The Five People You Meet in Networking Events

How many of you read the book and/or saw the movie "The Five People You Meet in Heaven"? I read the book and saw the TV movie. It was pretty good but this blog post is nothing like that!

Last night I saw Casey Eberhart speak and he talked about how to network like Oprah...I did a blog post on networking like Oprah last week.

I'll probably share bits and pieces over the next few days.

There are five people you should meet at any networking event:

1. The speaker - The speaker can give you credibility and free promotion if the speaker should mention you while speaking. Plus it's always good to be within their circle of influence
2. The organizer - The organizer usually knows everybody at the event and can introduce you to others. If your ideal prospect is a realtor or maybe an insurance agent, he or she can introduce you to them
3. Yap job #1
4. Yap job #2
5. Yap job #3

The yap jobs are the people with a group of others around them. They're usually the center of attention in their group. These people can also be very influential and can be very helpful if they include you in their group.

One of the best things you can do with these 5 people is to do a video interview with them, which is really easy with Periscope.

There's an option in Periscope to save the video to your phone. You want to make sure it's on...otherwise your 'scope is gone after 24 hours. You can then upload your video to YouTube. You want to title it like "Casey Eberhart interviewed by Rick Tompkins", although I haven't interviewed him yet. In the description you want to put your website first, including the http://, such as http://www.sendoutcards.com/144087 and in the rest of the description you want a transcription of the video, for which you can hire someone at fiver. Then include a call to action, such as a lead capture page. Please sign up for my email list to get an email announcing my monthly business blog posts.

The last thing you want to do is to put tags on your video but you always want to put the same nonsensical tag in the 2nd slot. If videos have the same tag, they're listed in the right column as suggested videos. The first video is a paid for slot, but the rest are based on the key words. In my example I'd probably use "Casey Eberhart", my top secret tag, "interview", "ideal networker" (which is Casey's tag line), "networking", etc. If you do this, anybody that searches for these keywords will find your video and thanks to your top secret tag, your other videos will be listed in the right hand column.

I hope you found this helpful. And thanks to Casey for presenting this last night!

Interesting days

Today - Mud Pack Day, Ask A Stupid Question Day and International Translation Day I've never had a mud pack, but I'm pretty sure I've asked some stupid questions in my life

Tomorrow - Older Peoples Day, CD Player Day, World Vegetarian Day, Poetry Day and Lace Day I have 2 CD players...one in my car (which doesn't work) and one in a console styled like an old time radio (which is in storage)

Next Wednesday - Bathtub Day and Frappe Day A nice cold frappe and a hot bath!

October 30 - Candy Corn Day, Checklist Day, Frankenstein Day and Create A Great Funeral Day What would you create for yours?

October 31 - Halloween, of course! And it's Magic Day Marking the anniversary of Harry Houdini's death. It's also Caramel Apple Day I think I'll have to celebrate this one

A short blog post today

Today's blog post will be a short one.

Casey Eberhart will be coming to the San Francisco Bay Area for 2 presentations today. His first presentation "The Raving Fan Formula" will be from 5:30 - 7:00 at Laptop Lounge in Walnut Creek. Casey will be telling you how to turn your customers/clients into raving fans and to bring you new customers/clients. If you're in a business that requires customers or clients (which means EVERYBODY), then you need to come to this event.

Casey's second presentation will also be at Laptop Lounge from 7:30 - 8:30. This presentation will be "SendOutCards Business Opportunity and Information Presentation". Casey is the 2015 SendOutCards Distributor of the Year and he will show you how to use the new SendOutCards phone app as well as how to make money with your smartphone by sharing an app that people love to use.

Interesting days

Today - International Coffee Day and World Heart Day If you'd like some coffee that's actually good for you, contact my friend Chris Maslanka

Tomorrow - Mud Pack Day, Ask A Stupid Question Day and International Translation Day Whoever said there's no such thing as a stupid question must not have ever spoken to another person...they seem to be everywhere

Next Tuesday - Mad Hatter Day and Physician Assistant Day

October 29 - Cat Day and Internet Day

Residual bills

What is meant by residual bills and residual income? First, you must realize that your residual bills are someones else's residual income. Look at all those bills that you pay to the same people every month and you'll see how common residual income really is. Your car insurance, your car registration, your rent or mortgage, your utilities, your phone, your credit cards...these are all bills that you pay on a recurring basis.

