Questions from a QOP, a question oriented person:
 

1.) Chattel or flipping in general. I was going to ask if you considered doing an updated course on chattel, but I just read your post about maybe not writing anymore reports. If you decide to, I think a new chattel course would be well received. No one else really writes about it.
2.) Importing and exporting. A lot of marketers and "gurus" are selling info about importing products(usually from China) and selling them at their online stores(e-commerce). Do you have any thoughts or recommendations on this topic? Or importing/exporting in general?
3.) Writing for profit, or even to make a living- travel writing, e-books, copy writing, self publishing, etc.
In the last ten years or so, I've noticed a lot of marketers selling courses, membership to sites, e-books, webinars about writing for profit. A lot of the promotion is about becoming a copywriter. I'm really not interested in becoming a freelance copywriter until I can write copy for my own products, and even then probably wouldn't have much interest. I believe Jim Straw addressed the issue of freelance copy writing by saying that before you charge others to write copy you should be able to write good copy for your own products. Plus, there's so many copywriters out there already-both wannabes & pros.
4.) Additional fly low type businesses or activities that you may not have mentioned very much on your forum.
5.) How to profit from liquidations, surplus, and closeouts.
6.) Investments- stocks, real estate, notes, ...
7.) Any other sites, forums, authors, courses that are similar to your fly low approach.
8.) Anyone like Jim Straw, Melvin Powers, Dean Duvall, etc that is still active that you recommend.
9.) Your favorite self improvement/motivational books/Cd's, sites, authors, etc.

Thanks for sharing
 

I'm assuming the QOP is planning to choose ONE from that list!

I recommend the QOP should first go through this GordonJ post to get a clear view of what positive end-result he needs.

That will help him reverse-engineer to what he needs to be doing today.

I highly recommend both The Chattel Report and HOTSHEETS to get a certain MINDSET about how the real business world works.

The mindset is more important than the methods; with the wrong mindset, someone can easily saw off his fingers even with the RIGHT tools.

Cheers

I hardly ever assume.
 

Yes, it could be interpreted as, "this guy is all over the place" or, he needs to focus. But, there could be other motives or reasons behind his questions.

Recently, you found the Chase Revel thread, and I pointed out he built Entrepreneur from his INSIDER REPORTS, where he "investigated" businesses and gave us the inside skinny (dope-simpler times) on how to profit from it.

Dien Rice wrote a really good book(s) from his investigative reports, the 57 book is one of the best examples of an indexed book you could find.

So, I'm not assuming anything. I'm going to try to answer his questions best I can. Until about 12 years ago, I was a Flitdabbler. I spent a lifetime flitting and dabbling, and I can either curse my ADHD or thank it, which I choose to do, for meeting so many interesting people and experiencing so many different types of work, business and lifestyles.

So thanks ADD/ADHD.

Harvey Brody was instrumental in pointing out "slop and mess", and it took me a long time to get his metaphors, and how to apply them, but once they had a chance to take root and grow, everything changed.

These questions all address parts of my past. Some were dabbles, some were a flit between dabbles. But all are ways and means to an end.

Every question asked has a corresponding success story, and probably several FAILS too.

It very well could be a young person who is uncertain of what they want to do, or an older guy trying to find his sweet spot, or a researcher or writer or hell, maybe even a documentary film maker. I don't know, or care what his motivations are...he bought my APV report, I told him to ask questions, he did...

And I'm going to give the best answers I can. If anyone has experience in any of these things, the group would benefit from your expertise.

So, before the first of May, he'll have my answers, then the Q. and A. will be few and far between, and as a reminder,

if you don't have the APV report, it goes off the market in 3 days.

www.writerstollbooth.com/apv2017.pdf

Gordon

I know THAT feeling...
 

...years of "Flitdabbling" brought me to THIS very site!

Which brings up a question: do we help people by showing them possible shortcuts to their stated goals?

Or should we just sit by and watch them flitdabble till they finally get tired of it and stumble on the answers themselves?

I try coaching and always find it interesting when people state a need for help and then REJECT anything that doesn't look like the "help" they WANT, even if you're offering what they really NEED.

