What's Your "Plan B"?

With gas prices still climbing, the housing market struggling, and Americans blindly swiping themselves deeper and deeper in debt, I found myself in a conversation the other day with a good friend who asked me, "So what happens if the band folds? How will you provide for your family? What's your 'Plan B'?"

Have you been asked that before? It's a little disconcerting, really - I mean, we don't ever PLAN on needing a "Plan B"... and that's why it's always good to have one. I'll be honest... I don't really have a "Plan B". I've thought about it a lot and I know what steps I would take when the time comes, but it's not quite necessary right now (I could be singing a different story when Baby Rockstar comes along in a few more months!).

The whole topic of making money is one that I struggle with. The reality is that I live in the US where even those who live below the poverty line in this country are richer than more than half of the world's population. I walk the line daily in my current employment between "business" and "ministry". I want to provide well for my family - be "successful" - but I don't want making more money to be the end goal.

I posted this awhile ago about Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad, Poor Dad book. Whether you agree or disagree with what he has to say, you can't argue one fact: in order to make money you either have to multiply money or multiply people. To multiply money you have to have money - something that is in short supply for many of us these days. Multiplying people, on the other hand, requires an ability to passionately communicate and build a team of people around you who are all working together and helping each other out in the process - network marketing, in other words.

The term "network marketing" leaves a pretty sour taste in peoples' mouths these days and for good reason. Many good people were ripped off by smooth talking salesmen in the '80s and '90s and didn't ever see any return. I've done some research and dabbled with it without much success - I wasn't committed enough to make it happen. However, if you're looking for a "Plan B" and are willing to give the network marketing thing a shot, Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing may be a good option for you. I have family who are involved in this company and did a little bit of research initially as I was pretty cynical myself, and everything seemed to check out - in fact, in the network marketing world these guys seem to be the cream of the crop. As you can tell from their website, they've partnered with a number of bigtime companies who see the value in what they're doing. We are in a culture today where word-of-mouth is the best advertisement. We don't trust the ads we see on TV, in a magazine, or online - we'd rather talk with someone who's used the product or read customer reviews online to get the real story. That's what seems to make FHTM such a successful and potentially profitable business model for you. 

So - if you're looking for a "Plan B", this may be a good option. If you want to investigate a little deeper, click here to watch some video presentations. If you want to talk with a real person about it please email Matt at rsm100@yahoo.com - he will shoot straight with you and would be more than glad to share his story.

Let's face it - my generation and those after me will have many jobs/careers throughout our lifetimes - the workforce is much different from the one-job world our parents and grandparents grew up in. This isn't necessarily a bad thing - I think I would go crazy spending 40 years of my life doing the SAME thing! It's just going to require a determination and willingness on our part as individuals to step out and pursue "Plan B", "Plan C", "Plan D", etc. We are, as Daniel Pink has written, a "Free Agent Nation" - so get excited, and get your "Plan B" in place!

Comments

[Jennifer Fisher]

Great Post. You said "Many good people were ripped off by smooth talking salesmen in the '80s and '90s and didn't ever see any return." One of the biggest problems I see was that not everyone wanted to be a salesperson. More and more people are realizing that Network Marketing is NOT a sales industry.

Again, great post.
~Jennifer

[Dan Pink]

Great post. But don't forget: Johnny Bunko says "There is no plan." www.johnnybunko.com

Cheers,
Dan Pink