Now look at your income. Is it recurring? Hopefully you get paid on a regular basis. But is it residual? Probably not. If you work 40 hours for 40 hours pay, then it's linear (or regular) income. But if you're on salary, or own your own business, then you may be working 60-80 hours for 40 hours pay. Residual income is income you make on a recurring basis for work that you did once. Does your insurance agent sell you a new policy every month. No, he or she sold you a policy once and you keep paying them to keep your policy in effect.

Authors, songwriters, musicians and a lot of others have residual income...but in these cases it's called royalties.

Most direct sales and network marketing businesses have residual income. You sign up a customer once and as long as they continue buying from you, you'll have residual income. Pretty good, right? But it can get even better. There is leveraged residual income...you get paid on the sales that other people make. You don't get paid for just signing up new people, which is a common misunderstanding, although you may get a signing bonus when they make their first sale...you get paid on the sales that these people under you make. This is also very common...look at real estate brokers, they usually make 50% of every commission made by their agents because they provide the opportunity to those agents. It's the same thing for network marketing...you provide the opportunity. And just like with a broker, if the agent (or distributor) doesn't make sales, there is no commission to split.

I don't know how much commission other companies pay, but SendOutCards pays you 20% of what each of your customers purchase and between 2% and 27% on the sales that people in your organization make, depending on what level you're at. The more people you provide an opportunity for, the more you'll make.

There are hundreds of network marketing and direct sales companies to choose from. If you look, I'm sure you'll find one with a product or service that you like. If you're interested, I know people in several companies I'd be glad to introduce you to.

Interesting days

Today - Good Neighbor Day, Drink Beer Day and Family Day

Tomorrow - International Coffee Day and World Heart Day You'll need s lot of coffee if you celebrated too much on Drink Beer Day

Next Monday -  Country Inn Bed & Breakfast Day Yum! And it's World Teachers Day and World Habitat Day. It's also Chic Spy Day Do you want to be like James Bond? Check out http://www.beingjamesbond.com to find out how. And listen to the podcasts there. My friend Sandy Shepard was the guest podcaster there for the past several months. And check out Sandy's website: www.beabondgirl.com

October 28 - Plush Animal Lover's Day and Animation Day How many plush animals began as cartoon characters?

The Funday Sunnies

Interesting days

Today - Ancestor Appreciation Day, Tourism Day and Crush a Can Day Where are your ancestors from? And have you ever visited there?

Tomorrow - Good Neighbor Day, Drink Beer Day and Family Day Like a good neighbor...you're there with a beer for your neighbors. How about a Monday night football neighborhood tailgate party with your friends and family?

Next Sunday - Improve Your Office Day I think the rest of these ideas can be used to improve your office. You probably can't have a live animal in your office, but how about some pictures of animals since it's also World Animal Day. Or how about Vodka Day? There aren't many things around the office that a still belt of vodka won't fix. It's also Ship in A Bottle Day and Change A Light Day One could literally brighten your office, while the other could figuratively do it. And lastly, it's Taco Day There's not much that will improve an office more than a taco bar

October 27 - Navy Day I may have to break out my navy blazer to celebrate. And it's Black Cat Day It's not easy being a black cat most of the time, but this is a day they can celebrate

Your weekend guide to interesting days

Today - Johnny Appleseed Day, International Rabbit Day, Lumberjack Day and Love Note Day Did you send a note to your loved one?

Tomorrow - Ancestor Appreciation Day, Crush a Can Day and Tourism Day Where will you go?

Next Saturday - World Card Making Day and Boyfriends Day Send a card to your boyfriend. I'm sure he'd appreciate it. It's also Techies Day and Virus Appreciation Day Thank goodness for the techies, fighting viruses - computer or otherwise.

October 26 - Howl At The Moon Day It will be a full moon, so there should be plenty to howl at. It's also Mincemeat Day I'll make mincemeat outta that mouse!

