I was at The Business Club, a networking group I attend fortnightly, and during . . . → Read More: The thing I like best…]]> The thing I like best about writing the Alfie Potts books is the testimonials I receive from children who have read the stories, and also from their parents and grandparents. Here’s one I heard last night…

I was at The Business Club, a networking group I attend fortnightly, and during the ‘elevator pitches’ one of the business owners stood up and told the story of his 12 year old grandson.

The boy was, in Granddad’s words, ‘lazy’. All he ever did was play computer games and he had a really negative attitude. Granddad decided to buy him the first 2 Alfie Potts books, which to Granddads amazement he read right away.

After reading them he asked his Granddad to help him print some flyers and business cards, then he passed them out around the neighbours and got himself a bunch of jobs to do. During the course of the week the young lad made £78 (about $100) and his attitude has now turned from negative to really positive (happens a lot when you get your own money in your pocket!)

Isn’t that brilliant!?! I love my job

A light hearted (yet worrying) look at what you’re up against as an entrepreneur producing better products and services to the world.

This is a legend of success and plunder

And a man, Tom Smith, who squelched world hunger.

Now, Smith, an inventor, had specialized

In toys. So, people . . . → Read More: Tom Smith and His Incredible Bread Machine – a poem by R.W Grant]]>

Dad reading to Alfie

A light hearted (yet worrying) look at what you’re up against as an entrepreneur producing better products and services to the world.

This is a legend of success and plunder

And a man, Tom Smith, who squelched world hunger.

Now, Smith, an inventor, had specialized

In toys. So, people were surprised

When they found that he instead

Of making toys, was BAKING BREAD!

The way to make bread he’d conceived

Cost less than people could believe.

And not just make it! This device

Could, in addition, wrap and slice!

The price per loaf, one loaf or many:

The miniscule sum of under a penny.

Can you imagine what this meant?

Can you comprehend the consequent?

The first time yet the world well fed!

And all because of Tom Smith’s bread.

A citation from the President

For Smith’s amazing bread.

This and other honors too

Were heaped upon his head.

But isn’t it a wondrous thing

How quickly fame is flown?

Smith, the hero of today

Tomorrow, scarcely known.

Yes, the fickle years passed by;

Smith was a millionaire,

But Smith himself was now forgot

Though bread was everywhere.

People, asked from where it came,

Would very seldom know.

They would simply eat and ask,

“Was not it always so?”

However, Smith cared not a bit,

For millions ate his bread,

And “Everything is fine,” thought he,

“I am rich and they are fed!”

Everything was fine, he thought?

He reckoned not with fate.

Note the sequence of events

Starting on the date

On which the business tax went up.

Then, to a slight extent,

The price on every loaf rose too:

Up to one full cent!

“What’s going on?” the public cried,

“He’s guilty of pure plunder.

He has no right to get so rich

On other people’s hunger!”

(A prize cartoon depicted Smith

With fat and drooping jowls

Snatching bread from hungry babes

Indifferent to their howls!)

Well, since the Public does come first,

It could not be denied

That in matters such as this,

The Public must decide.

So, antitrust now took a hand.

Of course, it was appalled

At what it found was going on.

The “bread trust,” it was called.

Now this was getting serious.

So Smith felt that he must

Have a friendly interview

With the men in antitrust.

So, hat in hand, he went to them.

They’d surely been misled;

No rule of law had he defied.

But then their lawyer said:

The rule of law, in complex times,

Has proved itself deficient.

We much prefer the rule of men!

It’s vastly more efficient.

Now, let me state the present rules,

The lawyer then went on,

These very simpIe guidelines

You can rely upon:

You’re gouging on your prices if

You charge more than the rest.

But it’s unfair competition

If you think you can charge less.

A second point that we would make

To help avoid confusion:

Don’t try to charge the same amount:

That would be collusion!

You must compete. But not too much,

For if you do, you see,

Then the market would be yours

And that’s monopoly!”

Price too high? Or price too low?

Now, which charge did they make?

Well, they weren’t loath to charging both

With Public Good at stake!

In fact, they went one better

They charged “monopoly!”

