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Category: Biography and History

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Advice Biography and History Leadership

The Home Run King’s Economic Home Run- How Babe Ruth Beat the Great Depression

Are you concerned about the impact the next 12-24 months could have on your retirement portfolio? With the stock market constantly fluctuating, it’s hard to know what the future holds. But what if there was a way to secure your retirement income without relying on the stock market?

You might be surprised to learn that Babe Ruth, one of the greatest baseball players of all time, was able to earn $300k in yearly retirement income during the Great Depression without relying on the stock market. And you can do the same.

It all started when Babe Ruth’s manager introduced him to his personal financial advisor, Mr. Heilman. Just months before the Great Depression, Heilman advised Ruth to move all his wealth into “no risk” investments, and it paid off. Not only did Ruth survive the depression, but he also created a wealth of income that secured his lifestyle and family’s financial future.

These “no risk” investments are still commonly used by retirees today and can be part of a Crash Proof Your Finances, you can secure your retirement income and protect your portfolio from potential market downturns.

However, not everyone qualifies for this type of retirement model. There are some restrictions based on age, profession, geographic location, and marital status.

If you have a portfolio of $500k-2m+ and want to learn more about how you can implement a Financial Fitness Strategy Session, and see if you qualify, please keep reading.

Learn how to never lose a dime in any market risk and catch the upside of the market.

We understand that retirement planning can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be.

Don’t let the next market downturn ruin your retirement plans. Contact us today to learn more about how you can implement a Retirement Income & Protection Plan and secure your financial future.

Take time out of your life for your Financial Fitness so your assets are in shape and you will never out live your income

For more Healthy Money Tips Listen to our Podcast  “Money 911”

Sign up for a Financial Fitness Strategy Session: Meet with Kris Miller –

Financial Fitness Strategy Sessions

You can reach me at Kris@HealthyMoneyHappyLIfe.com, (951) 926-4158

 

 

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Biography and History Branding Case Studies Marketing Operations Strategy

WATCH: The Real Reason the Long John Silver’s Business is Sinking…

Long John Silver’s is the #1 fast food seafood restaurant in the United States.

But, they’ve been struggling for decades. Long John Silver’s has lost over half their franchises since their peak.  Here’s why…

 

 

 

The Real Reason Long John Silver’s is Struggling:

The original premise for the chain sounded good, at least on paper. During a family, vacation, businessman and restaurateur, Jim Patterson had a flash of inspiration:

Bring the sunny seaside fish and chips eating beach experience from the coast, to families nationwide.

When the chain first started, Long John Silver’s made an effort to impart each location with a seafaring theme reminiscent of the company’s vacation-inspired roots.

The company’s heyday was a ten-year period from about 1979 to 1989, during which it grew from a footprint of one thousand units to an all-time high of 1,500 locations.

Watch the full story on this episode of Company Man.

 

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Then a String of Devastating Decline in Market share…

The chain has been on a decline since at least 1989 when, in response to mounting debt, it first took its business private. In the three decades since, it’s been handed off from one unhappy owner to another.

They’ve also been plagued with bad marketing (often self-inflicted).

For example, in 2017 they’re marketing team posted a video of a hostage being beheaded with a swordfish in an attempt to “go viral”…

 

 

They were forced to issue an apology:

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On top of some marketing flops, probably the biggest failure is their lack of vision against the original mission to bring people into a coastal dinner experience.

 

Long John Silver's

You know that feeling you get when you have a craving for fried cod, but you also  want a root beer float and a chili dog? Apparently, not too many other could relate either…

In addition to loosing half their franchises since their height, they lost 300 locations over the last 5 years alone and another 60 during the 2020 COVID lockdowns.

While millions of Americans enjoy the convenience of fast food, it appears for Long John Silver’s target audience, they preferred the original quality experience and cheap burgers over fish sandwiches.

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Best Practices Biography and History Culture Entrepreneurship Industries Investing Management Marketing Mergers & Acquisition Negotiations Sales

WATCH: Abandoned by Parents, Kid Vows to Be Successful. Builds $4B Wendy’s Fortune

Dave Thomas was an orphan. Growing up, eating hamburgers in restaurants was the only thing that gave him a sense of belonging and purpose. When he was 8-years-old, he set out a plan to open the best restaurant in the world and later founded Wendy’s.

But even at an early age Dave knew that in order to grow a successful business, he was prepared to learn everything about the business from the ground up.

