Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Direct Selling News: Business Thriving in an Economic Winter

Direct Selling Business: Thriving in an Economic Winter

by Gordon Hester

As business owners and executives, one of our primary functions is to create momentum, regardless of the challenges facing our business. Our value is often defined by our ability to drive the top line and enhance the bottom line. No one has to be convinced these days that we are in an economic winter; we are reminded every day. The key is to turn challenges into opportunity and growth!

Posted via web from Curt Beavers

GoD and DoG

Posted via web from Curt Beavers

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Lion in the Road

What is your "lion in the road"?  That may make no sense to you until you read the Proverb below, but you probably have one.  In simple terms, it is the thing that stares you down and keeps you from tackling the things you need to pursue.  Sometimes simple.. sometimes very important to what you want to accomplish.

In the Proverb it is as simple as not being able to feed you and your family if that "lion" causes you to roll over and seek more sleep instead of rising to attack the day.  The main thing I learned from this Proverb and I want you to take with you is the fact that these are characteristics of the "sluggard".  Something I don't want to be, nor do I want it to be a trait that my children might take on....

We want to be wise.. and the wise are diligent and extra sleep or obstacles that they don't want to face will not keep them from the task at hand.

Proverbs 26

13 The sluggard says, "There is a lion in the road, 
       a fierce lion roaming the streets!"
 14 As a door turns on its hinges, 
       so a sluggard turns on his bed.
 15 The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; 
       he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.
 16 The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes 
       than seven men who answer discreetly.

Posted via email from Curt Beavers

Friday, September 25, 2009

Timing is of the Essence

Prov. 25:11 Timely advice is lovely,
      like golden apples in a silver basket.

Do you have a core resource of accountability partners or friends that you go to when you need that nugget of advice?  Just like the seeds in a single apple can produce a grove of apple trees... so the timely advice from a trusted source can be like your golden apple.
Take time to be grateful for those friends around you that are this source of "gold" for you.  If you can't easily identify those golden resources in your life... reach out and decide that you will be that trusted source to others and find those that can be that for you.

Posted via email from Curt Beavers

Thursday, September 24, 2009

YouTube - "Real Rewards" Juice Plus+ Children's Health Study

You and your family may be able to participate in the Juice Plus Children's Health Study too. To find out if your children are eligible to get juice plus FREE for 3 years call 800-818-9711.

Posted via web from Juice Plus

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Make a LIFE, not just a living!

Building a business is better than going to work! Can you say amen to that?

I know that it is the longterm value in what I am building that motivates me to get up and do it every day.  I hear on the news and from friends the terrible ramifications of a company laying some one off after they have invested years building that business for some one else (owner or stockholders).  Yes, they were building something, but they had no long term interest in that business.

I believe that our most valuable and limited resource is TIME....  After all it is the only resource every day we each have exactly the same amount.  Therefore, it is a good/fair measuring rod of what we produce.  If we look at our investment of that time over a long period of time... what is left?  
If you look at Robert Kiyosaki's model... there are four possibilities of income/finance that could emerge: emloyee, self-employed, business owner, or investor.  The first two of these models in the "cash flow quadrant" show that we are most concerned about "security", and the latter two show our motivation is "freedom".  You may think the self employed and business owner are the same, but the BIG difference is that the employee and self-employed (retail owner, doctor, lawyer, accountant, etc) all trade the investment of the hours they have for dollars (I call it trading hours for dollars).  The business owner has built a business that pays them because the "system" they have built generates income, and the investment of their hours is not required to generate the income.  The investor (at least in stable markets) has accumulated wealth that produces his income.  

Each of you who live on the security side...go to "work" (investing your hours) to generate income... the problem with this is the amazing stats of how many people don't like their work, don't being around the people they have to work with, and still invest the majority of their lives there.  The key here is finding an opportunity that allows you the opportunity to see light at the end of that tunnel.  Can you see pouring yourself into something that at a point and time down the road will no longer require you to make it happen each and every day, yet still produce the income?  Many people trade hours for dollars for years counting on 401Ks or Social Security.  Today we see that Social Security is virtually bankrupt and many 70 year olds working at a "WalMart" to cover their income needs because of the instability (or Las Vegas like nature) of the stock market and investment world.... not to mention the tax burden that is coming because of the out of control spending in Washington (with NO Accountability).

