Author: akosiallan

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Life Updates

My new direction for this blog…and no, I will not be closing it down

It’s been a long long time since I last posted in this blog because of so many things that I’ve been so busy about this year.  I have been putting off updating this blog so much it even got to a point where the site went down for sometime without me knowing it because I forgot to renew my hosting account. Talk about being so busy. 🙂

Anyway, another reason is because I’ve been contemplating a lot on what direction I want this blog to take. For the past 3 years, I’ve changed so much that sometimes all the things that I’ve been through and want to share with you, I don’t know if they are still relevant to you or not anymore.

Some of you have come across this blog after searching for investing tips on stock market or through some other search key words. While that has generated a lot of traffic to my site, I have since taken a different direction with my blog that I don’t feel I am the right person to guide you in your stocks investments. I wrote that piece almost 4 years ago when I was still exploring about the different ways on how to earn an extra income through various investments in real-estate, stocks and businesses. I have been invited quite a number of times in different schools to share my experience with stock market investing and whatever knowledge I might have gained from it. I feel really blessed to have been given those opportunities.  However, the time to change has come.

Now, I have a little bit of clarity in terms of experience and the path that I would like to take for at least the next 2 to 3 years. And obviously, it will affect all the things that are involved in my life including this blog.

They say, the life that you have right now is the result of the decisions you made 5 years ago.  When I look back 5 years ago, I was fresh from a 2 year stint abroad and I was at that stage where I wanted to learn so many things.  My real-estate venture was great and it opened up a circle of friends that I will be forever grateful for, for it led me to so many opened doors.

Sometimes the little decisions we take which seem insignificant the day they were taken, will prove as the turning point of your life in the future. I was at that stage where I’ve already read hundreds of books on business and investing and I had nothing to show for it. I was shy and timid (or perhaps I was the only one thinking I was like that), and had limited communication skills. I’ve attended lots and lots of seminars and paid tens of thousands of pesos for each, and after several of those I still had nothing to show for it. Money is still going out of my own pocket and nothing is going in.  I was so frustrated about my results that I was ready to TAKE ACTION on ANYTHING. I can live with a failure, but I can never live with myself in NOT TRYING.

Many things have happened since then. In the beginning of my business career I had to overcome a lot of personal doubts and fears. Eventually, with the help of my mentors, I was able to see a glimmer of hope that I could hold on to…eventually, the results came and the best part of it is in being given the chance to mentor other aspiring entrepreneurs as well and contribute in helping them become successful as well.

Today, I am writing to share with you so many things that have happened this year alone. My wife and I went to Hong Kong Disneyland TWICE. One was in April when we attened an International Business Convention, and enjoy being a child again with some of our business partners afterwards…and the other time was when we were given a special travel incentive for FREE last September.

My wife were also fortunate to earn another travel incentive on the same month of September, an all-expense-paid ASIAN CRUISE trip to Hong Kong, Sanya China and Halong Bay Vietnam. We were able to visit the remotest part of China they call "End of the Earth" as well as Hong Kong, but had to skip our excursion in Vietnam because of a brewing typhoon in the area. Anyway, it was our first Asian Cruise experience and I realized we were one of the youngest crowd in the trip. Most of those with us in the cruise were already at a retirement age. I am guessing it is their gift after a fruitful career in employment or business. Seeing them unable to enjoy the amenitites so much, it dawned on me that building a sustainable business that can operate without you and generate passive income for you is one of the most powerful vehicle you can ever build. It gives you the option to enjoy life at an early age and not have to wait for retirement.  After 7 days of NOT WORKING because there was NO INTERNET CONNECTION (we’re in the middle of the sea most of the time), and having the time to really enjoy the travel, the income from our business grew even more…as if saying, we don’t need you, go have more vacation! 🙂

I also had the opportunity to share our story and inspire almost a thousand aspiring entrepreneurs in Baguio City. As speaker, I was awarded a FREE 2-day stay in Bagiuo City Country Club with an eat-all-you-can buffet breakfast.  I learned later on that the place I stayed in is one of the most exclusive hotels in the area.

The best part of this amazing journey is in seeing those who trusted you achieve similar or even greater results than you. It is in helping other people that you realize this world is abundant with blessings for those people who are willing to pay the price in hardwork and perseverance.

Today, I’d like to share with you my plan for this blog going forward. One thing I want to do is to go back to how it felt when I first started sharing the lessons I learned when I started this thing. I wanted to share from the heart. I don’t want to write something just so I can be top 1 in Google search engine or anything like that. I truly wanted to share my experiences so that other people who read it might find inspiration and realize that if I was able to make it, so can they.

As such, in the next weeks and months, I will be sharing more about the journey that I’ve been the past 3 and half years. The lessons I’ve learned and the lessons that I have yet to learn. The stories I will be sharing will be those of my own and the stories of the people I’ve personally worked with in my journey. The stories will include topics in business mindset, marketing, leadership, as well as tips on how to grow a business from the ground up using online and offline marketing strategies, and how to generate "passive income" by building a stable and sustainable business.

With that said, I will no longer be able to cater to other topics in personal finance like stocks investing, real-estate investing, saving or dealing with debts. You can find answers to those specific topics from other blogs (if you want suggestions, email me and I can share with you a few of my suggested sites). If you happened to stumble into my blog looking for topics on investing in stocks, bonds or forex or other paper assets, I may not be the best resource person for those topics. If you received this in your email and wish to unsubscribe and no longer wish to receive information from me, feel free to click the unsubscribe link below. Thank you for stumbling into my blog and I hope I was able to share something to you that added value into your life.

However, if you want to learn how to develop the mindset and skills to establish a business that can generate passive income, I can help you, just like how I was helped by my mentors 3 and half years ago.  I’m looking forward to sharing more stories with you soon. Cheers to your success!

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Featured Success Story: Former Engineer and CPA Couple turned Entrepreneur Gets Their Dream Car

About 3 years ago, one reader of this blog emailed me to ask about the business that I was involved in at that moment. I didn’t personally know them at that time. When I had a chance to meet them up for coffee they said they read my article in 2011 about my 3 goals for the year and they were curious how to be a part of it. It was a long journey from that day to who they have become now with many ups and downs…but the rest as they say is history.