Do you network like Oprah?

Does Oprah go around collecting business cards from everyone she meets? Does she even carry business cards? No, Oprah doesn't need to do that. Why? Because everyone knows who she is. So, how do you become Oprah?

Casey Eberhart, an international speaker, will be discussing this on Tuesday when he speaks at the Laptop Lounge in Walnut Creek, CA. Here is a link to that event: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/lounge-learn-the-raving-fan-formula-tickets-18408439137?aff=es2. I won't steal Casey's thunder but I will tell you that you're wasting time and networking inefficiently if you talk to everyone you can. Casey will tell you that you only need to talk to 5 people at an event and he will tell you who those 5 people are.

What else will you learn from Casey?

In this jam packed workshop, you will learn: 

The exact formula that power connectors use to attract the Big Players.
 
How to create an endless supply of leads!
 
How to become a Super Connector (The one who EVERYONE knows).
 
How to create MASSIVE buzz about your business on autopilot.
 
The secret to making your current and past customers love you so they tell their friends about you.
 
How to create 100% growth with your CURRENT customers!
 
How to gamify your business with or without employees!
 
How to network like an introvert... and still generate more revenue!
 
Why you MUST understand that "Connectivity is Today's New Currency!"
 
How to profit from your connections!
 
Exactly who to talk to AND what to say at any networking event!
 
How to use Social Media to triple your revenue!
 
How to really use social media for business.
 
The Hands Free follow up formula to create massive profits!
 
How to tie all your processes together for MAXIMUM impact!

So, join me at 5:30 on Tuesday, September 29th at Laptop Lounge and learn how to be Oprah!

Interesting days

Today -  Cherries Jubilee Day and Punctuation Day 

Tomorrow - Hug a Vegetarian Day, Comic Book Day, One-Hit Wonder Day, Psychotherapy Day, World Pharmacists Day and World Dream Day Read all about Tony Burrows, the king of the one hit wonders here. He was the lead singer for several different one-hit wonder songs...including several of my favorites from the 60's and 70's

Next Thursday - Older Peoples Day, CD Player Day, World Vegetarian Day, Poetry Day and Lace Day

October  24 - United Nations Day and Make A Difference Day

Good things come to those who wait

That may be true but sometimes we wait too long and miss the boat so to speak, as this story tells us:

A fellow was stuck on his rooftop in a flood. He was praying to God for help.

Soon a man in a rowboat came by and the fellow shouted to the man on the roof, "Jump in, I can save you."

The stranded fellow shouted back, "No, it's OK, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me."

So the rowboat went on.

Then a motorboat came by. "The fellow in the motorboat shouted, "Jump in, I can save you."

To this the stranded man said, "No thanks, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith."

So the motorboat went on.

Then a helicopter came by and the pilot shouted down, "Grab this rope and I will lift you to safety."

To this the stranded man again replied, "No thanks, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith."

So the helicopter reluctantly flew away.

Soon the water rose above the rooftop and the man drowned. He went to Heaven. He finally got his chance to discuss this whole situation with God, at which point he exclaimed, "I had faith in you but you didn't save me, you let me drown. I don't understand why!"

To this God replied, "I sent you a rowboat and a motorboat and a helicopter, what more did you expect?"

So, don't wait for something to happen...make it happen. A corollary to the above statement is:

Figure out what you want and go for it! Life is too short to be waiting for what we want.

Interesting days

Today -  Restless Legs Awareness Day and Checkers Day A day celebrating President Nixon's dog. But if you want to play the game instead, I'm sure it'll be ok

Tomorrow - Cherries Jubilee Day and Punctuation Day Sometimes the correct punctuation can make all the difference

Next Wednesday - Mud Pack Day and Ask A Stupid Question Day Whoever said there's no such thing as a stupid question is just flat out wrong! And it's also International Translation Day

October 23 - TV Talk Show Host Day and iPod Day Does anyone even own an iPod anymore? And let's not forget Mole Day Not the furry animal or the mole on your skin, this day is a celebration of the mole in chemistry! Don't know what that is? Click on the link for a brief introduction