C'est la vie...

Chatteling or flipping. #1
 

I doubt it. Because my way, is too difficult for people to grasp. And it is the simplest of all flipping methods: Quickly get more than you Spent. End of course.

The WHAT doesn't matter. And this is where I've discovered is the biggest hang up of all, it is what prevents people from making any money.

I'm going to demonstrate my point through some links to articles about flipping and buying and selling, because, there is an abundance of information on how to buy and sell:

http://bit.ly/2plIo3R 10 best things to buy and sell on craigslist.

http://aol.it/2qiunU7 Selling TOYS

http://bit.ly/2ox4lzv A crossover, he talks about IMPORT HERE, and importing or exporting are, in my mind, just forms of chatteling. Dien has some recent experience EXPORTING overstocks/returns/surplus to an African country. So, maybe this will be part of my answer for that too.

http://bit.ly/2pCun4S A young guy shares his chatteling experience.

http://bit.ly/2q9SAfO Some more HOW TO, HE says to specialize. I say, whatever.

http://bit.ly/2liTbvd A good site, spend a few minutes looking it over, in addition to this article, some sound advice from work from home angle.

http://moneypantry.com/thrift-store-flipping/ More "advice"

See, you could spend all week finding articles, one guy says specialize, the other says that...and all well and good.

I say. FLIP QUICKLY for a profit, circulate your money.

I don't want a storage unit, a store, a basement, a garage, a shed full of junk, that is STORED VALUE.

I want to buy in the morning, sell by lunch, go fishing. So many of you want to get some fictitious value from stuff, you THINK; "it is worth more than that"...and hold onto it. Not me, I buy with the intent to sell the day I buy it, or as quickly as I can.

And of course, I have built up networks of buyers. The videos I made of these 10 years ago should have been all you needed, but today, you lament about not starting sooner. Oh well. Start now and next year you'll have buyers too.

What could I possibly add, at this point, to the plethora of buying and selling?

So, don't have much interest in writing or rewriting that work. At best, may be interested in investing in group buying. Maybe.

Gordon

PS. I don't think I can improve on the psychology of it, or the Parade of Life, or even the 12 step grow as you go plan. Just not much to add. The doers are doing.

#2 Importing and exporting.
 

As seen in answer #1: http://bit.ly/2ox4lzv

For me: "slop and mess". However, I did make small fortunes importing Tiger Balm and Chinese Yo-Yo's. I had made a connection in Taiwan when I was there.

OF COURSE, big fortunes are made in this arena, but, again, for a simple minded guy who can't hold a thought for more than a second or two, this is an overwhelming business of red tape, paperwork, constant contact, and, well, just "slop and mess". Why import a 100 cans of Tiger Balm to make 500 bux, when I can flip a Hobart mixer in a day for the same amuont...sans headaches. ?????????

But you? Have at it. I suggest Dien Rice might be a good contact to start with, he has the connections, and may be willing to offer some consulting if you waved enough Benjamins under his nose.

MY best advice, do due diligence, and get a handle on what the business is all about before you dive in because some guy on the Internet claims he got rich and is going to show you how to do it too.

http://bit.ly/1J3HX3e

http://bit.ly/2q9Z7Y1

http://bit.ly/2q9Xzxi

ALL links for education purposes only, I have no affiliation and offer NO endorsements of any of them.

http://bit.ly/2ozP5Cx

OK, with all the above being said,

WE very soon may have opportunities for you in the Export/Import area. Both Dien and I are beta testers of an international business program, and when it clears beta, we may have a good deal for you. Stay tuned.

But, as far as ME actually doing this? Naw. Only if I can find a new product which needs marketing and I could secure an exclusive license on it, then, go ahead and contact me, I do have some marketers looking for products.

Gordon

#3 Writing.
 

First, although I've done pretty well as a HACK writer, a lot of areas have become commodities. Copy writing being one of the most glutted of the areas.

