Earning freedom can lead to profits in some amazing ways.

Merri and I are about to introduce a new series of flowers… proteas… pink eyes… and pin cushions from the first proteas farm in Ecuador.  These Ecuador flowers are beautiful and really long lasting (some last up to 45 days in a vase).

Here is a bouquet of proteas on our condo balcony overlooking Cotacachi.

This message, however is not about Ecuador proteas, but about earning freedom and the amazing way that technology and nature can come together to provide richness and abundance… if we will just follow the lead.

Merri and I can offer Ecuador flowers wherever we are… at our North Carolina farm, our Florida home…. our Cotacachi condo or our Ecuador Pacific penthouse.

Had you suggested, a couple of years ago, that we would ever be in the flower business, I would have laughed.

Yet here we are… selling tens of thousands of Ecuador flowers.

This is because we show up for work every day… we watch where conditions lead us, and we embrace technology.

Fifteen years ago… we were tied to printing… paper and publishing.  It was hard to live without special types of printers and post offices that could handle bulk mail.

Then along came the internet and this electronic wonder set us free.

Because of this we are helping our readers learn how to use the internet in two ways.

First we offer a course “Tangled Web – How to Have Your Own Internet Business“.

This course shows how to create an internet business just like ours.

The second way we help our readers to gain earning freedom is with a free course written by Michelle Toole on how to build your own website.

Michelle recently sent this note:

Hi Gary,  I was so impressed with the changes you made to your website that I wrote this month’s article focusing on the importance of a web site’s “look and feel.”   I think the changes you made to both your website and newsletter are fantastic.   Your site is easier to navigate and is much more pleasing to the eye.

I also like the bit of technology you added to your home page; it is inviting without being overwhelming.  I would be curious to hear the impact your changes have on your bottom line.  For instance, are your visitors staying longer on your site? Have your page views increased? Are you seeing an increase in newsletter signup? And, of course, are you seeing an increase in revenue?

After seeing the new look of your website I realize it is certainly time for me to take a long hard look at my site to determine areas that could use some tweaking.  Although I think “look and feel” will probably be last on a long list of steps that I can take to improve my bottom line.   Right now I am getting over 2000 unique visitors each day and will consider a “look and feel” redesign when I reach 3500 visitors each day.  I think for now my time is better invested in revamping my sales pages, tightening up the content on my home page, adding more original content, and creating additional joint ventures.   As always thanks for your on-going support and enthusiasm.   Much love to both you and Merri,  Michelle

One frequent question I receive from those interested in living abroad and keeping up with the times is “How can I continue to earn income?”

One answer is… “with an internet business.”

This is why we share a free course from Michelle Toole who, after attending our self publishing seminar and Ecuador tour started and built her first web success and has started a second.  She shares many lessons such as the one below.

Is Your Web Site in Need of a Makeover?
By Michelle Toole

I thought it timely to discuss the issue of web site design or the “look and feel” of a web site considering Gary’s resent face-lift.  How important are “looks” to a web sites overall success?

You may be surprised, but while in the off-line world “looks” is a debatable topic, in the on-line world it doesn’t count for much!  Not the answer you expected?   Well, let me clarify…

The real driving force of any successful web site is CONTENT!  Yup, I am going to say it again AND AGAIN, on-line the most powerful tool is “CONTENT.”  CONTENT, CONTENT, CONTENT! Content drives traffic, sales, and visitor loyalty.  The look of your site plays a very small part in making a successful web site.   Don’t get me wrong it certainly has its place, but it is not where your focus should be when first starting your on-line business.

If you are just starting out your initial site design should exude professionalism without too much flair.  Your focus should be on ease of navigation and content.

So, the question is, if you have an existing web site how do you know when is it time for a redesign?  That certainly is an important question and one that requires some thought before jumping into it.

But, before I answer that question, it is best to know when it is NOT the time for a redesign. If your website is not getting enough traffic to generate any type of profit NOW is definitely not the time for a redesign.  Your focus should be on building content, sales and visitor loyalty.  But if you already have a loyal audience and a good amount of traffic, it is likely time to give your site a thorough checkup to determine if changing the look and feel of your site could benefit your bottom line.  And this is where a good clean up can make a significant difference.

The first and most important thing to consider is to make sure you have a good reason to change the look of your existing site.  Regular visitors, for the most part don’t like huge change and the last thing you want to do is to upset the visitor loyalty you have worked so hard to develop.  Over the years, your readers have learned to maneuver through your site, problems and all, and if you make too many changes, you may lose more of your loyal readers than you gain in new visitors.  But don’t let that stop you from redesigning a site that desperately needs an update. If your site is dated, has poor navigation or your readers have difficulty finding your products, it is definitely time for an update.  Your regular visitors will likely thank you.

