.

It won’t keep the pin heads out – but it will protect you in the event a pin head tries to play “Mall Cop” and claim you’re trying to recruit the general public or violating any rules.

Forth, and I know you’re not going to like this – but either turn off the “forward to a friend” feature or make sure your subscribers know that it’s only to be sent to existing team members. We’ve never used the “forward to a friend” feature for this reason: There may be some really good content that your subscriber wants to share with team members. Those team members however, may not want or feel the information is necessary. An issue we’ve had for years are folks who forward our publication out to team members and the team member unsubscribes the subscriber who sent it – because they don’t want it. (An unsubscribe link is also mandatory with current SPAM laws by the way.) Disabling this feature keeps complaints to a minimum because it’s only going to folks who actually subscribed.

An alternative for team members is having them forward your opt in link and have team members subscribe on their own. What you’ll find is an open rate that extraordinarily high, and a complaint rate that is practically non existent.

And finally, look over your data. We were able to spot our unauthorized troll by looking over our data. When Aweber changed their pricing along with their terms and conditions on us about a year ago, we had to upgrade. While we were upset at first having to pay more for exceeding 2500 subscribers, the new system and reports it offered showed just who was clicking what.

Low and behold, we found that one edition of our publication that was ripped off and posted publicly on a Zealots blog had over one dozen clicks from a single subscriber. A dozen clicks on the same link? Maybe two or three, but that amount raised a red flag. While the subscribers ID matched his website, and the IP matched where he lived – we found this subscriber based in Annapolis, Maryland had two subscriptions. One with a legitimate, unique domain, and the other with a Gmail account. The high click count came from the Gmail account – so we knew who was real and who the liar was.

It took me no time at all to delete the overzealous little twit.

If you have a newsletter and send correspondence to your team, I realize that you’re doing your team a service. I know all about offering news, support, training, mentorship, and positive reinforcement. It does have value and is a worthy and important part of being a true leader. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to acknowledge those traits because they’re so jacked up on hateraide. They simply can’t get past this idea that all you do is recruit and pick the pockets of poor unsuspecting souls. That’s the mantra rattling around in that empty space where a brain should reside. While they have no practical experience to base this limiting and false belief on – trying to change it is a complete waste of your time and effort. Just realize that they own that belief and you don’t have to.

So there you have it folks. Take it from me. These idiots have done it to me dozens of times and to no avail. Follow these simple steps and you not only protect your publication from being squashed, but you protect our fine company as a whole.

PS - If you're involved with YTB, sign up for our FREE Newsletter. As a Website Owner or Website Seller, we'll keep you up to date with all the latest news, acquisitions, and developments with YTB.

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My newsletter subscribers got a heads up this weekend about an 8K filed late last week to announce the possibility of selling the YTB International Home Office. As expected, YTB continues to be a “hot topic” and we’ve seen various Google Alerts from news publications and two alerts from a blog surrounding the deal.

As we’ve come to expect, when YTB sneezes, some loones still end up catching a cold. I was asked if I actually read any of the Google Alerts, and I did read one from an area paper, and another from a travel publication. Fairly standard stuff, much like the 8K that was filed to the SEC by YTB International.

I don’t want to overstate the obvious here. This is pretty good news for the company and the growing field of Agents for several reasons. The deal will provide YTB International with immediate cash in hand of $2.8 million. Second, YTB will be staying right where they are, and lease 40,000 square feet they currently use. Third, the entire deal could infuse between $6 million and $7.1 million overall when it’s all said and done.

While terms of the sale are now just coming to light, a filing back in January informed investors that YTB International this was a possibility. An agreement with FH Partners who held the mortgage at the time had been re-worked by the lender in November 2010, but deemed unacceptable by YTB. At that time YTB filed a statement that they considered the terms unacceptable, and decided to go into default with FH Partners. In addtion, the company announced they had another deal in the works, and were confident an optional deal would be in place within 60 days.

Again – pretty standard stuff – but some of the conspiracy theories I heard about were quite dramatic. All some could focus on was “default” because that signaled the end was near. Not sure if they didn’t realize or simply hid the fact another deal was in the works to further their cause. Either way, they not only jumped the gun, but were wrong yet again.

With the proposed deal now out in the open – it has driven any remaining critics into a frenzy. Don’t have to read their words per se – mere actions in this case speak far louder than any meaningless yack squeeze. The increase in activity shows how nervous and distracted they are over everyone finding out YTB will have cash in hand. Any loone would realize that the hopes or dreams of YTB’s demise has been dashed once again.

