The Biggest Secret I Know About “The Economy”.

May 31, 2010 by · 86 Comments 

Being A Badass: Volume 4 Azam Meo

 

 

"The consumer isn't a moron.  She is your wife."

- David Ogilvy

"Atomic energy might be as good as our present-day explosives, but it is likely to produce anything much more dangerous."

- Sir Winston Churchill

"Opportunities multiply as they are seized."

- Sun Tzu, the Art of War


When I was in junior high I wrote the story below.

My teacher called me in the hallway after she read it.

She thought I "missed the point" and she didn't believe it, at least the first part.

I had to keep telling her it was true, and when she finally - kinda - believed me -

Oh, the look on her face...

... I still remember it...

... eyes popped open...

... yet a bizarre squint at the same time...


I was in the
principal's office at lunch -

They didn't believe me at first either.

Finally after talking to my parents, a few cousins and with my brother (who was part of it) -

They knew I was telling the truth.

After that

I had to see a "counselor"

For an evaluation...

.... then "trauma therapy" or something.

Oh - I also won a partial scholarship from this - although I never used it unfortunately.

All from this one story.

I'm going to tell it to you now for a very different reason than when I wrote about this years ago, and yes I honestly believe this is along the lines of the biggest secret about the "Economy", about "tough times" and all the other trivial (and even non existent) stuff that people keep bellyaching about... still!

Yes - the BIGGEST secret...

... to why my stuff won't work in your "area/business/industry" or "for you"...

... to the crooks who "stole everybody's money"...

... to the unemployment "debacle"...

... to the immigration "problem"...

... to all the economic "woes"...

... to why times are "tough"...

... to the housing "crisis -

This is it right here...

My childhood was a little different

I should re-emphasize that before I tell you what I wrote about...

... I grew up in parts of the world that most people only hear about on the news - when they blow up.

Even though I was born in the States (Miami, actually) we went back and forth constantly, depending on our family's financial situation, I know you probably already know that but sometimes people forget...

Alright so me and my brother were shopping -

And we weren't in a mall

It is different "there", more like sandy streets with makeshift booths and wild animals.

Basically, picture Alladin - without Robin Williams.

The crowds were shoving and moving about, shoulder-to-shoulder as far as the eye could see.  It was hot - it was always hot - and my brother and I were holding hands tightly as we made our way past camels, soldiers and beggars.

I saw a young boy, my age -


With a ghostly face

I must have eaten as much that day as he did all month.

It looked like invisible weights were dragging the skin on his face down, and I could see the bottom of his eyeballs - the actual eye balls - his mouth was half open as he looked around at the different carts of food and drinks that were being sold.

He was just a few feet from me but all I had seen was his upper torso, in a momentary gap of passing bodies I got a glimpse of his legs.  He was wearing nothing; no pants, no shoes.
 

Finally, he saw me

He scanned my body the way I did his, un-alarmed, he continued walking and searching.

There was something about him that caught my eye - I still don't know what it was - and it wasn't because he was half naked, that's normal...

... I still don't know why I watched him...

My brother pulled my arm and nodded his head to our right, I looked over and saw another child squatting (this one was totally naked) and going to the bathroom (a "number two") as he was cooking insects in a pan.  We both looked at each other with same thought -

"That could've been us."

As we were looking at each other I got sprayed in the face with a shot of blood.

A cow was being slaughtered a few feet from us.

Right there, in the "street", spraying hundreds of people with intestines, brain matter and skin.

Nobody seemed to mind.

I turned to find the young boy I'd been watching.

I spotted him

But he was different - in a hurry, nervous... hiding something.

I knew there was something about him so I pushed through and kept my eye on him.

After a dozen or so steps he got yanked by the collar, so hard that his hand flung out from under his shirt.  Food and cigarettes dropped on the ground. 

He had been caught stealing. 

Within seconds a debate broke out.  About a dozen "shoppers" who had seen this got involved - nobody else noticed/cared.

The topic of debate?

What to do with the young thief.

Some are making the logical argument of his age, social class, poverty -

Others unemotionally appealed for "no exceptions".

The strange part about all of this is that everybody seemed to know what was coming -

Except us

The man who grabbed the boy, dragged him to a table - pushing aside the handful of protesters.

He reached to grab the boy's arm, at that exact moment the kid went crazy.  Like us, he wasn't sure what was going to happen until that very second.

Screaming for somebody to intervene, his free hand and both his feet kicked uncontrollably.  His voice was cracking.  He wanted out.

It wasn't happening.

The best way I know of to describe this is how somebody would react if their arm were caught under a slow moving bulldozer.

To calm the child down the man slapped his face.  Hard.

Then he grabbed his wrist -

He twisted it so the boy was facing the ground, then he slammed back of the kid's hand on the table.

That was the first time I knew what was about to happen.

My brother and I officially entered the debate.

We offered to pay, to pay double, triple - we screamed with the others for the man to stop.  He pulled out a knife-sword as we tried to reach him, to hold us (and a few others who were on our side of the argument) back the pro-punishers gathered and pushed us back from the table.

The shoving and screaming continued.

Time was running out

I got on my knees and shuffled so I could see the boy's face.

His eyes were squeezed together like a vault, he hardly took a breath between his screaming - I could actually see the back of his throat throbbing - tears shot off his face - he kept shaking his body trying to get loose.

He was under a bulldozer.

Fever pitch

The shouting, the pushing, the crying - even the indifference of the passing people -

Was climaxing, I didn't think there was anything we could do.

The man's hand raised as he got ready to chop down on the wrist.  I looked at the boy's face one last time, and for some inexplicable reason, he was calm.

Almost as a calm as the first time I saw him.

He knew what was coming, in fact - there was no more "coming" because this was it, it was happening that very second - how could he possibly be calmer now than before?

He was motionless.

The blade slammed down in what felt like slow motion...

... my mouth opened more with each dropping second...

... my eyes narrowed...

... my stomach flexed...


The blade landed.

The boy yelped in pain, but he also had a smile.

The man looked at the wooden table where his knife landed... with a surprised reaction.

A few of the boy's defenders peered to see, and then they too smiled...

... I found out why the boy was calm.

He had been watching the shadow of the man and at the last moment he gave one final jerk and moved his arm forward, causing the blade to miss his entire wrist so instead of cutting off his whole hand - he got "lucky" and only had two fingers cut off.
 

Was it over?

The boy yanked and yanked and the man reluctantly let go - after being strongly encouraged to... even by his previous supporters.

The boy looked at the man, who pulled his knife out of the wood and flung the detached finger fragments off the table and into the sand.  He gave the boy a look as to say "I'll get you next time."

It was over.

Some of the people who had gathered bought the boy the food he had taken.

He had wanted the cigarettes so that he could sell them, and the food was for him and his family.  So this was the first time I got to see exactly what food he was trying to take; what food was worth cutting somebody's hand off.

So what was it that the boy was willing to risk his life over?

Snacks.

Airline snacks.

Peanuts, mainly.

Even without all of his fingers, the boy was ecstatic about the peanuts.  He tore a piece of his shirt off and wrapped his hand AFTER and WHILE he started eating.

I have never seen anybody enjoy airplane peanuts so much, even while strangers came and helped him with his hand, he kept eating.  He didn't even go back and look for his fingers.

He was just happy with the peanuts.

I never look at peanuts the same again.

Exactly one week later

We were leaving, coming back to the States.

As we boarded the plane we were put in the special "class" (they don't call it that here) because we were Americans.  So we got to stay in a lobby with an A.C. (air conditioner, which you probably won't truly appreciate until you walk miles through 100+ degree desert weather) - it also had a food bar and servants.

My brother and I -

Went wandering around - as if we hadn't seen enough the week before -

And we sat down next to a well dressed man on his way to America, just like us.  He was used to stopping in Saudi and the Middle East on his way to and fro.  While my brother and I sat talking to each other, the other traveler signaled for a waiter.

He asked for...

You guessed it -

Peanuts

Actually instead of asking for them he took the ones from the tray that was brought to him.

He opened a bag ate a few, and with a disgusted look on his face he spit them back into the bag and threw the peanuts in the trash.

We didn't say a word - we just looked at each other.

Strange how life works out, isn't it.

He went on -

And complained about the service, the weather, the people, the delays, but most of all - what he had the biggest problem with at that time - was the food, specifically... the peanuts.

In fact, he took the rest of the bags from the tray the waiter had and threw them away because they weren't "good to eat" or "fit" for anybody.

That day I got a taste of what dumpster diving was, because we went back and got the peanuts out... and ate them, even though I'm allergic to them.

Here's my point?

Everyday - yes, every single day - people all over the world are fighting, willing to give their lives for a single kernel (literally a peanut) of America... and what do we - the people who have been given more than any other group of people on the planet have EVER been given - what do we do with the opportunity and resources?

How do we react?

By complaining that it isn't enough...

... that things are "broken" and "somebody" needs to fix them "now"...

... by victimizing ourselves because what "they" did "wasn't fair"...

... by moping about the "economy" and a lack of opportunity...

... by maintaining that things are "tough" right now...

... by wondering what "happened to our money"...

Are you fu**ing serious?

I've talked about this in the past, and whenever I do I hear from knuckleheads who just don't get it - so I'm going to respond categorically to a lot of the nonsense right here in this letter. 

I should also say that I get a lot of great feedback too, and I guess my goal would be to adjust - even slightly - the view of certain situations by adding at least some perspective.

And we get emails, calls, faxes - everyday about this, so from now I'm just going to refer people to this page.

Not-so ironically, they won't read it - because it is "too long", they're "different" or they "already knew that" -

Yeah, if only...

I'm not complaining by the way -

Mark Twain said that we should be grateful of others' ignorance, because without them it would be much harder to be a genius... something like that.

So it makes things much easier for the rest of us when the "victims" are in the dark - and voluntarily keep themselves imprisoned there.

Who do I mean by the rest of us?

I'll get to that in a second...

Let's talk about "tough times"

If you've never left America, you've never seen tough times -

You've never seen a "bad market".

You've never been to a "bad neighborhood".

You didn't grow up with "humble beginnings".

You've never seen a real ghetto...

... you think drive-bys and drug dealers are bad?  Try fly-bys and mercenaries.

And you sure as hell aren't a "victim" either, you were born with more than most people will ever have.

