My fellow online entrepreneur Danny Iny contacted me earlier this month about an unusual business idea.

He told me he wanted to offer a 6-week business bootcamp to help 200 entrepreneurs start and grow their own businesses.

And he told me he was going to do it for free.

At first I was skeptical about it. It sounded too good to be true. But after I asked a few questions, Danny earned my trust and I felt the idea was worth sharing with you.

With that in mind, I asked Danny a series of questions so that he could explain his idea to you. If you like it, you’ll see how you can take advantage of it at the end of this brief interview.

Since some of my readers may not know who you are, can you tell me a little bit about your background and what you currently do?

Sure thing, Ryan. My name is Danny Iny, and I like to joke that I’ve been an entrepreneur for longer than adult life. I dropped out of high school when I was fifteen to start my first business, and I’ve been starting and running businesses ever since.

These days, I run Firepole Marketing with the help of my team, and we’re hugely passionate about spreading good, solid business and marketing education to entrepreneurs around the world.

So I hear you’re about to start a new program you’re calling the “Business Ignition Bootcamp.” What’s it all about?

The Business Ignition Bootcamp is one of the ways that we’re trying to give back to the communities that have helped us get to where we are.

It’s heartbreaking when we meet someone who really needs serious, applicable business training, but for one reason or another, can’t get access to it. We want to try and fix that through this Bootcamp by giving a deep level of business insight to 200 worthy entrepreneurs.

This kind of in-depth, sophisticated education is hard to come by without spending a lot of money, and making a lot of expensive mistakes, but we think it should be available to everyone.

When you first explained your idea to me, I thought it fell into the “too good to be true” category. In fact, I automatically assumed you’d monetize the Bootcamp through back-end sales. But you told me you have no plans to make money from this at all. So what’s in it for you?

Well, you’re right that we’re investing tons of time, energy and money into this training — we actually ballpark that between foregone revenue, our staff’s time, and all of the expenses that we’ll incur, it adds up to about a $130,000 investment.

So yes, it is a substantial investment, but we also expect to get a very handsome return — just not in direct cash back to us. What we want out of this program, and from our students, is to see 200 businesses growing, getting out there, and making a difference in the world.

We’re going to be expecting a LOT of hard work from the students that we accept into the Bootcamp, and we’re going to expect them to take real steps to apply what they learn. That will be our reward.

Okay, so the Business Ignition Bootcamp really is free, no strings attached. With that out of the way, what kind of outcomes can applicants expect if they are accepted into the group of 200 participants? What will they have achieved by the end of the 6-week program?

Over the course of the 6-week Bootcamp, our students will learn how businesses work and what goes into making a business model truly successful. They’ll also learn how to find where the main problems in businesses really are, and how to solve them.

They’ll learn how to create a truly compelling offer that people will want to buy, and they’ll learn how to get going and leverage what they have right now to start taking actionable steps in the direction of business success.

What kind of people are you looking for? Who is this for — and who is it NOT for?

The Bootcamp is for entrepreneurs, or would-be entrepreneurs who have a GREAT idea, and are excited about doing something amazing for themselves, and for the world — but are missing that secret ingredient that seems to make things work for everyone else, but not for them. That’s where the Bootcamp will come in to fill in the blanks.

We’re NOT looking for people who want a quick fix to their business problems, or tricks to quickly make lots of money. This is about giving people a really deep understanding of how businesses work, and how they can leverage those insights to do amazing things in their own businesses.

If one of my readers wanted to apply for one of the slots in the Business Ignition Bootcamp, what would he or she need to do?

It’s pretty straight forward! To apply for a spot in the Bootcamp, just visit BusinessIgnition.net, enter your name and email, and hit “Apply to Join” — then we’ll send you the full application form, you’ll fill it out, and we’ll review it, and get back to you!

******

So that’s it. If this opportunity interests you, click the link above and request your application.

Have a great weekend!

-Ryan M. Healy

Back in my early twenties, I was a rabid buyer of business opportunity products. Although I didn’t know it at the time, I was what the industry calls a “hyper responder.”

I bought all kinds of different info-products that taught different methods of making money. If the idea appealed to me… and the premise for making money seemed reasonable… I wanted to learn about it.

