If you’ve been to my site in the last week or two, you’ll want to refresh the page and you’ll see a video right on the top of the page.

My final blog post.

 Huh.

Although I never jumped into this blog as active as I was on many, many other blogs I had owned, it’ll still be tough to click on that big old delete button when I destroy this website to get ready for the new Robert-Hawthorne.com website I’ll be launching sometime in April, 2009.

And yes, it is true.  As of today, I am no longer associated with VM.  Six years or so I was there.  That’s the longest I’ve ever been associated with any company in my life.  I really learned a lot, met great people, and thanks to VM, my wife and I have been able to live a life of freedom… and for that I’ll also be forever grateful.

However, I need to move on.  I need to follow my passions and jump into something that in many ways, I’ve been preparing for… for a good 2 years now.

It’s time.

And there are no hard feelings anywhere.  I appreciate, respect, love, RK for everything he’s taught me, has done, and is doing for the company.  I’ve learned so much from RK… and there are not too many opportunities in life where you get to learn directly from one of the true masters of this incredible industry.  Many things will be missed - RK is what I’ll miss the most.

I’ve never seen anyone work as hard as RK - and I’m sure I’ll never meet anyone who could even could come close.

I’ve never met someone so passionate about their work - although in this business we don’t “work”, we have fun really hard.

And I’ve never met someone who was so nice and accommodating as his wife LK. 

Going forward in my new business - and in life, I will no doubt often think about RK and LK and the many lessons that they both taught me that I will continue to use and pass on myself for the rest of my life.

There are not too many people in the world who really touch you - I mean really make a lifetime impact on you.  There’s just not many people like that out there, but RK and LK are those people.  And for that, I am grateful for the six years that I was a part of the “family” even if at times I was the “black sheep” years ago because I was marketing on the Internet while everyone wanted me to do meetings, meetings, meetings.  But no worries, I’ve forgotten all about that…. well, most of it anyway. 

But seriously, a BIG thank you goes to RK and LK.  Thank you for changing my life.

Rob Hawthorne

A very long time.

Why?

Read my letter on the home page: http://www.robert-hawthorne.com

It explains everything.

Well, almost everything.

You’ll see.

Rob

My friends at Nitro are in the process of launching a brand new online video contest called MarketingDoOver.

MarketingDoOver?

Strange name, isn’t it?  However, once you understand what they’ll be giving away as grand prizes, you’ll see why “Marketing Do Over” makes sense.

Check out the video here: http://www.MyMarketingDoOver.com

When is MarketingDoOver Launching?

Not much is being said right now, but it looks like it’s just a couple of weeks away.

Who should enroll into MarketingDoOver?

As you’ll see by the video on http://www.MyMarketingDoOver.com, this is a contest open to anyone who does any business on the Internet.  Anyone from bloggers, affiliate marketers, network marketers, lawn care companies, restaurant owners, Realtors, and 1,000’s of other businesses.

What is the MarketingDoOver Grand Prize?

They will be giving away two grand prizes away… ready for this?  They’ll fly you to Dallas, Texas and provide a full day of training with Internet Marketing Millionaires on how you can “do over” your business to take it to a whole new level.

In an email, it was also mentioned that there were many other “cool” prizes being given away.

The MarketingDoOver Video Contest?

Yes!  Isn’t that exciting?  I’ve been following a lot of the online video contests on YouTube over the past year or so.  And I’ll admit that I get marketing ideas just by watching other people’s video submissions.  That’s not cheating, right?

So check out the video at: http://www.MyMarketingDoOver.com

At the very least, get in on the pre-launch that they are doing because they will be offering some special training for those of us who enroll now - before Marketing Do Over officially launches.

Check it out!

-Rob

Over a month ago, Kristin and I purchased a large print and a custom frame from Art.com.  The order arrived a few weeks later and because it arrived at our PO Box, I had to take the frame out of the box to fit it into my car.

It was still wrapped in plastic and everything seemed OK at the time.  I got home, unwrapped it, and noticed that the frame was coming apart on all four sides and the entire frame was warped.

