Just Got Back from New York

Just got back from a 10 day work trip to Manhattan.  I worked way too much but I took every free chance I had to see the sights.  I got to see everything I was hoping to see.  New York is 100% all the time.  It makes me appreciate what I have here in Seattle.  City life with the small town life just miles away.  Everywhere you go in Manhattan you are downtown.  I even got to eat at the Shopsin's restaurant that I mentioned in the previous post.  Amazing food, I am still thinking about it.  I had the Spingsteen with Smashbrowns. 

I am very happy that I can now cross New York off of the list.  Many more things to see.  Cabo is next.

The Rise of the Little Guys

We get so caught up in convenience that we don't even think for a second about where our money is going and what that decision ultimately affects.  I watched a short video today about how the big stores like Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Costco are completely wiping out small businesses.  If you stop for a second and think about it there are some pretty severe consequences by doing all of your shopping at major chains.  Think about when and where you grew up.  What was once the local grocery store everyone shopped is now gone and a Walmart has replaced it.  Spanaway is a perfect example.  If you needed something growing up you went to Safeway or you went to Stock Market.  Now that a Walmart Superstore rolled into town everyone is shopping there.  Those other two are ghost towns.  This is happening everywhere in America.  The town in Missouri I lived in for a while (St. Joseph) has a Super Walmart on both ends of the same street!  I worked there twice!  They paid me and every one else there nothing.

But you should think about all of the small mom and pop stores that Walmart drove out of business.  Some of those people had to go on and get jobs at Walmart!  How sad is that?   It makes you really appreciate some of the Seattle towns like Ballard, Fremont, and West Seattle.  Where it seems as though they are not allowing the big corporate outfits to open businesses.  I have thought more than a few times while working in Fremont, "Man I wish they had a McDonald's close to my work."  But I catch myself and think how nice it is that Fremont doesn't allow these guys to come in.  A lot of mom and pop shops are able to survive because of it.

I can literally walk outside of my place and throw a rock at McDonald's, Burger King, Taco Time, and Wendy's.  If I put a crow hop into it I can hit the Olive Garden right next to the Azteca!  I bet reading this will make you think twice about shopping at the big places or at least make you think about it while you are doing it.  How cool would it be to devote a month to shopping at only locally owned stores and small businesses?

If you have never heard of Shopsin's in New York I would highly recommend watching "I Like Killing Flies".
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0390109/
Get it on Netflix.  Thank the Lord that places like this are still in business!


If the big guys have their way every personable locally owned place you shop at will be gone.  You will be giving your business to the giants out there making big wigs and stock holders needlessly wealthy while we (the little consumer) have no choice but to give our business to them.  You know when you hear about a CEO that got 100's of millions of dollars for a bonus last year?  It's because of all the business they get.


Makes you stop and think about it.  Everyone I know has at one time or another thought of starting their own business.  From opening a restaurant to selling tshirts.  If enough people are forced to do their shopping at the big names there will be NO CHANCE for the mom and pop shop to start, let alone survive.

I don't know if it is my ACN experience that got me to think more about this or the YouTube video I watched(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5WVNr7DuFY).  But it is starting to get completely out of hand.

The ACN example: the Telecommunications industry is a TRILLION+ dollar industry.  ACN has a less than 1% presence.  You can easily guess who the major players are and who gets rich off of the proceeds.  ACN gives the little guy a chance to run their own small business selling the major products and brands people already use today and give them a chance to get just a crumb of that TRILLION+ dollar profit.  Yes this means the major outfits like TMobile, AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint are still getting their large chunks but at least we(the little guys) are getting our crumbs.  When I say crumbs I mean 1% of $1,000,000,000,000.  You are more than welcome to go start your own cell phone company, not.

Pretty unbelievable.  The next time you drive through your old town take note of the new big stores, restaurants, movie places, banks, etc.  Even the smallest of towns out in the middle of nowhere are being taken over. (please visit Omak, WA)

Thank you for listening.
Chipper :)

The Power of Positivity

While flying back from Charlotte I was sitting next to an older gentleman flying home to Oklahoma City.  I usually don't talk much on planes but with the new attitude this year I got out of my comfort and struck up a conversation.  He was a very nice guy that worked in the mortgage business.  I mentioned that I had served in the Marines and he told me that his only son would be leaving for the Marines in June.  I gave him a lot of advice that would help his son and some advice that will help him and his wife as well.  The most important piece of advice that I gave him was to let their son know how proud they were of him.  My parents let me know how proud they were of me during one of the most stressful times of my life and it helped tremendously. 