Here are just a few of the “crazy” opportunities I bought into…

• Fix and Flips – This was a popular business leading up to the real estate crash in 2008. Buy a distressed property at below market value from a homeowner on the brink of foreclosure… fix it up… resell it for a profit of $10,000 up to $50,000+. I spent $5K on H. Roger Neal’s Fast-Flip Real Estate program, but I never pursued the idea because it involved taking advantage of people in financial distress. (Today, this business would be more in line with my values because you can get plenty of fixer-uppers from banks.)

• Commodity Option Trading – I bought a manual that taught me how to trade commodity options. I read that thing two or three times. I even opened up a trading account and started trading futures contracts. I made some money and lost some money. I think I wound up with a slight profit when I decided to pull the plug.

• Waste Auditing – Apparently, most businesses overpay for trash removal service. The idea: Measure how full a company’s dumpster is when the trash service empties it. Do this for a few weeks. If the trash level is consistently low at the time of removal, renegotiate the contract and split the savings 50/50 with the company for the next 12 months.

• Multi-Level Marketing – I was in Amway for three years, from age 18 to 21. A year or two after I quit Amway I signed up with Herbalife. They had a good pitch and I wanted to believe it. I quickly realized their marketing plan was a numeric impossibility, so I bailed out and got a refund.

• Vending Business – I bought five soda/snack vending machines from a company called Antares. I actually placed half of them (the soda and snack units could be placed separately or together) and serviced them for about half a year. Unfortunately, this little foray turned into the most expensive mistake of my life.

• Horse Betting – Yes, I even bought a horse betting system. I read the manual twice. It was really a clever idea and seemed it would work. I never went down to the track to try it out though. (I’d still love to hit the local horse track just for the fun of it. It’s just 27 minutes from my house.)

As you can see, I’ve tried many things that haven’t worked out like I thought they would.

You might think I would have given up somewhere along the way. But, thankfully, I’m emotionally resilient when it comes to failure. Plus, I’m persistent.

I just knew there was something I could do that would allow me to work for myself. So I kept digging to see if I could find it — whatever “it” might be.

Along Came a Magalog…

During most of the time I was buying all these biz-opps, I was working for Merrill Lynch in their MasterWorks branch, a 401(k) division they’d bought from Barclays. I eventually left Merrill to become an apprentice copywriter for a homeschooling company.

The owner of the company mentored me and taught me how to write sales copy. That was a very exciting time for me because I felt I was learning something that had real value… and… meshed well with my personality and skills.

So… It was while I was still learning how to write direct response copy that I received a magalog in the mail. The headline on the cover was “How to Land Your Dream Career.”

Although that’s not the greatest headline ever written, I was curious enough to open the cover. Inside I saw another headline:

How I tripled my income
in three years after finding
“the best-kept secret in
corporate America” –

I read the first couple pages and I was hooked. But at that moment, I didn’t have time to read 50 pages. So I told my wife that I was going to spend the next evening reading the “Dream Career” magalog.

All that next day I was full of excitement and anticipation. So when I finally got home, I grabbed a drink, sat down on the love seat, and read that magalog cover to cover. Many parts I read twice — especially the stories of people who’d already succeeded.

And then… I ordered the product.

It was the AWAI Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting.

And Thus Began My Early Mornings

When I received the program, I had to figure out when I was actually going to do the work.

So I began waking up at 5:30 a.m. every morning so I could read and do the lessons.

Some of the lessons involved hand-copying letters. I hand-copied all three letters three times each. I then went on to complete the program.

I even wrote a mock sales letter for an imaginary product and turned it in for feedback from the AWAI team. (My letter was merely okay, they told me.)

It took me more than a year to finish the program because, like any good entrepreneur, I was working on multiple things at the same time.

But I’m extremely grateful I finished the program because it — coupled with my experience at the homeschooling company — provided me with a solid foundation for my freelance copywriting career, which commenced in June 2005.

A “Who’s Who” of Copywriting Legends

It was sometime in 2003 when I got that “Dream Career” magalog. And flipping back through its pages is like reading a “who’s who” in the coypwriting world.

There’s Bill Bonner… Porter Stansberry… Addison Wiggin… John Forde… and even Michael Palmer, the guy who wrote the now-famous “End of America” promotion.

There is no way I could have ever imagined that 10 years after I responded to that magalog that John Forde and I would be copied on the same email because the creative director needed some extra copy from us.

Amazing!

Not only that, the claims inside that magalog have come true for me. I’ve been freelancing for eight years now, and I’ve grossed more than six figures every single year since I started.

Much of my success I credit to AWAI’s copywriting program.