I found the vehicle that was going to help me reach these goals 20+ years ago (debt free company with great vision and leadership).  I new my God revealed purpose and wanted a business that would become a platform to allow me to pursue it.  Right from our basement, now in 20+ countries, it has happened for our family.
Now for you... do something that will support your purpose (the reason you are here on this earth).  Does your income come at a cost of trading too many hours that have no alignment with your life's purpose?  A thought worth pondering, huh?  Are the valuable relationships in your life benefiting from hours invested, or are there none left for them?

Right now, in this messed up economy, great opportunity abounds.  Most people are buckling down, cutting expenses, waiting for this time to pass..... BUT it is the time to focus on generating new income...not waiting to get back to the same old "hour trading for dollars".  Think about what opportunities and resources abound in an economy like ours now????

I'll give you an example... when asking myself the above question, my mind immediately thinks about what is available in abundance, now?  Around Atlanta, the first and most obvious would be houses, lots for houses, building materials, and anything associated with the real estate and mortgage industry.  The problem there is people can't sell the houses they are in to move (they are upside down in value) and the mortgage industry has learned some lessons (it is VERY difficult to even get a loan to buy, build and do anything with real estate).  That will come back but there are difficulties there right now...but opportunity does exist if you have the financial resources without having to rely on the lenders.  My second thought is PEOPLE.  There is an abundant resource of exceptionally talented people who are not working right now.  More than I've seen since about 20 years ago. I remember that well because that was when I started my business.

There are  more awesome people who have lost their job, business, etc right now than ever in recent history.  These same people were not going to give you the time of day a few years ago to look at exploring new opportunities.... "things were booming" (stock market, 401Ks on the rise, new house, new boat, new beach home, etc).  Things are different now.  These talented people want to find a new business to pour themselves into.... voila you have your resource, so what's next.

Find a business that highest the highest return by using talented people as your asset.... there are lots, but many of them require huge investments to get started. So, low start-up and people as the greatest asset.  I would say find the business that requires you to invest your "non financial assets".  There are options, but the most easily seen would be a business, with no up front investment, that allowed you to network people to produce the result that produces the income.  OK.. sound easy enough?

You better make sure you choose an industry (in terms of the product or service that these people will deliver) that is postured to grow in the short and long term.  Right now those might be:
  • energy (fuels, ecology, autos, green, etc)
  • health care (in media daily, aging population, political, prevention/wellness booming)
  • government (they are $pending, redirect others tax dollars into your business,its not really gov't. $)
  • water/natural resources (limited resources... life is dependent on water...we're running out)
  • technology (certain sectors, opportunity abounds in Web 2.0 now that most have broadband)
  • Environment (anything green gets a green light in Washington)
  • etc

The demographics point to several categories, but I also look at what the "buzz" all about these days.  When working with people and relationships as your greatest asset.... conversation rules.  The verbal interaction (not email spam) and media control what people dwell on... its in front of them all the time.  No question, #1 right now is HEALTHCARE.....its everywhere.  Even without the political crisis brewing... articles everywhere, TV shows, and commercials (telling you to call your doctor YOU NEED THIS PILL) abound.

People, awareness, universal need, and your passion will build you a business that can literally span the globe because of the PEOPLE AVAILABLE in the market place today.  What are you waiting for?  

Yes I am biased to my business and product.  Why? 
  • because I know it works first hand, not through some one touting the "ground floor" deal of the century.
  • because the company is debt free in an economy that is not "credit friendly"
  • because the people I have brought to the table with me are experiencing life changing blessings
  • because we have continued to grow in this environment
  • we are expanding in many new international markets
  • research and results are being achieved from the womb thru the elderly
  • and many more reasons

If you are reading this and are interested in finding out more about my business....just give me a call 770-313-2624 or email curt@thebeavers.net.

Otherwise, go out and invest your self in something to see your life purpose fulfilled..... don't wait..get FOCUSED and make a difference.

MAKE A LIFE, NOT JUST A LIVING!