How "bad" are things... really?

Nobody's going to kill you if you make too much money or have too many kids.

You aren't going to starve to death - quite the opposite since we are just about the fattest group of people to ever walk the Earth.

There isn't a group of armed government-hired mercenaries combing the streets with orders to shoot you if worship the "wrong" God.

No matter how much money/income you've "lost", it wasn't taken from you by physical force just because of the way you look.

You weren't forced out of your home only to have another family move in because they were "purer" than you

MAKE NO MISTAKE -
that is the "real world"


More people on the planet are starving than aren't.

So - I ask you - do you really deserve what you've been given?

I know many people who read this aren't in America - but many are, and the ones who moved here from another country - a place with real problems - take my stuff and get rich.

With almost no exceptions - whenever I get one of those stupid questions about things "working right now" or times being "tough" it is almost always from an American.

An AMERICAN!

How unbelievable is that - well, let me put this in context first -

We are the fattest, most well-fed (obese even) people ever - with the highest concentration of wealth and power that mankind has ever seen.  We are born with what generations have fought to believe in, died to protect and dared to dream about.

It is all given to us... at birth.

We're the people the world looks to for inspiration - for hope - to be a beacon of light as an example of what is possible - of what humans are capable of...

An Alien

Going to any other country, would come across the US Embassy - after seeing other countries' embassies run out of cubicles, outhouses, sheds - or maybe, if they're lucky, out of an office - they would see a military fortified and heavily guarded, domineering and free-standing building that is the US Embassy.

Even this alien would be forced to wonder; "Who the hell are these people?"

Yet, even with all this...

They'd turn the TV on...

And see that it isn't enough...

They would see the masses of voluntary victims chanting in the streets about the lack of opportunity, the lack of money, the lack of housing...

The mentality is real easy to summarize:

"I deserve more!"

"I don't have it and somebody else does!"

"None of this is my fault!"

They all chant in unison...

"Not my fault!"

"Not my fault!"

"Not my fault"

Here are some "questions" people ask me...

... when I talk about this.

Notice these aren't really questions, they are statements that assume no fault of the inquisitor and that things are "bad" - ultimately these statements aren't designed or asked to learn, they are used to justify incompetence, invalidate ideas and delegate blame for personal shortcomings...

This is nothing to be loyal to... a wise man once said (okay, it was me) "don't be loyal to your ignorance."

"Questions"

"But Azam, people are losing their jobs!  Look at the unemployment numbers, just LOOK AT THEM!!!"

Yeah... so?

Okay let's talk about the the non-entrepreneurs first, the people who actually want to find - and keep - a "good" job...

So you lost your job?

So?  If you lost a job, get another one, and try and do a better job at your... job - make yourself irreplaceable - so that you don't get... you know, replaced.

Ultimately if you had been doing your job well enough, you wouldn't have been fired/replaced or your job wouldn't have been outsourced.  Heart surgeons aren't losing their jobs, are they?

Okay, maybe the are, in which case - get better at performing or marketing your skill.

Just get better...

Starting in late 2008 car dealers across the country were bitching about losing their dealerships, and countless local news stations ran stories asking "what it takes" to be "safe" from losing a dealership.

I've seen at least five such stories - in different states and on different networks - that summarized the secret:

Try and increase sales

I'm serious.

So that's the big secret; companies need to make money?

What a concept...

... this translates so well to all the other "victims" who lost their jobs or had to deal with shut downs because the answer is real simple:

GET BETTER!

Or don't, and pay the consequences.

I've had a few dealers tell me that I don't understand (typical victim language) because there were political elements involved in losing their dealership or agreements through the parent company - like Chevy or Ford - that unfairly (more self-victimizing) had them lose their dealership or whatever.

My response?

Fu** 'em.

If you're selling enough, than you don't need them - you can start your own dealer.

Easy for you to say Azam...

Yeah, and it is actually just as easy to do...

Now before they go attacking me about this and how much I don't understand or how tough it is to do (more victim-talk) I would point to Stephanie and Sunny who have bought/owned a dealership every other month from 2008 - 2010.

They were able to do this because all the victims were too busy moping around to realize that the answer - the antidote - was real simple; get better, sell more outdo others.

Yet again - why don't people realize this too-simple truth?

Because it requires even an ounce of objectivity - before making a change or improving themselves they'd have to admit something painful - they would have to stop saying...

... the one thought that summarizes the very source of their problems -

It is not my fault!

As long as it isn't their fault, as long as they didn't do anything wrong - as long as they don't need to get better - as long as it isn't their fault...

They're victims.

They deserve more.

And it is somebody else's fault.

Now for the entrepreneurs...

Lost your job?

Great - what the hell were you doing with a job anyway - you shouldn't be looking for a job, you should be creating them.

"Yeah Azam, but nobody is hiring!"

Words like "nobody", "all", "people", "they", "everybody", etc. are dangerous to use, because they are almost never right and it is normally the reflection of very narrow segment of "everybody".

But let's say that you are right and "nobody" is hiring...

Correction: Nobody is hiring you.

Stephanie never stopped hiring.  Neither did Sunny, Wendy, Max, etc.

Everybody on our Team has been hiring -

They never stopped

I can call at least 50-100 students and clients who are hiring, training and bringing people on their Team right now...

... and their hires are getting rich (regardless of what that word means to you) but they have to go through hundreds to find that small handful of people who will perform.

The losers who don't make the cut - guess what too many of them mutter as they're sent home - "I told you... nobody's hiring..."

Yeah, "nobody" is hiring (or wants to hire) YOU.

"Azam, look at the companies going under, this is the WORST economic time we've ever had, no business can survive!!!"

One of my favorite authors is Sun Tzu, he wrote the Art of War over 50 years ago (okay, it was a little longer ago) and he told a story of two countries at war, they were both relying heavily on their navy fleets.

One country had experienced the most severe storms during their training, they had trained through floods, earthquakes, famine - basically total chaos.  More of their men died during training than during war.

There was a public outcry about the atrocities the trainees were going through... the general ignored them and kept training his men under these brutal conditions.

At the same time the other country was also training.

Under much different conditions.

They had enjoyed one of the best, most enjoyable and favorable water seasons (or whatever they're called) in decades.  Soldiers smiled as they carried on their training, they gossiped, wrestled playfully and (would have) texted their girlfriends.

The citizens were happy to see the soldiers training in these conditions.

When these countries fought, what do you think happened?

The answer is obvious -

The texters got raped

Big surprise huh?

Sun Tzu explained that war is dirty, it isn't supposed to fun, enjoyable or a walk in the park - if you enjoy the training, then you aren't doing it right.

You don't get the weekends off in war - you sure as hell don't get long weekends - it is WAR.

Here was a brilliant line he used to sum this up:

Calm seas make unskilled sailors.

What does this mean to you?

Getting rich is supposed to be at least a little more difficult than... not... getting rich - or just having a mediocre income.

And the way we do it - and train others - and the way most people attempt it is basically a short cut.  Most of us forgot to go to medical school, have rich parents or win the lottery -

We need to create a short cut

Short cuts are ALWAYS harder

Or they wouldn't be short cuts, they would just be "the way".

Now with that said, given the legal, violent and highly enforced financial sanctions that MOST people on Earth deal with when it comes to how much money they can make, what kind of business (if any) they are allowed to engage in and who they are allowed to sell to you -

If you have to pick ANYWHERE in the world to start a company, where would it be?

I don't mean as a king or part of royalty - as an average person, where do you have the most opportunity - the highest cap, if any, to your earning potential?

If you could go back to any point in time, anytime in history and anywhere in the world - what would be the single best time to be alive as a "commoner" and start a company -

Again, the answer is obvious;

Right here, right now - in America

It is that simple, so words like "tough" are all relative, it may seem "tough" but it is easier than anywhere else in the world and easier now than at any other time -

If you really think that it is that difficult, you're just not paying attention...

... you're an idiot...

... and incredibly thankLESS.

This is the best time and the best place

Still not good enough for you?

Well guess what?

It is for others...

... and I've got a novel of success stories to prove it -

So maybe the problem isn't the "economy", the area or America...

Maybe the problem is much, much simpler -

Maybe (definitely!) the problem is just you.

Okay, but what about the number of companies going under?

This is so sad that it is just funny, you almost have to laugh.

I'm amazed at how many people think that ignorantly run companies and businesses are supposed to stay in business, as if there were any period in history where most - or even a significant percentage - of companies survived.

It isn't supposed to work like that.

Nothing is... a small group of Badass people are supposed to move on while almost everybody else becomes a statistic.

But this "question" had to do with failure rates, and since we're in the -

"Toughest of times", right?

People keep belly-aching about things being the "worst since the Great Depression", right?

Here's the secret: most companies suck, most employees suck.

Most of them just suck.

They don't have passion in what they do, they don't go above and beyond to perform, the don't focus and grow their skill masterfully - they don't fight to provide more, to share more, to be more, etc.

They just do the bare minimum...

... if that.

They are SUPPOSED to be out of business.

I'm not surprised so many companies go under I'm surprised so FEW do.

We know that roughly one of 10 companies will survive in the first two to three years.

Okay...

... but fewer people know that one out of 10 of those survivors will be around in three to five or five to seven years...

... of those survivors, less than one out of 10 will be around in 10 years -

Do the math...

One out of ten -

Then one out of that ten -

Then just one out of that ten -

This tiny group of survivors just keeps getting smaller and smaller -

And these people are -

Survivors NOT "thrivers"

Nobody's promising they're making ANY money, they're just still in existence, they haven't gone bankrupt, closed doors or disappeared - and actually they could be in bankruptcy and the government numbers (where I'm getting all this data) would still consider them a "success".

Think about that; being in bankruptcy still means you're a "success".

How's that for lowering the bar?

So we have to go through thousands, tens of thousands and even hundreds of thousands of companies, start-ups, businesses, CEOs, etc. before finding even a handful - or just one - that makes any money...

... let alone just ten grand a month...

... or 30 grand a month.

Almost nobody EVER makes money

Regardless of the "economy" -

Even in "good" times...

... let alone "tough" times.

You may be thinking that if I'm right, and nearly all companies are gone within ten years, then how come nobody has noticed (actually they have, they're the ones who keep track for historical research) and how come there isn't a big deal made about it?

There is...