You’d think they’d figure out that the conspiracy theories and drama they come with are actual fantasy and not fact. Of course if they did that – it would mean admitting they have an actual problem.

We can always hope.

On top of the news about the pending sale last week, YTB International released it’s Annual Report early this morning. With the kids getting ready for school, and 86 pages to read – honestly, I’ve only had enough time to glance at the filing. We cut losses in half to $1.6 million compared to 2009, and as expected from Q3 monthly subscribers have stabilized.

Since the sale of the home office isn’t final, the infusion of cash to YTB is not reported in this filing. (That would be illegal.)

Still not out of the woods just yet – but things are looking better after a constant barrage of attacks the past three years. You can kick, you punch, you can poke, but you can’t break this company. It’s just not in the cards.

I’ll take a closer look at the Annual Report and most likely have something for everyone on Thursday if interested. I have a new car to purchase in the next couple days since yours truly plowed into a deer in the middle of I-85 and totaled the car. (I’m okay, but our 300M and Bambi are most certainly not.)

Until then…

Update: Doing a little reading before I head out this morning.

Not sure if the deal for the Home Office closed or not, but according to the Annual Report, the loan to FH Partners is paid in full as of yesterday. ($1.5 million)

Also, no new word as yet on the Illinois suit filed back in 2009. We find the standard statement announced third quarter on the bottom of page 10 of the Annual Report.

On May 14, 2009, a civil action was filed against the Company, three of its subsidiaries and certain executive officers of the Company in the Superior Court of Illinois, Champaign County, by the Illinois Attorney General. The complaint alleges that the defendants violated Illinois’ unfair competition and advertising laws. The Company believes it has meritorious defenses to the claims. The Illinois Attorney General has proposed resolving the suit short of litigation. The Company is in the process of exchanging information with the Office of the Illinois Attorney General and exploring possible resolution alternatives.

Since that dog won’t hunt, look for some type of announcement this year that the company has the last remaining attack against it behind them.

PS - If you're involved with YTB, sign up for our FREE Newsletter. As a Website Owner or Website Seller, we'll keep you up to date with all the latest news, acquisitions, and developments with YTB.

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You had to have known this day was coming. Actually, in my opinion – it’s been long overdue. Sooner or later, people were going to figure out who’s right – and who’s been blowin’ a bunch of smoke up everyone’s skirt. (“Skirt” isn’t my first descriptive choice – but you get the idea.)

The longer this charade of ridiculous Internet bantering and meritless lawsuits about YTB being some sort of “pyramid scheme” or “scam” went on while YTB continued its operations – it was inevitable that things would start to turn around.

Zealots can only cry wolf for so long.

In a press release sent out late yesterday afternoon (that flooded my in-box with no less than a dozen “Google Alerts” from various sources) YTB International reported a 15% increase in the number of active Business/Store Owners in the month of August.

YTB is back on the upswing.

The increase follows the Company’s National Convention held in St. Louis, in late August, which provided a number of announcements and new initiatives.

This year’s Convention marked the two year anniversary of a what I’ve always considered a lame stunt by California’s Attorney General – who filed a $25 million lawsuit the day before the 2008 Convention proclaiming he would end the companies “gigantic pyramid scheme”.

I really can’t blame people for falling for the A.G. or the unfounded claims. After all, simple perception would indicate that an Attorney General would have some understanding of the law. After reading the suit however, it became evident that Jerry Brown wasn’t any smarter than the common critic hiding behind a keyboard and screen name who banters away on forums or blogs bashing MLM proclaiming everybody is “paying for the opportunity to recruit others.”

To add insult to injury over how ridiculous this whole thing went down – the $25 million was settled out of court for a mere $1 million. Even more amazing – the A.G. who claimed the suit was filed to “protect consumers” – a measly $125,000 ended up going to consumers with the remaining $875,000 going to the State for the trouble.

Things that make you go “hmmmmm”.

We also can’t forget the “Class Clowns” who simply can’t take no for an answer. You know – the Class Action with nine lives? That redundant joke has been beaten and bloodied to death by the Court system so many times, I’ve lost count. Typical of the anti-MLM crowd who can never actually learn from others who are much smarter (or even more powerful than they) – just keep doing and saying the same thing over and over again expecting a different result.