Since I used plethora already, how about an OVERABUNDANCE of would be copy writers. Only good ones will make a living at it, or by estimate, less than 5 0f 100 who take a course from_____________ (anyone).

And with Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the scene, pursuing Copywriting may be an exercise in frustration.

Also, I'm not big on the whole FREELANCE gig thing. Always chasing after work, half of them end up in hot IRS soup because they didn't put back enough taxes, feast to famine...

I do like to write (or did) under contract. I'd say most of mine were renewable 90 day contracts, with specific goals and outcomes written into the agreement.

But writing is an EVERGREEN MARKET. If you can write, and want to, the write what pleases you and brings in the money you want.

My kid just inked a deal to have her new book published, but she worked very hard for a couple of years to get the right agent. Sure, we can always self publish our writing, but going through that experience of rejection, rejection, and more rejection to accptance, a contract and a book on the shelves via "old world" publishing is still considered an accomplishment. Of course, she can write.

It helps if you have a point of view, a voice, a style.

But to write for a profit is pretty much the bulk of my work the last couple of decades.

Here is what I've found out. I teach a simple process:

Write a HOTSHEET.
Then a four page White Paper.
A 10 page report.
Add graphics, resources, illustrations.

Rinse and repeat; Bundle and sell.

Certainly NOT rocket science. But you can't believe how many people I've talked with who want to profit from their writing and can't even create a simple one page HOTSHEET, and I never hear from them again.

Here is my best advice:

Writers Write.

If you do that and work with a Focus, foundation, and framework, you will profit from your writing.

Gordon

#4 Fly Low and Collect the Dough.
 

First, lets get on the same page. Flying under the radar has different connotations to people, for example:

Some might think in terms of an all cash, underground economy type thing. Like your babysitter, or like Rush Limbaugh's illegal housekeeper who got his opiods for him, those kind of things.

For others, they may infer illegal, or even illicit activity.

So, let me tell you how I came up with my version of fly low and collect the dough, OK?

There was a period of time when I was on TV, in magazines and local newspapers because of my OFFKEY SINGING TELEGRAM Biz. My wife and I went out to eat, and I was recognized. It was a creepy, uncomfortable feeling. As minor as my "celebrity" was, I wanted nothing to do with it. If I had any at all, I'd make Alec Baldwin look like an obedient Teen girl in a Donald Trump pageant.

So, I decided after that, I didn't want to be "recognized" by strangers. I prefer to fly low and collect the dough.

But, for full disclosure here, I was a Harry Browne and Howard Ruff student. And I knew who Colonel Cooper, Kurt Saxon, Bruce Clayton, et al. were. And there is a part of me that once embraced the survivalist thinking, or sorts. But, as a child, I thought, of course, of childish things.


Are we on the same page as far as what FLY LOW means to me? If so, here are links to other type of fly low activities:

For the would be Crime Boss http://bit.ly/2ppGKQX

Under the table anyone? http://bit.ly/2qiXOVS

If you must HIDE from the world: http://bit.ly/2oAmzQY

And from the GJA weird archives.

For two years I was a simulated patient at a nearby medical school, presenting myself and symptoms to would be doctors to do their best HOUSE impression. Paid well. I don't know about plasma centers, other than they are popular with college kids.

Now these were some part time jobs, all paying above average:

A food sampler at grocery stores.
A courier.
A driving instructor.
Golf teacher.
Focus groups. The local mall had plenty of these little jobs, and I did every Suarez focus group I knew about.

The fly low concept is just about making money, not making a lot of noise about making a little money, you want that? Visit the Warrior Forum. Sirens of ez dough yelling at ya.

Gordon

#5
 

"Slop and Mess". Not for me, today. But I do belong to groups, if you are interested in this, this Facebook group is good, the leader and a few members know what they are doing:

http://bit.ly/2oMRftx

I have 3 of these facilities within an our of me, one in Medina, only about 40 minutes away.

My smart azz answer is, profit by avoidance. But, yes, the Jim Straw way holds up. HAVE BUYERS FIRST. See? It is a form of chatteling.

And who buys? Start with sellers.

