Five years ago – I made a very important decision.

I declared my Independence.

I had no idea what laid ahead of me. I found that it wasn’t always a walk in the park. I’d also make my share of mistakes along the way.

But you know what? I wouldn’t trade a second of it because I’ve learned more about myself and business in the last five years than during my entire adult (working) life combined. I have a much better understanding of my strengths and weaknesses. I know what fires me up, and what bores me to tears. I’ve also expanded and grown farther than I’ve ever thought was possible before. My self-worth and self-confidence in what I’m truly capable of doing has awakened from its long overdue hibernation.

I dream like a little kid again.

It’s been a wild ride that’s far from being over. There’s still far more I want to be – do – and have.

When I made this declaration public, the support which opened up was incredible. Teachers, mentors, and friendships came out of nowhere to offer insight and leadership. People who actually cared – actually offered something worthwhile – actually wanted me to succeed.

That’s not to say that critics didn’t show up along the way. Those who tried to intimidate of shame me into submission – back to the old way of thinking. Fortunately, I’ve found that most critics are also cowards. The vast majority never revealed enough about themselves or provided any value to be any real significance. Always telling me what was wrong – never how to correct it or solve it.

Being independent requires being solutions oriented – not problem oriented.

This past weekend, Scott Tomer released a video on what Independence Day means to him and why we should all declare our own independence. I didn’t actually catch the video until after the July 4th holiday, but it struck a cord with me – and I agree with him one hundred percent.

I remembered the freedom that declaring my own independence meant to me five years ago. How liberating and strong it felt. How it gave me new life and renewed confidence in myself.

There’s one little caveat here that may help you put this declaration of independence into the proper perspective. Neither, Scott nor myself will tell you that making this declaration means that you walk into your bosses office tomorrow and quit. It took me a year and a half to feel comfortable and place myself in a position of telling my former employer I was out of there. What I did do however was work extra hard (much like a second full time job) to replace the income I was making during my “day job” doing what I really wanted to do.

See, your declaration is merely the beginning.

Think of it this way. Our Founding Father’s signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 – but the declaration was only the beginning of the Revolutionary War. True independence from Great Brittan wasn’t achieved until 1783. Nor did the Colonies go at this alone. They had help from the French, Spain and the Dutch Republic.

Your own declaration will also take some time and some help from others to come to fruition. You may not know how or where it will come from – but you’ll never know until you make a declaration of your intentions – your own independence.

Then the answers and the help from others will come.

Sure, you’ll experience some defeats. You’ll also question yourself at times. You may even feel like giving up. True independence takes sacrifice and determination. A new way of thinking – doing – and being. But if you really, truly want it – it’s there for you.

Deep inside, you know you really want it. What’s stopping you? The truth is – nothing other than your own “stinkin’ thinkin”. What you don’t see now will be revealed to you. What you don’t have now will be given to you. But you have to first make the decision – a declaration to yourself and others that this is the direction you want to go.

I still make this declaration almost daily, even five years later. Some day’s it’s easier and more meaningful than others. Because I know and trust that it works if you do. I’ve seen and experienced too much after all this time.

So what do you say? When are you going to get up – stand up – and never give up? It all starts with one simple step.

Declare YOUR Independence.

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For the fifth year in a row, YTB Travel Network makes Travel Weekly’s Power List of the top 50 Travel Agencies. Some will be a bit surprised. Others will be pleased. While I’m sure there will be others who will be (as they always are) frustrated with another year of YTB being included in Travel Weekly’s listing.

Personally, I consider this year’s listing as one of the finest showings from previous years for several reasons. This year’s listing dispels the skewed and misleading math formulas we’ve seen in years past from socialist pin heads. It also puts to rest any notion that the word “Travel” in YTB Travel Network is an afterthought.

Let’s not forget as well, all the mud that was thrown up in the companies face three years ago that has now been cleaned off, putting any claims of pyramid or ponzi schemes behind the company.

I’m quite certain that some had dreams and others feared that California’s Attorney General could actually put an end to the company. If California couldn’t get it done, surely Illinois or the opportunist ambulance chasers would. Yet, here I am three years later with the same capabilities in selling travel, and a better commission split to boot.