These people don’t need a Lawyer – what they need is straitjacket. (They truly are insane.)

Such is the life of “stoo-pid” critics who can never seem to read properly or learn anything new to ease their suffering and phobias. If you could ever catch one of them hiding out behind a screen name and keyboard they’d have the letters F.E.A.R. lambasted on their forehead.

And if you don’t know what FEAR means – it stands for False Evidence Appearing Real. These dumb clucks will fall for just about anything as long as it sounds negative.

I haven’t bothered to check into any of the bantering since Convention. While I’m not sure how anyone could argue with “Free” I’m sure there have been some pretty good stabs at creating drama – simply because they need that kind of fix to make themselves feel normal. Separate the word “dis – ease” and you’ve got a pretty good understanding of how these people tick.

The last time I checked in with the “chicken coop” they were in some tizzy about Coach, Scott, and Kim pumping up the stock before Convention. Oddly enough, no Form 4 was ever produced showing any of the three purchasing or selling a single share. The only documentation filed with the SEC pointing to any of the three also happened yesterday when Kim Sorensen transferred 4 million shares to a Limited Family Partnership for estate planning purposes.

Just another example in the mile long list of myths and rumors that have once again been sqashed with actual documentation – exposing how desperate and dumb zealots can be.

Can’t say that YTB is out of the woods just yet, even with this increase in Business Owners. It’s only one month – and we’ll need to string together a number of months before the heat really gets uncomfortable for the “chickens” peaking over the other side of the fence.

If you happen to spot them, just smile and wave. Then go out and find somebody who’s brighter and smarter than they are and willing to learn.

Not that hard to do considering. Just keep moving forward.

PS - If you're involved with YTB, sign up for our FREE Newsletter. As a Website Owner or Website Seller, we'll keep you up to date with all the latest news, acquisitions, and developments with YTB.

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Do you remember the outrage a year and a half ago when the CEOs of Ford, Chrysler, and GM flew to Washington, D.C. in private jets to ask for $25 billion in taxpayer money to avoid bankruptcy? Not that selling off private jets would have covered the $25 billion these guys were asking for – but it would have been a nice start.

It’s unfortunate that we see this kind of arrogance and greed in the Corporate world. Millions of people were laid off from thousands of companies while big wigs like these CEO’s live in the lap of luxury. You saw very little about any CEO taking a pay cut during the turmoil this country went through during the latter part of 2008 and 2009. Instead, they cut out the jobs of average American’s while keeping their pay and perks intact.

Most CEO’s have a lucrative bonus plan in place – including the Founders of YTB. The difference between our Founders and the CEO’s of other companies is that Coach, Scott, and Kim’s bonus is based in part on the performance of the company. Some based on pay or salary, while another chunk is based on stock options. Unlike other CEO’s or companies (like the Big Three in Detroit) our three founders forfeited 355,000 shares in options each of the last two years because the company didn’t meet the performance goals they wrote down to achieve that would trigger each bonus.

In case your wondering – that’s called accountability.

While there were some riffs about the forfeiture of options from critics, I would have loved to see the outrage over actual shares being awarded. It’s one of those “damned if you do – damned if you don’t” scenarios we enjoy from Zealots who flip flop depending on how it furthers their own agenda.

Regardless of which side of the fence you sit on, the fact is our Founders aren’t the type who take big pay days when the company isn’t performing as promised. The buck stops with them so to speak – which goes back to their AL Williams days as “Reps”. (Not to mention its just good business.)

To further illustrate our Founders desire to create a healthy, viable company they’ve restructured their compensation based on overall performance rather than acting like the fat and happy Executives we see in traditional corporate models. The company announced the new pay structure in a press release on Tuesday:

In order to ensure the Company continues its best practices related to executive compensation, YTB is transitioning to a performance-based incentive compensation program. Effective for the 2010 fiscal year, certain Company executives are entitled to incentive compensation if the Company achieves growth in the number of Business Owners at fiscal year end compared to the beginning of the fiscal year; if the Company meets or exceeds certain financial objectives established at the beginning of the fiscal year; or if the executives meet or exceed certain personal or departmental financial and budgetary objectives established at the beginning of each fiscal year.

Nothing like taking personal responsibility and holding yourself accountable for the overall health of your company now is there? If our Founders and Executives don’t perform to acceptable standards – they’re not paid that handsome bonus other CEO’s are paid. Instead they created an incentive to meet or exceed goals which could compensate them above and beyond their previous pay structure.