Being 18 years old in Marine Corps boot camp, I struggled daily wondering why I was there putting myself through hell.  Nearing the end of high school I had no direction and was not at all ready for college.  Instead of working a low paying job while hoping to make my mind up, I joined the military.  I had no idea what I was getting myself into.  I just knew it was probably better for me than not doing it.  I was lucky enough to get the scores needed for a computer job.  I say lucky because I barely finished high school on time.  I just didn't put forth the effort and thankfully showing up to class everyday got me through.  My teachers must have really liked me because I never did my homework.  I remember my dad telling me, "Son, I don't care what you do with the rest of your life... I just want you to graduate from high school on time."  So I did, barely. 

Even though I barely made it, my father still made it a point to tell me he was proud of me.  When I was struggling in boot camp wondering if I should quit, he told me he was proud of me.  When I graduated from boot camp and he was there with my brother, again proud.  After the Marines I went to college and got very good grades my first semester, same.  My mother was just as supportive.  It has helped me more than they could ever know.  I might have quit had they not made it a point to let me know how proud they were of me.  It helps me realize that positivity is the catalyst to success.  Knowing this helps me to be positive during negative times in my life. 

I know these times are different, kids are different, and parenting is different.  But letting a child know that you are proud of them will have a bigger impact on them that you could ever imagine.  It did for me.

Today Marks One Month in ACN

It doesn't seem like it but today makes it one month since I joined ACN.  I have attended about 5 events.  Not bad considering this a "when I have time" venture.  I have already reached the first level up as a Qualified Team Trainer.  Small steps I know, but with my full time job going strong every bit of progress and leveling up is nothing but a great.  At the beginning of the year I made the decision to try new things.  To get out of my comfort zone and say yes to things I would normally say no to out of habit or fear of failure.  I decided to focus more at work and learn more technologies, challenge myself more in my personal life, and simply try to be a better person in general.  I wasn't a bad person before, but I honestly did wonder a lot about what I needed to do to make my life better and get at least a little bit ahead.  No matter how much more I made I always seemed to be living paycheck to paycheck.  By no means did I have anything to complain about.  I have a wonderful family, great girlfriend, literally a 1000 people which I would consider great friends, and I honestly do love my job.  I have worked with some of the nicest people you could ever meet.  For that, I am truly happy with my life.

I have always been a different breed of person, anyone who has ever met me would say that I think WAY outside of the box.  I have always wanted to do something that made people happy.  Saturday Night Live, standup comic, writer, motivational speaker, etc.  But didn't know the first thing about how to do it.  I should have studied theater or script writing in college.  But I was too busy playing football and worrying about everything but school.  I did study communications enough to know that I love standing in front of people and presenting.  I find it thrilling more than scary.  I did a lot of self thought, wondered what I was doing and where I planned on going.  I really do love my job.  I am currently a Systems Engineer in IT.  To put it plainly I work on really big computers.  It comes very easy to me and I always thrive in a customer facing role.  I truly enjoy dealing with people face to face and providing a great product.  I get to do that in IT.  Very rewarding and won't be leaving any time soon.

But as much as I love working in IT,  it's not Saturday Night Live, standup comic, writer, or motivational speaker.  So I am left to wonder "what next?"

ACN International Convention in Charlotte, NC

What a great trip.  As good as I thought it was going to be it turned out to be amazing.  22,000 people filled the sold out Time Warner Cable Arena for three straight days.  Great training presented by all and everyone in attendance was excited.  Imagine what it feels like to have that many people in the same place all giving of positive energy.  I am absolutely thrilled that I made the trip.  I learned even more about the opportunity and how I can be successful.  The co-founders of ACN gave a great presentation that left you excited about what ACN is about and how they plan to make it even better.  As usual I got the chance to meet so many great people.  Every single one of them wanting everyone else to be successful.  Never before in my life have I been a part of something so positive.  I am a better person for it. 