I really admire this couple for their tenacity, for their drive and ambition and never-give-up attitude. RJ De Lara is a former Electrical Engineer, a jolly guy who is very approachable and accomodating. He makes you feel at home and welcome even though you just met. Jacq De Lara is a former Certified Public Account. She’s the energy and passion behind their success in the business. This husband and wife tandem is like a speeding and powerful car. Jacq, the wife, is the engine, and RJ is the wheels and body of the car.  Early this year one of their dreams, came true. They got their dream car, a Mitsubishi Montero nicknamed “KC”. Just like this muscle car, they too are UNSTOPPABLE.

Recently, I got a chance to interview them for a feature in this blog.  I’d like to share their story with you in the hope that you learn from their journey as well. Read on and enjoy!

1) Can you give us a background on what you were doing prior to doing business?

We were electrical engineer at a known electric utility company and an accountant/ financial analyst in a known petroleum/energy company respectively.

2) When did you realize that you wanted to go into business?

It all started when we read the book, Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. That time, we realized that even if we have good corporate careers, we figured out that we still in rat race, living pay check to pay check. That book opened our mind into the world of passive income through starting an income generating asset like a business on the side while being employed. Why work for something you cannot own if you can work for something that you can own and pass on generations to the next generations.

3) What was the greatest challenge you encountered and how were you able to overcome it?

The greatest challenge was the fear of rejection and criticism. We overcame those by attending trainings that shifted our mindset and beliefs. Also, we hangout with like minded people who shares the same attitude and drive to get what they truly deserve in life.

4) What motivated you to continue your business even when the results were not very encouraging at the start?

We have a deep why bigger than fear, rejections, doubts and negatives around us. We both came from very humble beginning so we want our future children to experience the life that they deserve. Though money itself can’t buy happiness. But money can buy things that makes our family happy and comfortable. Money will help us to pay our utility bills, to pay our basic necessities, send our future children to excellent schools, visit different places around the world, buy things that our family want. If we have financial independence, then we will get our time freedom as well…spending our precious time with our family rather than spending our time working for the rest of our lives.

5) How do you see yourself in the next 3 years?

We see ourselves already harvesting the fruits of our labor in the past 5 years, enjoying our dream house, travelling with the kids around the world, being invited as to talk to internationally as a motivational and inspirational speakers and helping more people to attain financial independence by educating them about financial literacy so that they can too get their dreams as well.

6) If you have a superpower, what would it be, and why?

We want to have teleportation power. We’ll use this power whenever we’re stuck on a traffic and instantly go from one place to another, from one country to another.

7) What 3 tips can you share with those who want to start their own business?

1. Believe that you will succeed, that’s the first thing and very important because we both agree that all of us have infinite potential. We just have to harness it.

2. Work hard and don’t quit. you must be willing to exert extra effort and anticipate discouragement along the way. As the saying goes “if you do what is easy your life will be hard, if you do what is hard your life will be easy.” Pray and ask God for his grace and mercy and help in times of trouble and thank him for all of his blessings.

3. Look for a mentor. Initially, we know we need to have an income generating asset but we dont know where and how to start. It is important to look for a mentor who will coach and guide you all the way in doing your business. All you have to do is do what they say even if we dont understand at first. Just trust them because they have been there, they have many experiences that made them successful.

I hope you learned something from what RJ and Jacq shared with you. I pray that God grants you the courage to pursue your own dreams and the tenacity to see it through until the end just like how RJ and Jacq did. I’m excited to feature your success story in this blog soon! Cheers to your financial success!

P.S. To get in touch with RJ and Jacq, you may add them in Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/rjdelara12 and https://www.facebook.com/jacqdelara,

P.P.S. I am looking for 4 new people to coach and mentor on how to earn US dollars while in the Philippines like how I did to RJ and Jacq this July. This is going to be very intensive one-on-one coaching and I only work with people who are open-minded, teachable and who are serious in making a change in their lives. I will be investing a significant amount of time coaching you personally, and you must be willing to invest your time, money and effort throughout the process. If you are not willing to commit to a 6-month program, and is not willing to undergo training in Makati personally, this may not be for you. If you have gone past the “kaya ko pang tiisin” stage, and REALLY want to make a significant improvement in your financial life, and you are willing to BE COACHED, LEARN and WORK HARD, simply hit the reply button and send me an email OR add me up as friend in Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/allaninocente and we’ll set up a time to get to know each other and explore if we can work together or not.

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Would you like to travel the world with me?

Today, I’d like to give you a glimpse on what’s been happening with me for the past few months.  It’s been so thrilling going through all the experiences that I haven’t had the time to actually stop and reflect upon all the blessings that’s been happening lately.

Last month, my wife and I and a group of business partners across asia-pacific went to Hong Kong to attend a business convention.  It was my second time attending but the experience is nonetheless exciting.  Travelling abroad is fun.  It is even more enjoyable if you’re with a group of young, energetic people like XTRM 1-11.

Here’s our picture in Disneyland. Imagine the excitement we had while lining up on all the rides and chasing after Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse.  It felt like being a child all over again!

During the convention, my wife and I got a chance to capture our family picture on the "Wall of Fame".  It’s so thrilling seeing yourself on international stage.  

On the same day, we also got the chance to grace the stage as one of the awardees. Here’s a picture of us representing the Philippines in the international arena and bearing the Philippine Flag! It was so much fun!

After coming from convention, my wife and I decided to take our business to the next level. Our hard work bore fruit when we got the following awards a few weeks ago. 

One of them is becoming part of the Philippines’ Top 18 businesses with the highest income growth during the first quarter of 2014! For that we were awarded a free exclusive luncheon in Holiday Inn and Suites Makati.  The week after, we got another great news when we were informed that my wife and I were included in one of the travel incentives for business leaders, a 6-day trip to multiple countries, a trip-for-two Asian Cruise escapade in 3 countries! I can’t wait!

The good thing about our business is having to contribute to other people’s successes (and travels) as well. One of my partners Will and Chelle Abriza are scheduled for an all-expense-paid Asian Cruise trip of their own next month in Jeju Island Korea and Shanghai China! Another business partner of mine, Francis "Kiko" Lumbo is also scheduled for an all-expense paid trip to Maldives! It’s so much fun doing business when you know you are not the only one being blessed but also the people around you.

