resentations flashing behind me – and then come down afterwards to "Close" the guests for the sales associates who couldn't. Most became sales associates. Almost everyone else bought a basic membership that very night, were issued their personalized plastic membership card, and left with a catalogue after looking over the countless samples in our showroom. The grocery items were not displayed. Very soon, the superstore would be open.

I signed up everybody that I knew. Not only did I sign my own name – to buy the three best slide projectors and large background screens – I had my own key to open the showroom/meeting room, and I had been

I had been working for a major national known corporation (SCM) since turning 21. After becoming their #1 office equipment salesman in the nation, the "Big Corporation" didn't want to pay me all of the commissions that I'd earned. My immediate supervisor was sympathetic. I was pissed! "The Man" as you would call it today, had screwed me out of some of my bonuses and commissions before. Only now, I was 24 years old, knew my worth, and I quit… Then, I took the "Rip-off Devils" to court and collected my rightful earnings.

That very afternoon, with a wad of cash in my bank account, I was looking in the newspaper. I saw a job listing for a "Public Speaker."

"WOW," I said to my first wife. "That's my new job!" The president of ADCO (American Discount Catalogue Operations, Inc) interviewed me in his near the Top Floor, Executive office located in the prestigious Portland, OR Georgia Pacific Building the following morning. Don told me that he didn't want to even take my application because the speaker position was as good as filled. He and his Vice President had been interviewing for two weeks and had narrowed the candidates down to five men.

"The decision will be made tomorrow night, after all five speakers make their formal presentations before our board of directors – at our showroom warehouse," Don Selley said. "You would never have time to learn about our products, our new marketing strategy, and to prepare your presentation by tomorrow night. I'm very sorry…"

"Just let me try, Mr. Selley," I asked. He sent me across town to see the showroom to meet Frank, his VP.

Well, after working all night, pouring through their catalogue, and preparing my speech, I practiced and polished it the next day. Then, I blew the other finalists away that night, keeping my big ego intact. I not only had the "Public Speaker" job. The others finalist for the "Primo-job" were given an opportunity to become "Sales Marketing Associates," which would cost their own customers $375.00. We were all going to "Get rich" selling invitees into this new membership-only discount operation.

Remember, this was in the 1970s. Computers didn't exist. Those personally invited as guests were given the opportunity to buy a basic membership for $25.00 or become a Sales Marketing Associate for only $375.00. Sales Associates would save even more and earn a percentage of all monies spent by their basic members. Was this good or what?

Every night for two months, I'd take the stage, do my song and dance from the podium – with three large screens of multimedia slide presentations flashing behind me – and then come down afterwards to "Close" the guests for the sales associates who couldn't. Most became sales associates. Almost everyone else bought a basic membership that very night, were issued their personalized plastic membership card, and left with a catalogue after looking over the countless samples in our showroom. The grocery items were not displayed. Very soon, the superstore would be open.

I signed up everybody that I knew. Not only did I sign my own name – to buy the three best slide projectors and large background screens – I had my own key to open the showroom/meeting room, and I had been

Public Speaker."

"WOW," I said to my first wife. "That's my new job!" The president of ADCO (American Discount Catalogue Operations, Inc) interviewed me in his near the Top Floor, Executive office located in the prestigious Portland, OR Georgia Pacific Building the following morning. Don told me that he didn't want to even take my application because the speaker position was as good as filled. He and his Vice President had been interviewing for two weeks and had narrowed the candidates down to five men.

"The decision will be made tomorrow night, after all five speakers make their formal presentations before our board of directors – at our showroom warehouse," Don Selley said. "You would never have time to learn about our products, our new marketing strategy, and to prepare your presentation by tomorrow night. I'm very sorry…"

"Just let me try, Mr. Selley," I asked. He sent me across town to see the showroom to meet Frank, his VP.

Well, after working all night, pouring through their catalogue, and preparing my speech, I practiced and polished it the next day. Then, I blew the other finalists away that night, keeping my big ego intact. I not only had the "Public Speaker" job. The others finalist for the "Primo-job" were given an opportunity to become "Sales Marketing Associates," which would cost their own customers $375.00. We were all going to "Get rich" selling invitees into this new membership-only discount operation.

Remember, this was in the 1970s. Computers didn't exist. Those personally invited as guests were given the opportunity to buy a basic membership for $25.00 or become a Sales Marketing Associate for only $375.00. Sales Associates would save even more and earn a percentage of all monies spent by their basic members. Was this good or what?

Every night for two months, I'd take the stage, do my song and dance from the podium – with three large screens of multimedia slide presentations flashing behind me – and then come down afterwards to "Close" the guests for the sales associates who couldn't. Most became sales associates. Almost everyone else bought a basic membership that very night, were issued their personalized plastic membership card, and left with a catalogue after looking over the countless samples in our showroom. The grocery items were not displayed. Very soon, the superstore would be open.

