A Turkey Vulture?

It was soaring high over the Grand River. Coming from British Columbia, where there are many eagles, I automatically assumed it was an eagle. I had the privilege of staying at the lovely River Ridge Bed and Breakfast in Paris, Ontario, recently, while I conducted some seminar and talks on Joint Ventures. When I mentioned the “eagle” to one of the Delegates, who is a wildlife expert, he told me that there were very few eagles there and that what I was looking at was a turkey vulture. Two days later, Member Paul Dawson pointed out a few of these birds waddling around on the side of the road. UGLY! It reminded me of a friend of mine who said of a woman he had been ogling, “Nice from far, but far from nice.”

When business owners are tired of experiencing the ups and downs, “feast or famine” of seasonal business cycles, the pressures of price wars, the ineffectiveness of conventional advertising and the long hours and hard work, they look for alternatives. And that’s when they are vulnerable to the schemes and dreams out there that often look like soaring eagles but are, in fact, turkey vultures. Those appealing and attractive opportunities are often not what they seem to be. But desperate people tend to do desperate things and we see what we want to see. When one is grabbing at straws, one is not entirely objective. And so even more precious cash flow evaporates like the morning dew on a hot, summer day. A downward spiral.

When distinguishing between an eagle and a turkey vulture, remember that turkey vultures hold their wings in a “V” shape and search for dead bodies. They are easy to identify, even at a distance, once you know what to look for. How do you differentiate between an eagle business tool and a turkey vulture option? I think it is important to have some guidelines. First, do your due diligence on the person offering you the deal. Is he actually using the tools or just making money from selling them? Can you contact him? Do you even know what his address is? Did he make his money a while back and now teaches outdated techniques for exorbitant fees? Is the option very expensive? Do you have easy access to others who used the tools so that you can ask them for one-on-one testimonials? Are the followers successful, or are they the usual seminar junkies?

Let us learn from carpenters when selecting new business tools and money-making opportunities: Measure twice, cut once. The scams, like turkey vultures, deal with dead bodies – has-beens – while Joint Ventures is an eagle tool for creating wealth, by opening our minds and allowing us to soar to great heights, with no cost or risk. Judge opportunities by the people who are involved in them, but always use your common sense.