Clearly, YTB Travel Network has had its share of the spotlight. Some good – some bad – and some just completely bogus accusations. (Some have turned out to be rather comical.) Through it all however, YTB Travel Network has survived because of a very solid foundation laid by the Founders of the company and a few thousand loyal “Travel Agents” who appreciated a different approach in selling travel.

So, here we are – the numbers from the Travel Weekly Power List:

At number 34 – YTB Travel Network

2010 Sales: $221.7 million
Employees: 120
Previous Rank: 29

What is so impressive about this spot is the company has accomplished this number with a small fraction of people compared to years past. At the companies height (before the mudslinging and bogus lawsuits) YTB Travel reported 92,383 travel sellers who sold $424.1 million in travel. What “socialist pin heads” did was divide total sales by the total number of travel sellers. This year, the company reported 12,200 travel sellers who sold $221.7 million in travel.

So why the big jump in “average sales”?

Clearly, these “averages” we’ve seen (or are forced upon Network Marketing companies from our fine Government as “Income Disclosures”) aren’t what they’re cracked up be. You can’t possibly dictate to anyone what someone is capable of selling based on average numbers. Some will excel, while others won’t do a blessed thing to get their business off the ground. Travel sellers who weren’t making any money (because they couldn’t change their thinking or work ethic from “employee” to “business owner”) are now gone. Those who could grasp the thinking and habits of “business” were making money as travel sellers and are still around and producing numbers more consistent with traditional travel agents. It’s always been like this – but it wasn’t until now that we see how the real world actually works – not some mathematical theory.

We’ve heard over and over again that our focus isn’t travel. Again, you can’t dictate as an overall consensus (just like the bogus “averages” above) that’s true for everyone. I got into YTB Travel Network so I could get paid for telling people that a cruise was the best vacation money could buy. I’m still just as passionate about the industry as I was the day I signed up. Sure the other products offered via the ZamZuu shopping cart are nice. In fact, I was selling similar items here on this blog long before ZamZuu ever came about. Ever since I changed hats from employee to business owner, you become educated about what multiple streams of income can do for your bottom line.

While it’s a nice bonus, my focus – and what fires me up is still travel.

Well, that and the Pittsburgh Steelers. But just because I moved from Pittsburgh to Atlanta 19 years ago, I’m still just as much of a diehard fan than I ever was. (Okay – fanatical, but you get the idea.) You know damn well, you’re never gonna take the Steelers out of this boy. You’ll also never take the passion I have for travel out of me either.

While others in our industry would like our focus to be something else – it’s honestly not up to them to tell me, you, or anyone else what we should or should not focus on. Travel got us to where we are – and travel will continue to carry this company in the future. It’s a fantastic product that everyone still enjoys talking about and still the number one answer to a question I’ve asked for years.

“If you had more time and more money – what would YOU do?“

What makes this year’s list especially gratifying is that all the crap from California, Illinois, and a handful of ambulance chasers is now behind the company. All laid claim about being a pyramid scheme. Thing is, pyramid schemes are illegal and scams like that are ultimately shut down. Sure, there will be those who will continue to throw that out there – and that’s perfectly fine. Looks worse on them at this point than it ever will YTB, because it illustrates they haven’t learned a blessed thing. (And most likely, never will.)

I really could care less – because all I have to do is pull up my booking engine and look at another listing on this year’s Power List.

Nuff said.

YTB Travel Network will move on as it always has. Like I said before – travel got us here, and travel will continue to be a major asset for YTB International. If the company can do this with all the obstacles thrown up to distract everyone – imagine what it can do now with this core group of travel sellers.

Nothing like a little dose of reality to get things cranked back up again now is there? The way I see it, there’s nothing stopping this company from climbing back up this list to even higher levels once reached in years past. Difference is, there were lessons learned from the first go around that will make it all that much easier to accomplish if everyone pitches in.

Based on what this year’s list has shown us, the company is leaner, meaner, and battle tested for another great run.

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UPDATE: It’s a miracle!! The witch is not dead. Actually – I think the proper word right now would be “irritated”. (By yours truly.) Within two hours of posting this – our boy John pulled up a month and a half old rant he never bothered to publish to save face. (Hell, even my wife warned me that what would happen.)

