The Pay-It-Forward Democracy

Paying Dues. Earning Your Stripes. Becoming an Expert. Climbing the Ladder.

Traditionally, whether as an employee or an entrepreneur, you start at the bottom and work your way up (if you're lucky). It can take years, and incredible effort to get where you want to go, and the journey can be loaded with obstacles. It can be demeaning, frustrating, and overwhelming.

At IDEABASH, we decided that there is a much better (and quicker) way for people to achieve their dreams.

As a member of IDEABASH, when you pay it forward, purchasing products and supporting entrepreneurs who you might not know, you're participating in an egalitarian, democratic process. You first give of yourself to help others succeed, and by that very action, you are initiated.

In turn, five generations of people will pay it forward to you, giving of themselves, to help you succeed. It's a beautiful system which empowers every person who takes part.

IDEABASH also allows the space for our members to "earn while they learn." Whether you're just dipping your toes into the waters of entrepreneurship or you're a seasoned professional, the system works the same. It does not discriminate against experience. It offers equal opportunity for anyone who has the will and desire to succeed.

Take advantage of the plethora of opportunities offered by IDEABASH.org to help YOUR business skyrocket to the next level! 

Meg Montgomery is the founder of the IDEABASH Entrepreneur Ecosystem, a global community of entrepreneurs supporting each other into success. 

The Magic 3%

When I was in the music industry, I learned that record companies make almost all their money from 3% of their artists. Once this fact was discovered, it created an evolution of practice in which the record companies would sign restrictive contracts with many different artists, including those who sounded similar to their A listers, in order to keep them out of the distribution loop. *ALL* of the promotional money would then go into those 3% of artists who they were SURE were going to bring home the bacon.

It's a repulsive model, and once we understood what was happening, my friends and I backed away from the industry completely, deciding to go it on our own.

In the vast majority of the business world, it's a similar game. Whether you have a brick and mortar storefront or an online business, your goal is to get as many people in front of your offer as possible, knowing that a tiny fraction of those people will actually be attracted enough to what you have to sell, to a) spend time learning about it, and b) spend their hard earned money on it. 

The way that this has traditionally been accomplished is through Marketing. Whether it's social media or print, telemarketing or word of mouth, Marketing has been the vehicle for promoting businesses, products and services. The very concept of marketing was devised during the rise of the Consumer Economy in Post WWII America, and to a great extent it grew from the work of Edward Bernays, the nephew of Sigmund Freud, who developed the philosophy in which selling became a process of appealing to the 7 Deadly Sins - wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony. Whether its cigarettes or alcohol, washing machines or cars, marketing firms have perfected the art of appealing to the basest emotions of humanity.

"If you don't buy our product, you won't be as desirable as your neighbor."

Unfortunately it works. And the longer it's in play, the more sordid are the ads we see on TV, as well as all types of programming. Most media has become a form of propaganda, promoting the Lowest Common Denominator (LCD) - the least of all possibilities.

IDEABASH.org presents a progressive concept in marketing, in which we turn the Bernaysian philosophy on its head. We are not interested in selling products for the sake of money; instead we're asking people to support and uplift other entrepreneurs into success. And, by paying-it-forward to just five other entrepreneurs, you will then be supported by *thousands* of others in a resilient  fractal-viral system that empowers people to find and live their passion, creating products and services that add value to the world.

Instead of appealing to the least of our capabilities, IDEABASH inspires people to discover their inner genius, and become empowered entrepreneurs.

Among those thousands of people who support you by purchasing your product or service, you will find that 3% (or more!) of people who have been looking for what you have to offer, and they will be YOUR A-listers, thrilled to have found you, and willing to spread the word about the magnificence you have created.

IDEABASH is an empowerment loop. It is layers and layers of possibilities. If you're looking for a way to build your business without debt, come visit and see how we can work together to create a beautiful future.

Meg Montgomery is the founder of the IDEABASH Entrepreneur Ecosystem, a global community of entrepreneurs supporting each other into success. 

How and Why IDEABASH Works

IDEABASH is a New Paradigm Business. 

About 90% of people reading this won't know what that means, and about 10% of the people will be rolling their eyes, thinking "Ugh! that is SOOO passé!"

If you have the patience to stick around long enough for an explanation, you'll learn why the IDEABASH Resilient Network, a viral-fractal growth system, is based completely in the New Paradigm, built with the strongest ethics and advantages.

Just out of college, I worked on Wall Street during the booms and busts of the late 1980's and early 1990s, while pursuing music at night.  

I was at Goldman Sachs for many years, and at one point I was forced to work on a mergers and acquisition deal that put my step-father out of work. Soon after, I left Wall Street forever because the thought of hurting people, for the sake of money, made me ill.

For many years I pursued a music career, but wasn't able to make a living from it as a performer/producer because the music distribution model was also broken; created expressly for the purposes of exploiting musicians and enriching the non-creative "administrators" of the music companies.

I flitted from corporation to corporation, as a software expert, and never lasted long at any one place because I couldn't help sharing my ideas on how to improve the workflow. In reality, corporate America is not at all interested in efficiency.... and I never lasted more than about 18 months at any one job.

