#Kevin is thankfully so focused on this that he just flat out misses that they parked like four cars away from where Ichirou Moriyama is

[jtl-fics]

Fluent Freshman - Part 29

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“Neil, why do you have Smith’s phone?” Andrew asks as the two of them are setting out plates for lunch. Neil startled and looked down at the phone that he had just sat at the table and furrowed his brow.

“What do you mean? This is mine?” Neil asks. He knows his phone even if he’s not really the best with them.

The one that Andrew had given him his Freshman year had died after it got run over by the Maserati when Neil left it on the roof of the car by accident. The second one Andrew had gotten him had been destroyed in rather spectacular fashion earlier in the year when he’d had a bit of a freak out on January 19th. The team knew better than to text him on that particular day now but Andrew had said that he’d take custody of his phone this year. Wymack had stepped in with a phone that same day before Andrew could buy him a new one and that phone had been launched at the Baseball captain that summer.

All this to say, Neil is now looking at the phone in concern because it is highly likely he swapped his with FF’s.

“No it’s not.” Andrew sighs and points to a corner, “You cracked yours up here.” He opens the phone and then the contacts and sure enough Neil doesn’t see his own contacts but the ones that Nicky had programmed into FF’s the day before.

“Oh, I guess I switched them at the hospital.” He says with an embarrassed blush. Maybe he should get a little accessory to differentiate his phone from the other ones that Wymack has gotten.

There’s a slight commotion in the kitchen, “Kevin, stop trying to add vanilla protein powder to Smithy’s soup!” Nicky shouts.

“He needs protein to heal properly! That nutritionist might just feed him a loaf of bread since he is using an outdated model!” Kevin argues back.

“Kevin the doctor said clear soup also do you want to make Smiths sick? Vanilla protein powder and chicken broth?” Aaron asks disgust evident.

“I’d use unflavored but this is all that’s in the house and I am not going shopping until this weekend is over.” Kevin argues back.

“Smiths went out shopping on Black Friday and came back unscathed. He even went out into the worst of it just to get some groceries for baking and breakfast.” Aaron says with a huff.

“He still got stabbed!” Kevin returns.

“Kevin, he was definitely not grocery shopping when he got stabbed.” Nicky shoots back.

“He needs-“

“Przywiążę cię do krzesła.” Neil hears Smith’s Grandma cut Kevin off. Her tone is so sweet just like it has been the last couple times she has interrupted an argument between them all. She really has warmed up to them since Andrew confessed.

Nicky lets out a loud bark of laughter.

“Are you okay?” Aaron asks.

“Yeah, cutting onions make me laugh.” Nicky returns quickly.

Kevin walks out of the Kitchen with the same gooey expression he’s gotten every time Smith’s Grandma has said something sweet to him but considering how often and how hard Nicky laughs at what she says he wonders if she’s just sassing him in a sweet tone.

He really needs to pick up a phrase book.

He might like her even more if his theory is correct.

“It shouldn’t be a big problem.” Neil says but he is a bit more careful as he moves FF’s phone away from where it could get damaged. “Smith is definitely asleep. He looked really tired.” Neil says and it twists his own stomach to think about how FF looked in his hospital bed. FF wouldn’t take anything more than the bare minimum when it came to pain medication.

Each “I’m fine.” He gave had him coming to a deeper and deeper understanding of how frustrating it is to have someone who is CLEARLY not fine say they are.

“I’m more concerned about who might text you.” Andrew says.

Neil shrugs, “Ichirou is more the type to just show up.” Because it’s true. Every time he’s met Ichirou there had been very little warning.

Andrew frowns but then Nicky is coming out with lunch. It was nothing fancy but a home cooked meal always made Neil feel warm. Smith’s grandma had just been using what was in their pantry so far but the two other meals (and her pie) had been amazing.

“Lunch is ready. We’ll head back to the hospital afterwards to see when Smithy can get discharged.” Nicky says putting a large bowl of pasta in the center of the table. Aaron came out a moment later with the Parmesan shaker and the protein powder bottle.

“Here you go Kevin, add as much as you want to your own meal.” Aaron says in a sweet tone just like Smith’s Grandma.

“Eat shit Aaron.” Kevin scowls now knocked out of his gooey expression as fills his plate with pasta and reaches for the Parmesan.

Neil can’t help but let out a puff of laughter at the interaction and lets the worry of being away from his phone slide away. FF was sleeping, he was safe, and Ichirou had not expressed any interest in talking to him.

“Pass that to me when you’re done.” Neil asks pointing at the Parmesan as he fills his and Andrew’s plates.

***

There had been a plan.

Nathaniel Wesninski was supposed to be at this hospital at least according to his cell phone location. His future investment was not the best at keeping that device on him though so he was willing to wait when there were no signs of the Wesninski. There would, of course, be a cost for his patience. He had his men go seek out the uninvolved civilian. If Wesninski came back and found his friend threatened due to his lackadaisical nature with his phone perhaps he’d remember to keep it on him.

Except now that very uninvolved civilian is sitting in front of him. The ’Smith’ that Wesninski had spoken of.

He sees Wesninski’s phone sat on the table and his eyes go back to the young man in front of him. He wonders if this was some ploy by Wesninski, some statement. This young man in front of him took out one of the Butcher’s top men on his own.

He’d confirmed it when he’d gone to see Jackson earlier that day. He went to remind them what would happen if they tried to turn over anything to the Federal agents and to see how two of his biggest headaches had been taken out so suddenly.

Jackson talked about how Wesninski’s friend hadn’t seemed surprised to find him in the alley, had seemed like he had been expecting it and how swiftly he had been taken out. Wesninski’s guard dog had gone out afterwards and they’d lead Romero into a trap that resulted in his arrest and this civilian swearing up and down that Romero was the one that stabbed him even though Romero asserts that he never had a firm grip on the knife.

A great way to ensure he was held by the police while they were fully investigated. They wouldn’t have much time to investigate either of the Butcher’s remnants. Ichirou was only offering the choice between something painful or something easy.

The young man in front of him offered nothing, waiting for Ichirou to begin the talks. His expression clearly showing that he’d happily wait Ichirou out as if he was long used to tense silences. There is no doubt that this man in front of him knows exactly who he is but he still has the audacity to wait him out.

“Where is Wesninski?” He tightens his fist at having to ask first.

“That’s not Captain Neil’s last name anymore.” FF returns with the first hint of expression on his face being a frown.

The first piece of information given. So, loyal to Nathaniel and not to the Wesninski line. Loyal to Captain Neil.

“Captain Neil is getting lunch.” He answers, “I’m the only one here for you to talk to right now.” He adds after a moment putting his hands on the table.

Ichirou can understand what isn’t being said.

