What Is Wrong With This Picture? / ONLINE MARKETING

If you are paying attention to what is happening on a global level to the growing disparity between the Haves and Have Not's, it is obvious that unless you are currently in a position with a great six figure salary and the ability to plan for the future, that time is running out.

Today finding six figure positions without the proper pedigree and experience level is becoming a challenge that impacts everyone looking for work. Online business ideas open the door to further conversation on many subjects such as this one.

We continue to go backwards in what our money is worth and what it affords us today. If you were around in the 70's, you will remember that decent houses used to sell in the 20K range, cars used to be in the 4 to 7K range and college education was affordable to a wider audience than we see today. Even with a college degree, the job market is bringing these entry level people into the workforce at $35 to $45K. The 08/09 downturn is still holding us back as individuals, as workers, and members of our society.

Here are some facts and data supporting this shift in income and wealth in our country.

* The world's 225 richest people have a combined wealth of over $1 trillion, equal to the annual income of the poorest 47 per cent of the world's people.

* Among the 4.4 billion people who live in developing countries:

* nearly three in five live without basic sanitation.

* Nearly one in three is without safe drinking water.

* One-quarter lack adequate housing.

* One in five live beyond the reach of modern health services.

* One in five children is undernourished, and an equal percentage does not get past grade five in school.

* Even in the US, the world's wealthiest country, some 12 million families are at risk of hunger, and at least 700,000 people are homeless on any given night.

This growing divide between the wealthy and the poor threatens us all, as the resulting crime, social unrest, civil war, illegal immigration, and environmental degradation do not respect national or local boundaries.

Harsh data to accept, but needed to understand how the dynamics of the information does affect us as individuals and as a society, especially in trying to move forward against the tide.

I recently wrote about four current Trends that are adding more impact to our daily lives in addition to the above statements. These are 1) A massive shift to online buying, 2) People are making less money, 3) Massive government debt and deficits, 4) Baby Boomers continue to get older.

I reference these again, as I want to make sure that we all understand the severity of the current situation. The point I am making is that unless you take full responsibility for your movement through the system; you cannot depend on the government or other sources of support for help. The quicker we all learn this valuable lesson while we have the time to react, the quicker we will see our financial positions stabilize, giving us the opportunity to head into the future with a positive attitude. At the end of the day, we have to depend on ourselves first, family second if you have one, and of course charitable organizations that can help.

In one of my previous articles covering these points, "The Countdown has Begun / ONLINE MARKETING", I also cited another Mega trend happening as we speak, which is The Age of the Entrepreneur.

People are slowly realizing that unless they figure out a way to beat the trends, they will be working until they can no longer work and at the mercy of the system. That is why people are looking to do their own thing, to be able to maintain some control over their destiny, and to augment their income with meaningful compensation for their time.

One of the great benefits of the Internet is that you have digital access to countless opportunities that come across your desk on their own and also to the search function which opens the door to unlimited information on any given subject. As I look around at the landscape and acknowledge the changes wrought by time, economics, and societal differences, it has become more obvious that we cannot depend on what was considered the foundation of our society. Our parents went into one company, worked there for thirty years and left with a nice gold watch and some level of a retirement program. Today that norm is long gone. Today if you are going to be able to retire at some point, it is imperative as an individual that you seek out counsel on what needs done to ensure that you will be able to retire with some savings plan in place. While we still have the 401K's and the IRA's available to use, even these vehicles are sometimes not enough, as inflation keeps wearing down the value of the dollar.

The Internet affords us many opportunities today that are geared at the ability to make money online, although I will caution you to do your due diligence on any company that you are looking at for this purpose. Once you start looking, you will be bombarded with countless opportunities that all sound good until you become involved in sorting out which are real and which are merely trying to take your money with no return. I think all of us have been burned at least once online and with today's changing mindset, have to be extra cautious as we sail through uncharted waters.

My recommendation in how to choose the company you are going to work within your quest for extra money, education, or even a full time job, is to evaluate these six criteria.

Tenure: How long has the company been in the marketplace? Have they shown performance as an organization and the willingness to share their "secrets"? What is their growth curve? Is it still going up or have they leveled out?

Ownership: Make sure that they have your best interests at heart. What is their personality? Does it blend with yours? Are they looking to help people reach their personal goals? Are they on target with their mission and what the market is doing in the category they conduct business in?

Leadership: Are the owners true leaders, leading by example? Are they still actively involved in the development and growth of their company? Do they bring out the best in you? Are they accessible to you?

Sales Funnel: Does the company have one? Is the funnel set up to allow different levels of commission or compensation? Are there smaller, entry level products that bring numbers in? Are there higher prices items for sale that generate higher commissions and the ability to make solid monthly income?

Support: What system is in place to help you when needed? Do they have live support members that you can access when needed? Is there an educational step by step format that anyone can follow, including newbie's? Do they support the entire range of situations that will and do come up in the real world?

Mentoring: Does the company foster the concept of leading you into success by directly working with you to achieve your goals and objectives? It is amazing how many companies expect you to do all the work beyond the purchasing stage of the process.

Without mentoring, you will make many mistakes that have already been made. This is where the leadership of the company can make a huge difference as you make your way through the uncharted waters we spoke about earlier. These are critical to your success, as without the guidance and leadership of the company's management staff, their systemized approach at conducting online business, and the right product mix, your chances of going long term do not offer great value.

In closing I want to make sure that we all understand that we are pretty much on our own these days. If you have the aspiration to go beyond the basic job (Journey on Broke) and enjoy life with a balanced approach, it is going to be up to the individual to make it happen. The great thing about today is that for the ones that have the drive, intent, commitment, and follow through, there are opportunities that will generate the content of your dreams. Remember, Visualization Create Realization. You have to be able to see and feel what it is you aspire to. Dream big and take action.