Membership Updates
Please extend a warm welcome to our newest member, Mark Menasci.  He provides computer support services to businesses and homes.  He works out of the house but usually on the road.  He has been in business 6 years.  He sets up secured wireless internet, firewalls, etc.  The most common thing he gets called on is a slow computer.  He can usually clean it up and make it better than new in 1.5 hours.  Many times programs will run along side Windows and take up resources.  So many people down have antivirus or spyware so he will set them up.  He also setup backups for clients.  A big difference between him and Best Buy, for example, he can come to your house/business and sit with you and make sure to fix the exact problem and show you how to take care of your computer.  He can also work remotely with clients.  He has customers in other states that he has never met because of his ability to work remotely.

Given the currently state of the economy, have you changed the amount of work you are willing to do before you get paid?

Chris Curran - In a situation where he has been stiffed for the first time.  It is very awkward - kids in the same class.  Chris gave him hobby prices.  The guy kept asking for bill.  When he got it he wanted to pay by credit card.  He has since disappeared.  Chris knows that it is because he didn't have money.  He is thinking that in this economy he should ask for payment upfront.

Janice Jaicks - I always get paid upfront anyway but I do see more and more credit cards declined and the next week they are OK. 

Steve Chilton - It is a shame.  The handshake is gone.  Our business has changed tremendously because of the economy.  Now we take 30-40% up front and are very detailed in our contracts.  About 1 in 5 clients will stiff us in some form.

Sandro Menasci - People try to change the rules but we stick to our guns.  Our margins have gone down because of competition and expenses going up.

Mark Menasci - To avoid those situations I get signatures up front from my customers.  I've only had one issue.  Depending on the job I will take a certain percentage up front.

Phyllis Prater - I am amazed at the attitudes of the last 3-4 years.  I have more problems with the younger ones.

Don Ellis - On wedding receptions we take money down.  We haven't been stiffed in 28 years.  We've been fortunate.

Roman Okonowski - Most insurance policies are direct billed - no pay, no coverage.  Some pay through us and we are responsible.  I know my clients well and know who will pay me.  I do proceed cautiously these days.  We have a lot more cancellations for non-payment.

Denver Johnson - We very seldom take money up front and we very seldom get stiffed.  What happens to us, on commercial jobs we become a bank while we wait 90 days to get paid.

Keith Miller - The people you trust the most will tend to play those games.  We do cash and checks.  We've had some checks that have bounced and they have been from regular clients but they take care of them.  The worst cases I have is when I am dealing with personal insurance cases and the insurance company doesn't pay the full amount.

Jana Greene - We get money up front for big jobs.  My two biggest clients pay like clockwork. 

Mark Howard - We are not taking any new clients.  We are working with the survivors of the industry.

Guy Sawyer - If it is a job that we know is going to take longer than usual we take a down payment and weekly draws.  I may start doing contracts.

Bob Becker - In real estate you don't get paid until everything is done.  As agents, we are at the mercy of the broker.  Time spent doesn't matter.

Jim Bache - I haven't changed anything.  I take cash and checks, no credit cards.  I've had good luck over the years.  When I have had a check bounce it was an error and taken care of quickly.  On probate cases, I have payment priority out of assets.  Keep a picture of your family on your desk in front of you as a reminder of who is more important, them or the client you want to help but know may be risky.  Things have changed.  There has been a cultural shift and influx.  People expect a discount.  You have lien rights.

Stuart Schindler - When I have been stiffed it was by a regular customer.  You just hope you can see it coming and that it is a smaller dollar amount.  I haven't had a credit card declined in years.  But I usually deal with businesses so maybe it is different than with individuals.

Robert Busch - I got shafted yesterday.  I usually get 50% up front.  I also work mostly with referrals so they are usually proven to be good payers.

Charles Hultstrand - When I first started working for an old lawyer many years ago he told me "we don't work for free."  We work for good people and bad people.  You get to recognize the signs and understand how people do things when they try to take advantage of you.  I get one small bad check about every 8-9 years.  The only time I got stiffed for a significant amount of money was when I took a case at the insistence of another lawyer.

Joe Zingale - I have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars to bad debt over the years.  I don't know any business that works on credit that never gets stiffed.  In construction we get stiffed a lot.  It seems like it is always somebody's best friend that does it to you.  There is an assumed arrogance these days because of the economy. 

Fred Vandervort - We take credit cards and we do have a policy to take a percentage up front.  As of late we haven't had any problems.  In the past I have had to take people to court.

James Clark - I take cash, check and credit card.  Never been stiffed since taking over.  My dad may have had to deal with it.  I did have only one incident with a good family friend with a rental home that wasn't able to pay me.

Nick Mawrenko - We are liable to pay employees even if the business owner stiffs us.  But this happens very infrequently.

Featured Program - Keith Miller
We are responsible for the plumbing within ourselves.  We have tubes that circulate our fluids.  Narrow paths cause problems.  We cause the narrow paths.  We have been programmed over time to eat bad foods.  A normal person of normal physic, lives on 1800-2000 calories per day.  Our breakfast in MABE can take half of that.  Add on to that lunch, dinner and stuff in between.  It is real easy to go over 2000 calories.  A regular hamburger has about a 1/4 cup of oil.  To work that off you would have to work out at high intensity for 60 minutes or cut 500 calories out of your diet for a week.  We become storage factories and overtime vessels become blocked.  If you want to live long and enjoy a nice physic you have to watch your diet and exercise. 

Don't fall for false advertising.  they may claim high in fiber but they don't tell you that they are also high in carbohydrates.  Carbohydrates are designed for quick energy so we need to work them off quickly.  There is no easy diet that fits all.  Your best bet is to pay attention to what you eat and how you burn it off. 

Finally, watch the juice!  They usually include fillers.