A Simple Formula for Getting Rich
Following the Walton family who created Walmart, the most simple formula for getting rich involves finding a popular product and selling it for less.
READ MOREYou Don’t Have to Be a Walmart…
I’m sure you’ve heard of the $1.2 trillion Chinese export market. It’s where some of the largest companies in the world make their money. They buy products manufactured in China for pennies on the dollar… and sell them in the U.S. for a huge markup.
But you don’t have to be a Walmart to get in on this opportunity.
I’ve profiled hundreds of successful entrepreneurs using this model. And they all started with limited or no experience and not much money.
READ MOREThe Language Perfectionist: Still More Repetitive Redundancies
On National Public Radio recently, I heard the words “news journalists.” This is a quintessential redundancy. My hunch is that the commentator’s intended meaning was “print journalists,” in contrast to those who work in broadcasting or online.
Here are a few more redundant expressions I encountered recently in the pages of newspapers and online:
- “Does it put a negative stigma on a company? I think the answer is definitely.”
Never Lose Hope
In Greek mythology, Pandora opened her fabled box and let out all evils except for hope, which the Greeks considered to be as dangerous as the world’s other evils. Soon they discovered that without hope to offset their troubles, humanity was filled with despair. So Pandora let out hope as well. In the myth, hope was more potent than any of the other major evils.
In modern times, we consider hope to be anything but evil. It’s what gets many of us through our worst days. Lingering unemployment, foreclosures, dwindling retirement funds, businesses folding — any of these could make a person lose hope.
READ MORECourting Your Ideal Customer
Google AdWords is nothing more or less than a medium for direct marketing. So every now and then, I put away my books about the latest online techniques and reach for the classic texts.
Here’s some of what you can learn from the old masters:
There are three elements to any direct-marketing offer — the offer itself, the creative, and the list.
READ MOREAre You Amusing Yourself to Death?
CNBC — and its competitors — will only make you dumber and poorer.
This comes as a surprise to many. After all, financial channels offer a steady stream of well-credentialed experts, men and women with impressive titles from prestigious firms. Most have PhDs, years of experience, or manage large sums of money. They look good. They sound sharp. They have insightful opinions and reams of arcane investment data tripping off their tongues.
READ MOREHow to Write Well: The World’s Simplest Formula
My income is based almost entirely on writing. And it has given me a very rich life — rich in every sense of the word. It can do the same for you.
I spend half of my working time coaching copywriters on how to write better marketing copy. I spend the other half writing memos.
READ MOREThe Language Perfectionist: Cringe Binge — New Funny Bloopers
I’ve long been fascinated by unintentionally amusing mistakes in the media. For years, I’ve sought and saved such howlers, appending snappy comebacks. I’m now assembling my collection into a book. Below are a few recently culled specimens.
Success Through Goal Setting
Becoming an expert at goal setting and goal achieving is something that you absolutely must do if you wish to fulfill your potential as a human being. Goals enable you to do the work you want to do, to live where you want to live, to be with the people you enjoy, and to become the kind of person you want to be.
Yet, according to the best research, less than 3 percent of Americans have written goals, and less than 1 percent review and rewrite their goals on a regular basis.
READ MOREHow Bad Marketing Killed a Good Man
When I got into the mail-order business years ago, it wasn’t something you boasted about. You would be a bit inscrutable when people asked you what your job was. You would mutter something that included the word advertising — so much sexier!
I recalled this coyness when an old colleague asked me to talk to some to Syracuse University students here in London who are enrolled in a course called Ethical Advertising.
Most marketers are too busy trying to make a living to worry about whether or not they’re being ethical. But then I came across this quote from Abraham Lincoln that summed up the way I feel about my chosen career: When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad.
READ MOREGetting Wealthy From Inflation
Today, I’m going to tell you how to make a lot of money.
If you are (a) not happy with the 0.5% return you are getting from your bank account, (b) worried about inflation, or (c) uncertain about the future value of your stocks and bonds, pay attention.
In fact, you might want to keep this issue of the Journal around so you can thank me later.
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