Started Reading "The Attractor Factor"

I decided to stop watching movies on my iPod during my bus ride to work and start reading. It's amazing how much your brain is a muscle and you have to get used to reading again. I had a copy of "The Attractor Factor" by Joe Vitale sitting in my computer room for the past 4 years. I started to read it a few times but didn't keep up with it. I made it a goal to finish the book in at least a month. I read a chapter to and from work every day I ride the bus. Just finished Chapter 3. Very good book so far. Easy to follow and written with people like me in mind. It's all about giving off good energy and how to get what you want. If you want something bad enough you should start attracting that thing into your life. Stop saying NO to yourself and allow yourself to succeed.

Here is a free PDF version summary of the "5 Steps for Creating Wealth (or anything else) from the Inside Out":
http://www.frumi.com/images/uploads/TheAttractorFactor.pdf
(Very good read for people trying to market themselves)

I will let you know more about it as I go along.

Making New Friends out of Complete Strangers...

What a great networking tool! I was changing buses today in Downtown Seattle and bumped into the guy I was sitting next to at the Saturday training. His name is Anthony. Nice guy. We said what's up as we passed each other. We both were in a hurry. Had it not been for ACN he would have just been a complete stranger walking by. It's funny how things work. As big as Seattle is it really is a small town. I see people I know all of the time. I wonder how many times this will happen because of the people I meet at ACN. Some people just don't get it, how beneficial and healthy it is to have a large network of good people. You never know when you might need a hand or when your help might be needed.

All Signed Up and Ready to Go...

I am officially an ACN Independent Sales Rep and Recruiter. Meaning at my own pace I can learn the business and find what works best for me. I am currently working full time as a Systems Engineer in IT and ACN can only be a when I have time thing for me. I have no problem with that and neither does ACN. WIN-WIN. I went to lunch with another old friend of ours from way back when, Caleb Williams, and two friends of his on Friday. Another one that I had not seen in about 13 years. Caleb was very excited and signed on as well. Nothing changes. It's amazing how 13 years suddenly wipes out when you see an old friend. I can honestly say that even if ACN doesn't work out for me it was a great way to see old friends. Find out how they have been and have Spencer and James present the business model to them while I learn how to present it myself. If they like it, great. If they don't, great. No badgering. Simply present them the opportunity the same way it was presented to me. A chance to work with people you trust and build a successful team.

Once I got signed up I was given my packet and web page log in. The full address to my shop site was hard to spit out (http://chipwade.shopacnrep.com/) so I went out and registered (http://www.morewirelesschoices.com) and forwarded that URL to my store. Very easy to do, I could show you in two seconds. I figured it was more catchy and something I could easily rattle off. Time will tell.

I spent Saturday morning(today) at the weekly training in Tukwila which started at 10am. Learning more about the business and how it works. Yet another packed room full of 100% friendly people. There for the same reason you are, to see if they can break the chain and make a better life for themselves and their family. I have no problems introducing myself to the people sitting next to me. They do the same. It's actually quite impressive. It would be like sitting on a bus and just introducing yourself to the person sittting next to you. Pretty nice. I have actually realized that I have a lot in common with most of the people I have met. Good people I would have never met otherwise.

The training is very helpful. I learn more and more every time I attend. What services ACN offers, how it can save people money, how the pay system works, promotions, bonuses, etc. It's actually pretty straight forward and easy to follow. If you would like to attend a Saturday training session with me it is completely free and only 45 minutes. It will give you an idea of how the business works and you will get to hangout with James and yours truly. It's close to a casino too so that could be another reason to make the trip. See the presentation and go lose a hundred bucks. Then wonder how you are going to get that money back.haha

Now starts the baby steps to see how this business works.

Leadership Training in Tacoma

Let me see if I can say what I am about to say without swearing. I say this because I was raised in Spanaway and followed that up with 4 years in the Marines. What I experienced for 12 hours today was amazing. I sat in the banquet room of a hotel completely packed with 2000+ people. Literally standing room only. This room was filled to capacity with people from every walk of life. Men, women, young, old, every variety of human being there is. All trying to make themselves better and more importantly, every one around them better. I would compare it to being at a Seahawks game. No where near the same amount of people. But EVERYONE there wants the same outcome. To feel that kind of energy was really something else. To listen to the experiences of my longtime friends Spencer Hunn and James Jackson. To hear what Mindy and Jeremy Deeble had to go through to get where they are today. Single Mother/Regional Vice President Janel Presant's ability to make a better life for her children and her own mother. Giving people hope where it never existed before. I sat in that room and watched 2000+ sets of eyes light completely up. Some of the most successful people in the company standing on stage explaining the hard work it took to get where they are today. Inspiring hope and being examples of hard work paying off.