Not too upset. He’s supplied some of the best content and some really great laughs over the years. Based on his history, and the outdated rant, I see no evidence that will change.

~~~

Honestly, I never thought this day would come. I’ve run into my share of zealots and cynics over the years, but have never seen the likes of anyone so obsessed and disturbed as the “Coach” of the Anti-MLM Travel crowd. By default, anyone in YTB would know that person to be John W. Frenaye. One of the most arrogant, confused, and condescending dolts I’ve ever witnessed during my tenure with YTB.

I first caught a glimpse of John’s irritation with YTB back in 2007 with an article he wrote using MSNBC as his platform. It was his last article for MSNBC. You can only imagine how unamused the editors of MSNBC were with anyone “double dog daring” folks like John did for that soap box article. His last rant on MSNBC however was only the beginning of the type of outlandish and eccentric stunts pulled over the next 3 to 4 years of a one man battle to rid the industry of Travel MLM’s.

A few short months later John showed up as a commenter on our blog in an apparent attempt to educate me on his “issues” with Travel MLM’s. I still remember the coy attitude and the intimidation tactic – as if he had it all figured out. It was to become a trademark of the almighty Frenaye. At the time however, I did see John as both a challenge and an opportunity to correct not just misconceptions and misrepresentations the industry had about MLM – but bold face lies about our people our Founders, and our company.

I’ll always give anyone the benefit of the doubt. Call it an asset or a fault, but I did befriend John because I did agree with a few minor points and issues that needed to be cleaned up in our industry. One of those issues being a love of travel and service to others. Perks in our industry known as FAM’s are a privilege and a tool to sell more travel to paying customers – not a right simply because you call yourself a “Travel Agent”. MLM is a business, not some discount program or get rich quick scheme.

And that’s how our discussions began.

When it was my turn to clear the air that nobody actually paid for the opportunity to recruit others, or that gross travel sales were actually 4 to 5 times the amount of travel website sales – that’s where we ran into problems. See, John, like so many other zealots who think they’re the bees knees find it difficult to communicate, learn, and educate themselves to find a resolution. I suppose the reason for this is that if they actually did – there wouldn’t even be an issue. Zealots need controversy in order to maintain their charade.

I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the movie Network. It’s a 1976 film that takes a cynical look at TV networks exploits that stars a very deranged ex-TV anchor. The film has one very famous quote that I’m sure you’ve heard of: “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore.“

That’s John Frenaye in a nutshell. What John saw in YTB at the time, was the biggest – baddest Travel MLM out there. Remember, nobody was able to do what YTB did – they all folded before YTB Travel came along. Sure, other Travel MLM’s were a nuisance and frustrating – but since they were so short lived – they weren’t any real threat.

YTB was a different animal all together – it had legitimacy attached to it. Carnival Pinnacle Awards and listings smack dab in the middle of Travel Weekly’s Power List aren’t something Travel MLM’s are even capable of doing in the eyes of an anti-MLM zealot. And because YTB was morphing into a host agency powerhouse, the only thing John could do was go on a rampage for the next couple of years, finding (or fabricating) any issue he could dream up to shame YTB into submission.

I can’t complain too much because he gave me some fabulous content to show how you should never just walk – but run from zealots like John if you want anything close to sanity or the truth.

Some of my favorites include:

• An amended Class Action suit John dubbed was “powerful” yet was thrown out of court just days later for being “redundant, immaterial, impertinent, or scandalous matter”. (Boy – does that shoe fit huh?!)
• The claims that Candi May couldn’t possibly be a legitimate Travel Agent, or had been courted by Carlson Wagonlit only to find YTB as a better alternative.
• When CLIA slapped John with his hands in the cookie jar over claims that CLIA was playing favorites with YTB and not abiding by the rules set for all agencies.
• The church parsonage which Coach Tomer and Chris donated to a church – which John conveniently spinned into a “lease”. (The idiot even provided the court documents himself to show it was a legitimate donation.)
• The perfect “Gotcha” turned sour. An outdated 32 year old law in Rhode Island which John dug up that required all Agents to be bonded. That is, until John brought attention to it – and instead of enforcing it, Rhode Island repealed the outdated law.
• And of course we can’t forget John’s hopes and the dreams that were dashed in both California and Illinois shutting YTB down and ending our existence all together.

I’ve lost count how many times we were warned that Coach, Scott, and Kim would ride off into the sunset. The warnings of bankruptcy. How the stock was being manipulated. And the ultimate dream – how YTB would get out of the travel industry all together.

Aside from being proven wrong and outed for outlandish and false claims so many times over the years – probably the straw that broke this dolts back was the revelation that John really wasn’t the saint he claimed to be was made public.