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15 year old Dave started as a busboy at a Hobby House Restaurant in Fort Wayne, Indiana where a guy named Cornel Sanders was touring the country, trying to convince restaurant owners into converting their buildings into Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises.

Thomas’ boss, Hobby House owner Phil Clauss, was one of those restaurant owners.   Hobby House became Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Thomas became one of KFC’s first cooks.

A new waitress, Lorraine Buskirk, caught his eye and they were soon married in 1954.

Dave and his wife Lorraine grew their family to include five children – Pam, Ken, Lori, Molly and Melinda (Wendy was her nickname and who Dave named the business after). All the while, Dave worked toward his goal of owning his own restaurant.

He was pivotal in helping grow KFC. He simplified the menu and came up with the classic rotating red bucket sign. Thomas also convinced the colonel to appear in TV ads for Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Thomas’ success eventually enabled him to sell his stake in the four franchises back to the colonel, for $1.5 million. He used the money to open his first Wendy’s and became multimillionaire by the age of 35.

Today there are 6,900 restaurants worldwide.

Dave Thomas passed away in 2002 with a net worth of $4.2 billion. Dave wins.

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Best Practices Biography and History Body Language Management Negotiations Skills

WATCH: Former FBI Agent Explains How to Negotiate

Take it from former spy hunter, Joe Navarro,  when it comes to winning any negotiating, everything begins with preparation.

“I think the biggest mistake is thinking that the little things don’t matter,” Navarro says. “From the moment you walk in, how you greet the staff, being attentive to others in the smallest of ways. Being polite, shaking hands, being mindful not to elevate emotions. Simple things.” It perhaps boils down to realizing that, if a negotiation is important to you, the people on the other side of the table, and their perception of you, is important too.

Joe Navarron’s 4 Tips to Negotiation Prep:

  1. Have a Specific Objective
  2. How to Choose Your Words
  3. Think of the Audience
  4. How to Anticipate Their Next Move

This video breaks down Joe Navarron’s 4 tips to prepare before your next negotiation.

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 Who The Heck is Joe Navarro?

Joe Navarro retired from the FBI after serving as an agent for 25 years. He has been studying nonverbal behavior for more than 45 years and is the author of 13 books, including “Be Exceptional: Master the 5 Traits That Set Extraordinary People Apart,” “What Every Body Is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Speed-Reading People” and “The Dictionary of Body Language: A Field Guide to Human Behavior.” Follow him on Twitter @navarrotells.

  

Navarron Spent a Lifetime Master the Art of Negotiation…

Joe Navarro moved to the US at age 8 with his family shortly after the Bay of Pigs Invasion in Cuba. He later was accepted as one of the youngest FBI agents where he spent 25 years in counterintelligence and counterterrorism.

Through his work he was able to study, refine and apply the science of nonverbal communications. His acumen in this field and his success as a spy-catcher, led Joe to begin training FBI agents and the intelligence community.

Retiring from the FBI in 2003, and meeting overwhelming demand for his notable insights into human behavior, Joe has dedicated himself to speaking and consulting with major corporations worldwide.

Today Joe is recognized as one of the world’s foremost authorities on negotiations.

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Accounting Biography and History Culture Economics Growth Health and Wellness Industries News and Politics Taxes

Recent Video Explains Why Sri Lanka Just Declared Bankruptcy…

Sri Lanka Just Announced They Are Bankrupt. And Out of Fuel…

A country thriving and wealthy in 2012 just announced they are bankrupt in 2022.

Before it’s recent bankruptcy Sri Lanka  had a thriving economy. In fact its economy grew at an accelerated rate, ranked above Singapore, Ireland, and South Korea.

Located in the center of the world’s most important shipping location, the country was set up to be a world economic import superpower. But a crisis hit…

On Tuesday, the country’s president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, told the Sri Lankan parliament that the country is not only bankrupt and that it also has no fuel left. Government employees have been told to stay home due to fuel unavailability.

Inflation spiked 54.6% in a year and is expected to hit 60% soon, and transportation costs have gone up 128% in only one month, according to Bloomberg.

At the G7 Summit last month, the US pledged $20 million to assist Sri Lankans in the fight for food security. This came in addition to a previously donated amount of $12 million.

But despite global assistance, the nightmare is far from over for Sri Lanka. Premier Wickremesinghe said that the country was participating in negotiations as a bankrupt state, and the worse is yet to come…

“Due to the state of bankruptcy our country is in, we have to submit a plan on our debt sustainability to (the IMF) separately. Only when they are satisfied with that plan can we reach an agreement at the staff level. This is not a straightforward process,” he said, and CNN reported.