The second thing to consider is that redesigning a website does not mean you have to do a total overhaul.  A redesign can be as simple as changing background colors, moving navigation buttons or adding a bit of video to your home page.  Of course, you could go for the complete overhaul but you might be surprised how a little goes a long way.  Not to mention there are many other techniques to consider, such as editing your copy that are not structural that could affect your sales much more dramatically. Consider all the angles before embarking on your remodel, at times even a little change in your headlines or font can have a significant impact.

And, finally, don’t forget that when you’re itching to get started, it’s easy to overlook the most obvious step in the redesign process, planning.  Take the time to fully assess your web site, from reviewing your copy, headlines, call to action lines and site navigation to your color scheme.  Take the time to acknowledge what is working and identify what is not; this step alone could save you lots of time and potentially lost revenue.

Here are some things to consider before you give your site a makeover:

1) Is your site’s color scheme or layout dated?

Did you build your site 5 years ago, thinking wow that looks great but now you look around and feel like you’re not quite dressed appropriately for the party?  Well it is likely that your color scheme needs a bit of updating.  The use of too many color families is a tell-tale sign of an amateur. We amateurs love to snazz it up! But it distracts the visitor and “feels amateurish.” So pick two to three complimentary colors.

Also something else to consider is the overall width of your site.  Are your readers having to scroll left and right to read all your information? It is not always possible to create a layout that will view well on all monitors or browsers but your goal should be to create as universal a site as possible.  Trust me, your readers will appreciate the change.

2) Is your site navigation confusing?

As websites grow, so do your navigation links. Your site may have started with only a few web pages and now you realize you have so many links that it’s hard for visitors to navigate through all your content. An overgrown or scattered link structure is a sure fire way to lose your visitors.

3) Does your site function properly?

One of the fastest ways to lose a visitor is to have a slow loading site.  If this is your site’s problem, you may have some code issues that need to be addressed.  This is also the time to check your site for broken links. Any link your visitors can click on should take them exactly where it says it will. Don’t mess this up, this is one sure way of driving people away!

4) Does your site take payments effectively?

If your buyers have to click through more than three screens to make a purchase, you’ll end up losing about 25% of them with every additional click they have to make to purchase your product. Yikes, not the kind of statistics you were hoping for if this is your situation; make sure that you stream line your payment process as well as product catalog to eliminate the additional pages.

This is the time to also make sure that your product catalog is easily accessible from all pages as well as providing crystal clear instructions on how to purchase each product.

5) Does your site keep people coming back for more?

Web site “stickiness” is an important factor to consider when analyzing and building your site redesign plan.   Stickiness refers to the length of time your visitor spends on your site as well as whether or not that visitor returns.  Lots of things come into play when trying to improve your site’s stickiness; for instance, you could be losing a lot of visitors because of your site’s look or because your visitor could not locate the information they were looking for fast enough.  Having a modern, simple design with a clear navigation system and access to quality content will improve your overall stickiness.  Using video or encouraging your visitor to engage your site through posts or contests will also improve the length of time your visitor spends on your site.

6) Are your pages ranking well with the search engines?

When building a website you have to consider both your reader and the search engines. Makes sure that all of your pages are properly optimized to increase your rankings, which will ultimately increase your traffic, and we all know what that means!

The above are just a few of the questions you need to ask yourself before beginning any website redesign.  The ultimate goal of your Web site is to get the monetizing click. Your content and style give visitors a confident feeling that you are indeed an authority on the theme that your site has chosen.  A great look and feel sets a positive, receptive mindset. It won’t make the sale, but it does set the stage to lead to that most wanted response, the sale, click or contact that puts the money in your pocket.

Bottom Line……..

Do your homework, create a plan and keep it simple.  Building a business is all about building relationships and you can’t do that with a snazzy looking web site.

You can check out Michelle’s web sites at http://healthy-holistic-living.com and http://home-remedies-and-natural-cures.com.  To get more great tips, like the ones above and to see how and what tools she used to create a successful on-line business go to sitesell-sbi.com

Learn more about Ecuador Roses here

Learn how Fedex delivers Ecuador Easter lilies to your home.

Learn how to earn income globally exporting Ecuador flowers at our Ecuador export course.

Learn how to export Ecuador flowers at our  Ecuador Export Expedition Tour ($499 or couple $749)

See hand painted wooden bowls like this from Bonnie’s collection.

Stay on and look at Ecuador real estate opportunity.