Happy Business Women's Day

A while back I wrote a blog called The Other 70% about women in network marketing. In that post I talked about the fact the 70% of the people in network marketing are women; while only 36% of non-farm, non-publicly held business in 2012 were women owned according to the National Women's Business Council. Why is that? Network marketing costs very little to get started, often less than $1,000. It can be worked around the family's schedule. It offers many goods or services to choose from. It's more low pressure than many other businesses. And it's fun! If you're a woman who wants to join the 70% (or a man who wants to join the 30%), let me know. I know people in various network marketing businesses and maybe we can find one that's right for you.

Interesting days

Today - Hobbit Day. White Chocolate Day, Ice Cream Cone Day, Business Women's Day, Elephant Appreciation Day, Dear Diary Day and World Car Free Day  It sounds like a good day for a white chocolate ice cream cone!

Tomorrow - Checkers Day and Restless Legs Awareness Day

Next Tuesday - International Coffee Day and World Heart Day

October 22 - Nut Day Sometimes you feel like a nut...and today is a good day for it. It's also Caps Lock Day AND WHAT'S WRONG WITH TYPING ALL IN CAPS? And last, but far from least, it's Smart is Cool Day And this guy is the epitome of cool:

Law of attraction

What is the law of attraction? According to Wikipedia:

The law of attraction is the name given to the maxim "like attracts like" which in New Thought philosophy is used to sum up the idea that by focusing on positive or negative thoughts a person brings positive or negative experiences into their life.^[1][2] This belief is based upon the idea that people and their thoughts are both made from "pure energy", and the belief that like energy attracts like energy. One example used by Lisa Nichols in the film 'The Secret' is as follows: "Every time you look inside your mail expecting to see a bill, guess what? It'll be there. Each day you go out dreading the bill, you're never expecting anything great, you're thinking about debt, you're expecting debt. So debt must show up.....it showed up, because the law of attraction is always being obedient to your thoughts."^[3]

Do I believe that by not thinking about bills, I'll never get any? No...the bills will be there whether I think about them or not. Do I believe that just by thinking about a million dollars, it'll magically appear? No. But I do believe that you do attract positive or negative energy by your thoughts.

I think that if you're a happy, cheerful, optimistic person that you'll tend to attract other happy, cheerful, optimistic people and that you'll tend to attract positive energy. A million dollars? Probably not. A happier, healthier life? Probably.

However, I do believe in the law of attention and the law of intention - you attract more of what you pay attention to and you attract what you are, not what you want. The last paragraph is the law of intention in action...attracting what you are, whether positive or negative.

What about the law of attention? You become more aware of what you pay attention to. If you pay attention to positive or negative things, you tend to be more aware of those things. They've always been there but now you're aware of them. Or how about when you buy a new car and now you see them all over the road? They weren't magically manifested into your life. They were always there but you didn't pay attention to them.

What about positive affirmations? I think that they can be helpful but I think it depends on how they're phrased and how they're used. Kody Bateman, the founder and CEO of SendOutCards, is a huge proponent of "I am" statements. Your subconscious mind doesn't know the difference between fantasy and reality. Have you ever watched a scary movie? Even though your conscious mind knows it's not real, your subconscious mind takes in all of the scary cues and you're scared! "I am" statements use that idea to become what you want to be. And the power of intention will attract more of that. You still have to work for what you want, the law of intention isn't some magical power, but you'll find that new opportunities will present themselves to you.

What are some "I am" statements?

I am at my ideal weight - Will you magically lose 20 or 30 pounds? No. But your subconscious mind will be looking for ways to make it happen. You may start eating better or exercising more without really noticing it. But if you consciously eat better and exercise more, you'll have even better results.

I am earning $1,000,000 a year - Will you suddenly be earning that much money? I wish! But you will start to notice opportunities to make more money. Will you earn a million dollars a year at your current job? Not likely. But you'll become aware of investment or business opportunities that were already out there but you weren't paying attention to.