Let's go back to something too many people reference; the Great Depression - the first one I mean.

And let's track and see what happens just about every 10 years, and you'll notice that you can set your clock by it -

Every 10 years there is a cleansing:

Late 1920s
The Great Depression, enough said about this.

Recession/Depression of the late 1930s
Almost completely forgotten, this was one of the "worst" recessions on record, and the depression really never got totally fixed until the war.

(Experts: The "worst" economy since since the Great Depression...)

Recession/Depression of the late 1940s
War ended, "Fair Deal" effects are felt...

(Experts: The "worst" economy since since the Great Depression...)

Recession/Depression of the late 1950s
The FED breaks free (again) surplus becomes a deficit and the rebound from this was historical.

(Experts: The "worst" economy since since the Great Depression...)

Recession/Depression of the late 1970s
Vietnam, skyrocketing oil, interest went from okay (7-10%) to are-you-fu**ing-serious (18-20%) as FED goes out of control, energy crisis, Iran goes nuts -

(Experts: The "worst" economy since since the Great Depression...)

Recession/Depression of the late 1980s
FED goes crazy with rates again, oil companies price gauge, banks and S&L "crisis" adds to CF

(Experts: The "worst" economy since since the Great Depression...)

Recession/Depression of the late 1990s
Dot-com bust, 9/11 coming up, stock market plummets

(Experts: The "worst" economy since since the Great Depression...)

Recession/Depression of the late 2000s
Totally different, and much worse than anything ever before, seriously... yeah, seriously!

I'm serious!

(Experts: The "worst" economy since since the Great Depression... but they're serious this time, they really, really MEAN IT!!!)

Here's my point -

This house cleaning happens all the time - IT MUST -

And every time it is "worse" than before...

These companies are supposed to go out of business...

... real estate is supposed to take time to appreciate...

... lazy employees are supposed to lose their jobs...

... rich people are supposed to "get away" with it...

... hiring stupid people is supposed to cost you..

... America is supposed to be appreciated...

... companies are supposed to be better...

... like Sun Tzu said -

Calm seas make unskilled sailors.

It isn't weird that companies are going out of business, that over leveraged houses are being foreclosed on or that bloated salaries paid to incompetent workers are reduced/eliminated/outsourced -

What's weird is that -

It didn't happen sooner

Most companies barely profit anyway - but they manage to squeak by and fart along - during the calm seas... they also train under these conditions.

Their entire infrastructure is built on a house of cards, just waiting for a solid gust to blow everything over - they are supposed to be gone.

In real estate I saw plenty of people buying new construction homes from the builders - they would buy them before they were built - and when the home was done six months later, they would sell the houses at profits of $20-$30k.

Yes the numbers are real

These people were buying houses at full market value and selling them a few months later - without doing any repairs (except for having the house finished) and pulling down huge profits that would normally only be made with an extensive rehab project.

You may find that hard to believe, but I can assure their numbers were real, and they weren't selling seminars or even talking to many people about it, they told me because they wanted me to get involved, thankfully I didn't.

Eventually some of the builders clamped down and forced these buyers to sign agreements that would outlaw any sale of the house for up to a year after buying.  The idea was to get rid of this kind of flipping.

So check this out...

These investors would still buy the houses from the builders, then they would hold on to them for the full year - keeping the houses vacant the entire time and paying the monthly mortgages for a full year... on empty houses.

At the end of the year they would sell the houses - after buying them for full market value and paying the mortgages for a year with NO INCOME from the houses, after all this would sell a year later - and still make crazy profits.

Here's the question -

Is it supposed to work like that?

Is it any surprise that almost all these investors got burned?

This examples may be a little extreme but still too symbolic to ignore -

They were training in calm seas.

I'm guilty of this to, when I used to day trade and I made $900 while I was in a theater watching a movie - I flipped out.  When I made 11 grand in a day, I almost wet myself - I'm not exaggerating, I almost did.  (okay maybe I actually did... just a little...)

But this was in the late 90s - when everybody was making money, before the correction (yes, it was a correction!) came.  But that's not why I made the money, I made the money because

I was genius

I was just smarter than everybody else.

It WAS my fault.

So when the correction came and I lost my shirt, well...

That was NOT my fault, right?

What I'm saying is that almost everybody trains, operates and relies on

Calm seas

So the moment anything happens, if they are tested in even the slightest way - they'll buckle...

... run home crying to mommy.

But nothing has changed - NOTHING.

The game is the same, the only difference is that they're exposed so they need to get better - which is what they needed to do anyway.

Not depressions or recessions -

they're corrections

And they are necessary.

All this talk about being better, what exactly do I mean?

Here's an Empire IQ test:

www.WorkWithAzam.com

It is at the bottom of that page, a simple 10 question test.  We've tweaked it since the 90s (when we started using it) but my challenge has been the same since we came up with -

You put just three of the 10 items in place (you can do them all FOR FREE) and you'll be hitting -

At least 100 grand a month

... within 90 days.

I've never had anybody do at least three and not get there.

But it won't work in your area.

By the way, guess what's going to happen in the late 2010s...

You're either trained and you know what you're doing - or you're just guessing...

Which group will you be in?

The "next time" is coming.

During the Great Depression II, I did a presentation at a summit (something I don't normally do) and there were about 500 executives in the room, and some of the audience were past clients and people we'd worked with in the past.

I asked how many of them had at least three of those 10 items in place, about 50 - 70 people stood, then I asked - just to PROVE what I'm saying and put myself on the spot - how many noticed ANY change in their income during the "tough times"... nobody.

Then I asked - in front of everybody - if your company grew, not just remained at the same levels, but actually grew substantially and consistently as if nothing happened - stay standing...

Everybody's profits were up

So it isn't just me, and it is more than just possible.

That IQ test can change everything.

Alright, back to the silly "questions".

"But Azam, people are losing their homes - their HOMES DAMNIT!!!"

They're not losing them, they still know where they are don't they, ha ha.

Yeah, I'm making fun of the situation, what an a**hole I am.

Yes for most people who lost their houses, that may seem tough, but at least they had a house, and they get to stay in America, keep their freedom, exploit opportunity, etc. 

It could much worse, and most people's financial hardship - because they lost a job or something - could be fixed by them just getting better at what they do.

Less TV.

Less porn.

Less gossip.

Less moping.

Less lack of gratitude.

It isn't that hard, especially in America.

But... if YOU'RE losing your house, and you've been on my list...

If you're losing your house - I've got no sympathy for you, you're here so you've been getting my stuff and you have access to it - and you've seen what others have done with it, and yet you ALLOWED this to happen?  To lose your house?

Shame on you!

That's far worse than the people who really are in the dark, you were given a chance and this is how you take advantage of it - you don't deserve that house, hopefully somebody who deserves it will move in.

Look what your laziness and lack of gratitude cost you?

Pathetic.  And some of you clowns think emailing us self-victimizing stories about why you're broke makes a difference?

It doesn't.

Sympathy?  Look elsewhere.

My Proof Section

Is filled with people in unreal situations; terminal illness, homelessness, mental challenges (that is putting it nicely) - you name it, and they took my stuff and went Badass...

If somebody did it, than anybody can -

And I'm talking about taking and using the FREE stuff I've made available, so you could've changed things, but you kept yourself - no, imprisoned yourself - as a victim.

Homeless?

No problem, at least you won't be eating my bandwidth anymore by going through stuff that you won't do anything with anyway.

For the people who didn't have access to my stuff, yeah losing your house can seem tough... but it still beats losing your hand, doesn't it?  And an unbelievable amount of these people got loans they KNEW were crazy at rates they KNEW were outrageous, they didn't care then - but now all of a sudden it isn't their fault?

How convenient.

Before you were the savvy one to find such a "gem" in your local market, and you patted yourself on the back for negotiating such a highly leveraged deal... now that there is a little adversity, well not only is it WRONG and UNETHICAL, but it is somebody else's fault.

So we go from taking credit for something until it stops "working" then not only is not your doing, but it is somebody else's fault?

Convenient indeed.

I know that's not everybody, but the "not my fault" mentality isn't scarce...

"But Azam, you don't understand my market is different, I've tried your stuff and it didn't work - everybody here knows that our area is different - I knew this would happen!!!"

OMG!

You mean you tried my stuff - my stuff - and "it" didn't "work".

I knew it, my scam is up, now everybody's going to know that my stuff doesn't work - you've ruined me!!!  AHHHHHHHhhhhhh!  (My screams fade as I banish into oblivion)

People that say this are...

How do I put this nicely....

Oh - I got it - they are all -

Fu**cking idiots.

So eager to quit, they're looking for an excuse to pounce on so that they can justify their own incompetence - some will claim that I'm arrogant for saying that... well -

"I tried it and failed.  Conclusion: no mortal can do it."

So who is being arrogant?

Look - I've knocked myself out (actually it wasn't that hard, but it sounds hard) getting testimonials, success stories and examples of Badassery from around the world - there is NO area on the planet - no unique market or "area" where we don't have a pile of Badass students and clients making a KILLING.

And this is all before, during and after the Great Depression II - so if you think you're "doing my stuff" and you're not getting rich (I really mean that: getting RICH) then you're either not really using my stuff or you're doing it wrong.

I'm saying this on record: I have never - NEVER NEVER NEVER, not a SINGLE TIME - worked with an individual or company that did not see the outrageous results I promise - as long as they follow our Policies - all it takes it 10-15 hours a week doing exactly what we go over.

NOBODY has ever followed our training and Policies and FAILED - NOBODY.

And have mountains of proof to verify all the crazy sh** I say...

Some don't want to hear that -

It is much easier to blame the material, me, their area, the economy, etc.

But know that is all they/you are doing -

Blaming somebody else.

Not impressive.

Wait a second Azam - are you saying that it isn't -

Your fault Azam?

Good made-up question.

After all this talk of taking responsibility shouldn't I take the blame for something "not working"?

Absolutely, and I do... if it ever happened.

Like I said there is NOT a single example in the world (and I'm talking from China to California, Mumbai to Montana - Isreal to Illinois and Dubai to Darfur... yeah I'm serious) of my *exact* Policies being followed and results not following - not a single example.

I'm not saying people don't try, expect instant gratification that they don't get and then they quit - that has happened, I'm talking following through consistently for the 10-15 hours a week (at the max. if you're starting out) and not seeing results.

