Earl Flormata - Black Friday death

Black Friday in the U.S. was named so because it was generally the first day in the year where stores hit profitability for the entire calendar year. Each year many things go on sale all across the U.S. and people wait at stores overnight just to catch a deal - very akin to the boxing day sales here in Canada.

Something of note however was that a Wal Mart employee met his end due to the stampede of shoppers who couldn't wait to start shopping.

Why I make a mental note of this is because from a mindset of abundance people are more inclined to take care of others and care about their surroundings. Whereas from a stance of scarcity, people are unwilling to mind anything but their own space disregarding others. Strangely enough the people who are selfless, are the people who are selfish at first - but only in specific areas. It's in finding the balance that we are able to help both sides.

In life we should seek a balance between serving ourselves and serving others. That, and try not to stampede anymore poor employees who are just trying to open doors for us.

Earl Flormata - A previous life

Once upon a time, I was a techie. Sprawling across the worlds of both IT and coding was my territory, and dealing with heavies like NASA, The Pentagon, US DOJ, Nintendo and a few Major Banks was a normal day in the life of me.

It's neat to look back at my previous role and my previous employer to see how things are going in their neck of the woods. I was there since the days of Seagate Software, Crystal Decisions, Business Objects, but left before the industry consolidated the major business intelligence firms and the merger to SAP occurred.

Business Objects was one of the places where I developed my first set of public presentations, the chance that gave me a taste of public speaking at developer conferences, and the opportunity to take a running leap at leading my first software company.

Now as I sit thinking about my own boardroom table where my business partners handle the mergers and acquisitions portion of my businesses, it's funny how life has changed for me. Although I'll be forever grateful for the lessons learned and life lived before - it's an interesting thought to be playing my own game instead of being a piece on someone else's chess board. With a fond memory of having nerf guns being a normal part of my office space, countless computers and fellow geeks surrounding me, I do look forward to rebuilding my company and growing it to the next level. I encourage all of my old co-workers to try playing Robert Kiyosaki's cash flow 101 game - check out cashflowbc.ca or meetup.com to find other people to play with so that you all get the chance to see what I saw, and perhaps I'll see a few of you on the entrepreneurial path. Until we meet again.

Thanks for reading,
Earl Flormata

Earl Flormata - Perfection is the lowest standard

Perfection is the lowest standard.

A bold thing to say - but in hindsight, how many things have you started, or even thought about starting, but never got off the ground because of your fear that it wasn't good enough?

The first time I saw this quote was during an Leader Global Consulting marketing bootcamp that I attended hosted by Odin Zavier and Thane Lanz.

Rod Sherwin talks about it in his ezine article found here.

If we hold perfection in too high a regard we will not start something for fear of not doing it perfectly. Can you relate to this? This is why perfection is the lowest standard. Doing something, anything, is better than doing nothing.

While we should always strive to do something to a high standard in starting out we might accept what G. K. Chesterton said "Anything worth doing is worth doing badly" -- at first!

Paul J Morris has his two cents in the flying solo website.

Standards are undoubtedly great to have for good business performance. They provide us with guidance and something to aspire to. But setting too high standards can work against us, counter intuitive as this may seem.

Now that I've taken a look around - and have been asked more than once what the next step is to improving one's business and taking it to the next level, the more I see people striving for perfection, the more I see people failing. This is what causes me to believe that the quote for what it's worth is absolutely true.

So what now? Where do we go from here, and are we doomed to live a successful life of mediocrity? I don't believe that getting things done for the sake of getting things done is the right and proper approach either. One of the people that I've assigned to create a coaching course around the basics of finances has hit the nail on the end with the very first day of her training material. Find out the values that you wish to preserve, protect and honour and ensure that all of your actions brings meaning towards your values.

As long as the movement is headed in the right direction - even a little askew (but not a complete tangent or opposite) it's a positive thing. Movement and action are the steps to success. You can always make things better along the way.

A student during our lesson countered that in her field of profession - nursing - that perfection was a required trait, and that mistakes meant furthering the injury, or even worse: the death of a patient. My retort now that I've thought about it is if that's the case, would you REALLY spend time adjusting the crooked bandage while your patient should be loaded into a life saving ambulance dash to the hospital? Or is it acceptable that the bleeding has indeed stopped to an acceptable level, and it's now time to move onto the next phase? Besides, the bandage can always be readjusted along the way. It's the values and progress that are much more valuable to the outcome than the pursuit of perfection in all matters great and small.