I signed up everybody that I knew. Not only did I sign my own name – to buy the three best slide projectors and large background screens – I had my own key to open the showroom/meeting room, and I had been

at our showroom warehouse," Don Selley said. "You would never have time to learn about our products, our new marketing strategy, and to prepare your presentation by tomorrow night. I'm very sorry…"

"Just let me try, Mr. Selley," I asked. He sent me across town to see the showroom to meet Frank, his VP.

Well, after working all night, pouring through their catalogue, and preparing my speech, I practiced and polished it the next day. Then, I blew the other finalists away that night, keeping my big ego intact. I not only had the "Public Speaker" job. The others finalist for the "Primo-job" were given an opportunity to become "Sales Marketing Associates," which would cost their own customers $375.00. We were all going to "Get rich" selling invitees into this new membership-only discount operation.

Remember, this was in the 1970s. Computers didn't exist. Those personally invited as guests were given the opportunity to buy a basic membership for $25.00 or become a Sales Marketing Associate for only $375.00. Sales Associates would save even more and earn a percentage of all monies spent by their basic members. Was this good or what?

Every night for two months, I'd take the stage, do my song and dance from the podium – with three large screens of multimedia slide presentations flashing behind me – and then come down afterwards to "Close" the guests for the sales associates who couldn't. Most became sales associates. Almost everyone else bought a basic membership that very night, were issued their personalized plastic membership card, and left with a catalogue after looking over the countless samples in our showroom. The grocery items were not displayed. Very soon, the superstore would be open.

I signed up everybody that I knew. Not only did I sign my own name – to buy the three best slide projectors and large background screens – I had my own key to open the showroom/meeting room, and I had been

arketing Associates," which would cost their own customers $375.00. We were all going to "Get rich" selling invitees into this new membership-only discount operation.

Remember, this was in the 1970s. Computers didn't exist. Those personally invited as guests were given the opportunity to buy a basic membership for $25.00 or become a Sales Marketing Associate for only $375.00. Sales Associates would save even more and earn a percentage of all monies spent by their basic members. Was this good or what?

Every night for two months, I'd take the stage, do my song and dance from the podium – with three large screens of multimedia slide presentations flashing behind me – and then come down afterwards to "Close" the guests for the sales associates who couldn't. Most became sales associates. Almost everyone else bought a basic membership that very night, were issued their personalized plastic membership card, and left with a catalogue after looking over the countless samples in our showroom. The grocery items were not displayed. Very soon, the superstore would be open.

I signed up everybody that I knew. Not only did I sign my own name – to buy the three best slide projectors and large background screens – I had my own key to open the showroom/meeting room, and I had been

resentations flashing behind me – and then come down afterwards to "Close" the guests for the sales associates who couldn't. Most became sales associates. Almost everyone else bought a basic membership that very night, were issued their personalized plastic membership card, and left with a catalogue after looking over the countless samples in our showroom. The grocery items were not displayed. Very soon, the superstore would be open.

I signed up everybody that I knew. Not only did I sign my own name – to buy the three best slide projectors and large background screens – I had my own key to open the showroom/meeting room, and I had been invited to invest my commissions into stock which would be worth a fortune.

Then, one evening I unlocked the showroom door to find the entire place empty. The samples had been returned to their rightful owners, and Don, Frank, and their "Bodyguard" – who they had boasted could remove lug nuts without a wrench – were gone. I still owed Moore's audio Video for the projectors and screens. So much for that "Great job with a local start-up company."

I ran into "Dashing Don" – as I have dubbed him – a couple of years later at a Beaverton, OR nightclub. He was still the same blond haired, blue eyed, southern gentleman that I remembered. Not all of the Earth-Devils have visible horns…

When I approached him, Don was delighted to see me. "I've been looking for you all over," he said with his beautiful smile. "I'm really sorry that the ADCO thing didn't work out but I've a much better thing for you now! As he continued to put forth his best charm, I could only watch in amazement. "I'll lease you a new Cadillac tomorrow if you'll only join me in this new ice machine business," he promised. "I'll make you rich! How about it?"

"Goodbye, Don," I said.

Let's leap forward to 1996. Phone cards were new. They were also the money making opportunity rage! I'd held off on buying into TelAmerica early up, when first approached. Yet, several of the real estate professionals whom I respected were now earning over $20,000 each month selling phone cards.

I leased another office above my own real estate company. I'd do it right! Converting the whole space to a large meeting room, I was ready to do business. My own agents, former real estate clients, and customers were invited to my second business. Quickly, I recovered my up-front investment. Now, I was ready to really roll.

I got up early to see if my third grade daughter's beautiful artwork that she'd submitted was in the Easter Sunday Edition of Vancouver, Washington's major newspaper, "The Columbian." It wasn't. Rather, I was greeted by the article on the front page that charged TelAmerica phone cards sales of being an illegal pyramid operation! Was it? I don't believe so. Yet, I was out of that business as were all of the honest people that I'd brought into it. TelAmerica never recovered. If a "Rip-off" occurred, it was the believing public that was ripped-off by the power of the press and the tightly controlled news media.

I doubt that anyone reading this on-line, ezine article would argue that we continue to be fed false news by the mainstream press. I don't take a newspaper