I Stated the The Recession Was Over on June 9th! Now Even Bernanke Agrees.

Morning Folks!!

So 13 days ago I pronounced the recession over with THIS POST!  "The Finanical Recession is Over. But a Recession of the Mind Remains and Lingers."

I followed up the next day with THIS POST. "Champions and Challengers."

So I was VERY CLEAR about where I thought we were/are.

Not all were on board.

220px-Ben_Bernanke_official_portrait

Then this week something happened.  Bernanke repeated what I had said just 10 days later. Did he call me?? Now make no mistake about it, the PAIN is FAR from over. But we are at the bottom or soon will be. This summer IS the bottom and when the fall business heats up, we are off and running and the BULLS are finally loose on Main Street and not just the stock market.

So let me try again.

The Financial Recession is Over. But a Recession of the Mind Remains and Lingers. That's a GUT call. It was then supported by folks that are "Experts" just days later. Gut can trump all. Gut allows you to react before the facts unfold. That is called opportunity and opportunity is the key ingredient to making money and having a success.


Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Blast from the Past and the Famous 18 Wheeler Story

Morning Folks!!


The 'Test of time' is another big thing to me. To prove something it must be able to stand up against time. So does the following post still stnd up years later? Not 100%......but more than ever!!!


Chew on this while we get organized




From April 4, 2007


Good Afternoon Folks,


A few weeks back my friend Frank Schilling asked me to write a guest column on his very popular 7mile.com blog. Frank started in domains around 2000. Others had already decided that all good domains were taken. They were wrong and they defeated themselves before they even began. Along came Frank and not listening to the naysayers, built a portfolio that earns more than any other single domain owner in the world today. So like I will tell you a little bit later....'If you believe you CAN....you are RIGHT! If you believe you CAN'T....you are also RIGHT! Which way your 'Right' is will depend on the decisions you make and how you think. So I am going to republish the post I made for Franky cuz I think folks here will enjoy it and maybe it gives you a little peak into my inner workings and what makes me tick.


I usually write very straight forward and basic. It is rare I write things that are cryptic though it is always important to read between the lines. Here is a mixture of both. Some rambling thoughts designed to make you STOP and think. I’ll ruffle a few feathers to get you there. The first thing you need to do in life to change course, to change your destiny, is to STOP IN YOUR TRACKS, take a deep breath and re-evaluate where you are and where you are going. If you don’t start at a STOP, you lose before you begin. (Got that?)


Everyone runs around and says they want to make a million dollars. But that is truly silly. It is the same thing as climbing to the top of a building or a mountain without a staircase, ladder, elevator, gear or some device to get you there incrementally. The map to making a million dollars is not making a million dollars. It is making a dollar a million times. It is making a PENNY 100 million times. So if you are STOPPED as I suggested, this is your first change. When you make a core change like that it affects other decisions down the line so now you have to reanalyze many things. Invent once and then repeat, repeat, repeat. The more you repeat and the faster you repeat it will determine everything else. $1 million, $10, million, $100 million, it’s all based on the same recipe.


There is “No courage in Corporate America.' That's what I learned at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. EAST 2006 and how true those words are. No spine, no vision, no dreams, no ideas, no nothing but spineless jellyfish only interested in a paycheck on the 1st and 15th. No courage is something that may be able to be exploited. I see so few great IDEAS out there. I think they are coming. I think a foundation is being laid. I think sparks can and will be created. But corporate America won't care until you can lose $100 million and they can pay $500 million to rescue your company. They have such an interesting way of overpaying and make everyone think they are so smart. So my next piece of advice is don’t look to corporate America to sweep you off your feet and bring you to the promised land. They would rather knock you off your feet and bury you once they figure out how badly they goofed and how they missed the single biggest opportunity in any of their lifetimes, their father’s lifetimes and their grandfather’s lifetime. While Wall Street and Main Street traded manipulated and sometimes worthless stocks and Madison Avenue ignored us, they missed the commodity that has gone up faster in value than any other commodity ever known to man. No gold, no diamond, no land no nothing has ever gone up faster and further than a great domain name. Besides that, they lost the most magnificent self maintaining lead generation system ever devised. Imagine getting a million qualified leads for $6 a year. Imagine that? They can’t!! But IMAGINE how it will change the landscape when they actually do figure it out? When they STOP in their tracks and see what many of us see.