My kung fu instructor: Adam Chan teaches his students that blocking is an unnecessary skill. Proper attacks lead to the blocking of countermeasures that would stop you from reaching your objectives in the first place. Of course this doesn't mean that your flower hand is useless, but understand that blocking means that you must be 5 times faster than your opponent for your counterattacks to land well.

From cadets the idea from my training is the concept of fire and motion. One person shoots while the rest move up in their positions on the battlefield occupying precious real estate from the enemy.

How do we learn if we do not falter or fail? How do we succeed if analysis paralysis has taken over and we are too fearful of the first or even next steps? I encourage all of you that read this to take action sooner rather than later, but never forget the values that you believe in. Failing to plan is never the right option - but seeking the elusive standard of perfection is worse than never having even started at all.

Take the first step. It's a doozy but it's a law of physics that it's easier to keep a body in motion that's already in motion, than to drop kick a perfectionist off his high horse... or at least something to that effect.

Thanks for reading,
Earl Flormata

Earl Flormata - Starting out in Forex.

Quite a few people have asked me where I have been successful in the past, and have come across my background in the Forex Industry. So I've written a little something to get people started along the path should they choose this route to reach their Infiniti Point.

http://www.babypips.com is a fantastic and FREE place to start instead of paying thousands for some of those other beginner programs, realize that there is a lot of information on the internet that you can get for free before starting out.

Technical methods are only 20% of the true learning. Mastering your emotions as cheesy as it sounds is the real major battle. Just stick to a system - paper/demo trade until you're comfortable and always test / measure and journal so you can have a proper foundation to look back upon.

I made my first million in the forex industry - it's also the place where I lost the biggest. Just keep at it though and if you've got the patience and the will to keep your spirits up, it's a viable strategy at financial freedom.

Just bear in mind that the learning curve is a steep one, and you may lose your first few accounts if you don't keep careful. Beware of difficult to deal with brokerage houses. It's one of the main things that nobody tells you about in the learning curve. Trading itself is a both a science and an art, but dealing with corrupt brokerage houses that don't place your trades within a reasonable timeframe is a lesson you don't want to learn the hard way.

Good luck, and happy trading.

Thanks for reading,
Earl Flormata

P.S. Beware of false trading logs and scams where traders ask for your money and promise you the sun, the moon, and the stars. Remember that YOU must control your own account, should be able to log on and see the trades live (observer account) and should never give control of the money transfers out of the account save for brokerage fees and trader commissions. It's a dangerous world out there - don't forget to watch your back. I'm nowhere near perfect and I've had my own fair share of being taken for a ride.

Earl Flormata - I will change the world.

The title says it all. I am here. Here I will make my stand - I will make a difference.

Something I learned from Tony Robbins - Unleash the Power Within.
The 6 main primary driving emotions in our life that make everything worthwhile:

• Certainty
• Uncertainty / Variety
• Significance
• Connection
• Growth
• Contribution

Utilizing and harmonizing these 6 items in myself and others, I am creating a massive joint venture movement to bring success to as many people as I can - as fast as possible.

Through knowledge, education and experiential learning structures I will expose people's minds to a new reality to bring them certainty of the ability to make a change for the better in their lives. Through my multiple outside of the box exercises, I will create variety and empower and embolden creativity within my sphere of influence. In teaching others to build up themselves, learn new skills and gain new confidence, they will find their significance in the group. From our team bonding days and team networking, a connection will be made with everyone. In experiencing success, growth in terms of personality and monetary compensation will always be a certain upside provided that the people that choose to work with us can attain.
Lastly but definitely not in the least - contribution is gained from our donations to our community charities - which is encouraged and actually ends up better for all parties when all steps of the greater plan, the million dollar plan are followed.

Now that the intent is out there, it's time to build the structures and make these things move foward. See you on the other side!

Thanks for reading,
Earl Flormata

Earl Flormata - So you wanna start a business?

Ok, so the straw that's about to break the camel's back is about to fall and you're tired of doing the same drudgery work from 9-5 every day. You find yourself overworked, underpaid, and unappreciated. You want to find a way to get closer to financial freedom, but you just don't have the proper tools required to get the job done... What are your options at this point?