“Does, Josten, realize you’re here?” He asks taking care to use Wesninski’s new last name knowing he wouldn’t get his answers otherwise. He has a hard time imagining the man who was so loyal to his friends purposefully leaving this one to act as defense for him.

Wesninski had been very clear during his brief phone conversation with him, “Smith was just caught up in all of this. He’s not a threat to you Lord Moriyama.” He had said voice steady and without a hint of a lie.

“In the hospital? Of course.” He returns, “Down here talking to you? He’ll probably be upset.” he says after a moment.

“And yet, you’re here.” He says mirroring the man’s own relaxed posture.

Loyal but willing to do something that might displease the one he is loyal to if it would keep them safe. Ichirou stops himself from looking to his left where his most loyal man stood. Connor had stepped in front of threats he hadn’t seen coming plenty of times, had questioned him even when Ichirou had threatened to cut out his tongue for it, and had always had the courage to look Ichirou in the eye when he explained himself no matter how injured he was or how irate Ichirou was.

It’s something rare and it seems like it is something Wesninski has found unknowingly.

“Yes, I’m here to talk about Friday night.” He says, “I assume you’ve already spoken with Romero and Jackson.” He says moving the conversation away from Wesninski. Bringing Ichirou’s attention and possible ire to himself.

A truly rare find in his world.

“Yes, let’s talk about Friday night.” He agrees.

***

What was it about the Smith family and making great food?

It was just a simple combination of canned tomatoes, butter, pasta, onions, cheese, spices and garlic but it had Neil going for a third serving. Smith’s Grandma had really made enough to feed an army and when he’d commented Nicky had just reached over and tried to pinch his cheek fat only for his fingers to find little to grab onto, “You’re too thin! Eat more!” He exclaimed before repeating it to Smith’s Grandma in Polish who nodded earnestly.

Wymack was at the table after he took a shower. Kevin was still trying to convince Aaron of all people that he should be allowed to put protein powder into the clear soup that was simmering on the stove top for FF. The dietary restrictions someone faced while they were healing from stomach surgery was no joke.

The other Dealer had dropped despite Wymack and Neil’s best attempts to get Lisa to stay. Seemed determined to head back to her small town and rejoin the family cult she had escaped from. He’d been worried about her going home but she had insisted she’d be back.

It was unfortunate but it was also Lisa’s choice.

His stomach twists wondering if FF is going to go back to Washington with his Grandma when he gets released. There had barely been a whisper of danger from Neil’s past since Ichirou had put that bullet in Riko’s head and now one of his few friends that had been entirely uninvolved in that nightmare was in the hospital because of him.

Andrew elbows him.

Neil turns to look and Andrew is carefully putting a penne pasta on each prong of his fork, “I can hear you worrying.” He says in Russian.

“What if Smith leaves?” He responds back in the same language.

“He has the right to.” Andrew shrugs and shoves the pasta into his mouth.

“I don’t want him to.” Neil admits, FF is a friend. A good friend.

“He still can leave even if you don’t want him to.” Andrew says as he proceeds to once again put a penne pasta on each of his fork’s prongs. “I don’t think he will though.” He adds before shoving his fork into his mouth again.

Neil blinks, “Why?” He asks.

FF isn’t like how Neil was his Freshman year, he’s steady and sure but Neil wouldn’t blame the Freshman if ‘possibly being killed off by remnants of my Captain’s crime family’ is a step too far for FF. Wouldn’t blame FF if he runs.

“He still calls you Captain Neil.” He says reaching over and squeezing Neil’s knee with his hand.

Neil blinks.

He thinks.

FF laid out on the concrete as Andrew worked to stem the blood from his stab wound, “It’s a weird sex alley Captain Neil! I don’t know WHAT to tell you!” He exclaims ready to make a joke even as he’s bleeding because of a situation Neil’s existence put him in.

FF still floating from the initial large amount of pain medication he was on pulling on Neil’s sleeve, “I’m glad you’re okay Captain Neil.” Before falling back into his drugged sleep.

FF’s eyes softening as Neil offered to get a nurse to give him more pain medication, “Really Captain Neil, I’m fine.” He says.

He lays his own hand over Andrew’s.

“I guess he does.” He offers a small tentative smile.

“Eat your pasta Junkie.” Andrew says in English now.

“You’re too thin!” Nicky reminds him and Smith’s Grandma must have picked up on the terminology since she nods earnestly in agreement as the two of them were packing up leftovers and the soup Smith’s Grandma had made for him so they could head back to the hospital to keep FF company.

***

“Why did you go out into the alley?” Ichirou asks.

“Isn’t it better that I was in the alley?” The man across from him asks with a raised brow, as if Ichirou was asking a strange question. “If I had stayed in the club, who knows what would have happened or how many people would have been hurt.” He explains without Ichirou needing to lower himself to asking.

There’s truth to that.

It’s been on the news that the remaining Wesninski inner-circle had been captured but since there’d only been one injury it had been largely overshadowed by news regarding the mass injury incidents surrounding Black Friday. If Romero had started had gotten the general public involved this would be much harder for him to silence the ones involved.

Still…

“This has caused me quite a bit of trouble. It does not look good that I am not the one who found them.” He says because there’d been talks from some of the old men he had yet to rid himself of from his Father’s time. They had wanted the remaining Wesninski men to be brought back into the fold but there was little chance of that happening now. Ichirou planned on disposing them after showing that they were worthless and using it as an excuse to start removing some of the dead weight from his father’s time.

Ichirou was not a man who tolerated incompetence.

“Isn’t it better that they were taken into custody like this?” The man across from him asks, “They were some of the Butcher’s best from what Captain Neil has told me. The fact that it only resulted in me going to the hospital and they were taken out by Andrew and I is one of the better outcomes.” He says.

Ichirou pauses and considers it.

The two men that those relics had wanted for their ‘competence’ and ‘ability’ had been taken out in a way that showcased what Ichirou had thought of them. They were sloppy, they were over-confident, and worst of all they were incompetent.

“Before I forget.” Smith says and his hand goes to the bulge in his jacket pocket.

Ichirou can feel Conner tense behind him and he wonders where this had gone wrong or how the conversation had broken down but he doesn’t have long to wonder about it as Smith pulled something out that was unmistakable as a toy with it’s bright yellow coloring. Smith sets it on the table between them and Ichirou cannot help the confusion that must show on his face despite his many years of training to keep his face blank.

“What is that?” Conner asks sounding utterly bewildered behind him.

“I used this to temporarily blind Jackson during our fight. I figure it would be useful evidence for you.” Smith says.

He hears a bark of laughter to his right as Michael reaches for the toy.

Useful evidence indeed.