All over the planet, by the way -

In places where they don't even have electricity, I've outlined this all and made it very easy to find, verify and look more into.

So there is no excuse for that "my area/business is different" BS.

But I'll keep going with this -

"Azam, my area is different."

"Azam my business is different."

"Azam, I don't think this works for me."

In my experience this avenue of thought is such an incredible hindrance that I've outlined a special section to cover each of these items... this is pasted from section I share with my Alliance Project group...

 

Three of The Dumbest, Least Productive And Dangerous Things You'll Ever Say, Think, Be Taught, Hear Or - Worse Yet - Believe...

And the real reasons why you'll put faith in them.

This is a quick primer to help you get past these self-imposed hurdles, you put this stuff in your head and you'll quickly learn that not at all prisons have bars - and you won't even notice the one that you've put yourself in.

These are great ways to avoid taking blame and still being able to maintain that you are 'working hard' to make things happen for you.

You'll notice that these are almost never questions, but rather statements, and the burden of delivery (the blame) is placed on somebody or something else - words like this, it and that are used instead of me or I.

Dangerous indeed.

So let's get started with first the generic sentences, then the source behind these saboteurs and then a discussion of each.

'That doesn't work for anybody.'

The real source of this is incompetence.  This excuse is used to justify, even glorify, quitting - the idea that 'I can't do this so nobody can.'  Instead of trying to better oneself (which requires the blame to be placed on you) all focus is on the impossibility of the task.  This is necessary in order justify quitting, but instead of saying 'I haven't figured this out, it is too hard, so I am just going to quit!' it sounds better to blame the task.

I often use the story my mother told me of a monkey trying to reach fruit in a tree.  He tries all day long and does everything he can think of to get to the fruit.  He tries resting before he jumps, he tries getting a running start and he even tries getting another monkey to help - all for naught as he never reaches the fruit.  Finally, as he is walking away he mutters to himself the following...

'The fruit is probably spoiled anyway...'

Therein is the moral - if you don't 'figure this stuff out' you are going to hate it and you are going to hate anybody who talks about it let alone does it.  Incompetence breeds contempt.  We are all like this, but most of us don't want to admit it.  People that try their hand at business and fail, will often walk away like the monkey saying 'This doesn't work for people anyway...' instead of looking at what they did and why they were the cause of the problem.

Don't be like that, and don't let others around you (agents, investors, etc.) influence your opinion - when you hear something like this ask yourself if they are truly educated and speaking from a successful 'I did it, here is what I learned' perspective or a 'I tried it and failed, and here is why it wasn't my fault' perspective.

'That doesn't work for me.'

The real source of this is low self esteem and laziness.  This excuse is used to justify inactivity.  This is the idea of 'That may work for John and Jane, but not for me because (Insert Excuse Here).'  People in this category spend more time distancing themselves from those you have done it; 'Sure, Azam can do it because he already has money.'  Other examples usually include something about how much money, time, experience, family commitments, spousal support, etc. that somebody else has that you don't have - or vice versa.

Another version is 'I tried that, I did what you said, but it didn't work for me.'  In this case no reason is given, it 'just didn't work', right?  The reason why there is no reason is because it would either be an excuse or a shortcoming of the person involved.  The line of 'I tried that and...' presupposes that - in the case of my material - you understand the material enough to know what to say, how to say it, how to respond and the overall highest and best use objectives.  I've heard this from more clients and employees than from students, but whenever there is a problem and I make suggestion that is responded to with 'I tried that and...' I'm almost certain that what they 'tried' was a version of my material versus their own egos adding nonsensical and untested ideas of their own.

Upon any further scrutiny I normally find that they may have a piece or two of the ingredients, but in general they royally screwed something up without even knowing it.  But instead of looking at that, it is always easier make the excuse that 'It didn't work' instead of asking or thinking 'I wonder what I'm doing wrong.'

This is why you are 'getting smart' and not participating at all - it doesn't work for you.  It may work for everybody else, but you're special; your situation is different.  Again this is used to justify inactivity and non-participation - instead of focusing on how to get better or bridge the gap between yourself and what others are doing - it doesn't work so you don't have to be bothered with getting better or the pains of improvement.

A better way of putting this 'I'm not willing to do the work required to increase my skill, so I won't get the results others are.'

'That doesn't work in my area / business / industry.'

This the the Mack Daddy of all the excuses I have heard, the real source of this is lack of intelligence.  This is used justify, glorify and even promote all of the above; quitting, inactivity, incompetence, laziness and lack of implementation just to name a few.  Ironically this is normally prefixed with a compliment - something like 'That is a great idea, but...' or 'Wow, that's a great way to sell knives, but...'

In real estate I used to hear this quite a bit; 'That works great in the car business, but not in real estate' or 'That works in Texas, but not California because (Insert Excuse Here)'  In my experience, the Californian 'investors' are so hopelessly lost about their market that nothing will convince them that something 'works here'.  Like many others they'll piss away opportunities to make fortune upon fortune, meanwhile complaining that 'things are different here because...'

Good news for you though, because from now when you hear that you'll know there is plenty of low hanging fruit wherever they are.

Much of my success has come from taking an idea, practice or piece of common knowledge and applying it to another industry - one where people commonly tell, and are told by, each other 'that doesn't work in the (BLANK) industry.'

When you hear or say things like 'What does that have to do with real estate?'  Or 'That doesn't apply to me because I don't have a T.V. commercial... a loan... good credit... employees... etc.'

You are making a mistake.

You are letting your current ignorance stand in the way of future enlightenment.

The big secret I am sharing with you here is that any moron can find reasons why something doesn't work, isn't connected or doesn't apply.  Ironically, it is these same people that will pat themselves on the back and claim they are 'smart enough' to realize the lack of a connection.  Another way a shallow ego feeds itself; it tells you to reward yourself for stupidity.

This isn't my opinion by the way, and although that has been suggested after I go over the following there is no question.  This was taken from the New American Heritage dictionary:

in·tel·li·gence   (ĭn-těl'ə-jəns) - The measure of an individual's ability to apply gathered data and information; determined by the capacity to find meaning and applications for related and seemingly unrelated units of knowledge.

The definition again, with choice words in bold.

The measure of an individual's ability to apply gathered data and information; determined by the capacity to find meaning and applications for related and seemingly unrelated units of knowledge.

So the ability to find the meaning and connection in items is what makes you smart.  In other words, the more you say 'My area is different, my business is different, that doesn't work in my market or industry because...' the less intelligent you are.

The more you say stuff like that, the dumber you are.

It is worth noting that a failure to see a connection is a shortcoming on your end, not something to be loyal to.  Increasing your ability to make these connections is what makes you more intelligent; smarter.  Ignoring connections, invalidating them or halting the process of even trying to make a connection - is a result of your lack of intelligence; your stupidity.

It is dangerous to be so loyal to your ignorance.

Sadly, many will never see it this way - but they don't have the benefit of the explanation I just provided, right?

Check this out:

"To ask an insightful question... a capacity to remember.  To relate domains that may not seem connected at first."

- Bill Gates
 (on intelligence and brilliance)

"Azam, people are losing their life savings"

For most people, that may seem tough.  But for you, you're learning to make money, so if you misplace some - just make more, but first let's talk about "normal" people.

They hired somebody to invest their money, too many of them have forgotten that - most of these people are referring to their 401k or something like that where they gave a portion of their income - directly or indirectly - to some big-wig investor or institutional-investor-type to invest their money.

In other words...

they HIRED somebody.

They CHOSE to give their money - usually to a complete stranger - and basically said -

"Here's my money, I don't know what to do with it and I don't have any better ideas so I'll TRUST you to invest and grow it.  You'll be paid based on how much money that you make me...

... you'll never hear from me, talk to me or have me acknowledge you in any way, just take the years of research and education you have invested and put it to work for me...

... and you better not screw up or I'll raise HELL!

... Oh and by the way I'm too lazy and unwilling to research this myself or educate myself about it right now, but if you don't make me rich, I'm going to bitch and complain about how you 'stole' from me..."

Plus -

"Even after I complain about you screwing me over, just to prove that I don't learn or even want to, I'm still going to continue to hire you or people like you, I'm not going to take the time to learn about this myself - NO! - instead I'll keep doing the same thing until I die (probably broke) but I'll be expecting a totally different result."

"But Azam, greedy Wall Street bankers stole from us, and our children!  The bailouts have ruined us!!!"

The bailouts are awesome.

But I know people disagree, so let's get this straight -

A country is so pro-rich-people that even if the companies are the WORST in the world and fail to make even a penny of profit, we'll GIVE them money?

Yet people bitch - when money is being GIVEN AWAY - because it isn't given to the right people?

Don't hate the people for being "too big to fail" become "too big to fail' yourself.

America is all about rich people, if you're not in that group, you need to figure out how to get there - or just realize they'll always be on a different level because they provide and contribute more than you do.

"But Azam there is no money, a credit freeze means my lenders aren't approving any of my buyers!  Nobody's financing anything anymore and there is nothing we can do about it!!!  And business loans are IMPOSSIBLE!!!"

Yeah, yeah, yeah...

So "nobody" is making it happen, huh?

Nobody.  Really?

Or is it just you - I mean the "economy"?

See below for the answer to this...

And about business loans, no business has ever failed because they didn't have enough loans, they didn't have enough sales... don't try and figure out how to get loans, figure out how to get sales.

"Azam I've tried everything and nothing works, blah, blah, blah!!!"

Translation: you deserve more and it isn't your fault.

You're just throwing away peanuts...

... because they aren't "that good"...

Okay, Azam this is where you tell me how rich you are, right?

Not exactly.

In fact, I don't even talk about how much I'm doing/making.  Instead I talk about others.

In fact, if I did talk about my lifestyle - you'd hardly be envious.  I work 80+ hours a week, I've never in my life gone on vacation and I don't use pictures of my houses or cars to prove how "cool" I am...

No Vacation?

Yeah, you know why?

Because I'm always on vacation -

America is one giant vacation.

Some examples...

Let me explain to you what some people have done during these "tough times" -

Remember when Joe the Plumber was moping about socialism, Israel, Obama's whatever... remember that?  That was a tough time, right?  Oh yeah, and plus his area was really decrepit, wasn't it?  Well at the same time, in the exact same area (even the same city) another plumber was implementing some Badassery and got his company to over 100 grand a month...