Apr. 17-18   Imbabura Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Apr. 20-21  Coastal Mid Coast Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Apr. 23-24  Quito & Mindo Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)

You enjoy discounts by attending multiple seminars and tours.

May 9-12       Super Thinking + Spanish Course, Cotacachi Ecuador
May  13-14    Ecuador Shamanic Mingo
May  16-17    Imbabura Real Estate Tour
May  19-20    Coastal Real Estate Tour
May  22-23    Quito Real Estate Tour
May  25-26    Cuenca Real Estate Tour

June 24       Quantum Wealth North Carolina
June 25-27    International Investing and Business North Carolina
June 28-29    Ecuador Travel & Andes
June 30-Jul 1 Imbabura Real Estate Tour
July 3-4      Coastal Real Estate Tour
July 6-7      Quito Real Estate Tour
July 9-10     Cuenca Real Estate Tour

Sept.   3-6   Ecuador Export Tour
Sept.   8-9   Imbabura Real Estate Tour
Sept. 11-12   Coastal Real Estate Tour
Sept. 14-15   Cuenca Real Estate Tour
Sept. 17-18   Ecuador Shamanic Mingo

Oct.    7     Quantum Wealth North Carolina
Oct.   8-10   International Investing & Business North Carolina
Oct.   11-12  Travel to Quito and Andean Tour
Oct.  13-14   Imbabura Real Estate Tour
Oct.  16-17   Coastal Real Estate Tour
Oct.  19-20   Quito Real Estate Tour
Oct. 22-23    Cuenca Real Estate Tour

Nov.    4-7   Super Thinking + Spanish Course Florida
Nov.    8-9   Travel to Quito and Andean Tour
Nov. 10-11    Imbabura Real Estate Tour
Nov. 13-14    Coastal Real Estate Tour
Nov. 16-17    Quito Real Estate
Nov. 19-20    Cuenca Real Estate Tour

Dec.   3-5    Ecuador Shamanic Mingo
Dec.   7-8    Imbabura Real Estate Tour
Dec.  10-11   Coastal Real Estate Tour
Dec. 13-14    Quito Real Estate Tour
Dec. 16-17    Cuenca Real Estate Tour

Our main April conference is our Ecuador Export Expedition on April 12-15, 2010.

See how weaving stories into Ecuador tapestries enhances value.

Adding income earning power is important to many of us and Ecuador exports is one way to make extra money because they come in many forms.

At our Ecuador Export Expeditions we look at how there are three ways to create value in exports…

First, one can buy a product as is… like this

Ecuador carpet.  You can buy them in a number of markets. This shot was taken in Otavalo Market.  These carpets are beautiful… as is and you can bargain hard to get a good price.  Yet they are just carpets.

The second way to export and enhance value is to modify the product.

Most Ecuador tapestries have symbolic geometry so if you take a special tapestry like this…

double woven design and modify it… even with just a story… you enhance value.  For example the sacred geometry, animal protein of the wool and extra thickness could make this a special yoga pad.   Now the product is worth more than just a carpet.

The third way to add value is create your own product. Here is Merri at…

the Cotacachi museum at a recent course showing a full length vest she had made from…

a carpet.  Now this is much… much more than a rug and can be sold for much more!

Here is another… make from scratch… Ecuador export that will suit someone.

I did not own a suit for more than twenty years. My blue blazer is classic and the microfiber sport coat bought a decade ago or so has survived more miles crumpled in an airplane than I can guess. With these two pieces I always managed to get by.

I start our seminars with a coat and maybe… on a rare occasion a tie, but they are quickly abandoned for perhaps a  sweater or anything that lets the blood flow all the way to the head without any knots getting in the way.

Yet Ecuador export ideas are so good that I was forced a couple of years ago when our daughter Francesca was getting married to buy a hand made Ecuador suit.

I ambled just down the street from our Hotel Tierra del Sol (formerly Meson de las Flores) with a friend Todd Smith.  Todd was also in need of a suit and he took a photos of his and my brand new custom-made threads that cost only $130!

Here is David… our tailor,  a friendly man hard at work on the sewing machine.

Todd picked out a fine, gray, wool material for his suit… his was the finest material the tailor had available so his finished product was higher $210. (Todd splurged on the best. My more modest French wool rann only $130).

The tailor has a batch of modern men’s fashion catalogs that you can flip through and he makes any design you like.   If people send measurements, he can even make a suit for someone without them ever having to come to Ecuador!   They submit their measurements, select a material and a design, run their credit card, and two weeks later a new suit arrives in the mail.

Here I am with Todd and our new suits then.