My current mission is to make a $1 a day domain be a $20 a day domain and then a $200 a day domain and then a $2000/day domain. Can you imagine what it would be like to multiply your entire income by 20 or more?


Yeah I know it can't happen, it won't happen blah, blah, blah. And to that I would say it CAN happen and it WILL happen and it HAS already happened. It will take on many forms and it will be duplicated 1 domain by 1 domain but the folks that can make that happen are soon going to meet each other and a new day is going to dawn. I have watched payouts go from 1/10 of one penny to many dollars. So the leap I described above is not as far as the ones we have already accomplished.


But, if you can't dream it and you can't believe it, then you can't do it. I accept that and completely understand it. But it does not affect me whatsoever. Not only do I believe it, I know I am actually underestimating what is soon to happen. Hey listen, I don't expect anyone to agree or even see what I see, but all I can do is share what it is I see and just how strong I see it. This will raise all of our overall net worth's. Your holdings are going to do very well IF you have good commercial domains or social domains with lots of eyeballs. Like anything else….If you believe you CAN’T….you are 100% right. And if you believe you CAN……you are also 100% right. YOUR CHOICE!!


If today is your first day of being a domain investor, good luck. Your job is to copy old paths and forge a new path. A new direction. You are never too late so don’t defeat yourself. The publisher of this very blog “Came to the game too late” and was able to outperform all others that got here before him including me and every other domain investor in the game. He had no excuse and neither should you. With a solid plan and a few bucks in your pocket you can still get into the domain game and have it transform your life. I will tell you what I have told everyone before. “Your first domain is your most important domain.” If you choose that one right it makes your future easier than if you don’t. Take the time to learn what makes a good domain and a worthless domain. They likely cost the same. There are a lot of decent domains to be purchased on the secondary market for $500 to $2500. Learn how to pick out the gems and you will never look back. Good luck!


Before I put you all asleep, I’ll leave you with this. My famous “Truck story” and why helping each other has great benefits. With the spirit of giving in your heart you will receive more than you can ask for. That’s the “Magic” in approaching life from this side of the equation.


The 18 Wheeler Story……and The Crest of The Hill.


Years ago [in the domain business] many of us walked around searching for meaning. We knew we had gold and diamonds but were not sure how to turn them to cash. So the net was a true NET. We were forced to help and cooperate with each other for our very survival.


I have always seen the way things could and should unfold in a more uniform manner. Of course that is not possible but the way I have always seen it is in this picture I draw.


IMAGINE there are 10 trucks. All 18 wheelers and all lined up parallel. NONE of them have the power to get over the crest of this steep hill. Each truck has a driver and a helper. You see 10 trucks with drivers and you see 10 trucks with a guy behind it doing everything he can to push the truck over the crest. ALL are failing. Not a one has budged. They are stuck. Paralyzed in time.


The thing they don’t understand is that they have the power and resources right there to change their destiny and overcome the huge obstacle they are facing. Instead they are grumbling and frustrated and are losing money by not getting the goods to where they need to go. If they were to think a little more unselfishly they could easily garner the power they need to get moving again.


What if…..What if you took 9 of the 10 drivers and put them behind just ONE truck and what if you got all the other 10 helpers to also push that one truck? Well you would get the result they all wanted by cooperating and then they could go right down the line and REPEAT the process and formula and push all the other 9 trucks until they are all rolling again.


The day I created this story I also had a vision for a way to apply it. Maybe there is still a way. We talk about “Development” and I think that is what most of us ultimately are. Some develop at different speed, at different levels and for different reasons.


IMAGINE…..10 domainers with like minds get together. Their mission is each month, develop one domain name owned by one of the other members of the group and built by all other members as they donate a little time and talent and knowledge to the effort. At the end of the year each would have a site developed by some of the very sharpest people we know with talents beyond most and 10 chances to hit pay dirt. Imagine dozens of groups doing the same thing. Starting with a great domain, identifying a void, figuring a way to profit from that void and creating something that we would be proud of and move in a direction we all would like to go. We all have great land and nails and wood and brick and cement in our arsenal. Together we can build houses. Alone we may build frustration and feel like those truckers until they figure it out.