You Can Try It for $17

Back in 2003, I paid $492 to get the the AWAI Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting, and it was worth every penny and then some.

But today, you can get the same program (now much improved) for far less than I paid.

Right now, AWAI is running a special offer that lets you get the entire program for just $347. And you don’t even have to pay that amount up front.

You can try the program for 30 days for just $17. If you like the program, you’ll be billed for the balance of $330 on the 31st day of your membership.

But you’ll have to hurry because this $17 trial offer is only good through end of the month. It expires on May 31, 2013.

Remember, I’ve tried dozens of ways to make money, but AWAI’s Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting was the only one that ever truly lived up to its promises.

I didn’t just learn how to make money… I learned how to create my own dream career.

Click here to learn more about the program and take advantage of the special $17 trial offer while it’s still available:

http://clickora.com/awai

-Ryan M. Healy

So I’ve decided to finally start using my YouTube channel.

I’ve named it “Freelance Tip of the Day.”

My intent is to publish a new video tip five days a week. Each tip will be fairly short… about 1-3 minutes each.

I’ve also set up a new blog where I will be posting these video tips…

The website is, naturally, FreelanceTipoftheDay.com.

Who are these tips for? Full-time and part-time freelancers. Also, anybody who is an aspiring freelancer.

Of course, you’ll have to bear with me… I’m a total video n00b and my on-camera personality could use some work.

But if you can get past that, I think you’ll enjoy the tips.

Why am I doing this? Two reasons:

1. I’ve wanted to learn how YouTube works, and now seems like a good time to do it.

2. I want to build a more targeted email list so I don’t bother my general business blog subscribers with messages that are really just for freelancers.

If you’d like to come along for the ride, here’s what to do now:

Subscribe to my YouTube channel here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/sixfigurefreelancer

Then go to Freelance Tip of the Day and opt-in to the email list.

You’ll get email updates when new videos are posted. I will also recommend products I think would be helpful to you.

Oh, and one last thing…

I’ve got about one month’s worth of freelancing tips already laid out in a document. But I’d love it if you commented on my videos with questions you’d like me to answer in future videos.

When you comment, I’ll know there’s interest in what I’m doing. Plus, I’ll have a better idea what you want me to talk about in future episodes.

Thanks.

-Ryan M. Healy

We don’t get angry at Lane Bryant for only offering plus-sized clothing for women. We don’t criticize them for not catering to “skinny people.”

We don’t get angry at Justice for only offering clothing for tween girls. We don’t criticize them for not catering to boys… or babies… or adults.

So why is everybody up in arms over Abercrombie & Fitch targeting young people of ordinary size? Why do we care if they don’t offer a woman’s pants size larger than 10?

And are we really insisting that clothing stores ought to cater to everybody regardless of size, gender, or fashion sense?

Abercrombie’s CEO Mike Jeffries makes his position clear in a 2006 interview with Salon magazine:

“In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids,” he told the site. “Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely. Those companies that are in trouble are trying to target everybody: young, old, fat, skinny. But then you become totally vanilla. You don’t alienate anybody, but you don’t excite anybody, either,” he told Salon.

I understand why Jeffries’ comments may be offensive to the average person, but I can’t disagree with his marketing strategy.

This is the same marketing strategy ThinkGeek uses. Their target market is geeks — not cool kids! But nobody is up in arms over this. I guess it’s still socially acceptable to sell to geeks.

But try to sell to “cool kids” and everybody is ready to blow a gasket.

Average people see the world the way they want it to be… rather than the way it actually is. But it’s the marketer’s job to understand what people really want and offer them that. And the truth is, people want to own things that other people can’t have.

Jeffries knows this, and Abercrombie is capitalizing on it.

It may not be socially acceptable, but it’s smart business.

Am I missing something here?

-Ryan M. Healy

My dad is not a betting man, but when I got married he made a bet.

It was a simple bet:

“Ryan, I bet you $20 you’ll go up at least one pants size within two years of getting married.”

I was instantly indignant…

“I can’t believe you think that. There is NO WAY I’m going up a pants size in the next two years. In fact, I’m NEVER going up a pants size. You watch.”

At the time, I was twenty years old.

Now, if you’ve ever had kids, you know what a challenge it is to stay in shape during and immediately after each pregnancy.

Pregnant wives put on baby weight. Husbands of pregnant wives usually put on sympathy weight.