Look – nobody’s perfect and we all make mistakes. Lord knows I’ve made my share in my lifetime and so has YTB. The key difference between someone like me and a company like YTB is that we can at least acknowledge we’re not perfect and either make amends and/or correct the mistake.

And it’s that type of acceptance and humility that enables me to keep writing here and YTB to keep selling travel during events like we had last night with Sandals.

John, on the other hand has apparently moved on. While his charade and escapades will be documented on the Internet forever, like the comments section that he was once so proud of haven’t been updated in almost a month. Best I can tell, he’s found another hobby with yet another startup and another site called Eye On Annapolis. It has nothing to do with travel or MLM’s thank goodness. It’s more like a city beat type thing and frankly – I’m pulling for him that it works.

I honestly don’t know if John will ever come to terms with the MLM model. A good portion of these types of Zealots never do because emotion often overrides logic and common sense. In that same vein however – logic never changes like emotions do and that’s why MLM and Direct Sales has survived for more than a Century.

Letting go of a three or four year obsession however is a step in the right direction. The daily rants and spinning have finally come to an end for both John and YTB. The end of another chapter in our journey together in an industry I still love and respect – both MLM and travel.

John’s relevance in the travel industry started to erode with his “double dog dare” in 2007. It’s been a very slow and arduous process over the years. I’m not going to speculate his escapades are completely dead like the Wicked Witch of the West (although it’s a fun title) but the further we get away from this type of behavior the better off the travel industry as a whole will be.

It’s a bad mix nobody really needs.

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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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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You just might exceed you’re wildest dreams!

Before I get started on today’s topic – I wanted to thank everyone for the birthday wishes last week. I was flooded with over one hundred posts on my Facebook wall, got several calls, and personal e-mails as well wishing me a happy birthday. It’s AWESOME having so many friends who take the time to think of you. I had a wonderful week with my kids who were off from school for spring break and we enjoyed our time together. They’re now back for the last haul, straight through till the summer break.

While I was off enjoying my family time, ZamZuu had a product launch last week, that perfectly illustrates the pure power of Network Marketing for any business who opts for this model as a distribution channel. I’ve seen this happen over and over in this industry and it’s probably the biggest reason why businesses choose MLM for their products. During my tenure with YTB and ZamZuu, I can rattle off products or services right off the top of my head that have been successful. This particular launch with a brand new company tops any that I can recall right out of the gate.

Here’s the timeline:

Last Tuesday afternoon, ZamZuu sends out an e-mail to all Store Owners and Free Agents announcing a new coffee line called GanoVia Gourmet Coffee. The e-mail described the features, advantages and benefits of the new product – with a special introductory promotion for anyone wanting to give it a try. Within minutes, Facebook pages exploded with links, tweets announced this new coffee line nobody’s ever heard of, and blogs started promoting the new line of coffee. Even Anti-MLM Zealots put down their “hateraide” to promote it for us. (Who knew?!)

[Side Note: The "hateraide" bit - from my oldest nephew and told him I had the perfect application for it.]

As a result, without spending a single penny in advertising or promotion for this new line of coffee – GanoVia Gourmet Coffee sold out of their inventory within 24 hours from massive sales produced by the buzz in cyber space and word of mouth exposure from ZamZuu Site Owners and Free Agents.

That my friend is the power of Network Marketing in action. Exactly why a business would choose MLM as their preferred distribution model.

I’ve seen this work many times over – both in the travel industry with YTB Travel and from the ZamZuu shopping sites. The first I really saw of it in the shopping sites was with the insurance quotes the company offers. The company was blown away not just by the quantity of quotes it garnered – but in the quality of the leads generated by the ZamZuu sales force. The woman of ZamZuu have absolutely fallen in love with Gina Alexander handbags and the owner, oddly enough name Gina Alexander, absolutely adores our company. For myself personally, and from running into so many discontents and bizarre behavior out on the internet I’m a personal fan of KidZafe which gives me the added peace of mind as my own kids begin to surf the internet.

All different products – all different industries – but they all not only work in the MLM model but thrive in our business model because referral marketing is by far the most powerful form of advertising there is.

Anyone who doesn’t get that really needs to have their head examined.