There was a time when Joe Karbo showed me the HOTSHEET he paid to get every week about all these things.

But, long before Big Lots, 99 Cent, Dollar Tree, Dollar Stores, Dollar General, and a million and one Internet Marketers getting into it.

I really can't add anything, my experience is I think, outdated. Although I still look through the Junk that SCI has to sell, only because I can get it dirt cheap and make a buck on the postage too.

It takes a lot of spreadsheet activity, a lot of phone and contact work, and with Amazon in the game...I can't see a reason why I would suggest someone look into this, unless they come from a background of it, or they have the contacts to move it in big lots.

I'm sure there are plenty of gurus to take your money and teach you the ez money tricks. Not me, and it is at this time, not for me.

Good luck if you get into it.

Gordon

#6
 

6.) Investments- stocks, real estate, notes, ...

I've never offered investment advice of any kind, no reason to start now.

Although, I like what Richard Buchholzer told me, don't invest in anything you can't control.

We have investment advisors in this group, if any of them want to pipe in, feel free.

I think the best investment is in personal developmet; first of self, and the of family, friends and others.

An investment in a good gun, ammo and CC license, gives you all the tools you need to take other people's investments at will (or become a Banker or Wall Street fund manager).

7, 8 and 9
 

Too many to mention. I am fond of Paul G. Thomas: PSYCHOFEEDBACK.

If I were starting out, I'd use this work as my foundation to build on. None of the modern gurus float my boat.

I still get a lot from W. Shakespeare...hard to beat.

If I ever feel like teaching the full power of the SQ1, you all would be blown away. It has the answers.

For mind stimulation, I like troubadours: Harry Chapin, Paul Simon, Gordon Lightfoot, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, etc.

Gordon

There is YOUR get rich idea. Millions of bux waiting for you.
 

Your ez profit highway. Offer a custom course, and tell them what they really want to hear. BINGO, INSTANT RICHES.

Gordon

PS. OH, wait. This is what members of the Syndicate and all the so called life coaches at the Warrior Forum already do, sorry, maybe a glutted market after all.

Ha ha ha! No, thank you very much
 

...This "business model" is precisely what the "gurus" peddle...with a few of our friendly televangelists.

Lying for a living.

I'll pass...

A copywriting observation I've been making lately...
 

Here's a current observation I've been making...

I never really looked for people advertising their copywriting abilities. But recently, I've come across people promoting their copywriting services...

And their self-promotions were... let's be polite... no good. The "selling" in their own writing, to sell their services, were terrible...

However, people who know little or nothing about sales or copywriting likely would not notice it. So they may still get a few clients (though I expect not many)... Those they get are probably due to their "low-ball" rates...

I think it is a very valuable skill to learn some essential sales and copywriting principles...

Advertising is "salesmanship in print"... That was apparently said 113 years ago by adman John E. Kennedy, and it's still true today...!

Gordon once advised me to get some experience in really selling. (That is, where you actively make a sale to someone; not where you are a kind of "order taker" for someone who was planning to buy already...) I took his advice, and it has benefited me ever since...!

Best wishes,

Dien

While still on copywriting...
 

Have you heard of the advice to write the sales letter FIRST before the product?

What do you think of that? Do you recommend that?

GUILTY. And...
 

When I had "students", I almost always made them write the sales pitch first.

Now, we're talking about creating info products out of thin air, and the air inside my head is as thin as it gets.

If acquiring a product, or working off of something already known, you can build from general knowledge about the subject.

Writing the PROMOTION does help in several ways. It helps organize your thoughts, it keeps your ideal PROSPECT (avatar) clearly in your bubble of preoccupation, and it makes you consider the MEDIA, or place, where the INTERSECTION takes place.

So, I believe it is a good idea to write the promotion (rough draft) before you make it or create it.

Sometimes, in the real world, you're handed a thing and told to write copy. For example, I was once given a tea cup from the TITANIC and asked to write a promotion about it. Other considerations came into play, including how it fit in the "catalog" of collectibles for this.

I wrote a promotion for a golf club and had to make the mundane interesting and exciting. Wedges aren't as exciting as Drivers, putters and utility clubs.