One excellent experience I had was working at iVillage.com during its startup phase (it is now a part of TODAY.com). There was so much creativity, and money flying around, and I was fantastically inspired. It was also very different from Wall Street, and it took me a long time to understand the culture, and by that time they were going public.  I recognized the beginnings of corporate culture, and I left.  

When I became a mother in 2003, I decided that I wanted to "work from home." I spent the next 5 years learning about "fear" marketing, a very negative form of marketing developed using the psychology of Edward Bernays, who twisted the work of his uncle Sigmund Freud to fuel the Age of Consumerism. This form of marketing is used to make people feel inadequate if they don't purchase your product, and has been highly successful. It gave me the same gut-wrenching feeling as putting my step-father out of work, and although it was ubiquitous in the business world, I found myself unable to succeed with it.

For a few years, I tried to find success with Melaleuca.com, which promotes itself as a Direct Marketing company, selling products which are nontoxic for your home and body. Every month I purchased about $75 worth of products, and tried get get people to join, but I was rarely successful. The longer I was with them, the more I realized that the products were actually quite toxic, and the growth model was exceptionally pyramid-shaped. The owner of the company earns a percentage of every sale made, and as a member, you only make money by getting more and more and more people to join. After I left, I learned that it was also a Mormon evangelical organization.

Yikes. I had beat myself over the head, thinking that I was hopeless, and I really began to believe that it was quite impossible for a person with ethics to succeed in business.

Then, around 2005, the age of the Social Entrepreneur began to grow roots, a new philosophy which stated that if you set out to help people, you will always find success. I began meeting women entrepreneurs from all over the world who were finding great success in their niche markets.  I developed Women-Money-Power.com to encourage women to become entrepreneurs. I wrote my first book, The Art of Personal Transformation. Then in 2011, I met Lynn Serafinn, author of the best selling book The 7 Graces of Marketing, a no-holds-barred antidote to fear-based marketing, and she became one of the founding members of IDEABASH.

Over the course of five years, I have painstakingly invented the IDEABASH growth model, called Resilient Networking, removing every vestige of negativity, and imbuing it with Love and Gratitude.  It is a viral-fractal growth method, which succeeds for several reasons.

But first, let's define Resilience. I am using the definition given to me by my brother Tad who is an ecological engineer. If Sustainability is balance, replacing what you have taken, then Resilience is giving more than you take, because it's the only way back to balance. In my opinion, this is true in economics as well as the environment.

That being said, here are 10 reasons why the IDEABASH Resilient Network is an ethical, new-paradigm, spiritually-imbued distribution model:

1. Pay it Forward. Each member must GIVE FIRST, supporting other entrepreneurs who joined IDEABASH before them, before they are then supported by members who join after them.

2. Mentoring. Aside from creating and distributing your product, the only work you ever have to do is to find 5 people to join your Primary Community, and you mentor them as they learn how it works and develop their own Primary Community of 5. In fact, you don't even have to do this if you decide to join at the Distribution Membership level, in which IDEABASH does this work for you, but we do encourage people to join at the Community level, and build their own Primary Community. There are webinars, and conference calls, and materials in the IDEABASH Institute to help you accomplish this step.

3.  Keep 100% of your sales. When you sell on any marketplace, such as Amazon or Ebay or Etsy etc, you pay a hefty fee for their services, and you still have to drive your own traffic to make sales at all. With IDEABASH, there is no marketing needed and you keep every penny from every sale you ever make.

4. The Law of 3%. There's a law of business that states that 3% of the people who come in contact with your product or service will become dedicated customers, which is the holy grail of business. That would be about 117 people out of your Grand Community who will be attracted enough to the product or service that you are offering, that they will come back to your website and be hungry for more.

5. Philanthropy. IDEABASH is committed to donating at least 10% of monthly revenue to non profit organizations recommended by our members.

6. Community. The IDEABASH community is a global network of like-minded entrepreneurs who will look out for each other, share opportunities, collaborate, and form alliances to design constructs that shape a beautiful future.

7. Low Cost. Considering what you receive as a member of IDEABASH, including the income and everything listed here as well as the IDEABASH Institute and the social network, the membership cost is extraordinarily low, and will never be raised. It was designed to be affordable for the vast majority of the world population.

8. Guarantee. Our members are offered a money-back guarantee on their membership fees. If, within 6 months, you are not pleased with how your community is growing, you can request your membership fees to be returned, or if you would like to upgrade to the Distribution membership, that will be offered as well.

9. Learn While You Earn! In addition to the existing wealth of resources in the IDEABASH Institute, there will be webinars and conferences with leading experts in every field of entrepreneurship, so that you can learn how to grow your business responsibly, for the long term. We will cover every area of business, including accounting, product development, marketing, social media, joint ventures, investment, and much much more.

10. Excellent, Passive Income. If you offer a digital download as your IDEABASH product, you will enjoy the luxury of passive income, which will give you all the free time you need, and an excellent income to boot, so that you can live your life as you desire. The essence of Freedom.