Posted via email from Juice Plus

Monday, September 21, 2009

Choose Your Weapon Against the FLU ((no gallery))

Strengthening your immune system is even more important during FLU season.  Much research has shown the benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.  Institutions are recommending as many as 13 servings per day!  
Most of us don't reach that level of intake.  Juice Plus can help bridge the gap between what we actually eat and what we should eat.  
Your family may even qualify to get it FREE for three years for the kids.  To see if you qualify you can call 800-818-9711.

Posted via email from Juice Plus

Do RIGHT Things

Did you know that many people... maybe even yourself have the perspective that they are busy and productive and doing things right......but they're not getting the results they want.  In most cases busy-ness has allowed them to feel productive while they have never focused long enough on doing RIGHT things, but just doing THINGS right.

If we realize our fault in not making a decision to pursue RIGHT things... then how do we make that determination?

I like to look at principles and not rules and instruction.  Principles are those things that are timeless and work in ALL situations.  You may have a different opinion, but I choose to look at Proverbs for many of those principles that ALWAYS work.  Proverbs 21:2 makes it clear that its not just an intellectual decision.  We must use the minds that God has given us, but we must foremost consider what our HEART is telling us.  There is a TRUTH, not a truth for each individual and situation, but an ultimate TRUTH that we must seek and allow to guide us.

For me this is a daily process.  It would be easy to say that I've decided that I will seek God's truth and abide by it, but my desires and immediate satisfaction get in the way.  So daily, the journey requires diving into the TRUTH and seeking to apply the principles that will never fail.

May today be a day of RIGHT things and not full of busy-ness just doing THINGS right!

Posted via email from Curt Beavers

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Plowing or Resting the plow

One of my favorite proverbs Prov. 20:4 (http://ref.ly/Pr20.4) .... and so appropriate at this time....

With the economy at a low point everyone seems to be thinking that it is the time to conserve and WAIT for things to get better.  In actuality, if you look throughout history, it is actually the time to be active and focusing on generating income and not on cutting back to survive the storm.  There are great opportunities at a time like this.  Many successful entrepreneurs made the beginnings of their fortunes by taking advantage of the timing.

Take an assessment of where you are in the midst of this stormy economy....look for the opportunities.  Put your "plow" to the ground... don't store it for better times.  Even if you have to shoot some squirrels while you are on the elephant hunt.... stay busy.  The squirrels will feed you while the feast is around the corner.

Posted via email from Curt Beavers

Think You've Arrived? I hope not!

Have you ever sought something, been on a journey, or just a phase in life and felt at some point that you had arrived.  Maybe its a goal, level, title, etc in business that you've received and you are basking in your glory?  It really is OK to celebrate, but that is temporary and you must remain on the journey.  

Prov. 19:27 ( http://ref.ly/Pr19.27) is a great verse to show us what happens when we believe we have "got it" and we stop seeking instruction and have no willingness to be teachable.... those are the people in life I call the "know-it-alls".  They are no fun to be around either.  It is much more fun to be with those who hunger and thirst for wisdom, knowledge and understanding than someone who believes they've got it and want you to know it.

In my business, it really seems, its that hungry and desirous person who succeeds.  Someone willing to pay the price because the prize is great, but the growth he will experience on the journey is his pursuit as well.  It was when I realized there was more to this life than the pursuit and activities of "making a living".... that my journey took me into a business that became a platform to pursue the life and purpose God revealed.

Is your journey unclear?  God has a purpose for each of us... AND He will reveal it.  Here's a great resource... by Rick Warren (www.PurposeDrivenLife.com)

Posted via email from Curt Beavers

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Management Potential Test

Management Potential Test

This is a test for Intelligent People. I have determined that you qualify. 
The following short quiz consists of 4 questions and will tell you if you are qualified to be a professional. Scroll down for each answer. The questions are NOT that difficult.  But don't scroll down UNTIL you have answered the question! 

1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator? 




The correct answer is:   

Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe, and close the door.   

This question tested whether you tend to do simple things 

In an overly complicated way. 

 


2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?


Did you say, Open the refrigerator, 

Put in the elephant, 

And close the
Refrigerator?
Wrong Answer.
 


Correct Answer:  Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, 

Put in the elephant and close the door.   

This tested your ability to think through the repercussions of your previous actions. 

 


3.  The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend....except one. 

Which animal does not attend? 



 


Correct Answer:  The Elephant. 

The elephant is in the refrigerator.    

