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beauzos · 4 years
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Webkinz Games Ranked
Because I have nothing better to do and I’d never played all the Webkinz games before now.  Includes Tournament games and board games, but is mainly about the arcade.
Wheel of Wow/Deluxe and Wishing Well will not be ranked, but other Dailies will.
Also include Academy games.  I did not have Plumpy’s Hairdresser when I made this, but I do now upon this edit.
So in general the arcade games are sorted alphabetically, with random exceptions. I’m just going down the list as-is in the arcade.
Grand Grotto - one of the match three-esque games, though you mainly just click stuff.  A little tough, but I wasn’t trying very hard.  The graphics aren’t that thrilling but aren’t bad.  Tries to do something interesting things, but I don’t really love a lot of the Webkinz takes on match three games. 5/10.
Goody Gumdrops - an infinite running style game where you collect gumdrops to progress.  This game is not fun.  Feels like the flow of Kinzcash you get is also less compared to a lot of other games.  Not much going on after the first minute or so. 4/10.  EDIT: I was actually really mean to this game and I don’t know why.  I really like it now.  It’s fun, not too intensive.  Inoffensive and cute.  You actually do make decent KC from it.  7/10.
Polar Plunge - this was one of my favorite games when I was a kid.  You sled down a hill.  It’s simple.  I have never fucking completed a track of this game in my life.  Don’t like the new version, but the art style isn’t offensive.  I find the older art style for the games more charming, though.  It’s fun.  8/10.
Cash Cow - another game I probably played a lot, though I prefer 2.  Another take on the match three.  This game also had its art style updated, but I just don’t like the lineless look of the update.  It’s soulless, and it makes the visuals more busy and hard to follow for me.  All right game though.  7/10.
Smoothie Moves - this is basically just Zuma, which my dad loves playing.  I like this kind of game, too, though I suck at it.  Nice visuals, clean, fun gameplay.  8/10.
Wacky Zingoz - one of those games where you try to hit something as far as you can.  It’s so basic, it’s not really anything, and you can’t make much money on it-- like 10 Kinzcash is generous in terms of how much you make.  Not fun.  1/10.
Wacky Zingoz Extreme - the EXTREME version of Wacky Zingoz, except with more bats and more to do, but still not much.  An improvement.  3/10.
Ant Mania: Picnic 2 - the thrilling sequel to Picnic.  Not bad, I remember playing this one a lot.  You just try to collect food while avoiding spiders and fire ants.  It’s simple, but fun.  Not really my favorite though.  5/10.
Atlantiles - I don’t know how to describe this game.  You match tiles together, but it’s not like a match three.  Never played this game till now, but I love it.  Excellent game, really fun, a little challenging but not too hard.  10/10.
Bananza - a really basic, older game.  You collect bananas and avoid obstacles.  Not the most visually interesting or engaging game.  3/10.
Booger Gets an A - I get the impression this very basic addition game is for the youngest fans of Webkinz, but the games get difficult really fast simply because of the speed.  It caught me by surprise because I had no memory of that.  Not bad.  5/10.
Zingoz Bounce ‘N’ Burst - I remember really liking this game but it’s not very fun to play now.  You try to burst bouncing Zingoz and it’s not particularly interesting, but is challenging.  5/10.
Candy Bash - a brick breaker clone.  Not particularly fun-- it feels like your character is way too close to the bricks.  4/10.
Candy Bash 2: Viva Poncho - this one is about as equally unfun, but not the same game as the first.  You have more ability to move and control what’s going on, but you’re really slow.  You’re just sauntering back and forth to bust candy blocks falling, and it’s just kinda eh.  4/10.
Cash Cow 2 - I like this game.  I’ve played this game many times.  Another take on match three, but I enjoy it more than the original.  Solid game, good fun, I’m terrible at it.  7/10.
Color Storm - somehow wasn’t looking forward to this game but I had some fun with it.  Another kind of match three, but challenging and interesting.  A good take on the broad genre.  7/10.
Crafty Canaries - a match three.  Good fun to play, I played it to completion.  Not too much going on but it’s solid.  8/10.
Dashing Dolphin - the controls are slippery and awkward.  You’re trying to navigate through hoops and through nets, but it’s not fun to control or to play.  1/10.
Dogbeard’s Gold - expected something different from the title, but it’s fine.  The only control is clicking with good timing to shoot from one island to the next.  It’s all right.  Not much to write home about and not much Kinzcash to make up for it.  I liked the visuals.  4/10.
Eager Beaver’s Adventure Park - I don’t like spelling games.  This is a take on one, but I didn’t really enjoy it.  3/10.
Flutter Bugged - just running around and avoiding bees(?) using flowers.  Can get wild pretty fast, not bad.  5/10.
Get Eleven Solitaire - I fucking love Webkinz card games.  This is no exception.  The game is extremely simple and is pretty much the same every level, but I like it.  I like solitaire and I like the take on it to get to eleven.  It’s good, casual gameplay and nice visuals.  I bought a Deluxe membership to play this game.  10/10.
Go-Go Googles - I remember loving this one as a kid, might have even gotten the trophy for it.  Fun, but basic.  You jump to collect flowers and protect the tree from butterflies.  It’s fine, but the controls feel slightly janky, but not bad.  5/10.
Goober’s Atomic Adventure - basically an updated version of Goober’s Lab, except with pay-to-win and pay-to-play elements!  You can play without, but it’s clear they want you to pay.  I do not like this because of that.  0/10.
Goober’s Lab - the OG match three.  Fun, but it’s really slow, like painfully slow.  It is good fun, though.  7/10, would have been 8 without the slowness.
Griddling Gourmet - I wonder how many people have even unlocked this game?  After owning an account for 12 years and playing on and off, I unlocked this game this month.  You get it by completing all levels of the Cooking course, and it’s basically just an arcade version of that lesson.  It’s all right-- I feel like the academy version controls better, but I always loved the Cooking class.  9/10.
Hatch the Dragon - kinda reminds me of 2048?  You try to hatch the Dragon.  Fun, challenging, interesting, and I want to give it a go after the initial playthrough to see if I can do better.  8/10.
Skunk Sweeper: Hide ‘N’ Skunk -  a take on Minesweeper.  I don’t like Minesweeper or this.  1/10.
Home Before Dark - kinda like Meepit Juice Break on Neopets?  I actually do like games like where you’re shifting the position of pipes around to achieve something, but it’s nothing to write home about.  6/10.
Hoppy Little Rocketship - an infinite jumping kind of game.  I like those games, but this game is wildly laggy and that really ruins the experience.  2/10.
Hungry Hog - this game is ugly and not particularly fun.  A take on Pac-Man, I guess?  I liked this game a lot as a kid but it’s just kinda eh.  4/10.
Iceberg Escapades - not fun.  Controls don’t feel right.  Another bland clicking game.  1/10.
Jazz Monsters - this game confused me on account of the fact that the purple monster isn’t purple, but its color matches up perfectly with the keyboard, which is pink, but is actually like, supposed to be the Green Instrument or something.  Not fun.  1/10.
Jumbleberry Fields - it’s a daily, but you have some actual control over what’s going on so it’s included.  It’s Yahtzee except the dice are loaded, but I like it.  This game, like most of Webkinz, is buggy, and one time, I filled up my Jumbleberry Jar and tried to redeem my prize, but the game bugged out and it reset to zero with me receiving no prize.  I’m still mad.  Not really gonna rank it, but like, 7/10.
Jumbleberry Blast - a match three, but this one is really satisfying to play.  Not a whole lot to say about it, but I actually like this one!  8/10.
Leapin’ Llama - game allegedly lets you use the mouse but it doesn’t work.  A basic infinite running game.  Not fun.  Slow.  3/10.
Lily Padz - this game is fuck ugly, but controls good.  Really simple, but pretty fun.  The jumping feels good and the controls are actually tight!  Wow!  6/10.
Lily Padz 2: Tropical Downpourz - it’s like the first one except it’s not ugly and controls really bad.  Hard to gauge how far your jump goes and doesn’t feel right like the first one does.  Not good.  1/10.
Dex Dangerous(tm) and the Lunar Lugbotz!(tm) - the Webkinz challenges made me play this game 500 times and I’m sick of it.  It’s a basic Asteroids game.  It’s all right, but I don’t like it. 3/10.
Lunch Letters - a typing game.  Very Hard really means that mode is fucking hard, so I’m impressed.  I don’t love typing games, but it’s not bad.  5/10.
Ms. Cowaline’s Rollcall - a really fast-paced game where you try to keep track of whether you’ve seen the same Webkinz in a row.  Super fun, I suck at reaction games, but maybe a little too simple?  7/10.
Operation Gumball - I’m bad at this one, and don’t find the number puzzles super interesting, BUT it’s unique so I’ll give it points.  Not really for me but not bad.  6/10.
Pet Party Parade - another take on match three.  This idea of freeing a creature by clearing paths has been used a million times in these Webkinz match threes, like the Grotto one and Jumbleberry Blast. but isn’t as fun.  4/10.
Picnic - the original Picnic, just a take on the snake game.  Simple, but solid.  5/10.
Pinky’s Big Adventure - essentially a remake of Hungry Hog, but with a face lift and some slight changes to the gameplay.  Not bad.  Not my favorite, though, since I don’t really enjoy Pac-Man style games to begin with.  5/10.
Pizza Palace - delicious, finally some good fucking food.  Love this one.  In the vein of Cake Mania, a series I LOVE, you make pizzas.  It’s stressful, like working a food job in real life.  I love this game, but I’ve never completed it.  I wish they gave you more than one life for such a long and difficult game.  Can’t complain much, though.  10/10.
Plumpy’s Hairdresser - the arcade version of the Grooming class.  Fun.  Pretty much the same as always.  8/10.
Polarberry Jam - pretty much like Bananza except now it’s a polar bear?  It’s not fun.  Character is too slow and feels limiting.  1/10.
Pumpkin Patch Protector - fuck ugly, but I don’t know any other Webkinz games like it, so points for creativity?  It’s a click and shoot type of game.  Not much to write home about.  3/10.
Quizzy’s Word Challenge - I don’t like spelling games, but this is more fun than Eager Beaver’s.  Not bad.  It’s kind of like boggle, I guess?  5/10.
Skater Kat - hip and kewl.  The controls are okay but feel a little slow.  Not particularly fun or interesting.  You just skateboard and jump.  3/10.
Spree! - another daily, but you get to do stuff.  It’s a virtual board game.  I like it, and I like the idea of saving up money to spend one you get to the end.  8/10.
Stack ‘Em Up Solitaire - a basic take on Solitaire.  I wish the game looked just a little better- the green they used isn’t really nice to look at for long periods of times.  I like this one.  6/10.
Stardrops - another take on match three.  Looks pretty, kinda interesting, but not my favorite.  5/10.
Tile Towers - I love Mahjong, but the colors they use for the tiles make this game hard to play.  It’s hard to distinguish the tiles apart, so that’s not fun.  If you want to play a Mahjong clone on a pet site, just stick with Koujong on Neopets.  2/10.
Triple Strike Solitaire - Solitaire, except this time it’s in pyramids!!!  I actually prefer this to the other Solitaire, but it still is a little visually unpleasant, but not too bad.  I wish they would update this one!  8/10.
Banaza: Tropical Troubles - the thrilling sequel to the original.  Pretty much the same except you don’t progress in levels, it just keeps going till you lose.  A little more going on, but eh.  The platforming doesn’t feel good.  3/10.
Tulip Troubles 2 - where’s Tulip Troubles 1.  We want answers.  A quick reaction game.  Fun.  Not bad.  Kinda just gets stale after a while.  5/10.
Tunneling Twigsy - this is not fun.  Kind of like the Polar Bear one from Neopets but nowhere near as fun?  1/10.
Wacky’s Bullseye Batter - a batting game.  Basic, fun.  It’s okay.  5/10.
WackyER Zingoz - the THIRD version of Wacky Zingoz, and this one is actually pretty all right.  Way more going on visually, there’s levels, it’s chill.  6/10.
Waddell’s Icecap Adventure - we all hate ice physics, right?  Right.  Mixed the other Penguin game up with this.  The controls are bad and it’s not fun.  2/10.
Webkinz Rally - it’s all right?  A really basic racing game, but I wish there was more to it. 4/10.
Scrambled - love this one.  So simple, but challenging, but fun.  You make omelettes until you win.  Customers are mean to you like in real life.  10/10.
Where’s Wacky - basic memory matching game.  It’s okay. 3/10.
Whimsy Skies - idk how to describe and I don’t want to because it’s got the classic Control Slowness(tm) and isn’t fun.  One point added because I love Webkinz dragons, though.  2/10.
Zacky’s Quest - I want to actually complete this game some day but I have no patience for it.  It’s unique, interesting, kind of an actual game and isn’t a match three.  I like the adventure vibes. 6/10.
Zingoz Bounce - this game disappeared from my arcade.  It was the game of the day the other day and I know they get taken out of the arcade list for that day but when it switched over it didn’t come back and I didn’t have the chance to play it when it was game of the day.  Found it making this list though and it’s a boring clicking-to-support-the-ball game.  1/10.
Zingoz Pie - you throw pie.  You do not have fun. 2/10.
Zingoz Pop - another updated game visually and it just totally lose the charm the original version has-- which you can play in the Quick-Play Arena, at least.  It’s not much, though.  4/10.
Zingoz Zangoz - it’s not fun.  It’s a fruit bouncing game and I just don’t care for the visuals or the gameplay.  1/10.
TOURNAMENT GAMES
Webkinz Supermodelz - I’ll argue that this is the most popular tournament game.  I like it.  You pick out outfits and the judges arbitrarily judge you.  9/10.
Cash Cow Battles - the same as the original Cash Cow but you’re competing against someone else.  7/10.
Wacky Zingoz - no.  1/10.
Link’D - it’s Connect Four.  I like Connect Four.  5/10.
Checkers - I don’t like Checkers because I’m bad at it.  If I wanted to bad at that kind of game I’d play Chess JKSDBFSD.  Tried playing against the AI with Alyssa Fairy and she wiped the floor with me.  3/10.
Bogbeard’s Bathtub Battles - it’s Battleship but with cool power-ups.  Actually very fun.  9/10.
Rock Paper Scissors - what do you think.  5/10.
Chef Challenge - my favorite tourney game.  I LOVE making recipes in Webkinz so this is just a blast.  10/10.
Kinz Pinz Bowling - it’s virtual bowling, so not bad.  5/10.
Goober’s Atomicolicious - a take on Goober’s Lab but with a few more things-- trying to fill vials of color before your opponent does.  I already like Goober’s Lab, so.  This version is not slow, so that’s great.  8/10.
Duck Crossing - not a big fan?  I like that it’s a strategy game but it’s just okay.  6/10.
Zingoz Switcherooz - not a fan, really, but it’s simple and inoffensive.  I suck at strategy games.  4/10.
BOARD GAMES
Farming Frenzy - kinda fun, but really simple.  I remember liking this game a lot.  6/10.
Go Fish - wow.  it’s Go Fish.  5/10.
Jigsaw - love jigsaw games.  For some reason the ask/chat/rap functions pop up and make the game pretty much unplayable for me.  I’m so mad, because this was my favorite Webkinz board game.  WHY does this pop up when it’s a one player game.  1/10.  Would have been a 9/10 otherwise.
Pool - it’s Pool.  But it wouldn’t let me play, so idk.  I remember it being all right, though.  5/10.
Skunk Sweeper - it’s basically an original Minesweeper instead of what we get in the aracde version?  But I don’t like Minesweeper. 1/10.
Webkinz Air Hockey - it’s virtual air hockey.  It’s fun, though.  7/10.
Webkinz Coloring - it’s a virtual coloring book.  1/10.
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hunterglow224 · 3 years
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Business In A Box 2020
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Starting an online organization to sell courses or other academic items requires more than just a site with your item listings. Have you already leveraged a strategy for marketing your products and incentivizing clients? Kartra ”Affiliate Business In A Box” And how much cash will you need to put into it before you get money out of it? What about the logistics of payment plans and payment processors?
The sheer weight of all of it can be disabling, but you’re not alone. This dilemma can be fixed with the right software application.
The term “all-in-one” platform frequently creates mixed reactions. On the one hand, the simplicity and ease of browsing a single platform is really attractive. And on the other hand, it might appear too good to be true– perhaps it has all the pieces you need, but are the pieces any good? Suzuki ltr 450 oil capacity. Both responses are fair, especially when you’re online organization will rely practically completely on the software application you select.