It would be easy to show this as a sign that those relics could hardly be trusted to have an opinion in how he ran his empire. Those men they so prized taken out by a children’s toy.

This has gone to his benefit.

“So it would seem.” He finally says, “I will make sure to reward your assistance.” He says wanting a stronger hold over the man in front of him, a tie of some sort to the Moriyama family.

Smith shakes his head in the negative. “I didn’t do anything noteworthy. Whatever it is should go to Captain Neil.” He argues.

Rare find indeed.

“It will be done.” He says and figures with the additional cash flow eliminating the search for the Wesninski men, the removal of his father’s hanger-ons, and the blood he can squeeze from the family Romero and Jackson had intended to go to ( a supposedly allied family) he could more than afford to drop what his three Exy investments owed him as a percent.

His eyes shift over to Smith across from him and finds that he was even more willing to lower those percentages if he could not only drop the dead weight of his father’s empire but perhaps gain someone useful. “Still, I like to reward those who have directly benefitted me. We will take care of any and all hospital fees related to this incident.” He looks to his right and Michael nods.

Smith’s face doesn’t give much away, his pokerface was quite exceptional.

“Thank you." He accepts and says nothing else so Ichirou decides to make his offer.

“I have heard that you are studying languages.” He says.

“I am.” Smith says.

“Which ones do you know?” He asks.

Smith blinks, surprised by the question, “Fluently? French, German, Spanish, Polish, Dutch, Italian, R-“ he pauses and shakes his head, “Recently, I’ve been studying Japanese, Chinese, and some Korean.” He says strangely stumbling over a word for the first time this entire conversation.

A useful skill.

“If you ever find yourself looking for work,” Ichirou snaps his fingers and Conner had a card in his hand in an instant, consider reaching out.” He says before he offers it with both hands and is pleased when Smith accepts it with a slight bow before taking it with both hands. “I see you are also studying the etiquette.” He adds.

Smith looks up from the business card and he looks paler but Ichirou chalks it up to the fact that bowing slightly with his current stomach status likely hurt far more than he had let on. “If you don’t know the etiquette you only know half of the language.” He says and Ichirou quite likes the sentiment.

“Tell Josten that I no longer need to speak with him. Our conversation was satisfactory.” Ichirou says as he rises to his feet.

“I will do that…Lord Moriyama.” Smith says bowing his head politely.

***

The sight of Ichirou Moriyama was always going to be one that made Neil nervous.

The only good thing about seeing him right now was that Kevin had gone with Coach and Aaron in a separate car so that the two of them could continue their argument about protein powder in FF’s soup and Andrew had snagged a spot up front while Coach would have to park farther back.

“Lord Moriyama, I did not expect to see you here.” He greets head down and he almost goes to his knees if it wouldn’t have attracted the sort of attention that Ichirou hated from the public. He just hopes that Andrew isn’t scowling and that Nicky and Smith’s Grandma can keep quiet.

“Perhaps if you kept your phone with you then my appearance would not be such a surprise.” Ichirou comments idly, “Though I suppose I did have a very beneficial conversation with Smith. Quite a bright young man you have as a friend.” He compliments and Neil’s head shoots up in surprise at it.

Ichirou had spoken with FF.

FF who was fading in and out of consciousness.

“I have faith that he will not reveal anything.” Ichirou adds and Neil clenches his fist and wants desperately to ask what happened. Wants to know what state he’s going to find his friend in. “I have not done anything to harm him, you are lucky to have a…friend like that.” Ichirou says as if physical damage was the only thing that Ichirou Moriyama was capable of.

“Yes Lord Moriyama, he is a very talented and skilled defenseman.” He says hoping that if nothing else Ichirou’s desire for Neil and Kevin’s future profitability would have him reconsider doing anything in the future to FF to ensure they would have good showings for the professional teams.

“Yes, he was quite talented in your defense.” Ichirou nods, “I will reach out with details of our new deal once some affairs have settled. Take care of your friend, Josten.” Ichirou says before continuing out of the hospital.

New Deal?

Neil banished the thought from his head. They needed to get up to FF’s room and he needed to make sure his friend was okay and find out what exactly had happened.

Andrew’s hand came to the back of his neck and squeezed, “Calm down.” Andrew ordered voice soothingly blank even if Neil could feel the way his grip stuttered. “Let’s go.”

***

The Nurses were saying something about ‘aggravating stitches’ and ‘lucky nothing tore’ but it was all white noise to FF as he continues to think about the business card burning a hole in his pocket.

Ichirou Moriyama.

He’d just had an entire conversation with Ichirou Moriyama.

His stomach was already hurting from his ill advised walk but the moment he’d seen that name on the business card he had accepted his insides had been pure acid. He missed his Pepto Bismol more than anything right now, what he would give for just a single hit of the sweet pink relief.

He couldn’t figure out what was worse.

The fact that he had given over EVIDENCE to the head of a Yakuza group (was it a yakuza group or was it a mafia group?).

The fact that he’d been right in his thoughts from the abyss that the man in the cafeteria looked like a Yakuza member (was it a Yakuza or Mafia?).

The fact that he’d just seen a Japanese guy and thought ‘Oh, must be the Japanese FBI guy I’m supposed to talk to’ which means he’d still been kind of racist.

The fact that he just realized that he had Captain Neil’s phone and not his own meaning that Ichirou had been telling Captain Neil to come to the cafeteria and FF just showed up like a dipshit trying to pitch their lie about the alley.

Finally there was the fact that Ichirou Moriyama had apparently been impressed enough to offer him a spot within his Yakuza group (Yakuza or Mafia?)

Would it be weird to ask during the interview process? Is there an interview process to join organized crime? Do they have benefits? Wait a crime family is paying for his hospital stay right now. This is too much.

He considers asking the nurse to yes please crank up the pain killers and just let him slip into a nice not embarrassing coma but then Captain Neil and Andrew were rushing into his room. “Smith!” Captain Neil exclaims.

Well, too late to ask for that coma.

