As a consultant committed to Helping entrepreneurs and individuals get where they want to go, I wanted to share this exciting new product with you.

We all know that tapping into home equity loans, credit cards, or bank financing is down right difficult, if not impossible in this current economic climate. But, if you are en entrepreneur in the position of having an investment portfolio of $100,000 or more, than you may have just found a way to finance your business start up, purchase, finance, etc. This type of lending allows the borrower to use their investments (stocks, mutual funds, bonds or other securities) to obtain funds for personal or business use.
Check out this great website of a new strategic partner of mine for additional information

http://www.investmentportfolioloans.com
Here are some quick features and benefits of this innovative loan product
• Fixed interest rates between 2.5% and 4.5%
• Interest Only quarterly loan payments
• Loan terms of 3, 5, 7, or 10 years
• No closing costs (an Origination Fee may apply)
• No lenders fees
• No upfront fees
• No due-diligence fees
• No credit check
• No income verification nor is it asked for
• Funds may be used for any purpose including personal or business use
• Non-recourse loan. The only collateral are the pledged securities. Should the borrower default on the loan, the borrower keeps the loan proceeds and the lender only claims the collateral. The borrower’s liability is limited to the collateral pledged for the loan. The lender has no right to proceed against the borrower for any deficiency.
• Loans available for up to 80% of the securities value
• The borrower retains all dividends and upside market appreciation that the securities generate
• Prompt response to a loan inquiry, usually within one business day of receiving the security information.
• Quick Fundings – usually in a matter of days
• Flexible terms at loan maturity. The borrower may renew the loan, possibly refinance, or pay off the loan

Miami ~ Cozumel ~ Belize
Feb. 22-27, 2010

Enter the promo code SANDSMEGA for $600 off your cruise and training

Learning Approach: Explore the hottest business topics through short lecturettes, facilitated discussions, lively experiential activities, and interactive team projects – with free time every day to enjoy the ship activities. See intinerary below.

Shore Excursions: Visit two beautiful ports of call: Cozumel, Mexico & Belize City, Belize. In addition to planned group activities, you’ll get free time in each port.

Value: All-inclusive pricing includes tuition, training materials, all meals, lodging, and shore excursions, an unbelievable value. Many seminar companies offer similar leadership courses for the same tuition but don’t include lodging, meals, and all the extras.

This is different: To maximize your learning and networking capabilities, this event is limited to 35 attendees. Business leaders from various industries and experience levels create a rich mix to make each learning event totally unique.

learn more and book your cruise at http://www.landauleadership.com/miami_cruise.html

Will Corrente is a life long entrepreneur. Over the past 20 years, Will has owned and operated several businesses in the business to business and business to consumer market segments. While still in college, Will started his first 2 businesses: the first a lawn care and landscaping maintenance company, and the second, a residential and commercial cleaning service.  ….. read the entire article at

http://www.wpblibraryfound.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=news.details&ArticleId=6&returnTo=main

Email ettiquette is a hot topic in my small business consulting and entrepreneur development practice and I appreciate Pamela lending her advice and counsel on this important topic. 

Success Starts With Wisely Responding To Flaming Email- Business Email Netiquette

If you ever received email that insulted you, caused a sinking feeling in your gut, or a horrible sense of personal violation, then you have been the victim of a flaming email. Undeserved, unwarranted and hurtful words can put a real damper on your day.  The longer you are in business and the more customers you serve, the more likely it is this will occur.

I’ve included four real-life examples of business emails and posts’, and followed them with suggestions of HOW to respond to similar inflammatory attacks.  Our goal here is to maintain your brand, your professionalism and your reputation.  At the end of this article there are points to keep in mind if you are tempted to initiate or reply with a flaming email.

#1 Lawsuit Threat. “I realize that I am public enemy number one, since I chose not to expose you or me to the inevitable lawsuit that would come because you decided to _____ in the first place.”

This is meant to stir you up.  Writing a defense will not help – no matter how good the reason.  Disregard the “public enemy #1,” it is added for effect, disregard the “inevitable law suit,” it’s a mute point.  Disregard the accusation of “because you decided to.”  Now, how much actual content is left?  There is no response to this statement.

If you must respond to a flaming email, look at the UNDERLYING issues – these are only symptoms of something much deeper that may or may not have anything to do with you.  Once you decipher what the cause of the accusation is, professionally deal with those facts and let the rest go.

#2 All I Get Is Silence. “To date…. I have not received any word from _____ about _______. All I need is a definitive answer. All I get is silence. She won’t take my calls. She won’t answer my e-mails and neither will you.”