A recent video explains the full story.

 

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Best Practices Biography and History Culture Entrepreneurship Industries Management Personal Development

A Poor Single Father Raising 4 Kids (Who Burned Down His Workshop) Invented LEGO

Holy S@#$ LEGO Has Sold Over 400 Billion Plastic Bricks?

Having sold over 400 billion plastic bricks worldwide (75 billion annually), LEGO is easily the most popular and best-selling toys on the planet. It also holds the title one of the most painful things you can step on in bare feet…

But few people today know just how insanely unlikely the founder was to succeed against the series of tragedies that plagued his pursuit to success.

As successful as they are today, LEGO’s history is one of unexpected misfortune. Here’s why…

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The Tragic Beginning of the World’s Most Successful Toy

In 1916, Ole Kirk Christiansen was an independent carpenter who primarily built wood furniture and home goods. He purchased a workshop in Billund, Denmark, that would ultimately become the birthplace of LEGO. He immediately faced a number of setbacks and tragedies during his first years in business:

  • His workshop burned down in 1924 after his sons accidentally set fire to it (losing all the inventory)
  • He (and the world) was hit hard during the Great Depression from 1929-1939

Effectively erasing any demand for furniture and toys for an entire decade. It wouldn’t see consumer discretionary spending increase until after ww2 ended in 1945.

But Wait, There’s More…

  • His wife passed away in 1932 leaving him alone to fend for himself and his kids
  • With the economy in shambles, he was forced to lay off half of his employees.

To stay afloat, Christiansen began carving cheap wooden trinkets, eventually landing a wheeled duck that became the company’s first popular toy.

But he still wasn’t generating enough sales to pay the mounting bills he owed. Christinasen’s brothers had to bail him out to save him from bankruptcy.

 

 

 

He Had to Beg His Family For Cash to Avoid Bankruptcy

Ole’s brothers agreed to bail him out on the condition that he stop making toys and turn his skills to a more practical profession.

But Ole refused to give up his passion of making innovative toys. So he changed the name of his workshop to LEGO (derived the Danish phrase leg godt, or “play well”).

Plot twist, his shop burned down for the second time…

Still unwilling to give up on his dream of breaking into the toy market, it was in this moment where Ole said: “Fuck wood! I’m moving to plastics!”…That’s not a real quote but you know he thought it.

 

Is This Why LEGO Went From Making Wood Toys to Plastics?

Because when Ole rebuilt his factory for the 3rd time, he turned his attention to making plastic toys (which was a brand new thing at the time).

During the 40s, plastic injection molding machines were introduced into the toy market to mass produce toys. But they were hella expensive. Buying one with the lack of much if any funds, would be a major risk.

He did it anyways…

The early toys included the Ferguson tractor, a plastic vehicle available as either a finished model or a buildable set that could be taken apart and put back together, (which later became the core feature of LEGO products).

 

 

 

How Lego Was Invented. After a 39 Year Struggle!

It wasn’t long before the idea of bricks to assemble a small house in the form of building blocks was invented. They designed literal plastic bricks that clipped together.

He patented the design and they released its first set, the LEGO System of Play – in 1955. 39 years after starting his toy business.

In the beginning of LEGO’s growth, they were still selling both wood and plastic LEGO toys (even though LEGO sales were much higher by this time).

 

But Then His Factory Burned Down Again…

Then, a lightning strike to the workshop caused a fire to burn down the entire workshop for the 3rd time. He rebuilt it again but decided this time, to switch the operations entirely to plastics.

Which turned out to be a good call…

Fast forward to today, the LEGO brand as of 2021 was up 27% (that’s a whopping $8B in sales) compared to the previous two years with $55.3 billion in revenue. The company saw massive gains during the pandemic as consumers of all ages looked for new ways to entertain themselves at home.

Which is pretty impressive growth for a company that for the most part, shouldn’t still be standing.

 

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Best Practices Biography and History Economics Entrepreneurship Industries Investing Management Mergers & Acquisition News and Politics Personal Development Technology

Is This the End of Shopify? Shopify Lays Off 10% of Employees

Shopify Inc. SHOP 1.90%▲ is cutting roughly 1,000 workers, or 10% of its global workforce, rolling back a bet on e-commerce growth the technology company made during the pandemic, according to recently shared internal memo.