MASTERPOST FOR ALL PARTS OF FLUENT FRESHMAN AU

NEXT

@i-have-three-feelings​ @blep-23​ @dreamerking27​ @andreilsmyreligion @belodensetdust​ @rainbowpineapplebottle @yarn-ace​ @iwouldlikesometea @lily-s-world​ @obscureshipsandchips​ @booklover242​ @whataboutmyfries​ @sahturnos​ @pluto-pepsi​ @dreamerthinker​ @passinhosdetartaruga​ @leftunknownheart​ @aro-manita-muscaria @hologramsaredead​ @Chaoticgremlinswishtheycouldbeme @tntwme​ @tayspots @nick-scar​ @crazy-fangirl2524​ @blue-jos10​ @stabbyfoxandrew​ @splishsplashyouropinionistrash​ @sammichly​ @the-broken-pen​ @bitchesdoweknowu​ @very-small-flower​ @ghostlyboiii​ @its-a-paxycab​ @bisexual-genderfluid-fan​ @cheesecookie​ @theoneandonlylostsock​ @foxsoulcourt​ @blueleys @adverbialstarlight​ @elia-nna​ @can-i-just-stay-in-the-corner​ @nikodiangel​ @foxandcrow-inatrenchcoat​ @hallucinatedjosten​ @satanic-foxhole-court​ @vexingcosmos​ @chalilodimun​ @insectsgetcooked​ @angry-kid-with-no-money​ @queer-crows​ @lillyndra​ @themundanemudperson​ @readertodeath​ @apileofpillows​ @mortalsbowbeforeme​ @hellomynameismoo​ @next-level-mess @youreonlylow​ @interstellarfig​ @notprocrastinatingatalltoday​ @percyjacksonfan3​ @queenofcrazy27​ @bsmr261 @ghostlyscares​ @spencellio @adinthedarkroom​ @harpymoth​ @sufferingjustalilbit​ @anxietymoss​ @oddgreyhound​ @ohno-myhyperfixation-itsbroken​ @ken22789​ @atiredvampire​ @isoldescorner​ @not--a--pipedream​ @azure-wing​ @bushbees​  @roonilwazlib-main​ @crumplelush​ @foldedaces-paperbirds​ @thesenseinnonsense​ @let-tyrants-fear​ @ketchupandfries​ @legowerewolf​ @deadlydodos​ @but-we-respect-his-craft​ @cariniqe @zanypersonapricotbiscuit​ @lesbian-blackbeard​ @lesbiansupernatural​ @silvermasquerade​ @thepeachfuzz​ @minniemariex​ @kazoo-the-demjin​ @gaypomegranate​ @ji-nk-ies​ @neilimfinejosten​ @omgrubelangel​ @itsyouitsmeorpheuseurydice​ @percabethotplove​ @cozyrosykay​ @foxyatlas​ @theoneandonlylostsock​ @cindersapsecrets​ @scornedethnographer​ @hugemotherfuckingnerd​ @givemethedamnflowers​

The  requests to be added to the tag list keep being spread out across a few  different areas. If I missed you please just ask again in the replies I  promise I just missed you.

As stated before if you’re up here and I spelled it right but you didn’t get a notification there might be  something switched around in your settings that won’t let me tag you properly?

If you didn’t get notified on the last part it’s probably because I used tumblr mobile to post and our most beloved garbage fire site just didn’t like that.

Polish in this chapter:

Przywiążę cię do krzesła = I will tie you to a chair

#Fluent Freshman AU #MAN that was a long one #Also just like having to build that misunderstanding took forever #I need a nap #which is to say that I'm going to bed since it's 2 AM #Not pictured is Michael pointing the McDonald's Happy Meal Toy at Conner and pulling the trigger #And Conner going Shit that's bright #And Michael now has to drive the car #The Moriyama men who were looking for Smith absolutely got a talking to #Like a man of THAT caliber got within spitting distance of Lord Moriyama? Unacceptable #Just be grateful he wanted to TALK. #Also not pictured is Kevin and Aaron continuing that argument in the car as Kevin tries to rope Aaron in #to making the perfect protein supplement for Smith's recovery #Kevin is thankfully so focused on this that he just flat out misses that they parked like four cars away from where Ichirou Moriyama is #Neil may Velcro his phone to him now. #Man can you imagine Neil having his Josten Jorts(tm) and he's added a velcro strip to all of them #Andrew just looking on like yeah I still think he's hot and sighing to himself #This is where you've laid your affections Andrew #DEAL WITH IT #Alright it's like 2:20 AM after doing the tags and @-ing everybody #AFTG #AFTG AU #AFTG OC #Andreil #FF - Pt. 29

[socialattractionuk]

Where I Work: Sami, the dating coach who’s working from home with her four-year-old while pregnant

Sami Wunder is a dating and relationships expert (Picture: Sami Wunder)

Our series Where I Work is exploring what it’s like to work from home, as the coronavirus pandemic and ensuing lockdown measures makes this the norm.

Today we’re chatting with Sami Wunder, 31, a dating and relationship expert who’s been working from home since 2016.

Her company serves more than 85,000 women from around the world, with the aim of helping them attract the right partner and have brilliant romantic relationships.

She’s used to her home being her office as the CEO of a company she’s built entirely from home.

But since coronavirus hit, she’s also juggling full-time care for her four-year-old son, Aaron – while also pregnant with her second child.

Hey, Sami! How has coronavirus changed the way you work?

I have built my entire company while working from home, since 2016, so corona didn’t change much for me in that respect, except that now I can’t run my in-person events.

When I first started my business, my son had just been born. It was not easy juggling a new-born with a new business but it was also a huge advantage to be able to work from home, at flexible hours and not have a boss telling me what to do.

Perhaps, the only difference coronavirus has made is that my kid is now home all day. He has a lot of energy and needs constant attention like all four year olds do. My husband and I have to both work, so it gives the word ‘juggling’ a whole new meaning and level.

But again thankfully, we have a big house and a nice, green garden where he can still let his energy out and we can still enjoy some fresh air and sunshine. That certainly helps.

She’s currently pregnant with her second child (Picture: Sami Wunder)

Talk us through your working space

I have my own office in my house. I decorated it myself.

Inside it, I have a gorgeous Mahogany desk, a comfortable chair, my laptop, camera equipment, a book shelf, a red carpet and a vintage seating sofa for a guest. I have a gorgeous chandelier to light the room, which makes me very happy.

It is my own little work paradise. I also have some incense sticks that I occasionally use to perfume the room and always have my water bottle by my side to remember to stay hydrated during the day.

Behind my desk I have a collage of photos of some of my happy clients who have found love. I’ve helped over 170 women get engaged in the past four years so I love it when they send me engagement or wedding photos – I’ve also been invited along to a few of my client’s weddings too.

What’s a working day like in lockdown?

I wake up in the morning, do my usual morning meditation and hydration and then have my breakfast with my family.

Then I retreat into my office for two hours of focused work during which Chris is with Aaron. After this, it’s my turn babysitting while Chris works. Then we all get together for lunch.

A similar round of work and baby sitting follows and we stop working around 6pm, at which point we have dinner together.

Then Aaron goes to bed and Chris and I have some time for each other.

Sami has a dedicated home office (Picture: Sami Wunder)

Do you find any parts of working from home challenging?

If I can be honest, I love working from home. One can get up and take a snack break just like that. One can work in a T-shirt and pyjamas without getting judged. One can be working and then take a break by going downstairs and putting on a Netflix show for an hour. The joys of it are actually limitless.