I am in a loving relationship - Playboy playmate or Chippendale's dancer suddenly appears? No. But you will most likely become more loving in the process and you attract what you are.

 There are a few "rules" to using "I am" statements. They must be in the present tense. Remember, your subconscious doesn't know what's real or not. If you say "I am" your subconscious accepts it as reality and sets out to make it happen. It must be positive...it's "I am", not "I'm not", "I am thin" as opposed to "I'm not overweight". Your subconscious mind doesn't understand "not"...it will just see "I'm overweight" and guess what happens? It's like when you tell yourself "Don't think of a pink elephant". What do you think of? And another key point is repetition. The more you repeat it, the more it becomes ingrained into your subconscious.

You can become what you want if you work for it. You can have what you want as long as it's in alignment with who you are...and you have to work for it. I believe the laws of attention and intention make you aware of opportunities but you still have to take advantage of the opportunities.

Interesting days

Today  - World Gratitude Day, Miniature Golf Day and International Day of Peace Who, or what, are you grateful for? Let them know with a call, card or letter.

Tomorrow - Hobbit Day. White Chocolate Day, Ice Cream Cone Day, Business Women's Day, Elephant Appreciation Day, Dear Diary Day and World Car Free Day I'll definitely be celebrating Ice Cream Cone Day and trying not to think about pink elephants

Next Monday - Good Neighbor Day and Drink Beer Day Invite your neighbors over for a beer...or invite yourself over to your neighbors for a beer. It's also Family Day Depending on how old your kids are you may be able to combine this with Drink Beer Day. Or just plan something fun with your family

October 21 - Apple Day, Count Your Buttons Day and Reptile Awareness Day. But as Jim Stafford said:

The Funday Sunnies

Interesting days

Today - Wife Appreciation Day and Punch Day 2, 4, 6, 8 who do you appreciate? Guys, if it's not your wife, then you're in big trouble.

Tomorrow - World Gratitude Day, Miniature Golf Day and International Day of Peace Don't know where to go to play? Then check out this link

Next Sunday - Ancestor Appreciation Day and Tourism Day Maybe you can plan a trip to your ancestral homeland. Where are your ancestors from? It's also Crush a Can Day which has gotten a lot easier since the introduction of the aluminum can

October 20 - Brandied Fruit Day It takes a few months to ferment, so even if you start now you won't be ready by then. It's also International Sloth Day Isn't that one of the 7 deadly sins? 

The Friday Fishwrap

All the news that's fit to wrap around a dead fish

The week in review

Monday - "Law of attraction" Why I prefer the laws of attention and intention

Tuesday - "Happy Business Women's Day" About how many businesses are owned by women

Wednesday - "Good things come to those who wait" Why waiting may not be the best strategy

Thursday - "Do you network like Oprah?" Casey Eberhart's coming to Walnut Creek next week

Darn...no video link! Maybe it's because my phone was in low power mode and it didn't save the Periscope or I changed the settings for it. Here's the Periscope link, but it'll be gone in 24 hours.

Interesting days

This week

Saturday - Coastal Cleanup Day, Gymnastics Day,  International Eat An Apple Day, Butterscotch Pudding Day and Talk Like A Pirate Day

Sunday - Wife Appreciation Day and Punch Day

Monday - World Gratitude Day, Miniature Golf Day and International Day of Peace

Tuesday - Hobbit Day. White Chocolate Day, Ice Cream Cone Day, Business Women's Day, Elephant Appreciation Day, Dear Diary Day and World Car Free Day

Wednesday - Checkers Day and Restless Legs Awareness Day

Thursday - Cherries Jubilee Day and Punctuation Day 

Today - Hug a Vegetarian Day, Comic Book Day, One-Hit Wonder Day, Psychotherapy Day, World Pharmacists Day and World Dream Day

Next week

Tomorrow - Johnny Appleseed Day, Love Note Day, International Rabbit Day and Lumberjack Day

Sunday - Ancestor Appreciation Day, Tourism Day and Crush a Can Day

Monday - Good Neighbor Day, Drink Beer Day and Family Day

Tuesday - International Coffee Day and World Heart Day

Wednesday - Mud Pack Day, Ask A Stupid Question Day and International Translation Day