So, if thinking of adding to your INFORMATION EMPIRE, then sure, write promo first.

It makes you THINK. Nothing wrong with that unless it is all you do, eh?

Gordon

Instant deal breakers for me.
 

i ca'nt abide in blatant:, spelling and punctuation errors, especially the lower case i Will NEVER hire that guy. Although, I, am especially known, albeit in small circles, for over using commas...and ellipses. Do as i say, not as I do.

Also, there are several Sh*t copy writers, not bad writers, but they have to use the word SH*T in every thing they write. That may work for guys wanting 20/30 something teenagers (mostly prurient) as customers, but, if it is part and parcel of every piece of writing a guy does, NO thanks.

There are some good writers, and they are getting cheaper and cheaper, so it is a good buy as a commodity. As a consumer, good for me.

As a would be copy writer, not good for you.

Gordon

And what is a HOTSHEET?
 

Wow... a hurricane of great "chatteling" info!
 

Hi Gordon,

Wow, there's tons of gold right here in this post!

I also think there's more "value" in this one thread of yours than many $1000 courses...!

If anyone wants to know the details of how Gordon does it (regarding chatteling), be sure to check out the Chattel Report - http://chattelreport.com/index1.html

Best wishes!

Dien

The opportunities and hazards of importing and exporting...
 

There are big bucks to be made in import/export... But potentially big risks too, as the expenses can be high! Especially if you're the one paying for shipping, customs duty, etc.

However, Alibaba has really changed the game. If you're an exporter, you can find a buyer on Alibaba before you even put the goods in a container. You can sell it F.O.B. your nearest shipping container terminal (port) - that means that the buyer will pay for the shipping, and also for customs on their end.

There's a lot of paperwork to be done when it comes to shipping. We've used a freight forwarder to do the paperwork for us.

Gordon had experience with importing, whereas my experience has been with both exporting and importing (as we've dealt with both ends, where we exported the goods, and then sold them in our own store in the destination country).

If you're importing, don't forget that you'll have to pay customs duty. I heard a story of a guy who shipped a container to an African port... He was new to the game, and he had forgotten to account for customs duty! He couldn't pay it... Every day your container sits in the port (because you can't get it out, for example, because you haven't paid customs duty), they charge you more money. In the end, as he got further and further into the red, he was less and less able to pay it. Eventually, the government seized his container, and sold its contents, since he couldn't pay his bills!

Finally, if you are exporting to various parts of the world, you need a trustworthy local partner who has experience in this. If you don't, in many places, you'll lose your shirt. (Corruption at the ports is very common in many countries... However, experienced locals know how to deal with it.)

Oh, one last point... If you are doing your own shipping, you'll also want to get shipping insurance. Containers have been known to slide off the ship (and sink to the bottom of the ocean) in very stormy weather!

Best wishes,

Dien

Another Hotsheet... for recreational fishing...
 

Hi Gordon,

I remember one type of hotsheet you mentioned in the past was the Fishing Guide hotsheet... Which tells you the best places to fish in a particular region.

The info would probably change from month to month, and with the seasons...

Best wishes,

Dien

Another hotsheet - for those who like long-form nonfiction...
 

Hi Gordon,

Here's another example of a hotsheet I haven't seen mentioned here before...

It's called The Best of Journalism, by journalist Conor Friedersdorf.

He finds what in his opinion are the best long-form non-fiction articles.

Each weekly issue (sent by email) primarily consists of the headlines, plus links to those articles. For some of the articles (but not all), he writes a sentence or three introducing the article. The whole thing is less than a page.

He charges just $1.99 per month, but I suspect it would be relatively quick for him to put together (since he probably reads these articles anyway, as it's related to his work).

I don't know for sure, but I suspect he probably has thousands of paying subscribers.

The Best of Journalism
http://thebestofjournalism.com

Here are some of the articles he linked to in 2015...

Slightly More Than 100 Exceptional Works of Journalism
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertai...nalism/490622/

Best wishes,

Dien