Post Script...

Sir Edmund Hillary, in a way, was my inspiration for my future road trip. About the time I first started planning the road tour I won a whole camping kit: 4 sleeping bags with mats, a tent, cook stove, and cook set. And the day I receive it all was the 50th anniversary of Hillary's reaching the summit of Mt. Everest. I decided to become an explorer of sorts, exploring the cities and towns of North America.

My tour has changed names over the past few years. Civility Tour, Good Deeds Tour, Prosperity Tour, each one generating some negative response of one type or another. Currently I'm leaning toward Kindness Tour. What do you think?

Sir Edmund Hillary has died

I met him in 1973 or 1974. What a tall man.

Sears Canada's catalog was doing a promotion on expedition equipment and the company president, (General) Douglas Peacher knew Sir Edmund. Hillary wanted to be introduced to every single employee at Sears Buying Office Headquarters on Jarvis St. in Toronto. Mr. Peacher brought Sir Edmund TO every employee to introduce him by name, one by one and shake their hand. Including me, a lowly buying assistant in my tiny cubicle.

So I was introduced to him and shook his hand. What a kind gentleman.

Why are so many smart people underearners?

I'm not talking about over-spending or getting into debt. I'm talking about undervaluing your work and leaving money on the table. This has been on my mind for several years because so many people claim they can't afford to hire me. Nearly every person who inquires about my services shows me they are underearners. I know they are not just being cheap. When I ask people why they don't earn enough to pay their bills or invest in themselves, these are some of the answers I receive....

1. I don't deserve to earn that much.
2. It's not Christian to charge for my services.
3. My family/siblings/parents/spouse would be upset if earned more money.
4. I don't want to have to pay tax on higher earnings.
5. I'm not willing to change how I operate my business.
6. I've paid for and followed all the advice in the branding and Internet marketing books and I lost money.
7. I turned my business into a nonprofit so I can't make a profit.
8. I don't know how.

I'm stupefied by how smart people deliberately diminish their earning power... and then expect people like me to do the same on their behalf! I'd love to help them all... but I'd expect to be paid!

I've been thinking that perhaps I should go into practice as a coach helping people make more income, but then I realize that's pretty much what I've been doing for 30 years.... and few people are willing to pay me for my help!

What do you think?

Do you have an interest in earning more, moving from financial crisis to financial comfort?

Would you take an online class to learn how to generate more money doing what you love?

Why or why not? How much would you be willing to pay to attend?

Would you really do the work to change your earning capacity?

What's your biggest money problem?

I'll post the top ten money problems here with no names or identities.

My review comment of new book on condo buying

You may know my "challenges" with the board of directors of my condo. (They have forbidden me to have a web site and sell my e-books online.)

The irony is I was asked to review Kay Senay's new book, Condo Buying and Ownership Made Simple. My review comment appears at the bottom of this page (click on heading above.) You can purchase it online as an e-book or buy the print version.


It's a tremendous book... I can't say enough about it. Kay is brilliant. I discovered so much about condos from Kay's work that will be useful in my own situation. Nobody should buy a condo without reading this book. Spending $10 or $15 could save you thousands of dollars and a lot of disappointment or consternation later.

Andrea

Conrad Black is sentenced to 6.5 years in prison today

I don't know if I should admit that many years ago- maybe 25 years - Canadian Business Magazine gave me, and many others who had made national news that year, a tongue-in-cheek Connie Award, named for press baron Conrad Black, for outstanding contribution to Canadian capitalism. I thought it was funny at the time; now I'm not so sure. It was the Don't-Drink-From-the-Fingerbowl -Award as a result of publication of my first book, The Executive's Guide to Professional Image Consultants in Canada. Perhaps I should get writing so my next book will win a more prestigious award named for a more reputable person.

The speaker directory has a new look

See for yourself. www.CommissionFreeSpeakers.com (Click on the heading above for the link.)

I made the change because I thought the previous look was too dark (somber) and the navigation was too clunky. Now the speakers names are prominent in the left column on each page and the menu is at the top. Everything should be easier to find now.

If you have paid for a listing please send me your speaker data for your profile so I can post it. As soon as 25 speaker profiles are posted I will promote to the press and media. I'd like them to be able to find you... in case they will want to interview you. If you want to be one of those first 25 speakers, please join as soon as possible.

Andrea

Trial run - I'm going to Pennsyvania - meet me?

I'm taking short runs to iron out the kinks of traveling in a van. On Wed. I'm driving between St. Catharines Ontario and Erie PA. I'll be right near the Millcreek Mall which is large, so if you live in Canada and need something from the US, let me know. If you're along the corridor I'll be driving on Wed. and want me to stop and visit for a chat, send me a note. I'm driving along the QEW to Lewiston - hoping my new US passport has arrived finally, then I'll get on I-90 West and drive to the I-79 exit where I get off. If we - my cat and I - encounter a snow storm we may stop driving and seek a place to spend the night... in the van. That's the plan for a year, so this will be a trial run. It should be interesting.