You just put him in there.   

This tested your memory. 


Okay, even if you did not answer the first three questions correctly, 

You still have one more chance to show your true abilities. 

 


4.  There is a river you must cross but it is used by crocodiles, and you do not have a boat. How do you manage? 


 


Correct Answer:  You jump into the river and swim across. 

Have you not been listening? 

All the crocodiles are attending the animal conference. 

This tested whether you learn quickly from your mistakes. 

According to Anderson Consulting Worldwide, around 90% of the professionals they tested got all questions wrong, but many preschoolers got several correct answers. AndersonConsulting says this conclusively disproves the theory that most professionals have the brains of a four-year-old. 



Send this out to frustrate all of your smart friends.

PS: Just the fact that I sent it to you should make you feel good.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from Curt Beavers

Friday, September 18, 2009

Be about bubbling not babbling

Isn't it wonderful to be around people who just seem to constantly pour out wisdom from which we can learn.  One of my desires and hopefully yours is that we can become like that and impact this and the next generation.  Let's leave a legacy by focusing on the the depth from which we pour out, and may it be a bubbling brook and not just a pool of water.

Posted via email from Curt Beavers

2009 Vegetable Garden of the Year Runner-up: Elton DuBose : Home and Garden : Memphis Commercial Appeal

HomeLifestyleHome and Garden

Text size: A A A

2009 Vegetable Garden of the Year Runner-up: Elton DuBose

By Jonathan Devin, Memphis Commercial Appeal
Friday, September 18, 2009

Elton DuBose's neighbors were quite concerned when they saw wolves guarding the vegetable garden at his southeast Memphis home.

"This is my form of exercise, relaxation and enjoyment," said Elton DuBose, a vice president with Juice Plus. His one-third-acre plot won  runner-up in the vegetable garden division of this year's Garden of the Year contest.

Kyle Kurlick/The Commercial Appeal

"This is my form of exercise, relaxation and enjoyment," said Elton DuBose, a vice president with Juice Plus. His one-third-acre plot won runner-up in the vegetable garden division of this year's Garden of the Year contest.

Mounded rows improve drainage in the  Southeast Memphis garden, where wolf cut-outs (seen here)  ward off  hungry geese that visit Dubose's pond.

Elton Dubose, Special to The Commercial Appeal

Mounded rows improve drainage in the Southeast Memphis garden, where wolf cut-outs (seen here) ward off hungry geese that visit Dubose's pond.

DuBose, whose garden was named runner-up vegetable garden for this year's Garden of the Year contest, was quick to allay their fears. The wolves standing sentry around the garden are actually cut-outs on posts designed to frighten off the flocks of wild geese that visit DuBose's pond each day.

"When I first planted my corn the last week in April, (it) came up good, then I came in one day and (it was) all gone," said DuBose, a vice president for Juice Plus.

DuBose's one-third-acre vegetable garden yielded okra that was 7 feet tall and a larger than usual crop of corn. Apparently the wolves did the trick.

"I have to pick it every other day," said DuBose.

DuBose is a lifelong gardener who grew up on a farm in Tifton, Ga. He has lived with his wife, Carolyn, at their current home for about 20 years. A co-worker lends a hand in the garden from time to time.

"You could tell that (DuBose) was creative and he's been a gardener for a long time," said Donna Olswing, assistant floriculturist for the Dixon Gallery and Gardens, who helped judge this year's contest.

"I also loved the way he did his flowers," said Olswing, noting the mounds of orange and yellow marigolds sprouting up at the end of each row. "Besides being decorative, putting the flowers in there draws the bees, which do the pollinating."

DuBose had another use for the flowers in mind.

"I've heard (marigolds) ward off bugs every year," said DuBose. "It looks good, and it may work."

Most of the vegetables are given away to friends, neighbors, and co-workers including DuBose's boss with whom he has a standing vegetable rivalry. This year, he raised two kinds of green beans, corn, peas, butter beans, okra, peanuts, squash, peppers, onions and his favorite, tomatoes.

"I put (the vegetables) up on mounded rows and the reason for that is if you have real wet weather, it will dry out quicker and won't drown out your crops," said DuBose pointing out the straight trenches separating each row.

The garden backs up to a large pond with a fountain spray in the center and a cozy deck along the edge.

