Yes, you have to know it all so you can make a decision...
As the saying goes, "Situations (S*#%@) Happen." On Tuesday November 30th, 2010, I appeared before a Federal Judge in Philadelphia and entered a plea of guilty to two counts of mail fraud and two counts of wire fraud and will be sentenced to 46 to 52 months in Federal Prison. I have been living with this situation for the past two years. I felt it was important that I be the one to tell all of my friends and readers as soon as possible. Since this newsletter is free and you are taking the time to read my thoughts, I want you to remember that you do have the option after reading it to just go to the bottom of the page and click "Unsubscribe" and you won't hear from me again.
Many of you have attended one or more of my sales training and/or business opportunity presentations I have given to the group in Allentown and Lancaster. I hope this revelation does not cause you to change your mind in regard to anything I imparted at these meetings. As far as the meetings in Allentown, York and Lancaster are concerned, my return will be up to the individuals involved, the consultants and, of course, the companies. I will still be available for the next two to three months to help you grow your business: and I will be most happy and most pleased to continue to share with you the knowledge and experience I have garnered over a span of 70-years, if you so desire. I both know and understand that there are individuals that will not want me back and I do respect their position.
Putting aside my personal situation, I advise all of those involved in some of the opportunities, not to forget the tremendous opportunity that has been presented to them. Always bear in mind, "A sure way to miss success is to miss the opportunity!"
My Ramblins'™ will be published at least up to the day I leave for prison and hopefully those of you that remain on the mailing list will gain something from what I write. For those of you who gained inspiration from the meetings, I hope you will think back to when I said, "50% of life is Attitude and the other 50% is Attitude." Think about my Attitude at the meetings, knowing what was in my future. Believe me when I tell you, one's attitude effects those around them so it's important not to allow others to be affected by your situation...be thankful, as I am for what I have...what I don't have or the difficulties I may have, can all be handled. Don't let the past steal your present. You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.
Some of you may be asking "How did this happen? Well I don't want to take your time --but, I do believe you should have the option to know. You can click delete or you can read on and I will give you a brief outline. . .and if you have any questions I will be glad to answer them.
I have written numerous times on my blog www.realworldentrepreneur.com about action and reaction and in short the actions taking place are a reaction to my actions. In most cases individuals look for someone to blame: in my case its simple, it's me.
How Does It Happen?
 Positive Mental Attitude Mistakes - Missteps Errors-in-Judgment Accepting Responsibility
Just a small number of words ... although the number of words may be small, the meanings and results of them may carry more consequences than one might believe. Being a Serial Entrepreneur starts like any other addiction; a thought enters your mind and the mental process starts and does not stop and then the first large problem bursts on the scene...Your Positive Mental Attitude! If you have read some of the articles I have written or listened to some of my talks, you will remember that I am against a Positive Mental Attitude (PMA). That does not mean that I am any better than anyone else since I too let it kick-in from time-to-time. What happens is once PMA kicks in, rationality usually kicks out. Once this uncontrollable feeling kicks in, rational thinking gets put on the shelf because you've read about it in every self-help book on the shelf and, as a result, "you know that you can do it."
Once that feeling is "in control," mistakes and missteps come into full time play. I started making decisions based on what I thought I could handle and control. It truly is amazing the decisions you make when the attitude is positive and you believe you can do anything and you don't rethink your decisions. In 2005, my Serial Entrepreneur addiction kicked in and I decided to assemble a group of individuals that I could set-up in business and assist them in developing a large, successful business. And thus achieve financial success for all involved parties.
Knowing that, due to previous problems, I was prevented from doing it on my own, I move ahead with the plan and acted as an independent consultant to the group. With my PMA under control, I knew we could overcome anything. And, sad to say, we might have if I had chosen the right individuals. We were growing and my involvement became more than I bargained for --but, I felt the chosen group was making progress.
Unfortunately, we were not prepared for the future events that took place. My wife passed away and I had this business concept that I thought I should step aside from and turn it over to others. In reality what I was doing was the same type of thing that I criticize the banks for doing: lending to individuals more than they could afford to pay back. In essence, I was turning a struggling business over to folks who really did not have the wherewithal, knowledge and background to handle the project. What happened? The banks, from which loans have been obtained, instituted foreclosures on pledged assets. As a result, the individuals I allowed to take control encountered several major problems.
The first group that was prepared to take over did not agree to the terms laid down by the president of the company. So I made a suggestion as how to handle the problem by establishing an agreement regarding ownership percentages. No resolution was reached which caused the deal to fall apart. A second group was assembled and took control. My "Errors-in-Judgment" started again which ended up being a major mistake. I allowed this group to take over, knowing they did not have the skills to right the situation, but knowing, also, their presence would enable me to walk away and find peace...but, I didn't. In fact, the exact opposite took place. First I watched the procedures and processes being put in place, which long experience indicated to me that they were wrong for the firm. Despite that, I developed an attitude that I despise in others: "it's not my problem anymore." Then I let myself became involved on a personal level; by then, procedures were in place that would take major moves to resolve. I knew that the said moves would require steps that I was not allowed to make and that the owners had no idea how or what to do. Sure enough, my PMA kicked-in and caused me to step-in and make it happen, and like the gambler's prayer, "One more hand and my luck will change" gave me an answer.
At this point, watching individuals you care about digging themselves in deeper, you, against your better judgment, make questionable decisions that very often create bigger problems, especially if not handled properly; then knowing that they would not know how to handle them; you allow them to venture down that path because you believe they could learn by doing and thus reach the established goals. Bearing in mind that I would have to be there to help, knowing that it was a most serious mistake. Then, like a lot of other things in life, they started to make some moves on their own because they believed they had learned and understood the process and further believed they should make a turn because that is what I did before, without questioning why Imade the moves to start with.
Errors-in-Judgment;
1. When I wanted out, I should have closed it out, forthwith: actually, knowing the restrictions I was under and the 30 months of incarceration I endured do to it, I should have never started. 2. I should have never allowed an inexperienced individual to take over so I could walk away. Questions and investigations started and I stepped up (not as soon as I should have) and called the Postal Inspector and told my story and agreed to accept responsibility for my poor judgment.
This is a summary; I hope that there is something for you to learn from it, besides the obvious from my journey. I also hope that this emphasizes the pit falls of PMA. In addition, I hope that the attitude you have witnessed from me helps you understand that others have problems like you, some on the greater side and some on the lesser; but to the individual involved it is always major. Keep your attitude up, it will help you get through your problems and your attitude will help others feel good about life and help them handle theirs.
I hope you understand my position in telling you my story directly, I hope that you learn from this story and I hope you have gained something from my Ramblins'.
Thank you for letting me share this part of your life... Have a wonderful Holiday Season! Enjoy life, as it is a gift and a wonderful gift it is!
If you wish to make any statement good or bad...
I can be emailed at; evellissr@gmail.com or my cell: (484) 620-6398
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