The entrepreneurial dream is usually the stepping stone for most people to realize their dream of never having to answer to a "boss" per se again however the jump from Kiyosaki's quadrants of E to S is basically more work with a "meaner boss" :). Unfortunately the barrier to entry for most at an exit plan is a large price point that many cannot afford. Which brings us to consider the many home business opportunities that are out there in the marketplace.

Now how does one differentiate between a proper opportunity that makes sense, and the cult-like kool aid drinking types that make you abandon your friends and family unless they buy the lotions, potions and soap that fill your garage?

Let's take a look at this from both the technical and fundamental sides of the fence. On the technicals, does the product make sense? Is it something that you actually use? Perhaps something that you already use, or complimentary to something that you use every day. The numbers have to add up - and the pricing of the products should balance accordingly. On the fundamentals don't be paying 10x the price for "magical" juice that doesn't actually do much more than blueberry juice and has non-medically backed up claims to cure cancer, make your hair grow faster, and fix your toaster. Next, barrier to entry shouldn't be overbearing. The breakeven point should happen sooner rather than later from both the standpoint of doing business as well as getting a break in taxes from your newfound businesses expenses.

To do the analysis, we check the following items:

1. What is the TOTAL cost of this opportunity?
2. What is the TOTAL amount of tax that I can save through business expenses?
3. Can I reach BREAK EVEN within the first year? What about the 2nd year?
4. Is there truly an opportunity to earn passive income from this business?

5. Will it break my code of ethics or moral standards by promoting this business?
6. Do I have the support and structure that I need to be successful?

Take a look at what you're doing now - and if things don't make sense, sometimes it's better to cut your losses and move on before the ship sinks. If you're willing and able to make the sacrifices and spend the time and effort working a great business - Infiniti Point Strategies and SWS - Marketing have a fantastic family-like group of talented people ready to support you in your quest for the freedom of owning a profitable business. Just drop us a line at www.ipoint.ca and attend one of our meetups.

Thanks for reading,
Earl Flormata

Earl Flormata - Team Networking - Many people, Many places, ONE GOAL

Some of my team members have happily volunteered their time to attend and help out with The Power Within for Women event today in Vancouver, B.C., Canada.

Gesster Ramos - a candidate for a trustee of the Burnaby School Board introduced us to the opportunity to serve, and has granted two of Infiniti Point's best the privilege to attend the event.

People always complain about not being able to be in two places at once - however with a proper team and everyone working towards the same end goals and direction, the team spirit and group entity can be in as many places simultaneously as required to get the job done.

I'm looking forward to their blog entries sharing their experiences and learning from the event while I help out the rest of our team with connections at our home base in Burnaby. It's going to be an EXTRA PRODUCTIVE DAY for iPoint and SWS today.

Thanks for reading,

Earl Flormata

Earl Flormata - To RRSP or not to RRSP?

With all of the confusion around what to play in, and what not to play in people wonder what options to take and usually follow the lemming approach where if so and so is doing it, and the banks are all advertising it, then it MUST be good for me... right?

Today I hope to cover the good, the bad, and the ugly in regards to RRSPs as per a study done by the CD Howe Institute. In summary for those too lazy to check the hyperlink in my blog title,

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THE GOOD
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RRSP's grow TAX FREE
The one redeeming point of an RRSP is that the compounding interest growth on the account is tax free - which is almost as good as taking double the amount of earnings that an investment OUTSIDE of an RRSP could produce. In other words, 8% growth IN your RRSP is almost as good as 16% growth OUTSIDE of your RRSP. However for the most part, it's difficult to find great options in a managed RRSP account. For those wanting to brave their RRSP frontier, they may wish to learn about self-directed accounts that are able to give you the flexibility you require to reach for the opportunities that exist out there.

There are some land backed commercial real estate opportunities out there for the taking. I'll be covering some of those opportunities in later articles.

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THE BAD
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It's not so much a tax savings - but rather a tax deferral strategy.
The concept of RRSPs is that you save the taxes now while you're in a higher bracket, and you'll pay them out later when you withdraw them from a lower bracket.