Do not get pulled into the drama.  A timely and professional response to the original concern is the UNDERLYING problem (stated in the first sentence). Apologize for the slight in customer service and give the customer what they need.

#3 Age and Grammar Discrimination. “I have been reading your reports, paticularly in South East Asia and I have to say they are incredibly poor. You are from an English speaking country (the U.S.A) presumably you are in your early twenties, so why is your English at the level of a mentally challenged five year old child. I cannot understand any of your ideas. If you want to set up a website with informative material please make sure you can actually write at all.”

This blog post response shows a serious lack of professionalism, maturity and proper grammar. Quite often people who write flaming emails are coming from their survival brain where logic and clear thought are not present. Disregard it there is no need to defend anything. Keep in mind; those who violate common courtesy will trip themselves up without you ever responding.

#4 Swearing and Misspelling. “Its not because people couldnt reset there passwords that they dont visit your board its because it is crap. Dont email me again, and remove me from your system file thank you.”

Do you suppose the “thank you” at the end of the statement is meant to excuse the sender from their preceding rude comments? Note the incorrect usage of the word “there,” and the misspelling of the word “couldn’t,” “dont,” and “Dont” and the improper sentence structure. Poor grammar and anger usually mix – it makes the user appear ignorant.  Again, the allegations need NO response.  The UNDERLYING problem here is resetting the passwords – correct this as a courtesy to the rest of your users.

The moderator’s flaming response before thinking to Communicate with CLASS:

“I’m afraid I won’t do that, mainly due to your rudeness.  What gives you the idea that you can speak for all 540 members regarding whether or not they have been unable to reset their passwords, or that they think the site is crap?”

While the moderator may have a point, they are continuing the argument, and encouraging a nastier reply. Fix the passwords, and set up a posting policy like:  “The use of flaming terminology will be grounds for removal from the site.”

CLASS key s that might improve your responses when you are inflamed by email:

Back away from your keyboard when:

• The message is emotionally charged
• What is being communicated is complicated
• A conversation is more efficient
• Privacy is an issue
• You are thinking in profanity
• You want to type in ALL CAPS
• You think excessive exclamation points or question marks will get your point across better

Because people cannot read your body language, voice tone or emotions when sending email, how you craft your response is very important.  Every keystroke talks about you, it reveals your character, your professionalism; it personally brands you.  Keep in mind the fact that one careless response could easily be forwarded to people you never intended.

Even a few incidents of conflict escalation for most people can create enormous problems.  As the number of workplace relationships managed by email increases, the volume of flaming email escalation can grow exponentially.  If you are experiencing these problems in your workplace or between yourself and another, contact us for assistance in getting this under control.

 MAY YOU ALWAYS COMMUNICATE WITH CLASS!

This post is brought to you by:

Will Corrente

Will helps you achieve work life balance and specializes in small business consulting, entrepreneur coaching, and individual personal development.  He is an Entrepreneur, Author, Speaker, and Consultant. The author of the “POWER Squared – The Ultimate Entrepreneur Success System”  and creator of the POWER FULL DAY and POWER FULL Life personal achievement systems

Visit him at: http://www.willcorrente.com or

http://www.operationentrepreneur.com/consulting.html

The two most powerful ingredients of a successful exchange between people are things most of us think we do, others swear we don’t.

Remember the last time you were intently focused on a project, things were going well, you were in the zone, and then right in that highly productive moment someone jarred your thoughts and broke your flow of concentration? Unless you decided to surface, you probably only sort of heard them but mostly didn’t, right? If you are like me, you probably responded with an “uh, huh,” “Ok,” “if that sounds good to you” mumble and kept right on working. For those of you who stop in that very moment, make the mental shift and give them your full attention, congratulations, good job, awesome, you are amazing and you can forget the rest of this article, it’s not about you.  For the rest of us…

When that same person wants to know why you forgot to do what they just asked, do you get that deer in the headlights look?  Perhaps you say they never told you, they say they did tell you.  Let’s be honest here; you really don’t remember, do you? If this conversation happens to you more often than not, you have some work to do.

The problem described above is, neither you nor the interrupter listen that well.  Fixable?  Yes, Let’s pull us both out of the soup and work on improving our listening skills.

Step #1 For the Listener: stop what you are doing (is what you are doing REALLY more important than the person talking to you?)  If you think it is more important than them in that moment, then please, look at the interrupter, and tell them honestly (and sincerely), “This is not a good time” and then say when a good time would be.  This will save you hours of “I did tell you, don’t you remember? …You never listen” ringing in your ears.