However, as with everything else in life, it’s not all hunky-dory. Having a four-year-old full-time with both partners working has been quite a challenging situation for Chris and myself to be in.

We didn’t want to increase our exposure risk by letting people into the house, so a babysitter is not a possibility at the moment either.

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Chris is a very supportive husband, so he regulates with his boss when he works and we take rounds to spend time with Aaron and at the end of the day, we´re both quite tired by the time Aaron is in bed.

I also miss human contact sometimes and seeing my clients in person. I have had to cancel all my live luxury retreats and events this year, which are such a sought after offering in my company.

However, at the end of it all, I am still grateful that my company is doing well even during these crazy pandemic times. The need for love has not diminished. In fact, if anything, it has increased.

We’re lucky we live in an age where we can easily connect online, I recently launched a virtual dating kit and it’s been selling really well. I feel very grateful that I’m able to coach women all over the world to find love, even during these strange times.

The family’s outdoor space has been hugely helpful in relaxing amid the pandemic (Picture: Sami Wunder)

How do you stay focused and get stuff done?

Having my own office at home, gives me personal space for work that helps me to separate from everyone and just focus on the job at hand, when I get started with my day.

Also, I’ve made it amply clear to my family, that just because I am home and wearing pyjamas, it does not mean that I can be disturbed when at my computer. At the beginning, my husband and my relatives would just come into my room and start talking to me. That would seriously disturb my concentration and was no fun.

Now, I simply lock the door when working, especially with clients and it has eased out those disturbances as it’s a clear signal to my peeps that right now is not the time.

I also do my best to have boundaries around my working hours. When working from home, it can be easy to just get sucked into your laptop and work all day, especially now during the quarantine when one doesn’t have too many options to go out.

Having designated hours for work and being disciplined around stopping at the agreed time has been great for my healthy and sanity. It also ensures I get ample time to spend with my loved ones.

Sami recommends having dedicated working hours, even when at home (Picture: Sami Wunder)

How are you doing mentally amid the pandemic?

I am doing well mentally during the lockdown. I know there’s a lot of pain and suffering in the world right now but I also believe that by holding faith and positive thoughts during these times, we each do our part in empowering and strengthening the collective consciousness of humanity in fighting this disease.

The only challenging part for me has been being pregnant during the pandemic. All sorts of worries come up when visiting the hospitals for my doctor appointments and also, the idea of birthing and caring for a newborn. But I am taking one day at a time for now and praying for a healthier world each day.

More: Dating

People are masturbating more in lockdown

This is the longest I've ever gone without sex and it's changed me

The three-date rule is dead as most people are up for having sex sooner

What advice do you have for people newly working from home?

I’ve mastered being able to focus on my work while wearing pyjamas but if you’re new to this, it may actually help to dress for work, so that your brain and your family can recognise that even if you’re home, you’re actually working.

Be mindful around the time you spend on work. Make sure you’re not over-working just because there’s nothing else to do. I encourage my clients to intentionally shut off their computers at 6 pm, no matter what.

If you have kids in the household, take rounds looking after them with your partner.

Do you have an unusual working-from-home setup? To get involved in Where I Work, email [email protected].

Share your views in the comments section below.

MORE: Where I Work: Ruth, the PR consultant who’s worked from home for eight years

MORE: Where I Work: Kevin, an office design specialist working from home in lockdown

MORE: Where I Work: Christian, the massage therapist offering virtual stretching sessions from his flat

[thrashermaxey]

Ramblings: Summarizing the Western Conference

  Today is the last Saturday without regular season NHL for a long while. We’ve survived the offseason and the too-long preseason. It also means it’s the last draft weekend, so if you’re in need of a quick reference for your drafts, head over to the Dobber Shop to grab the guide. There may be too much to take in just one day but the accompanying projections and draft lists can help in a pinch.

*

Many promising young stars have been cut from their NHL team in recent days and the most recent was Lias Andersson being sent to the Rangers’ AHL affiliate. The top-10 pick from 2017 will have to wait to get back to the NHL after finishing the season with the Rangers last year.

There is nothing to panic about fantasy-wise unless you drafted him in one-year leagues. Not every teenager can step into the NHL in their first year or two. Whether he earned a spot in the NHL to start the year is another question, but this isn’t some sort of indictment on his long-term fantasy value.  

*

With Seth Jones injured, Markus Nutivaara was skating alongside Zach Werenski in practice yesterday. The latter was confirmed to patrol the top PP unit, but this could give Nutivaara some ancillary value in deeper leagues. He’s also a name to keep in mind for those that play DFS.

*

St. Louis deployed some interesting power play units in practice yesterday:

PP units for tonight:

Maroon/O'Reilly/Tarasenko/Parayko/Bozak

Schwartz/Schenn/Kyrou/Perron/Pietrangelo#stlblues

— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) September 28, 2018

Now, whichever unit has Vladimir Tarasenko is the de facto PP1, but the way the talent is split leads me to believe this could be a split-TOI situation for the Blues, at least to start the year. Not that the top guys were overly reliant on PP production last year but this could be an issue for upside this year.

*

Yesterday I started my round-up for those with their drafts this weekend. My Ramblings through the offseason and preseason have comprised of tens of thousands of words and expecting people to have read and remember them all is unrealistic. I’m going to go team by team and review some notable players I’ve discussed, which will include their outlook for 2018-19.

Today is the Western Conference.

  Anaheim Ducks

With the recent injury to Corey Perry, the door for Ondrej Kase to get those top PP minutes has been kicked down. He may not skate with Ryan Getzlaf a lot but if he gets those top minutes, improving on last year’s production seems likely.

Rickard Rakell continues to be undervalued in standard Yahoo! leagues. Not many wingers can provide 30 goals, 30 assists, 3 shots per game, and triple-digit hits. Rakell is one of them.

Ryan Getzlaf can push a point per game but don’t just focus on his assist totals. He can provide two shots per game and triple-digit hits. If you’re avoiding drafting a top centre early, he’s one to grab later in drafts.

  Arizona Coyotes

The injury to Alex Galchenyuk has muddled a lot of things. With the existing injury to Christian Dvorak, this is not a team deep down the middle and we’ve seen talk about Clayton Keller or Vinnie Hinostroza possibly sliding to the middle.

Speaking of Keller, don’t be surprised if he pushes past 70 points, even if Galchenyuk misses a couple weeks of the season.

Jakob Chychrun is a guy to target in deeper drafts who can not only provide real-time stats like solid hits and blocks, and perhaps to get to the 30-point mark.

Antti Raanta should be a late target in net for a lot of people.

  Calgary Flames

In all formats, Johnny Gaudreau ranks as one of the highest players on my list. Not many players can threaten 90 points, but he can, and can do so at a wing position, even without hits or blocked shots.