Leaving many people wondering why?

According to the Wallstreeet Journal reported today, Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke says company made wrong bet on pandemic-fueled boom in e-commerce growth.

The main reason for the layoffs was rapid hiring to accommodate increased ecommerce shopping trends.

Basically, Shopify was betting on that the rapid Covid-era lock downs would increase in ecommerce shopping would continue as a trend, hastening a greater adoption of online shopping.

That didn’t happen…At least not for Shopify.

 

What is Shopify?

Based in Ottawa, Canada, Shopify is an e-commerce service that allows merchants to quickly build and customize websites for selling products online. In addition to plan fees, Shopify makes its money in part by taking a percentage of customer transactions. In short, they are a platform that enables users to create drop shipping sites.

 

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Best Practices Biography and History Culture Entrepreneurship Industries Investing Management Marketing Mergers & Acquisition Personal Development

He Ran Away at 16 and Built a $4 Billion Business. John Nordstrom

Did you know that the $14 billion Nordstrom chain stores were started by a sixteen year old who fled to America with only $5.00 (roughly $119.00 in today’s currency) in his pocket?

His name was John W. Nordstrom, who’s dad died when he was eight. In need of money John fled his home at 16 and emigrated to New York City  in 1887.

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Nordstom Did a Series of Back Breaking Jobs Just to Get By….

John labored in mines and logging camps for years as he crossed the country to California and Washington. In 1897, he headed north to Alaska and the Klondike in search of gold. Two years later, he returned to Seattle with a $13,000 in Alaskan gold ready to make his next move.

Nordstrom partnered up with business partner Carl F. Wallin, a Seattle shoemaker Nordstrom had met in Alaska. Wallin offered him a partnership in a shoe store with zero retail experience. In 1901, the gold rush veterans had opened their first store, Wallin & Nordstrom, on Fourth and Pike in Seattle.

Then Nordstrom’s Son Scaled the Family Business into an Empire…

Nordstrom’s sons took over in 1928. By 1960, two stores had grown into eight. The Seattle flagship was the largest shoe store in the country, and Wallin & Nordstrom became the nation’s largest independent shoe chain.

Under a third generation of Nordstrom sons, Nordstrom, Inc. entered into new markets well beyond Seattle. Clothing was added to the shelves in the 1960s and the company was renamed Nordstrom Best in 1969. In 1971, the company went public with its first stock offering  and by 1973, Nordstrom Best formally changed its name to Nordstrom

Today, Nordstrom is doing $14.79 billion in revenue. The family still runs the chain of 247 rack stores across 40 states from their headquarters in Seattle.

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Best Practices Biography and History Body Language Entrepreneurship Health and Wellness Management Negotiations Skills

WATCH: How to Master the Art of Leadership Like Jim Rohn

Jim Rohn was basically the godfather of the motivation speaking industry and mentor to Tony Robbins.  He motivated and inspired millions to achieve their goals in pursuit of self-development.

Jim believed self-education knows no limits and has the potential to make you a fortune and it’s the key to self-fulfillment.

Think of all the greatest entrepreneurs of today, and in history… these are all self-educated people.

For all successful people self-education never ends, not after school, not after success or failure. Life is the classroom and the only goal is to learn and grow every day.

Here’s your daily dose of Jim Rhon in his speech that broke the internet…

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China’s Banks are Failing, Protests Everywhere. China Prepares for Complete Financial Catastrophe.

$6 billion of savings deposits just disappeared, leaving more than 400,000 depositors of six rural banks in central China’s Henan province devastated.

The journey to get to the bottom of how such a large sum of money disappeared started to unravel a series of systemic financial corruption.

Allegations of crime and corruption are spreading through China’s small banks as more depositors are being locked out from their life savings. And it appears the CCP is making the situation worse.

Hundreds of people took to the streets of Zhengzhou to protest their inability to withdraw money from four local banks since April! Similarly, citizens are accusing their local officials of widespread corruption and mismanagement. It’s getting ugly…

The demonstrations turned violent when a group of unidentified men in white shirts attacked the peaceful demonstrators.

Chinese authorities appear to be pinning blame for the banking issues on a group of “criminals” in charge of the local banks. But the issue runs much, much deeper. Watch the video for the full story. This is far from over…

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Experts are likening the situation to be worse than the US 2008 financial crash and warn of it’s global impact.

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