|
_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/
_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/_/
The Recycling Entrepreneur ISSN: 1539 - 6789
_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/
_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/
(c) Scott D. Andrews 2003 Summer, 2003
In this issue:
1. Announcements & Commentary
2. Recycle Thermonuclear Devices For Fun and Profit
3. Compliance With Government Regulations – One of the Challenges of
Being
a Home-Based Entrepreneur
4. Where Has All The Competition Gone?
5. What, You STILL Want to Refine Your Scrap?????
***************************************************
THIS IS AN OPT-IN Mailing List. You are receiving this issue
because you or someone using your email address joined our
mailing list. All requests are kept on file for verification.
Removal instructions are at the close of this mailing.
***************************************************
1. Announcements & Commentary
Welcome, if you’re a new subscriber to our publication. Welcome back, if
you’ve
been a faithful reader for some time. Regardless, this is just a
reminder to
let you know all the back issues are archived for your reading enjoyment
at:
http://recyclebiz.com/the_recycling_entrepreneur_newsletter.html
It has been a few months since our last visit; it’s been a long and VERY
hot,
but productive summer. Did a lot of traveling, have laid the groundwork
for the
next iteration of this newsletter, the website, and revisions to the
“Recycler’s
Library” manuals and CD. But we’ll get to all that momentarily.
First, I want you to go here:
http://www.cartoonbank.com/assets/1/22230_m.gif
You’ve probably seen this cartoon before; it was originally published in
“The
New Yorker” magazine. And it pretty well sums up the world of the
Internet.
Friend, ANYTHING you see online, whether it is on the
recyclebiz.com discussion
forum, in your email, or even a photograph (which is easily
digitally altered
these days), you must take with a grain of salt. It is YOUR
responsibility to
separate the wheat from the chaff, and believe me, there is a LOT of
chaff out
there.
That is why I publish this newsletter, and why I support and pay the
bills for a
discussion forum in which you can exchange ideas and experiences. They
are not
an addition to “The Recycler’s Library” – they are an integral part of
what I am
trying to provide you. Nor are they a finished product – at least until
I am
dead and gone, or somebody with more experience and drive than I have
comes
along to take over the process. ...Or until the market (and not just
some
individual) tells me in no uncertain terms that I’m no longer wanted or
needed.
I mean for these tools to act synergistically to establish and maintain
credibility – I don’t want you to have to wonder if I’m a “dog”. If I
don’t know
something, I try to admit it; there are weaknesses in my knowledge and
shortcomings in my manuals – I am working to rectify them. I will never
tell you
everything I know, because there are just some things you have to learn
on your
own.
And frankly, I know that you’re going to ignore certain things I tell
you –
maybe you’ll prove me wrong, and maybe you’ll learn some expensive
lessons.
Probably BOTH.
The one thing I want to impress upon you is that you CAN make money in
recycling
by using these tools. There are almost too many opportunities out there
to
choose from. WHETHER you do or not is entirely up to you. But I will be
here
to provide you the best resources I’m able to help you succeed. And,
until this
time, I haven’t required you to spend a single cent to utilize most of
these
tools.
What I’m telling you today is that I’ll be adding a few resources to the
system,
while I’ll be restricting some others and making them more exclusive for
the
benefit of you, my loyal reader.
First, as of October 15, 2003, the discussion forum will be going
private – it
will be exclusively a tool and a benefit for those who have paid for
“The
Recycler’s Library” manuals. This should come as no surprise, as I have
always
had an intended “closing date” in the Forum – one which I have extended
over and
over. My original plan was to close it to non-paying customers after the
100th
registration – regardless of whether the registrant had bought from me
at any
time.
Since registrations have not met expectations, I am now going to require
everyone who wants to participate in the forum to register before
October 15.
After that, only purchasers will be able to join in discussions and
interact
with other members. I have come to realize that there are many currently
participating who have never been motivated to register, for whatever
reason.
If you are one of those individuals, please register so you can continue
to
participate and profit from the activity. If you are one of those who
has a
philosophical problem with the registration requirement, please make use
of the
“Unsubscribe” button at the bottom of this newsletter.
Next, I am going to be expanding and more precisely defining the
discussion
areas. There will be separate areas for the various types of scrap,
business
techniques and tips, referrals, and success stories, and yes, there will
be an
area for you to talk about refining.