Mark Giordano is one of my favourite targets outside the top-12 defencemen. He had to share PP duties with Dougie Hamilton last year and does not have that threat this year. The additions of Elias Lindholm and James Neal should add more scoring and help Giordano surpass 40 points again.

Matthew Tkachuk looks primed for a big year in all formats but even more so in leagues counting hits or PIMs.

  Colorado Avalanche

Beyond the usual suspects, one guy to watch is Tyson Jost. I’m not sure he’ll have much relevance in most leagues, but in deeper leagues, he should be the fourth forward on the top PP unit. He’s cheap source of PP points going very late. Again, only for deeper leagues.

Be wary of drafting Gabriel Landeskog too high in multi-cat leagues. Last year is probably as good as it gets. Expecting improvement beyond that is asking a bit too much.

If you miss out on guys like John Klingberg, Shayne Gostisbehere, and John Carlson, drafting Tyson Barrie is just fine. He should pass 50 points again.

  Dallas Stars

We know all about the top stars (pun very much intended). Don’t be shy to grab either Tyler Seguin or Jamie Benn in the second round. This team, thankfully, won’t be the Ken Hitchcock Dallas Stars. Look for them to get back to being fun to watch again.

Jason Spezza’s health is always a concern but he has the inside track to getting back on the top PP unit.

Valeri Nichushkin, on the other hand, doesn’t look like he’ll be featured on the top PP unit anytime soon. I love his talent but we’ve been down this road before and he’s already a bit nicked up in the preseason. Look elsewhere.

The defence corps is going to be a lot of fun to watch this year. Don’t be surprised if Miro Heiskanen has a Calder-worthy season, though his true fantasy relevance probably won’t be very high just yet, even if he does skate with Klingberg.

  Edmonton Oilers

Given the goings-on in the preseason, Ty Rattie is going to be a popular pick. We’ve seen a lot of wingers fall off Connor McDavid’s line in his brief career. I’m more focused on drafting Jesse Puljujarvi late. Surely, he has to eventually make his way to the top PP unit, right?

I also am a fan of Kailer Yamamoto but his promotion to the top PP unit seems unlikely.

Oscar Klefbom is one of the more under-valued defencemen in drafts. He’s regularly going outside the top-30 defencemen and he’s more than capable of 200 shots and 40 points.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins being available around pick 100 and having multi-positional eligibility seems like a very nice option. Let’s just hope that 2017-18 doesn’t rear its ugly head and have a lineup shuffle every other game.

  Los Angeles Kings

To me, Anze Kopitar is one of the most over-valued players in standard Yahoo! leagues right now. He had a career year pretty much across the board and came in around player-20. He’s being often drafted around player 30-35. Expecting him to nearly repeat last year is what his ADP is demanding. I’d rather draft Jeff Carter 100 picks later.

A lot of people I’ve seen have Ilya Kovalchuk in the 60-point neighbourhood. I think, for the most part, this is people (present company included) saying, ‘I really don’t know how this is going to go.’ We give our best guess and move along. He’s a risk.

I really hope Tyler Toffoli bounces back but he should be locked out of the top PP unit. Not that he’s often found himself there in the past, but it’ll continue to hinder his fantasy upside.

  Minnesota Wild

The word is out on Jason Zucker and he’s going with frequency in the top-10 rounds of a 12-team league. There’s nothing wrong with that, though. He’s a discounted Rickard Rakell.

Eric Staal is being drafted like he’ll repeat close to last year. Maybe not quite 40-plus goals, but it seems 30-plus is the expectation. I’m not sure he’s worth his ADP. This is another instance where I’ll wait and grab someone like Jeff Carter, or even Mika Zibanejad or Nico Hischier.

I don’t have a particular issue with where Matt Dumba is being drafted, but I don’t think there’s a lot of profit to be had, either. He’s fine as a second defenceman in that he shouldn’t bust, but he won’t take another huge leap, either.

I’m a believer in Mikael Granlund’s career turnaround. You should be too.

  Nashville Predators

Eeli Tolvanen being sent to the AHL (temporarily) is not what early drafters were hoping for but this won’t last long. He’ll be back sooner rather than later.

I believe that Kevin Fiala forces his way to the top PP unit. In fact, he’ll take another step altogether. Look for him to push 30 goals.

Everyone is waiting for the year Filip Forsberg pushes a point per game in a healthy season. I’m willing to bite this year.

I’m not one buying the half-season sample from Ryan Ellis last year. He can be a 40-point guy but expecting more than that from him is expecting too much. Draft accordingly.

  St. Louis Blues

The revamped offence has a lot of things up in the air but Patrick Maroon looks locked on the top line and may even get some top PP minutes. He’s far too cheap in multi-category leagues right now.

There aren’t many players who can threaten for the Rocket Richard Trophy and Vladimir Tarasenko is one of them. Being able to draft him in the third round is a gift, it doesn’t matter the format. He looks healthy which is all that matters.

Last year was probably the high-water mark for Alex Pietrangelo. I don’t like drafting established players and expecting more out of them than the previous season just to return value on their ADP. Pietrangelo falls in this category.

Ryan O’Reilly’s ADP is hilariously low. He’s also another guy I’d flat-out rather draft than Eric Staal, let alone being able to get him several rounds later.

  San Jose Sharks

I mean, what can we say? I officially have Brent Burns first and Erik Karlsson third among d-men but picking one over the other is like picking a favourite child.

Joe Pavelski rebounding will depend a lot on the health of Joe Thornton. So goes one as does the other. I will take a gamble on Pavelski but will do so as a winger rather than a centre.

If Evander Kane can manage nearly 80 games again, his ADP is an absolute steal. If he cannot, well, he might return his ADP regardless. He can be a top-50 player in multi-cat leagues even if he plays just 70 games.

Timo Meier is a guy to get late in drafts. He quietly had 20 goals last year and has the profile of a player who can push 30 even without the top PP minutes. He’s been pretty consistently in the top-6 of late in preseason.

  Vancouver Canucks

I’m not concerned about a regression from Brock Boeser and you shouldn’t be either. This kid is special.

Speaking of special, if I could only draft one rookie this year, it’s Elias Pettersson. Just the top PP minutes alone should mean he’ll pass 50 points. Not many rookies elsewhere can boast that.

Alex Edler can’t be relied upon to stay healthy but he’s a multi-category monster for 60-plus games. Add the replacement player you can slide in for him and he’s probably worth his ADP.

I don’t think there’s much value to be had on this roster aside from players to be featured on the top power play.