It’s only the first quarter of the year and it’s shaping up to be another amazing breakthrough for a lot of people who trusted me when I was just starting.  The good news is that we still have 3 quarters to go and make this year a year to remember! The bad news – time flies so fast.  Before you know it, we’re already half way through the year.

The great thing about travelling is meeting new people, getting experiences and just enjoying and learning new culture at the same time.  I wish for you to exprience the same. Join me in my next travel. Be part of our team and learn how you can get to be part of this great adventure! Add me up in Facebook @ http://www.facebook.com/allaninocente and PM me, (or simply hit the reply button if you’re receiving this on your email.) Let’s travel the world and explore the unlimited possiblities. Let’s make your success story and travel escapades be the next feature in this blog!

 

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Featured Success Story: Former OFW turned Entrepreneur Comes Home For Good to the Philippines

A few days ago, I had a chance to catch up with one of my former housemates abroad and now one of my successful business partners. After only 1 year and 5 months doing the business part-time while working abroad for one of the largest financial services company in the world as IT consultant, he and his growing family were able to come home for good to do their international business while living in the Philippines.

My friend is a very humble guy, loves to play the guitar with a band, and a good father and provider to his young family.  His name is Francis Lumbo. In a short span of time, they have been able to build their business to great lengths, receiving top growth awards in Singapore and winning an all-expense paid trip to a 5-night Asian Cruise trip to Shanghai China, Jeju Island Korea, and Nagasaki and Fokouka Japan. More than that, they have been able to help countless others achieve success as well.

I have great news for you! Here’s your chance to get a glimpse on how it is to build an international business part-time while still being employed. One of the striking things he mentioned to me before was that while doing the business, he had achieved the best preformance review he got from his former company. He actually tried to ask for a raise but sadly the company didn’t give him what he wanted. Much to his disappointment, he focused all his energy in applying the same work ethic on his business and the results were nothing but extraordinary. His life changed dramatically for the better. 

Here’s a short interview of Francis Lumbo, an inspiring story of a former OFW’s entrepreneurial journey in his own words. Read on and enjoy!

Questions #1. Background: Please share with me a little bit about yourselves. What is your current profession?

Answer: We came from the same University and College in the Philippines (PUP Sta. Mesa). We are working abroad for 6 years now, in Malaysia and Singapore. My wife and I are doing the business for 1 year and 5 months and since November 2013, we are now fulltime in the business. I am a former Software Consultant, and my wife is a Civil Engineer, Quantity Surveyor. We have two kids, one is a 4 year old kid name Paulo Remcis and the other one is still in her mother’s womb, 8 months. We would name her Isabelle Anne.



Question #2. How did you find out about the business?

Answer: Let’s just say I invited myself to the business. Here is how it all happened. It was 2012 and I was working as a Software Consultant in Singapore. You know how most people spent their idle times by browsing through Facebook. I was checking the news feed of Facebook and I often saw the posts of Allan Inocente, a former housemate in Malaysia and now also one of the successful Entrepreneurs in the Philippines. I was amazed and intrigued of what is he doing, because it seems he already retired from job and was just touring around the Philippines doing seminars and talks. But what strikes me the most was despite that, he still have time with his family. And so I message him, “bro, musta…Ano ba ang raket mo jan. Kung ano man yan, sama ako” In English “bro, how are you…What are you into. Whatever it is, l want in”. And so via Skype he presented the business and so we came to know it. 
Because I have so many questions on doubts back then, the presentation lasted for 3 hours and 7 minutes. The business is too good to be true for me, is time and financial freedom really possible at the age of 35…Nonetheless, I weigh my options, and asked my wife if we could try. She really is not very supportive at first. Even I still has doubts back then. But two days later we joined. The rest was history.

Question #
3. Why did you join the business?

Answer: We joined for that extra income we needed to start building our future, to add for our savings, and so we could start our own business. What we really wanted is a restaurant slash bar and have enough money so we could retire early and be with our family in the Philippines. 
Also my wife and I are working for 9 years already. (3 years in Philippines and 6 years in MY and SG but still we do not have our own house and lot. Then came a friend who introduces us to this famous book called Rich Dad Poor Dad. From that book we found out what was wrong, and what we are supposed to do. Then came this wonderful opportunity where we could start a business with low capital but could give a very very good income. One thing that also entices us to start is that this business could give us residual and passive income in the near future. Sound like this is what we need and so we grab it.



Question #4. What were some of the challenges you faced? How did you overcome them? Please share some examples.

There are three challenges that we encounter. Time, our personal fear, and discouragement from our own friends and family.
First challenge was time. Remi is working for 10 hours a day every week and half day on Saturdays on her job and I am working 12 hours and oncall 24 by 7 including weekends. Sad to say, we have little time for our kid back then. But we need to manage time wisely. And that is what we did. We cut our useless series and telenovela time, our Facebook time, our Iphone games time, no more over sleeping just to squeeze in time to do business. 1 year and 5 mos after, we have all the time we need to play and be with our kid.
Next challenge was our own personal fear of failure and rejection. Both of us are not the types of person who could right away start a conversation, the type who would approach people who are not close to us. We found out that in this business, you must first develop yourself in order to grow. And so we did a lot of seminars, trainings, and own study to be able to overcome change our mindset and remove all the fears and doubts. It is still a wok in progress up to this day.
Last challenge was we could not convince our friends and even our own family to invest in our business. But we keep going. We have this never say die attitude. We really prayed to God that if this business is really for us, we will find the strength and courage to continue. It took a while before we could say that we are really earning. The good thing about this business is you have business partners who encourage you stay there and hang on. And true enough, our perseverance pays off. Now most of our family and friends are with us in the business and they are also earning and working their way to financial and time freedom.

I hope you were inspired by Francis’ story as it did to me. As you can see, his journey is just beginning, but much of his success is attributed to him being open to new ideas, having the courage to take a leap of faith even when his own doubts and fears were creeping in, and him being willing to learn and be coached and mentored along the way. He was not afraid to fail in the business. He was more afraid of not being able to provide the life that his family dreams of. He had an amazing work ethic but he also knew that without the right vehicle, his hard work can only go so far. He knew that starting your own business and having control of how you run it can be your ticket to a better life.