I emailed Art.com and told them of the problem and they told me to ship the item back and they will ship out a replacement.  I responded that I no longer had the box and they responded back and told me to take photos of the picture frame, email them, and they will send a new one out to me.  I was then told to “dispose” of the one I currently have.

I thought that was interesting that I was told to dispose of an item that cost close to $400.  How much money are they losing here I wondered?

Yesterday, the new picture arrived and I knew there was trouble as soon as I picked up the box that was left by the front door.  I heard glass moving around!

I opened it up and not only was the glass broken, the frame was completely apart and also broken in several places.  It looked like someone took the box and tossed it off of a 50-story building!

As you can imagine, I was not a happy camper.  I called Art.com this time and told them about the condition of the item and they told me to take pictures of the item, email the photos, and I’ll be issued a full refund.

It just makes me think.  They are out two custom frames, two pictures, shipping costs, time, etc.  And it wouldn’t surprise me that I’m the only one that this has happened to.  The profit margins must be so incredible that they don’t think twice about resending items, telling people to dispose of the old ones, and providing refunds.

Believe me, I’m happy that I’m being refunded my money, but seeing their business model when it comes to refunds makes me wonder how much money they are losing (or how much they are really making when they ship an item and the person who bought it keeps it)!

There’s a few things to think about here.  First, if you own a business that has items you are shipping out to your customers, take a good look at your return/refund policy.  You may be leaving a lot of money on the table and losing a lot customers who may have been repeat buyers.

Second, if the profit margins are that high on art prints with custom frames where you don’t have to worry about returns/refunds, and you are seeking a way to make money, you may want to consider going into this business!

Just my little rant for the day.

Rob

Well, I couldn’t pass this up so I quickly edited the video I had recorded of my proposal to Kristin, added a few blurbs, and added the video.  Take a look at the video I sent in for the contest here:

http://www.robert-hawthorne.com/contestvideo.html

We have about 73 things left on the list to do before the BIG day… which is coming up SOON!  Gotta get back to work.  Enjoy the video!

Rob

We’re finally just about settled into our new house which has taken 10 times longer than we would have thought. And with a little over a month before the big day, we’ve got a lot on our plates!

But all in all, things are excellent. I’m sitting here in my office which is three times the size of the one I had where we had lived before. I have my library in one of the large walk-in closets in my office with all of my books, two desks, a large leather couch (where I am now), three book cases, two file cabinets, a unique glass coffee table, and room left over. I love it!

Kristin also has her own large office downstairs that she’s really proud of. I’ll have to record a video and get some pictures on here soon now that we’re just about finished.

Alright, so let’s dive into what I’ve been thinking about today…

For years, I’ve stayed away from watching the news on TV, listening to it on the radio, reading it in the newspaper or on the Internet, or listening to people talk about negative news around me. I do the best I can to only allow the “good” news in.

However, I can’t help but notice the headlines of some news items mentioning the feared word, “Recession”. For some, that word strikes fear, but for others, that word means opportunity. An opportunity to prosper during what others consider ‘tough times’. An opportunity to help others earn an additional income stream that can range from small part-time incomes to incomes into the six or seven figures. An opportunity to change people’s lives in ways they never thought possible. And an opportunity to make others dreams become a reality.

Of course I’m talking about the opportunities that exist through Network Marketing. As a Network Marketer, you’ll want to keep your eyes and ears open – especially right now. No so much on the negative news, but for opportunities within the news. I’ve talked about this briefly in the past.

For example, if you read that XYZ Company will be laying off 500 workers over the next few months in Any Town, USA, that would be an obvious sign to start marketing your business opportunity in that area. People will be looking.

How about the real estate market? Anyone associated with the real estate business in many markets are searching for opportunities. What other areas can you think of that will be effected if this recession hits?

Overall, it seems that in bad times (whether real, perceived, or exaggerated by the media) people are a lot more open to look into work from home business opportunities. And hands down, for most people, Network Marketing provides a sure-fire way to earn an extra income from home, provided you are associated with a great company, with great people, and great products.