A free version of Business-in-a-Box 8.0.4 can be found on our software library. The copyright holder of it is BizTree Inc. The software can be often named 'Business-in-a-Box Application', 'Business-in-a-Box Demo FR', 'Business-in-a-Box. Top 20 Contract Management Software (2020) Best For. Business-in-a-Box is designed to help business people get more done in less time. This do-it-yourself document templates software has been created. Turn YOUR Business Into An Automated Online Sales Machine (In Just 2 Days) Introducing Online Business In A Box™ The Online Business In A Box course is a proven and tested online implementation program that teaches you exactly how to start and set up a fully automated online business in just 2 days. Business in a box 2020 serial numbers, cracks and keygens are presented here. No registration. The download is free, enjoy.
That’s why, in this short article, I’m going to introduce you to Kartra, a platform that weds the very best of both worlds. From a single user interface, you can effortlessly produce, launch, and market your online business.
What Is Kartra?
Kartra is a cloud-based, fully-integrated internet marketing platform. An overwhelming 90% of companies won’t make it past the first 5 years, and among the most significant contributors to this statistic is that they aren’t prepared to market effectively. Kartra ”Affiliate Business In A Box”
To fix that problem, Kartra provides a detailed set of features that work together seamlessly to make it possible for even rookie entrepreneurs to succeed. Too ofetn, the need for these functions is discovered when you are deep into running an online organization. By then, it’s really challenging to backtrack; there’s too much to lose. To keep things going, you often wind up forking out a great deal of money– and developing a lot of trouble– to bolt on solutions.
Kartra requires one platform, one set of login credentials, and one fixed monthly payment to develop, launch, and market your online organization. It provides you everything you need– a professional market, appealing landing pages, subscription abilities, and an effective checkout process that’s uniquely developed to maximize customer conversion rates.
The Marketers Behind Kartra
The Kartra platform was developed by internet online marketer Mike Filsaime and Andy Jenkins in 2018. The pair formerly constructed Saas tools Webinar Jam and Ever Webinar through Genesis Digital.
Corel 2019 crack. Frank Kern, a rock star in the direct response advertising world helped build training modules and workshops for Kartra Academy. The academy is totally free for Kartra users and an indispensable resource for the all-in-one platform.
Pros
It’s an all-in-one online marketing platform
It has inbuilt funnel templates
It supplies great value for your cash
It boasts special features such as membership websites and the helpdesk
Great for beginners
It has a trustworthy video hosting capacity
Pre-made online campaignsPre-written sales copies
Affiliate system Kartra ”Affiliate Business In A Box”
Email autoresponder system inbuilt
Lots of videos to learn from
Cons
No third-party integrations
There’s not much known about Kartra because it’s a new company
It’s pricey if you are a small business owner
It’s not great when it pertains to physical products
Kartra Features
You will have all the info of your affiliates in one place, so you will have the ability to interact with them in a simpler way. You can even remain connected with them with the integrated affiliate e-mail system. This will help your network grow.
Kartra has a calendar to set up all your conferences with your clients, no matter the business design that you have. It will help you have everything organized. Your clients can set up, inspect and self handle their consultations by themselves, this tool is life changer.
This is a perfect tool if you sell items online, either physical, digital, individual and training courses. Produce a special item page and checkouts that will make your website stand apart from the rest.
Kartra has templates that you can use to develop a page, they have pre-made design templates that are different for each type of business, you just need to click the design template that fits more to your need and edit it to make it work for you.
With Kartra you can send automatic emails to follow up with your customers, and you will have the ability to develop the design templates and make the email customized for each customer.
Kartra makes it possible for you to integrate your favorite third-party apps, payment gateways and cloud/SaaS business platforms all into one convenient location. If one of your favorite tools can’t integrate to Kartra basic email them and they will help you. Kartra ”Affiliate Business In A Box”
Ready Developed Projects/ Funnels
Kartra has start to finish web marketing projects in place and they are designed by Frank Kern– a man who has generated a million in a day from online marketing campaigns. Essentially you get spoon fed a marketing system developed by among the leaders in the field.
The most work you perform in these projects is input your product name, and preferred pricing.
You can also develop your own projects if you believe they can equal Frank Kerns! Kartra utilize a drag and drop sequence builder which can permit you to automate email series and add customers to subscription lists in a personal method which helps increase conversions. Kartra ”Affiliate Business In A Box”
Taking more control of your funnel content will happen naturally as you gain experience but these templates a terrific base to begin with if you are new to internet marketing.
Business In A Box Review
Karta Review – What Can Kartra Replace?
This was the first question I asked after I went through the marketing material. It is a great way to measure how valuable Kartra could be to your organization. I started to do the math.
This is the software application I am already using or planning to use to handle my online marketing:
Landing Page Software: Leadpages $25 monthly
Email Automation: Drip and ConvertKit $41 each month or $29 each month
Form Creation: Drip, ConvertKit, and Leadpages all provide this
Course Hosting: Teachable– $39 each month
Shopping Cart: SamCart– $99 per month Kartra ”Affiliate Business In A Box”
Business In A Box 2020 Chevy
Affiliate Management: I have actually been testing iDev Affiliate. $39 each month
If you are simply beginning, you might only require Landing Page and Email Automation software application. If you are on a limited budget Leadpages $37 per month (or $25 per month if paid each year) and a totally free Drip account (free for up to 100 mailboxes), is my suggested route.
Nevertheless, if you add up all the above items you are taking a look at a beginning cost of nearly $250 monthly Kartra Starter is $89 monthly (paid yearly) If you have a bigger email list then the cost increases as displayed in the table below.
Kartra Rates
Summary of plans Kartra has 4 primary billing plans which are the Starter, Silver, Gold, and Platinum plan, which all costs $99, $199, $299, and $499. You can either pick to be billed regular monthly or yearly.
Individual Plans:
Starter Plan For this plan you’re restricted to 2,500 contacts, 15,000 e-mails each month, 100 pages, 20 items and 1 custom domain. Kartra ”Affiliate Business In A Box”
Silver Plan You will be able to have up to 12,500 contacts, 125,000 e-mails each month, and limitless pages, products, unrestricted helpdesk and 3 customized domains.
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Gold Plan For this plan you’re limited to 25,000 leads, 250,000 e-mails per month, unrestricted pages, endless products and 5 custom domains.
Platinum Plan You will be able to have up to 50,000 contacts, 500,000 emails each month, and unlimited pages, products, limitless helpdesk and 10 customized domains.
Annual vs Month-to-month Rates
The distinction between the yearly and the month-to-month rates is that you will be able to save approximately 25% is you chose the annual plan.
Incentives $1 Trial
They have a special offer for a 2 week trial for just $1 and try Kartra and see if it is what you are searching for.
Refund guarantee
If for any reason you’re not satisfied with Kartra you can get a complete refund when you request it within 30 days after your purchase. Kartra ”Affiliate Business In A Box”
Final Thoughts
If you only see yourself using one of these features early on like the funnel builder then you are much better off signing up with a more funnel focused platform like Clickfunnels.
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Nevertheless, if your company is or will be using numerous features then Kartra will save you a great deal of headaches in regards to cost and in getting numerous software application platforms to work well in tandem with each other.
Not forgetting the quality of each function also, especially their campaign templates, subscription sites and webinar function. Kartra ”Affiliate Business In A Box”
The $1 trial period really should likewise iron out any uncertainty but if you are uncertain about any features, simply ask me your concerns listed below in the message section.
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tangtang7843-blog · 5 years
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Larry Lubarsky – Wholesale Academy (Group Buy)   Uncover The Worthwhile Amazon Enterprise Mannequin That Helped Me Scale To eight-Determine Revenues in 2 Years   The Most Complete Program To Create, Run, And Scale Your Amazon Wholesale Enterprise To six, 7, And eight Figures. The Wholesale Academy Is The Solely Implementation Program Of It’s Type That Helps An Amazon Novice Remodel Into An Absolute Wholesale Professional. That is what you’ll get once you register for the Wholesale Academy  Idea and observe, plus actual life classes and examples for setting the foundations of a worthwhile Amazon Wholesale Enterprise. 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By the top of this module you should have an in-depth understanding of the Amazon market, the wholesale enterprise mannequin, and find out how to correctly set your enterprise up for fulfillment.We’ll Cowl:2-1 Promoting on Amazon 1012-2 The Wholesale Enterprise Model2-Three Vendor Central 1012-Four Getting Started2-5 What’s Subsequent   Module 3: FINDING PROFITABLE SUPPLIERSIn Module 3, you’ll study the core milestone of what spells true success for a worthwhile Amazon wholesale enterprise – discovering worthwhile suppliers. On this module I share Eight strategies and over 9 hours of coaching on find out how to supply the proper suppliers, what standards they will need to have, the place to seek out them, and extra importantly find out how to open them as accounts!I’ll share the precise phrase for phrase scripts, templates and processes I take advantage of to beat objection and land a few of my most worthwhile distributors. Numerous inexperienced sellers use the incorrect strategy to contact suppliers.The teachings on this module will allow you to get rid of these errors and have you ever opening worthwhile wholesale accounts.We’ll Cowl:3-1   Intro to Wholesale Sourcing3-2   On-line Search3-3   Class Filtering3-4   Leaf Sourcing3-5   Software program Filtering3-6   Focusing on the Competition3-7   Commerce Present Lists3-8   The Secret to Profitable Wholesale Accounts3-9   Contacting Distributors & Wholesalers3-10 Contacting Brands3-11 From Results in Earnings   Module 4: BUYING THE RIGHT PRODUCTSIn module 4, I’m going to share all my secrets and techniques to discovering worthwhile and replenishable merchandise. Understanding what merchandise to purchase (and extra importantly which merchandise to keep away from) is without doubt one of the most necessary issues it's essential to know. I'm going deep in uncovering the do’s and don’ts of product analysis, offering over 10 hours of video walkthroughs of how I take advantage of these methods to supply my merchandise, negotiate reductions and shut worthwhile offers.We’ll Cowl:4-1   Sourcing 1014-2   Product Analysis 14-3   Product Analysis 24-4   Product Analysis 34-5   Product Analysis 44-6   Product Analysis Hack with Jungle Scout4-7   Scanning Value Lists with Software4-8   Scanning Value Lists with Tactical Arbitrage4-9   Scanning Value Lists with AMZ Analyzer4-10 Scanning Value Lists with Value Checker 24-11 Sourcing Tips4-12 Inserting Your First Orders4-13 Negotiating 1014-14 Working With Suppliers   Module 5: SHIPPING & LOGISTICSAs wholesale sellers on Amazon, we’re continuously liable for dealing with hundreds of bodily merchandise. Whether or not it’s putting orders from the suppliers, from receiving stock, to labeling, prepping and packing that stock. To transport it again out to Amazon and every thing in between, Module 5 will train you every thing that it's essential learn about dealing with, operating and working a wholesale FBA businessWe’ll Cowl:5-1 Amazon Transport 1015-2 Creating Shipments5-Three Product Prep5-Four Stock Workflow5-5 Provider Transport To Amazon5-6 Working with Prep Facilities   Module 6: MANAGING YOUR INVENTORYIt’s necessary to make sure all important parts of your enterprise are efficient, environment friendly, they usually contribute to the enterprise’s backside line. This implies you’ll learn to handle your merchandise on Amazon, perceive when and find out how to reorder stock, handle your cash, and use all of this info to make shopping for choices and guarantee a worthwhile FBA enterprise.We’ll Cowl:6-1 Stock Administration 1016-2 Conserving Monitor Of Your Products6-Three Pricing and Competition6-Four Replenishment Strategies6-5 Replenishing your Inventory6-6 Stock Administration Software6-7 Stock Well being   Module 7: ACCOUNT HEALTHIn module 7, you’ll learn to maintain your Amazon account in prime notch well being and keep compliance within the face of Amazon’s altering guidelines. What this implies is studying find out how to keep away from and take care of points, complaints, IP violations, account suspensions, in addition to establishing methods to run your enterprise the proper method.We’ll Cowl:7-1 Account Well being 1017-2 Coping with Customers7-Three Eradicating Adverse Feedback7-Four Account Administration   Module 8: GROWING YOUR BUSINESSYou’ve achieved the exhausting work (modules 1-7), carried out the methods, opened worthwhile wholesale accounts, and also you’re earning money. Congratulations! Module Eight tackles the “progress” side of your Amazon enterprise. How one can multiply your success and set the bedrock for scalability (extra on this within the superior trainings)We’ll Cowl:8-1 How To Achieve Wholesale8-2 Graduation8-Three Persevering with Schooling   Superior Trainings For Amazon Wholesalers Prepared To Scale (Worth: $5,000) For college students who’ve graduated from the principle course content material (core modules 1-8) and are able to scale their Amazon wholesale enterprise to 7 and 8-figures plus revenues I’ve created the Wholesale Academy’s Persevering with Schooling program This portion of the course is the equal of getting an MBA in Amazon wholesale. It consists of a big assortment of superior & supplemental trainings designed to construct upon what you’ve learnt in modules 1-8, after which skyrocket your enterprise to the subsequent stage. For entrepreneurs who're able to scale – that is your go-to useful resource for the most recent and biggest high-level Amazon FBA trainingExpect to:● At all times keep forward of the curve and updated with what’s working in wholesale TODAY – not Three years in the past or perhaps a yr in the past. The superior trainings will probably be up to date typically with recent content material as a way to take your Amazon schooling (and enterprise) to new heights. ● Get entry to premium content material (at the moment within the works) on the next subjects:■ Product Analysis Deep-Dives■ Cash, Revenue & Money circulate Methods■ Coping with Coverage Violations and Complaints■ Leveraging Digital Assistants to Scale Your Enterprise■ Itemizing Optimization■ Normal Working Procedures■ Promoting on Amazon in Europe■ Plus a lot extra!● Get notifications on new guidelines, insurance policies, and the methods it's essential keep forward of the sport so that you just by no means encounter “surprises”. ● As a pupil of the Wholesale Academy, you get lifetime entry to the superior trainings.   Plus You Get These Sport Altering Bonuses ○ Right here’s what you’ll study:● BONUS # 1 (worth: $2,500): Twice a month stay group teaching calls with me the place you'll be able to ask me ANY query about your Amazon wholesale enterprise. These calls will probably be recorded so don’t fear when you can’t make it stay.● BONUS # 2 (worth: $1,000): Interactive Visitor Trainings with different 7 and 8-figure wholesalers who’ll share with you the way they constructed their companies, the errors they made, what they did proper, and reply your questions. I'm going to be bringing in actually a number of the greatest & greatest wholesale sellers within the enterprise to assist college students of the Academy! ● BONUS # 3 (worth: $1,000): Amazon UK/EU Course: For Amazon wholesalers taken with increasing their operations in Europe in addition to for European Amazon wholesalers, I’m proud to launch this particular bonus which is a full-length course to reach this market. How one can capitalize on Amazon’s European FBA community and get model identify merchandise to Prime clients in 26 European nations. The step-by-step plan on find out how to take your Amazon US enterprise worldwide. How one can perceive and put together for abroad transport & logistics. How one can maximize worthwhile good points and reduce dangers when coping with foreign currency in non-US markets. Get aware of the essential understanding of VAT, the European equal of US gross sales tax, how that is important to your market entry technique, and what it means to your wholesale enterprise. ● BONUS # 4 (worth: $1,000): Amazon Bundles 101 course – Amazon product bundling is without doubt one of the greatest methods to spice up gross sales and earnings.It’s additionally top-of-the-line methods to seek out nice alternatives and keep away from listings with a number of competitors. On this bonus mini-course, I’ll present you precisely find out how to analysis, create and revenue from super-profitable bundle alternatives. (*this bonus will launch in early 2020). ● BONUS # 5 (worth: $1,000): Membership to The Unique Personal On-line Academy Fb Group – there’s a saying that your community determines your web price. This couldn’t be more true within the Amazon area. There’s pure gold on this group, and it’s the place you'll be able to actually faucet into the group, work together and get assist from different Amazon wholesalers. There will probably be stay Q&As, interviews with prime wholesalers, in-person meetups, masterminds, plus unique content material not printed anyplace else. ● BONUS # 6 (worth: $300): Three months of free entry to my very own customized Amazon software program – the identical one I take advantage of in my enterprise. (* this particular software program bonus launches in early 2020) ● **SPECIAL BONUS**(worth:priceless): THE RESOURCE LIBRARY. A invaluable companion to the core modules 1 -8, the “Useful resource Library” is dwelling to all of the instruments, information, scripts, templates and software program it's essential speed up your momentum in enterprise.○ You’ll have entry to: Provider scripts and e mail templates Product sourcing workflows & checklists My customized Potential Product & Provider Google sheets Coverage violations and appeals templates Deep reductions & entry to the entire software program I take advantage of Group low cost on provides, prep-centers, done-for-you web sites and ungating providers from a number of the prime service suppliers within the trade     SalesPage (extra information)  Archive Larry Lubarsky – Wholesale Academy Comprises: Movies, PDF’s   MEMBERS ONLY Signal As much as see all our obtain hyperlinks and hidden content material. 100% Satisfaction Assured Obtain as a lot as you want You may select from two membership choices: Lifetime or Month-to-month Begins at $23.95 What folks say... Login to fee Order by: Most recentTop scoreMost helpfulWorst rating Be the primary to go away a assessment. assessment.rating_title Present extra [ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type="show" ihc_mb_who="2,3" ihc_mb_template="1" ] If broken links, please contact me via email or facebook. [/ihc-hide-content] https://mmomem.com/larry-lubarsky-wholesale-academy-group-buy/?feed_id=267&_unique_id=5ddbe67666139 #larrylubarsky #wholesaleacademygroupbuy
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mlmcompanies · 5 years
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Power Lead System is a marketing platform with a full suite of marketing tools as well as an affiliate program with a heavy MLM emphasis.