Most people are aware that having a job is no longer as secure as before. There’s downsizing, there’s recession, there’s you getting old and being replaced by a younger and more willing person who accepts a lesser salary, and there’s your boss who just doesn’t like you, and all other kinds of excuses they want to throw at you. YOU can accept that fate in defeat, or silently fight back by TAKING BACK CONTROL of your own life and fate. There’s light at the end of the tunnel, only if you are willing to take a chance and have the faith that God has a better plan for your life. Opportunities are all around us, most people are not trained to see them even when they are in front of their own eyes. I pray that you find yours and be the next featured success story. God bless you and see you at the top!

P.S. Inspired by Francis Lumbo’s success story, you can add him on Facebook @ http://www.facebook.com/francis.lumbo.

P.P.S. Last time I sent an email invitation to this blog to join me in building my DREAM TEAM, so many people have sent in their responses.  To give you an idea, here’s page 1 of 4 screen shots of the emails I had to reply to. I had to remove some of the confidential details for privacy reasons. To all those who emailed me or added me in Facebook and sent in their messages, THANK YOU so much for taking the time to let me know your thoughts while meeting some of you personally. While I would want to meet all of you to just say thanks, my schedule simply cannot permit it as I am also working closely with a lot of other people I am currently mentoring on a deeper and more extensive coaching engagements. With that said, if you still want to be part of my project, you can send me an email to setup an appointment. If you don’t receive a reply from me within 24-48 hours, please do resend your email as it might have been lost along the way. Thank you for your continued support and I hope this blog inspires you to create your own success story. Cheers!

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Exciting New Project for 2014: Be Part of my Dream Team

Time flies so fast. We’re already halfway through January and I’m only starting to share my goals to you just now. Every year, I try to share with you my goals for the year in the hope of inspiring you in your own financial journey as well.

Last year, this blog has undergone a lot of changes, the most evident of which is the lack of updates and postings. 😀 I apologize to you my dear readers for that. It has a lot to do with the BIG changes that has been happening to my life as well as the business direction that I want this blog to take in the next months and years.

The past 2 years have been a LIFE-CHANGING experience for me.  I was an uninspired employee before; Now, I am a very busy and mobile entrepreneur with 2 very active kids.  Before, I used to delve into a lot of things, trying out so many. I was exploring into stocks investing, real-estate investing, online blogging, affiliate marketing, e-book selling, and many more.

Until I started my own business 2 years ago, all I had was a DREAM that one day, I can live a life outside the cubicle and have a chance to DIRECT the course of my life the way I want it, without my boss or my work getting in the way. Now, it’s been more than 2 years ever since I last held a job and while it’s been full of challenges, I have also learned so many things along the way that I would not have learned otherwise.  Not by reading hundreds of books. Not by attending lots of seminars.  The life of an ENTREPRENEUR is best learned through the daily action of talking to people, selling yourself and your vision, LEADING a TEAM and overcoming challenges everyday. Over time, you will learn to welcome every opportunity with a smile on your face, and march on inspite of the pressure around you. 

I don’t claim to be an expert. I only know enough to be able to SURVIVE and BE COMFORTABLE without having to rely or NEEDING A JOB, or have to WORK ABROAD and BE AWAY FROM YOUR FAMILY. That’s why, everyday I work hard, investing time to BUILD MY BUSINESS so that someday I CAN PASS IT ON TO MY KIDS.

It’s only been more than 2 years since I started the business but some of my partners are also now starting to get some of their dreams.  One of those people who first believed in my vision and my ability to execute was my friend Will Abriza, an IT consultant for 10 years, whom I met in my real-estate investing ventures, is still doing the business with me PART-TIME (I tell you he’s earning quite a lot in his IT consulting gig) recently bought his own Ford Everest, a fit car for his growing family of two kids. 

Another friend of mine, Francis Lumbo, brought our business overseas.  He is also an IT consultant who used to work for one of the biggest financial services company in the world.  He was based abroad for a few years, but after parterning up with me PART-TIME in my business WHILE BASED IN SINGAPORE, he was able to COME HOME FOR GOOD IN THE PHILIPPINES after only 1 year and 5 months. Now, he’s enjoying his life as an entrepreneur and spending his time with his wife and young kids.  There are a lot more success stories I want to share with you but perhaps you will get to know them some other time.  Or maybe next time, YOUR SUCCESS STORY will be the one featured here in this blog. 🙂

Here’s the EXCITING PART. Right now, I am looking for NEW BUSINESS PARTNERS for a new project team that I am forming. I am looking for 10 people who would like to be MENTORED and COACHED personally by me and my team of coaches to become like Will Abriza and Francis Lumbo.  Contact me if you are interested. Add me as friend in Facebook @ http://www.facebook.com/akosiallan and PM me. Or simple hit the REPLY button to this email.

This emails gets sent to thousands of subscribers across the globe.  While I would like to be expanding overseas, I want to have a more FOCUSED mentoring and coaching sessions for now. If you are overseas, you are still welcome to send in your inquires. My PRIORITIES, however, would be those who are in Metro Manila, particularly those people who are based or working in Makati or nearby areas. This will make it easier to schedule face-to-face meetings and coaching sessions. It is going to be an EXTENSIVE MENTORING, and it may be the hardest thing you will ever do in your life. You will be WORKING SIDE-BY-SIDE WITH ME until you get your business goals and become successful yourself. You will get to see me up close on how I work, get to ask me questions and receive your answers right away. You will get first-hand access to me, my leaders and my team. You will get a chance to learn from my experiences and of the whole team.

I have BIG teams in Singapore and Japan right now, and that would be another advantage for those people living in those countries. If you are not in those areas but are REALLY SERIOUS about becoming my NEW BUSINESS PARTNER, and prepared to INVEST YOUR TIME, MONEY & EFFORT to make it work, then I am not one to say no to a determined person.  I’m sure you won’t let anything discourage you from sending me an email and inquiring about my offer. 

Here’s a similar Facebook Post I shared to my friends a few days ago and the RESPONSE has been simply OVERWHELMING.  I received inquiries from all around the country, from QC, Pampanga, Bohol, etc. Some friends overseas also sent their PMs in a span of only a few hours. Now, I am opening the same OPPORTUNITY TO YOU.

My goal this 2014 is to help 38 more people become like Will Abriza and Francis Lumbo who are now starting to realize their dreams and get to enjoy the financial and time freedom that a successful business brings. 

I’m looking for the NEXT SUCCESS STORY to tell.  Why can’t it be YOU?