But when God made me, he shortchanged me in the sympathy department. There’s very little of it in my emotional makeup. Some would call it a deficiency.

I’ve been through four pregnancies now. Last spring, during the fourth pregnancy, I spoke to a friend over the phone and he joked that I must be putting on some sympathy pounds. I had to correct him. I had actually lost six pounds. My weight was going down while my wife’s was going up.

For the last 14 years, my workout routines have been fairly consistent and predictable. Weight-lifting and cardio a couple times a week. Cycling in the summer, snowboarding in the winter, racquetball and squash mixed in throughout the year.

But as of two weeks ago I decided to begin a new routine. Instead of cramming cardio and weight-lifting into the same workout, I’m splitting them up. And instead of working all muscle groups when I lift, I’m splitting them up too.

Here’s my new routine:

• Monday – Back and Biceps
• Tuesday – Chest and Triceps
• Wednesday – Recumbent Bike (35 minutes)
• Thursday – Back and Biceps
• Friday – Chest and Triceps

I’ve kept this routine for two weeks now. I’m currently in my third week. My goal is to build muscle size while reducing body fat.

I’ve also begun supplementing with creatine — something I’ve never done before, but have wanted to try. (Creatine helps muscles recover more quickly and gives you more endurance when lifting.)

So far the results are promising. My body seems to be responding well, and I’m eager to see what happens in the next couple months.

What I’ve realized is that it’s much easier for me to commit to a shorter daily workout than it is to commit to two 90-minute workouts each week.

When I was trying to fit everything into a single workout, it would take about 90 minutes, plus eating and showering afterward. That’s a huge chunk of time during a workday.

But doing 30-45 minutes a day plus a quick shower and shake is easy to fit in.

And now I’m enjoying all the benefits of a daily exercise routine:

• Better sleep – I’ve been sleeping like a dead man lately. It’s awesome.
• Better diet – My body craves nutritious foods after a workout.
• Better mood – I feel happier and more optimistic.
• Better energy – I wake up energized and have stable energy throughout the day.
• Better appearance – I feel better about my physique when I look in the mirror at night.

I’m well acquainted with the benefits of regular exercise, but I’ve gone through a few slumps through the years, usually because of pregnancies and adapting to having another child in our family.

It’s required me to be flexible… to shift my schedule… to try new gyms (I’ve tried eight of them)… and, most importantly, to be persistent even in the face of setbacks.

Every time I have adapted to my new reality and resumed a consistent exercise routine, I’ve kicked myself for not starting sooner.

So about that bet…

My dad lost it — badly.

I got married in 1999. I’ve never gone up a pants size. (Actually, I almost went DOWN a pants size at one point when I cut out sugar, wheat, and dairy for six weeks.)

So does any of this matter to you?

Of course it does.

If you have a computer job (and I’m betting you do), then it’s easy to let inertia take over. Your belly gets bigger. Your shoulders curl over. You feel winded when you walk up a flight of stairs. You develop “office body.”

Poor health and fitness affects your on-the-job performance. You’re not performing at your highest levels if you’re tired and trying to function in a persistent brain fog.

Fortunately, you can reverse all the negative side effects of a computer job by committing to a regular workout routine. Just 30 minutes a day is all it takes to unlock a laundry list of physical, emotional, and even professional benefits.

So what are you waiting for? Get movin’!

-Ryan M. Healy

P.S. My friend Ryan Masters has some great workout advice on his YouTube channel. Check it out…

http://www.youtube.com/user/theworkoutcorner

In an average year, I finish reading about 25-30 books. Less than 25 is a bad year; more than 30 is a good year.

This is the pace that I’ve been keeping for about 20 years now. My annual target is achievable for me, but still forces me to stay focused in order to hit my goal.

What you may (or may not) know about me is that I’m married and have four kids. I run my own freelance copywriting business (and have been running it since 2005). I have no employees and my wife does not have a job or help in my business. (She does do plenty of work though… she takes care of the kids, homeschools, cooks, etc.)

Anyway, a friend and blog reader sent the following email:

Question about your reading habits: How do you manage it with little kids and your work? Do you have a set time to read? Evening, morning, during work hours? Do you read one book at a time, or multiple books at once?

Let’s handle these questions one at a time…

Do I have a set time to read?

I’m not overly strict about my reading time, but I enjoy reading early in the morning before my kids get up. I also enjoy reading at night — so long as I’m in bed before 10:30. If it’s later than that, I’ll just go to sleep.