Thursday - Older Peoples Day, CD Player Day, World Vegetarian Day, Poetry Day and Lace Day

Next month

October 19 - Clean Your Virtual Desktop Day and Evaluate Your Life Day

October 20 - Brandied Fruit Day and International Sloth Day

October 21 - Apple Day, Count Your Buttons Day and Reptile Awareness Day

October 22 - Nut Day, Caps Lock Day and Smart is Cool Day

October 23 - TV Talk Show Host Day,  iPod Day and Mole Day

October  24 - United Nations Day and Make A Difference Day

Your weekend guide to interesting days

Today - Coastal Cleanup Day, Gymnastics Day,  International Eat An Apple Day, Butterscotch Pudding Day and Talk Like A Pirate Day Arrrr! I be hoistin' me sails and gettin' underway to Krispy Kreme

Tomorrow - Wife Appreciation Day and Punch Day

Next Saturday - Johnny Appleseed Day, Love Note Day, International Rabbit Day and Lumberjack Day

October 19 - Clean Your Virtual Desktop Day and Evaluate Your Life Day

The Friday Fishwrap

All the news that's fit to wrap around a dead fish

The week in review

Monday - "Why being a generalist may be wearing you out" How performing hidden jobs is sapping your energy

Tuesday - "SendOutCards Convention Recap"

Wednesday - "Last Friday's Fishwrap" Since I couldn't post it last week

Thursday - "Tips for frantic mornings" Some helpful tips, especially if you have kids in school

Here's the video from today's Periscope

Interesting days

This week

Saturday - Chocolate Milk Shake Day and Video Games Day

Sunday - Grandparent's Day, Defy Superstition Day, Positive Thinking Day, Roald Dahl Day, Kids Take Over The Kitchen Day, Hug Your Hound Day, Peanut Day and Fortune Cookie Day

Monday - Boss/Employee Exchange Day and Eat a Hoagie Day

Tuesday - Get Ready Day, Felt Hat Day,  Make A Hat Day, Greenpeace Day and International Dot Day

Wednesday - Collect Rocks Day, Working Parents Day, Guacamole Day, Play Doh Day, Stepfamily Day and World Ozone Day

Thursday - International Country Music Day, Apple Dumpling Day and Constitution Day

Today - Hug A Greeting Card Writer Day If you'd like to become a greeting card writer, check out Fremont Street Eats. It's also  Respect Day, Water Monitoring Day and Cheeseburger Day I'm ready for this one! There's a Habit Burger just down the street!

Next week

Tomorrow - Coastal Cleanup Day and Gymnastics Day I took gymnastics in high school but now, instead of round off, flip flop, back; it's more like fall down, flop, crack. It's also  International Eat An Apple Day I was just in Disneyland and saw this t-shirt

And let's not forget Butterscotch Pudding Day and one of my personal favorites Talk Like A Pirate Day Don't forget your free donuts at Krispy Kreme

Sunday - Wife Appreciation Day and Punch Day

Monday - World Gratitude Day, Miniature Golf Day and International Day of Peace

Tuesday - Hobbit Day. White Chocolate Day, Ice Cream Cone Day, Business Women's Day, Elephant Appreciation Day, Dear Diary Day and World Car Free Day

Wednesday - Checkers Day and Restless Legs Awareness Day

Thursday - Cherries Jubilee Day and Punctuation Day 

Friday - Hug a Vegetarian Day, Comic Book Day, One-Hit Wonder Day, Psychotherapy Day, World Pharmacists Day and World Dream Day

Next month

October 12 - World Arthritis Day, Native American Day and Old Farmers Day

October 13 - Ada Lovelace Day, Face Your Fears Day and Yorkshire Pudding Day

October 14 - World Maths Day, Emergency Nurses Day, Hagfish Day, Be Bald And Free Day, Pet Obesity Awareness Day and Bring Your Teddy Bear To Work & School Day

October 15 - Conflict Resolution Day, Chicken Cacciatore Day, Get Smart About Credit Day and White Cane Safety Day

October 16 - World Food Day, Boss' Day, Dictionary Day, Steve Jobs Day, Feral Cat Day and Department Store Day

October 17 - Spreadsheet Day, Bridge Day, Sweetest Day, International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, Mulligan Day and Wear Something Gaudy Day

October 18 - No Beard Day, World Toy Camera Day and Chocolate Cupcake Day

Tips for frantic mornings

With the school year upon us, it seems like a good time for some morning tips. Here are a few from my monthly SendOutCards blog. Please join my mailing list to get these in your email every month.