  Vegas Golden Knights

There are very few rookies who’ve impressed in the preseason as much than Erik Brannstrom. The suspension to Nate Schmidt had opened the door for Brannstrom to make the team but he was cut a couple days ago. Hold in dynasties but maybe not much here in 2018-19.

Max Pacioretty was due to rebound anyway but having a centre the quality of Paul Stastny should only cement that. He can be a multi-category beast this year at a wing position. Don’t let him pass you by.

Don’t expect Marc-Andre Fleury to repeat last year’s ratios.

William Karlsson will regress but won’t fall off the map. Regardless, Jonathan Marchessault is the guy to own off the top line in multi-cat leagues.

  Winnipeg Jets

Even with regression built into his projection, Blake Wheeler comes out as one of my most valuable wingers. He’s a gift pick in the second, even third round.

I love Nikolaj Ehlers but without the prime PP minutes, he won’t reach his true fantasy potential. Be wary of over-drafting him.

I know Jack Roslovic is a sexy sleeper pick this year (just type his name and ‘sleeper’ in the google machine) but I’m not buying that he’ll A) replace Bryan Little on the second line, and B) get top PP minutes. We’ll have to wait for his true breakout season.

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-summarizing-the-western-conference/

[allenmendezsr]

Underestimated.com By Kelly Felix

New Post has been published on https://autotraffixpro.app/allenmendezsr/underestimated-com-by-kelly-felix/

Underestimated.com By Kelly Felix

 Buy Now    

The 7 Step Formula I Used to Quickly Build a $50 Million Dollar Online Business While Quarantined in My Home Office, Starting with a “Dumb” Idea & a Notepad

Plus the 2 Additional Steps I Missed That Would’ve Put Us Over $100 Million

Warning: these closely-guarded secrets have only been shared once at a mastermind that cost people $35,000 to attend…

My name is Kelly Felix…

And I must admit something embarrassing…

Not long ago I overheard some top marketers discussing me in private…

And what I heard was soul-crushing…

They said I was:

​A Has-Been

​Overrated

​A One-Hit Wonder

And although the words pierced through me like a knife…

They were kinda right.

I had once been talked about in some circles as a “top marketer”…

But that was well over a decade ago.

My peers were now on stage with Tony Robbins or Richard Branson…

Changing the world.

Meanwhile I was sitting at home twiddling my thumbs…

Thinking about “the good ole days”.

I hadn’t created a massively profitable website in ages.

I wasn’t even sure if I knew how anymore.

Maybe there was just too much competition these days…

Or maybe I just wasn’t as smart as I thought I was.

Or maybe…

I had gotten lucky in the past, and my luck simply ran out.

In 2005 I created a product that 500,000 people purchased.

It was an ebook called “The Rich Jerk”.

I sold that company for a few million dollars…

And I thought I was a genius.

But being in my twenties and stupid…

I spent all the money in less than 2 years, until I was flat broke.

“Broke” as in…

Selling all of my stuff on eBay…

Going through a bitter divorce…

And my house going into foreclosure…

That kind of broke.

I was definitely less rich, and more jerk.

Not long after that, I was fortunate enough to partner with some people who were smarter than me…

And I earned a healthy income for a couple years, working alongside them.

But nothing to get overly excited about.

When those partners ultimately moved on to new, more successful projects without me…

I was left scratching my head.

What should I do next?

Well, for the next 5 years I jumped on every trend I could, such as:

​Selling t-shirts from Facebook ads

Creating a ​Shopify Store

​Selling on Amazon FBA

Being an Entrepreneur “Coach”

​Doing Affiliate Marketing

​Orchestrating a Big Product Launch

None of it worked.

Meanwhile, my friends were posting pics of their new Lamborghini’s on my

Facebook feed every other day.

And those posts chipped away at my confidence…

Like death by a thousand cuts.

Was I a loser?

What was I doing wrong?

Maybe I truly was the Vanilla Ice of marketing…

Now this is the point where some marketers, or entrepreneurs might say this was a “dumb” idea…

Because “credit repair” is a massively competitive industry.

Billion dollar companies.

And thousands of mid-level to smaller companies.

All competing for the same people.

But I had pretty much failed at every other website I made over the previous 5 years…

So why not be willing to fail yet again?

I didn’t have much to lose.

My ego was already pretty decimated at this point anyway.

It was so bad that I had actually developed a debilitating case of “panic disorder” and “agoraphobia”…

Meaning I was so terrified of the panic attacks I had every day, that I wouldn’t even leave my house.

No shopping trips, no meetings with friends, nothing.

Everything was a trigger.

So I was self-quarantined before that became a thing.

All in all, it wasn’t a good time.

I tried over 50 medications…

Like a pharmaceutical guinea pig.

Despite the side effects, I powered through each day as best I could.

Focusing on my credit repair website helped to take my mind off the fear and constant battle within my brain.

Thankfully I could work from home, keeping the scary outside world at bay.

I forged on, and organized my credit repair notes into a Microsoft Word document…

And then I put the guide up for sale, on my little one page website, for $19.95

I didn’t really know what to expect.

“Oh well”, I thought. “Let’s just see what happens.”

I channeled my inner Kevin Costner, and thought maybe…

Just maybe…

“If you build it, they will come.”

But…

I built it…

And nobody came.

So that was that.

But just before I gave up altogether…

I thought, what if I got a little more creative?

My website was so basic.

I had been so focused on improving the credit repair tips…

That my website suffered, and it wasn’t very compelling.

It was ignoring the basic rules of marketing & copywriting altogether.

I mean at least I could try positioning my guide as being filled with credit repair “secrets” instead of just “notes”.

Sounds more interesting, ya know?

So I literally just changed the name of the product.

Could a simple change like that really move the needle, turning a losing website into a winner?

Well, wouldn’t you know it…

A few more people started trickling in here and there…

And some of them actually plunked down their cold hard cash for my newly renamed credit repair “secrets”!

Not only were there no refund requests…

My customers were over-joyed and thankful.

Maybe I was onto something here?

I began to think about how to reach more people.

How to cast a wider net, without breaking the bank.

Little did I know, we would end up being able to purchase a $2.4 million dollar house, have our cars paid for, and be able to put a nice chunk of change into long term investments, some bitcoin, our kid’s futures, and much more…

My wife Alison was so moved by the tearful videos people were sending in…

She offered to join me and be our lone customer service representative…

Answering any comments or questions that were sent in.

Since most of the messages were very uplifting…

It was a pretty feel-good job for her.

Messages from people like Brian Murray (below).

This guy was so appreciative of our help, he actually flew out to San Diego to shake my hand and thank me in person.

And I made sure to have a camera ready!

(Fair warning – we both shed a few tears)

I knew it was time to go all-in.

For the next several weeks I hunkered down in a little studio apartment we have in our backyard, away from the main house.