I rarely read books during the day, although I have done some business reading with my Kindle while pedaling the stationary recumbent bike at the gym.

On the weekends, I may read for longer periods in the morning or afternoon. But this is not something I count on. Every weekend is different.

I’ve learned to tune out background noise, which helps me to read in noisy environments. This is a necessity with young kids.

I’ve also learned the importance of filling odd times with reading. So, for example, I try to read a few pages if I’m waiting for 5 or 10 or 20 minutes. I might be waiting for a car wash… an oil change… a dental appointment… or for my wife to finish getting ready for a date.

It’s easier to pull out the iPhone and play a couple games of Bejeweled Blitz (and I do that sometimes), but I get much more reading done when I use those random 5- and 10-minute chunks of time for reading instead. (By the way, having a Kindle or tablet is great for this.)

Another way I get reading done: I read aloud to my kids almost every night, from about 8:15 to 8:30 or 8:45.

When my kids were really young, I read dozens of picture books. (Those do not get counted in my annual book tally, by the way.) Now that my kids are older, I get to read young adult books that I actually want to read (these do get counted).

For example, I read the entire Bunnicula series (seven books) and I’m almost done with all the Little House books (nine books). I’ve also worked in other classics like Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson and Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.

Do I read one book at at a time, or multiple books at once?

I read multiple books at once… sometimes as many as six or seven at a time.

I do this for a variety of reasons:

1. I like to start reading books when I’m feeling inspired; when a friend strongly recommends something; or when I feel a book contains information I need for a specific purpose at that exact moment in time.

2. I like to leave room for serendipity.

3. Life is too short to finish poorly written or useless books. Sometimes I’ll stop reading a book because I’ve lost interest in it. For the next couple months I may tell myself that I’m still reading the book… but the truth is I leave some books unfinished and will probably never get back to them.

4. I like to read different kinds of books at different times of day. I generally prefer nonfiction in the morning and fiction before bed or while on vacation.

5. When I’m feeling fatigued by one book, I like having the option of switching to another. It’s like having two horses in a race. If one is slowing down, I just hop on the other. When that one slows down, I switch back to the original horse. Both horses usually cross the finish line fairly close together.

But the two-horse race metaphor may be too simple. I actually read books a lot like I read HTML — in nested loops. So I start books 1, 2, 3, 4… then finish books 4, 3, 2, 1.

It’s something like that… with loops laying on top of other loops. (I also read magazines from the back to the front. What can I say?)

Part method, part madness…

I guess when it comes to my reading, I use equal parts method and madness.

Half of me likes the discipline of reading one book at a set time (like when I read a book to my kids at night).

The other half likes to read whatever book I want whenever I feel like it.

By blending the two, I’m somehow able to finish a couple dozen books each year — even with four young kids who occasionally make so much noise I can’t even hear myself talk.

Have any tips or suggestions for getting more reading done? Leave a comment below…

-Ryan M. Healy

P.S. Here’s something you should make time for… tonight’s webinar with Michel Fortin and Daniel Levis. Daniel will actually be giving away Module 1 of his new $497 email marketing course. Click here for details.

I subscribe to a variety of email lists that focus on marketing, economics, and stock trading.

Some I subscribe to because of genuine interest in the subject matter. Others I subscribe to as a form of research for my copywriting.

Anyway, one of the things I like to do is watch which subject lines get my attention. Here’s one that got my attention last week:

     They laughed when we launched a mutual fund…

I opened the email and this is what was inside:

I think this is a brilliant adaptation of the classic John Caples headline…

     They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano
     ~ But When I Started to Play!

Why do I think The Motley Fool’s version is so brilliant?

Because starting a mutual fund really is something people would laugh at — especially if up to that point you’ve only offered individual stock picks.

I also love the transition from the headline into the subhead… “But guess who’s laughing now? Our shareholders!”

This puts a little twist on the original John Caples ad.

Instead of focusing on one group’s laughter that turns to shock and then applause, The Motley Fool email talks about two groups of people. The email shifts from the group who first laughed at the idea to the group that didn’t laugh and actually invested in the new mutual fund. Now they’re laughing.

Because of this shift, The Motley Fool version adds an extra dash of revenge. Those who first laughed are now being laughed at.

So why do I share this email with you?

Because in case after case, it’s clear that all the most successful, most dominant, and most profitable companies know how to sell by email.