In our Power Lead System review, I’ll break down the whole program for you.
Power Lead System basically sells you a “business in a box”. What this means is they have a product to sell and a whole system for selling it, but all you have to do is put in the work to make sales.
The products they do offer aren’t totally useless. In fact, they’re decent for collecting leads and building a sales funnel.
But upon closer inspection, Power Lead System actually has many of the same features of an MLM company. The focus isn’t on the products themselves, but selling the products as an affiliate.
Read the rest of our Power Lead System review below for more information.
FAQ
1.) What is Power Lead System? Power Lead System is a suite of marketing tools with an affiliate program that’s essentially an MLM. It was created by Neil Guess in 2013. Power Lead System Customer is the main subscription, everything else including the affiliate program is either an upsell or a downsell.
2.) What’s included in Power Lead System? Power Lead system includes Google hangout pages, lead capture pages, video sales pages, audio & video postcards, email campaign & autoresponder tools, custom sales funnels, a content management system, SEO keyword research tools, unlimited subdomains for your sales pages, and ad tracking tools. They also hold weekly live training webinars and Google hangouts to help affiliates sell more of their products. There’s a training area and a support team as well.
3.) Who is Neil Guess? Neil Guess is an internet marketer based out of Washington. He is co-founder and co-owner of Power Lead System. Prior to Power Lead System, he was an affiliate with Solavei, an MLM company that sold contract-free mobile phone services.
4.) Who is Michael Price? Michael Price is the other co-owner of Power Lead System. He’s won multiple sales and MLM awards, including being named Sales Rep of the Year at a Fortune 100 Company. He even used to be a trainer for Tony Robbins’s Robbins Research International. Lastly, Michael is the founder of PricelessPossibilities.com and it’s Priceless Possibilities Marketing Platform.
5.) What is the Priceless Possibilities Marketing Platform? Priceless Possibilities Marketing Platform is the underlying platform that Power Lead System is based on. It was founded in 1996. Power Lead System is essentially an MLM spin on Priceless Possibilities Marketing Platform.
6.) What is a “business in a box”? A “business in a box” is when someone gives you the products to sell and system to sell them, leaving you to just make the sale. It’s basically a business opportunity that’s ready to go.
7.) What is Endless Free Leads? Endless Free Leads is a Facebook marketing course created by internet marketer Max Steingart. See FAQ $23 for more details regarding Social Profit Academy and its relationship to Power Lead System.
8.) What is Social Profit Academy? Social Profit Academy is a Facebook marketing course created by internet marketer Jeff Mills. See FAQ #21 for more details regarding Social Profit Academy and its relationship to Power Lead System.
9.) What is Master Traffic Academy? Master Traffic Academy is a course that teaches about traffic generation. See FAQ #21 for more information regarding Master Traffic Academy and its relationship to Power Lead System.
10.) Does Power Lead System have a Facebook group or other online community? Yes. They have a closed Facebook group with almost 47,000 members called Official Power Lead System Facebook Group. There are a ton of other groups posing as the Power Lead System group, but they’re mostly full of people trying to use their affiliate links.
11.) What happens in the Facebook group? Power Lead System’s Facebook group is a place for affiliates to share tips and ask questions about anything related to Power Lead System. They have a strict policy against posting links to your primary MLM, other affiliate links, or lead capture pages under your control. This protects against all the pitching you see in the imitation groups.
12.) How do I gain access to the Facebook group? Once you sign up for Power Lead System, you’ll get a welcome email with a link to join the Facebook group. Follow that link. Going directly to the page won’t work, and they don’t allow current members to add new members no matter what.
13.) How much does Power Lead System cost? Power Lead System costs $30 per month for a customer account.
14.) Does Power Lead System have a free trial? Yes, you get a 30-day free trial. Make sure to cancel your subscription before the trial period ends if you don’t want to be charged.
15.) Are there any upsells? Yes, there are 4 upsells. The first one is the Gold membership, which is just a normal subscription to Power Lead’s Systems products plus access to the affiliate program. The other three upsells are the Diamond plan, the Platinum plans, and the Master Traffic Academy course. Diamond and Platinum require Gold membership to purchase. The Diamond membership has a course called Free Ads Secrets with content about solo ads, co-ops, and methods to save money on ad spend. The Platinum membership is above the Diamond membership and includes an entire Facebook marketing course called Social Profit Academy and a library of video case studies.
16.) How much do the upsells cost? Gold membership adds a $24 monthly fee to your customer account for a total of $54 per month. Diamond costs a one-time fee of $147, while Platinum is a one-time fee of $497. Master Traffic Academy costs $1,497 if you buy it by itself, otherwise, it’s included in the Silver plan.
17.) Are there any downsells? Yes, there are 3 downsells called Free Lead System Forever, Lead Lightning, and the Silver subscription plan.  Free Lead System Forever is a free lead gen system that is basically a lead magnet for the paid products. Lead Lightning lets you build a list of targeted leads and market to them via email. The Silver plan consists of a Facebook marketing course called Endless Free Leads, a course called Master Traffic Academy, and ongoing training.
18.) Does Lead Lightning come with the full Power Lead System membership? Yes. Power Lead System has several pre-built Lead Lightning sales funnels.
19.) How much do the downsells cost? Free Lead System Forever is free. Lead Lightning costs a one-time fee of $7, while Silver costs $29.97 per month (the same as a customer membership).
20.) What is Power Lead System’s refund policy? Power Lead System does not offer a refund policy due to their 7-day free trial.
21.) Does Power Lead System have an affiliate program? Yes, and it’s basically an MLM scheme. You earn $20 per month for each referral that subscribes to the Power Lead System Customer membership. If they become an affiliate, you earn a 50% matching bonus on all their earnings in addition to their monthly subscription to the tools. However, you have to pass up every other sale until your 10th and every 5th sale thereafter to the person who referred you.
22.) What do they mean by “100% commissions”? Power Lead System breaks even on customer account sales. This is because you earn the $20 per month per subscriber and the 50% matching bonus for each of their referrals (in other words $10 per their referrals), which equals $30. This is the same price as the customer account, meaning 100% of commissions are paid to you.
23.) If Power Lead System doesn’t profit on their products, how do they make their money? Affiliate commissions. They keep 100% of your affiliate fees and you don’t earn any commissions on your downline’s affiliate fees. In other words, they’d be out of business if it weren’t for the affiliate program.
24.) What are the commission rates on the upsells and downsells? You can earn $6 per Lead Lightning sale, $15 per month on Silver subscriptions, $100 per personal referral and 25% downline matching bonus on Diamond, and $400 per personal referral plus $50 retail override on your personal referrals’ referrals for Platinum.
25.) Why would I sell free or cheap downsells for little to no commission? The idea is to introduce the customer to the product at whatever level they’re comfortable with. If they don’t want to spend a lot, you’d give them the free lead system or Lead Lightning. In theory, they’d want to upgrade to a more expensive membership after seeing success while using the downsells.
26.) Can only Gold members and above earn affiliate commissions on subscription? No. Subscribers to the downsells can sell those programs to others as well.
27.) What happens if someone isn’t qualified for commissions on a product they sell? The commission will move up the line until it reaches the first qualified member.
28.) How do I know which products I’m qualified to sell? When you log in, there are buttons that allow you to view or purchase the upsells. You’re qualified to earn commissions on any product whose button is green.
29.) If I miss a commission because I wasn’t qualified to sell the product, is there any way to recover it? No. Once a commission is paid to a qualified affiliate, it’s gone.
30.) The commission structure is complicated. Do I have to track all this? No. Their software keeps track of your various commission rates for you.
31.) Do I need my own domain/website to succeed selling the Power Lead System? Yes. Otherwise, you’ll need
32.) What is Power Lead System’s BBB rating? They are not listed on the BBB’s web site.
33.) Is Power Lead System a scam? The products aren’t a scam, although they aren’t groundbreaking. However, the main Viral Affiliate Marketing part of the business is definitely an MLM scheme even though they claim it isn’t.
34.) Comparable programs: AWOL Academy, Clickfunnels
Power Lead System Review – Overview
Power Lead System is a large set of marketing tools, but it also has an MLM side to it.
It was founded by Neil Guess and Michael Price in 2013.
Neil Guess doesn’t have much MLM marketing experience. He was an affiliate for Solavei, an MLM company that sold contract-free mobile phone services. Other than that, not much else is known about him.
On the other hand, Michael Price has a long resume. He’s won multiple sales and MLM-related awards, including Sales Rep of the Year at a Fortune 500 company. He was even a trainer for Tony Robbins’s Robbins Research International for a while.
He’s the creator of Priceless Possibilities Marketing Platform, the marketing platform that Power Lead System is based on.
Well, Power Lead System is basically an MLM of Priceless Possibilities Marketing Platform. As you’ll see, they offer the exact same products, but Power Lead System heavily emphasizes recruiting more affiliates.
In fact, when they do talk about how useful their marketing tools are, it’s usually for the sake of persuading you that you can make a lot of money selling them.
Keep reading our Power Lead System review for all the details.
Product
Power Lead System has a large suite of marketing tools that include Google hangout pages, lead capture pages, video sales pages, audio & video postcards, email campaign & autoresponder tools, custom sales funnels, a content management system, SEO keyword research tools, unlimited subdomains for your sales pages, and ad tracking tools.
Power Lead System also gives weekly live training webinars and Google hangouts to help out their affiliates. For even more support, they have a training area and a support team.
You get unlimited lead pages with Power Lead System. You can design your own or choose from a bunch of pre-designed templates. These lead pages can support video and audio so you can make use of video sales letters. There’s a whole library of photos to use on your page’s background, too.
Given that Priceless Possibilities has been around since 1996, I assume it’s products are pretty good. They aren’t massively different or better than other products, though.
Their main business is the MLM-influenced affiliate marketing opportunity, though. You can tell that as soon as you Google Power Lead System and come across a ton of poorly-designed affiliate marketing sites.
But this is a good thing because you can see how Power Lead System’s products aren’t that great. Wouldn’t all these affiliates have beautiful websites if the lead pages and other tools are so amazing?
Also, the Power Lead System website itself looks like it was created in 2001. There’re a lot of spelling errors and they even mix up the names of some of their products on their FAQ page.
Upsells And Downsells
Power Lead System’s upsells are 3 subscription plans called Gold, Diamond, Platinum; the other upsell is a course called Master Traffic Academy.
Power Lead System’s downsells are called Free Lead System Forever, Lead Lightning, and the Silver subscription plan.
First, the upsells.
The Gold membership is just a normal subscription to Power Lead’s Systems products plus the affiliate program.
The Diamond membership is above the Gold membership and has a course called Free Ads Secrets with content about solo ads, co-ops, and methods to save money on ad spend.
The Platinum membership is above the Diamond membership and includes an entire Facebook marketing course called Social Profit Academy and a library of video case studies.
Master Traffic Academy is a course that teaches how to generate traffic.
Free Lead System Forever is a free lead gen system that is basically a lead magnet for the paid products. Lead Lightning lets you build a list of targeted leads and market to them via email.
The Silver plan consists of a Facebook marketing course created by Max Steingart called Endless Free Leads, a course called Master Traffic Academy, and ongoing training.
Pricing
Power Lead System costs $30 per month for a normal customer account and $54 per month for a Gold account.
Diamond costs a one-time fee of $147, while Platinum is a one-time fee of $497. Master Traffic Academy costs $1,497 if you buy it by itself, otherwise, it’s included in the Silver plan.
Free Lead System Forever is free. Lead Lightning costs a one-time fee of $7, while Silver costs $29.97 per month (the same as a customer membership).
$30 a month for a bunch of basic marketing tools isn’t a bad price. Tools like Clickfunnels might be more well-known, but they’re also much more expensive.
Paying to be part of the affiliate program is yet another sign of MLM influences, though. But more on the affiliate program next.
Affiliate Program
Power Lead System has an affiliate program where affiliates can make money through selling Power Lead System subscriptions and by recruiting more affiliates.
Affiliates earn $20 per month per referral to the Power Lead System Gold for as long as each referral keeps their subscription. That means you can cover your product and affiliate subscriptions and pocket a few extra bucks with just 3 referrals. Your referrals are known as your “payline”, a similar concept to an MLM downline.
Once your referrals become affiliates, you earn a monthly 50% matching bonus on whatever they earn on top of your $20 monthly subscription income. For example, if one of your referrals grows their payline to 20 subscribers, they’d be earning $400 per month. You’d earn $200 per month from that.
However, what they don’t tell you is that you have to pass up commissions to your upline. Every other sale for your first 10 sales are passed up to the affiliate who referred you. After that, you pass up every 5th sale indefinitely.
As for the commissions on upsells and downsells: You can earn $6 per Lead Lightning sale, $15 per month on Silver subscriptions, $100 per personal referral and 25% downline matching bonus on Diamond, and $400 per personal referral plus $50 retail override on your personal referrals’ referrals for Platinum.
Commissions are paid out instantly every Wednesday. You can transfer them directly to your bank account or onto a Visa card as soon as they become available.
If you extrapolate these potential earnings, you could theoretically make thousands in passive income from all your downlines.
Sounds like an MLM, right?
They call their affiliate program “Viral Affiliate Marketing”. They try to tell you it’s not an MLM because you don’t have to recruit your family or friends. Instead, there are millions of entrepreneurs out there who want the opportunity to work from home!
Ok, well if the main part of your business is about recruiting people into the affiliate program so you can make passive income off them, that’s called MLM. Changing your target market from friends and family to strangers doesn’t change the way the business works.
Not to mention that you have to pay to be an affiliate.
But there’re more signs of MLM influence in the affiliate program.
See, if you earn $20 per month per subscriber and a matching bonus of $10 (half of $20) per your referral’s subscriber, Power Lead System is paying you $30 per month which is the same price as the standard subscription. Therefore, Power Lead System can say they “pay 100% commissions”.
In other words, they’re breaking even on their product sales.
So how do they stay in business if they don’t make profits on the products?
You don’t earn any commissions on affiliate fees from your referrals. 100% of affiliate fees go to Power Lead System.
Which brings up an important point: without affiliates, they’d go out of business quickly as there’d be no one paying them.
That’s not a great position to be in.
Recap
Power Lead System’s products aren’t a scam. They work pretty well, although they aren’t mind-blowingly different or more effective than similar products.
The affiliate program is clearly an MLM scheme, despite them claiming that it’s not. I mean, you have to pay a monthly fee to push marketing tools on other people or recruit them into this MLM.
To me, it sounds like Power Lead System is just an MLM company that’s promoting Priceless Possibilities Marketing Platform. The products are the same, but Power Lead System is all about using the products to promote Power Lead System.
In theory, you could make a lot of passive income selling Power Lead System subscriptions to others. The problem is people don’t stick around Power Lead System very long, making it pretty hard to grow a downline.
There are better affiliate programs out there, with better products, too.