Because YTB is a public company obviously all this was filed with the SEC and you can find details of the new compensation package along with a breakdown of objectives that are now required from the Executive Team. Compensation now rides on and includes the growth of business owners (or IBC’s), cash flow and available cash on hand, bottom line earnings reported to stock holders, and other discretionary objectives for each department.

Based on the Press Release that was issued – and the terms of the new compensation that were filed with the SEC – simple logic would have you conclude that the Founders and Executives are at the very least willing to do their part for the overall health of the company.

That being said – not everyone who read the filing was able to comprehend or discern what went down. In a very comical and incredibly bizarre “Google Alert” – some jack ass laid claim that our Founders could be getting ready to resign after landing a sweetheart deal.

I’m not kidding – our self-proclaimed “YTB Expert” thinks you can quit (or resign) AND collect severance to boot. His focus – a two year deal that’s structured under the old compensation package that he claims will enable Coach, Scott and Kim to ride off into the sunset. While they haven’t resigned (yet) according to this dolt – we all need to be cautious of this severance stipulation.

Typical.

For the record, the clause he didn’t “copy and paste” on his blog stated otherwise:

Accordingly, a beneficiary under no circumstances would receive any payment under the Program if he left YTB without good reason or was terminated for cause.

It’s not that a clause like this is really necessary. Can you imagine walking into the Boss’s office sitting yourself down and stating “I’d like to resign – what kind of severance can you offer me?”

You’d either be thrown out and most likely fired “with cause” (for being stupid) or suffer the brunt of company jokes for years to come. (Again – for being stupid.)

You might be wondering if this idiot wrote this out of desperation or due to sheer stupidity. While I’m certainly not a mind reader and I hate having words put in my mouth (like he does with me) I’m pretty certain that this zealot thinks we’re the suckers due to the growing number of YTB’ers (including myself) that make it into his “Dumbass Den”.

In his own arrogant and self-righteous way, our lack of intelligence can’t possibly uncover the obvious error because those in MLM aren’t smart enough. We’re beneath the almighty professionals who pick – poke – and pry at anything and everything our company does.

On the other hand: If you think Coach, Scott and Kim have even the slimmest chance of quitting and having the Board of Directors approve a single dime of the two year severance package that was written – you DO belong in a “Dumbass Den”.

Likewise, for those who are reading up on the internet about ZamZuu or YTB at this time – go back to Tuesday’s article and the statement that John is helping us weed out those that aren’t intelligent or responsible enough to uncover fact or truth. Seriously – If a big old red flag doesn’t come up warning you that nobody gets a severance package when they resign – how could they even be considered a viable prospect?

See my point?

Are his statements ridiculous, absurd, bizarre? Sure they are – that’s what we’ve all come to know, but not quite love about John. But trust me, there’s no way you’re going to convince an arrogant pompous ass like John Frenaye that he’s wrong. His ego is just too big and overpowering to allow anyone to knock any logic or sense in that brain of his. (That – or there’s just not enough room down there.)

At this point, the best you can do is smirk (or laugh out loud like I did) and be thankful and grateful that you’re not as desperate (or stupid) – nor are you likely to run into anyone who is because John’s pretty much got a lock on weeding out any bottom feeders for us.

Instead, turn it around and be thankful. If for nothing else – for ability to read and comprehend the English language.

Then you can move on and be thankful that our Founders are willing to do what it takes to provide a viable, profitable, and respectable business opportunity for those of us who see things for what they really are.

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In 2008 a group of “ambulance chasers” filed a Class Action suit against YTB International in an attempt to cash in on California’s claim that YTB was nothing more than a “gigantic pyramid scheme”. The Class filed an absurd suit stating that YTB “operated an illegal pyramid sales scheme and employed an illegal chain referral sales technique in violation of the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business”. The complaint was filed in an attempt to “recover money illegally obtained” by YTB to the tune of $100 million.

Not a bad return for only 8 months of work on average per defendant. (Two in the Class only dabbled in YTB for 4 months before calling it quits.)

When California filled it’s Civil Case against YTB back in August, 2008 – opportunists saw California’s “accusations” as a way to justify their own failures and short lived carriers with YTB. As a result, zealots and cynics of YTB cheered with amusement over the apparently insurmountable odds that were slapped down on YTB.