All these companies have to do is press send and within minutes their online coffers are filling up with cash. It’s the next best thing to minting money.

And if you’d like to learn how to write emails that persuade people to spend THEIR money on YOUR products and services, then I recommend you sign up for the free interactive web workshop being hosted by Michel Fortin on Tuesday, April 30 at 8 p.m. Eastern.

Here’s why:

During the webinar, Michel will be interviewing Daniel Levis about how to write emails that sell. Not only that, Daniel will actually be giving away Module 1 of his new $497 “Email Alchemy” course.

In case you’ve never heard of Daniel, he is a master of writing compelling emails that generate sales. He’s got more email writing talent in his little pinky than most people have in all ten fingers.

Need proof?

Daniel told me he recently penned an email series that pulled in over $30,000 in just 10 days… from a tiny little list of less than 9,500 names.

That’s more than $3 per name!

What’s more, there were no fancy videos. No launch partners and prizes. Nothing but good old email and a house list.

Why no sales videos or affiliates?

Well, Daniel wanted to prove that by doing everything WRONG — exactly the opposite of what most people do with their list — you actually make WAY more money.

Daniel will be giving you an inside look at the stats from this email campaign tomorrow night (Tuesday, April 30).

http://clickora.com/dlwebinar

And, as I mentioned, Daniel is actually giving away Module 1 of his brand new 4-module “Email Alchemy” training course that unveils every single tip, trick, and tactic for creating these windfalls.

The full 4-module course is $497, but you’ll get Module 1 for free.

Plus, you’ll get to see a real-live case study that breaks through any limiting beliefs you may have about whether it’s possible to create the same kind of life-changing paydays for you… with nothing but the power of a keyboard and the insider skills he reveals.

Daniel’s training is so powerfully effective, it’s the ultimate road map to turning unproductive, ready-to-be-deleted, “road kill” email lists into your own Fort Knox and solid gold profits.

PLUS… he’ll be digging into the MEAT of REAL emails he just used in the 10-Day, $30,000, $3-per-name campaign.

He’ll basically be “opening his brain,” and dissecting these PROVEN, profit-pulling emails, and the actual strategies and thought processes behind them.

So you can zip right up the learning curve to true email marketing mastery… and ditch the painful trial and error that most people never get past.

This webinar will be LIVE and INTERACTIVE. There’ll be real-time Q&A and a truly astounding mother-lode of free gifts to celebrate the recent release of this premium training. No purchase required.

Here’s the link again:

http://clickora.com/dlwebinar

My Best,

-Ryan M. Healy

P.S. If you write emails to promote your own products and services, then this training is perfect for you.

It’s also ideal for hired gun copywriters looking for the most lucrative ways to bag quick, easy 5-figure paydays writing these innovative campaigns.

Quick question for you today…

Do you live in the Denver Metro area?

Here’s why I ask:

I live in southeast Denver, and I thought it would be useful to have an email list of copywriters and marketing people who live in the same area.

That way I can send you info about local marketing events… or even notify you if I choose to do a small local mastermind meeting (something I’ve been considering for a couple years now).

So if you do live in the Denver Metro area… and you would like me to occasionally let you know about local marketing or business events that are happening… just opt-in to the email list below. Thanks!

-Ryan M. Healy

I’ve been getting an increasing number of emails from blog readers asking, “Can I ignore the Getty Images settlement demand letter?”

Readers have also been asking for an update on what’s happened since I shared my personal Getty Images story last fall (October 2012).

Let’s handle first things first…

Can You Ignore a Settlement Demand from Getty?

Obviously, you can ignore the letter. But you must be prepared to deal with whatever consequences that follow. Matthew Chan shares his perspective in response to a user-submitted question on the ELI forums:

Technically, you can ignore the letter. The question you (and anyone else getting the letter) must ask is whether you can deal with the consequences. If you ignore it, they will likely keep harassing you about it even if they do not escalate the matter to a collection agency or to a lawsuit. Even if you respond, both could happen also.

As a personal preference, I do not like to ignore these matters because they have a way of sneaking back into your life when you least expect it. Unresolved matters have a way of coming back to haunt you.

But that does not mean you have to play into their hands. I chose to aggressively fight back and defend myself. I was prepared to do what ever it took because I too looked at my own case, situation, and so forth. Even if I had “lost” in court, the other side would have had a very high price to pay.

