Passing the Perceived Small Business Title

When building a business, we tend to look for reputable trade associations and assistance to help distinguish ourselves as a steady and reliable company.

We are Recession Proof Holdings, LLC (RPH).

In doing so, we turn to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) as it was thought to be a reliable source of information and was used by many companies as a benchmark resource to inform customers about how serious and committed a business is. 

We looked into many business associations, such as, The Chamber of Commerce, The Elk Lodge, Rotary Association, and many others.

The interesting thing we learned was that each of these organizations charged a nominal fee for membership. While most were upfront about the fees and benefits they offered, there was one that was not so easily understood. The Better Business Bureau (BBB).

The BBB appeared appealing in name and benefits.  Just look at the name... "Better" (enhancing better businesses) "Business" (the understanding of businesses) "Bureau" (a term used by government agencies). I can remember thinking that this was a Federal Agency when I was a young man.

This was the "Agency" to use, I thought, for our burgeoning business. Perfect! A government agency that my tax dollars had paid for already. A great way to register our business with the Federal Government, I thought.

We started researching. We saw the logos on many small business doors and windows, understood that this is where we report any problems with the business that we might have.  Heck, they advertised that they even helped settle any disagreements between business and customer. This has got to be it!

After preliminary research, we decided to make the call.  An older sounding gentleman answered our call. Very enthusiastic and optimistic sounding, he asked; "what type of business do you have?" I replied; "We are a holding company," being so proud to have established, what I thought was a perfect business model. 

We had started with, real-estate, owning our properties outright, established a property management and maintenance company to oversee our operations. We own a Consulting Company, working in the marketing, advertising, technology, Executive and Business Consulting spaces. 

We also hold a Non-profit organization geared towards our military, veterans and their families as our way to maintain community engagement, create additional employment opportunities and support other nonprofit organizations in this space.

He replied, "What is a Holding Company?" A little taken back, I started to explain. "We are a Parent Company that provides governance to our subsidiary companies, we provide liquid assets and absorb the majority of the tax burdens," I said. "A SMB" (small to medium sized business).

I continued, "We're registered with the Secretary of State, the Federal and State Internal Revenue Departments. We maintain our subsidiaries under the same Federal Tax Identification Number" (TIN or EIN). Our NGO (Non Governmental Organization) has a separate tax ID number."

We... He interrupted me, saying "What's you websites address? I can just look it up there."

Well, a little confused that a Bureau for business didn't know what I was describing, struck me as a little strange, I rattled off "www.recessionproofholding.com." 

"Okay sir" he said. I will take a look at it a call you back tomorrow. "Sure thing" I said.  "Look forward to hearing back from you sir."

The following day, he called.  He said, his manager was concerned about the affiliate marketing campaign on our website and asked what it was.  I explained, that our Consulting Company understood this market and were advertising our ability to assist companies and individuals in this space. He appeared to understand and respect this explanation. Finally, he then dropped the one thing we wasn't expecting... the price.

It appears, that our Holding Company, Recession Proof Holdings, LLC, our Property Management Company, dba Murphy Properties, LLC, and Consultant Company, RPH Consulting, LLC, all needed to buy a product from BBB.  And, if we so desired, we could add an additional service for RPH's Foundation for Military and Veterans Affairs (the NGO).

If you understand business, you know what I was thinking! Here's another organization that's claiming to work in good faith between company and customer, trying to profits from businesses while claiming to represent consumers. 

This concept was and still is beyond me. Why would we pay for someone to determine whether we are operating on behalf of our customers? If we were to have a non-legal dispute, wouldn't it be better to settle with our customers, rather than pay a rolling fee to a organization to stand in the middle, then siphon it's operating costs for us?

"No go," I said, not explaining my rationale to the older gentleman. He then began to try to negotiate a better price. "No go," again.  Surprised, he turn to "Let me talk to my supervisor." At this point, I'm blown away.

In typical fashion, his supervisor called. "We're concerned that your company is engaging in MLM!" (A term that means Multi-Level-Marketing or a pyramid scheme). I explain kindly, we understand the affiliate marketing programs and strategies companies use to recruit salesforces, we help companies utilize this resource. I rattled off some of the large companies that we were promoting such as, Hewlett Packard (HP), Google, Microsoft, etc..

It was then clear to me, we had left the respiratory of a traditional small business mindset behind. We had jumped the small business theory of business and possessed a medium to large business standard operating procedures. 

However, the better business bureau (bbb) stuck in the dinosaur age and like a tick or leach, stuck on our businesses and many more like us. They keep a database, derived by internet searches from complaining consumers. They attempt to force businesses to pay their operating costs to clean up negative feedback.  We're supposed to pay them to address each issue or let us respond publicly, to what may or may not be legitimate comments or complaints.  Wow, what manipulation! 

If nothing else, we've learned from this experience, to choose our battles. More importantly, never engage with unscrupulous entities. Yes we are silent, but for only publicly but not in our diary of thoughts.

By Jeffrey Murphy, 

Founder and President 

Recession Proof Holdings, LLC

The Importance of Family Time

April 18, 2014

‘Here am I and the children … the Lord has given me!’ Isaiah 8:18 NKJV

You don’t have to spend huge amounts of money to have meaningful family life. Children love the most simple, repetitive kinds of activities. They want to be read the same stories hundreds of times, and hear the same jokes long after they’ve heard the punch lines. These interactions with parents are often more fun than expensive toys or special events.  Dr James Dobson says: ‘A friend of mine once asked his grown children what they remembered most fondly from their childhood. Was it the vacations they took together or trips to Disney World or the zoo? No, they told him.  It was when he would get down on the floor and wrestle with the four of them. They would gang-tackle the “old man” and laugh until their sides hurt. That’s the way children think. The most meaningful activities within families are often those that focus on that which is spontaneous and personal… Busy and exhausted mothers and fathers, especially those who are affluent, sometimes attempt to “pay off” their kids with toys, cars and expensive experiences. It rarely works. What girls and boys want most is time spent with their parents—building things in the garage or singing in the car or hiking to an old fishing pond.  No toy ... to be played with alone, can ever compete with the enjoyment of such moments ... And those moments will be remembered for a lifetime'.  You say, ‘But I’m so busy’.   If you’re too busy to get involved in the lives of your children, you’re too busy! Rearrange your priorities and start making some changes.