P.S. If part of your new year’s resolution is to start your own business or would like to start a part-time where you could earn extra income or would like to check what my business proposal is all about, Contact me . Add me as friend in Facebook @ http://www.facebook.com/akosiallan and PM me. Or simple hit the REPLY button to this email.

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2013 Year-End Review: A Year of Tremendous Growth in Business, Family and Personal Life

It’s been a really long time since I last posted here in this blog. When you’re having the time of your life, it’s hard sometimes to just take a step back and appreciate all the things that has happened. I’d like to take this time to update you with what I’ve been very busy about for the past few months as well as give you a glimpse of the highlights from this year. We’re about to end the year 2013 in a couple of weeks.

While I’ve not been so active in this blog lately, I am however, am very active in my Facebook Profile. The other day I saw a feature in my facebook profile titled “See Your 2013 Year in Review – Look back at your 20 biggest moments from the past year.” This gave me an idea about creating a post featuring the highlights of my 2013 to share with you.  Unfortunately, 20 for me is too much so I just listed down what I could find. Here you go, the biggest moments of 2013 according to my Facebook page in pictures.

January – Year kick-off with a retreat featuring Bo Sanchez and Francis Kong in a 3-day 2 night stay in Tagaytay.

March – first time to attend an international convention for the whole asia pacific and met business owners from Australia, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, and more. Proud to be delagates from the Philippines!

We were able to receive an award during the convention. It was very exciting and an eye-opener experience for me. I got to see how the Chinese treat business – no drama, just do it, hardwork mentality.

May – Received our first award in Araneta Coliseum in front of 10,000+ people.

Shared my story to a group of hundreds of young, energetic Entepreneurs in Mega Trade Hall.

June – Welcomed the birth of my second son, Ervin.

August – My wife and I were supposed to receive an award in the U.S. but we decided to postpone our trip for next year instead so we could spend more time with our young baby boy Ervin.  Good thing the U.S. visa granted to us is valid for 10 years. We still have a few years left. 🙂

September – Received numerous invitations to speak about financial literacy from different schools around the country.

October – I shared the BIGGEST REASON why I am working hard in my business.

Received another award, this time in Philippine Sports Arena (ULTRA).

Received an invitation to share my story to fellow OFW’s in Singapore.  Here I was enjoying a free accomodation in Marina Bay Sands, special thanks to my Singapore business partners and teammates/mentors from XTRM 1-11. 🙂

October – My friends and business partners received special awards for being Top awardees from the whole Philippines.

One of the skills that I was able to improve while doing business is being able to confront your fears and do it anyway.  This post from my wife says it all. 🙂

December – celebration lunch with a few of my business partners.   Doing business has allowed me to meet fantastic people who I would never have that chance to meet otherwise.

The year is not yet done, but as you can see 2013 has been a fantastic year!!! So many new experiences, so many people whose lives were changed for the better.  If this is 2013, I can’t wait for 2014 for it will really be HUGE!!! As of now, I’ve already been scheduled for 2 out of the country trips for next year!!!! I am super excited!!!

I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!! May the blessings of the Lord shower upon you as they have been into my life for this year!!! God bless you!!!

P.S. If you are tired of having the same Christmas every year, desperately waiting for something INSPIRING to happen into your life, may be this is the time to make a RESOLUTION THAT WOULD CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOREVER. Contact me  and we’ll go from there.

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The Best Investment You Will Ever Make

T Harv Eker said, “your income will only grow to the extent that you do.”

This is one of the things that has really guided me over the years in my financial journey. Here’s a picture of my library at home where my boy Ethan is playing.  I must have around a hundred books at home.  I am very proud to say that 100% of which were purchased after I graduated from school. 🙂

Like most people, I didn’t like reading while growing up.  Until I realized, I actually enjoyed reading if only I read books that were interesting to me, not a boring text book that would bring me to sleep the moment I glanced through the first few pages. You see reading is fun when you are having fun.  I remember asking my mom growing up for a few coins so I can purchase my favorite comic book the ‘Funny Komiks’. I enjoyed it so much, I had collections of them at home bound by a paper fastener. The characters NikNok, the “Noon” at “Ngayon” features, and more were a delighful read for a young kid growing up.  But I grew up pretty fast, and Funny Komiks, however funny they are to a kid, just could not fascinate me the same way as before. I had moved on to other more exciting things.

Right after graduation, I remember wanting to work in the “industry” to get a first-hand knowledge of how the world worked.  The academe has this reputation in making you focus too much on theoretical stuffs. I wanted the real thing.  And the real thing hit me hard very fast. I thought graduating from UP with allow me to get a job quickly.  Much to my dismay, job interviews were not going the way I wanted.  There were days when I questioned my own capabilities.  Being out there looking for work and no one responding does that to you.  Your spirit can really be crushed to pieces if you let it.

Fortunately, after a few months, I got a call from my first employer who offered me a starting salary of P16,000. I was just happy I now had a job. I can finally start feeding myself and stop asking my parents for an allowance.

Working was a bliss. I remember being so excited to meet new people, taking this new adventure, that just about anything was exciting, even getting a cup of coffee in the pantry.  Me and my colleagues used to do it as a group.  We were a group of 10 or so and we would go to the pantry to get a cup of coffee together.  You can imagine how much noise we would generate just talking and walking down the hall onto the pantry and back. And sometimes, if the coffee machine is not working, we would go upstairs and invade the pantry on the next floor. It was fun.

Having fun is nice until you get carried away. After having too much fun, I eventually learned how to buy stuffs that I didn’t need, go out with friends and look “cool”, not really caring about tomorrow.  Once the new credit card hit the mailbox, my habit of indiscriminate spending just got a boost.  It’s true what they say that “money neither make you rich nor poor, it only magnifies what you truly are.” What I was at that time? Poor.  I had a cashflow pattern of a poor person. All income goes out to the expense column and nothing is left at the end of the month.  So when the credit card arrived, I thought I had “more” money so I just spent it down to the expense column again and voila I got buried in credit card debt!