Millie (on our Team here) just did an interview with Esquire about a the modeling company her and Stephanie started - in less than one year that company was one of the top five modeling companies in America - I did an audio with them and how they're routinely pulling out over $30,000 a day with just this one model...

I'm about to do an audio interview with a young lady (17 years old) whose parents sponsored her into our Alliance Project - and how she is using four signs and doing over 13 grand a month - with four signs and that's it, no talking to anybody, no meeting people - nothing... and that 13 grand is from just one model... she is implementing four others... (oh yeah, she's in Hawaii, you know - where NOTHING WORKS, right?)

In January of 2009 a young man and his fiancé were nearly broke, living an apartment and working at a sporting goods store... he got with us, put some Badassery in place and by that June he was doing over $150,000 a MONTH - owning theaters, Subways and airports...

Max and Sunny have done over $5M in the first quarter of 2010 from Dubai IPOs and real estate, I've gone over this in depth in an Episode so I won't get into the details here - but my point is that this area is considered fu**ed by the economy...

I wrote an email about something like this a few months ago, and I'm leaving out most of those examples right now - so I'm not mentioning JJ (another 17 year old) doing over two grand in 20 minutes by handing out flyers with me (we did that on camera), a student spending five days and bringing in 10 grand a month on autopilot from then on, another student getting his first five grand wired to him, etc. etc.

My point is that if you're properly trained you really can go into any area and sweep up because you are dealing with people...

Who are used to calm seas

In fact, they are dependent on them...

They need those calm seas...

... they only know how to make money under the most friendly and ideal circumstances known to man.

Anything else -

And they are fu**ed.

What's worse is that many of the trainers, teachers and business "gurus" -

TEACH THIS

At seminars and in books.

Advice: don't listen to anybody who needs calm seas to profit.

Make them prove they've trained and performed outside of calm seas.

And about all those examples -

Am I bragging, yes -

but about OTHER people  (NOT me)

And I could keep going...

... but the fact that I'm talking about others proves a few things, doesn't it?

First, this isn't talent - and it sure as hell ain't about "Azam".

This is about understanding a specific skill set that almost nobody in the world understands or even has the opportunity to learn.  A set of such remarkable skill that nearly everybody (billionaires included) will clamor for your attention to learn more about or benefit from.

Something that everybody wants to be able to do - yet almost nobody ever will.

The ability to successfully, regularly and fearlessly grow a company is something that can change your life.

It makes you immune to "recessions", "depressions" or "the economy" - you no longer stand for nothing (and no longer eagerly ready to fall for anything)

You become a Badass

And it is the "real world" -

People are doing this day in and day out...

All over the planet, they don't ask for - or even want - weekends off, they don't wonder about their next vacation; they're always on vacation, their passion carries them...

... their drive, ambition and refusal to blame others makes them unstoppable.

They understand that -

America is for dreamers

They don't don't deserve it - none of us do.

They are thankful and their gratitude is expressed through action NOT just words or bumper stickers.

Don't get me wrong I think education is one of the -

Most important things in the world

And the biggest reason people have problems is because they aren't given the opportunity.

But you don't get to say that.

Neither do I.

It has been given to us, disproportionately.

I know that all of this is a huge -

Marketing sin...

... if I cared about selling you stuff most people would say I would spend more time identifying with your problems and making a common enemy of "them"...

... I'm not into that.

The enemy (in America at least) is ignorance, laziness and Thanklessness.

More dangerous than guns, more deadly than terrorism and more addictive than crack.

People are dying -

actually dying - for our peanuts...

So when you hear somebody in America complaining about the "economy", opportunity, money problems, what-the-fu**-ever... they're throwing peanuts away... just like that guy in the airport...

... don't be like that...

... don't pollute yourself and those around you...

... be distrusting and even scornful of calm seas...

... because they allow us to accept less of ourselves...

... addicted to wasting our potential and blaming others for it...

Summary: don't throw the peanuts away.

I hope I've helped.

- Azam

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About Azam

Comments

86 Responses to “The Biggest Secret I Know About “The Economy”.”
  1. June says:

    Awesome! I love your videos, but this is cool too! Thanks for everything!

  2. Mel Jasper says:

    AZAM HOW DARE YOU KEEP US WAITING FOR THIS!!! Gotcha, lol

    You write just like you talk and cannot tell you how much I love hearing from you. My husband turned me on to you and he thought I was going to hate your stuff, I’m thankful you are in our lives.

    God Bless America and I hope someday we will appreciate it as much as you do.

    Melanie Jasper
    Chicago, IL

    • Azam says:

      Mel,

      Good to hear from you, and I know you and Kyle are
      making a killing off the AP Model, so I’m glad to hear
      that.

      So you and I are now proving spouses wrong too?
      Not the worst thing, right?

      God Bless America indeed – Thanks again for the support!

      – Azam

  3. Jennifer Crate says:

    Azam and Fans,

    Thought y’all would like to know we did an extra 11 grand from the AG Meo Model, you have a voicemail testimonial from us! Thanks for sharing about you and your brother, that boy’s story made me sick though.

    Jenny
    Jenny and Curt Will Buy It!

    • Kyle Selos says:

      Jen and Curt,

      I don’t know if you remember me but we met outside the event a few years ago? Anyway great catching up and it looks like you guys are doing awesome, I’ve been trying the AG model myself (NOT COMPLAINING AND YES IT IS MY FAULT FOR NOT MAKING 11 GRAND, OKAY EVERYBODY?) so I’d be very interested to know what you’re doing.

      Thanks in advance.

      Kyle Selos

      • Azam says:

        Kyle,

        Great to see your curious about this, and I appreciate your honesty
        and taking responsibility –

        Thanks again for the support!

        – Azam

    • Warner says:

      Jenny, do you mean the Attorney General model? Please share the deets!

      • Jenny and Curt Will Buy says:

        Fellow Badasses Warner and Kyle,

        Hey guys, “Thanks for the support!” as Azam would say lol

        We followed the model from a few weeks ago and did the same thing the fashion designer gals did. We didn’t talk to directly to our AG though, but we did get an interview with their office. It was a short interview and now we have it recorded as a podcast. For distribution we went to a few local grocers and churches but the grocers have outperformed everybody else so I think you can skip the churches.

        From the first batch of calls we had two lease option deals and closed them both in less than two weeks. We have six more on the table, so the potential is much more than the 11 grand in 11 days and we did better but I know Azam likes the testimonials that sound good lol. We are also getting a lot of rehab deals too.

        Thanks again Azam, our business has grown more in the last two weeks than in the last two years, that sounds even better! You are incredible and if anybody needs help please call me directly (SAFE GUARD)

        Thanks so much!

        Jenny and Curt
        .

        • Azam says:

          Jenny,

          Holy Moly, I spoke too soon in my other reply – my goodness that is some
          definite Badassery – good for you, I’m really proud of myself for sharing
          that with you… ha ha – seriously I’m really proud of you and Kyle.

          You put it in action and made it happen, and I’ll ne expecting my cut by the end
          of the week, right?

          If you a site or more about what you did, that’d be great too…

          Thanks for sharing Jenny, you’re doing awesome –

          And Thanks again for the support!

          – Azam

      • Azam says:

        Warner,

        I think she outlined it below, what a Badass, uh?

        Thanks again for the support!

        – Azam

    • Azam says:

      Jenny,

      Great news, I’d love to hear more… and I haven’t got the
      VM but I’m sure we got it and it just hasn’t got to me.

      Thanks for your feedback too, I’m thrilled you’re putting
      this stuff in place and I look forward to hearing from you…

      Thanks again for the support!

      – Azam

  4. Conner Radland says:

    Azam,

    I will never complain about the economy again.

    AMEN BROTHER!

    ~ CR

    • Azam says:

      Conner,

      Mission Accomplished… well part of it, with a Badass name like
      yours, you better be putting up some crazy numbers here, right?

      I look forward to hearing about it…

      Thanks again for your feedback and support!

      – Azam

  5. Jackland says:

    My commented was deleted and I couldn’t see this post again, glad it is back. The best description I’ve read.

    • Azam says:

      Jackland,

      Yeah this post was really weird, things got deleted, and then back
      up again, and I don’t know what else… glad you made it through this
      time though –

      Thanks again for the support!

      – Azam

  6. Anne says:

    Love it.

  7. Williams says:

    I’ve head you say that it is “unpatriotic” to talk about the great recession but I never totally agreed.

    This post really did make me rethink my position.

    Thanks for pushing my limits Oz.

    • Azam says:

      Williams,

      I didn’t really unpatriotic, I think that’s a little too far… that was also
      debated in the first version of this, but I’ll explain more in the next
      update –

      Thanks for the feedback Williams, it is appreciated.

      Thanks again for the support!

      – Azam

  8. Levi Hart says:

    “The texters got raped” lol!

    I was trying to skim through this at first but you made me read every word, now I know why you’re so F-ing crazy.

    Thanks for the education and I will not use the r-word again.

    Levi

    • Azam says:

      Levi Johnston,

      Good to hear from, and glad we feel the same way about
      the texters, also happy that you HAD to read… ha ha.

      Thanks for the feedback, and I’m glad it helped –

      Thanks again for the support!

      – Azam

  9. Nick says:

    Azam,

    Thanks for another great post. This one makes you think…

    Best,
    Nick

    • Azam says:

      Nick,

      Sure, glad it helped – great to hear from you and Thanks (again)
      for the feedback…

      Thanks again for the support!

      – Azam

  10. Vegas Vince says:

    There are NO VICTIMS…..only VOLUNTEERS.

    This should be required reading for every sheep or lemmings sitting at the edge of the cliff…….and a reminder to everyone else……

    That those who get rich compete….by any means necessary and without apologies or excuses.

    Real Players get “in the game.”

    Those who don’t…..”critique”….”bitch” …..”whine”……and “boo hoo.”…..about the good ol’ days…..or ponder what might “be” tomorrow.

    I hope this blog stung some of you harder and faster the a young Muhammad Ali left jab.

    Beautiful stuff, Oz

    Vegas Vince
    http://BarterArbitrage.com

    • Newticker says:

      Hi Vince,

      I love reading your comments, and we are buying your course and I don’t even care what its about lol.