Time Management

"Manage Your Time, Manage Your Life"

Tuesday, 29 March 2016

'Walk in wisdom... redeeming the time.' Colossians 4:5 NKJV

One of your greatest possessions—is your next twenty-four hours. How will you spend them?  Will you allow television, pointless emails, unimportant tasks, your own impulses, the wrong people or other meaningless distractions to consume your day?  Or will you take control of your time and make today count?  Leadership experts say that focusing on the top 20 per cent of your priorities brings an 80 per cent return on your effort. So when you get up each morning, look in the mirror and say, ‘Today I’ll live my life according to God’s will, and give my energies to the things that help me fulfil it’.  The truth is, there’ll always be things vying for your attention. Advertisers want you to spend money on their products ... And have you noticed how people with nothing to do, usually want to spend their time with you?  Even your own desires can be so diverse and your focus so scattered that you aren’t sure what needs your attention first. That’s why you need to focus like a laser on your God-given purpose. Whatever you concentrate on, you give strength and momentum to. Your priorities determine how you spend your time, so set them prayerfully and maintain them carefully. Eliminate non-essentials. Those who tell you, ‘You can have it all’ are misguided. You can’t do everything you want to do, but you can do everything God wants you to do. You’ve got to choose! Success comes from doing the right things right, and letting the rest go. If you’re not sure what the right things are for you, imagine yourself looking back on your life years from now— which things would you regret not doing?

Developing Your Strengths

"Minor and Major Gifts"

Thursday, 24 March 2016

'God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.' Romans 12:6 NLT

To excel at anything, you must discover your major gifts and put them to work. One of Paul’s minor gifts was making tents to help support his ministry, but clearly his major gift was teaching and building churches. You say, ‘How can I discover my major gifts?’ 

(1) Get God’s input. Who knows the product better than the manufacturer?  You didn’t create yourself, so there’s no way you can tell yourself what you were created for.  But God can, and He will. ‘If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you … But when you ask Him, be sure that your faith is in God alone.  Do not waver ...’ (James 1:5–6 NLT)

 

(2) Commit for the long haul. When you were first learning to walk you spent more time on your bottom than on your feet.  But you succeeded. That’s because you were born to walk!  You may discover your major gifts quickly and easily, but developing them to their maximum potential will be the work of a lifetime. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. 

(3) Get feedback from the right people. Asking others for feedback isn’t always easy, but it’s essential to success. Never be too proud to seek help.  And if you’re a ‘loner’ here’s a Scripture you need to ponder:  ‘There was no deliverer, because it was far from Sidon, and they had no ties with anyone’ (Judges 18:28 NKJV).  A word of caution, however:  Choose people who have no agenda other than to help you.

The Young

In the Age of Google DeepMind, Do the Young Go Prodigies of Asia Have a Future? — http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/in-the-age-of-google-deepmind-do-the-young-go-prodigies-of-asia-have-a-future?mbid=rss&utm_medium=App.net+Broadcast&utm_source=PourOver

Check out @RPH052012's Tweet: https://twitter.com/RPH052012/status/708018822540873728?s=09

Celebrating Women History Month

 “Oh, if I could but live another century and see the fruition of all the work for women. There is so much yet to be done.” – Suffragist Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906)

The consumer movement, trust-busting, the women’s movement, and the work of the FTC have traveled parallel (and often intersecting) paths. Women’s History Month offers us a chance to consider the contribution women have made to the mission of the FTC and the unprecedented moment in women’s history we’re witnessing at the FTC today.

At the start of the 20th century – before women won the right to vote – managing the household budget was the first step many women took toward economic empowerment. Their efforts fueled the drive for safer products and fair dealing.

From the beginning, the FTC has been committed to encouraging a competitive marketplace where truth prevails. Skim the first volume of FTC Decisions and you’ll see a surprising number of “shopping cart” cases – inferior coffee beans sold as mocha java, sweetheart deals that kept competing household goods off store shelves, and misleading testimonials for health products, to name just a few. Our law enforcement actions continue to target practices that hit Americans in the wallet.

How has the FTC maintained its consistent focus on unfair and deceptive practices that affect the day-to-day dollars-and-cents interests of consumers? We think some part of that may be due to the leadership of outstanding women. 

Appointed in 1964 by President Johnson, Mary Gardiner Jones was the first woman to be named an FTC Commissioner. Since then, 14 women have served as Commissioners. Janet D. Steiger was the first woman to be named Chairman, a position she held from 1989 to 1995.

And now to that moment of living history. We note that for the first time, all four sitting Commissioners – Chairwoman Edith Ramirez, Commissioner Julie Brill, Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen, and Commissioner Terrell McSweeny – are women. What’s more, the FTC’s three bureaus have women at the helm:  Bureau of Consumer Protection Director Jessica Rich, Bureau of Competition Director Deborah Feinstein, and Bureau of Economics Director Ginger Zhe Jin.

We think their efforts to protect the interests of all consumers give us a special reason to celebrate March as Women’s History Month