Positively speaking?

When people start selling stuff they often mislead. When people make speeches they often exaggerate. When people are on camera they often pretend. Hands up! I know because I’ve done it too. You can catch me out on my YouTube channel.

People excuse their misleading, exaggerating and pretending as normal for their work role. People that are honest with their family and friends behave differently when they put on their work clothes.

If I was a politician I might say it was ‘only spin’. If I was a celebrity I might say it was ‘only publicity’. If I was a company executive I might say it was ‘only business’. If I was a motivational guru I might say it was ‘only being positive’.

I’ve even been stung in a business partnership with someone whose ‘it’s only business and being positive’ meant they couldn’t remember what they’d promised.

Does it matter?

It matters a great deal to me when the ‘mistruths’ wreck people’s lives. The people that are most harmed are often those that are vulnerable because they so want to believe it. There are many $billions being made out of duping people who want ‘freedom from bosses forever’ – to start and run their own business.

I do know how these $billions are made. When I resigned from my last job to start our business, in 1986, I was CEO of Amway UK and Vice Chair of the Direct Selling Association. Since then we’ve had major clients in the business opportunities, financial services and government sectors.

If you want to see the worst effects of getting into debt through the business opportunity industry – go to ‘The American Dream Made Nightmare’ website.

If you want to see the worst effects of getting into debt through the financial services industry see how many millions unnecessarily buy or are mis-sold insurance, funding, investors, credit cards, invoice discounting, short term loans, pensions, equity release and mortgages.

If you want to see the worst effects of getting into debt through government schemes see how many start a business without real or even test traded customers. Yet they’ve left a job or come off benefits and are really struggling to make ends meet. Some can’t repay a government loan.

This is why every day I tweet: “#StartUp? 1. Ask for help from a business owner 2. Test trade first (preferably whilst you’re in a job) 3. Bootstrap don’t borrow” [Tweet This]. There’s nothing better than running your own business and my tweet isn’t negative. It’s a plea and a reality check against the smart, bright, looks-like-the-establishment and mega-persuasive huckster.

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