I am not an attorney but it certainly sounds like you have some grounds for negotiation and a defense. The fact of the matter is Getty has to be selective on who they escalate the matter to. You have to determine whether they will likely come after you. I personally think they have bigger fish to fry than 2 images. But if you choose to ignore them, who knows?

There are certainly no guarantees either way. Some people prefer to avoid and ignore the situation which I have heard works just fine. Others like me have chosen to confront it and it has also worked out also.

Has Getty Escalated My Case?

A blog reader who received a settlement demand from Getty writes:

Great article online about your experience dealing with Getty Images and their extortion techniques. Have you heard anything more on your situation? I plan to fight them all the way on this!

Keep me posted if you don’t mind and I’ll do the same.

So here’s an update on my situation…

As I mentioned last fall, I personally made an offer to settle with Getty for $157. This amount was far less than what they were demanding, but far more than fair market value for the image that had been posted on my site.

Getty declined my offer and countered with a much higher sum than I was willing to pay.

I have since ignored all communication from them.

In fact, I haven’t heard a peep from them since summer 2012.

There is a three-year statute of limitations on copyright issues like this one, and I’m almost two years in. I may receive a couple more harassment letters, but I doubt anything more than that will happen.

At this point, Getty will have to escalate my case or take me to court. Both seem unlikely simply because they’ve already declined my offer to settle for a fair and reasonable amount. If I ever testified in court, I can’t imagine a jury siding with Getty, especially after my effort to settle the matter.

You may want to attempt to settle, as I did. Or you may decide to use a more unorthodox approach…

A Creative Way to Respond to a Settlement Demand

One reader decided to use the CAN-SPAM law for his defense. Below is a reproduction of the dialog he had with Matt Miller, a so-called “Recovery Specialist” at NCS IP Solutions LLC.

Email #1

Mr. [NAME REDACTED],

Good afternoon, and I hope this has reached you well. I am in receipt of your most recent email correspondence to my office regarding the above referenced matter.

I am unclear how our follow up to our clients claim for the unauthorized use of their rights-managed and copyright protected material on your company website without the appropriate license may be somehow construed as spam. Please be advised that our client has every right to protect the copyright in the imagery in question, and fully intends to do so. As the aggrieved, Getty Images seeks the recovery of the lost licensing fee and now additional costs.

In the spirit of settling this matter quickly, and amicably, my client is willing to accept $700.00 as full and final settlement to this claim. If however, you have qualifying proof from Getty Images that a license was issued by them for the use of the material (the attached), please forward that to my office as soon as possible so I may review such findings with my client. If your position in this matter is to refuse to settle, please make that abundantly clear in your response and we will attach that response to your file and submit both back to Getty Images and their Legal Department for escalation.

Best Regards,

Matt Miller

Recovery Specialist
NCS IP Solutions LLC
PO Box 50276
Sarasota, FL 34232
T – 941-371-9900×227
F – 941-371-9901

THIS IS AN EFFORT TO EFFECT A SETTLEMENT AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE.

Response #1

You have been previously notified of our demand to be removed from your mail list. In fact, last year, we responded with “Unsubscribe”. You are to remove us immediately from your list or you may face civil prosecution. This is not an attempt to collect a valid debt; therefore, your continued attempts to harass and extort has been noted and we are considering taking legal action at this time. CAN-SPAM ACT VIOLATION: Public Law No. 108-187. Each separate email in violation of CAN-SPAM Law is liable for a fine of up to $16,000.

Email #2

[NAME REDACTED],

A debt would mean there is a defaulting contract, or perhaps a judgment rendered against your company. This is not a debt, but instead a claim for the unauthorized use of our clients protected material.

Please indicate if you are going to work with me to settle this matter, or if we need to escalate this back to our client and their Legal Department.

Matt Miller
Recovery Specialist
NCS IP Solutions LLC
PO Box 50276
Sarasota, FL 34232
T – 941-371-9900×227
F – 941-371-9901

THIS IS AN EFFORT TO EFFECT A SETTLEMENT AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE.

Response #2

There is no matter to settle here. Be advised that your email and domain has been blocked from future emails being received by our company email box and I have forwarded this on to our legal team to take the appropriate action. Furthermore, it has been well documented that you continue to violate the CAN-SPAM ACT VIOLATION: Public Law No. 108-187, even after numerous warnings by our company to cease and desist.

So that’s one way to handle the situation.

Whether it will work or not remains to be seen.