Wow, that is work!  I know it. The embarrassing part is that I have broken this sacred rule the most with the very ones I expect to stop their entire existence to listen to me. 

Pamela’s Point: Listening truly is natural – we were born wanting to listen. Not Listening is a habit.  Not Listening can be cured.

Step #1 For the Speaker: How to handle people who are not listening to you: If you KNOW you don’t have the other person’s attention don’t talk to them until you do have their full attention. When you hear “um hmmm” it’s a clue: stop and ask for their attention.  How you ask for their attention can be quite entertaining.  You could start by saying something subtle like “someone let a snake loose in the building, it was last seen going into this office…” Of course, you still must wait for their reaction.  If they give you one, then it is OK to ask “is this a good time?”  If they still don’t hear you, go back and ask at a different time.  Why frustrate yourself?

Step #2.  How you pay attention is just as important, listen with sincerity.  We as a nation are demanding respect. In order to get respect, we must give it.  This is a simple way to open the doors to mutual respect.  Let it begin with you, stop what you are doing and listen with sincerity.  If you don’t believe this, try listening insincerely and tell me how long your relationship or conversations last.  Rude, cutting, digging and sarcastic comments don’t engender trust or followership. 

Paying attention to others and sincere listening declare an unselfish act, it invokes incredible loyalty and it improves your listening skills.   

Our nature is to place thought or effort into our own ideas, so do yourself a favor, make this YOUR idea.  Chew on it, test the waters and let me know if this brings you back to a more solid relationship.  If I’m missing something, I invite you to let me know – with sincerity. 

Until then, may you always Communicate with CLASS! 

Power FULL Life

Will Corrente helps you achieve work life balance and specializes in small business consulting, entrepreneur coaching, and individual personal development. He is an Entrepreneur, Author, Speaker, and Consultant. The author of the “POWER Squared – The Ultimate Entrepreneur Success System” and creator of the POWER FULL DAY and POWER FULL Life personal achievement systems

Visit him at: http://www.willcorrente.com  or http://www.operationentrepreneur.com/consulting.html

young idea-stage innovators to multi-million dollar revenue generators. We will come

together for one week only. This event will drive economies and change

societies. After all, if we don’t do it, who will?

driven and dedicated to changing their business, their economy and the world.

Now is the time to come together.

Hope to see you there!- Will Corrente

In 2001, I found myself working for a company in New York City. Although I considered myself a serial entrepreneur, I somehow drifted off track to the “safety” of a job and convinced myself I was on the right path. The events of 9/11 changed all that and in the months following, I was reinvigorated with thoughts of possibilities. I had seen first-hand the frailty of life and decided that when confronted with an “IT” circumstance I would make fear my ally and not my adversary. 

read the full story at http://www.getinthehotspot.com/2009/09/25/turn-terrified-into-terrific/

GetInTheHotSpot.com – Self Development Blog – Articles & Inspiration So You Can Live Your Dream » Overcoming Fear – Turning Fearful Into Fierce.

Power FULL Life

Will Corrente helps you achieve work life balance and specializes in small business consulting, entrepreneur coaching, and individual personal development.  He is an Entrepreneur, Author, Speaker, and Consultant. The author of the “POWER Squared – The Ultimate Entrepreneur Success System”  and creator of the POWER FULL DAY and POWER FULL Life personal achievement systems

Visit him at: http://www.willcorrente.com or

http://www.operationentrepreneur.com/consulting.html

Here is a great article on new electronic business cards and digital means of business card exchange.  I am experimenting with one of them, the business card2 service.  I liked what they had to say regarding SEO, ease of sharing on the web and that there is no software download required.  I am intrigued by the dub.com product, since I have become an avid blackberry user, but one drawback is that both users must have the dub application to exchange information.   That being the case, we will need to wait to see who becomes the dominant player in the market or if blackberry with eventually come with a preloaded setting for electronic (beaming) exchange.

Eight digital alternatives to paper business cards – CNN.com.

Power FULL Life

Will Corrente helps you achieve work life balance and specializes in small business consulting, entrepreneur coaching, and individual personal development.  He is an Entrepreneur, Author, Speaker, and Consultant. The author of the “POWER Squared – The Ultimate Entrepreneur Success System”  and creator of the POWER FULL DAY and POWER FULL Life personal achievement systems

Visit him at: http://www.willcorrente.com or

http://www.operationentrepreneur.com/consulting.html

Follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/willcorrente