Now our youngest daughter is getting Married.  Congratulations Ben and Ele!

This will be a summer affair in the Cotswolds so I figured that a light wool summer suit would be required.

I told David the tailor I only had a week. He delivered exactly on time.

I like it. A perfectly…

fitted suit of finer wool ran the price to $250… still a bargain.

Here is a great Ecuador export idea. When I lived in Hong Kong 30 years ago tailored suits there were great and cost about $150. Many business people made a living traveling Europe, the US and Canada to fit people for really great, low costs suits.

Now, I am not sure that travel is even be required.

A great Ecuador export idea is “The virtual tailor from Ecuador. Hand made suits for less than some US shirts!”

This is a business idea that should suit someone!

Learn more and meet David the tailor at our upcoming Ecuador export course.  Here are details.

Arrive in Quito for the Ecuador export course no later than April 11, 2010.

Your Flight Data:  As soon as you enroll, please send flight data so our tour guides can make all your arrangements.  Quito has a beautiful airport, easy passage through Immigration and on time arrival of bags.  There are carts available.  After collecting your luggage, just stay to the right and move slowly through the hall.  There is no inspection of luggage but there is an X ray scan for luggage at the end.

You will pass through glass automatic doors and start up a slight ramp.  An agent will need to see your baggage claim checks before allowing you to pass through.

The Radisson Hotel will be there with your name. If you were to be on a different flight or have any troubles, don’t worry, they will be able to find you.  If all else fails, take a taxi directly to the Radisson or catch their shuttle, which is just outside the Arrival Halls.
If you are going to the Mansion del Angel, the driver will be there with a sign with your name and will transfer you directly there.

If you would like to come early and/or just come straight out to Cotacachi (avoiding the high altitude of Quito), we can have a driver meet your plane and bring you on out ($55).

We will make the reservations for you at the Radisson or Mansion, our price is a lot lower than on the Internet ($120). Our price for this 5 star hotel is only $68 plus tax.  Just let us know your room needs.

Departure:  You will be returning to Quito in the late afternoon of April 15 and can depart on flights that evening or the next morning, April 16.

Schedule: Depart April 12 from the Radisson at 9:30 a.m. The course begins right there in Quito.  There are many interesting things to see and learn in Quito and on the trip down to Cotacachi. We start at the exquisite Olga Fisch Gallery and Museum with a lecture accompanied by the products themselves featuring the finest techniques, textiles, jewelry in Ecuador…and additionally the museum pieces from the private collection.

Hotel Data for the Course:  For the course, we will stay at Hotel Tierra del Sol (formerly Meson de las Flores) in Cotacachi.

At the hotel, you’ll enjoy our inn filled with flowers and sunshine, roaring fires at night.  It’s a 180+ year old hacienda converted into a small hotel.  The conference will be held here, and this will be our home while we travel around.  Meson de las Flores belongs to the Land of the Sun Foundation and is the seat of the foundation activities to help the indigenous. All proceeds from Meson go directly to the indigenous of the area and supports their projects.
Meson is $59 per room, plus 22% Ecuadorian tax including a sumptuous breakfast.

We have wireless Internet here so feel free to bring your own laptop.  The wireless works in the courtyard, rooms, balconies, all over.  We also have a free phone to call back to the US, Canada and all of Europe.  Everyone can utilize these no fee services to stay in touch.  We have a safe in every room and the water is good…although we furnish free bottled water also.

Tierra del Sol is the oldest of the hotels in Cotacachi by at least a century and was purchased by our foundation 4 1/2 years ago.  It is clean, comfortable, charming and full of character…but is certainly not pretentious or grand!  It is a country inn, where Gary and I live and where everyone is treated as part of the family.  We are grateful for your attendance and for your support in our projects and look forward to having you here in the the Andes.

Tierra del Sol (formerly Meson de las Flores), Sucre and Garcia Moreno, Cotacachi, Ecuador.  Telephone: 011 593 6 291 6009.  email: mesondelasflores@gmail.com

Calling from inside Ecuador:  06 291-6009   Also, you can call Tierra del Sol through a NC number 1-336-792-4767.  Be sure and give this number to your loved ones also.

Conference Itinerary and Schedule:  The tour starts at 9:30 a.m. from the Radisson.  Bonnie Keough, a very accomplished exporter and lecturer will be your guide.

This month we are happy to announce our incredible Bonus!  Bonnie Keough with Franklin Sandoval have created that makes it ultra easy for you to send goods in boxes back to the USA.   This is a great opportunity, unheard of in the country and from my point of view from any country!  Thanks to Bonnie!