No muss, no fuss, oh woe is us,

Egad, they charged all three!

“Five years in jail,” the judge then said.

“You’re lucky it’s not worse.

Robber Barons must be taught

Society Comes First!”

Now, bread is baked by government.

And as might be expected,

Everything is well controlled;

The public well protected.

True, loaves cost a dollar each.

But our leaders do their best.

The selling price is half a cent.

(Taxes pay the rest!)

R.W Grant 1979

We had a few issues getting the illustrations done due to a computer failure, but the manuscript is at the publishers for the final edit and it should be . . . → Read More: Book 3 really is coming soon now!]]> Ok, I know I said it earlier, but Book 3 – Alfie and the Seminar really is on the way, if a little behind schedule!

We had a few issues getting the illustrations done due to a computer failure, but the manuscript is at the publishers for the final edit and it should be available in a few weeks.

In the book, Alfie gets a lesson in value to the marketplace, and goes on to make himself more valuable with excellent results!

Thanks for your patience!

Enjoy…

. . . → Read More: More meme madness from Dennis the Menace!]]> This morning I was watching Dennis and Gnasher with my 5 and 7 year old kids. I remember Dennis the menace from my childhood when I read The Beano and The Dandy every week without fail. However today I noticed something I hadn’t seen before, but I guess I wasn’t surprised!

The ‘anti rich’ memes were out in force!

Dennis had broken his bike and wanted another, but Dad couldn’t afford it so he went to ask his boss for a raise. There was the boss sitting behind his office desk, with piles of money stacked up to the ceiling, but when dad asked for a raise he gave him a wage cut for being cheeky.

Later Dennis trashes the house, then he invites the boss round to see the squalor they are forced to live in. When the boss arrives in his massive stretch limo and looks around the house in amazement, Dennis utters the magic words ‘We’re poor but we’re happy’.

All good fun you may say, and yes it was funny enough, but it’s still anti-prosperity – rich people are bad – rich people are mean- poor people are fun and happy, programming. And at a very early age.

So just make your kids aware of it before it sinks in. By then it may be too late!

At that time I’d already started my ‘mission’ of learning and personal development, and I’d . . . → Read More: The Power of the Millionaire Mind Intensive!]]> It’s about 3 years since I went bankrupt, and about a year and a half since I went to T Harv Ekers Millionaire Mind Intensive in London with my colleagues Richard Kerrison and Jeremy Downing.

At that time I’d already started my ‘mission’ of learning and personal development, and I’d come up with an idea to pass my new found knowledge onto young children before school, the media, and well meaning family had programmed them for mediocrity. My idea was to write a book about a young boy named Alfie Potts who becomes an entrepreneur, but how it was all going to happen I had no idea.

That weekend in London, in an auditorium full of 1500 excited people, the ideas filled my head at a frightening rate as I tapped into the collective energy. By the time I left on Sunday night the book had turned into a series, I had ideas for products, schools programmes, courses, and a host of other things.

They say that ‘Once you make a decision, the Universe conspires to make it happen‘ and in the case of Alfie Potts it was true. Within a couple of weeks I’d found an illustrator, Brendan Purchase, and a couple of months later I’d finished the first story, written a proposal, and landed a publishing contract!

Without the MMI it probably wouldn’t have happened, at least nowhere near as quickly, so I only thought it fitting that Harv should get a mention in one of the books. And now in the third Alfie Potts book, ‘Alfie and the Seminar’, Alfie’s dad takes Alfie to an MMI and Alfie later goes on to hold a seminar of his own.

I love the story, and when it comes out in August 2011 I hope you will too. And if you get the chance to go to an MMI anytime soon jump at it. It’ll change your life.

Richard and Jeremy? Well they’ve done pretty well since the MMI too!

Thanks Harv!