Keep in mind, nothing I have shared in this post constitutes legal advice. I’m not a lawyer. You must do your own due diligence and seek professional legal help if you feel it’s necessary.

Can you ignore a Getty Images settlement demand letter?

Ultimately, that’s up to you.

-Ryan M. Healy

P.S. Here’s something you shouldn’t ignore…

My friend John Breese is giving away the 6 critical components of freelance success that could mean the difference between a lucrative career… or returning to the cubicle. Click here for details.

One of my favorite things to not like is taxes.

And seeing as April 15 is on Monday (get busy, you slackers!), I figured it was an opportune time to talk about taxes and government waste.

Do you know the U.S. federal government pays out millions of dollars in fraudulent refund claims to prisoners every year?

This was a new one to me…

Apparently, inmates are so well taken care of… and have so much time on their hands… they’re able to file fraudulent tax returns claiming that the government owes them money.

“It’s a serious problem, and it’s a growing problem,” said Inspector General J. Russell George.

In 2005, the IRS identified 21,000 fraudulent inmate tax returns, asking for a combined $80.4 million dollars. That number has ballooned to 276,000 fraudulent inmate claims in 2012, asking for a total of $1.7 billion. While the IRS catches 94 percent of the bogus inmate requests, the refunds that reach scammers are still staggering.

“We’re still talking hundreds of millions of dollars, and that’s outrageous given the fiscal restraints the nation finds itself in,” George said.

That these inmates can even get tax returns while in prison is ridiculous.

But then again, our “justice” and prison system is just as much of a joke as our tax system is.

Americans just love to lock them up some people. I mean, they really love it. Why else would we have the highest rate of incarceration in the world?

As a percentage, we’ve got more people locked up than Russia or even Rwanda!

Here’s the American idea of justice in a nutshell:

• A murder kills your child.
• They give the murder a life sentence in jail.
• Then the state puts a gun to your head and forces you to pay taxes in order to clothe, feed, and entertain the murder for the rest of his life.

In America, we don’t have justice.

We simply pile one crime on top of another so the victim can suffer as long as possible.

So what do our taxes pay for?

As I already mentioned, we’re lining the pockets of inmates with hundreds of millions in government cash. (I wonder, are the prison libraries stocked with Matthew Lesko books?)

But your taxes get wasted in many more equally outrageous ways.

The Economic Collapse Blog lists 20 of the craziest things that the U.S. government is spending money on. Here is just a sampling:

#1 A total of $3 million has been granted to researchers at the University of California at Irvine so that they can play video games such as World of Warcraft. The goal of this “video game research” is reportedly to study how “emerging forms of communication, including multiplayer computer games and online virtual worlds such as World of Warcraft and Second Life can help organizations collaborate and compete more effectively in the global marketplace.”

#6 The National Institutes of Health spent approximately $442,340 to study the behavior of male prostitutes in Vietnam.

#7 Approximately $1 million of U.S. taxpayer money was used to create poetry for the Little Rock, New Orleans, Milwaukee and Chicago zoos. The goal of the “poetry” is to help raise awareness on environmental issues.

#16 A professor at Dartmouth University received $137,530 to create a “recession-themed” video game entitled “Layoff”.

#20 Almost unbelievably, the National Institutes of Health was given $800,000 in “stimulus funds” to study the impact of a “genital-washing program” on men in South Africa.

I think it is fairly obvious that our tax system is broken and in desperate need of repair.

But whenever somebody like me suggests that the tax burden should be reduced and that the tax system should be simplified, the most common (and idiotic) retort is, “But who will build the roads???”

First of all, this retort reveals a total lack of understanding of where and how federal tax dollars are spent. To the point, just 3% of the U.S. federal budget is spent on “transportation infrastructure.”

Secondly, this retort reveals a total lack of creativity as well — as if roads could not be built without a government to orchestrate it all!

Anyway, as you file your taxes, just think…

Your tax money could be paying for a NIH researcher to study male prostitutes in Vietnam… or a group of researchers to play World of Warcraft… or some hack poets to write sappy poems about zoo animals.

Aren’t you glad you get to do productive work 40+ hours a week to pay for all these “necessities?” How could our society possibly get along without them?

Happy April 15th.

-Ryan M. Healy

P.S. Need some extra cash to pay your taxes? Tune in on Tuesday, April 16 when Lawrence Bernstein interviews Daniel Levis about how to write emails that rake in thousands of dollars from tiny lists. Register here.