For those of you who don’t want to register and do not want to
unsubscribe,
there will be a weblog (“Blog”) starting mid-October. This will be a
more
generalized journal approach to telling you what’s happening in the
world of
recycling for profit and suggesting new, unique, and valuable resources
and
links. This will be open for your input, although recycling techniques
will not
be discussed. My purpose for this is three-fold – first, to keep you
informed
on a more consistent basis, without having to flood your inbox with more
emails;
secondly, in order to increase my sites findability and ranking in the
search
engines; and third, to improve my clash flow. This is, after all, a
business
which must support itself and me.
This newsletter will continue to be published, but on a more regular
basis than
I’ve done recently, and will continue to be FREE. I am making an
investment in
new technology to more efficiently send it out to the 8,000+ subscribers
it
currently goes to. I have only been able to mail to 1,000 per day, so
even if it
is sent out on time, some readers don’t receive it for over a week after
the
first ones do. I am also integrating the database with the mail server
program
so that we’ll finally have an effective affiliate program.
Of course, in order to have said affiliate program, the manuals will
finally be
finished with the most current information you’ll be able to find
online. As
I’ve promised, all current owners of “The Recycler’s Library” will have
free
online access to all the upgrades.
Finally, I will have a downloadable toolbar ready for you by the end of
the
month. You will have the ability to simply click on a toolbar at the top
of
your screen to access all public functions and areas of recyclebiz.com,
as well
as an integrated search box. This will be entirely at your option, but
will give
you the most efficient method of keeping updated without having to
search for a
single icon on your desktop or, worse, type in our address each time you
want to
visit.
It is my hope that these new tools and functions will assist you in
getting full
value from your time spent here – whether you’ve made the investment in
my
manuals or not. And that you’ll realize that not everybody on the
Internet is a
“dog”.
By the way, here are some links you might want to follow to familiarize
yourself
with the site:
http://recyclebiz.com/discuss
-discussion forum - open to all until 15 October,
after that time to owners (and those already registered) of the
"High-Profit
Recycling" manuals only
http://recyclebiz.com/the_recycling_entrepreneur_newsletter.htm -
the past
issues of this newsletter - good reading for real recyclers
http://recyclebiz.com/frequently_asked_questions.htm - Our FAQ - if
your
question isn't answered, ASK US!
http://recyclebiz.com/metals_and_alloys.htm - a number of rare BoM
reports,
articles on recycling, and stuff you're not likely to find anywhere
else,
including (see the following article) “Recycle Thermonuclear Devices for
Fun &
Profit”
And, of course, PLEASE visit here:
http://recyclebiz.com/online%20order%20form.htm
2. Recycle Thermonuclear Devices For Fun and Profit???
Got any extra B-61’S or other low or high-yield nuclear bombs laying
around, but
don’t know just what to do with them? Tired of having the neighbors
complaining
about your house starting to glow in the dark, even after everyone’s
gone to bed
and all the lights have been turned off? Fed up with getting unsolicited
emails
from third-world dictators and ESL religious fanatics offering
outlandish sums
for your unused atomic weapons, only if they can get delivery overnight
and in a
plain brown wrapper (and pay online)?
You’ve probably been thinking “Gee, if only there were someplace I could
get rid
of all these pesky and virtually useless devices without the hassles and
dangers
of loading them in the ‘ol pickup and driving all over town!”
Well, relax! Now you don’t have to! Recycle them for fun and profit!
Thanks to
the largesse of our own Uncle Sam and his loyal minions, you can learn
step-by-step
exactly how to dispose of your surplus thermonuclear devices, and better
yet, make a good profit doing so.
And as a reward for your loyal readership of “The Recycling
Entrepreneur” newsletter,
we are making this report available to you at NO charge! Just another
small benefit of being a member of our inner circle of “serious”
recyclers. Here’s your “classified” link.
P.S. – Be sure to obtain all required licenses and permits (which brings
us into
the next topic) before starting this process at home.
3. Compliance With Government Regulations – The Challenges of Being a
Home-
Based Entrepreneur
A common concern expressed to me is that of obtaining the necessary
licenses and
permits to ‘legally’ perform their business activities. This is
especially
problematical if you’re working out of the home rather than a separate
business
location.
Unfortunately, government never seems to be able to come anywhere close
to
meeting the demands of a changing economy and the unique requirements of
the
small-businesspeople and entrepreneurs who have been downsized,
outplaced, or
just plain had their career disappear. Hundreds of thousands of us
annually are
finding that the traditional “secure” jobs are no longer. And once
you’ve lost
or left that career, especially in mid-life, your chances of finding
another of
equal pay and/or benefits is becoming less and less likely.