It's also important to talk about the Foundational Goal of IDEABASH, and the eventual saturation of the viral growth model. My goal is to jumpstart the global entrepreneurial economy, and to expose IDEABASH to at least half the world population.  The way to do this is to use our business income to build community centers where people can learn to use computers, get inspiration and ideas for their business, and connect with people at the local level, and globally. These centers will exist all around the world, in as many places as we can build and staff them. We will also offer scholarships in the most destitute communities. By the time the Resilient Networking model is saturated, in about 50 years, we will have created millions of new businesses and empowered millions of people to use their ideas, skills and passions to make the world a better place. And, we will have eliminated poverty in many places in the world.

Long before that saturation point, IDEABASH will have diversified to help maintain the entrepreneurial economy. In 50 years, the concept of money and income will have changed quite drastically, although we don't exactly know how that's going to happen. As the future unfolds, IDEABASH will be right there, ready to guide the evolution.

Meg Montgomery is the founder of the IDEABASH Entrepreneur Ecosystem, a global community of entrepreneurs supporting each other into success. 

How to Use IDEABASH to Market Your Business

The IDEABASH Entrepreneur Ecosystem is, among other things, a distribution network for entrepreneurs. 

Many of our members will offer their original products, but there are certain services that work well in the framework. If you are a service professional who works live with several people at once via a YouTube Channel, or Skype, or other digital channel, you would thrive with IDEABASH. If you have a subscription channel, teaching people through podcast or video, that would also work well. But if your business relies on one-on-one interaction, there wouldn't be enough time in a week for you to cater to the community you grow as a member of IDEABASH.

The good news is that for many traditional services, such as travel, real estate, communications etc, there is a way that IDEABASH can help grow your business, and it's purely in the form of marketing. You can put together a digital brochure that describes what you do, and sell it for no more than $5.  Offering a discount to IDEABASH members would fit right in with our business model. There will be a small percentage of people who purchase your product who will be interested in what you have to offer, and contact you for more information. It's a microcosm of the greater marketing world.

Likewise, if you are selling high priced items such as art, haute couture, or rare books, you can do the same thing: create a digital brochure that illustrates what you have to sell, and price it at no more than $5, offering a discount to IDEABASH members.

By participating in our social network and our community, it will boost your Google ratings and expose you to an increasingly large, global community that is dedicated to supporting each other into success.

Take a moment to visit http://ideabash.org to see how you can expand your business in the new paradigm over the coming years. 

Meg Montgomery is the founder of the IDEABASH Entrepreneur Ecosystem, a global community of entrepreneurs supporting each other into success. 

The Age of Entrepreneurship

Humans are natural entrepreneurs; it's how we evolved into the world we know today. 

An entrepreneur is someone who uses their creativity to invent something; create a new way to do something, or think about something, or interact with the world. Think electricity, automobiles, music, paintings, games, electronics - they were all created by entrepreneurs; people who turn their ideas into products or services that make the world a better place.

The global workforce and economy are changing drastically. Jobs are disappearing and the middle class is dwindling. We are witnessing a transfer of wealth that is reminiscent of the the age of kings and peasants. But it's not supposed to be this way at all... we live in an abundant world, an abundant universe.  It's time to get back to thinking creatively; using our talents and our passions to create a better life, and help each other succeed using a whole new, empowering methodology.

Each one of us has unique talents, skills and interests. When we discover and activate this uniqueness, then we are a part of a change toward a new, vibrant world. Because society has developed over time to separate us from our natural creative abilities, it's up to each one of us to recognize, and reconnect with this integral part of ourselves.

So many people say "I don't have a creative bone in my body" but it's only because they have never had the opportunity to do something creative. If they were aware that by connecting with their creative self they could create a fantastic income, they might change their tune!

Each one of us needs to imagine an abundant future. We need to dream of, and work towards the future of our dreams, in order to make it reality.  Whatever your ideal future is, the only way to get there is by dreaming, and doing. You must do the work necessary to discover your unique skills and passions in order to arrive at the future of your dreams. Jealousy of other people's success is never helpful, but it can be inspirational. Whoever it is that leads a life that you desire, imagine yourself in their place and then put in the time dreaming and doing to get yourself there. Oprah, Elon Musk and Steve Jobs didn't accomplish their dreams by sitting in front of a TV or Xbox; they dreamed their dreams, and then did the work necessary to make it happen. So must we all!

The truth is, it is so much easier now for every-day people to achieve amazing success, than it was for previous generations of entrepreneurs, because the roads are already paved. The basics of how to succeed are in writing, and proven. There's no need to re-invent the wheel. There is no need to invest tons of money, or study for years to achieve success. Everyone can achieve moderate to excellent entepreneurial income by following a path that has already been paved.

IDEABASH offers one of these paths, helping new and existing entrepreneurs to build a global pay-it-forward network to achieve the best results possible. IDEABASH is a community of people who are dedicated to making the world a better place by offering products and services that add value to the world around them. IDEABASH helps people who are new to entrepreneurship, to learn the ropes without the threat of failure. And, we help people who are already entrepreneurs to grow their business and achieve magnificent success.

According to economists, politicians and philosophers, entrepreneurialism is the best way to fix this broken economy. Won't you join us on this incredible journey?

 

Meg Montgomery is the founder of the IDEABASH Entrepreneur Ecosystem, a global community of entrepreneurs supporting each other into success. 