This leads to other things and I could see dozens of groups like this pulling this off. One domain at a time and success after success after success.


Just a vision I have had for a very long time and never have the mind or time or PATIENCE to put it on paper and explain it in a way that could be understood and embraced. I know I have tried several times. But I have not successfully articulated what is in my mind and heart.


Lastly, don’t listen to the naysayers. They are the ones sitting on the sidelines cheering for your failure. They build themselves up by ripping others down. Don’t fall into that trap. Don’t become a person on that side of the equation. They are mad at the world and the frustration built up in them is used to try and defeat you. Don’t let them. Your triumphs are illustrations of their failures. They have the power to change that at every moment of their life, but the first thing that has to happen is the first thing I mentioned. They have to STOP and reanalyze, rethink, and set the course. Something we all have in common and something we should all do periodically to make sure we are still on course.


I will leave you with my most important thought. When you leave New York and set sail for London and you end up on the shores of Africa…..your problem did not occur when you landed in Africa, it happened before you even set sail for New York. Point is……99.9% of ALL failures are due to a bad or quick decision in the beginning or the planning stage. So the likelihood of any success can easily be determined before you even begin. Usually a SIMPLE change can also change your entire future fortunes. If you walk east looking for the sunset you will likely become disappointed, angry and frustrated. Their frustration boils over and they last out at the world. Especially anyone telling them they are wrong. Just a 180 degree shift on one thing can change your destiny. But before you do that you MUST STOP. Stop in your tracks. If you don’t start at a STOP, you lose before you begin.


So welcome to my little world and to a MIND that just keeps them guessing!


Have a GREAT day!

Rick Schwartz





Posted on April 04, 2007 at 03:42 PM


Have a GREAT day!
April 04, 2013

Rick Schwartz


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T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Gives Bang for the Buck!

Morning Folks!!


Expensive is relative. If you spend $100 for an
advertisement and get no return, that is expensive. If you spend $5000 and get
a $100,000 return, that is cheap! So the definition changes as the rewards
change. By that standard T.R.A.F.F.I.C. is not only cheap, it is life
changing. We aim for the moon, yet we have delivered over and over again. But
hey, why listen to me? Listen to a guy that travels over 50 hours to get to
TRAFFIC and the story behind why he comes. Michael Gilmour, who writes the
popular 'Whizzbang's
Blog,' shares the reasons he would get on a 25 hour flight each
way and do it 3 times a year. He joins a growing group coming from 'Down
under' as well as from 15 other countries who make their way to TRAFFIC
show after show after show. Coming to TRAFFIC once is a novelty, twice means
that it was so worthwhile that you want more. But when you come to show after
show after show and invest time, energy and substantial funds just to get
there, then there is something very valuable going on because we would all rather
be sitting in our homes in front of the computer with our families.


So I ask you to read
Michael's story. Then if you still think no big deal, go read similar stories
from our page of unsolicited testimonials; and I have some yet to post there.
48 people took time to write a note expressing the value they got from
attending TRAFFIC. And when you look at the names saying it, quite a compliment
and the reason we are committed to keep making each show better than the last.


We have a formula for
TRAFFIC. A recipe. Others have tried to copy that recipe but they will always
miss one key ingredient. Just like Coca Cola has their secret formula, we have
ours and it is called 'Gut instinct.' Instinct that has proven to be
right on target over and over again year after year after year. Many parts of
TRAFFIC can be simulated, but without the secret formula, it will never taste
or be as good as the original. Going forward, folks will be much more conscious
of where they spend their time and money and the return they get. No where else
do the biggest and the best get together in such a meaningful way. You have to
ask yourself how does a show that is by invitation only, that screens every
attendee, that takes place at expensive and high end hotels, is also the most
attended, most meaningful and consistently sets the tone, the stride, the pace
and the agenda of the industry? It seems like an impossible FORMULA. But this
formula has a track record of great success and when we bring in speakers like
Steve Forbes it says to the attendees that they are worth bringing in the
sharpest minds to discuss who we are and what we do. It says to the outside
world that this is a serious industry wanting to hear from the most influential
business people of the day. It says we have something valuable to discuss. It
also shows we are willing to take profits out of our pockets to elevate our
industry. We won't sell extra tickets because of Steve Forbes, but there is a
sense of some seriousness when you have someone of his stature coming to spend
some time with a small group of serious investors even if he is getting paid to
do it.