0 notes
antionetterparker · 5 years
Text
Power Lead System – Is Neil Guess and Michael Price’s MLM program a scam?
Power Lead System is both a marketing platform with a full suite of marketing tools with a heavy MLM emphasis.
In our Power Lead System review, I’ll break down the whole program for you.
Power Lead System basically sells you a “business in a box”. What this means is they have a product to sell and a whole system for selling it, but all you have to do is put in the work to make sales.
The products they do offer aren’t totally useless. In fact, they’re decent for collecting leads and building a sales funnel.
But upon closer inspection, Power Lead System actually has many of the same features of an MLM company. The focus isn’t on the products themselves, but selling the products as an affiliate.
Read the rest of our Power Lead System review below for more information.
FAQ
1.) What is Power Lead System? Power Lead System is a suite of marketing tools with an affiliate program that’s essentially an MLM. It was created by Neil Guess in 2013. Power Lead System Customer is the main subscription, everything else including the affiliate program is either an upsell or a downsell.
2.) What’s included in Power Lead System? Power Lead system includes Google hangout pages, lead capture pages, video sales pages, audio & video postcards, email campaign & autoresponder tools, custom sales funnels, a content management system, SEO keyword research tools, unlimited subdomains for your sales pages, and ad tracking tools. They also hold weekly live training webinars and Google hangouts to help affiliates sell more of their products. There’s a training area and a support team as well.
3.) Who is Neil Guess? Neil Guess is an internet marketer based out of Washington. He is co-founder and co-owner of Power Lead System. Prior to Power Lead System, he was an affiliate with Solavei, an MLM company that sold contract-free mobile phone services.
4.) Who is Michael Price? Michael Price is the other co-owner of Power Lead System. He’s won multiple sales and MLM awards, including being named Sales Rep of the Year at a Fortune 100 Company. He even used to be a trainer for Tony Robbins’s Robbins Research International. Lastly, Michael is the founder of PricelessPossibilities.com and it’s Priceless Possibilities Marketing Platform.
5.) What is the Priceless Possibilities Marketing Platform? Priceless Possibilities Marketing Platform is the underlying platform that Power Lead System is based on. It was founded in 1996. Power Lead System is essentially an MLM spin on Priceless Possibilities Marketing Platform.
6.) What is a “business in a box”? A “business in a box” is when someone gives you the products to sell and system to sell them, leaving you to just make the sale. It’s basically a business opportunity that’s ready to go.
7.) What is Endless Free Leads? Endless Free Leads is a Facebook marketing course created by internet marketer Max Steingart. See FAQ $23 for more details regarding Social Profit Academy and its relationship to Power Lead System.
8.) What is Social Profit Academy? Social Profit Academy is a Facebook marketing course created by internet marketer Jeff Mills. See FAQ #21 for more details regarding Social Profit Academy and its relationship to Power Lead System.
9.) What is Master Traffic Academy? Master Traffic Academy is a course that teaches about traffic generation. See FAQ #21 for more information regarding Master Traffic Academy and its relationship to Power Lead System.
10.) Does Power Lead System have a Facebook group or other online community? Yes. They have a closed Facebook group with almost 47,000 members called Official Power Lead System Facebook Group. There are a ton of other groups posing as the Power Lead System group, but they’re mostly full of people trying to use their affiliate links.
11.) What happens in the Facebook group? Power Lead System’s Facebook group is a place for affiliates to share tips and ask questions about anything related to Power Lead System. They have a strict policy against posting links to your primary MLM, other affiliate links, or lead capture pages under your control. This protects against all the pitching you see in the imitation groups.
12.) How do I gain access to the Facebook group? Once you sign up for Power Lead System, you’ll get a welcome email with a link to join the Facebook group. Follow that link. Going directly to the page won’t work, and they don’t allow current members to add new members no matter what.
13.) How much does Power Lead System cost? Power Lead System costs $30 per month for a customer account.
14.) Does Power Lead System have a free trial? Yes, you get a 30-day free trial. Make sure to cancel your subscription before the trial period ends if you don’t want to be charged.
15.) Are there any upsells? Yes, there are 4 upsells. The first one is the Gold membership, which is just a normal subscription to Power Lead’s Systems products plus access to the affiliate program. The other three upsells are the Diamond plan, the Platinum plans, and the Master Traffic Academy course. Diamond and Platinum require Gold membership to purchase. The Diamond membership has a course called Free Ads Secrets with content about solo ads, co-ops, and methods to save money on ad spend. The Platinum membership is above the Diamond membership and includes an entire Facebook marketing course called Social Profit Academy and a library of video case studies.
16.) How much do the upsells cost? Gold membership adds a $24 monthly fee to your customer account for a total of $54 per month. Diamond costs a one-time fee of $147, while Platinum is a one-time fee of $497. Master Traffic Academy costs $1,497 if you buy it by itself, otherwise, it’s included in the Silver plan.
17.) Are there any downsells? Yes, there are 3 downsells called Free Lead System Forever, Lead Lightning, and the Silver subscription plan.  Free Lead System Forever is a free lead gen system that is basically a lead magnet for the paid products. Lead Lightning lets you build a list of targeted leads and market to them via email. The Silver plan consists of a Facebook marketing course called Endless Free Leads, a course called Master Traffic Academy, and ongoing training.
18.) Does Lead Lightning come with the full Power Lead System membership? Yes. Power Lead System has several pre-built Lead Lightning sales funnels.
19.) How much do the downsells cost? Free Lead System Forever is free. Lead Lightning costs a one-time fee of $7, while Silver costs $29.97 per month (the same as a customer membership).
20.) What is Power Lead System’s refund policy? Power Lead System does not offer a refund policy due to their 7-day free trial.
21.) Does Power Lead System have an affiliate program? Yes, and it’s basically an MLM scheme. You earn $20 per month for each referral that subscribes to the Power Lead System Customer membership. If they become an affiliate, you earn a 50% matching bonus on all their earnings in addition to their monthly subscription to the tools. However, you have to pass up every other sale until your 10th and every 5th sale thereafter to the person who referred you.
22.) What do they mean by “100% commissions”? Power Lead System breaks even on customer account sales. This is because you earn the $20 per month per subscriber and the 50% matching bonus for each of their referrals (in other words $10 per their referrals), which equals $30. This is the same price as the customer account, meaning 100% of commissions are paid to you.
23.) If Power Lead System doesn’t profit on their products, how do they make their money? Affiliate commissions. They keep 100% of your affiliate fees and you don’t earn any commissions on your downline’s affiliate fees. In other words, they’d be out of business if it weren’t for the affiliate program.
24.) What are the commission rates on the upsells and downsells? You can earn $6 per Lead Lightning sale, $15 per month on Silver subscriptions, $100 per personal referral and 25% downline matching bonus on Diamond, and $400 per personal referral plus $50 retail override on your personal referrals’ referrals for Platinum.
25.) Why would I sell free or cheap downsells for little to no commission? The idea is to introduce the customer to the product at whatever level they’re comfortable with. If they don’t want to spend a lot, you’d give them the free lead system or Lead Lightning. In theory, they’d want to upgrade to a more expensive membership after seeing success while using the downsells.
26.) Can only Gold members and above earn affiliate commissions on subscription? No. Subscribers to the downsells can sell those programs to others as well.
27.) What happens if someone isn’t qualified for commissions on a product they sell? The commission will move up the line until it reaches the first qualified member.
28.) How do I know which products I’m qualified to sell? When you log in, there are buttons that allow you to view or purchase the upsells. You’re qualified to earn commissions on any product whose button is green.
29.) If I miss a commission because I wasn’t qualified to sell the product, is there any way to recover it? No. Once a commission is paid to a qualified affiliate, it’s gone.
30.) The commission structure is complicated. Do I have to track all this? No. Their software keeps track of your various commission rates for you.
31.) Do I need my own domain/website to succeed selling the Power Lead System? Yes. Otherwise, you’ll need
32.) What is Power Lead System’s BBB rating? They are not listed on the BBB’s web site.
33.) Is Power Lead System a scam? The products aren’t a scam, although they aren’t groundbreaking. However, the main Viral Affiliate Marketing part of the business is definitely an MLM scheme even though they claim it isn’t.
34.) Comparable programs: AWOL Academy, Clickfunnels
Power Lead System Review – Overview
Power Lead System is a large set of marketing tools, but it also has an MLM side to it.
It was founded by Neil Guess and Michael Price in 2013.
Neil Guess doesn’t have much MLM marketing experience. He was an affiliate for Solavei, an MLM company that sold contract-free mobile phone services. Other than that, not much else is known about him.
On the other hand, Michael Price has a long resume. He’s won multiple sales and MLM-related awards, including Sales Rep of the Year at a Fortune 500 company. He was even a trainer for Tony Robbins’s Robbins Research International for a while.
He’s the creator of Priceless Possibilities Marketing Platform, the marketing platform that Power Lead System is based on.
Well, Power Lead System is basically an MLM of Priceless Possibilities Marketing Platform. As you’ll see, they offer the exact same products, but Power Lead System heavily emphasizes recruiting more affiliates.
In fact, when they do talk about how useful their marketing tools are, it’s usually for the sake of persuading you that you can make a lot of money selling them.
Keep reading our Power Lead System review for all the details.
Product
Power Lead System has a large suite of marketing tools that include Google hangout pages, lead capture pages, video sales pages, audio & video postcards, email campaign & autoresponder tools, custom sales funnels, a content management system, SEO keyword research tools, unlimited subdomains for your sales pages, and ad tracking tools.
Power Lead System also gives weekly live training webinars and Google hangouts to help out their affiliates. For even more support, they have a training area and a support team.
You get unlimited lead pages with Power Lead System. You can design your own or choose from a bunch of pre-designed templates. These lead pages can support video and audio so you can make use of video sales letters. There’s a whole library of photos to use on your page’s background, too.
Given that Priceless Possibilities has been around since 1996, I assume it’s products are pretty good. They aren’t massively different or better than other products, though.
Their main business is the MLM-influenced affiliate marketing opportunity, though. You can tell that as soon as you Google Power Lead System and come across a ton of poorly-designed affiliate marketing sites.
But this is a good thing because you can see how Power Lead System’s products aren’t that great. Wouldn’t all these affiliates have beautiful websites if the lead pages and other tools are so amazing?
Also, the Power Lead System website itself looks like it was created in 2001. There’re a lot of spelling errors and they even mix up the names of some of their products on their FAQ page.
Upsells And Downsells
Power Lead System’s upsells are 3 subscription plans called Gold, Diamond, Platinum; the other upsell is a course called Master Traffic Academy.
Power Lead System’s downsells are called Free Lead System Forever, Lead Lightning, and the Silver subscription plan.
First, the upsells.
The Gold membership is just a normal subscription to Power Lead’s Systems products plus the affiliate program.
The Diamond membership is above the Gold membership and has a course called Free Ads Secrets with content about solo ads, co-ops, and methods to save money on ad spend.
The Platinum membership is above the Diamond membership and includes an entire Facebook marketing course called Social Profit Academy and a library of video case studies.
Master Traffic Academy is a course that teaches how to generate traffic.
Free Lead System Forever is a free lead gen system that is basically a lead magnet for the paid products. Lead Lightning lets you build a list of targeted leads and market to them via email.
The Silver plan consists of a Facebook marketing course created by Max Steingart called Endless Free Leads, a course called Master Traffic Academy, and ongoing training.
Pricing
Power Lead System costs $30 per month for a normal customer account and $54 per month for a Gold account.
Diamond costs a one-time fee of $147, while Platinum is a one-time fee of $497. Master Traffic Academy costs $1,497 if you buy it by itself, otherwise, it’s included in the Silver plan.
Free Lead System Forever is free. Lead Lightning costs a one-time fee of $7, while Silver costs $29.97 per month (the same as a customer membership).
$30 a month for a bunch of basic marketing tools isn’t a bad price. Tools like Clickfunnels might be more well-known, but they’re also much more expensive.
Paying to be part of the affiliate program is yet another sign of MLM influences, though. But more on the affiliate program next.
Affiliate Program
Power Lead System has an affiliate program where affiliates can make money through selling Power Lead System subscriptions and by recruiting more affiliates.
Affiliates earn $20 per month per referral to the Power Lead System Gold for as long as each referral keeps their subscription. That means you can cover your product and affiliate subscriptions and pocket a few extra bucks with just 3 referrals. Your referrals are known as your “payline”, a similar concept to an MLM downline.
Once your referrals become affiliates, you earn a monthly 50% matching bonus on whatever they earn on top of your $20 monthly subscription income. For example, if one of your referrals grows their payline to 20 subscribers, they’d be earning $400 per month. You’d earn $200 per month from that.
However, what they don’t tell you is that you have to pass up commissions to your upline. Every other sale for your first 10 sales are passed up to the affiliate who referred you. After that, you pass up every 5th sale indefinitely.
As for the commissions on upsells and downsells: You can earn $6 per Lead Lightning sale, $15 per month on Silver subscriptions, $100 per personal referral and 25% downline matching bonus on Diamond, and $400 per personal referral plus $50 retail override on your personal referrals’ referrals for Platinum.
Commissions are paid out instantly every Wednesday. You can transfer them directly to your bank account or onto a Visa card as soon as they become available.
If you extrapolate these potential earnings, you could theoretically make thousands in passive income from all your downlines.
Sounds like an MLM, right?
They call their affiliate program “Viral Affiliate Marketing”. They try to tell you it’s not an MLM because you don’t have to recruit your family or friends. Instead, there are millions of entrepreneurs out there who want the opportunity to work from home!
Ok, well if the main part of your business is about recruiting people into the affiliate program so you can make passive income off them, that’s called MLM. Changing your target market from friends and family to strangers doesn’t change the way the business works.
Not to mention that you have to pay to be an affiliate.
But there’re more signs of MLM influence in the affiliate program.
See, if you earn $20 per month per subscriber and a matching bonus of $10 (half of $20) per your referral’s subscriber, Power Lead System is paying you $30 per month which is the same price as the standard subscription. Therefore, Power Lead System can say they “pay 100% commissions”.
In other words, they’re breaking even on their product sales.
So how do they stay in business if they don’t make profits on the products?
You don’t earn any commissions on affiliate fees from your referrals. 100% of affiliate fees go to Power Lead System.
Which brings up an important point: without affiliates, they’d go out of business quickly as there’d be no one paying them.
That’s not a great position to be in.
Recap
Power Lead System’s products aren’t a scam. They work pretty well, although they aren’t mind-blowingly different or more effective than similar products.
The affiliate program is clearly an MLM scheme, despite them claiming that it’s not. I mean, you have to pay a monthly fee to push marketing tools on other people or recruit them into this MLM.
To me, it sounds like Power Lead System is just an MLM company that’s promoting Priceless Possibilities Marketing Platform. The products are the same, but Power Lead System is all about using the products to promote Power Lead System.
In theory, you could make a lot of passive income selling Power Lead System subscriptions to others. The problem is people don’t stick around Power Lead System very long, making it pretty hard to grow a downline.
There are better affiliate programs out there, with better products, too.
via https://mlmcompanies.org/power-lead-system/
0 notes
readersforum · 6 years
Text
The top 10 startups from Y Combinator W19 Demo Day 1
New Post has been published on http://www.readersforum.tk/the-top-10-startups-from-y-combinator-w19-demo-day-1-2/
The top 10 startups from Y Combinator W19 Demo Day 1
Electric-vehicle chargers, heads-up displays for soldiers and the Costco of weed were some of our favorites from prestigious startup accelerator Y Combinator’s Winter 2019 Demo Day 1. If you want to take the pulse of Silicon Valley, YC is the place to be. But with more than 200 startups presenting across two stages and two days, it’s tough to keep track.
You can check out our write-ups of all 85 startups that launched on Demo Day 1, and come back later for our full index and picks from Day 2. But now, based on feedback from top investors and TechCrunch’s team, here’s our selection of the top 10 companies from the first half of this Y Combinator batch, and why we picked each.
Ravn
Looking around corners is one of the most dangerous parts of war for infantry. Ravn builds heads-up displays that let soldiers and law enforcement see around corners thanks to cameras on their gun, drones or elsewhere. The ability to see the enemy while still being behind cover saves lives, and Ravn already has $490,000 in Navy and Air Force contracts. With a CEO who was a Navy Seal who went on to study computer science, plus experts in augmented reality and selling hardware to the Department of Defense, Ravn could deliver the inevitable future of soldier heads-up displays.
