| Saturday - October 3, 2009 If you want the youngsters in your life to grow up smart, make sure they are getting enough Vitamin C. Here are two good reasons: - Danish researchers found that guinea pigs deficient in vitamin C during the first months of life had impaired brain cell development and decreased spatial memory.
- A joint British-Australian study found that 12 weeks of vitamin supplementation boosted the attention scores of children.
According to The Food and Nutrition Board at the Institute of Medicine, here's how much vitamin C infants and young children should be getting every day: * up to 6 months old -- 40 mg * 7-12 months old -- 50 mg * 1-3 years old -- 15 mg The best way for them to get their vitamin C is from food instead of supplements. C-rich foods include citrus fruits, berries, cantaloupe, green peppers, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and leafy greens.
Chris Jackson wants to make a living following "his passion." He says he loves to write, and so is thinking about becoming a copywriter. But he doesn't know if it's the right decision. And he doesn't know where to start. Chris has heard that he can make a six-figure income writing advertising copy. But making "lots of dough" isn't his priority right now. "I want to have a blast doing something I love doing," he says. Chris has the perfect attitude for success. He is optimistic and ambitious but reasonable in his expectations. Too often, people who want to become professional writers have unrealistic expectations. They believe they already have the skills to start earning six figures from day one. And they are disappointed when it doesn't happen. But for Chris, a career in copywriting sounds like a smart move. He will be able to fully indulge his "passion" for writing. Plus, he'll make increasingly more money as he improves. Copywriting is an emotionally satisfying profession. I have known hundreds of copywriters in my time. And I've never known one who quit to take up another trade. Here are the four main reasons: - You are master of your domain. You can choose your subjects. You can choose your jobs. You can choose your clients. Very few careers offer you so much power.
- You can work when you want, where you want, and for as long as you want. Some copywriters prefer to work for a business and get a steady paycheck. But many choose the lifestyle of a freelancer, because it allows them to work anywhere and anytime. In their bedroom in their pajamas at midnight, for example, or on the beach in their swim trunks between breakfast and lunch.
- Copywriting makes you a more interesting person. To do a good job, you have to do research. Which means you have to learn about all sorts of things. This week, you could be researching surfing spots in Costa Rica. Next week, you could be investigating robotics or French cooking or Russian literature.
- Copywriters get paid very well. Most successful freelancers I know make six figures. And by that I don't mean a hundred and fifty grand. I mean twice or three times that much. It doesn't happen overnight. But if you are persistent and willing to put in the hours, you can be earning great money in just a few years.
Some copywriters like to focus on a single subject or market. I know about half a dozen, for example, who specialize in natural health because that is what interests them. Others focus on business. Still others write exclusively about traveling, real estate, golfing, fishing, astrology, music, movies, theater, etc. Some copywriters write catalog and magazine copy. And they get to sell everything from private planes to yachts to cars to jewelry, perfume, electronics, and video games. The list is endless. Then there are those who like writing for non-profits. They make a very good living by promoting such "good causes" as saving the rainforest, preventing offshore drilling, and micro-lending in Third World countries. As a copywriter, you could enjoy a lucrative career writing for politicians, too -- "selling" the social or political agenda of your choice. What I personally like about copywriting is that it gives me the pleasure of unlimited learning ... and then writing about what I've learned. How should Chris get started? That's easy. He should enroll in a home-study program for beginners. There are three or four good ones out there. The one I recommend is the one I helped found: the American Writers & Artists Inc. Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting. What distinguishes it from the other good ones is that it is more comprehensive (since it incorporates the techniques of almost a dozen master copywriters, not just one). It is also extremely easy to use. I just reviewed the newly revised edition, and I was completely blown away by it. I give it a full and unequivocal recommendation.
Is the drinking water at your child's school safe? According to an AP investigation, the drinking water at thousands of schools across the U.S. may be tainted with dangerous bacteria, lead, arsenic, and nitrates. In California's farming areas, the water is so full of pesticides that children bring bottled water from home. The contamination is worse for children because they drink relatively more water than adults. And because of their smaller size, they are more likely to be adversely affected by it. Officials say the EPA's database of water quality by state is incomplete and flawed. This makes enforcement of strict controls almost impossible. In addition, testing methods for dangerous toxins like lead aren't always accurate. Bottled water isn't the answer. Studies have shown that it is often no better than tap. Many years ago, K and I installed a good water purification system for our home. There are lots of choices and prices out there. Do a little research and comparison shopping. If you can afford it, purchase one that hooks into your water line so your entire house is covered. (You don't want to drink contaminated water -- and you don't want to bathe in it either.) Don't trust the government to protect your children's health. Trust yourself.