So while the media blasts us with the ‘doom and gloom’ possibilities, change how you look at those possibilities into the mindset that you’ll be able to help a lot of people who may be indirectly or directly effected.

I’m a prefect example of all of this. When I first jumped into Network Marketing, it was because I really had no other choice. A real estate investment deal went bad, I had been fired or laid-off of my job (never could figure out what had happened, but since the owners of the company sold the business a couple months later, I have a pretty good idea), I was in massive amounts of debt, and on and on.

I jumped into a Network Marketing Company and worked my tail off. Yes, I worked hard. And after a few months I was able to get back on my feet. Now I never ever suggest people quit their jobs to go full-time in Network Marketing. I have had people ask me that who were thinking about doing it several times. In fact, I highly advise against it.

But for those who are in a corner and have no choice but to make something big happen FAST, I have proven it twice that can be done in Network Marketing – and many others share this type of story in this industry.

So to get back on track here, mentally take note that when you hear the word “Recession”, replace that with “Opportunity”. An opportunity that can not only change the lives of others, but also change your life for the better as well.

Rob

Well for one, if you are invovled in Network Marketing and you are having a hard time trying to find people to recruit into your business - start with anyone involved in Real Estate.  Realtors, mortgage brokers, title companies, appraisers, inspectors, and on and on… they are all feeling the pinch.

You have a huge opportunity to build your MLM business right now!

And if you know anyone that works at eTrade - they would be someone you’d want to call… like right now!

With the market being a buyers market and with some decent rates out there, Kristin and I decided to jump on a deal.  A really, really good deal at that for a brand new house in a brand new area that we’re really excited about!

This makes up for a very rough month dealing with a VERY bad tennant in one of my rental properties who thanfully is out of there.  It’s being painted and cleaned as I write this so I can put it back on the market and try and find some decent renters. 

Now the new house is of course all due to VMdirect.  Thank you!  :)  Kristin and I are moving into our new six bedroom house in December.  It’s nearly completed and to even think about moving in December while we are knee deep in wedding planning is crazy.

Below are some pictures…

To see the full details of the new VoIP / Video Chat and phone service, go to: http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/story.aspx?guid=%7bA1DE7532-88F1-412A-8484-A7BFD772A193%7d&siteid=nbk&symb

Now I know that VMdirect will be launching a brand new product first quarter 2008.  I truly predict that their new product/technology will be in a million + of households by 2009.

Anyone with a computer will want it.

Anyone who watched TV will want it.

Anyone who owns an iPod will want it.

Anyone who plays video games will want it.

Anyone who owns a digital camera or camcorder will want it.

Anyone who has friends or family that lives out of town will want it.

Stay tuned… I’ll be able to disclose what this top secret new product that has been in development for 5+ years is all about.

Talk about an opportunity.

Hint: Most people will keep it in their living room.  Any guesses!?!?!

I was doing some research on a few popular search engines and saw that the term, “VMdirect Scam” is an actual term that people are searching for. 

I was a little shocked about that, so I decided to dig a little deeper.  What shocked me even more was that no matter what Network Marketing company I searched for, I saw that people were searching for their name + scam!

Now do people think that VMdirect or any other Network Marketing (MLM) company is a scam, or do they think that Network Marketing in general is a scam?  Wouldn’t you know that people also search for “Network Marketing Scams” and “MLM Scams”?

I dove even deeper.  I found that people are searching for scams in nearly every industry and every product.  People even search for “McDonalds scams” and even the computer maker Dell has searches for “Dell Scams”.

It seems that there is a common thread here.  Are the people who search for these types of scams have the mentality that everyone is out to get them? 

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that those who are searching for “VMdirect Scam” or any other scam are also the people who search for things like, “McDonalds scam”, “Target scam”, “Business Opportunity scams”, “work from home scams”, and many other “scam” searches in a variety of industries.

Are people and companies really out to get you?  Is the entire Network Marketing industry and every single MLM company a scam?  Based on my five or so years as a full-time Network Marketer, I’ve seen a lot of people come and go into the business.  For many, life just gets in the way and they do not have time to properly work the business.  But for a few, they fail to work the business and in turn, they fail the business. 