Daily:  Full breakfast at 8 a.m. Tierra del Sol. Course begins at 9 a.m. at the Museum next door.

We welcome a guest speaker who is Maggie Swartz from Charleston SC.  She is an extremely successful exporter from Ecuador and makes a tidy $75,000 annually on her exports.  She will speak, demonstrate and answer questions…a delightful lady with worlds of experience.

Itinerary:  After 12 years of traveling, digging, exploring and enjoying ourselves all over Ecuador; we invite those of you who want to really get out there and experience the Export Trail.  You’ll gain exciting ways to increase your security, independence, freedom, wealth and well-being while helping this very deserving country and its indigenous people!  What a joy!

Each day we will have lecture with invaluable contacts, speakers, ideas and plans.  Then, we’ll head out to nearby stunning surrounding areas. We’ll enjoy the green patchwork mountains and the sacred province of Imbabura.

We’ll go to the markets, famous and obscure; visit the known and unknown…those who hand make, hand craft one-of-a-kind goods.  We’ll meet the artists, designers, creators, craftsmen and visit them in their workshops, homes and markets.

Otavalo (the most successful and colorful Indigenous market in all of the Americas) is a delight and we will meet a host of wholesalers.  We’ll also visit the charming and small village of the weavers, Peguche, where the sound in the air is the clackety clack of the looms. We’ll head out up the Pan American Highway to San Antonio de Ibarra for its world famous wood carvers and furniture makers.  This year we scored another win by being allowed into Diana Carrasco’s personal workshops…she is the leading designer of Cuenca.  Ah, the flower growers are everywhere….ready and packaged for export…we’ll host Roberto who will help all with the exportation of flowers and with the tips of selling/marketing/wholesaling/retailing of over 25 kinds of flowers.

And of course we are centered in Cotacachi with its famous leather market!

We have searched, scoured and scrounged our way across this tiny Andean country to find special products and goods that you can export in a suitcase and make outstanding profits. We’ll travel through the Andes Highlands on the search for that special something that will make your eyes gleam with delight…both for its uniqueness and salability.
Broaden your horizons as you increase your bank account. Help the poor and gain more fulfillment and fun. Improve the quality of your life, expand your horizons and reduce the tax you pay as you increase asset protection by having an overseas company and overseas income!

The goal of the course is to give you more than just knowledge.  The course brings you real, usable knowledge and the after course support so you can put the knowledge you gain into action right away.

The Andean Export Expedition combines experience, theory, practice and contacts Gary and I have over thirty years experience living, working, importing, exporting and conducting businesses overseas and 15 years of doing business in Ecuador.

This course promises to bring joys and wonders into your life as well as helping the indigenous.  Please let us know how else we can be of service.

Keep in mind, we will all make your reservations as soon as we have your arrival data.

Gary & Merri

Our Ecuador export tour starts April. 12-15 with our Ecuador Export Expedition Tour ($499 or couple $749)

Here are clay figurines that you will see on the Ecuador export tour.

These clay necklaces at the gallery are great models for Ecuador exports as well.

Stay on and look at Ecuador real estate opportunity.

Apr. 17-18   Imbabura Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Apr. 20-21  Coastal Mid Coast Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Apr. 23-24  Quito & Mindo Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)

May 9-12       Super Thinking + Spanish Course, Cotacachi Ecuador
May  13-14    Ecuador Shamanic Mingo
May  16-17    Imbabura Real Estate Tour
May  19-20    Coastal Real Estate Tour
May  22-23    Quito Real Estate Tour
May  25-26    Cuenca Real Estate Tour

June 24       Quantum Wealth North Carolina
June 25-27    International Investing and Business North Carolina
June 28-29    Ecuador Travel & Andes=
June 30-Jul 1 Imbabura Real Estate Tour
July 3-4      Coastal Real Estate Tour
July 6-7      Quito Real Estate Tour
July 9-10     Cuenca Real Estate Tour

Sept.   3-6   Ecuador Export Tour
Sept.   8-9   Imbabura Real Estate Tour
Sept. 11-12   Coastal Real Estate Tour
Sept. 14-15   Cuenca Real Estate Tour
Sept. 17-18   Ecuador Shamanic Mingo

Oct.    7     Quantum Wealth North Carolina
Oct.   8-10   International Investing & Business North Carolina
Oct.   11-12  Travel to Quito and Andean Tour
Oct.  13-14   Imbabura Real Estate Tour
Oct.  16-17   Coastal Real Estate Tour
Oct.  19-20   Quito Real Estate Tour
Oct. 22-23    Cuenca Real Estate Tour