Fortunately, (or unfortunately if you’re a critic of YTB) the legal process isn’t nearly as gullible or willing to allow mere perception or beliefs override or dictate right from wrong. If you’re going to file a lawsuit in any court of law – you best have all your ducks in a row.

I haven’t followed many Class Action cases. In fact, none other than the current Class Action come to mind. This Class however, has been a real eye-opener on what NOT to do when filing a lawsuit.

It’s proven to be one colossal misstep after another – a massive amount of disrespect towards authority – and an intolerance to actually learn from past mistakes.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about zealots and cynics of Network Marketing and especially YTB it’s this:

They’re right – you’re wrong – and there is no amount of evidence, documentation, or legal precedence that can be produced to convince these dolts that their barking up the wrong tree.

Their defense is always the same. Keep barking over and over in an attempt to exhaust the opposition of time, money and/or patience.

What’s even more astonishing about their illusions and phobias surrounding the Network Marketing and MLM industry is their obsession has no boundaries. As if the laws of our land will magically realign if they simply repeat or chant their limiting and unfounded beliefs over and over again.

What happens as a result?

The $100 million Class Action filed two years ago has been pulverized, beaten, and obliterated by the Courts turning the entire lawsuit into a very amusing joke for this writer to expose as a proud member of YTB.

The Courts have also exposed this ordeal with the following statement in its latest analysis and ruling filed last week, May 13, 2010.

“In fact, pursuing discovery in the hopes of turning up something that may lead to a lawsuit seems to the Court to be the very definition of a fishing expedition.”

Nothing like calling a spade a spade now is there?

What’s even more amusing about this suit is how the Plaintiffs appear to have the attitude that Class Action lawsuits are like cats who have nine lives. When slaughtered, simply refile an amended suit for reconsideration. There have been five rulings over the last two years which the Court has denied on separate occasions – and instead of calling it quits – Plaintiffs simply come back for more.

After the First Amended Consolidated Complaint was stricken from the record and dismissed on June 5, 2009 – Plaintiffs considered the dismissal nothing more than a “first draft”. An amended complaint was conjured up just days later; this time even more brazen and bold than the first. While critics labeled the complaint “powerful” I had my own views on the subject. I outlined how the Plaintiffs in this case were just as clueless as the critics who have been plastering “pyramid scheme” all over the internet for years.

To add insult to injury, the Honorable Patrick Murphy would not only agree with my views just days later – but add the words “redundant, immaterial, impertinent, and scandalous matter” as an exclamation point to the amended filing on June 20, 2009.

I’ve heard it said that a dog only needs his snout smacked just a few times before it sticks his tail between his legs and whimpers away. Critics and Zealots? They appear to be a completely different breed all together. They get smacked and have the audacity to bark back at the individual who laid down the law.

On the very slimmest of margins, Plaintiffs refiled an adaptation of the First Complaint in December, 2009 – complete with all the trimmings the Court had denied several times prior. If it couldn’t pass muster the first time, I don’t know what possessed them to refile again – other than pure ego or stupidity. (Most likely, a combination of both.)

As a result, the Plaintiffs third attempt has once again been denied.

How pathetic – yet strangely riveting at the same time. They just can’t learn anything new – or consider the fact that their perceptions and beliefs just might be the ones that are wrong. Oh the humanity!

What makes this especially gratifying is that zealots have finally hit a wall they can’t slither under, over or around. Perceptions and mere words in the Court of Law are meaningless at this point. That’s really all they’ve ever had when it comes down to it. When faced with having to do things “by the book” they’ve wound up bloody and beaten like a drum. Exposed as scandalous and nothing more than a “me too” type suit to extort money as greedy bastards themselves.

All in the name of this fantasy – or phobia – about Network Marketing being a “pyramid scheme”.

Give me a break.

You won’t find much about this case anywhere else. Since all the teeth and therefore the fear has been pulled out of this suit, there’s not much to write about. The media needs something far more meaty, and zealots are left with more egg on their face – so they’ll just ignore it.

For the rest of us who actually like to educate ourselves to become better business minds and responsible citizens; we use this example to learn and grow. You’ve heard it said that success leaves clues. We’ll in some cases like this one – so does failure.

That’s why we are never denied the last laugh.

PS - If you're involved with YTB, sign up for our FREE Newsletter. As a Website Owner or Website Seller, we'll keep you up to date with all the latest news, acquisitions, and developments with YTB.

PPS - Subscribe to the Just Picture It Now RSS feed, (including e-mail) for all the latest posts and updates found right here!

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