Book 3 in the Alfie Potts series

I’m excited to say that the third book in the Alfie Potts series should be in print during August. It’s called ‘Alfie and the Seminar’ and in it Alfie sees something he really wants but is disappointed to find he doesn’t have enough money to buy it. His Dad then . . . → Read More: Alfie Potts Book 3 – Alfie and the Seminar – Coming soon!!]]> {EAV_BLOG_VER:d1daa586b0959850}

I’m excited to say that the third book in the Alfie Potts series should be in print during August. It’s called ‘Alfie and the Seminar’ and in it Alfie sees something he really wants but is disappointed to find he doesn’t have enough money to buy it. His Dad then teaches him about value to the marketplace, and he takes Alfie to see what he means first hand.

His eyes well and truly opened, Alfie gets way out of his comfort zone and plans his first seminar…and the value he provides means he soon gets what he wants and more.

Available in August 2011. Pre-orders taken now!

“Hi Mark, Book 2 arrived today and Lewis read it within the first hour of getting home. I have just listened to a glowing review of the story. A . . . → Read More: Book 2 testimonials just 1 day after the launch!]]> Well two days ago I posted the first copies of ‘Alfie and the Mind Virus’, and within 24 hours I received the following emails…

“Hi Mark, Book 2 arrived today and Lewis read it within the first hour of getting home. I have just listened to a glowing review of the story. A another success without a doubt Mark. Well done!”… Clive Edmonds

“Hi Mark, Alfie Potts 2 just arrived this morning and I thoroughly enjoyed it myself. Can’t wait for Thomas to come home to read it. Cheers, and continued success”….Grace McCarthy

Thanks guys, this is much appreciated, and so are you.

If you’d like a copy of Alfie Potts Book 2 you can buy one by clicking here

In Book 2 Alfie gets a shock at school when one of his teachers isn’t exactly thrilled by his entrepreneurial success. He then learns a . . . → Read More: Do you want your children to grow up rich and happy? This is what they need!]]> Book 2 in the Alfie Potts – the Schoolboy Entrepreneur series – ‘Alfie and the Mind Virus’ is now available on Amazon, and also from the Alfie Potts website!

In Book 2 Alfie gets a shock at school when one of his teachers isn’t exactly thrilled by his entrepreneurial success. He then learns a lesson from Dad about ‘lack programming‘ and is amazed to see a destructive ’Mind Virus‘ already working away at some of his very young friends.

It could spell disaster for the school sports teams!

Fortunately Dad teaches Alfie some lessons in ‘contribution‘ and ‘prosperity‘, and his creative ideas go on to save the day!

Let’s face it, times have changed haven’t they? Children leaving school in the future won’t be able to go and ‘take a job’ like we did back in the day. No, they will have to go out and ‘make a job’ in order to get the lifestyle they want.

Unfortunately, things they watch and hear on a daily basis often programmes them with limiting beliefs. These beliefs can stop them from achieving the success they deserve.

So, if you’d like your children to grow up with the correct mindset, encourage them to read Alfie Potts Schoolboy Entrepreneur series!

What the kids and parents said about Book One

“My youngest son (8) couldn’t wait for me to read it to him at bedtime and sneaked off and read 10 pages on his own. When I caught him he said… ‘Dad, it’s the best thing I’ve ever read’…he has not stopped asking me questions about it yet. He and his brother have even started planning a money making plan for half-term washing cars”….Danny Snelling

‎”It felt like I was learning about business and making money, but in a fun way”….Kirsty Paris Downing (16)

“Love the book, nice to see this group catered for, I teach my kids this stuff, but the book gives me credibilityJ”…Norman Bristow

“Mark, My son William aged 10 received your book this afternoon & has finished it already!! I normally have to nag William to read but he did not even come up for air. I am very impressed. “It is an amazing book Mum” said William. He wants to do a video testimonial for you to tell other kids how great it is!!”…Sarah Bradden

“I love the book about Alfie:) My grandma Helga got it for me, it’s really great and I’m now running a cake business. Thank you for making such an awesome book!:D”…Sophia Sparrow aged 14.

“LOVE your book. I just read it, you mate are a genius genius genius i just love it, perfectly written, illustrated 10/10″…Brad Burton – MD of 4Networking

So, if you want to encourage your children to be positive thinking entrepreneurs, buy them the Alfie Potts books asap!

Book One is available here

Book Two is available here