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October 23, 2002


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A FREE electronic magazine...                    October 23, 2002
=================================================================
B I G   B U C K S   I N   A   B A T H R O B E
Make More Money & Have More Fun With Your Small Business!
=================================================================
Publisher:  Dave Balch, "The Stay-at-Home CEO"(tm)

   "David made over $5 million at home and wants to help you
    do the same or more"
             Mark Victor Hanson, co-creator of the #1 best selling
             "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series

(To be added or deleted from this list, scroll to end for link.)

You are on our list as <$email$>

=================================================================

A FREE REPORT FOR 5 MINUTES OF YOUR TIME

Would you participate in my annual online subscriber survey
and help improve this newsletter?  I'm not ashamed to admit
that I'm willing to bribe you to do it!  Here's my offer:

If you will spend just 4-5 minutes of your time to answer a
few questions, I'll give you a special report worth $9.
(Crunch the numbers and that works out to over $100 per hour
for your time!)

The free report is entitled "18 Ways We Sabotage Ourselves,
Our Lives, and Our Businesses" and you're gonna love it!

All survey responses are anonymous; just click the link below
and have fun!

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=================================================================

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN DECEMBER 4 IN AFRICA, INDIAN OCEAN,
AND AUSTRALIA!

If you have ever wanted to see a total eclipse of the sun,
now's the perfect time to go.  It's the last one visible
from land until 2006!

Believe me, a total solar eclipse is an experience that will
change your life and your view of the world.  Everything in
your physical world will change, for just a few minutes,
into something that cannot be experienced at any other time
or under any other circumstances.  This will be my 9th eclipse,
and I intend to go to every eclipse for the rest of my life,
no matter where they occur.  There's a reason why I keep
going back; discover for yourself!

If you'd like to find out more about booking an exciting
African safari and/or cruise with the added bonus of a total
eclipse of the sun, drop me a note!  I can hook you up!
mailto:Dave@DaveBalch.com

=================================================================
I n   T h i s   I s s u e . . .
=================================================================

   1. A "Quickie" - Personal Observation
   2. Feature: Article
               "Lessons from the Cat"
   3. Feature: "Ask Dave" - Can I help with a business problem?
               The Impatient Husband
   4. Feature: "Meanwhile, back at the ranch..."
               Burying the Rawhide
   5. About "Big Bucks in a Bathrobe" Newsletter
   6. Who the heck am I, anyway?
   7. How to get on or get off of this list

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
   PLEASE FORWARD THIS to each of your friends who have
   small or home-based businesses; they'll LOVE you for it!
   (Be sure they know it's from you, or they'll think I sent
   it without asking, and we all know that's a no-no!)  Thanks!
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
11111 A "Quickie" - Personal Observation
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One of my favorite restaurants is a little home that was
converted into an elegant dining room.  The food is terrific
and the ambiance is very soothing.  The owner often comes
over to our table to make sure everything is to our liking.
That's a good thing.

But...

While she is standing there, she puts her hand on whomever
is closest to her and rubs them!  It's almost like a
massage.  I'm no prude and I enjoy a casual touch from
someone as, for example, they are making a point.  But for
this woman to stand there rubbing my back while she is
talking seems, to me at least, needy and intrusive into my
personal space.  It is highly offensive to me and, as a
result, I don't go in there as much as I might otherwise.

Are you doing anything that some may consider offensive?
Think about it...

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

SIGN-UP FOR MY FREE MIN-E-SEMINAR:

"Secrets of an Actual $5 Million Home Business"

Eight e-mails in eight days that will change the way you run your
small business!

http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com/secrets/mine1.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
22222 A r t i c l e "Lessons from the Cat"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By Dave Balch, the "Stay-at-Home CEO(tm)"

Lily is a cat.  A very independent cat.  Lily just loves to
be outside and chase the birds, squirrels, mice, lizards...
you name it.  In fact, she has brought more than a few into
the house to "share" with us.  (What a nice kitty...)

Unfortunately for Lily, we live in the mountains in the
middle of a forest and cat dangers abound:  coyotes, hawks,
ravens, etc.  In fact, it would be downright irresponsible
of us to let Lily out of the house unsupervised.