      You are almost, almost as crazy as Oz.

      Thanks for keeping it real.

      Newt

    • Harrgrim says:

      “There are NO VICTIMS…..only VOLUNTEERS.” Vegas Vince
      I am going to Quote you on that.
      Better Copyright it Vince

      • Azam says:

        Harrgrim,

        There’s a copyright-phrase like that in every post he has, ha ha.

        Glad it helped, Har – and glad you’re with us.

        Thanks again for the support!

        – Azam

    • Azam says:

      Vegas Vince,

      Referencing Ali is always a good thing…

      Glad you like this and as always I appreciate your feedback…

      – Azam

  11. Hendra says:

    Nicely done again, Azam.

    Newt, you will not be sorry getting Vince’s course. It’s a great course.

    • Azam says:

      Hendra,

      Great to hear from you again, and thanks for the feedback…

      Glad you like Vince’s course too –

      Thanks again for the support!

      – Azam

  12. Todd says:

    Azam, you shame, inspire, indict, invigorate- I feel it gnawing in the pit of my gut when I read your stuff. It’s beautiful.

    • Azam says:

      Todd,

      Love the action-words, and Thanks so much for your feedback,
      it really means a lot.

      Glad it moved you…

      Thanks again for the support!

      – Azam

  13. Lang Mills says:

    Todd stole my words.

    I sent this out to my list as soon as I read it.

    Love it.

    L

    • Azam says:

      Lang,

      Thanks for sharing, we’re always looking for fellow Badasses,
      right? Todd’s words are awesome… something about them,
      like it moves to read it, and it was MUCH shorter…

      Thanks again for the support!

      – Azam

  14. Garrett_Francis says:

    Great post Azam. It amazes me that everyone likes to respond to your models and techniques, but not to more important posts like these…kinda interesting. In addition, I’d really like to thank you again for pointing people in my direction when it comes to joint venturing with them.

    On another note, you’ll be glad to know that I’m implementing your models in my business and doing quite well. I have joint venture agreements setup with a few individuals (you guys know who you are, and if you don’t pull sick numbers then you’re lazy because I gave you a step-by-step system) and I’m constantly expanding my marketing and relationship base.

    To those who care (if any) we’ve setup an interesting payment scale in regards to lenders, realtors, and investors that might help those needing that extra push. Much kudos goes to Christy for this new model, because my payment scale was an outgrowth from us throwing ideas back and forth between each other.

    When working with lenders, after we go through the offer script to get their maximum bids, we’re going back and contacting the top 5 lenders (based off their maximum bid and competency) and offering them two offers. One is $750-$1,000 for when the loan closes OR $30-$50 bucks per lead. We prefer to set up two lenders on a per lead payment scale and the other three lenders we prefer the “back end” payment scale.

    Working with realtors is much of the same, but a slightly different variation. We want two realtors giving us upfront money per lead ($15-$40 per lead and dependent on how qualified they are) and three lenders giving us 25% at closing (the “back end”).

    Investors, the concept is much in the same, but they are structured differently. I’ve added three offers to the equation. One is upfront cash ($10-$25 per lead), the second is passing a l/o buyer to them and taking 75%-100% of the down payment as our fee, and the last is a new concept and one I haven’t shared before…joint venture l/o agreements. In the third offer, we’re going to take half the down payment, all the monthly income above what they want per month (sellers rent-buyers rent=our profit monthly), and 50% of the equity above what the investors initial equity position is…and we don’t guarantee the rent, use our credit, or our money. The risk is the same as the passing off a buyer, but it appeals to the greedy investors and results in more profits for us.

    Now if anybody caught on, you noticed that one offer was for immediate cash flow, but cheaper; and the second offer was on the back end, but more profitable. I decided to switch to giving multiple offers to our client buyers, because 1. it makes our clients feel like they are in control, and are happy with the agreement we come to because they feel like its theirs, but more importantly 2.) We want immediate cash flow and equity building in our business. We want immediate cash flow coming now (per lead scale) and we want to build equity (back end scale). I got this idea from conversation with Christy, but also from studying business in general. You need both and by structuring your payment scales this way, you should never have cashflow problems or big paydays on the backend, as long as your expanding your marketing base. The beauty of these offers is that regardless of which offer they accept, we’re happy. As long as you structure offers that are mutually beneficial and align both parties interests in the same direction, money will flow effortlessly.

    Well hope this helps some people out, and feel free to contact me about partnering up. One contingency, follow what I say (it’s Azam’s stuff so don’t freak out), shut up, and get things done.

    • Vegas Vince says:

      Yo’ Garrett….. Pure A game again, bro. Great post…..excellent model. Thanks for the share.

      As for the first part of your post….I’m pretty sure I know why a thread like this gets less feedback then the bell and whistle threads Oz does.

      Truth is…….most people are sheep…..aka….The Jones Family.

      And while they will get really excited over any “system” they think will buy them an easy ride to Xanadu….the truth is…..devastating manifestos like the one Azam penned above require them to do something most people in society can NOT do…..FACE THE MAN OR WOMAN IN THE MIRROR.

      Sheep wrap themselves in a security blanket called….”blame” and “third party validation.”

      Once that’s stripped away….and they’re faced with the realization that they themselves are the captains of their respective ships….they get frigging scared.

      They get “uncomfortable.” They don’t want to “participate” …..cuz it’s too damn painful.

      The TRUTH cuts to the chase. It weeds out the pretenders from the players.

      That’s why the bandit sign video thread Oz puts out gets 122 comments and this one gets 20.

      Sadly…..if people don’t “get the content” of this blog…..they aint gonna ever have much of a shot with anything else…. because they will go into any venture with a built in reason to blame someone if they fail.

      For the rest of you’se…….I would take the models you learn and apply them to industries that the “so-called bad economy” are beating up the worst….whether it’s real estate or something else. You can apply this stuff to anything.

      To me….Non Profit Organizations continue to represent the biggest opportunity out there.

      Non Profits….are getting their asses kicked because of the “gloom and doom” mindset of society as a whole and the NPO’s themselves…..AKA…..DONATIONS ARE DOWN, BABY!

      These NPO’s have buildings……they have a member base……and rather then pitching them some car wash or stale fruit cake sale…….show them the money….take advantage of the leverage….they give you.

      Non Profits……might be non profit…..but they want the money capiche! And they will bend over backwards to help you…..help them.

      They will also bust their asses to promote you……..and it’s like having a giant Bandit Sign…..in the middle of New York city at rush hour.

      You can leverage that.

      Any industry you read about in the papers…..”that claims sales are down”…….are perfect targets.

      The RV industry is another one you can crush. They bitch and moan more then any industry I’ve ever seen! Get them some buyers…..for those over priced houses on wheels…and you might end up sipping frozen margaritas under some palm tree sooner then you think.

      As for “bandit signs”…….Vinnie actually has a way to create giant bandit signs that only get seen at night….even on a street with NO LIGHTS. But I’ll save that for later……or I’ll die of old age…and I gotta share that with my peeps first.

      Garrett…..are you in Tampa? The home of my beloved ex girlfriend who once told me I gave “great credit card”. She gave great “head ache.”

      My restaurant is only an hour away from you on State Road 60. Email me bro…I’m down for JV’s in areas I’m not in…..and I’m in Polk County, bro.

      Polk County! The arm pit of Florida. Where the toughest 3 years of most people’s lives…..has been the third grade. Ugggg! Anyway….shoot me a vine……let’s connect. I wonder if it will work here? LOL.

      Vinnie aint no pipe smoker…..I’m ready to roll….so hit me up.

      Dinner on the house…..but bring a fake id if you want to hit my bar. vegasvincelegend@gmail.com

      Rock on peeps.

      Vegas Vince
      http://BarterArbitrage.com

      • Azam says:

        Vince,

        Bring your fake ID? That’s awesome… I mean totally inappropriate!

        You guys have some crazy stuff happening, maybe posting an Episode
        about how you’re using this stuff will help as well – I’d be happy to promote
        it for you…

        There’s just so much you’re going over here, I wonder which of the models
        you focus on the most – or what you’re most passionate about.

        Thanks for your feedback as always!

        – Azam

    • Azam says:

      Garrett,

      There’s the Badass…

      If “anybody’s interested” – you’re sharing great stuff, seriously you are following
      much of Policizing that we go over, it is awesome to see. Inspiring.

      I appreciate the detail as well, based on those numbers you should be at
      a grand a day in the next week or so – which is great. And I’m glad you’re
      partnering with others, you should have no problem making large things
      happen – and I’m loving hearing about it –

      Thanks again for the support!

      – Azam

    • Sherri Gaines says:

      G Fran,

      I am in the DC Metro area and I am interested in learning more about your partnering opportunities. Please contact me via email or phone at (Safe Guard). I love Azam’s method, down to earth way of doing things and the fact that he keeps it real! I have had some success with one of his models in the Charlotte area but haven’t implemented any since relocating, getting married and having a new daughter.

      I’m ready to go though and am NOT one to make excuses… I prefer to make dreams come true!

      Talk with you soon and as always… Thanks Azam for sharing and Garrett, please accept my thanks for all of your sharing too! :-}

    • Vegas Vince says:

      Hey Jim glad you made it over here…had a feeling that was gonna be your response because I’ve heard you articulate the very same message…..just a bit differently.

      FYI……JF Jim Straw is the $400,000,000 dollar man and considered one of the most beloved and respected marketers of all time.

      Damn…..I bought my first info product from Jim when I was 13 years old…and even back then he charged $100 bucks at a time when NOBODY CHARGED THAT KIND OF BLING!

      The man is a LEGEND…..has done it his way for over 50 years now…..and guys like Dan Kennedy have learned from this gentleman…..and look up to him for a reason. One of the proudest days of my life was day Jim decided to endorse my product….because his reputation and credibility was something money couldn’t buy.

      Jim owned banks, coal mines, beauty salons, and just about everything else……..during times when the “economy sucked” lol.

      It’s no coincidence that much like Azam….Jim has little use for victims……something he’s pounded home for over 50 years in his products.

      Vegas Vince
      http://BarterArbitrage.com

      • Azam says:

        Vince,

        Great – I didn’t know that, glad to be connected…

        … and Thanks for thinking of us –

        – Azam

    • Azam says:

      Jim,

      Great to hear from you, glad we agree –

      Thanks again for the support!