Why we picked Ravn: The AR battlefield is inevitable, but right now Microsoft’s HoloLens team is focused on providing mid-fight information, like how many bullets a soldier has in their clip and where their squad mates are. Ravn’s tech was built by a guy who watched the tragic consequences of getting into those shootouts. He wants to help soldiers avoid or win these battles before they get dangerous, and his team includes an expert in selling hardened tech to the U.S. government.
Middesk
It’s difficult to know if a business’ partners have paid their taxes, filed for bankruptcy or are involved in lawsuits. That leads businesses to write off $120 billion a year in uncollectable bad debt. Middesk does due diligence to sort out good businesses from the bad to provide assurance for B2B deals, loans, investments, acquisitions and more. By giving clients the confidence that they’ll be paid, Middesk could insert itself into a wide array of transactions.
Why we picked Middesk: It’s building the trust layer for the business world that could weave its way into practically every deal. More data means making fewer stupid decisions, and Middesk could put an end to putting faith in questionable partners.
Convictional
Convictional helps direct-to-consumer companies approach larger retailers more simply. It takes a lot of time for a supplier to build a relationship with a retailer and start selling their products. Convictional wants to speed things up by building a B2B self-service commerce platform that allows retailers to easily approach brands and make orders.
Why we picked Convictional: There’s been an explosion of D2C businesses selling everything from suitcases to shaving kits. But to drive exposure and scale, they need retail partners who’re eager not to be cut out of this growing commerce segment. Playing middleman could put Convictional in a lucrative position, while also making it a nexus of valuable shopping data.
Dyneti Technologies
Dyneti has invented a credit card scanner SDK that uses a smartphone’s camera to help prevent fraud by more than 50 percent and improve conversion for businesses by 5 percent. The business was started by a pair of former Uber employees, including CEO Julia Zheng, who launched the fraud analytics teams for Account Security and UberEATS. Dyneti’s service is powered by deep learning and works on any card format. In the two months since it launched, the company has signed contracts with Rappi, Gametime and others.
Why we picked Dyneti: Cybersecurity threats are growing and evolving, yet underequipped businesses are eager to do more business online. Dyneti is one of those fundamental B2B businesses that feels like Stripe — capable of bringing simplicity and trust to a complex problem so companies can focus on their product.
AmpUp
The “Airbnb for electric-vehicle chargers,” ampUp is preparing for a world in which the majority of us drive EVs — it operates a mobile app that connects a network of thousands of EV chargers and drivers. Using the app, an electric-vehicle owner can quickly identify an available and compatible charger, and EV charger owners can earn cash sharing their charger at their own price and their own schedule. The service is currently live in the Bay Area.
Why we picked ampUp: Electric vehicles are inevitable, but reliable charging is one of the leading fears dissuading people from buying. Rather than build out some massive owned network of chargers that will never match the distributed gas station network, ampUp could put an EV charger anywhere there’s someone looking to make a few bucks.
Flockjay
Flockjay operates an online sales academy that teaches job seekers from underrepresented backgrounds the skills and training they need to pursue a career in tech sales. The 12-week bootcamp offers trainees coaching and mentorship. The company has launched its debut cohort with 17 students, 100 percent of whom are already in job interviews and 40 percent of whom have already secured new careers in the tech industry.
Why we picked Flockjay: Unlike coding bootcamps that can require intense prerequisites, killer salespeople can be molded from anyone with hustle. Those from underrepresented backgrounds already know how to expertly sell themselves to attain opportunities others take for granted. Flockjay could provide economic mobility at a crucial juncture when job security is shaky.
Deel
Twenty million international contractors work with U.S. companies, but it’s difficult to onboard and train them. Deel handles the contracts, payments and taxes in one interface to eliminate paperwork and wasted time. Deel charges businesses $10 per contractor per month and a 1 percent fee on payouts, which earns it an average of $560 per contractor per year.
Why we picked Deel: The destigmatization of remote work is opening new recruiting opportunities abroad for U.S. businesses. But unless teams can properly integrate these distant staffers, the cost savings of hiring overseas are negated. As the globalization megatrend continues, businesses will need better HR tools.
Glide
There has been a pretty major trend toward services that make it easier to build web pages or mobile apps. Glide lets customers easily create well-designed mobile apps from Google Sheets pages. This not only makes it easy to build the pages, but simplifies the skills needed to keep information updated on the site.
Why we picked Glide: While desktop website makers is a brutally competitive market, it’s still not easy to make a mobile site if you’re not a coder. Rather than starting from a visual layout tool with which many people would still be unfamiliar, Glide starts with a spreadsheet that almost everyone has used. And as the web begins to feel less personal with all the brands and influencers, Glide could help people make bespoke apps that put intimacy and personality first.
Docucharm
The platform, co-founded by former Uber product manager Minh Tri Pham, turns documents into structured data a computer can understand to accurately automate document processing workflows and take away the need for human data entry. Docucharm’s API can understand various forms of documents (like paystubs, for example) and will extract the necessary information without error. Its customers include tax prep company Tributi and lending business Aspire.
Why we picked Docucharm: Paying high-priced, high-skilled workers to do data entry is a huge waste. And optical character recognition like Docucharm’s will unlock new types of businesses based on data extraction. This startup could be the AI layer underneath it all.
Flower Co
Flower Co provides memberships for cheaper weed sales and delivery. Most dispensaries cater to high-end customers and newbies that want expensive products and tons of hand-holding. In contrast, Flower Co caters to long-time marijuana enthusiasts who want huge quantities at low prices. They’re currently selling $200.000 in marijuana per month to 700 members. They charge $100 a year for membership, and take 10 percent on product sales.
Why we picked Flower Co: Marijuana is the next gold rush, a once-in-a-generation land-grab opportunity. Yet most marijuana merchants have focused on hyper-discerning high-end customers despite the long-standing popularity of smoking big blunts of cheap weed with a bunch of friends. For those who want to make cannabis consumption a lifestyle, and there will be plenty, Flower Co could become their wholesaler.
Honorable Mentions
Atomic Alchemy – Filling the shortage of nuclear medicine
Yourchoice – Omni-gender non-hormonal birth control
Prometheus – Turning CO2 into gas
Lumos – Medical search engine for doctors
Heart Aerospace – Regional electric planes
Boundary Layer Technologies – Super-fast container ships
Here are the 85+ startups that launched at YC’s W19 Demo Day 1
Additional reporting by Kate Clark, Greg Kumparak and Lucas Matney
0 notes
toomanysinks · 6 years
Text
The top 10 startups from Y Combinator W19 Demo Day 1
Electric vehicle chargers, heads-up displays for soldiers, and the Costco of weed were some of our favorites from presitigious startup accelerator Y Combinator’s Winter 2019 Demo Day 1. If you want to take the pulse of Silicon Valley, YC is the place to be. But with over 200 startups presenting across 2 stages and 2 days, it’s tough to keep track.
You can check out our write-ups of all 85 startups that launched on Demo Day 1 here, and come back later for our full index and picks from Day 2. But now, based on feedback from top investors and TechCrunch’s team, here’s our selection of the top 10 companies from the first half of this Y Combinator batch, and why we picked each.
Ravn
Looking around corners is one of the most dangerous parts of war for infantry. Ravn builds heads-up displays that let soldiers and law enforcement see around corners thanks to cameras on their gun, drones, or elsewhere. The ability to see the enemy while still being behind cover saves lives, and Ravn already has $490,000 in Navy and Air Force contracts. With a CEO who was a Navy Seal who went on to study computer science plus experts in augmented reality and selling hardware to the Department Of Defense, Ravn could deliver the inevitable future of soldier heads-up displays.
Why we picked Ravn: The AR battlefield is inevitable, but right now Microsoft’s HoloLens team is focused on providing mid-fight information like how many bullets a soldier has in their clip and where there squad mates are. Ravn’s tech was built by a guy who watched the tragic consequences of getting into those shootouts. He wants to help soldiers avoid or win these battles before they get dangerous, and his team includes an expert in selling hardened tech to the US government.
Middesk
It’s difficult to know if a business’ partners have paid their taxes, filed for bankruptcy, or are involved in lawsuits. That leads businesses to write off $120 billion a year in uncollectable bad debt. Middesk does due diligence to sort out good businesses from the bad to provide assurance for B2B deals loans, investments, acquisitions, and more. By giving clients the confidence that they’ll be paid, Middesk could insert itself into a wide array of transactions.
Why we picked Middesk: It’s building the trust layer for the business world that could weave its way into practically every deal. More data means making fewer stupid decisions, and Middesk could put an end to putting faith in questionable partners.
Convictional
Convictional helps direct-to-consumer companies approach larger retailers more simply. It takes a lot of time for a supplier to build a relationship with a retailer and start selling their products. Convictional wants to speed things up by building a B2B self-service commerce platform that allows retailers to easily approach brands and make orders.
Why we picked Convictional: There’s been an explosion of D2C businesses selling everthing from suitcases to shaving kits. But to drive exposure and scale, they need retail partners who’re eager not to be cut out of this growing commerce segment. Playing middleman could put Convictional in a lucrative position while also making it a nexus of valuable shopping data.
Dyneti Technologies
Has invented a credit card scanner SDK that uses a smartphone’s camera to help prevent fraud by over 50 percent and improve conversion for businesses by 5 percent. The business was started by a pair of former Uber employees including CEO Julia Zheng, who launched the fraud analytics teams for Account Security and UberEATS. Dyneti’s service is powered by deep learning and works on any card format. In the two months since it launched, the company has signed contracts with Rappi, Gametime and others.
Why we picked Dyneti: Cybersecurity threats are growing and evolving, yet underequipped businesses are eager to do more business online. Dyneti is one of those fundamental B2B businesses that feels like Stripe — capable of bringing simplicity and trust to a complex problem so companies can focus on their product.
AmpUp
The “Airbnb for electric vehicle chargers.” AmpUp, preparing for a world in which the majority of us drive EVs, operates a mobile app that connects a network of thousands of EV chargers and drivers. Using the app, an electric vehicle owner can quickly identify an available and compatible charger and EV charger owners can earn cash sharing their charger at their own price and their own schedule. The service is currently live in the Bay Area.
Why we picked AmpUp: Electric vehicles are inevitable, but reliable charging is one of the leading fears dissuading people from buying. Rather than build out some massive owned network of chargers that will never match the distributed gas station network, AmpUp could put an EV charger anywhere there’s someone looking to make a few bucks.
FlockJay
Operates an online sales academy that teaches job seekers from underrepresented backgrounds the skills and training they need to pursue a career in tech sales. The 12-week long bootcamp offers trainees coaching and mentorship. The company has launched its debut cohort with 17 students, 100 percent of which are already in job interviews and 40 percent of which have already secured new careers in the tech industry.
Why we picked FlockJay: Unlike coding bootcamps that can require intense prerequisites, killer salespeople can be molded from anyone with hustle. Those from underrepresented backgrounds already know how to expertly sell themselves to attain opportunities others take for granted. FlockJay could provide economic mobility at a crucial juncture when job security is shaky.
Deel
20 million international contractors work with US companies but it’s difficult to onboard and train them. Deel handles the contracts, payments, and taxes in one interface to eliminate paperwork and wasted time. Deel charges businesses $10 per contractor per month and a 1% fee on payouts, which earns it an average of $560 per contractor per year.
Why we picked Deel: The destigmatization of remote work is opening new recruiting opportunities abroad for US businesses. But unless teams can properly integrate these distant staffers, the cost savings of hiring overseas are negated. As the globalization megatrend continues, businesses will need better HR tools.
Glide
There has been a pretty major trend towards services that make it easier to build web pages or mobile apps. Glide lets customers easily create well-designed mobile apps from Google Sheets pages. This not only makes it easy to build the pages, but simplifies the skills needed to keep information updated on the site.
Why we picked Glide: While desktop website makers is a brutally competitive market, it’s still not easy to make a mobile site if you’re not a coder. Rather than starting from visual layout tool many people would still be unfamiliar with, Glide starts with a spreadsheet that almost everyone has used before. And as the web begins to feel less personal with all the brands and influencers, Glide could help people make bespoke apps that put intimacy and personality first.
Docucharm
The platform, co-founded by former Uber product manager Minh Tri Pham, turns documents into structured data a computer can understand to accurately automate document processing workflows and to take away the need for human data entry. Docucharm’s API can understand various forms of documents (like paystubs, for example) and will extract the necessary information without error. Its customers include tax prep company Tributi and lending businesses Aspire.
Why we picked Docucharm: Paying high-priced, high-skilled workers to do data entry is a huge waste. And optical character recognition like Docucharm’s will unlock new types of businesses based on data extraction. This startup could be the AI layer underneath it all.
The Flower Co
Flower Co.: Memberships for cheaper weed sales and delivery. Most dispensaries cater to high-end customers and newbies that want expensive products and tons of hand-holding. In contrast, The Flower Co caters to long-time marijuana enthusiasts who want huge quantities for at low prices. They’re currently selling $200k in marijuana per month to 700 members. They charge $100 a year for membership, and take 10% on product sales.
Why we picked The Flower Co: Marijuana is the next gold rush, a once in a generation land grab opportunity. Yet most marijuana merchants have focused on hyper-discerning high-end customers despite the long-standing popularity of smoking big blunts of cheap weed with a bunch of friends. For those who want to make cannabis consumption a lifestyle, and there will be plenty, The Flower Co could become their wholesaler.
Honorable Mentions
Atomic Alchemy – Filling the shortage of nuclear medicine
YourChoice – Omni-gender non-hormonal birth control
Prometheus – Turning CO2 into gas
Lumos – Medical search engine for doctors
Heart Aerospace – Regional electric planes
Boundary Layer Technologies – Super-fast container ships
Here are the 85+ startups that launched at YC’s W19 Demo Day 1
Additional reporting by Kate Clark, Greg Kumparak, and Lucas Matney
source https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/19/best-of-y-combinator/
0 notes
fmservers · 6 years
Text
The top 10 startups from Y Combinator W19 Demo Day 1
Electric vehicle chargers, heads up displays for soldiers, and the Costco of weed were some of our favorites from presitigious startup accelerator Y Combinator’s Winter 2019 Demo Day 1. If you want to take the pulse of Silicon Valley, YC is the place to be. But with over 200 startups presenting across 2 stages and 2 days, it’s tough to keep track.
You can check out our write-ups of all 85 startups that launched on Demo Day 1 here, and come back later for our full index and picks from Day 2. But now, based on feedback from top investors and TechCrunch’s team, here’s our selection of top 10 companies from the first half of this Y Combinator batch, and why we picked each.
Ravn
Looking around corners is one of the most dangerous parts of war for infantry. Ravn builds heads-up displays that let soldiers and law enforcement see around corners thanks to cameras on their gun, drones, or elsewhere. The ability to see the enemy while still being behind cover saves lives, and Ravn already has $490,000 in Navy and Air Force contracts. With a CEO who was a Navy Seal who went on to study computer science plus experts in augmented reality and selling hardware to the Department Of Defense, Ravn could deliver the inevitable future of soldier heads-up displays.
Why we picked Ravn: The AR battlefield is inevitable, but right now Microsoft’s HoloLens team is focused on providing mid-fight information like how many bullets a soldier has in their clip and where there squad mates are. Ravn’s tech was built by a guy who watched the tragic consequences of getting into those shootouts. He wants to help soldiers avoid or win these battles before they get dangerous, and his team includes an expert in selling hardened tech to the US government.
Middesk
It’s difficult to know if a business’ partners have paid their taxes, filed for bankruptcy, or are involved in lawsuits. That leads businesses to write off $120 billion a year in uncollectable bad debt. Middesk does due diligence to sort out good businesses from the bad to provide assurance for B2B deals loans, investments, acquisitions, and more. By giving clients the confidence that they’ll be paid, Middesk could insert itself into a wide array of transactions.
Why we picked Middesk: It’s building the trust layer for the business world that could weave its way into practically every deal. More data means making fewer stupid decisions, and Middesk could put an end to putting faith in questionable partners.
Convictional
Convictional helps direct-to-consumer companies approach larger retailers more simply. It takes a lot of time for a supplier to build a relationship with a retailer and start selling their products. Convictional wants to speed things up by building a B2B self-service commerce platform that allows retailers to easily approach brands and make orders.