It’s that simple.  However for some, instead of looking in the mirror for their source of failure, they start pointing fingers at the company that they were involved with and start yelling, “SCAM!”  I remember one gentleman that I worked with a few years ago who was a VMdirect Affiliate who ended up leaving the business because he was not seeing success as fast as he thought he would.  No matter what I told him, he was firm on his mindset that he would be able to replace his current income in three months.

I explained that is very, very rare for that to happen and not to count on it.  I explained that this was a real business and he needed to develop the mindset of a business owner, not a ‘get rich quick’ junkie.  Nothing worked.  Neither did he, and he quit a few months later.

The next thing I knew, he was out bashing VMdirect saying that it was a scam.  He then got involved in a company that well, let’s just say was not legit thinking he found his path to get rich quick.  Within three months the company was shut down because they were… well, a true scam.  They were not operating legally.

Funny thing is that I didn’t see him bash the other company at all.  Think about that.  He had a great excuse… the company failed.  Not him in his mind.

People are quick to blame others for their failures.  Because he failed at VMdirect and because they are still going strong, he felt the need to put the blame elsewhere for his failure - instead of on himself.  He’s stuck in an endless circle that he’ll be trapped in for the rest of his life until he finally looks in the mirror and realizes that he is the failure, and then finally decides to do something about it.

I have zero problems writing about this or these scam-searching and bashing types of people because I used to be one.  For years I thought that Network Marketing and all Network Marketing companies were scams.  I thought that they took advantage of people.  I thought that they took your money.  I thought the same things about myself that the scam-searchers of today do.

However, I finally woke up.  I realized that I was the one who needed to look in the mirror and was the core of my countless failures.  It was not all of the companies I had worked for.  It wasn’t the thousands of businesses that I looked into or tried.  I was the true scam.  I was scamming myself out of the true success that I wanted and deserved.

From the moment that I took responsibility for my actions, decisions, and mindset, was the very moment that I started to see true success for the first time.It’s all how we look at things.  It’s all in our mindset. 

If you think that everyone is out to get you, then events will happen in your life that will make what you believe seem true.  However, if you change the way you think and realize that the world aligns people, places, and things in your life that are there to help you get to where you want to go, life becomes much more enjoyable.

Again, this is coming from one who used to think the world was against me, and I thought that every MLM company was a scam.  I’m glad that I finally woke up… I just hope for the sake of many others, they do too.

It was fate, really.  I was visiting Houston from out of town, and after a few hours of shopping I asked someone where a good place to eat was.  They suggested the Cheesecake Factory.

I walked in, gave my name to the hostess, and moved to the side.  Moments later a beautiful girl walked in by herself.  She put her name in and stood across from me.  Every minute or so I’d look over at her and she’d catch me looking.  Then I’d catch her looking over at me… This went on for a few minutes.

Then, they called her name and a waitress came up to her to take her to her table.  Hey, I was there first!  Another few minutes passed and the hostess called my name and the waitress took me to a small table between two large and loud families.  I told the waitress I’d be right back.

I then looked for this girl that caught my eye, hoping by chance she was also eating by herself and not meeting her boyfriend or husband.  Jeesh – I didn’t even check to see if she was wearing a ring!

Before I knew it, I was walking right towards her and she looked right at me.  I couldn’t stop now.  I big lump in my throat began to build…

I walked up to her table and asked if she was eating alone and she said that she wasn’t.  She was meeting her mom and her mom’s friend for dinner.  I said oh, and began to turn to go back to my tiny table.

She then said, “Why, are you eating alone?”  I said yes, and she then asked if I wanted to have dinner with them.

I was shocked and quite nervous.  After all, I’m a shy person and the mere fact that I asked a beautiful girl if she was eating alone was a big leap for me.  But to have dinner with her and her mom?

This by the way is way out of Kristin’s character as well.  She has never done anything like that before.
Within one minute of me sitting down, her mother and her friend arrive.  From that point on, the rest is a blur.  For about an hour, her mother asked me every question you could imagine.  She knew everything about me!