This was the time when I got first awakened to the world of money.  I was so frustrated with myself because here I was working for a credit card company for years, I’m the one who supposedly knows how to compute the credit card’s interests and fees, the “expert”in credit cards in short, and I still got buried in credit card debts.  There’s no one to blame other than myself. It was embarassing to say the least.  But what really jolted me from my senses was when I had to pay for my rent using cash advance from my credit card.  Doing cash advance may be the most expensive transaction you will ever do on a credit card.  It carries a hefty fee as well as a very high interest rate.  It was not wise to do a cash advance.  But I had no choice.  Either that or I would sleep on the streets with my sibling.

When you encounter problems, especially financial problems, you tend to grow up pretty fast.  I had to find a way to make it work.  That’s where I started my financial journey. Eventually I learned enough to get out of debt and more from buying (and reading) 100+ titles of books on finance, money, business, investing, etc., attending lots and lots of seminars (invested more than P100K+ worth into seminars), and also investing a lot of time, effort and money in building my business, investing in stocks, real-estate and other assets.  The most expensive investment, unfortunately, is experience. But for some people like me, experience can be your best teacher.  The best investment, however, is still the money you pay to help you grow.  For once you grow, your money tends to take on an exponential rate of return.

Fortunately, you don’t have to pay what I paid to attend those seminars or read those many books, or go through those painful experiences and humiliating defeats just to get a chance to learn from my experience and story (but I also don’t discourage you from doing so).  One way you can get to learn from me is to read through my blog, but with the many articles here, who has time to go through all of that? The good news is there’s another way – attend my seminar.

A lot of people have been asking me when they can attend my next seminar (friends included), and much as I’d like to invite them, it’s just not possible in most cases.  For one, it’s because the seminar is normally organized for an exclusive group of students or an organization.  They are paying me to share my story to them, it would not be proper to invite other people to seat in if they are NOT part of the group.  Other times, I also conduct financial literacy seminars or talks exclusive to my teammates at XTRM 1-11,  a group of young and energetic individuals from all walks of life who are passionate about learning to live a life above mediocrity.  These seminars are NOT available to the public unfortunately. Until now.  Today, finally, there’s a seminar made available to the public.  Now, you can have the chance to meet me personally and hear my financial story on how I was able to get out of debt, save enough money to marry my wife, invest in stocks, real-estates and other assets and build a growing international business allowing me to quit my job of 9 years.

My good friend Sha Nacino of Seminar Philippines.com has organized a one-of-a-kind seminar on How You Can Achieve Financial Success on October 12, 2013 @ 8AM – 12NN.  I was invited as one of the Resource Speakers along with Jay Castillo of ForeclosurePhilippines.com and others.  CLICK HERE to check it out.

From my conversations earlier today with Sha, the initial seats made available is almost sold out.  The good news is that after checking with the venue organizers, Sha confirmed that there’s still a possibility to accomodate a few more seats, thats why she opened up additional slots for those who are really serious to attend this seminar and get a no-holds-barred, straight-from-the-gut true-to-life personal stories on how to turn your life to a financial success.  CLICK HERE to register now.

P.S. Avail the EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT if you register before Monday, September 30. If you register now, I will give you a FREE COPY of my ebook Rich Money Habits (just send me your email via the contact page afterwards.)  CLICK HERE to register now.  Just think, how much are youwilling to invest in yourself if you knew that what you will discover will allow you to earn the amount of money you want and become a financial success story yourself? Others have made it, why not you?

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What Fatherhood Has Taught Me About Building a Successful Business

These days I’m very busy with a lot of things. What I enjoy the most though is being able to play with my sons anytime I want. Time flies so fast.  It was only but a few years ago when me and my wife were trying hard to have a baby.  Now, all of a sudden, miracles are overflowing, make that double blessings in Ethan and Ervin, my two sons. 🙂 Now, I appreciate my parents more.  I sometimes wonder how much sacrifice they might have done to raise me up as a kid.

Being a father has taught me a lot of things. Some of them obvious and simple.  Some of them not so quite.  There are not many life-changing events in life that can ever be compared to becoming a father.  Fatherhood is life’s changing agent. For most people, boys become man when they start to care more for another human being who is their own life & blood. Here are a few of the things that fatherhood has taught me on how I can become better in building a successful business.

1) Be Patient

Raising a child requires a lot of patience.  That’s why I really admire my wife. She has done a fabulous job taking care of our 2 kids day in and day out without any holiday vacation at all. She’s one of the rare moms who take care their children 24/7. I love my wife for that.

In business, you need to have a lot of patience. Sometimes, there will be situations you cannot control, people who don’t agree with you or will be against you. That’s ok. Trust your instinct and go with your gut. More than that, however, you need to be very patient to yourself as well. No one is perfect and we all commit mistakes.

In building teams, sometimes it’s easy to compare what we already know and miss the point that your teammate is only starting out.  He is bound to make mistakes. It’s the only way to grow.  Realize that there’s a natural path to growing and being fast or slow is not the point.  It is in embracing the fact that we all are in our own little journey.  Surprises, challenges and triumphs are all part of the whole package.

2)  Be an Example

Lead by example.  Children learn fast by emulating what we adults do.  I think nature has invented it this way for faster way of learning.  In business, there are countless hours spent on reading, training and thinking and not much on doing. You can learn more from watching someone do their work for a day than reading up on it for a year.

I remember the frustration when it seemed like my reading of hundreds of personal development and business books did not bear any fruit, or attending seminars worth thousands of pesos but no result to show for it afterwards. I’ve also bought “coaching programs” that were a few tens of thousands of pesos along the way.  Until I came to the realization that unless I apply the things I learned, there’s really no result to be had. As Albert Einstein said, “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.”

It dawned on me that up until that point, I haven’t really done anything different at all. Yes, I resigned from my job to pursue a work abroad, but I was still the doing same thing, working as an employee at a job.  Around this same time 2 years ago, I eventually took the leap of faith and jumped from an employee to a full-pledged entrepreneur. If you ask me, “was it easy?”My answer would be a simple “no.” But I can tell you after 2 years working as a businessman that nothing I’ve ever done was more worth it.

3) Enjoy Every Moment

Whenever I see my two sons, I get reminded how precious time really is. One moment they look so small in your arms; after a while, they’ve grown so much you can’t carry them for long. It wasn’t so long before they were cuddly and cute. Now they are booming with so much energy it takes a whole lot of effort just watching them running around playing at home.  Whenever my patience is slowly running out, I always try to tell myself that this moment is something to be treasured for a lifetime. They won’t be kids for very long.  Everything about them, even when they become annoying, is always and will always be a blessing to me.  No amount of money can replace that.