Nov.    4-7   Super Thinking + Spanish Course Florida
Nov.    8-9   Travel to Quito and Andean Tour
Nov. 10-11    Imbabura Real Estate Tour
Nov. 13-14    Coastal Real Estate Tour
Nov. 16-17    Quito Real Estate
Nov. 19-20    Cuenca Real Estate Tour

Dec.   3-5    Ecuador Shamanic Mingo
Dec.   7-8    Imbabura Real Estate Tour
Dec.  10-11   Coastal Real Estate Tour
Dec. 13-14    Quito Real Estate Tour
Dec. 16-17    Cuenca Real Estate Tour

Ecuador Export Idea

This is the best era ever for earning and gaining freedom anywhere in the world.

This chess piece created an Ecuador export idea as Merri and I flew through the night on Delta’s redeye, Quito to Atlanta.

The Olga Fisch Spanish Bishop.

This Delta flight is a great way to get back and forth to Quito… Delta #680.  We lifted off to a nearly full moon and Quito’s cool night air at 30 minutes past midnight. We eased into Atlanta Hartsfield gate at 5:24am. I know the exact time because we could not exit the plane until 5:30am when customs and immigrations officially opens.  The entire weary plane load had to just sit and wait…

What a perfect time of the day to enter our great nation… fresh… awakening… no lines… no tired officials.  We moved straight through C&I, security and sat in the Delta Sky lounge for a bit  before easily picking up the Delta 6:55am, one hour Atlanta to Orlando flight.This brought us back to Mt. Dora and a sparkling day for a late breakfast around our pool.

What an incredible era we live in… to have this mobility and such expanded horizons…. which is what I was discussing with 385 attendees of  Americans, Canadians, Australians and Europeans in Quito the day before.

More on that in a moment.  Back to passions chess and Ecuador exports.

This has been a busy three weeks.  Merri and I enjoyed sharing a long weekend with 70 investors and business people here in Mt Dora, February 11 to 14. Then we hustled to Cotacachi on the 15th to start a week long Super Thinking plus Spanish course for a full house group of fledgling professional photographers organized by American Writers and Artists Institute (AWAI).

While in Cotacachi, we enjoyed the completion of the final condo in our Casa Blanca condo building.  This is a two story, one bedroom rental unit in…

a four story building (with three units) that we have for sale. See more on this at Cotacachi condo offer.

We completed the Super Thinking plus Spanish course on Feb. 23 and immediately drove up to Quito where I gave a series of five talks to nearly 400 delegates at the International Living Ultimate Event.  Here I am going on about Ecuador, Ecuador exports and roses.

A big part of talk was how to earn money in Ecuador by turning passions into profit with Ecuador exports…this finally gets me to to subject of the day… passion…. opportunity…. Ecuador exports and chess.

Chess is my game.  I love it and one of my greatest material treasures is an ivory chess set purchased in Hong Kong in the late 1960s, that has stayed with me through the decades.  In fact this is the only item I have held onto from that time in my life.

This set sits in our North Carolina farm.

Another Gothic set… circa 1950s… is in my Florida office.

I like to play chess with my kids (who are scattered round the globe) by email so other chess sets are set up… one set in pewter was brought to me by our daughter Francesca from Burma (Union of Myanmar).  Richard Goebel, who heads up North Carolina for us and I play chess every day.

I have another in glass and one in wood and one in marble and am always looking for unique chess sets.

You could say that chess is one of my passions.

This started the idea about a chess related Ecuador export idea.

I have had my eye on a chess set in Quito at the magnificent Olga Fisch Gallery in Quito.

Olga Fisch was a Hungarian artist and a collector who immigrated to Ecuador in 1939. She soon recognized the vast potential of the folk artisans in Ecuador. She was a humanist and a visionary who knew how to recognize quality in a work of art so she helped Ecuador’s artisans refine their artistic expressions and closed the the gap between folk art and traditional fine art.

We begin all of our Ecuador export expeditions at the Olga Fisch Gallary so delegates can see different interpretations of Ecuadorian ethnic tribes, mostly from the Andean region, represented in clay by well known Ecuadorian artisans.

Delegates will see many types of pottery, all hand made, one of a kind hand painted pieces, fine silver jewelry and then they enjoy her magnificent collection in the museum there.

Potters are a part of the Olga Fisch team; they work the clay to make utilitarian pieces that can be used both as dinnerware and as decoration. Often they use volcanic ash which they mix with clay to enhance the beauty of their work as they look for trends in reproductions of old things.