Unfortunately for us, Lily went through a period where she
urinated in the house.  As it turned out, she wanted to be
outside where, in her opinion, cats are supposed to be.
(When we saw her drinking water we used to joke that she
wasn't really 'drinking', she was actually 'reloading'...)

We compromised with her and put a one-way cat door in the
wall between the house and the garage.  With that in place,
she could only go out if we let her out but she could come
back in any time she wanted.

One day, the little lever that controls the one-way door was
accidentally moved, and it had become a two-way door; she
could come and go as she pleased.  I saw her out on the
driveway and knew she shouldn't have been there, so I
discovered the problem and re-set the lever.

The rest of the day and for several days after this event I
could hear an almost constant tapping as she kept hitting
the door with her nose to try to open it again from the
inside as she had done on the day that it had been
improperly set.

Yes, folks, there is a lesson here; two of them, in fact,
and they both have to do with attitude.

First of all, Lily must have a pretty positive attitude to
try to get out through the one-way door when she had never
been able to before.  How many times had she tried in the
past, only to find it locked?  On that one day, against all
odds, she gave it a shot anyway and lo and behold, it
opened!  Her persistence paid off.

After it was locked again, she continued trying to get out.
I'm sure that she was thinking, "One of these days they're
going to goof again and I'll be able to go out!"  Over and
over she hit that door with her nose in the hopes that it
would open.  Over and over, she tried without success.  But
one of these days, she just might get lucky.  When she does,
her persistence will have paid off again.

How many times have you given up on a prospect because they
always said, "No!"  Keep trying; you just might catch them
on a day when their situation has changed and they are
finally receptive to your product or service.

Calvin Coolidge said, "Nothing in the world can take the
place of persistence.  Talent will not; nothing is more
common than unsuccessful men with talent.  Genius will not;
unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.  Education will not;
the world is full of educated derelicts.  Persistence and
determination alone are omnipotent."

The next time you get discouraged, remember Lily and then
tap that door with your nose just one more time.  If our cat
can do it, so can you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
33333  "A s k   D a v e"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   (Can I help you with a business problem?  I will field
   business questions in every issue.  Send them to
   mailto:Dave@DaveBalch.com )

   Ask whatever you'd like... all letters will remain anonymous.

   Maybe my 2-cents'-worth will help you make "Big Bucks"!
   (Maybe not!)

Today's question:
----------------

Dear Dave:

How do I deal with a husband who is resentful of me not
"pulling my weight" when it comes to income?  As you know,
all these things I am working on take time to produce
income, and no, I am not contributing much right now.  The
stress of trying to make this work "instantly" is not
helping any.  He really is a good man, but was brought up to
not respect anyone not earning their living.  I know he
should understand and have tried to explain it to him on a
"counseling level" - but to no avail.  Are these just
natural feelings for him to have in this situation?  Should
I force myself back to "regular work"?  Do you think what I
am doing with the net and at home will produce income if I
stick it out?

                      CRM, Texas

  Dear CRM:

  This sounds like a communication problem and, although I
  do not pretend to give advice about relationships, here
  are my thoughts on the subject:

    He needs to understand how important it is to you to
    have your own business; this is your dream, and you
    would like him to help you realize it.  Part of the
    process of this dream is called "start-up" and it is a
    rocky time as you learn and experiment.  If it works,
    the payoff will come.  If it doesn't, at least you know
    you gave it your best shot.  Would he want you to be
    disappointed later in life because you never even tried?
    There are no guarantees, but you need him to allow you
    to try.

    People who are not entrepreneurial often have trouble
    understanding the drive and the risks involved, and feel
    it foolish to take a chance when you could be working
    for someone else in a more secure situation.

    Perhaps it would help if you sat down with him and
    showed him your plan, along with a timeline with various
    goals and milestones.  That way he will better
    understand what you are doing and that you are, in fact,
    trying to pull your own weight.

    By doing this, however, you have to be willing to agree
    that if such-and-such doesn't happen by a certain date,
    that you will throw in the towel and get a 'regular
    job'.  This way he can see that there is a light at the
    end of the tunnel and he may be more receptive to the
    idea.

    You, however, need to understand his point of view and
    that your lack of income may be putting additional
    stress on him to have to come up with all of the dough.