Whatever challenges you are facing at the moment, embrace it and enjoy every little thing. It won’t last for long. One day, you will look back and cherise all the memories you’ve had and thank yourself for not wasting it worrying about things that are out of your control.

The same is true for business. The world of business is always changing. If you are not changing, your business is dying. In this day and age of information, there’s a great opportunity for everyone to become financially well, as long as you’re open to change.  The good thing about business is that as long as you enjoy every moment, you get to appreciate all the changes that you have to go through to get better and grow.  For until you grow, your business will not grow to the level that you want.

I’m still growing as a businessman, and as a father as well.  That’s make it exciting.  No one knows exactly how the future will turn out.  But as long as you prepare yourself and be open to surprises along the way, everything will work out for good eventually.

P.S. This month, I am looking for 4 new business partners in Metro Manila to mentor and coach to earn $40 – $200/week within 90 days.  This is for serious people only and not for those looking for a get-rich-quick scheme. If you would like to check if this is something you can do, contact me so we can schedule some time to get to know each other and see if we can do business together. The last time I opened up the invitation in my blog, my mailbox got so many inquiries that it took me 3 days to go through all of them. So if you don’t receive a reply from me within 24 – 48 hours, please resend your message (PM) again as I might have missed it or it got buried along with the other messages. God bless you!

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3 Tips to Succeed in Business and Investing from a UP Engineer

Last week, I was invited by UP Junior Finance Association to share my personal journey on finance. It was raining heavily and the traffic jam along Katipunan avenue was really tight.  Fortunately, I managed to arrive safely and find the venue after a little bit of guiding from the organizers.

Having graduated from UP Diliman more than a decade ago, it feels surreal being back walking along the corridors of the classrooms and seeing the excitement of a school buzzling with intellectual activity.  It feels great to be back, if only for a moment.  It brings back a lot of happy memories from a long time ago.

The funny thing about these seminars is that I never imagined that this blog would pave the way for this amazing experiences. For some reason, different schools like to invite me to share about investments and finances with them for their school or organization projects, even though I don’t have a background in Finance. In fact, I graduated BS Computer Engineering in UP Diliman.

But I couldn’t let go of the chance to share my story to UP students.  I really enjoy speaking with students who are always excited and hungry for new learnings.  Besides, I always have great expectations from the intellectual capacity of students from my alma mater and I welcome the challenge of helping shape the financial minds of future leaders in the country. This year, I have been invited to talk in UP Los Banos, Polytechnic University of the Philippines (for the 2nd time), and just last week, in UP Diliman (for the 2nd time as well).

Here’s a copy of the teaser they sent out to announce the event. Needless to say, I was really impressed.

The event allowed me the opportunity to share a bit about my life during my college days in UP Diliman.  Here I am strumming my guitar, wearing shorts and sandals.  Who would ever thought that this young, simple and unassuming guy would someday wear a suit and elevate the financial lives of many through this blog, his speaking engagements and through the people he gets to work with in his businesses.

Today, I’d like share a few lessons I learned while reflecting back on what changed over the years on how I view money in my life and how it got me to where I am today.

To be able to change, first you must be willing to change.

The change did not happen overnight. When I was in College, I was content with what I had.  Who wouldn’t be? I was on a DOST scholarship, my tuition was practically free and I was receiving monthly stipend as well.  On top of that, I was working as student assistant for a project of the university and was doing what I loved and getting paid for it. It was a bliss.

The change started when I realized that College days can sometimes prevent you from seeing the realities of the world that is around us.  After graduation, I suddenly realized that getting a job even when you’re a UP graduate is not as easy as it seems.  There were a few anxious moments when I applied for a job and was waiting for a call from the company to hire me.  I did not want to receive allowance from my parents anymore.  Why should they give me allowance? I already graduated.  I had to learn to feed myself and take care of my own financial needs.  I had better learn it fast because I only had myself and a small savings to rely on.  I took on part-time gigs which provided a little bit of extra money for my needs. Then after a few months of waiting, I got the call I wanted. I was offered an entry-level position for a multinational company for a salary of P16,000. I was ecstatic. It helped bring back the confidence in me that was slowly fading while questioning myself whether I really had what it takes to succeed in the real world.

After graduation, I planned to take up a master’s degree and work on a research project at the same time.  Working in the private sector was not my first priority.  I liked wearing jeans or shorts and sandals.  It felt really cool. I imagined myself like someone who worked in Silicon Valley.  I dreamed of being one of those techie geniuses who hardly had any time to worry about their grooming.

But an opportunity to work in the private sector opened up for me and was too much to pass up, so I grabbed it right away. Besides, P16,000 per month salary was quite a big money for someone like me who was fresh out of College back then.  Or so I thought.

The first thing I had to change was how I dressed up.  I had to learn how to tie a neck tie.  I had to get comfortable wearing long sleeves all day long.  I had to look like a corporate slave guy who was neat and tidy.  I had to let go of my old self who was more comfortable wearing shorts and sandals.  If you ask me, was it easy? At first, of course it felt really awkward. But soon I got the hang of it.  Besides, I was willing to change anyway.  Change is only hard if you are not willing to go through all the awkwardness, to get out of your comfort zone and cherish the surprises of a new experience will bring. Change makes life more fun and exciting.

Learning The Technical Details of an Investment is Easy, It’s the Emotional Roller Coaster that is Hard

I grew up believing that anything in life can be learned.  As long as you put in the effort, be willing to go through the hardships, anything is possible. I first learned that lesson while trying to ride a bike.  My father taught me by holding on to my seat while I was trying to pedal my way in balancing the bike. Soon I was pedaling smoothly and didn’t notice that my father had already let go of me.  I learned then that it’s the emotional fear that’s causing much of my hesitation of learning how to ride a bike. It’s the fear of the unknown, of what might happen if I stumbled or crashed.  What will happen if I got hurt? All the fears went away when I just did it.  There’y no trying in life.  You either do it, or you don’t.

I’ve had my fair share of investment opportunities, from real-estate to stocks and bonds, and to businesses but all the details on how to do it came easily compared to the emotional torture that went along with it.  I just had to go through it once, be willing to ask from the right people, learn and apply it fast by putting in the effort and action immediately.