Why we picked Convictional: There’s been an explosion of D2C businesses selling everthing from suitcases to shaving kits. But to drive exposure and scale, they need retail partners who’re eager not to be cut out of this growing commerce segment. Playing middleman could put Convictional in a lucrative position while also making it a nexus of valuable shopping data.
Dyneti Technologies
Has invented a credit card scanner SDK that uses a smartphone’s camera to help prevent fraud by over 50 percent and improve conversion for businesses by 5 percent. The business was started by a pair of former Uber employees including CEO Julia Zheng, who launched the fraud analytics teams for Account Security and UberEATS. Dyneti’s service is powered by deep learning and works on any card format. In the two months since it launched, the company has signed contracts with Rappi, Gametime and others.
Why we picked Dyneti: Cybersecurity threats are growing and evolving, yet underequipped businesses are eager to do more business online. Dyneti is one of those fundamental B2B businesses that feels like Stripe — capable of bringing simplicity and trust to a complex problem so companies can focus on their product.
AmpUp
The “Airbnb for electric vehicle chargers.” AmpUp, preparing for a world in which the majority of us drive EVs, operates a mobile app that connects a network of thousands of EV chargers and drivers. Using the app, an electric vehicle owner can quickly identify an available and compatible charger and EV charger owners can earn cash sharing their charger at their own price and their own schedule. The service is currently live in the Bay Area.
Why we picked AmpUp: Electric vehicles are inevitable, but reliable charging is one of the leading fears dissuading people from buying. Rather than build out some massive owned network of chargers that will never match the distributed gas station network, AmpUp could put an EV charger anywhere there’s someone looking to make a few bucks.
FlockJay
Operates an online sales academy that teaches job seekers from underrepresented backgrounds the skills and training they need to pursue a career in tech sales. The 12-week long bootcamp offers trainees coaching and mentorship. The company has launched its debut cohort with 17 students, 100 percent of which are already in job interviews and 40 percent of which have already secured new careers in the tech industry.
Why we picked FlockJay: Unlike coding bootcamps that can require intense prerequisites, killer salespeople can be molded from anyone with hustle. Those from underrepresented backgrounds already know how to expertly sell themselves to attain opportunities others take for granted. FlockJay could provide economic mobility at a crucial juncture when job security is shaky.
Deel
20 million international contractors work with US companies but it’s difficult to onboard and train them. Deel handles the contracts, payments, and taxes in one interface to eliminate paperwork and wasted time. Deel charges businesses $10 per contractor per month and a 1% fee on payouts, which earns it an average of $560 per contractor per year.
Why we picked Deel: The destigmatization of remote work is opening new recruiting opportunities abroad for US businesses. But unless teams can properly integrate these distant staffers, the cost savings of hiring overseas are negated. As the globalization megatrend continues, businesses will need better HR tools.
Glide
There has been a pretty major trend towards services that make it easier to build web pages or mobile apps. Glide lets customers easily create well-designed mobile apps from Google Sheets pages. This not only makes it easy to build the pages, but simplifies the skills needed to keep information updated on the site.
Why we picked Glide: While desktop website makers is a brutally competitive market, it’s still not easy to make a mobile site if you’re not a coder. Rather than starting from visual layout tool many people would still be unfamiliar with, Glide starts with a spreadsheet that almost everyone has used before. And as the web begins to feel less personal with all the brands and influencers, Glide could help people make bespoke apps that put intimacy and personality first.
Docucharm
The platform, co-founded by former Uber product manager Minh Tri Pham, turns documents into structured data a computer can understand to accurately automate document processing workflows and to take away the need for human data entry. Docucharm’s API can understand various forms of documents (like paystubs, for example) and will extract the necessary information without error. Its customers include tax prep company Tributi and lending businesses Aspire.
Why we picked Docucharm: Paying high-priced, high-skilled workers to do data entry is a huge waste. And optical character recognition like Docucharm’s will unlock new types of businesses based on data extraction. This startup could be the AI layer underneath it all.
The Flower Co
Flower Co.: Memberships for cheaper weed sales and delivery. Most dispensaries cater to high-end customers and newbies that want expensive products and tons of hand-holding. In contrast, The Flower Co caters to long-time marijuana enthusiasts who want huge quantities for at low prices. They’re currently selling $200k in marijuana per month to 700 members. They charge $100 a year for membership, and take 10% on product sales.
Why we picked The Flower Co: Marijuana is the next gold rush, a once in a generation land grab opportunity. Yet most marijuana merchants have focused on hyper-discerning high-end customers despite the long-standing popularity of smoking big blunts of cheap weed with a bunch of friends. For those who want to make cannabis consumption a lifestyle, and there will be plenty, The Flower Co could become their wholesaler.
Honorable Mentions
Atomic Alchemy – Filling the shortage of nuclear medicine
YourChoice – Omni-gender non-hormonal birth control
Prometheus – Turning CO2 into gas
Lumos – Medical search engine for doctors
Heart Aerospace – Regional electric planes
Boundary Layer Technologies – Super-fast container ships
Here are the 85+ startups that launched at YC’s W19 Demo Day 1
Additional reporting by Kate Clark, Greg Kumparak, and Lucas Matney
Via Josh Constine https://techcrunch.com
0 notes
klkettle · 6 years
Text
On Gifts for Writers, recommended by Writers
This week I was lucky enough to again be asked by the Golden Egg Academy to host one of their weekly twitter Q&As (#GEAQA) and given the seasonal cheer we themed this week’s chat around suggestions from writers on gifts for writers. 
If you are reading this and you’re aspiring to finish that next book, or you have a relative who you know is a writer and you want that perfect gift, here are some suggestions from the Nest. I’ve also created a supporting Pinterest Board for handy use that will direct you to reputable places to buy. 
(All book recommendation links will direct to alternatives to amazon, such as wordery, foyles, waterstones, hive. I will link to the cheapest I can find, but you can buy most of these books on amazon if you prefer).
1) Craft books
Getting started on that book, even if you’ve written a dozen before it, can be a daunting prospect for even the most established author. Luckily there are hundreds of books out there to help. But what will be the most valuable? Here are the recommendations from the writers in the nest, tried and tested, spine-cracked and notated, what are the go-to books that get your minds whirring and your problems solved? 
‘The Story Grid’ by Shawn Coyne - this is a great book for anyone who wants to do a deep analysis of their story after it is written, or even avoid pitfalls in the plotting stage. It isn’t so much related to the craft of sentence and style, but more plot, pace and theme. The website is great, and the supporting resources and podcasts a great follow up. 
My second favourite new craft books this year have been the extension to the writers’ thesauri produced by Angela Akerman and Becca Puglisi. A long-time fan of the positive and negative emotion thesaurai, this year I delved into the urban and rural setting additions. A great resource for when you’re staring into a rainy garden and you need to write about a desert! Best deal I have found is on wordery click here for a link to all books.
My third but TOP suggestion is 'What If? Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers’ (3rd edition) by Pamela Painter and Ann Bernays. I was lucky enough this year to work with the legendary Pamela Painter, and every time I want to write this is my warm up book. Not only that some of the exercises prompted whole new ways to come at problems I needed to solve in my current MS, but short stories and new books have been inspired by the exercises, examples and topics. An invaluable tool. Recommendation from the author herself is to only buy the 3rd edition (blue cover not brown). 
And now for the suggestions from the Nest…
SF Said recommended his ‘new favourite book on #writing’ - praise indeed. ‘The Writing Life’ by Annie Dillard, as honest, hilarious & heart-breaking all at once. Also adding…
Bird by Bird by Anne Lammott for the ‘Truest account of the emotions of writing I’ve ever read.’
'Reading like a Writer’ by Francine Prose - recommended by K.M. Lockwood (Twitter: @lockwoodwriter, http://kmlockwood.com) who called it ‘brain stretching’. It’s going on my list. According to the Guardian, ‘novelists may or may not choose a creative writing course but reading is the one training tool they can’t do without. It’s a case Prose makes with such vigour as to make this an essential book for any writer, new or experienced, who purports to take his or herself remotely seriously.’
Picturebook writer and puppeteer extraordinaire Sue Eves, recommended the ever solid and reliable ‘Into The Woods: How Stories Work & Why We Tell Them’ by John Yorke @johnyorke123 and recommends reading before finished writing your book (as well as consulting ‘Story’ by Robert McGee).
Leoni Atkins (@creativekitty) recommended ‘The Story Book’ by David Baboulene (@StoryMeBad). An ‘academic AND practical dissection of story. (You can save £1 on amazon, but waterstones and foyles also stock and deliver so I recommend them instead.) She found the books’ info on 'knowledge gaps’ particularly helpful: 'In a good story there is always, always a difference in the knowledge possessed by at least one participant when compared to the audience.’ David also interviews several storytellers from film, TV and theatre such as Willy Russell, Lee Child and John Sullivan.  Lastly, David’s sense of humour easily takes you through an intimidating subject.
‘Elements of Style’ by Williams Strunk and E.B. White is another editing staple, helping with the structure, grammar and line edit. Essential in the late edit. 
‘Novel Metamorphosis’ by Darcy Pattison is recommended as an essential tool to help with the revision and editing process by Annaliese Avery author of Ninja Nan and Sidekick Grandad
2) Books that inspired the writers in the nest…
'Wow, said The Owl’ by Tim Hopgood 
‘Fantastic Mr Fox’ by Roald Dahl inspired Creator of #ukteenchatEmma Finlayson-Palmer
’The Lie Tree’ by Francis Hardinge, as well as her other works inspired K.M.Lockwood
‘How to find Gold’ by Vivane Schwarz inspired Emma Perry
‘Ballet Shoes’ by Noel Streatfield inspired Co-writer of ‘Waiting for Callback’Perdita Cargill
While I recommend ‘At the Edge of the Orchard’ by Tracy Chevalier for any writer experimenting with senses and style/pov.
‘Varjak Paw’ by SF Said was also recommended by EmmaFinlayson-Palmer
3) Non-book gifts
We can’t forget to cover every Writer’s addiction, stationary, as well as other, non-book gifts. 
Starting with Stationary: 
Oxfam do fairtrade & @WoodlandTrust@FSCUK cert stationery (recommended by @sueeves)
I’m a fan of the moleskin, particularly the Livescribe supporting books.
Rowena House, writer of ‘War Girls’ shared SCWBI member Teri Terry recommendation for writers and artists www.the-pink-pig.co.uk . David Almond, author of ‘Skellig’, orders his notebooks from Pink Pig, so they must be good! The do sketchbooks mostly but you can also get lined paper, and for the artistic there is all different kinds of paper you can get in them. You can also get covers with your own images on if you want to! 
Leoni Atkins can’t get enough yellow legal pads
SF Said recommends Tiger pens as his ‘favourite source of pens. Who doesn’t love a tiger - especially when stationery?!’
For non-stationary based gifts, that will tickle the fancy of any book lover or writer I recommended  www.theliterarygiftcompany.com and presentindicative.com, both sites which share a plethora of strange findings!
Let’s face it no wardrobe is complete without shoes inspired by the art of writing. Here’s a great blog with some fun links and gifts. 
http://bookriot.com/2014/07/21/twinkle-toes-bookish-shoes-literary-feet/
Finally, Sue Eves uses and recommends an elegant Egg-timer to help focus the mind when writing, and was kind enough to share a picture of this lovely instrument.
4) Research, Support and Learning Gifts
The One Stop for Writers is a great source of info and support and has vouchers available https://onestopforwriters.com/gift_coupons/new
The British Library has some great books available to support historical research bit.ly/2gph3ci
Last but by no means least! The Golden Egg Academy are once again selling vouchers which anyone can use to redeem against classes or membership. This year there were also workshops open to writers who were not members, so the vouchers may also be interesting to non-members! http://bit.ly/2fJAC0D (redeemable against plans)
Happy shopping everyone! Check out the full twitter storify here, transcribed by the lovely Lauren Hodges. Happy Christmas, and seasonal greetings. May Santa bring you warms hugs, good books and much time to read. 
To read the chat click here. Thanks to the members of the Golden Egg Academy for all your contributions. 
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omcik-blog · 7 years
Text
New Post has been published on OmCik
New Post has been published on http://omcik.com/colony-capital-injects-cash-in-talks-to-buy-weinstein-co/
Colony Capital injects cash, in talks to buy Weinstein Co
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The Weinstein Company has entered talks to sell the bulk of its assets to private equity firm Colony Capital, the companies said on Monday, as the film production company looks for stability after firing co-founder Harvey Weinstein.
Co-Chairman Bob Weinstein, Harvey’s brother and fellow co-founder, on Friday had denied the firm was seeking to sell or shut down following Harvey Weinstein’s dismissal after a number of women went public to accuse him of sexually harassing or assaulting them over the past three decades.
Colony Capital, which has about $20 billion in assets under management, will provide an immediate capital infusion into The Weinstein Co and is in talks to buy all or a significant portion of its assets, the companies said in a statement.
The Weinstein Co confirmed its board is to meet on Tuesday. No further details of the meeting were available. The board has shrunk to only three people following the resignation and departure of five others in the wake of the accusations against Weinstein, trade publication Deadline reported over the weekend.
Weinstein has denied having non-consensual sex with anyone.
One of Hollywood’s most influential forces since launching in October 2005, The Weinstein Co produces and distributes films, including such hits as “The King’s Speech,” “Silver Linings Playbook” and others. Its TWC Television arm produces the long-running reality series “Project Runway.” It does not operate a film studio, and as such has few physical assets.
If the deal goes through, it will be familiar territory for Thomas Barrack, the founder and executive chairman of Colony Capital and a friend of Donald Trump who chaired the U.S. president’s inaugural committee.
Colony Capital and the Qatar Investment Authority, the sovereign wealth fund of Qatar, in 2010 bought the Miramax studio, the original studio founded by the Weinstein brothers, in 1979. The two brothers sold Miramax to Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) in 1993. Last year, Colony and Qatar Investment sold Miramax to Qatar-based BeIN Media Group.
Like Miramax, the value of The Weinstein Co likely lies in its library of movie hits, which are in demand by traditional TV networks and online streaming services.
The Weinstein Co handed control of hundreds of films to Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) and insurance company Assured Guaranty Ltd (AGO.N) when it overhauled its balance sheet to avoid bankruptcy in 2010, while retaining ownership of 150 films, Reuters reported at the time.
Goldman Sachs later offloaded its control of the library to AMC Networks (AMCX.O), which still owns a stake in the library, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday.
Colony Capital and The Weinstein Co made no mention in their statement on Monday of a possible deal value.
According to a source familiar with the talks, there are a couple of deal structures under consideration. One would involve Colony’s outright acquisition of all of The Weinstein Co or its major assets, including what it sees as the more attractive TV operations, with an escrow account being negotiated to cover legal liabilities.
Another option is for The Weinstein Co to file for bankruptcy with Colony as a “stalking horse” bidder to buy it or its major assets. That would shield Colony from having to assume The Weinstein Co’s legal liabilities.
MEGA-PRODUCER SHUNNED BY PEERS
There is also the question of what The Weinstein Co is without Harvey Weinstein, the elder of the two brothers and the aggressive dealmaker and wrangler of Hollywood talent, money and egos – and the one credited with conceiving the strategy that scored dozens of Oscar awards for the company’s films.
Last year, Harvey Weinstein told The Hollywood Reporter that the privately held company was worth $700 million to $800 million, including the film library, and that it had no debt.
There are no public filings on which to assess the likely value of the company or its debt load. Opus Bank (OPB.O) was one of several banks that funded a $400 million credit facility to Weinstein Co in August 2016, but it is unclear if the company tapped the facility.
The cash infusion comes after more of the Weinstein Co’s partners have cut ties in recent days. Goldman Sachs said on Friday it was exploring options for its stake in the company, which is worth less than $1 million.
Hachette Book Group, the U.S. publishing house of French group Lagardere (LAGA.PA), terminated the Weinstein Books imprint on Thursday.
Colony’s cash infusion will “stabilize the company’s current operations, as well as provide comfort to our critical distribution, production and talent partners around the world,” the companies said in the statement.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences expelled Weinstein on Saturday, a sharp smack for a Hollywood mogul so closely associated with Oscar gold. The Weinsteins together have received 341 Oscar nominations and won 81 Academy Awards for their films.
On Monday, the Producers Guild of America said it had begun the process of terminating Weinstein’s membership after a unanimous vote by its board of directors and officers. Weinstein will be given until Nov. 6 to respond to the decision.