The IDEABASH Resilient Business Model

In our quest to evangelize entrepreneurship, the IDEABASH Entrepreneur Ecosystem has branched out into four separate entities.

 

Ideas Into Income Workshop

In 2015 I will be going out into the world and presenting the Ideas Into Income Workshop, at first locally, and as IDEABASH grows, all over the world. It will also be accessible online for those who can't make the live workshops.

In this workshop, I will teach people how to recognize their specific skills, experience and passions, and how to turn them into a product or service that adds value to the world. "See a need, Fill a need!" in the words of Bigweld, from the movie Robots.

I will present a wide range of options for distribution and growth in addition to the Resilient Networking System.

These workshops will be open to everyone who is eligible to join IDEABASH, ages 10 and up.

Resilient Networking Distribution System

The Resilient Networking Distribution System is the engine that will drive IDEABASH. This unique Pay-It-Forward system offers our members the ability to "earn while they learn the ropes", take the time they need to build their their businesses from the ground up, avoiding the frustrations and pitfalls of lack of funds.

Most of our members will develop successful home businesses. Many of our members will go on to develop multi-million (or billion) dollar enterprises because the Resilient Network afforded them the opportunity to learn from the best, without financial stress.

The IDEABASH Institute

Education is everything!

At IDEABASH we will present the greatest entrepreneurial minds of our time to teach and inspire our members. The IDEABASH Institute is an ever-growing library of resources - links, PDFs, videos - teaching every aspect of entrepreneurship. We will have webinars with the likes of Richard Branson, Elon Musk and Oprah, which will be recorded for community access. We will present speakers in the areas of personal finance, accounting, social media, planned growth, product development, distribution, networking, and so much more.

The IDEABASH Social Network

Running your own business can be difficult, tiresome and lonely. Our social network will become your go-to place for advice, inspiration and community as you bring your dreams to life. It will also introduce you to all the different ways a business can be built and run. You will learn SO MUCH from your interactions with other members! The built-in social network is one of the greatest aspects of IDEABASH! Don't sleep on it!!

As you can see, you will enjoy tremendous benefits from your membership fee. At IDEABASH we are committed to being a prime example of the power of Resilient Business. When you give more than you take, that energy will ALWAYS be returned to you many times over. 

 

Meg Montgomery is the founder of the IDEABASH Entrepreneur Ecosystem, a global community of entrepreneurs supporting each other into success. 

The History and Future of Entrepreneurialism

The United States was built on the brilliance of generations of entrepreneurs.... from Ben Franklin to Levi Strauss to Andrew Carnegie to Henry Ford to the Wright Brothers to Mary Kay to Steve Jobs to Oprah Winfrey to Elon Musk. 

The entrepreneurs who built this country are gutsy people who let nothing get in their way; their obstacles were unimaginable, but they persevered and it paid off for them and for the rest of us. It's not an easy road; it has created unbelievable wealth for many people while the vast majority would-be entrepreneurs have crashed and burned, fading into obscurity, not being able to navigate the treacherous waters. 

An entrepreneur is a person who has the vision and audacity to bring ideas to life. 

Entrepreneurialism has always been about finding solutions to problems that face society. It's about offering goods and services that help people to live higher quality lives. Unfortunately, in the 1980s when greed reigned supreme, the entrepreneurial culture became more about wealth, and this caused severe problems in our economy. The tech boom of the late 1990s was fueled with speculation, and its crash in early 2000 revealed the how depraved the entrepreneurial world had become.

The tech boom spawned an entire generation of snake oil salesmen, and in the early 2000s the internet was stuffed to the gills with marketers selling empty promises for huge sums of money.

But the world changed after 9/11. Out of the cesspool of pyramid schemes and get-rich-quick mentors, something beautiful began to grow. Human connection became a moral imperative, and those who appealed to the greed factor were shamed. Universities began offering courses in socially conscious business practices and opportunities. The Secret movie inspired a tremendous uplift in conscious business practices.

After the financial collapse of 2008, the shift toward conscious entrepreneurialism gathered even more steam. Many of the entrepreneurial mentors who had previously been marketing to greed and avarice changed their word choices and began presenting themselves as masters of conscious business practices.

The social change has come full circle from the depths of depravity to the greater good, and that's where we are now. Today's young entrepreneurs are coming up with brilliant ideas to solve problems, just as our forefathers did. They have a burning desire to be a part of the solution. They idolize Ben Franklin and Martin Luther King, Jr., not Donald Trump or Gordon Gecko. This generation coined the term "SocialPreneurs."

But at this juncture, there is an understanding that is only just coming into the light. Economists and philosophers and even politicians are saying the same thing:

Entrepreneurialism is by far the most powerful way to develop financial stability and economic equality in our modern world world.

The real power of entrepreneurialism hasn't even been scratched. It's our job now is to open the floodgates to more and more entrepreneurs, to ensure the financial health of individuals and the society for the long run. As the greater population begins to have faith in their innate talents to create positive change as well as income, the world itself will transform.

At IDEABASH.org we inspire and educate people from all walks of life to become entrepreneurs, adding value to the world around them, inspiring them to turn their ideas, skills and passion into products and services that add value to the world. We have developed a low cost earn-as-you-learn system that teaches a wide range of business skills, eliminating start-up costs and the huge learning curve that prevent the vast majority of entrepreneurs from succeeding.