So it is no secret that the SOHO (Small Office, Home Office) market and
all its
variations is flourishing and will continue to do so for many years to
come. But
government, especially local governments which require you to be duly
licensed,
approved, blessed by, and especially taxed for doing business and
bringing
economic development to the community (which everybody profits from),
seem to
put up every roadblock you could think of.
Try going to your city hall or county seat and telling them you want to
open a
recycling business and run it out of your home. The most common response
is
that you absolutely cannot run a scrap yard out of your residential
neighborhood! Tell them you’ll being buying scrap precious metals and
they’ll
likely want to call you a refiner or a pawn shop – then wait and see how
many
bureaucratic hurdles you have to clear, how many forms you need to fill
out, how
many hoops you must jump through, and how many inspections you’ll endure
before
being told you can’t do that here.
So what are you going to do? Feeling brave (and stupid)? You can always
ignore
all that government ‘crap’ and proceed. Let’s face it, millions do, and
have no
problem. It isn’t too difficult to operate ‘under the government radar’,
as long
as you’re paying your fair share to Uncle Sam and any local (state and
community) taxing entities. If you’re prepared to risk it, be sure that
you’re
at least well-educated as to the laws you’ll be breaking. If you are
running a
benign home-based business without violating any zoning laws blatantly
(like
operating a refinery in that extra bay of your garage), creating an
environmental hazard, or having customers visit your home business on a
regular
basis, you may be fairly safe.
However, be sure you can afford some civil fines and penalties, as well
as the
legal assistance you’ll need to represent you when the paper-pushers
catch up
with you. Better yet, get that legal advice BEFORE starting your
business –
you’ll feel more secure knowing that you’ve at least met the
requirements to be
able to consider your efforts a “business”, whether legally licensed or
not, and
save the thousands in taxes you’re currently paying.
There are myriad sources you can consult for free – SCORE, your local
Chamber of
Commerce, legal aid clinics or local law schools, etc. It would probably
be a
wise expenditure to pay for an hour of a local business attorney’s time
-
although you need to be sure to locate and contact one who specializes
in small
business organization and licensing – not a generalist and not one who
sees you
and your business as a down payment on his new Porsche.
Remember, if all else fails, you can always call yourself a consultant.
This is
about the most general business field you can find. Just don’t tell them
you’re
consulting with sellers of scrap materials to negotiate the sale of
same. Even a
bureaucrat will see through that one, and you’re back to square one!
4. Where Has All The Competition Gone?
I’ve had a number of people email about some of my online competitors
suddenly
not answering emails, having their phones and faxes disconnected, and
posting
“This website temporarily unavailable” on their previously active sites.
Some have taken me to task for referring you to a business or individual
who is
no longer in business. Others have remarked that I must be happy that
the
competition has gotten less and less.
My response is quite the opposite, as a matter of fact. Although there
are many
reasons for leaving a market or shutting down a business, competition is
not in
the top 10 in my experience. I can assure you the amount of money I make
from
selling information on money-making recycling businesses hasn’t put
anybody else
out of business. In a world of 3.5 billion souls, there is ample
opportunity for
anybody wanting to enter this market, as well as almost any other market
you
could name.
No, the competition only serves to motivate us to provide a better
product or
service to our customers if we want to stay in business. Frankly, some
of my
competitors’ products have been better than mine (although more narrowly
focused) in some respects. And I’m still trying to catch up and surpass
their
efforts, even if they’re no longer ‘players’.
So what is the difference between myself and “them”? I believe the
biggest
difference, besides my generalized experience, is that I actually bought
THEIR
products and services, and learned from them. NONE of us knows
everything about
recycling, and those of us that know the most will never reveal
EVERYTHING they
know – even if they sincerely want to. There just isn’t enough time to
justify
it, and there will ALWAYS be things one simply must learn by doing.
The thing that is surprising (to me, at least) is that NONE of my
competitors
bought MY manuals. As a matter of fact, one other author flatly refused
to sell
to me, accusing me preemptively of wanting to plagiarize his work and
threatening legal action “when” I did so. Apparently he felt he had a
lock on
the knowledge and expertise (his product was excellent, by the way) in
his
particular area, and wasn’t about to let his competition (me) in on it.