I needed to completely re-program my marketing brain.

And truly learn to craft words that sell.

Muscles that don’t get exercised don’t grow.

And my marketing muscles felt more like love handles.

So it was back to basics.

I spent days and nights devouring every noteworthy “copywriting” and “direct response marketing” book I could.

Even if I only learned one solid tip from a book or course, it was well worth the time & money spent.

I gravitated to studying the all-time greats of marketing and copywriting…

– David Ogilvy

– Gary Halbert

– Dan Kennedy

– Clayton Makepeace

– Craig Clemens

– Chris Haddad

– Travis Sago

– Jon Benson

– Russell Brunson

– Evaldo Albuquerque

Just to name a few.

When I wasn’t reading, I was watching Youtube videos….

And studying salesletters…

I would get the best sales messages transcribed, so I could really study them.

It was all marketing, all day. Every day.

I hardly slept.

I listened to Eye of the Tiger from the Rocky soundtrack on repeat…

Meanwhile, the apartment began to look like the sanitation department had gone on strike.

Dishes and trash piled up everywhere.

Empty cans of Red Bull were scattered about.

I think I may have personally smelled worse than the room itself.

But I was “In the zone”.

It wasn’t long before light bulbs began to go off in my head…

And my previously dormant creative juices were starting to kick in.

After weeks of studying the greats…

I began to feel like Neo in the Matrix, clearly seeing the exact path to take.

It was time to stop studying, and time to start “doing”.

So I put all of my energy into creating a sales video…

Detailing the many benefits of my credit repair “secrets”.

At first it was one of those “white board” videos…

Where you see a hand drawing on a white board, as a narrator reads the message out loud.

And truthfully, it turned out awful!

First off, the guy was left -handed, so his arm kept covering up the pictures as he was drawing…

Second, his arm had more hair on it than an 800 pound gorilla.

When I say hairy, I mean HAIRY.

Hair so thick, it made me nauseous to watch his arm jostling around.

This video wasn’t going to sell anything except an electric razor.

I was relentless.

I kept trying and failing.

Editing the sales message over and over and over.

No whiteboards.

No Neanderthal arms.

No gimmicks.

Just a simple video with text, stock images (of people in despair) and scary music.

Until I got it just right…

Like this:

Obviously a lot more went into taking the business from a one page website to a $50 million dollar success story.

We did Facebook ads.

We did native ads.

We did direct mail.

We did Youtube ads.

We did email.

We worked with affiliates.

We pretty much did it all.

I got a crash course on the do’s and don’ts of each part of running a successful business.

We even did TV….

We partnered with Larry King on an infomercial selling Credit Secrets.

At the end of the day I was selling a book.

So no matter what medium I used to advertise…

I was still just selling an “info-product”.

Information that was already out there available.

But scattered in a confusing way.

I just organized it.

And then I built a sales funnel tailored to each advertising source.

For example, the people coming to us from an article on Yahoo…

Would see a completely different message and offer than the people who saw us on TV and Googled us.

The people who called our 800 number would hear something completely different than the online messaging.

It’s all very precise.

I’d like to say I’m a genius, but the truth is, there’s a recipe to the success of Credit Secrets.

No matter what medium you are advertising on…

To sell an informational product…

Where you are just selling words that you organized from the internet…

There’s a detailed blueprint to follow.

I’ve used it 4 times now, and each time my business did 8 figures.

That’s $10 million+

I have 3 new businesses using the formula RIGHT NOW…

They’re each on pace to be 8-9 figure success stories.

So it really isn’t your fault if you haven’t created a massively successful info-product business.

You just don’t have the blueprint. (yet)

And there are so many fake-gurus out there peddling nonsense…

It’s easy to become overwhelmed and annoyed.

Here are just a few quick examples of info-products:

– Cookbooks

– Meal Plans

– How to Lose Weight

– How to Grow Your Own Food

– How to Make Money as a Mystery Shopper

– How to Buy Wholesale Goods from China

– How to Negotiate & Persuade People

– How to Buy & Sell on eBay

– How to Win Your Ex Back

– How to Meditate

– How to Get Rid of Panic Attacks

– How to Survive the Next Big Market Crash

The list goes on and on…

They all typically fall under one of these

3 major categories

:

Health, Wealth, or Love.

If you go to Clickbank.com, you can see thousands of examples of info-products for sale…

Or if you go to Youtube or Google and search “How to”…

There will be suggestions showing what most people are searching for…

In all sorts of categories.

And remember, it doesn’t matter if it already exists, because…

The key is, YOUR info-product should promise (and deliver) a new breakthrough on an old idea.

So that you stand out from the rest.

Instead of “How to Lose Weight”…

You could sell…

I’m Pulling Back the Curtain on it All…

I’ve put together a video blueprint of

everything

I did to create a $50 million dollar business from scratch.

– Creating the perfect pre-sell “advertorial” page that warms people up

– Creating a VSL (video sales letter) that converts “cold traffic” (people who have never heard of you) into customers

– Creating the perfect upsell (if your first upsell doesn’t convert, your business is dead on arrival)

– How to split-test ONE page above all others (nobody does this) and increase profitability by 20% instantly

– What to do on your thank-you page, after people order (crucial, and 99% don’t do this)

– The #1 email that makes the most sales (nothing else even comes close)

– How to significantly increase your AOV (avg order value) on DAY ONE, without selling any extra products

– How to create & include a free bonus that makes you extra money on autopilot

– How to make sales on 80% of incoming calls, and 25% of outgoing calls, without hiring a single person

– The simple “10 second trick” to use at the end of every phone call that got us an added $100k/month in profit, without needing the caller to purchase anything extra

– Putting together a customer service team for FREE, who are better than any paid person could ever be (I’ve never seen anyone else do this)

– The #1 selling Facebook ad that drove $1 million per week in sales for us

– Our top converting advertorials

– All of our native ad winners (as well as those that didn’t work)

– How to make a cheap infomercial in ONE DAY that outsells the companies spending millions

– The

one thing

to NEVER do on an infomercial (this cost us millions in profit and is a huge takeaway)

– A sneak peak inside my other thriving businesses, that are using my proven blueprint

– I also recently filmed several new tv infomercials in various industries, and I’ll share them with you… including details on how they’re doing, how much they cost etc

– And much more… (including some special surprises)

If you want to build a multi-million dollar online business, that sells information…

You’re in the right place.

And if you’re curious about how well an “info-product” company can do…

Last I checked, Agora Financial was a $2 billion dollar company…

Selling nothing but information.

And don’t worry…

If you don’t have anyone to help you create your info product…

Or enough confidence or experience to do the marketing for it…

I’ll share the freelancers I use for EVERYTHING, and they charge very reasonable rates.