Listening to these people talk today helps you realize that YOU can be successful if YOU put in the hard work. You can change the lives of so many people if you build a support system of people who want to be happy JUST LIKE YOU. Remember that this room was FULL of people who have probably been told their whole lives that they can only accomplish so much. That the way they have it now is the way it is the way it is always going to be and that's just the way it is. To see hope in these people was truly a site to behold. The worst thing one person can tell another person is "you will never" and the absolute worst thing a person can tell themselves is "I will never". The best thing you can do for yourself is to prove those people wrong. Don't let someone else prevent you from maximizing your own potential. Believe it or not we were all created equal. You may have been born into a bad situation but you have the same tools to succeed as every other person in the world. Successful people weren't born with extra eyes, arms, or legs. They used the tools they were given. The only person capable of directly changing your life is you.

I'm not saying that I am going to run out and take over the world. I'm not even saying that I will succeed at this. I still have a lot of thinking and planning to do before I can give this my 100% effort. But I can say that today was a very important day in my life. Today I realized that I want to spend the rest of my life making people better. I love having a lot of friends and I love meeting new people. It just comes natural to me. I love seeing people succeed and more importantly be happy. If something like ACN can allow me to touch peoples lives and inspire hope, than this is something that I could see myself doing for the rest of my life. I've always been happy to have the things that I have in life. I have a wonderful family and great friends. People I can trust to never let me fail. Not everyone can say that. I realize how blessed I am to have that and I would be happy for the rest of my life if that was all I had until the end of my time. I would love to help others succeed. So I am going to give this a go. At the very least I can say that I am a better person for trying to better the lives of the people around me. I've never been one to let negative people get the best of me. That's not how I function. I know that if I put my mind to it, there is nothing that I cannot accomplish. I can honestly say that I have not tried my hardest my entire life but I have seen what can come of it when I do. I can only imagine what 100% of MY effort can produce.

I am looking forward to seeing what I can do make people's lives better.

Goodnight Friends.

First Training Tomorrow

Tomorrow morning I will be attending my first ACN training session in Tacoma. It has been a few days since I had lunch with James and Spencer. I have honestly been thinking about ACN quite a bit. Only mentioning it to a few close friends. I am actually very excited and continually thinking of ideas. Now I will just need to see if the ideas I come up are possible and more importantly legal. Alright folks, got to get up early. I live an hour away. I will be taking notes tomorrow and posting again over the weekend. Goodnight all.

First Steps

Today I met with James Jackson and Spencer Hunn of ACN. Both very good friends of mine that I had not seen in over 10 years. We all grew up in Tacoma but moved away after high school. We spent a good portion of time catching up and asking how other friends were doing. We shared funny old stories and went into how we all ended up where we are today. I have personally taken the long route to get to this point in my working life. Joining the military right after high school for 4 years and directly off to college in Missouri after that. Hoping to pursue a communications degree in college I began to spin my wheels. Unsure about what I wanted to do with my life I decided to move back to Seattle at the beginning of 2005. My thinking was that if I was going to hit rock bottom I would at least be around my family and close friends. Rock bottom came close but thankfully I had the right people around me to keep it from happening.

Thankfully late in 2005 I was able to fall back on the IT experience I gained in the military to secure a temporary IT job in Seattle. I started small and gained the experience needed to settle in with a company full time. After 3 years of hard work I was rewarded with the full time with benefits career I was striving for. I have been in that particular role for 3 years now with no plans of leaving. I enjoy the work I do and the people I work with. But I have always had that thought in the back of mind that there has to be a better way for me to use the skills I have aquired over the years, my can-do attitude, large personal network, and an abundance of extra energy. I thought of everything. Second job, Ebay Store, Inventions, Blogs, you name it. All of which would pay very little, but my thinking was that little money beats no money.

Spencer and James spoke to me about the success they have experienced with ACN. Where they began to how they came to where they are today. Both of them being good friends they had my undivided attention. Anyone else I would have rushed them through the pitch and thanked them for their time. They explained how the system works and how I could be successful as well. They even offered to help in any way that they could. It seemed like a pay-it-forward approach that must have come from when they were sitting in my chair. It's good to have someone you know and trust help guide you along the path. I really liked what they had to say and think this could be something a person like me could be very successful at. Only time and hard work will tell.

Wish me luck.