It's not so bad as an idea for the general masses, but if you look at the structure, it's planning for doom and gloom to begin with. Planning for instance to be in a LOWER BRACKET already sets the mindset of many that they will be unsuccessful in their businesses, investments, and projects in the future. The vast majority of businesses fail in their earlier years - but that's also because a lack of education and a lack of faith in the general public towards seeing a family member or a friend take the entrepreneurial route. With the crab mentality, you're doomed to failure unless you can break free of the box that people see you in. Who's to say that you can't invest well and have properties and dividends paying you more than you earned in the long run? Who's to say that you can't create a successful business prior to your retirement, or even PURCHASE an already successful business? Without education on the options about success, the lower bracket argument rings true, but is it truly the only option?

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THE UGLY
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RRSP's not for everybody
RRSP's a bad option for low income earners

There are many reasons why NOT to get an RRSP - and these two articles outline quite a bit of the deficiencies. Looking at the PDF link from the title of this blog as I've mentioned earlier shows that it doesn't add up for everyone - yet people are unknowingly sabotaging their finances by following the banks like sheep. Get a friend who's good with numbers to check things out for you - or pay an accountant to find out whether or not you're making the right choice. It's a much smaller fee to pay than to find out a lifetime of mistaken placements will not support you until the end of your days.

Thanks for reading,
Earl Flormata

Earl Flormata - Where did I come from, and where are we going?

Believe it or not, the words that have driven me to succeed regardless of the odds stacked against me at first were actually the negative ones that others have used to dissuade me from reaching the dreams and goals that I have bled and fought for.

"Who do you think you are?"

"You can't do that."

"Don't quit your job - it's too risky"

-=-

These words were given to me by my friends, my family, my co-workers. People that I thought would be supportive, but instead would be negative in my time of need to break through to the next level in my life.

Needless to say if you've known me well these last few years, I didn't let it get in the way. In fact the negativity drove me to step up and prove to myself and the world that it was a fallacy. I was driven by spite, and an urge to prove that I was worth something - and that I was unique. This is where I'd like to thank my mentor Dr. Blair Dunkley for kicking me off the fence in my analysis paralysis and drop kicking my ass into the possibilities that I had the potential to reach. Still, the naysayers were around trying to fill my head with the impossibility and grandness of the task I set ahead of myself.

Funny enough - that's the stepping stone I took to reach my first million. It's a shame that I never really took the time to celebrate that fact. My first million was also a passively earned million that was to continue year upon year.

Then the unbelievers came about and saw that I had created something different, but many were unwilling to make the same efforts, make the same sacrifices, or bleed as much as I did to accomplish what I had done. In fact after I lost my first million, it was then that the same people who had only followed because of my successes went back to their old beliefs of impossibility and disbelief in what was attainable.

Never try to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and it annoys the
pig.
- Robert Heinlein

The words came back from many angles, and though I do not fault them for it - friends, family and others have told me:

"Go back to getting a job"

"Running your own business is too risky"

"You're a family man now, this is no time for risks"

What is reward without risk, but an unchallenged and unearned hollow winning? Isn't that why the average lottery winner loses everything and ends up in an even worse situation than before they had won in the first place? People who wish to take first without giving end up losing in the end.

Luckily enough I had other avenues of earnings that had pulled me through the tough times. Although the end has come closer more times that I'd like to remember. Thank you Allen, Andy and Mark for pulling me through the dark times. Your friendship and support will always be remembered and honoured.

-=-

I was humbled and had to rebuild. With a renewed spirit and a new focused team behind me, it's actually accelerated the pace in which I was able to reestablish my previous growth. I still truly believe that 2008 is the year of Infiniti Point. A new beginning, and a new potential to lead others to new levels where the group has stepped up together without want for a handout. With our joint venture partners, our networks, our support groups, and our team - I know that we will succeed, no matter the hardship. Teammates that bleed with me and sacrifice alongside me. I thank you all - you know who you are. And I will enjoy our ride together back to the very top. It's in earning our share, putting in the time and effort, and finally moving as a team that ensures our successes that we've experienced, and enables the successes to come. Chasing the dream, chasing our passion, and touching the Infiniti Point once again - but this time together. I don't feel alone anymore. From the heart, thank you everyone.

With gratefulness and abundance,
Earl Flormata