Through all those opportunities, I realized that what held me up the most, what caused the procrastination and the delay was not the technical know how, it’s the fear running through my head whether I was conscious of it or not.  Over the years, the only way I know how to combat fear is to just do it.  Sometimes, the thing you fear the most will give you the most fulfillment.  Most of us lead a boring and uneventful lives.  For almost a decade my life was a constant dread of waking up in the morning, going to work, letting the time pass by without any significant thing done, going back home, watch TV or entertain myself and go to sleep.  The next day, I had to do the same thing again.  It is not the inspired life that I wish to lead.  That’s why I changed course.  That’s why I was willing to let go of my fear of the unknown to release the small voice inside of me screaming to explore, learn and embark on an adventure. It’s been almost 2 years since I last held a job and the journey has never been better.

Challenges are Blessing in Disguise

I won’t be a hypocrite and say it was easy because it was not.  It was not an easy decision to make, especially that a month before my last day of work, I learned my wife and I were expecting our first baby.  Even when our business is doing well and we are enjoying the flexibility of time spending it with our 2 kids, going to the malls on a weekday when most people are at work, the challenges are still out there.  The more I grow in my business career, the more I appreciate the challenges that life has to offer and the opportunity to overcome them.  I learned that anything in life worth pursuing is paved with challenges.  The greater the challenge, the sweeter the success. That’s why it is all going to be worth it.

Remember, only through pain will you appreciate success.  Only through sacrifice can you taste victory.  Only through challenges will your true greatness be revealed.

Accept the challenge and create massive successs!

P.S. If you feel you deserve more than what you are currently getting and looking for a change in your life, let’s connect in Facebook and see if we can work something together.  Add me up as friend, PM me and we’ll take it from there.

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Mid-Year Update: Hong Kong, Araneta, Project 100, Greatest Blessing of the Year

Time flies so fast. The first half of the year is almost complete. There were so many things that have happened in the past few months and I can’t even begin to imagine how to share them all to you.  Today, I’m just really excited so I’ll still try to share them with you anyway. 🙂

After the first quarter, I’ve been very busy with my business that I hardly had any time to post and share significant events that have happened. Now, I have a little bit of time on my hand (as you will know later on why…clue: greatest blessing for the year.)

Hong Kong Escapade

Last March, I attended a 3-day international convention in Hong Kong. It was a great experience being able to travel again after some time, thanks to the joys of fatherhood. Not that I am complaining. 🙂 It dawned on me when I was in Hong Kong that I missed travelling. Maybe next time, I’ll bring the whole family to Disneyland so we can all enjoy together.

It’s really a great learning experience when you visit other places and get to interact with people from different countries.  I remember getting really stressed out because in Hong Kong not many locals can speak English. So you have to try very hard to communicate through sign language or anything you can think of.  Fortunately, my wife and I survived (we almost didn’t I must admit.) 🙂 

It was my first time attending an international convention and describing the whole experience as OVERWHELMING is a HUGE understatement.  The 3-day event was held at the Asia World Expo, a really big arena where almost tens of thousands of people have gathered together.  It was really an eye-opening experience for me just absorbing everything, from the excitement of all the other nationalities representing their own countries, all the way from Japan, Australia, Singapore, Korea, Malaysia, and more. It was really nice being able to represent my country the Philippines, as delegates to the event. Here’s my wife and I getting up close with delegates from Australia.

Some of my mentors were invited to speak at the convention and it was really surreal seeing them talk in front of thousands of different nationalities, inspiring them that if you pour your heart into something, anything is possible. It was truly an awesome experience.

Being Awarded on stage at Araneta Coliseum

A month after the convention, a huge breakthrough in my business happened and we received our biggest recognition so far.

Never in my wildest dreams have I imagined that one day I will grace the stage of Araneta Coliseum and be awarded in front of tens of thousands of excited and screaming crowd.  Here’s a short video of the awarding ceremony.

Project 100 Update: 2 down, 98 more to go!

Around May this year, one of my friends in Singapore earned $1,000+ in a month and became the second person to do it as part of Project 100. In as much as I would like to take the credit for it, the reality is that majority of what he achieved was because of his own hardwork, dedication and self-initiative.  Mentoring someone from overseas is a challenging task, and it only works out if someone at the other end is self-initiating and has the drive to put in the EFFORT & TIME, and willing to be coached without any regard for ego, pride or mindless excuses.

Watch out for the featured story on the project 100 graduates in the coming weeks.

My Greatest Blessing of the Year

As they say, "save the best for last." Last year, the greatest miracle of our lives happened and my son Ethan Gabriel was born.  Now, more than a year after, another dream has come true.  Last Tuesday, my wife gave birth to our second son Ervin Daniel.  Truly, there’s no greater gift than the gift of family.

It’s only been almost half-a-year and the blessings have already been overflowing! Thank you Lord!

Of course, the past months have not been without challenges, but that’s life, all the challenges only make the journey all the more sweeter and enjoyable.  In the end, everything is all for the greater glory of God.

How about you? How’s your first-half of the year so far?

P.S. Some readers have sent me messages requesting for a more frequent posting of articles in this blog… and I agree 100%. For the past months, I have not been able to post as frequently as I wanted to.  Hopefully for the rest of the year, I’ll be more active in sharing some stories with you in this blog and post the articles more consistently. Wish me luck! 🙂

P.P.S. I’m currently expanding my business and I’m looking for 4 new partners. Some of my existing business partners in Makati, Singapore and Japan are now earning an extra $200 – $1000 a month part-time as part of my growing team. I am looking for 4 serious people who I can work with. If you would like to work with me, drop me an email or add me as friend in Facebook and PM me so we can schedule some time to get to know each other and see if we can do business together. This business is obviously not for everyone, only for those people who want to work hard and pursue a legal and ethical way to earn money. Not for those looking for a get-rich-quick scheme.  If you are looking for a get-rich-quick way to make money without putting in any effort, time or money, please don’t bother contacting me.  I can tell you right now, this is not for you.  So please save us both the time. The first time I offered something like this, my mailbox got so many inquiries that it took me 3 days to go through all of them. So if you don’t receive a reply from me within 24 – 48 hours, please resend your email or Facebook message again as I might have missed it or it got buried along with the other emails/messages. God bless!

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