While GanoVia is scrambling to replenish their supply of coffee – you better believe they’re tickled beyond words how much coffee they sold right out of the gate. Can’t think of a better way to launch a product – especially when you’re not out of pocket for advertising with all sales go directly to your bottom line.

It’s a model that began 125 years ago with another unknown called “The California Perfume Company”. If you don’t recognize the name, they changed it in 1939 to something you probably have heard of – Avon. Models like ours last frankly because they work just as well today as they did back then.

In closing, the next time you see an individual underestimating the power and reach of Network Marketing – just know it happens in business too. Not everyone realizes (or in some cases admits) how powerful it really is. For any new or existing business wanting to get instant exposure from a massive sales force – without the risk or budget of an advertising campaign, MLM is certainly the way to go.

In the case of GanoVia Gourmet Coffee it exceeded all expectations.

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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Back in 2008 I wrote my first e-Book and boy was it a huge hit! At the time it was released to the public, there was a massive backlash going on in the travel industry concerning YTB’s rapid growth and clear signs of success. Travel Agents, already beaten and downtrodden by the Airline industry and online booking engines saw a virtually unknown Network Marketing company explode and take hold in the industry. And it scared the living daylights out of them.

The book entitled “What The Critics Know About YTB” was in reality an April Fools joke with a very distinct message. What made it both a joke and message to anyone who obtained a copy, was the book had nothing written in it. Yep, 100 blank pages. Even more comical – those who didn’t get it at first responded with – “There’s nothing past the first chapter?”

I still have this book and story of how it came about in my auto responder series to help new members of YTB and ZamZuu understand just who these people are and how their own fear and anger prompts the attacks of our fine company and our people.

Tomorrow marks the three year anniversary of this blockbuster e-book. (I’d like to call it a “Best Seller” but it was never actually for sale.) While we are three years removed from the vast majority of the drama that was conjured up by critics and detractors, to this day there remains one lone fool who still fits the mold of my brand of “critic”.

Probably the most difficult aspect when dealing with critics that I’ve had to overcome is they never really learn anything new. Heck, I’ve seen cases were they never even admit to making mistakes. It’s a level of arrogance I still don’t understand, but have come to accept. While I still find them irrational and incredibly dysfunctional, after three years of fighting tooth and nail to justify themselves and their position – they’ve become extremely silly in the way they think and act. Which made the April Fools date perfect for an e-book like mine.

When I saw the news about the sale of the Home Office and the money that was proposed – the very first thing that came to mind was “This is really going to tick someone off.” Even fools realize that several million dollars would be beneficial to anyone receiving it. You need to understand however that a clock has been ticking since late 2007 to 2008 with dreams of our company going belly up. While I barely see most of these Zealots around any longer, several were adamant that the company wouldn’t survive past 2009. (They don’t want to be reminded, so it was much easier to just fade away I guess.)

Not my boy John however, he’s fighting to the death. (Preferably ours in his case.)

The Class Action filed against YTB has been a perfect example of how people just won’t learn. It possess a brand of arrogance that they’re views are the only ones that are right no matter who or what you represent.

The Courts have not only dismissed this case a half dozen times, it’s referred to as nothing more than a “glorified fishing expedition” by the Courts. Other descriptions from the Courts include “redundant, immaterial, impertinent, or scandalous matter“. Yet these fools have been pummeled by the very system they beg too more times than I want to remember – returning for more punishment. They’re currently appealing one of the six rulings against them. Oh, and they tried to file in State Court with essentially the same line of bull they’ve always used – and SURPRISE! The state court rejected the complaint and removed it to Federal Court where motions to dismiss the suit are currently on the docket for these Zealots yet again.

I mean good Lord – when might you call a dog a dog instead of a cat with nine lives? This is exactly the kind of stupidity that makes me think these people are insane. They keep regurgitating the same line over and over and over again – hoping, dreaming, wishing, praying that they’ll get a different result the next go around.

For the record, and I know this to be true in California – and suspect all courts in Illinois carry the same tune – the Courts really didn’t care to waste their time with the Attorney Generals complaints either. I’ve actually seen the head critic spin this as YTB wanting to settle the one remaining case in Illinois with Lisa Madigan. Truth is, it was Madigan’s Office who offered not the other way around. However, unlike arrogant critics, YTB is working with the office to help resolve wording so everyone (well, maybe not everyone) has an understanding of what they are purchasing and what’s actually free.