      – Azam

  15. Garrett_Francis says:

    Hey Vince,

    I’m actually in Tampa for the fall and spring for school, but I’m currently working thus biz in Oklahoma City.

    It’s funny that you mentioned npo’s and partnering with any company that is hurting financially. My next project is helping law firms attract clients. They pay for leads anyways and their compliance should be higher because of this. Especially personal injury/tort litigation firms because most of their leads come from referrals anyways.

    If you got any seafood any Vinnie, I’m all over your restaurant. I absolutely love the concept of leveraged bartering so when I come back, Id love to chat about that. Cheers.

    • Vegas Vince says:

      Hey Garrett: ….Yep….Fresh Florida Seafood…..and my joint is world famous bro. Just promise not “slip and fall” going down my stairs…..cuz the only place I want to see a “lawyer” is in my rear view mirror.

      Great idea though. ……..and those tv spots you see running like 1-800-Ask Gary……are lead generators for attorney referrals….. and I bet the promoters are getting premium pricing for selling them.

      It’s definitely competitive..but competition is often times a “good” thing because you can walk into an industry of “sameness” and reposition yourself…..and stand alone…..in a manner of seconds.

      Let’s stay in touch……

      Vegas Vince
      http://BarterArbitrage.com

    • Azam says:

      Garrett,

      There you go – you know Garret tracking your progress for, maybe like a week
      or two – on video would make a killer movie/show “How I went from zero to a
      grand a day” or something…

      Great stuff and Thanks for sharing –

      Thanks again for the support!

      – Azam

  16. Tracie says:

    Azam,

    This was a great post. I couldn’t agree with you more on Americans’ laziness, ignorance and thanklessness. I’ve had the fortunate pleasure of being able to travel (although not as much lately…..although I did get back from Mexico….which I can definitely relate to this article…working for peanuts, etc.) and I can see why other countries look at Americans in such a jaded light. Americans are never satisfied with what they have. They can never have enough. Always trying to live up to the Joneses. I’m happy I have a roof over my head, food in my belly, clothes to wear, and friends and family who love me. At what point did this not become enough? We’ve become a country of whiners, complainers, and lazy mo-fo’s who don’t want to take responsibility for anything. Thanks for expressing my thoughts in a much more eloquent fashion than I ever could. I agree with everything that you say and do! You’re the SH**!!!

    • Azam says:

      Lil’ Kim,

      Good to hear from you, it has been a while, and glad you’re on board.

      I think you might have a little stronger feelings than I do about this, or maybe
      a slightly different take – but yeah I see what you’re saying and appreciate you
      sharing your feedback.

      You’re tougher than most, and I *really* would love to hear how you put
      the stuff on this site in place, because it’ll make a big difference for you…

      Thanks again for the support and feedback!

      – Azam

  17. Courtney Tall says:

    I didn’t get an email or alert about this page?

    If I did I would have responded sooner, I tried skimming your post but I got sucked in.

    Awesome stuff Azam and thanks for sharing!

    Courtney

    • Azam says:

      Night Court,

      Yeah, there was some weirdness with the first post/page, but
      it should be fixed now – sorry to everybody who got their first
      stuff deleted.

      Thanks for the feedback by the way – and the support!

      – Azam

  18. Garrett Francis says:

    Yo Oz,

    Thanks again for the help with the business. If I was tech savvy I wouldn’t mind putting up some videos. On another note, Id really appreciate it if you touched on the legal side of things with lenders and agents. The federal RESPA act has just cut off two of my relationships with lenders and I’d say 50% of the rejections from lenders and agents come from this RESPA issue. I’ve looked at the law and it’s pretty black and white about lenders not allowed to give out backend fees or any sort of compensation in regards to closing a federal law.

    It’s not a huge issue I’ve just changed my dialogue a bit and are just get offers on upfront marketing fees per lead. If we can show lenders and agents that there is a way, then it would be a completely untapped market and massive profits would result. I know you talk about gaining ownership, but I haven’t figured out how to structure this yet. Any amount of help would be awesome.

    • Azam says:

      Garrett,

      Great timing, I’ve been going through these comments for the
      last few hours…

      Using a flip is really, really easy by the way – but about your
      other question I’ll do an Episode about legality, but you already
      know enough to start interviewing attorneys and Reverse
      Hiring them to answer your questions and do your work/closings
      for you.

      We’ve had attorneys go through RESPA and come to a much
      different understanding, but a few ways to deal with this if it
      is a challenge: become an owner in the company or start a new
      one just for your clients and become an owner in that, also the
      verbiage like consulting/marketing/invoicing/etc. makes a
      difference – also invoicing or licensing the title company, the
      lender or the attorney is the method that adds the most to
      your company.

      Hopefully that makes sense – Rhonda if you’re here it’d be
      great if you copied and pasted your email to me below because
      I think it could help. She is on track to do 70k in five weeks…

      Hope that helps Garrett – you’re right though, the dialog and
      positioning make all the difference – Thanks again for sharing!

      – Azam

  19. Garrett Francis says:

    Typo: “closing a federal loan.”

  20. Tracie says:

    Hey Azam,

    I’m not sure if I should post on this week’s since it has to do with last week’s episode, but I went to traffic.com like you suggested on last week’s post to find high density places to post my signs, but I couldn’t find anything. I went to the search field and typed in “traffic densities” and got nothing. Then, I changed it to “density” and got a link, but it gave me some computer code. Am I missing something? Can you point me in the right direction? Thanks.

    Always appreciative,
    Tracie

    • Will Taylor says:

      Tracie,

      A fellow Badass made some youtube videos about this:

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUve4aDRI8A

      They helped me.

      Thank you Ali.

      – Will

      • Tracie says:

        Will,

        Thanks for the youtube link. This definitely helped me out. I appreciate you looking out for a fellow Azam follower.

        Thanks again,
        Tracie

      • Azam says:

        Will I Am,

        That’s what I’m talking about – appreciate the helping of
        others – great to hear from you.

        Thanks again for the support!

        – Azam

    • Azam says:

      Tracie,

      Sure – there are some YouTube videos that Derrick put
      that should really help – looks like you’ve got them so
      that should get you rolling…

      Love to see what you do with it…

      Thanks again for the support!

      – Azam

  21. Tracie says:

    Azam,

    As I was on my MacBook, I was doing some research for marketing stuff and came across this article about Steve Jobs, which speaks to your post a couple of weeks ago about his sales/positioning/marketing skills. Enjoy!

    http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_25/b4183004440240.htm?campaign_id=yhoo

    Tracie

  22. Harrgrim says:

    The Economy what a Joke. I have now made deals with 2 Property management services, a Contractor/Home re-Modeler, a Cleaning Service/Maid Service and a Carpet Cleaner. All of them are more than willing to pay me 10% for Customers. Customers I am Getting with Freakin Ugly Yellow Signs.
    This is Awesome, Azam in fact that’s what I think I will call you from now on Awesome Azam. Between You and Vegas Vince If People can’t make some Green They just don’t want to.

    People, Fear is the Killer, Forget everything you Think you Know, Put out some Freakin Sings an answer your Phone. What are they going to Say No.

    I mean Damn if you are afraid of two letters, BEWARE of AA and VV because they are LEGENDS, and they are going to Blow your Mind.

    “What you think you know is sometimes more dangerous than what you don’t know.
    Learn the Truth… Because those who do not know are at the Mercy of Liars” David Williams

    • Ryan Lee says:

      Harr,

      I just made another comment so I don’t want to put the same thing here but my signs are also producing very well. I know Azam wants to hear the bottom line so here it is: just about $1,500 a week. How’s that for Badassery?

      Great work Harr, and you are so right about listening to the right people and not the morons. I’ve read this post of Azam’s five times and I get so inspired every time. It is strange how the last one has eight FB posts and over 130 comments and this one has half the comments and FB page posts. Nobody wants to hear the truth I guess. Thanks again Azam and Harr!

      – Ryan Lee

      • Azam says:

        Ryan,

        I love you page, it is Derrick’s video, that’s hilarious.

        Thanks (again) for the feedback and support, it means a lot
        and you look like you’re trucking along so make sure you
        remember all of us little people when you blow up, alright?

        Thanks again for the support!

        – Azam

    • Vegas Vince says:

      Thanks Harrgrim: I also appreciate the comments you left on my blog. You’re another loyal dude whose hung around Vinnie’s joint for a long time and I appreciate it.

      Love being called a LEGEND…..lol. (The check is in the mail lol)

      For those of you’se people who still don’t think signs work……consider that my friend Harrgrim just so happens to live in a “dust bowl” of a state…..void of much human life….much less any “real infrastructure”.

      And yes….the only women who reside in his town —do in fact wear high heels and wool socks.

      Point is……the calls keep coming…..from signs placed in a desolate town where there are more dead cactus and moss growing then people walking. I kid u not! So no excuses!

      As I’ve said many times…..business owners might not buy advertising, or copy machines, or this or that…..but they WILL PAY YOU FOR THE ONE THING THEY ALL WANT……A PAYING CLIENT.

      And the worse the economy is perceived to be……the better this stuff works.

      The fact you can use an ugly cheap medium known as a hand written sign…..represents LEVERAGE at its best, bro. Rock Frigging On.

      FYI…..I think the great OZ prefers the term “eye candy.” lol.

      peace, Vegas Vince

      http://www.BarterIsBest.com

      • Harrgrim says:

        Truth is Truth Vince,

        But I live in Missouri not Michigan or Florida lol.

      • Azam says:

        Vegas,

        Actually I AM the eye candy… ha ha.

        Always good to hear from our Brutha Vince, when I read your
        posts I have NO IDEA what the hell you’re going to be talking
        about it – it is always funny as hell though and I really
        appreciate it. You are killing it too, and I’d love to hear how
        the numbers are panning out…

        Thanks again for the support!

        – Azam

  23. Harrgrim says:

    “Empty your cup so that it may be filled; become devoid to gain totality.” – Bruce Lee

  24. Sylvia Rolfe says:

    Azam,

    WOW. That is quite the blog entry, and I love it.

    Although I am not American, the same thing happens here aall the time. The same bitching, whining, and complaining that it’s everyone else’s fault, it’s the economies fault, and all that s**t.

    Well, here is my success story, in this very same economy.