One of the hidden
benefits of TRAFFIC is that we are in the domain business; we are investors.
The combined total investment represented by the attendees of TRAFFIC is
measured in the tens of billions of dollars. Think of the value represented by
that audience. Yes, we own domains and that is the investment that fuels all of
our other investments. We also own stocks, bonds, hedge funds, real estate,
restaurants, businesses from every walk of life. Some of us are in the funeral
business, some in the flag business. We cover every aspect of every corner of
investments on a global basis. We are an interesting group of entrepreneurs! We
are decision makers! While corporate America has meeting after meeting to
decide how to make a decision without losing their jobs, we make deals. We move
mountains. While they look for others to finance their ideas, we are self
financing. We write a check to see if our idea works. We don't need to BURN
other people's money to build a flawed business that returns no profits. That
gives us a certain independence that only fuels our growth. That makes us
unique. That makes us interesting. That makes us different from the rest of the
universe. To this day nobody can really get their heads around the FACT that
only a few hundred, (Maybe even a thousand or two) figured out the greatest
opportunity in our lifetimes, our father's lifetime or our fathers before them.
The last time the 'Common man' had an equal shot at such a big
'Find' would have been the gold rush. But even in the gold rush it
was a place you had to get to. It was difficult. Many died. In this gold rush
the playing field was much more comfortable and the risk of dying had little to
do with domain names. Truly, never have so many had such access to great
success with such a low entry fee. The historians will write about these days
as they did about those days. So never ever doubt that you are in an historic
time on an historic path. The most surprising thing that they will write is
about how many missed the greatest opportunity in any of our lifetimes and how
a few hundred or a few thousand changed the face of the new century. How the
ones that got PAID not to miss these things, missed them, continue to miss them
and continue to fail their companies and investors.


So there is much more to
TRAFFIC than a domain trade show. We are writing history. It's more than just
the world's largest live domain auctions presented by Moniker.com. It's more
than the $25 million in sales during the last 3 auctions. It's more than having
some 60 speakers that actually know what they are talking about. It's more than
being fed steak and lobster. It's more than hearing from Steve Forbes. It's a
launching pad for folks with resources and a track record of success to network
in the best environment and to do it in a way that is conducive to meeting as
many folks as possible and doing deals that can become life changing. We have
one thread in common that brings us all together. That thread has turned into a
steel reinforced rope that binds as together as we trail blaze the future.


Some think that with the
great success that we achieved in the New York City show, there is no new
horizon. The TRUTH of the matter is that whatever we accomplished in New York
won't become evident until the Florida show. It will be in Florida that the
DIVIDENDS of those efforts will germinate. Make no mistake; we are not talking
about a small 'Dividend.' We are talking about an avalanche of things
unfolding. I am usually pretty good at predicting what will happen. However in
this instance, I can't even begin to articulate how that show will effect you,
your portfolio and your future as a Domain investor.
Now let me be clear. I usually make VERY bold predictions before the shows.
Look at my words before each show and then look at the reality of how the
industry was affected by each show. Stating a goal publicly in front of all
your peers is a risky thing to do. But if it were not for those predictions
becoming reality, there would be no reason for anyone to pay attention.


Do the research. See
what I said publicly and in this blog before the New York show, then read the
independent reviews after the show. See what I said 10 years ago about the
industry, and then see how it has unfolded today. T.R.A.F.F.I.C. is the serious
show for serious people looking for serious networking and surrounded by lots
of serious fun and serious food.


I rest my case. See you
in South Florida.


Have a GREAT day!
Rick Schwartz


RicksBlog.com Grand Opening!!


