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That Was Then, This Is Now
Back in 1991 I received a flyer in the mail. On it in big bold letters it
said "Make $10,000 a Month for the Rest of Your Life!" That sounded
really great back then and it still sounds really good today. I attended a free
two hour workshop that explained in general how the business worked and showed
me the potential of the note business (now referred to as the Cash Flow
Industry). I was extremely excited about the prospect of working from home and
having control over my life. At that point if I wanted to learn the business I
was invited to a 5 Day Boot Camp. No question about it, I definitely wanted to
do this business. I paid my tuition and the next week spent five days learning
about one income stream, private mortgage notes. When the five days were over I
received my certificate as a CMI (Certified Mortgage Investor) and I was off and
running.
Working part-time at first, with little to no support and no funding source
directory I spent the first eight months after the class looking for a funding
source that would be willing to work with me. I finally found a funding source
that was willing to work with me and soon after one and did my first
transaction, nine months after completing the course. Still working the night
job, I would put my daytime efforts into my business. After many obstacles and
hurdles, countless testing and many trials and errors I finally was able to quit
my night job at Ralph’s nineteen months from the time I started my business.
There were no member advisors, master brokers, mentors or coaches. There were no
websites (the internet was just starting up), no documents guide and no funding
source directory. I learned mostly through the school of hard knocks and put an
enormous amount of time into making this business work for me because I knew
deep down that I could do it and that the business itself was solid.
Jump forward now to the present, the year 2005, what has changed in our
industry in the last fourteen years? Well, you probably did not get a flyer in
the mail rather you might have seen an informative infomercial on the TV to
introduce you to the business and invite you to a free workshop. At the free
workshop it was explained to you that the Cash Flow Industry isn’t just about
one income stream anymore but that we can use over 60 different income streams
to keep your business thriving. In addition to teaching you the business in a
three day course you would also have a support network behind you when you
complete the course. Your title and the end of the training class would now be
CCFC, or Certified Cash Flow Consultant. The instructors that speak and present
the materials and disseminate the information to you are individuals that are
actually in the business and have a vested interest in your success.
In addition, the American Cash Flow Association has developed a multitude of
tools to ensure the success of the attendee’s and students that put forth the
effort to make their business a success. The Training Workbook and Resource
manual are packed full of more information than you will ever need and it is
tops in the industry. During the intensive three day training you are given a
taped course on CD so that you can refer back to sections that you want to
refresh yourself with. You are given a video library of three videos to assist
you with role playing scenarios, marketing and conversion strategies. You are
also given a complete set of all of the worksheets and documents you will ever
need to run your business on a disk and in printed form. Instead of searching
for funding sources to work with you are given the very valuable funding source
directory, which alone will save you a tremendous amount of time and effort. Not
to mention the monthly American Cash Flow Journal, a network of local American
Cash Flow Chapters and the annual Cash Flow Convention. As an optional tool for
your business is the Web Partner Program that was created for consultant’s
that requested a turn key cash flow website that they have control over. And
last but definitely not least is the entire support network that has been built
up over the years which includes member advisors, Master Brokers and even the
funding sources themselves.
Back in the early days I only had one income stream to start with, the prices
given for notes were much lower and it could take 6-8 weeks to get a private
mortgage note transaction closed. Today I can work with several different income
streams if I choose, the competition between the funding sources had made the
prices given for notes much more desirable and I can get a normal private
mortgage note transaction closed in 2-4 weeks! Wow, what a difference fourteen
years makes!
If you are one of the graduates that has taken the course in the last few
years the business is basically handed to you. All you need to do is to have the
desire to make it work and put in the time and effort necessary to make your
business a success. With all of the advantages given to consultants today you
are given a much better chance of success than were the graduates of the past.
Put all of these advantages to work for you, don’t give up, be persistent and
eventually you will be successful.
Jeff Armstrong is president of Armstrong Capital. He is a member of the
Million-Dollar Club, a Master Broker, visiting instructor for the American Cash
Flow Institute, and the author of two best selling books. He can be reached by
calling 818-884-2322, faxing 818-884-1723, e-mail jeff@armstrongcapital.com, or
visit armstrongcapital.com and click on "Note Brokers" for questions
and information about his Master Broker services, Mentorship program how
Armstrong Capital can help you succeed.
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