Colony Capital is the private equity arm of Colony NorthStar Inc (CLNS.N), a real estate investment trust that has holdings in healthcare, industrial and hospitality sectors. Colony NorthStar shares closed up 0.2 percent on Monday.
Reporting by Greg Roumeliotos and Jessica DiNapoli in New York; Additional reporting by Jessica Toonkel and Anna Driver in New York, Aparajita Saxena in Bengaluru and Piya Sinha-Roy in Los Angeles; Writing by Bill Rigby and Mary Milliken; Editing by Leslie Adler
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thehrisworld · 8 years
Text
Sharpen Your Career Skills At Your Convenience
New Post has been published on http://bit.ly/2lPrE1W
Sharpen Your Career Skills At Your Convenience
Quite often when an employee exits a company the position is not filled, especially in light of the economy being what has been globally.
Since the global economy has been on the down (and flat in many cases) for more than 11 years, this lack of replacement of resources is resulting in the current workforce seeing demands placed on them like never before.
Stress levels are high, with more than 80% of office workers working 6 days a week instead of five, and the days are usually 10, 12, 14 hours or more.
Yet, we all know — and are being told– that to get ahead we need to be involved in improving our own standing, meaning we need to get certified.
Skills and Education Get You Ahead
Yet, to get ahead, every employee knows they have to sharpen their skills and/or education.
But who wants to be traveling to a college, spending time in the classroom and then driving home, only to have to continue their studies with one hand and using the other hand to cook and feed themselves?
There is the option of the weekend, but most have family that is already experiencing the stress of your absence in the first place.
Taking an added stress would have your family telling you, as the saying goes, your goose is cooked.
Same is happening with many college students – many are finding they have to work their most, if not all, way through college – even if their education is being fully financed.
Though they are receiving the education they (or their parents) are paying for, many students realize that experience matters when seeking a position in their field of endeavor.
That experience doesn’t necessarily have to be hands on either, it could be certifications that get them a better start on their future. and since they already spend a lot of time in class as well as in studies and/or study groups outside the classroom, the initiative to sit in another class to gain certification is not exactly the most appealing thing to do the day after a Friday night party.
Complex Situations Usually Have Simple Solutions
Given the internet is now making many thing possible,  like working from – home, the beach (not recommended!), while on vacation (HIGHLY not recommended) or even your child’s wedding (guaranteed disinheritance!), why can’t the same be do for gaining certifications towards your career?
As certifications take hours of classroom participation, no one said they had to be consecutive, just cumulative.
Three professional organizations offer just that — allowing you to gain your certification (and KEEP it), with a minimal investment – usually one hour at a time, or self-study.
And since 2012, there has been an abundance of other options as well: MOOC’s they call them – which we discuss below.,
Here are three organizations, and what they offer… followed by an an overview of MOOC’s (with a short listing of MOOC’s).
We offer our recommendations at the end of this article.
HR.com
Website: HR.com
Meet, network, share and learn from over 200,000 of your peers.
As the largest social network and online community of HR executives, HR.com provides thousands of worldwide HR Professionals and Suppliers with easy access to shared knowledge on best practices, trends and industry news in order to help them develop their most important asset – their people.
As a member of HR.com you’ll have access to thousands of articles, case studies, newsletters, polls, surveys, discussion forums, blogs on human resources, FREE HR forms, documents, access to local and national discount programs and much more. We help you stay current and connected.
FREE HRCI credits
You will also have access to our live webcasts, with MP3 and power point slides.
Hr.com’s Institute for Human Resources (IHR) offers online certification in your specialty area of HR.
Each of their 1-hour live webcast and archives is submitted to qualify for IHR credits as well as the HR Certification Institute recertification credits.
You can get your IHR Certification and PHR, SPHR, GPHR and credits without ever leaving your desk!
Their members can also browse through their extensive Buyer’s Guide, an invaluable resource that connects you with the industry suppliers by providing up to date information on products, company information and more.
At HR.com they also make it easy for you to plan out your human resources career. You can browse their extensive list of HR Jobs or ask around the network.
And if you want to take your HR department to an even higher level, consider their premium GOLD and SILVER memberships. These memberships will give you access to essential industry tools, more extensive savings on various human resources products, giving you access to top-notch expert information, and much more.
HR Certification Institute (SHRM)
Website: hrci.org
The HR Certification Institute (HRCI), established in 1976, is an internationally recognized certifying organization for the human resource profession.
Today, more than 120,000 HR professionals worldwide proudly maintain the HR Certification Institute’s credentials as a mark of high professional distinction.
The HR Certification Institute is a global leader in developing rigorous exams to demonstrate mastery and real-world application of forward-thinking HR practices, policies and principles.
IHRIM
Website: ihrim.org
HRIM offers 3 delivery methods to accommodate individuals (as well as groups) to take the exam, including conveniently located testing centers around the world, live proctoring that allows candidates to take the exam wherever and whenever is most convenient, and via the existing delivery method of taking the exam at a host location.
The Human Resource Information Professional Certification (HRIP) exam is designed to assess the knowledge and competencies of professionals in the HR technology field.
Passing the exam indicates a demonstrated comprehensive understanding and proficiency of the defined body of knowledge in HR information management.
Passing the exam is only one part of the certification process – the recertification requirements ensure that the HR technology professional is keeping abreast of changes in the field.
The Human Resource Information Professional (HRIP) credential will be active for a period of 3 full years starting from the date certification has been granted.
In order to maintain certification, a total of 60 recertification credit hours are required during the 3 year period starting from the date the certification is granted. The credential holder will be responsible for maintaining a log of credit hours and documentation.
The Certification Handbook contains information on the HRIP exam and how you can apply for this important professional credential.
Why is Certification Desirable?
Certification is intended to recognize individuals who have relevant HR technology knowledge. An HRIP (Human Resource Information Professional) credential is a way to demonstrate your competency, show your commitment to the profession, and help with job advancement. Benefits to you include:
It differentiates you from others through demonstrated competency
It shows you have knowledge of HR information management beyond that of your everyday tasks
It gives you a competitive edge when seeking promotions or a new position
About IHRIM
Since 1980, IHRIM has been the only membership association for HR information management professionals and has advanced our profession by:
Providing unparalleled education and professional development opportunities through our conference, educational courses and webinars. These offerings foster intelligent HR system investments and effective solutions to business challenges.
Creating a certification program known as Human Resource Information Professional (HRIP) to allow experienced professionals working with HR information systems to be recognized for their knowledge and experience.
Facilitating an HR information management community for the sharing of best practices, professional collaboration and networking in person and virtually through CORE online.
Providing unbiased information on cutting-edge HRIM solutions.
MOOCs and Online Learning Academies
Mooc, short for Massive Open Online Course, is an online course aimed at unlimited participation and open access via the web.
In addition to traditional course materials such as filmed lectures, readings, and problem sets, many MOOCs provide interactive user forums to support community interactions among students, professors, and teaching assistants (TAs).
MOOCs are a recent and widely researched development in distance education which were first introduced in 2008 and emerged as a popular mode of learning in 2012.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtRIBdoe6JQ
Here are some resources to consider (list from
BDPA
). Do note that policies and protocols will vary from one MOOC to another. Example: Udemy allows you do purchase your course and it is yours as long a you maintain your account with them.
Udemy Free Courses – Udemy is an example of a site allows anyone to build or take online courses.  Udemy’s site exclaims, “Our goal is to disrupt and democratize education by enabling anyone to learn from the world’s experts.” The New York Times reported that Udemy, “recently announced a new Faculty Project, in which award-winning professors from universities like Dartmouth, the University of Virginia and Northwestern offer free online courses. Its co-founder, Gagen Biyani, said the site has more than 100,000 students enrolled in its courses, including several, outside the Faculty Project, that charge fees.”
ITunesU Free Courses – Apple’s free app “gives students access to all the materials for courses in a single place. Right in the app, they can play video or audio lectures. Read books and view presentations.”
Stanford Free Courses –  From Quantum Mechanics to The Future of the Internet, Stanford offers a variety of free courses.  Stanford’s – Introduction to Artificial Intelligence was highly successful. According to Pontydysgu.org, “160000 students from 190 countries signed up to Stanford’s Introduction to AI” course, with 23000 reportedly completing.”  Check out Stanford’s Engineering Everywhere link.
MIT Free Courses – Check out MIT’s RSS MOOC feed.  Also see:  MIT’s Open Courseware.
Duke Free Courses – Duke offers a variety of courses on ITunesU.
Harvard Free Courses – From Computer Science to Shakespeare, students may now get a free Harvard education. “Take a class for professional development, enrichment, and degree credit. Courses run in the fall, spring, or intensive January session. No application is required.”
UCLA Free Courses – Check out free courses such as their writing program that offers over 220 online writing courses each year.
Yale Free Courses – At Open Yale, the school offers “free and open access to a selection of introductory courses taught by distinguished teachers and scholars at Yale University. The aim of the project is to expand access to educational materials for all who wish to learn.”
Carnegie Mellon Free Courses – Carnegie Mellon boosts “No instructors, no credits, no charge.”
  And the Winner Is…
From the perspective of quality, all are winners. You will be well equipped to for your career through any one of these certification programs.
From the perspective of convenience, HR.com wins without a problem. Though IHRIM and HRIC do offer worthy certifications, getting there is much more challenging in the current economic and business environment. With IHRIM and HRIC, you ave to depend on self-study as well as making your time available to be elsewhere from both work and family. With HR.com, you can do this after everyone has gone to sleep for the night, before they all get up in the morning, or just by securing a quiet place at your office (with a computer and internet connection).
Also, with the rate of growth of the internet, cloud computing, and mobile computing, IHRIM’s and HRIC’s approach, though noble, lack the wisdom of latching on the needs of servicing their members accordingly. This will place a spotlight on HR.com’s approach that allows you to gain your certification much more conveniently. It is worth noting that the certification gained by HR.com is the same certification gained from HRIC.
Why walk down the river to cross another bridge when there is already one here, ready and prepared for you?
Disclaimer: The HRIS World had served on the advisory board for the ERP/HRIS Community for HR.com as well as operates as an affiliate for Udemy.com. All fairness and objectivity of this article is given to the experience of others in gaining their certification through anyone of the above organizations. All 3 organizations represent a highly professional and worthy program, each delivers their service as they see fit. Please use your own discretion in choosing which program best fits your needs while gaining your certification.
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mlmcompanies · 5 years
Link
Power Lead System is both a marketing platform with a full suite of marketing tools with a heavy MLM emphasis.
In our Power Lead System review, I’ll break down the whole program for you.
Power Lead System basically sells you a “business in a box”. What this means is they have a product to sell and a whole system for selling it, but all you have to do is put in the work to make sales.
The products they do offer aren’t totally useless. In fact, they’re decent for collecting leads and building a sales funnel.
But upon closer inspection, Power Lead System actually has many of the same features of an MLM company. The focus isn’t on the products themselves, but selling the products as an affiliate.
Read the rest of our Power Lead System review below for more information.
FAQ
1.) What is Power Lead System? Power Lead System is a suite of marketing tools with an affiliate program that’s essentially an MLM. It was created by Neil Guess in 2013. Power Lead System Customer is the main subscription, everything else including the affiliate program is either an upsell or a downsell.
2.) What’s included in Power Lead System? Power Lead system includes Google hangout pages, lead capture pages, video sales pages, audio & video postcards, email campaign & autoresponder tools, custom sales funnels, a content management system, SEO keyword research tools, unlimited subdomains for your sales pages, and ad tracking tools. They also hold weekly live training webinars and Google hangouts to help affiliates sell more of their products. There’s a training area and a support team as well.
3.) Who is Neil Guess? Neil Guess is an internet marketer based out of Washington. He is co-founder and co-owner of Power Lead System. Prior to Power Lead System, he was an affiliate with Solavei, an MLM company that sold contract-free mobile phone services.
4.) Who is Michael Price? Michael Price is the other co-owner of Power Lead System. He’s won multiple sales and MLM awards, including being named Sales Rep of the Year at a Fortune 100 Company. He even used to be a trainer for Tony Robbins’s Robbins Research International. Lastly, Michael is the founder of PricelessPossibilities.com and it’s Priceless Possibilities Marketing Platform.
5.) What is the Priceless Possibilities Marketing Platform? Priceless Possibilities Marketing Platform is the underlying platform that Power Lead System is based on. It was founded in 1996. Power Lead System is essentially an MLM spin on Priceless Possibilities Marketing Platform.
6.) What is a “business in a box”? A “business in a box” is when someone gives you the products to sell and system to sell them, leaving you to just make the sale. It’s basically a business opportunity that’s ready to go.
7.) What is Endless Free Leads? Endless Free Leads is a Facebook marketing course created by internet marketer Max Steingart. See FAQ $23 for more details regarding Social Profit Academy and its relationship to Power Lead System.
8.) What is Social Profit Academy? Social Profit Academy is a Facebook marketing course created by internet marketer Jeff Mills. See FAQ #21 for more details regarding Social Profit Academy and its relationship to Power Lead System.
9.) What is Master Traffic Academy? Master Traffic Academy is a course that teaches about traffic generation. See FAQ #21 for more information regarding Master Traffic Academy and its relationship to Power Lead System.
10.) Does Power Lead System have a Facebook group or other online community? Yes. They have a closed Facebook group with almost 47,000 members called Official Power Lead System Facebook Group. There are a ton of other groups posing as the Power Lead System group, but they’re mostly full of people trying to use their affiliate links.
11.) What happens in the Facebook group? Power Lead System’s Facebook group is a place for affiliates to share tips and ask questions about anything related to Power Lead System. They have a strict policy against posting links to your primary MLM, other affiliate links, or lead capture pages under your control. This protects against all the pitching you see in the imitation groups.
12.) How do I gain access to the Facebook group? Once you sign up for Power Lead System, you’ll get a welcome email with a link to join the Facebook group. Follow that link. Going directly to the page won’t work, and they don’t allow current members to add new members no matter what.
13.) How much does Power Lead System cost? Power Lead System costs $30 per month for a customer account.
14.) Does Power Lead System have a free trial? Yes, you get a 30-day free trial. Make sure to cancel your subscription before the trial period ends if you don’t want to be charged.
15.) Are there any upsells? Yes, there are 4 upsells. The first one is the Gold membership, which is just a normal subscription to Power Lead’s Systems products plus access to the affiliate program. The other three upsells are the Diamond plan, the Platinum plans, and the Master Traffic Academy course. Diamond and Platinum require Gold membership to purchase. The Diamond membership has a course called Free Ads Secrets with content about solo ads, co-ops, and methods to save money on ad spend. The Platinum membership is above the Diamond membership and includes an entire Facebook marketing course called Social Profit Academy and a library of video case studies.
16.) How much do the upsells cost? Gold membership adds a $24 monthly fee to your customer account for a total of $54 per month. Diamond costs a one-time fee of $147, while Platinum is a one-time fee of $497. Master Traffic Academy costs $1,497 if you buy it by itself, otherwise, it’s included in the Silver plan.
17.) Are there any downsells? Yes, there are 3 downsells called Free Lead System Forever, Lead Lightning, and the Silver subscription plan.  Free Lead System Forever is a free lead gen system that is basically a lead magnet for the paid products. Lead Lightning lets you build a list of targeted leads and market to them via email. The Silver plan consists of a Facebook marketing course called Endless Free Leads, a course called Master Traffic Academy, and ongoing training.
18.) Does Lead Lightning come with the full Power Lead System membership? Yes. Power Lead System has several pre-built Lead Lightning sales funnels.
19.) How much do the downsells cost? Free Lead System Forever is free. Lead Lightning costs a one-time fee of $7, while Silver costs $29.97 per month (the same as a customer membership).
20.) What is Power Lead System’s refund policy? Power Lead System does not offer a refund policy due to their 7-day free trial.
21.) Does Power Lead System have an affiliate program? Yes, and it’s basically an MLM scheme. You earn $20 per month for each referral that subscribes to the Power Lead System Customer membership. If they become an affiliate, you earn a 50% matching bonus on all their earnings in addition to their monthly subscription to the tools. However, you have to pass up every other sale until your 10th and every 5th sale thereafter to the person who referred you.
22.) What do they mean by “100% commissions”? Power Lead System breaks even on customer account sales. This is because you earn the $20 per month per subscriber and the 50% matching bonus for each of their referrals (in other words $10 per their referrals), which equals $30. This is the same price as the customer account, meaning 100% of commissions are paid to you.