    I put up those ugly yellow signs.

    In fact, because I live in one of the poorest sections of the city, and I was targeting leads for a rent to own companies, I put them up in the intersections closest to my home. I figured if I could get people calling from this area, I could do it in any area.

    And guess what?

    Out of this shithole neighbourhood I live in, I got leads.

    And I got good leads.

    And I got hired by the company because of my leads.

    I now get a salary to post those signs and get those leads… and it still doesn’t stop there. I also get 10% of all profit within the company! See, my leads made it so the company picked up not one, not two, but three houses this WEEK!

    I also got three leads, that all totalled once they are in their new homes, will make me around $9,000.

    And through this company, I may have secured a home of my own.

    (Being self employed this is a next to impossible up here). Why? Because an ugly little house lead came across the desk. An ugly little house that had no mortgage on it, and the owner had died and all the sons wanted to do was get rid of it as is.

    This ugly little house, is worth $342,500 because it is on ¼ acre lot within the inner city. And you know what the offer on it is right now, $237,500. And being the degree of equity, I approached a lender and told them of this house, (not the address, I don’t need more competing for it LOL) and they approved me for up to $260K So if the deal closes on Wednesday in my favour at my top possible bid, I just made $82,500 in equity!

    But it doesn’t stop there.

    See they just want to be rid of the house and all that is the house, so with the house comes the 3 cars in the garage, all the reno materials that are sitting there waiting to be used to fixed this ugly little house, and everything else the house contains.

    All in all if you want numbers, we’re talking $100k in profit.

    All through ugly little signs, in one of the worst neighbourhoods of this city… and a recession….

    So to Team Azam, I want to say thank you. (And thank you to Vince for finding Azam and pointing me in his direction.) Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.

    And for anyone on the fence about this…. If a mama to 5, in a place where housing prices are still dropping, job loss is at an all time high, and even places like McDonalds aren’t hiring can do this, so can anyone else.

    Thank you and best wishes,
    Sylvia
    http://www.BarterIsBest.com

    • John and Elizabeth Will Buy says:

      Sylvia, Team Oz and fellow friends,

      Okay everybody this is my first post sorry to say. I have been reading and watching everything on this page for the last few weeks and I have to say Azam you really outdid yourself! I remember you Sylvia just a few weeks ago and I have even seen your page and read your blog, this post really inspires me and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for putting this up.

      I know everybody here is making money and I am a little ashamed of my meager success because in the last two weeks I have only done about $900, but it is more regular income than I have ever made in business and it made me weep in front of my son to know that we can actually make this happen. $900 over two weeks is about half of what I make at my job so I am already planning on being out of there!

      I did not mean to write so much but as Azam would say “Here’s what this means to you…”

      I’m putting together a PDF and maybe a youtube video series on the successes people are having with Azam’s stuff and if I have permission I want to make some interviews available as well that we can use them to create a membership site. Azam if you hate this idea or if I am crossing a line please let me know. I want to do this because I know other people here have talked about this and I have been discussing it with them and we know you are really busy. I will happily pay you the profits if any? I’m sure there will be! My brother is a coder and can set everything up today. I have been compiling stories all weekend and then BLAMMO Sylvia rocks our world. I love this page and what it is doing for everybody. Azam I will await your response. Thank you everybody so much!

      – John and Elizabeth Will Buy
      DIrect rip off of Jenny’s name!

      • Azam says:

        John,

        Great to hear from you, and thanks for sharing – glad Sylvia
        helped, I see you have another post so I’ll go there now…

        Thanks again for the support!

        – Azam

    • Nick says:

      Sylvia! Way to go, congrats on taking action and leading the way…

      Awesome demonstration of leverage, and I am extremely happy for you and your family…

      Congrats, and good job.

      Best,
      Nick

      • Azam says:

        Nick,

        Thanks for supporting others, it really makes a difference…

        Thanks again for the support!

        – Azam

    • Vegas Vince says:

      Yo Sylvia:

      You’se and me have been best friends and partners for a long time……through good times and bad….we’ve been one hell of a team I think.

      Some people bring out the worst in each other. I’d like to think we brought out the best in each other.

      From day one….you were my biggest fan…probably my only one…at the time.

      I also remember telling you from day one…..that in final sunset….I would end up becoming YOUR biggest fan…that you’se were special, and brilliant, and beautiful….and you were gonna be great.

      Your time has arrived, Syl.

      The torch has been passed…..cuz you know what to do now girl.

      Keep doing it…..and never look back.

      While your thanks is appreciated……it was YOU who got off your ass and made it happen…..and how ironic that the first project we ever kicked ass together on was titled : LIBERATION.

      I was just the “muse” who did his best to inspire you daily….and connected you to Azam Meo…….but it was YOU….who freed yourself….. by finally deciding that you deserved the best life had to offer….for you and your 5 beautiful children.

      There is no one PROUDER of you then Vinnie here.

      Nobody deserves it more then you……and for those of you who don’t know…..life didn’t deal Sylvia the greatest hand of cards…..and yet she never folded……..never tossed in the towel.

      And in the end? She went put all the chips on the table…went ALL IN……and WON.

      That’s rather legendary in my book.

      If a mother of 5 living in a shoe in cold ass frigging Canada can step up…. and step out of the self created prison most people live in……aint no excuse for any of you.

      p.s. THANK U OZ…….FOR ALL YOU’SE DO. For what you’ve done.
      xxx Vince

      htttp://BarterIsBest.com

      • Azam says:

        Vince,

        Great to hear, and glad you’re able to help a friend.

        That’s great news too that this’ll be like being taught to fish
        instead given a meal, as always I appreciate your sharing.

        – Azam

    • John and Elizabeth Will Buy says:

      Sylvia,

      For the last few days we have been rereading your post and all the other great supporters here and we went apesh** in our company. Instead of just working with buyers we started with sellers too and moving them through the appropriate channels to get faster closings and we wouldn’t have done that without reading about you doing this Sylvia so thanks again.

      So the bottom line is what everybody wants to know, well we were doing about $900 every two weeks but we are on track for about over twice that $1,500 because we’ve already been paid on an extra $500 on two deals from sellers this week. We should be able to do that every week.

      Azam your email said there will be a community starting? I’m all over it!!! Thank you Sylvia you motivated us to double down!

      – John

      • Azam says:

        John and Elizabeth,

        Your names sound like royalty… great news by the way and
        I’m thrilled you’re moving forward, thanks for doing that and
        sharing – also the newer stuff should help too and that is
        what I meant about the community.

        We should be ready to test it in a few days… I’ll make
        sure you hear about it then.

        Thanks again for the support!

        – Azam

    • Azam says:

      Sylvia,

      Great to hear from you, and that is AWESOME stuff cracking,
      what a Badass you are… I was thrilled to read this, really,
      it is touching because I know something of your background
      from Vince – just the fact that you KNOW him usually isn’t a
      good sign, right?

      Bad joke – really I’m thrilled things are coming together for you
      and I REALLY appreciate you sharing with us, great stuff Sylvia
      and it is just the start – just the beginning and some of the newer
      stuff you’ll see will really help too…

      Thanks again for the support and for sharing!

      – Azam

      • Sylvia Rolfe says:

        Wow everyone. Thanks for the kinds words and glad to hear others are kicking ass as well.

        The financing fell through on the property, but I am still trying to work out and see if I can’t do something else with it, even if it just puts a quick couple grand in my pocket.

        But, I did find another property that we may purchase for ourselves that is really nice and with a few fixer upper issues resolved will make the perfect family home for my bunch of kiddos.

        Keep kicking ass everyone. We are just touching the base of what can be done, keep moving forward and things will only continue to get better.

        Best wishes,
        Sylvia

        http://www.BarterIsBest.com

        • Azam says:

          Sylvia,

          Glad you’re able to see the difference it makes, and I wouldn’t
          worry about the property – just knowing that you can pull that
          off so quickly is a great lesson.

          Thanks again for sharing, your feedback and the support!

          – Azam

  25. maurice says:

    Congrats to everyone on their success and this post by Azam and the several helpful comments are “Life-Changing!” There’s really no excuse if you’re here in America, where people are literally dying to come and sacrificing their all for better opportunities!

    This is the only place I know of where you can practically make a $1 out of $0.15…my mom did as well as several close friends from the Caribbean…people from other countries too. Thanks again Azam, Vegas Vince, Sylvia, BA Crew, and everyone else for sharing.

    God bless,
    Maurice

    • Azam says:

      Maurice,

      Great to hear from you, and thanks again for the great
      feedback and caring – it means a lot.

      Carpe Diem, right?

      Thanks again for the support!

      – Azam

  26. WOW Azam,
    My Friend & Cyber Brother lol..

    It has been a few since I wrote you…

    I have been reading your posts and meant to make
    comments but when I finish reading I am of to do
    some other stuff…

    I HAVE TO SAY.. THIS POST is SPOT ON!

    Americans (for the most part) ARE LAZY!

    Ask me how I know…

    Well I’ll tell ya.. in our Telecom Biz
    we have the ability to choose to share an amazing
    opportunity with those that fit our criteria.

    i.e. (Don’t kick the tires on my Beamer)

    GUARANTEED TO PISS ME OFF! lol

    ALL I Hear are excuses about this or that etc., and I must say
    it is DRAINING! At times and makes you wanna reach through
    the phone and slap the person on the other end to wake them
    up! lol

    I ALWAYS ask folks (when they are lucky enough to get a call)
    why I should bother working with them and also, to share there
    “WHY”.. the answers are always interesting… MOST people don’t
    understand what I mean… AMAZING!

    So, like I said, you hit this one out the park, like you ALWAYS DO!!!

    Have an AMAZING DECADE!

    Your Cyber Brother and Friend…

    Tony Profit
    http://TelecomSlayer.com

    PS. WE ALSO implemented one of your house buying and selling
    tactics…

    thank you!!

  27. mark moran says:

    Great read, and yes Jim Straw is also a great legend.

  28. Elijah K. says:

    Hey Azam,

    I enjoyed the story.

    I tried watching the watching and downloading the video, but it stops right at 1:33. I’ve downloaded it three different times and the problem persists. Is there another site that the video is located on?

  29. George says:

    Azam, great writing, definitely inspiring, thank you for sharing the mindset that it takes to be successful.

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