"Jack," one of the regulars at Joe's cigar bar, found out I was in the health publishing business. He bought me a cigar and told me he intended to go into it too. He said he had put together an "amazing" business plan. And that he was now looking for "venture capital" to fund his dream. I congratulated Jack on selecting a great industry. Information products are easy to produce, cheap to store and deliver, and have high profit margins. And the health market is booming. But why, I asked him, was he looking for funding? Why not build the business on a shoestring? The thought never occurred to him. He said he had decided he needed funding after reading an article in USA Today. I introduced him to my concept of Chicken Entrepreneurship. "Keep your day job," I told him. (He's a research analyst for a local brokerage.) "Work at night and on weekends. Do some Internet research to discover what niche you want to be in. Find out if others are making money in that niche. In other words, find out if there's a market for doing what you want to do. "If there is, develop an information product in your niche. Write some copy. Sell it online. If it sells well, move forward. If it doesn't, go back to the drawing board. Once you find a winning product-promotion combination, money will start coming in. First a little. Then more and more every month. When sales are averaging about $10,000 a month, then and only then should you even consider outside funding." At this point, he will have a working model to build on. And he won't have wasted a small fortune in the process. Now he can use outside capital to safely ramp up his business -- with more products, a better website, better equipment (only if he needs it), and a few employees. How fast he moves would partly depend on how much money he raises. But the most important criterion would have to be profitability. Staying profitable is key during this -- the second stage -- of entrepreneurial growth. The biggest problem with getting outside funding too early is that it allows you to make sloppy marketing decisions. It's easy to invest money on a mediocre idea if the money isn't coming from your own bank account. Entrepreneurs can't afford to invest in mediocre ideas. Working from a personal, shoestring budget is the way I like to build a business. And that's true even now when I have access to all the money I could ever need. Jack liked my idea of Chicken Entrepreneurship. He asked me how I thought he should get started with information publishing. I told him the best program I know of is ETR's own Internet Money Club: Independent Learner Edition. It's specifically designed for beginners like Jack who don't have a ton of money and experience. And it's comprehensive. Jack will learn everything he needs -- from website design to e-mail list building to search engine optimization. It's all in the Internet Money Club: Independent Learner Edition.
THB's Editor Melanie Segala blasted cardio exercise -- especially long-distance running -- in her latest "Undercover." She advocates Dr. Al Sears's PACE program, instead, as a way to lose weight and feel great -- without endless workouts that punish your body. Some readers, especially dedicated marathon runners, were upset. They accused her of bias -- even outright lying about the dangers of cardio. It's understandable. What Dr. Sears is saying is that all those hours of cardio they are doing is making them less healthy and more susceptible to heart attack. And I'm convinced Dr. Sears is right about this. I've been in the health publishing business for more than 20 years, and I've never met a doctor who is as serious about his research as Dr. Sears. Plus, it makes sense to me that cardio is bad for you. It feels bad. And people who do long-distance and/or long-duration exercise tend to have that fat/skinny look -- light bodyweight but very little muscle. It's a fact that long-distance runners have a higher chance of dying from heart attacks than sedentary people. And there are countless surveys that demonstrate the superiority of interval training over endurance. PACE is a big step up from interval training. It's an amazingly effective way to lose body fat, build muscles, and -- most important -- strengthen your heart and lungs. Since I began the PACE program, I have lost about 20 pounds of fat and have the strength and stamina of the 20-year-olds I wrestle with. More important -- I've had my lungs tested recently. And they are getting "younger." I have the lungs, according to the test results, of a 24-year-old. But don't take my word for it. Check it out yourself. [Not all THB readers had a negative reaction to Melanie's article. Here's a note from Jason: "Amen, finally someone who tells it like it is. A great summation of Dr. Sears's work. Thanks, Dr. Sears, for helping all the people running east looking for a sunset."]
[Ed. Note: Michael Masterson welcomes your questions and comments. Send him a message at AskMichael@ETRFeedback.com.] | 
No comments:
Post a Comment