September 16, 2015

by r_tompkins

It is 6 am and the alarm is beeping. You grudgingly tap the button to let it know that you are fully aware of its presence. The thought crosses your mind that maybe you can squeeze in a few more minutes of sleep, but then you remember that you have an entire household to get ready and sent off on their way.

Does this sound familiar to you? Use these tips to help your mornings go as smoothly as possible… and maybe even allow you to catch a few more zzz’s!

Lay out clothes the night before. Anything that will be needed for your troop’s ensemble, lay it out! Shirt, pants, undergarments, socks, shoes, etc., can all be folded nicely and laid in a designated area. This will soon become routine and each child can go to their stack and get dressed on their own.

Prepare grab-and-go breakfast foods in advance. You do not have time to cook a gourmet breakfast, feed everyone and clean the mess. Instead make items that can be grabbed on the way out the door. For example, put bacon, egg and cheese on an English muffin, wrap it in plastic wrap and throw in the freezer. Everyone can grab a sandwich at their convenience. Other ideas can be found here!

Get backpacks ready the night before. Instead of rushing around trying to sign permission slips while blow drying your hair, go through each backpack before bedtime. Sign forms, look at grades and clean out trash before zipping it shut and putting it by the door. Your little one will only have to grab it on the way out the door!

Limit bathroom time. Everyone has that one child who will stand blankly in front of the mirror for 20 minutes. Set a time limit for each child that will give them ample time to conduct their bathroom needs but also speed them along. Keep in mind that it may take longer for your pre-teen daughter to get ready than it does your 5 year old son!

These tips may not give you the freedom of not setting the alarm but they can make your morning a little less stressful… or at least more organized!

Interesting days

Today - International Country Music Day, Apple Dumpling Day and Constitution Day I don't think you can get more all American than this

Tomorrow - Hug A Greeting Card Writer Day, Respect Day, Cheeseburger Day and Water Monitoring Day Not only should you hug a greeting card writer, but you should buy them a cheeseburger too

Next Thursday - Cherries Jubilee Day I've never had them, but they sound interesting. It's also $%#$@# Punctuation Day Punctuation - yeah, it's that important

October 17 - Spreadsheet Day, Bridge Day, Sweetest Day, International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, Mulligan Day and Wear Something Gaudy Day What will you wear?

Last Friday's Fishwrap

All the news that's fit to wrap around a dead fish

This is last Friday's wrap-up. I had WiFi issues at the hotel I was staying at.

The week in review

Monday - "Happy Labor Day"

Tuesday - "Two of my favorite things" Disneyland and the SendOutCards Convention

Wednesday - "No blog post today" WiFi issues at the hotel

Thursday - "Sharing ideas" A guest post by Annie Stenger

Interesting days

This week

Saturday - Be Late For Something Day,  Cheese Pizza Day,  International Vulture Awareness Day,  International Day of Charity and World Beard Day

Sunday - Pet Rock Day, Read a Book Day and Fight Procrastination Day

Monday - Buy a Book Day and Salami Day

Tuesday - Pardon Day, Iguana Awareness Day, Another Look Unlimited Day,  Literacy Day and World Physical Therapy Day

Wednesday - Wonderful Weirdos Day and Teddy Bear Day

Thursday - Swap Ideas Day

Today - Patriot Day, Make Your Bed Day, No News is Good News Day and Hot Cross Bun Day

Next Week

Tomorrow - Chocolate Milk Shake Day  and Video Games Day

Sunday - Fortune Cookie Day, Positive Thinking Day, Peanut Day and Grandparent's Day