I know that there will be more precioustrash.com’s, more
cashforcats.com’s, and
more scrapcats.com’s and wirelesswaste.com’s as well. Perhaps you, the
individual reading this here and now, is a future competitor. Maybe you
have
knowledge and unique experiences which qualify you to teach others how
to
improve their life. If so, I say “Welcome!”, and tell me about your
product or
service – I’ll be your first customer.
5. What, You STILL Want to Refine Your Scrap?????
Judging from the content of the messages in the FORUM, the most
discussed topic
is that of refining, especially electronics scrap. Despite my assertions
that
refining is a losing proposition and a waste of time and money for the
vast
majority of participants, there is clearly a huge demand for this
information.
As I have flatly stated multiple times before, I am not a refiner, I
have never
been a refiner, and I do NOT promote, encourage, or advise you to
attempt to do
so. I am not qualified to judge or comment on the accuracy of anything
having
to do with refining or the use of any chemicals, supplies, equipment, or
processes used in refining or purifying precious metals, or any other
scrap
materials. And any information I have published on the subject has been
reprinted from original US Bureau of Mines reports, and with the sole
intention
of teaching you just how complex, expensive, environmentally hazardous,
and
potentially deadly these processes are.
Of course, that is only valid if you want to refine the RIGHT way – that
is,
using historically proven and traditionally accepted methodologies. One
can
certainly cut corners to decrease the expense and complexity, but my
suspicion
is that doing so only increases the environmental and health risks, and
probably
decreases you’re the efficiency as well.
What little I do know about refining tells me this is an industry in
which there
is relatively little innovation and processes are done in a
traditionally
accepted way because that is what works best. You “professional”
refiners and
“certified” chemists can feel free to tell me otherwise, and I’ll have
to take
your input with a grain of NaCl. Remember, “On the Internet, nobody
knows you’re
a dog”
My point in this is, if you’re going to forge ahead and learn the hard
way, at
least learn from the “masters”. Determine that you’re going to make the
necessary investment in equipment and supplies, but especially in
KNOWLEDGE, and
follow the advice of a known quantity. Frankly, is it worth a few
hundred
dollars to learn the REAL techniques necessary to efficiently reclaim
precious
metals from scrap? Is your LIFE worth a few hundred dollars investment?
If not,
start working on your obituary, and skip to the next article.
If you see the wisdom in what I’m trying to impress upon you, you simply
MUST
invest in the works of C. M. Hoke and C. W. Ammen. They’ve been around
since
dirt and have always been the recognized and published experts in this
area.
Need an example? They are the guys that are referred to by no less than
IPMI,
the International Precious Metals Institute, not to mention Action
Mining.
Their books are mostly out of print, and are NOT cheap, but are
generally
available from these sources:
http://home.att.net/~actionmining/STOREFRONT.html (scroll through
the entire
page for more treasures), or try this resource:
http://ipmi.org/publications/index_non.cfm (you’ll possibly pay a
lot more), but
go here before buying to make sure you’re getting the best price:
http://half.com
And NO, I am NOT an affiliate of any of these organizations, so you
don’t have
to worry about me making anything from your purchases. Should you decide
to
ignore my advice and choose to experiment or follow the unproven advice
of those
you’ve heard about online, please have your loved ones cancel your
newsletter
subscription once you’re gone, and don’t bother having them send a copy
of that
obituary. Is that clear enough?
Well, I think we’ll wind it up for this version of “The Recycling
Entrepreneur”.
Let me know if you have questions, concerns, or would simply like to see
a topic
covered or an interest addressed in next month’s issue. And please visit
the
forum (and register by October 15) to take advantage of the variety of
experience and knowledge exhibited there – this is YOUR resource.
I’ll leave you with these words of wisdom: The TWO most important rules
for
success in life are:
1. NEVER tell EVERYTHING you know about a subject.
‘Til next month, happy (and profitable) recycling!
With Warm Regards - Scott Andrews
P.S. – And remember, on the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog
P.P.S. - Want to get a guaranteed $3,000 return for a $50 investment? Go
here
and GET this information:
http://tax.scottrecommends.com Frankly, without this
package, you’re not REALLY in business – you’re simply pretending. This
is VITAL
to your success.
Please rate this Ezine at the Cumuli Ezine Finder
http://www.cumuli.com/ezines/ra72578.rate
<a href=http://www.cumuli.com/ezines/ra72578.rate>
AOL Users Click Here</a>
|