    The key is to compromise.  He agrees to give you "X"
    amount of time to achieve "Y", and you agree that if you
    don't you will get a job and continue your business on a
    part-time basis.

    I cannot say if your efforts will pay off or not.  Lots
    of good ideas have failed and lots of bad ideas have
    succeeded.  There are no guarantees, except this one:
    if you don't try, you'll never know.

  Let me know what happens!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
44444 "M e a n w h i l e,   b a c k   a t   t h e   r a n c h..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
       A glimpse into the life of this "Stay-at-Home CEO"

   (Photos and short bios of the complete "cast of characters"
   are posted at http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com/theranch.htm )

At the risk of boring you with something cute that Emma did,
I want to tell you something cute that Emma did.

Emma is our baby standard poodle (well, she's 1 1/2 years
old but she's still a 'baby' to us).  She and her big sister
Simone love to chew on rawhide bones, and they have been
trained to only chew them on washable throw rugs that we
have around the house for that purpose.

Emma, however, doesn't share very well and is often stealing
Simone's rawhide and running off with it.  When they are
outside, Emma goes somewhere on our property and buries her
treasure, but in the house it's a little more difficult.

The other day, Chris watched as Emma, oblivious to Chris'
presence, appeared in the living room with a chewed-up
rawhide bone.  She jumped onto the couch and deliberately
moved a blanket that was on the cushion, and then moved the
cushion so she could carefully place the rawhide between it
and the back of the couch.  Then, she moved the cushion back
into place with her nose AS WELL AS THE BLANKET, effectively
'burying' the rawhide in the couch!

Isn't that cute?

-------------------- CHRIS' CANCER UPDATE

Tomorrow is the last chemo... hooray!  Everyone is excited
about it except Chris, who still has to endure the misery
one more time.  We have also scheduled the second phase of
her reconstructive surgery and the consult and marking
procedures for the radiation portion of her treatment plan.
November will be a busy month in that regard, and the
radiation begins on December 3 and continues, every day
Monday thru Friday, for six weeks.

A hearty "Thank you!" to all of you who have written notes
of support and encouragement.  It really helps a lot and we
do appreciate it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
55555  A b o u t  "Big Bucks in a Bathrobe"  N e w s l e t t e r
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Welcome! You are receiving this because either:
   -You requested it on my website or after seeing me at a
    speaking engagement
   -I know you personally and thought you'd like it
   -I asked you if I could send it and you said "Yes"
   -Someone forwarded it to you because they thought you'd
    like it.

If you don't want to receive future issues, scroll to the
bottom for instructions on how to be removed from the list.
No harm, no foul, no hurt feelings!

My goal is a bi-weekly newsletter that will:
   -help you with your small or home-based business
   -share articles of interest
   -be informal and informative
   -answer specific questions asked by readers

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
66666  W h o   t h e   H e c k   a m   I,   A n y w a y ?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've generated over $5 million (so far!) from my own home-based
software business and I have a lot to share with you about how I
did it and what I learned along the way.  Now, as a professional
speaker, I offer programs that will help you and your employees
"Make More Money and Have More Fun" with your small or home-based
business!

Visit me at http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com for descriptions of
the programs and educational resources that I offer.

The "Big Bucks Boutique" offers resources and materials that will
help you "Make More Money and Have More Fun" with your business.
Take a look at http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com/boutique.htm

AOL users:
<A HREF=" http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com/boutique.htm ">GO!</A>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
77777  H o w   to   S u b s c r i b e   /   U n s u b s c r i b e
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please note:

   - This newsletter is sent every other week.

   - Comments and suggestions are always welcome!

   - Your information is NEVER intentionally shared with
     ANYone for ANY reason.  PERIOD.

   - Contact me at mailto:Dave@DaveBalch.com

   - HOW TO GET ON OUR LIST: If this issue was forwarded to you and
     you would like to receive your own copy (and OF COURSE you DO!),
     you can sign-up at http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com

                   A Few Good People, Inc.
                        P.O. Box 824
                    Twin Peaks, CA  92391
                       1-800-366-2347

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P.O. Box 824
Twin Peaks, CA   92391
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