"I love to share what I grow," said DuBose. "It's my hobby. This is my form of exercise, relaxation and enjoyment."

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He not only talks the talk, but he walks the walk. Juice Plus doesn't replace eating right, but bridges the gap from what we eat to what we should eat. He makes sure his family has the best of produce right out the back door. Plus, its hard work and he gets plenty of exercise...

Posted via web from Juice Plus

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Juice Plus+ 90 Day Fitness Effect: a nutrition, diet, exercise & wellness program

Did you know that its not just about exercise... its also about what you eat. To find out how to add Juice Plus to your diet and get free product just for exercising 30 minutes per day 5x/week... call 800-818-9711 or email juiceplus@thebeavers.net

Posted via web from Juice Plus

Healthy Pregnancy

Download now or watch on posterous
JP Video-Odom.mov (933 KB)

Find out what doctors are saying about Juice Plus!

Posted via email from Juice Plus

Who Are You Hanging Out With? (Prov 17)

Are you haning out with the wrong crowd, in the midst of their foolishness????

Did you even stop to think that could be dangerous?  Many people are caught in the wrong place at the wrong time and guilt by association trumps. Many times in a court of law, a totally innocent (?) person is tried with the guilty because of "where" he was and "who" he was with at the wrong time.  As you ponder today, check out Prov. 17:12 and think about the bear and her cubs.

A lot is determined in life by who you associate with.  There was a great man (I can't remember who) who once said "who you become is the result the people you spend time with, the books you read..." (The Principle of Association)

Posted via email from Curt Beavers

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Memphis Prayer Breakfast Friday, October 23, 2009 - 7 AM

www.ConferencePrayerBreakfast.com

Don't miss the Prayer Breakfast in Memphis this year... October 23 @ 7 am... contact Joan Eller for more info at joan@thebeavers.net

Posted via web from Curt Beavers

Fertility Friendly Foods | EmpowHer - Women's Health Online

Fertility Friendly Foods
September 15, 2009 - 11:55am 124 reads 1 comments

Women have long been advised to eat a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables before becoming pregnant, as well as increase their intake of iron and folic acid (a B vitamin that helps prevent neurological birth defects). And in recent years, studies have reported the benefits of certain foods on fertility.

The Nurses’ Health Study, which reviewed more than 116,000 women, found that those with better dietary habits were more likely to conceive than women with poor habits. Some significant findings:
• Trans fats. Eating just a small amount of trans fats (2 percent of calories) can increase the risk of infertility.
• Animal-based protein. When women added a serving of protein in the form of red meat, chicken or turkey once a day, nearly a third had an increased risk of infertility.
• Vegetable-based protein. When the source of protein came from vegetables, nuts and legumes, infertility dropped slightly.
• Dairy. Eating a half cup of ice cream two or more times a week lessened infertility levels 38 percent more than women eating ice cream just once a week.

Researchers at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston also studied foods and fertility, creating “The Fertility Diet.” The diet found that women eating a full-fat, lowered carbohydrate, organic diet had noticeable increases in fertility. The study also promotes that women eat foods that regulate insulin levels to combat Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).

Keep in mind that body weight - and in particular, body fat percentage - is one of the most common factors affecting ovulation. Women at both ends of the body fat spectrum may stop ovulating and menstruating. A safe and healthy body fat percentage for women is 25 percent to 31 percent.

These findings are a reminder that a healthy diet is essential to a healthy you.

We value and respect the experiences of all of our HerWriters, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.

Pregnancy studies are being done on Juice Plus at the University of Mississippi right now. Phenominal results of healthy pregnancies and healthy babies have been reported from women on juice plus during pregnancy. You can order Juice Plus at http://www.JuicePlusAtlanta.com or call 800-818-9711

Posted via web from Juice Plus

Children's Health Study - Does Your Child Eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables?

Did you know that your children could possibly get Juice Plus FREE for 3 years? If you have children between the ages of 4 up through college, call 800-818-9711 to see if your child is eligible to get it for FREE.

Posted via web from Juice Plus

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Thriving in an Economic Winter

Great article... check out starting your own virtual franchise to maximize this opportunity. www.thebeavers.net or call 800-818-9711

Posted via web from juiceplus's posterous