23.) If Power Lead System doesn’t profit on their products, how do they make their money? Affiliate commissions. They keep 100% of your affiliate fees and you don’t earn any commissions on your downline’s affiliate fees. In other words, they’d be out of business if it weren’t for the affiliate program.
24.) What are the commission rates on the upsells and downsells? You can earn $6 per Lead Lightning sale, $15 per month on Silver subscriptions, $100 per personal referral and 25% downline matching bonus on Diamond, and $400 per personal referral plus $50 retail override on your personal referrals’ referrals for Platinum.
25.) Why would I sell free or cheap downsells for little to no commission? The idea is to introduce the customer to the product at whatever level they’re comfortable with. If they don’t want to spend a lot, you’d give them the free lead system or Lead Lightning. In theory, they’d want to upgrade to a more expensive membership after seeing success while using the downsells.
26.) Can only Gold members and above earn affiliate commissions on subscription? No. Subscribers to the downsells can sell those programs to others as well.
27.) What happens if someone isn’t qualified for commissions on a product they sell? The commission will move up the line until it reaches the first qualified member.
28.) How do I know which products I’m qualified to sell? When you log in, there are buttons that allow you to view or purchase the upsells. You’re qualified to earn commissions on any product whose button is green.
29.) If I miss a commission because I wasn’t qualified to sell the product, is there any way to recover it? No. Once a commission is paid to a qualified affiliate, it’s gone.
30.) The commission structure is complicated. Do I have to track all this? No. Their software keeps track of your various commission rates for you.
31.) Do I need my own domain/website to succeed selling the Power Lead System? Yes. Otherwise, you’ll need
32.) What is Power Lead System’s BBB rating? They are not listed on the BBB’s web site.
33.) Is Power Lead System a scam? The products aren’t a scam, although they aren’t groundbreaking. However, the main Viral Affiliate Marketing part of the business is definitely an MLM scheme even though they claim it isn’t.
34.) Comparable programs: AWOL Academy, Clickfunnels
Power Lead System Review – Overview
Power Lead System is a large set of marketing tools, but it also has an MLM side to it.
It was founded by Neil Guess and Michael Price in 2013.
Neil Guess doesn’t have much MLM marketing experience. He was an affiliate for Solavei, an MLM company that sold contract-free mobile phone services. Other than that, not much else is known about him.
On the other hand, Michael Price has a long resume. He’s won multiple sales and MLM-related awards, including Sales Rep of the Year at a Fortune 500 company. He was even a trainer for Tony Robbins’s Robbins Research International for a while.
He’s the creator of Priceless Possibilities Marketing Platform, the marketing platform that Power Lead System is based on.
Well, Power Lead System is basically an MLM of Priceless Possibilities Marketing Platform. As you’ll see, they offer the exact same products, but Power Lead System heavily emphasizes recruiting more affiliates.
In fact, when they do talk about how useful their marketing tools are, it’s usually for the sake of persuading you that you can make a lot of money selling them.
Keep reading our Power Lead System review for all the details.
Product
Power Lead System has a large suite of marketing tools that include Google hangout pages, lead capture pages, video sales pages, audio & video postcards, email campaign & autoresponder tools, custom sales funnels, a content management system, SEO keyword research tools, unlimited subdomains for your sales pages, and ad tracking tools.
Power Lead System also gives weekly live training webinars and Google hangouts to help out their affiliates. For even more support, they have a training area and a support team.
You get unlimited lead pages with Power Lead System. You can design your own or choose from a bunch of pre-designed templates. These lead pages can support video and audio so you can make use of video sales letters. There’s a whole library of photos to use on your page’s background, too.
Given that Priceless Possibilities has been around since 1996, I assume it’s products are pretty good. They aren’t massively different or better than other products, though.
Their main business is the MLM-influenced affiliate marketing opportunity, though. You can tell that as soon as you Google Power Lead System and come across a ton of poorly-designed affiliate marketing sites.
But this is a good thing because you can see how Power Lead System’s products aren’t that great. Wouldn’t all these affiliates have beautiful websites if the lead pages and other tools are so amazing?
Also, the Power Lead System website itself looks like it was created in 2001. There’re a lot of spelling errors and they even mix up the names of some of their products on their FAQ page.
Upsells And Downsells
Power Lead System’s upsells are 3 subscription plans called Gold, Diamond, Platinum; the other upsell is a course called Master Traffic Academy.
Power Lead System’s downsells are called Free Lead System Forever, Lead Lightning, and the Silver subscription plan.
First, the upsells.
The Gold membership is just a normal subscription to Power Lead’s Systems products plus the affiliate program.
The Diamond membership is above the Gold membership and has a course called Free Ads Secrets with content about solo ads, co-ops, and methods to save money on ad spend.
The Platinum membership is above the Diamond membership and includes an entire Facebook marketing course called Social Profit Academy and a library of video case studies.
Master Traffic Academy is a course that teaches how to generate traffic.
Free Lead System Forever is a free lead gen system that is basically a lead magnet for the paid products. Lead Lightning lets you build a list of targeted leads and market to them via email.
The Silver plan consists of a Facebook marketing course created by Max Steingart called Endless Free Leads, a course called Master Traffic Academy, and ongoing training.
Pricing
Power Lead System costs $30 per month for a normal customer account and $54 per month for a Gold account.
Diamond costs a one-time fee of $147, while Platinum is a one-time fee of $497. Master Traffic Academy costs $1,497 if you buy it by itself, otherwise, it’s included in the Silver plan.
Free Lead System Forever is free. Lead Lightning costs a one-time fee of $7, while Silver costs $29.97 per month (the same as a customer membership).
$30 a month for a bunch of basic marketing tools isn’t a bad price. Tools like Clickfunnels might be more well-known, but they’re also much more expensive.
Paying to be part of the affiliate program is yet another sign of MLM influences, though. But more on the affiliate program next.
Affiliate Program
Power Lead System has an affiliate program where affiliates can make money through selling Power Lead System subscriptions and by recruiting more affiliates.
Affiliates earn $20 per month per referral to the Power Lead System Gold for as long as each referral keeps their subscription. That means you can cover your product and affiliate subscriptions and pocket a few extra bucks with just 3 referrals. Your referrals are known as your “payline”, a similar concept to an MLM downline.
Once your referrals become affiliates, you earn a monthly 50% matching bonus on whatever they earn on top of your $20 monthly subscription income. For example, if one of your referrals grows their payline to 20 subscribers, they’d be earning $400 per month. You’d earn $200 per month from that.
However, what they don’t tell you is that you have to pass up commissions to your upline. Every other sale for your first 10 sales are passed up to the affiliate who referred you. After that, you pass up every 5th sale indefinitely.
As for the commissions on upsells and downsells: You can earn $6 per Lead Lightning sale, $15 per month on Silver subscriptions, $100 per personal referral and 25% downline matching bonus on Diamond, and $400 per personal referral plus $50 retail override on your personal referrals’ referrals for Platinum.
Commissions are paid out instantly every Wednesday. You can transfer them directly to your bank account or onto a Visa card as soon as they become available.
If you extrapolate these potential earnings, you could theoretically make thousands in passive income from all your downlines.
Sounds like an MLM, right?
They call their affiliate program “Viral Affiliate Marketing”. They try to tell you it’s not an MLM because you don’t have to recruit your family or friends. Instead, there are millions of entrepreneurs out there who want the opportunity to work from home!
Ok, well if the main part of your business is about recruiting people into the affiliate program so you can make passive income off them, that’s called MLM. Changing your target market from friends and family to strangers doesn’t change the way the business works.
Not to mention that you have to pay to be an affiliate.
But there’re more signs of MLM influence in the affiliate program.
See, if you earn $20 per month per subscriber and a matching bonus of $10 (half of $20) per your referral’s subscriber, Power Lead System is paying you $30 per month which is the same price as the standard subscription. Therefore, Power Lead System can say they “pay 100% commissions”.
In other words, they’re breaking even on their product sales.
So how do they stay in business if they don’t make profits on the products?
You don’t earn any commissions on affiliate fees from your referrals. 100% of affiliate fees go to Power Lead System.
Which brings up an important point: without affiliates, they’d go out of business quickly as there’d be no one paying them.
That’s not a great position to be in.
Recap
Power Lead System’s products aren’t a scam. They work pretty well, although they aren’t mind-blowingly different or more effective than similar products.
The affiliate program is clearly an MLM scheme, despite them claiming that it’s not. I mean, you have to pay a monthly fee to push marketing tools on other people or recruit them into this MLM.
To me, it sounds like Power Lead System is just an MLM company that’s promoting Priceless Possibilities Marketing Platform. The products are the same, but Power Lead System is all about using the products to promote Power Lead System.
In theory, you could make a lot of passive income selling Power Lead System subscriptions to others. The problem is people don’t stick around Power Lead System very long, making it pretty hard to grow a downline.
There are better affiliate programs out there, with better products, too.
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The top 10 startups from Y Combinator W19 Demo Day 1
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The top 10 startups from Y Combinator W19 Demo Day 1
Electric-vehicle chargers, heads-up displays for soldiers and the Costco of weed were some of our favorites from prestigious startup accelerator Y Combinator’s Winter 2019 Demo Day 1. If you want to take the pulse of Silicon Valley, YC is the place to be. But with more than 200 startups presenting across two stages and two days, it’s tough to keep track.
You can check out our write-ups of all 85 startups that launched on Demo Day 1, and come back later for our full index and picks from Day 2. But now, based on feedback from top investors and TechCrunch’s team, here’s our selection of the top 10 companies from the first half of this Y Combinator batch, and why we picked each.
Ravn
Looking around corners is one of the most dangerous parts of war for infantry. Ravn builds heads-up displays that let soldiers and law enforcement see around corners thanks to cameras on their gun, drones or elsewhere. The ability to see the enemy while still being behind cover saves lives, and Ravn already has $490,000 in Navy and Air Force contracts. With a CEO who was a Navy Seal who went on to study computer science, plus experts in augmented reality and selling hardware to the Department of Defense, Ravn could deliver the inevitable future of soldier heads-up displays.
Why we picked Ravn: The AR battlefield is inevitable, but right now Microsoft’s HoloLens team is focused on providing mid-fight information, like how many bullets a soldier has in their clip and where their squad mates are. Ravn’s tech was built by a guy who watched the tragic consequences of getting into those shootouts. He wants to help soldiers avoid or win these battles before they get dangerous, and his team includes an expert in selling hardened tech to the U.S. government.
Middesk
It’s difficult to know if a business’ partners have paid their taxes, filed for bankruptcy or are involved in lawsuits. That leads businesses to write off $120 billion a year in uncollectable bad debt. Middesk does due diligence to sort out good businesses from the bad to provide assurance for B2B deals, loans, investments, acquisitions and more. By giving clients the confidence that they’ll be paid, Middesk could insert itself into a wide array of transactions.
Why we picked Middesk: It’s building the trust layer for the business world that could weave its way into practically every deal. More data means making fewer stupid decisions, and Middesk could put an end to putting faith in questionable partners.
Convictional
Convictional helps direct-to-consumer companies approach larger retailers more simply. It takes a lot of time for a supplier to build a relationship with a retailer and start selling their products. Convictional wants to speed things up by building a B2B self-service commerce platform that allows retailers to easily approach brands and make orders.
Why we picked Convictional: There’s been an explosion of D2C businesses selling everything from suitcases to shaving kits. But to drive exposure and scale, they need retail partners who’re eager not to be cut out of this growing commerce segment. Playing middleman could put Convictional in a lucrative position, while also making it a nexus of valuable shopping data.
Dyneti Technologies
Dyneti has invented a credit card scanner SDK that uses a smartphone’s camera to help prevent fraud by more than 50 percent and improve conversion for businesses by 5 percent. The business was started by a pair of former Uber employees, including CEO Julia Zheng, who launched the fraud analytics teams for Account Security and UberEATS. Dyneti’s service is powered by deep learning and works on any card format. In the two months since it launched, the company has signed contracts with Rappi, Gametime and others.
Why we picked Dyneti: Cybersecurity threats are growing and evolving, yet underequipped businesses are eager to do more business online. Dyneti is one of those fundamental B2B businesses that feels like Stripe — capable of bringing simplicity and trust to a complex problem so companies can focus on their product.
AmpUp
The “Airbnb for electric-vehicle chargers,” ampUp is preparing for a world in which the majority of us drive EVs — it operates a mobile app that connects a network of thousands of EV chargers and drivers. Using the app, an electric-vehicle owner can quickly identify an available and compatible charger, and EV charger owners can earn cash sharing their charger at their own price and their own schedule. The service is currently live in the Bay Area.
Why we picked ampUp: Electric vehicles are inevitable, but reliable charging is one of the leading fears dissuading people from buying. Rather than build out some massive owned network of chargers that will never match the distributed gas station network, ampUp could put an EV charger anywhere there’s someone looking to make a few bucks.
Flockjay
Flockjay operates an online sales academy that teaches job seekers from underrepresented backgrounds the skills and training they need to pursue a career in tech sales. The 12-week bootcamp offers trainees coaching and mentorship. The company has launched its debut cohort with 17 students, 100 percent of whom are already in job interviews and 40 percent of whom have already secured new careers in the tech industry.
Why we picked Flockjay: Unlike coding bootcamps that can require intense prerequisites, killer salespeople can be molded from anyone with hustle. Those from underrepresented backgrounds already know how to expertly sell themselves to attain opportunities others take for granted. Flockjay could provide economic mobility at a crucial juncture when job security is shaky.
Deel
Twenty million international contractors work with U.S. companies, but it’s difficult to onboard and train them. Deel handles the contracts, payments and taxes in one interface to eliminate paperwork and wasted time. Deel charges businesses $10 per contractor per month and a 1 percent fee on payouts, which earns it an average of $560 per contractor per year.
Why we picked Deel: The destigmatization of remote work is opening new recruiting opportunities abroad for U.S. businesses. But unless teams can properly integrate these distant staffers, the cost savings of hiring overseas are negated. As the globalization megatrend continues, businesses will need better HR tools.
Glide
There has been a pretty major trend toward services that make it easier to build web pages or mobile apps. Glide lets customers easily create well-designed mobile apps from Google Sheets pages. This not only makes it easy to build the pages, but simplifies the skills needed to keep information updated on the site.
Why we picked Glide: While desktop website makers is a brutally competitive market, it’s still not easy to make a mobile site if you’re not a coder. Rather than starting from a visual layout tool with which many people would still be unfamiliar, Glide starts with a spreadsheet that almost everyone has used. And as the web begins to feel less personal with all the brands and influencers, Glide could help people make bespoke apps that put intimacy and personality first.
Docucharm
The platform, co-founded by former Uber product manager Minh Tri Pham, turns documents into structured data a computer can understand to accurately automate document processing workflows and take away the need for human data entry. Docucharm’s API can understand various forms of documents (like paystubs, for example) and will extract the necessary information without error. Its customers include tax prep company Tributi and lending business Aspire.
Why we picked Docucharm: Paying high-priced, high-skilled workers to do data entry is a huge waste. And optical character recognition like Docucharm’s will unlock new types of businesses based on data extraction. This startup could be the AI layer underneath it all.
Flower Co
Flower Co provides memberships for cheaper weed sales and delivery. Most dispensaries cater to high-end customers and newbies that want expensive products and tons of hand-holding. In contrast, Flower Co caters to long-time marijuana enthusiasts who want huge quantities at low prices. They’re currently selling $200.000 in marijuana per month to 700 members. They charge $100 a year for membership, and take 10 percent on product sales.
Why we picked Flower Co: Marijuana is the next gold rush, a once-in-a-generation land-grab opportunity. Yet most marijuana merchants have focused on hyper-discerning high-end customers despite the long-standing popularity of smoking big blunts of cheap weed with a bunch of friends. For those who want to make cannabis consumption a lifestyle, and there will be plenty, Flower Co could become their wholesaler.
Honorable Mentions
Atomic Alchemy – Filling the shortage of nuclear medicine
Yourchoice – Omni-gender non-hormonal birth control
Prometheus – Turning CO2 into gas
Lumos – Medical search engine for doctors
Heart Aerospace – Regional electric planes
Boundary Layer Technologies – Super-fast container ships
Here are the 85+ startups that launched at YC’s W19 Demo Day 1
Additional reporting by Kate Clark, Greg Kumparak and Lucas Matney
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