IDEABASH.org is a global distribution network for original products and services that add value to the world.

It's our goal to inspire a massive upturn in entrepreneurialism in the coming years, helping to build businesses that will provide long-term sustenance for families and communities.



 
Meg Montgomery is the founder of the IDEABASH Entrepreneur Ecosystem, a global community of entrepreneurs supporting each other into success.

The Beauty and Fun of Growing Your IDEABASH Community

IDEABASH teaches people how to become financially secure by creating and distributing original products or services that enhance the world. 

Creating these products and services is just one aspect of "work" that must be done by our members. The other part is growing your community, which will take time.

IDEABASH is NOT a get-rich-quick, money-for-nothing enterprise. If this is your mindset, you're in the wrong place.  

What IDEABASH offers is an earn-while-you-learn opportunity which has a long list of benefits and creates a reliable, fantastic, annual income. You might want to think of it as a year-long course in entrepreneurship, and at the end of the year not only have you mastered entrepreneurial fundamentals, but you've built a rock-solid distribution network for your original product or service and made an excellent income!

Once your community is built, you can then focus on your creative endeavors and use the income you earn to bring your business to a much higher level. To this end, we will host online events with entrepreneurial mentors for the entire IDEABASH community, so that you'll learn everything you need to know about being a successful entrepreneur. The education never stops!

The community you build that pays-it-forward to you year after year is a living, breathing entity. People will come and people will go, so get into the mindset of continually identifying people you know and meet who might benefit from IDEABASH. This way, over the course of many years you will watch your income grow, as well as all the other benefits this community brings to you.

The best way to achieve success in anything is to understand how you can help others. 

When your true ambition is service to others, success is not far behind. Conversely, if your only ambition is to make money, then you will probably fail. Use this service-oriented mindset as you talk to people about IDEABASH. Be truly interested in how IDEABASH can help the person you're talking to, and also find out how that person can add value to IDEABASH. When people are made aware of how they can be valued, it elevates the frequency of the interaction. Everything is about adding more value!!! (Everything is also about elevating frequencies!)

Remember, IDEABASH will be very attractive to college kids, retirees, and people everywhere who are suffering from the weak economy. When they know that you will be there to mentor them, to get set up and succeed with IDEABASH, they will be much more likely to join us. Inspire them to throw around ideas and express those things they've always wanted to do, but never had the chance.

It's time to dream, and wish, and find your purpose. IDEABASH is the opportunity you need to help you become become the person you're meant to be.

 
Meg Montgomery is the founder of the IDEABASH Entrepreneur Ecosystem, a global community of entrepreneurs supporting each other into success.

New Paradigm Wealth

Extreme Wealth is an Illusion

MONEY 

 As a society, we live to get it and we can't live without it. We've been brainwashed to desire what it represents - luxury. The American Dream. Vacations, cars, swimming pools. Designer jeans, Tiffany rings, 5th Avenue Bling.

In the First World, wealth has become synonymous with a form of materialism that is so far removed from reality that those who have vast amounts of it are inventing new and absurd ways to spend it. $1000 ice cubes. $100 million apartments. Private jets and yachts. These images are plastered in our mind and we feel that our very worth as humans depends on becoming the person who owns all that.

But it's a mirage. None of these things has anything to do with health or happiness. You will work and hope and wish and spend everything you have trying to achieve even the smallest modicum of that wealth and you will never achieve it, because it is a complete illusion, an absolute mirage.

As of December 2013, the US is the most UNEQUAL of all advanced economies, according to Huffington Post. That means that the richest 10% of people control 75.4% of all wealth in the country. 75% of people own less than 25% of wealth. Other first world countries are in similar predicaments, and it's only getting worse.

Many people, as they realize what's happening, become horror stricken at the realization that they will never come even remotely close to their dream; and because they've dug themselves into a hole they become absolutely desperate. It forces a turning point in their lives... the moment when they are faced with reality and have to decide what's really important.

This is an extremely difficult and painful experience for most people. It's more than a mid-life crisis, it's like being reborn. We become naked in front of the world, our lack of wealth exposed, and it can be humiliating beyond bearing. Some people, formerly middle or upper class, end up homeless, or turn to crime, or even kill themselves rather than face this crisis and ask the questions that need asking. They can only identify themselves with the dream they've been sold.

However, for most others, this turning point becomes the most crucial moment in their lives because they DO face the crisis, and ask those all-important questions:  

What is my purpose?  

What is the least amount of money I need to live a decent life? 

Is it possible for people respect me for who I am, and not what I own?  

Can I make my mark in this life in other ways than making or spending lots of money?

Once people begin to recognize and answer these questions, the pressure begins to relent and the illusion that has been presented like props on a stage, vanishes. Suddenly there is recognition of all the other people who have taken this same journey, from illusion to reality, and bonds begin to form; strong bonds built on helping each other and looking after each other. And as we begin to join the community, and feel the absolute joy that comes from sharing our skills and talents, we recognize that this is the TRUE wealth. The thrill of helping others, and being helped; the understanding that we are all connected, and what happens to one, happens to everyone.