One goal in our Ecuador Exports Expedition is to put the potters and delegates in touch. Then we help delegates on the expedition figure out trends so they can create Ecuador export products that are easy to market.

I have had my eye on this wonderful chess at the Olga Fisch Gallery for 4 or 5 years…  yet never seemed to have time to get over and buy it.

This trip I made time.  The combatants are the Incas and Spanish conquistadors.

Here is the king and queen of the Spanish army and the…

Inca (a six inch piece) and his queen.

Bishops… Spanish…

castles and…

Incan castles and knights.

Two…

great…

armies…pitched for battle. We know how the conflict ended in times past… but what happens next?

So brought the excitement of pitting the past and the future into…

our Mt. Dora sitting room.

The set came in a sturdy…

box that easily defied the challenge of the trip back in Delta’s cargo hold.  Everything at Olga Fisch is…

high style united with function.  Each chess piece was…

individually wrapped in…

Olga Fisch…

paper.

The set comes with a fine painted board.

This set at $181 is too expensive to become an Ecuador export.

At our export expedition we teach delegates that the qualities for good exports are:

Portable  in size and weight
Durable
Unique Niche
Focused to Market
Dependable
Desirable
Profitable

Profitability is dependent on mark up and requires as low a starting price as possible.  $181 is a pretty high cost… yet here is the point.  There are hundreds… maybe thousands of unqiue niches to which  chess sets could be  adapted.  There are potters… so if chess is a passion… along with some other idea get your own potter… create your own design and create your own unique Ecuador chess set to export.

Or if saving the environment is a passion, an Amazon or Galapagos theme would be great.  Bird watchers might love a battle of the birds.   Fishermen could have a set of fish fighting to survive on the board. The themes are endless and this is the key to successful exporting adapting proven themes to new… tight niches.

We have never had such great opportunity to live earn and be free in Ecuador or wherever we choose in this wonderful game of life. Now the game of chess can create opportunity and help us be free.

Gary

Improve your Ecuador export skills by speaking better Spanish. Join Merri and me March 11-14     Super Thinking + Spanish Course, Mt. Dora, Fl.

Jon our Ecuador Living team and  travel to Quito March 15, 2010.

March 16 Travel Quito to Cotacachi

March 17-18  North Andes, Imbabura & Cotacachi Real Estate Tour

March 19-20    Cotacachi Shamanic Tour

March 21  Travel Cotacachi to Manta

March 22-23   Manta & Mid Coast Real Estate Tour

March 24 Travel Manta to Cuenca

March 25-26 Cuenca Real Estate Tour

March 27  Travel Cuenca to Salinas

Mar. 28-29   Salinas & South Coast Real Estate Tour

The Ecuador airfare war makes it cheaper to get to Ecuador than ever before… and there is still time to enjoy great Ecuador tour savings.

International Club Three Monthly Payments of $1,190

Our Spring 2010 schedule starts April. 12-15 with our Ecuador Export Expedition Tour ($499 or couple $749)

Here are clay figurines that you will see on this tour at the Olga Fisch gallery.

These clay necklaces at the gallery are great models for Ecuador exports as well.

Stay on and look at Ecuador real estate opportunity.

Apr. 17-18   Imbabura Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Apr. 20-21  Coastal Mid Coast Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Apr. 23-24  Quito & Mindo Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)

Here is the balance of our 2010 schedule.

May 9-12       Super Thinking + Spanish Course, Cotacachi Ecuador
May  13-14    Ecuador Shamanic Mingo
May  16-17    Imbabura Real Estate Tour
May  19-20    Coastal Real Estate Tour
May  22-23    Quito Real Estate Tour
May  25-26    Cuenca Real Estate Tour

June 24       Quantum Wealth North Carolina
June 25-27    International Investing and Business North Carolina
June 28-29    Ecuador Travel & Andes=
June 30-Jul 1 Imbabura Real Estate Tour
July 3-4      Coastal Real Estate Tour
July 6-7      Quito Real Estate Tour
July 9-10     Cuenca Real Estate Tour

Sept.   3-6   Ecuador Export Tour
Sept.   8-9   Imbabura Real Estate Tour
Sept. 11-12   Coastal Real Estate Tour
Sept. 14-15   Cuenca Real Estate Tour
Sept. 17-18   Ecuador Shamanic Mingo

Oct.    7     Quantum Wealth North Carolina
Oct.   8-10   International Investing & Business North Carolina
Oct.   11-12  Travel to Quito and Andean Tour
Oct.  13-14   Imbabura Real Estate Tour
Oct.  16-17   Coastal Real Estate Tour
Oct.  19-20   Quito Real Estate Tour
Oct. 22-23    Cuenca Real Estate Tour