Monday - Boss/Employee Exchange Day and Eat a Hoagie Day

Tuesday - Get Ready Day, Felt Hat Day,  Make A Hat Day, Greenpeace Day and International Dot Day  

Wednesday - Collect Rocks Day, Working Parents Day, Guacamole Day, Play Doh Day, Stepfamily Day and World Ozone Day

Thursday - International Country Music Day, Apple Dumpling Day and Constitution Day

Friday - Hug A Greeting Card Writer Day, Respect Day, Cheeseburger Day and Water Monitoring Day

Next month

October 5 - Country Inn Bed & Breakfast Day,  World Teachers Day, World Habitat Day and Chic Spy Day

October 6 - Physician Assistant Day and Mad Hatter Day

October 7 - Bathtub Day and Frappe Day

October 8 - World Octopus Day and World Sight Day

October 9 - World Egg Day, Moldy Cheese Day, Curious Events Day, Fire Prevention Day and World Post Day

October 10 - Handbag Day, World Porridge Day, World Homeless Day, Hug A Drummer Day, Cake Decorating Day and Universal Music Day

October 11 - Coming Out Day

SendOutCards Convention Recap

I had a great time at convention! It was held at the Disneyland Hotel. I arrived Tuesday afternoon and checked into the Baymont Inn and Suites about 4 miles from Disneyland. It was kind of a pain being so far away, but it was much cheaper than staying at Disneyland.

On Wednesday was the Bootcamp...all about building your business. At the beginning of the bootcamp all of the new changes were announced. Some of the big announcements were the MRM Training Portal and the Gold and Silver Customer Packages.

The MRM Training Portal is the online version of the Mastering Relationship Marketing 2 day live seminar that was presented earlier this year but is now available online. The cost is $99 with a $49 annual renewal. There will be more modules added to it as time goes on.

The Silver Package includes a 1 year subscription to the MRM Portal, the Handwriting Font and Signatures Package (a $49 value), the Custom Brand Manager (a $149 value...also with a $49 annual renewal), and 200 points (a $62 value)...all for $345. But the best thing is that you can buy points at the wholesale price of 31 cents each...if you have a subscription of at least 100 points.

The Gold Package is similar except it also includes the Memory Vault (a $99 value), which is for additional storage for cards, photos and contacts; as well as an additional 300 points (a $93 value) for a total of 500 points...all for $450.

There were similar additions to the Marketing Distributor package but the biggest change is the immediate payout of the bonuses.

Thursday was a free day that I spent at the Disneyland Park.

Friday morning was mostly announcements and two of the biggest for me was the Rookie of the Year, Cathi Rickly out of Las Vegas and the Distributor of the Year, Casey Eberhart, out of LA. Casey will be speaking at the Laptop Lounge in Walnut Creek on September 29th. Friday afternoon was free time again spent in the park.

Saturday was more on the new packages as well as some testimonials and business building. There was a closing party that I didn't attend because I drove home right after the main convention session.

Interesting days

Today - Get Ready Day Here in CA we have to be ready for earthquakes and when it's dry like this we need to be ready for wild fires also. It's also Felt Hat Day,  Make A Hat Day, Greenpeace Day and International Dot Day  

Tomorrow - Collect Rocks Day and Working Parents Day. Holy guacamole it's Guacamole Day. It's Play Doh Day and I'm sure some of you creative types can make play doh from guacamole! Let's not forget Stepfamily Day. And it's World Ozone Day

Next Tuesday - Hobbit Day. White Chocolate Day (it's alright, but is it really chocolate?) and one of my personal favorites, Ice Cream Cone Day Maybe a white chocolate cone? Plus it's Business Women's Day. As well as Elephant Appreciation Day and Dear Diary Day Remember when you wrote things in your diary and were upset when people read it? Now people are upset if they post something on Facebook and the entire world doesn't see it, comment on it and share it! And lastly, it's World Car Free Day

October 15 - Conflict Resolution Day and Chicken Cacciatore Day At least there's no conflict about what's for dinner tonight. It's also Get Smart About Credit Day and White Cane Safety Day Shouldn't this be every day?