Simplicity.... conservation..... innovation..... education.... gratitude and love.... these are the ideals of new paradigm wealth, where the vibrancy of the community equals the well being of each individual. These are the principles on which the happiest and healthiest societies are founded - Nepal, who defines its wealth as "Gross Domestic Happiness" and Denmark where college students are paid to go to school, and Germany which has become the world leader in solar installation and usage.

Greed seems to be a journey that humanity needed to take in order to achieve a higher and simpler state of being. We needed to feel its burn to recognize that it is not the right path. Unfortunately the crashing of the Great American Dream is a difficult experience to bear, but it is one of those necessary life lessons that serves the purpose of elevating our state of being.

IDEABASH was created in consciousness of the new paradigm of wealth. We are about empowering the global community to earn a great income from skills and experience; we're about creating partnerships and collaborations to build ideas that design the future; we're about lending a helping hand. We hope you'll join us!


 
Meg Montgomery is the founder of the IDEABASH Entrepreneur Ecosystem, a global community of entrepreneurs supporting each other into success.

Interview with Melonie Dodaro, Author of The LinkedIn Code

Today, I have the great pleasure of being the host on DAY 8 of the Virtual Blog Tour for Melonie Dodaro, author of the brand new book, The LinkedIn Code: Unlock the Largest Online Business Social Network to Get Leads, Prospects & Clients for B2B, Professional Services and Sales & Marketing Pros.  

The book will be celebrating its official launch on Tuesday June 3rd, 2014.

MELONIE DODARO is the founder of Top Dog Social Media, a social media agency that helps brands, businesses, professionals and sales teams use social media marketing and social selling to boost their visibility, attract new customers and increase their revenue. Dubbed by the media as Canada’s #1 LinkedIn expert and social media strategist, Melonie provides LinkedIn training to corporate sales teams and speaks worldwide at both industry and corporate events and conferences.

Yesterday, Melonie visited Amy Baumcratz's 'Hospitality Social Magnet' blog at http://www.hospitalitysocialmagnet.com/blog where she asked about finding clients and taking your LinkedIn relationships off-line. Today, I'd like to share with you a recent interview I had with Melonie where I asked her about how to network with people who are not in your community.

Enjoy the following interview I conducted with the author....

MEG: What is the best way to approach a person who you would like to network with, who is not in your community?

MELONIE: The first thing you would want to do is to check your network to see if you know someone who knows this person and then ask for a warm introduction.

If this is not possible, I would look to see if you share any common groups, as you can message and connect with anyone who you share a group with easily. If you do not already share a group, look to see if they are a part of a group that you can join.

If using groups is not an option, you will need to provide a valid reason when you send them a connection request that explains why they would want to connect with you (from their point of view). Include any common interests that make sense to share.

MEG: What is the best way to get the word out about a new group that you create?

MELONIE: One method that has worked extremely well is to include a short description with an invite to your group, in a nice personalized message after someone connects with you or accepts your connection request. You can also seek out other active members in other groups and reach out to them personally. Lastly, you can have a link to your group on your website with a sentence describing the benefit of joining your group.

MEG: If you only have one hour a week to give to LinkedIn, how do you best spend that hour?

MELONIE: If you only have one hour each week to dedicate to LinkedIn, this hour would be most effectively spent by committing to 10 to 15 minutes a day, Monday through Friday. Each day have some specific action items that you will implement. i.e. reaching out to and connecting to new prospective prospects, building relationships with those in your current network etc. Create a checklist of daily tasks and then follow this each day to keep you on task and on time, but also make it easier to track your results.

By ensuring you consistently put in the time each day and follow your checklist, you will see far greater results from your lead generating activities, than if you randomly spend an hour each week.

I hope you enjoyed this brief interview with award-winning social media expert Melonie Dodaro. You can find out some of Melonie's TOP SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGIES – along with those of 10 other TOP world-class social media experts – on her FREE 3-Day Telesummit:

Cracking the Social Media Code:
The Masters Speak!
Register FREE at http://topdogsocialmedia.com/book-launch/pages/telesummit.php

Here's Melonie's stellar guest line up (in order of appearance):

• MELONIE DODARO - Founder Top Dog Social Media, LinkedIn and social selling expert, author of The LinkedIn Code
• LYNN SERAFINN (co-host) - Founder 7 Graces Project CIC, marketer, coach, author of The 7 Graces of Marketing, Tweep-e-licious

• JASON MILLER - LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, corporate marketing manager for many companies
• JOEL COMM - Entrepreneur, NY Times bestselling author, new media innovator
• EKATERINA WALTER - CMO of Branderati, speaker, author of Think Like Zuck, co-author of The Power of Visual Storytelling
• MICHAEL STELZNER - Founder/CEO of Social Media Examiner, host Social Media Marketing podcast, author of Launch, Writing White Papers and others
• JOHN JANTSCH - Marketing consultant, business strategist, Founder Duct Tape Marketing, author of Duct Tape Marketing and others
• PATTY FARMER - Marketing and social media strategist, speaker, trainer, radio host and author
• KIM GARST - CEO of 'Boom! Social', social media marketing strategist, entrepreneur, speaker, author
• ALLISON MASLAN - CEO of "Blast Off", business mentor, entrepreneur, author of Blast Off!
• JILL ROWLEY - Marketing expert, social selling 'evangelist', entrepreneur

Over those 3 days, Melonie and her guests will share their top tips on:

• Building Your Personal Brand
• Building Your Online Community
• Monetizing Social Media

Again, you can register FREE at http://topdogsocialmedia.com/book-launch/pages/telesummit.php

If you cannot make the live broadcast, register anyway so you can listen to audio replays.