Not sure, but I suspect the Z-Kit was a result of these negotiations since some people didn’t perceive the “booking engine” as an actual product. (Booking engines are products you buy for a traditional business like Nexion, or Cruise Ship Centers, but not for MLM I guess.) The Z-Kit is the kind of product that’s more in line with traditional Network Marketing because you have something you can actually touch.

But just because you have something simple and straight forward- there’s always going to be that lone fool who’s going to make it look like MLM has is doing something wrong.

Case in point – a blurb I found while reading about the YTB 2010 Annual Report:

YTB/ZamZuu makes a ton of money off of the people that attend the convention. The revenue for the 2010 convention was $322,000. (Page 16) and the expenses were $457,000 (Page 17). So if you do the math that means that the gross income from the convention was $779,000. At $199 to attend, that puts attendance in the area of 3,900. A number YTB did not disclose. But, it is clear that for every person who attended the convention, more than $80 went directly to YTB’s bottom line. That is a 41% commission YTB earned on this event! Most companies tend to make their events affordable. Yes, most make money, but most don’t gouge.

See how that works? Only in MLM can you add revenue and expenses together so the company gouges it’s members. Last I heard (from my 9 year old daughter no less) you add revenue and subtract expenses. And because he’s the only one who can be right – he uses this new “fact” he’s dreamed up (sorry make that “uncovered’) to fuel even more anger and resentment towards the company. And you better believe he’ll warn the YTB faithful this summer that YTB will make a sweet 41% profit margin on the gullible who attend this year.

Makes you wonder just who the gullible one is now doesn’t it?

There were several other numbers in this report that mysteriously couldn’t be found in the actual SEC Filing. I have no clue where they came from honestly – he was (in his own words) “taking a good guess”, and “extrapolating a bit more” than anyone really needed to. But that’s just John being John. Playing the “expert” and words like “extrapolating” make you sound a lot smarter than you really are.

By the way – I think “extrapolating” means “make it up”. He’s never considered the hundreds of millions in travel the company has sold as the focus. The $25 million sold on the “recruiting” side somehow equals more than the $252 million sold on the “travel” side. Again, “gross sales” has always been replaced with “net income” for travel so they can focus on what they fear most – recruiting.

Oh and one more thing before I go. What guy prices out purses and girdles? From what this fool says, both Gina Alexander and Ghiada are overpriced? Is there another fixation other than MLM that we don’t know about?

I just find it odd that he knows so much about women’s apparel and garments.

Or is it just another case of a train wreck pretending to be some sort of expert?

Ah well, the charade continues as “Life According to The Almighty John W. Frenaye”. I have to admit, his escapades and illusions have provided some great content for this site over the years. With the way he bumbles and stumbles with outlandish speculation and absurdly bizarre perceptions it’s actually been fun. (I do enjoy slamming the poor guy.)

With the anniversary of my e-book, and one of the better April Fools jokes I’ve played, I suppose I should thank him for the all the content and for still being the biggest fool I know.

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I was working on another article yesterday, and decided to bump it for a video I wanted to share. It’s an attitude that I’ve seen all too often over the years.

Pick your subject – whether it’s politics, religion – even Network Marketing. You’re bound to run into someone who’s all bent out of shape and offended by what you say or do. While this can be bothersome and uncomfortable hearing someone else rant about being offended by something you appear to have caused, the responsibility doesn’t lie with the accused – but rather the accuser.

I learned a long time ago that when it comes to feelings and emotions – they’re yours and yours alone. Everything we look at in this world is neutral and nothing has any meaning except for the meaning that you give it.

What really cracks me up about these “issues” is that most of the time, instead of moving on and spending ones energy and time on something more productive (and healthy) I’ve seen cases where individuals will engross themselves in the very subject that offends them. All in the name of trying to rid themselves (and others) of the offensive subject or thing they find offensive.

Does that really make any sense?

Now I’ve read about this peculiarity from several authors, and have heard about how it all works and what to do about it in various seminars. I’ve yet however, seen anyone explain this anomaly in such a clear, coherent way before. I really don’t know that much about Dr. Gary Daniel, but I do know a thing or two about NLP. That’s short for Neuro-Linguistic Programming.

I’m sure some will get this – and others will find a way to be offended by it.

Just realize that if you are offended, he’s talking about you. ;-P

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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