I thought for sure that Kristin would have lost interest because by the end of the dinner, she knew my story from childhood all the way to why I was in Houston in the first place.

To say the least, although her mom liked me, she wasn’t too happy that I was there.  I was a stranger and she was not impressed that her daughter would invite someone she doesn’t know to dinner with them!

I was worn out from my trip to Houston earlier in the day, the shopping, and the thousands of questions.  I didn’t even think to ask for Kristin’s phone number when we were about to part ways.

Thank goodness she was thinking on her feet and made the move.  She quickly gave me her phone number before she left.

Before I knew it, I moved to Houston and Kristin has been a huge part of my life and success.  I couldn’t imagine my life without her.

So let’s go back to the proposal…

I had my father and step-mother in town from North Carolina – who were in on the plan.  Kristin’s mother helped me contact all of her family members in town and also told them the plan.

The day came…

My father mentioned that he wanted to go to the mall before we head over to Kristin’s parents house for dinner.  So we headed over to the mall in the afternoon.

Between running late, battling the traffic, being nervous, that had to have been one of the longest drive of my life!

We thankfully arrived at the mall with some time to spare.  We walked around and after a few minutes I asked if a coffee sounded good to everyone.  Talk about bad timing to ask, as little did I know that there was a Starbucks right by us when I asked everyone.

My father quickly mentioned that he’d love a coffee from the Cheesecake Factory. (Quick thinking Dad - thanks!)  Vera, his wife and I agreed, while Kristin wondered why we wouldn’t just walk over to Starbucks instead of walking to the other side of the mall.  (This is the 4th largest mall in the world, by the way.)

As we walked towards the Cheesecake Factory, I quietly rehearsed the proposal that I had written a few days before.
We walked in and my stomach was doing flips and I felt sweat beading on my head.  I took a deep breath and told myself that there was no reason to be nervous.

I then walked up to the hostess station and said, “Hawthorne, party of two.”  Kristin looked at me and said, “Rob, we have four people.”  I looked at the hostess and said, “yes, Hawthorne, party of four.”  Which, happened to be the secret words that would let the Cheesecake Factory workers know that we were there.

One of the waiters quickly went downstairs to inform the family that we were there.

Kristin, my father, Vera, and I walked over to the cheesecakes to wait to be seated.  To keep Kristin distracted, and her back turned away from the stairs that her family would soon be walking up, I directed her attention to the cheesecakes.

 Now the plan was going to be that her family was supposed to come up and surround us, and I was going to propose to Kristin right there – standing in the very spot where we first met.

However, I think her mom and family was as excited as I was because before I had a chance to do anything, her family came up to us.  Before I knew it, Kristin was getting hugs from her family and I heard everyone saying, “Wow, it’s coincidence to see you here!!”

I looked over at the camera man (I hired a professional video company to record the entire event) and looked like a deer caught in headlights.  I didn’t know what to do!

And worst of all, I had lost Kristin.  I didn’t know where she was and was so afraid that someone would say something to her by mistake.

Suddenly, the crowd parted and I saw her.  I quickly walked over to her, took her hand and we walked towards the center of the floor.

Because of all of the confusion, I had completely forgotten everything I was going to say to her pre-proposal.  I just muttered some words that even the video camera didn’t pick up.  Who knows if anything even made sense?  I was so nervous!

I then got down on one knee, in front of my dad, my step mother, Kristin’s parents, brother, his girlfriend, her aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. along with the waiters and waitresses from the Cheesecake Factory.

I asked Kristin if she would marry me – She said yes!  I then took the ring out of my pocket and slid it onto her finger.  (Might I add that everyone is very impressed by the ring – Kristin loves it!)

So now the wedding planning has begun.  Between the location, guest list, photographer, videographer, flowers, dress, band, string quartet, food, honeymoon location, this, that, and everything else, our heads are spinning.  After all, we’re planning on a March 1st, 2008 wedding, so we need to move quickly!

.