THEN, when you buy The LinkedIn Code during its official Amazon launch, you’ll receive dozens of valuable free gifts from Melonie and her friends and colleagues. CLICK HERE to find out more about the book, and these free gifts.

Thanks for reading! Please do share your comments and thoughts below. I love reading your feedback.

Be sure to follow Melonie tomorrow on the next stop of her Virtual Blog Tour, when she’ll be visiting Jacqui Malpass's blog at http://jacquimalpass.com/blogging/ where they'll be talking about personal brands and creating meaningful headlines on LinkedIn.

10 Simple Product Ideas to Get Started on IDEABASH

10 SIMPLE PRODUCT IDEAS

to get Started on IDEABASH

The sky is the limit here. If you have already written a book, or produced albums, or movies etc, then you're ready to go. But if you have never produced a product before and don't know where to start, read on and be inspired!

Digital products receive the best income on IDEABASH, but if you're just starting out, that may not be the easiest answer. If you're new to the idea of entrepreneurship, you might want to consider digital products for the future, but begin with phyiscal products, which are more traditional. Below are very simple ideas to get you started on your entrepreneurial journey.

The key here is to make sure you're engaging with your passion! Take some time to meditate on exactly what you want to offer to the world. Humor? Inspiration? Information? Beauty? Remember, products must be your original creation!

Please take the time to read the IDEABASH Terms of Service before creating your product.

You must price your product appropriately. What do similar items sell for in stores? Don't price your product at $25 if it's only worth $10, that will only give you a bad reputation. The IDEABASH community is working on a conscious, ethical level here and dishonesty will not be tolerated.

Not everyone is going to love your product, and that's okay. Whenever you receive a product that doesn't suit you, pass it on to someone who might appreciate it. It's just another way to pay it forward!

Remember: IDEABASH is a global network, and you may be shipping overseas. The cost of shipping is included in the $25 limit, so make sure your product is small, lightweight, and inexpensive to ship.

If you need design help, go to http://fiverr.com/. If you need images go to http://istockphoto.com.

If you need printing help, there are many outlets to choose from; I have used http://vistaprint.com but they're shipping is expensive. Do your research, find the best possible quality for the best possible price. Shop local whenever possible!

Use this opportunity to create something that makes you happy, and will add value to other people's lives. It's not about the cheapest, fastest, most lucrative – it's about adding value to the world around you.

The idea is to spend as little money as possible at the outset, so produce just 25 or 50 of your product to get started. Then, as you make money, invest it right back in to make more. You have 30 days to fulfill orders.

Keep track of all your expenses, as they are tax-deductible.
 

1. Tee shirts - If you're going to sell tee shirts for $25, then they should be made from high quality organic cotton, bamboo or similar materials, which is what you would get for your money in stores or online outlets. Design an original image or logo or words (nothing offensive) for the front. If your production and shipping costs average out to $10 per unit, your net income will be about $60,000/year for tee shirts.

2. Note cards - whether you're artistically inclined or not, you can make note cards for just about any occasion. Weddings, birthdays, holidays, thank you cards, get better cards, condolence cards - the possibilities are endless.

3. Calendars - Most people these days have either a smartphone or tablet with a high res camera. Go out and take pictures of flowers, or trees, or water, or whatever you like, and make a calendar out of those pictures.

4. Cookbook - Without violating any copyrights, put together a cookbook of your style of cooking (Italian, vegan, kids, 20 minute meals, $5 meals etc etc etc). Make sure to include pictures! This can be distributed digitally or physically.

5. Stories - If you have a knack for storytelling, collect your stories and make a book.

6. How-To Videos - Perhaps you have a particular skill that you'd like to share. Making birdhouses, starting seedlings, playing the drums or spackling the perfect wall…. Create a youtube subscription channel to share your videos with your community.

7. Magnets - Take an original image or phrase and turn it into fridge magnets.

8. Baseball Hats - Everyone needs a hat in the summer! Make it unique by applying an original design or phrase. These are great cuz they're one-size-fits-all.

9. Lesson Plans – Turn your expertise into a one month lesson plan for students or adults, including source materials, experiential learning, video instruction etc.

10. Tote Bags – Everyone needs tote bags for groceries. It's also a great marketing opportunity to get your message out into the world!

Each of us are aiming to build a community of about 4,000 people through our viral network of 5, which means that over the course of a year, you'll need to distribute about 4,000 units of your product.

During your production and distribution process, keep the following entrepreneurial truths in mind:

1. High quality products and service will grow your business; low quality will kill it.
2. Every business is a series of successes & failures; patience & determination are necessary for success.
3. If you have a truly great idea, the built-in IDEABASH community will help you spread the word.
4. Don't go into debt; use what you have to get started and use your IDEABASH income to build your business one step at a time.
5. Engage with your passion and do things that feel good; stop doing things that feel bad!

