Greed and Ego

There seems to be a lot of strife happening in the world of Network Marketing lately. Monavie and Imagenetix started fighting in the courts, only to come to terms fairly quickly, Herbal Life is getting attacked, and Mary Kay is coming under scrutiny. These kinds of issues seem the daily grind for the Network Marketing industry as a whole.

What is there to do?
I have seen two general reasons for trouble in business, regardless of industry: Greed and Ego. Years ago I worked directly for the Vice President of one of the largest companies in my town. I was privy to some information that showed a pattern of decisions made based on what would make the company more money, regardless of commitments made, laws broken, or even employee harassment.

In another capacity, I worked with someone for a time who’s ego was so large she would often decide based on what boosted her ego and gave her control over options that would have (in honest ways) made the company more money.

These are only two examples from my own life. When my mentor, Michael Dlouhy, told me that he has seen the same thing in over 30 years of experience, I started watching for these two things. Now, when I see greed and ego involved in the decisions of an individual or company, I work to change the relationship. I will conclude commitments, and make changes when it is financially safe for me to do so. At times I have had to make such change when it was financially unsafe. I will not trade my integrity for my paycheck and neither should you.

On the other hand, don’t get caught up in the drama. Do what you must; do what you can. Determine your values and stand by them. Over the long term, you will fare better than if you tried the shortcuts you see others take, even if they seem to profit well from them.

I don't know the details of the drama surrounding the three companies I mentioned above. I try to stay away from that kind of negativity. The details don't matter. Your course of action and your principles do.

Business Websites for Local Profit

"How Can the World Wide WebHelp My Local Business Which Has Local Clients??"

Do you have a small business (1-10 employees), that is largely offline? Are your clientele mostly local?

For example...

• A real estate agent or lawyer in Tempe, Arizona... or Anguilla, British West Indies -- own your geographic niche
• A landscaper in Juno, Alaska -- get the jump on competitors
• A gas station in Hudson, New York -- build a devoted clientele
• A Mexican restaurant in Vista, California -- run "Net specials of the week"
• A bagpiper in Ottawa, Canada -- get hired for "gigs" for 100 miles around
• A grocery store in Bristol, England -- differentiate yourself and take business from competitors
• A local manufacturing company -- attract and support customers.

You might think that the Net, more specifically your own Web site, offers few opportunities for businesses with a customer base clustered in a small geographic area. After all, the Web is "world wide"... a "global medium." And you would have been fairly correct, up until recently.

If you are a slmall business owner, read more about how a website can increase local profit.