Happy Grand opening!

 

What? No balloons?? Where's the marching band? When the first mall opened near my home in
the late 50's or early 60's my mother brought home 2 gold fish for showing up during the
grand opening. It's been a long time since that has happened and I am sad to
report I have no gold fish for you today. However I do think I have some gold to
share with you. Gold that will be with you for the rest of your life and gold
that I hope you will share. I don't sell this gold by the ounce. I give it away
by the truck load. We'll just have to agree to meet up on another day for the
fish.

 

Some may call my gold "Fools
gold." They are entitled to do that. But I will tell you that they were
wrong about yesterday, wrong about today and the evidence shows they
will be wrong about tomorrow as well. My mission is to begin the conversation with those outside the
domain industry as to why domain names are an important part of any marketing
strategy. Perhaps THE single most important part. It is the foundation of what we do. I
will ask folks to leave their prejudices and misconceptions about domain owners
at the door because we have NUMBERS to talk about. Stunning numbers compiled
over more than a decade and while others were swept out of the game during the
collapse, we as domain owners, survived and even thrived. So domain insiders
please stand by. I will need your assistance presenting those numbers. Then we
will compare those numbers against traditional parallels.

 

The first few posts were an attempt to lay a foundation. A
starting point. I hope folks that come here for years to come read these initial
posts first as it will help to explain where I am coming from. I hope folks will
point others here that need to quickly get up to speed about what a GREAT domain
name represents. I will try and define what a GREAT domain is and how to spot
them.

 

I hope you will allow me to continue to lay this foundation
over the next few weeks before I attempt to address current conditions and where
I see us all in the next 10 years. This blog is not for everyone. Believe me I will say something that you won't agree with and
is gonna piss you off. So what do you want me to do? Not tell you what I truly
believe? Sugar coat it? BULLSHIT you?

NO WAY! You get it direct and unfiltered
and if it provokes a passionate debate, then the GOAL should be find the best
answer and look at as many possibilities as possible without getting stuck in
the gunk. I believe good people with good hearts will find common ground even when they disagree.

Life is all about making good decisions. Lee Iacocca said something to the effect that if you can gather 75% of
the facts, you are in a position to make a good decision. I have used that as a
rule of thumb for many years. I think EVERYTHING in life is based on EVERY
decision we make. The smallest decision can be the biggest and vice versa.

 

What I hope to accomplish is let you see what makes me tick so
you can see what I see. Let's be blunt. 6 billion folks on the earth and only a
few hundred really saw this incredible opportunity that is now a worldwide
industry and growing under the radar faster than anyone has any idea
of.

 

It's about saying out loud what you dare to believe and dare
to dream and dare to achieve. So much of all of our successes comes from how
deeply we believe in something. Passion without being obnoxious. All I can do is share
what I see, why I see it and what I saw in the past that has unfolded like a
well thought out portrait and why that is directly realted to the future.

 

I came to the net and domains with a 20 year plan. That always
raises some eyebrows. But it was with this 20 year plan in mind that I have
always moved forward. That plan is now more than 50% complete. All I can say is
I underestimated just how big and important the domain channel would become and
how fast that would happen. It's also frustrating as hell that it moves so slow
on a daily basis. My mission has been to accelerate the inevitable because our
time here is short and undefined.

 

So I hope you will bear with me as I try and paint a picture
that folks from every corner of industry can come to and grasp and understand and respond
and embrace. I hope folks that need a fast track education on domain names will
be pointed here. It's free for anyone that wants to listen and see what I see.

I
promise to shorten these posts once I create the foundation I think
it will serve us well for years to come. But one last thing. If you look
to your left you will see some of my domain names and websites. I think it will be fun to change
the last domain from time to time. Today's domain is "Widgets.com."
Today it is a parked page. The power of a domain is that tomorrow it can be
anything I want it to be and the flow of fresh new eyeballs that come
there every day will just see something else. There is obvious room for VAST improvement on widgets.com. But that is a domain to be developed on another day. Today's domain is RicksBlog.com and I want to thank you for coming!

Have a GREAT day!
Rick Schwartz