Meg Montgomery is the founder of the IDEABASH Entrepreneurial Ecosystem. She is also a musician/composer/producer, multimedia artist and environmental activist. IDEABASH is a global community of ethical entrepreneurs supporting each other into success, exchanging ideas in the form of products & services, adding value to the world.

Alchemy vs. Transmutation

I used to be deeply fascinated with the idea of alchemy - turning lead into gold.

However, in my journies I've come to understand that the quest for gold usually leads one into a tangled web of negative energy (greed, primarily) and in my life, I've made the conscious decision to move away from negativity, not toward it.

In that regard, gold, or wealth, or $$$$, is no longer my goal. Instead, I'm on a quest for WELLTH.... a balanced equation of living my passion, leading a healthy lifestyle, earning enough to be comfortable, and using my talents, skills and passion to raise the quality of life for as many people as possible.

I find that many other people are making this conscious move toward Wellth as well, and it is empowering to know that others, increasingly, hold similar values.

In the past year, I have delved into the realm of crystals, researching the properties of different minerals, understanding their relation to the chakras, and I began hunting specimens for my collection.

Black Tourmaline and Quartz

I am, among other things, a professional musician and it's no secret that music is fundamentally vibration, as is color. What I didn't know, and began to learn, is that EVERYTHING is vibration, and that .... unbeknownst to most people .... we each have the ability to change our vibration at will.

I learned the incredible transmuting power of black stones. One of the uses of black tourmaline, for instance, is to capture the negative and harmful EMF energy from cellphone towers and wireless networks and transmute it into positive energy (especially when combined with quartz points). It is said that just by TOUCHING black tourmaline, you can increase your luck! Shungite is used, among other things, to transmute dirty air and water into clean, whole, living air and water. Natural charcoal (although not a stone) is also used to purify air and water. These materials are fundamental healing tools for our world, and are not widely known.

How powerful is this concept.... that instead of wallowing in negative energy like an animal trapped in a cage, we can literally transmute that negative into positive energy! It's only education that lies between us and a better world. Whether you decide to use crystals, yoga, the power of your mind, music or the arts, food, or any number of other paths, we each have the ability to create a perfectly positive, happy, healthy and wellthy life. Learn to recognize causes of stress, and one by one, eliminate them from your life. Choose with care what you surround yourself with! Take the time to use this most powerful of resources - the internet - to illuminate and enhance the positive vibrations of your life.

_____________

Meg Montgomery is a musician, producer and the founder of the IDEABASH Entrepreneur Ecosystem, a global community of entrepreneurs supporting each other into success.

10 Additional Advantages to Join IDEABASH

In addition to the primary advantages of being an IDEABASHER, which include reliable annual income, business education, earn while you learn and a vibrant social network, there are many additional benefits that may add tremendous value to your entrepreneurial endeavors.

1. Include Upsells. For instance, if you've got an entry level coaching program, people in your community will sign up for your more expensive courses, increasing your IDEABASH income.
   
   
2. Engage Long-term Customers. With a global community of 4,000, chances are (if you have a great product/service) that some of those people will LOVE what you do, and will become committed to your brand. Long-term customers are the “holy grail” of business.
   
3. Find Collaborators and Partners. Our community is an international group of people who are taking action to make their dreams and passions fuel their life and add value to the world. It's a community of people who think and act in a similar fashion, so you're bound to come across a few people who you can “bash” with to create new and exciting ideas/products/businesses.
   
4. Expect Opportunity to Knock on Your Door. IDEABASHERs will be looking out for each other so if you have a great product, some members of your community will have ideas for how you can expand the reach for your product or service. I expect many of our members will get unexpected, unsolicited emails for distribution that will break their businesses out to a much higher level. Think interviews, gigs, appearances etc.
   
5. Use Your Sales to Pitch Your Product to a Publisher. After the first year, you've sold your book, music, artwork etc to ~4,000 people. Take this evidence to any publisher anywhere around the world, with testimonials, and your chances for being published are THROUGH. THE. ROOF.
   
6. Build a List. Lists are vital to many businesses and you can include an opt-in form on the IDEABASH sales page on your website in order to grow your list.
   
7. Learn How Others Do Business. As you purchase your products, take a look through the website and see how that person is doing business. Do they have any ideas that you can apply to your own website? Is there anything they do that shows you how NOT to do business? This is an excellent opportunity to upgrade your own business website.
   
8. Grow as a Person. IDEABASH is not just about business.... it's about helping each of us to reach our human potential and purpose. Take full advantage of the resources that are available through the Institute, Masterminds and Social Network.
   
9. Expand Your Horizons. When you purchase your products, you will receive things that you would not normally encounter in your day-to-day life. This is a real blessing... many people will report that one of the products they purchased has changed their life for the better.
   
10. Follow Your Bliss. Many people are new to the idea that they can make a living doing what they love.... that they have a purpose to fulfil. Enjoy every moment that this journey of divine proportions brings! There are ups and downs, but within the IDEABASH community there's a comfy cushion to make it easier and more enjoyable than doing it on your own. 
    
    
    
    
    http://ideabash.org FUND YOUR BLISS!