Nov.    4-7   Super Thinking + Spanish Course Florida
Nov.    8-9   Travel to Quito and Andean Tour
Nov. 10-11    Imbabura Real Estate Tour
Nov. 13-14    Coastal Real Estate Tour
Nov. 16-17    Quito Real Estate
Nov. 19-20    Cuenca Real Estate Tour

Dec.   3-5    Ecuador Shamanic Mingo
Dec.   7-8    Imbabura Real Estate Tour
Dec.  10-11   Coastal Real Estate Tour
Dec. 13-14    Quito Real Estate Tour
Dec. 16-17    Cuenca Real Estate Tour

Ecuador Living has it all… the mountains… the sea, Galapagos and the Amazon.

For the past decade www.Garyascott.com and www.EcuadorLiving.com has helped readers gain valuable information and trustworthy contacts in Ecuador.

Now we can do even more.

See below how we can now help you in all parts of Ecuador.

Ecuador Galapagos

We can help you with contacts in Galapagos.

Because we do not accept commissions, our Ecuador Living subscribers not only gain contacts, but can receive a 15% discount on Galapagos cruises on the Athala, the most luxurious cruise ship in the Galapagos. For details contact Kjetil Haugan at kjetil@haugancruises.com

Ecuador Amazon

Here I am with Eric Schwartz of La Selva Jungle Lodge and Ecuador Highlights Travel and our tour coordinator Bonnie Keough.

Merri and I were in Quito last week with Bonnie Keough knitting up contacts for our subscribers in the Amazon… plus improving the Ecuador travel savings our Ecuador Living subscribers receive.  We have been able to dramatically lower internal Ecuador airfares.

This recent Amazonian and travel upgrade means that wherever you are in Ecuador, Quito, Cuenca, Imbabura, Vilcabamba, the Pacific coast south to north, Galapagos or the Amazon we have contacts who can help you save and assure you enjoy dependable service.

From the mountain to the sea to the jungle we can help you in Ecuador.

Palmazul Spa on Ecuador’s Pacific offers discounts to Ecuador Living subscribers.

One service we provide is to scan Ecuador newspapers looking for unique properties and put our subscribers directly in touch with sellers… thus avoiding middle men mark ups and brokerage fees.

We also help our subscribers by asking developers (since we are not brokers and do not to accept real estate commissions) to provide discounts to our subscribers if they buy property.

We conduct real estate tours to help our subscribers learn Ecuador’s real estate market in the most efficient way.

Helping subscribers find and save on real estate is only one part of our service.

If you have an interest in traveling, investing, living, buying property or doing business in Ecuador a subscription to Ecuadorliving.com brings many other benefits.

One huge benefit is our honest opinion based on 40 years of international business and 15 years of residence, travel ad business in Ecuador.  You gain access to our extensive contacts plus you get to share the input from over 20,000 subscribers who continually let us know what they see hear and experience… good and bad.

We share the experiences we have gained living, traveling and working globally for 40 years and have been investing living and doing business in Ecuador for 15 years. We have an active Ecuador business and have personally purchased a 962 acre hacienda, condos in the mountains, a house, a hotel plus condos and apartments on the beach.  Our Ecuador Living service shares our continual research and experiences in global business, living and investing in Ecuador.

You immediately gain numerous savings as an Ecuador Living subscriber.

Ecuador Living subscribers receive a free nights stay at Land of the Sun Inn (formerly Meson de las Flores) when they stay four nights or more.   The fourth night is free the first time three nights are booked.

Subscribers are entitled to free use of wireless internet at Meson and the VOIP phone system at Meson (free calls to Europe, Canada and the US) even if they do not stay at the hotel.

The Relais and Cheteaux La Mirage Cotacach Spa offers upgrades on a space available and other benefits.

Other hotels that currently provide discounts to subscribers include the Radisson in Quito.

We sent the Radisson over 1,000 nights of guest business last year and because we do not take a travel agent commissions we can normally get about a 50% reduction for you on the room rate (that reduces the room to $50 to $75).

There are benefits at the boutique hotel Mansion del Angel in Quito as well.

Boutique Hotel Mansion del Angel.

In Cuenca two hotels offer discounts to our readers.

Villa Nova Inn
El Dorado

You can learn more about Ecuador Living benefits and subscription here.

Gary

Join Merri and me or Ecuador Living’s staff in Ecuador in March 2010.

March 11-14     Super Thinking + Spanish Course, Mt. Dora, Fl.

March 15    Travel to Quito

March 16 Travel Quito Cotacachi

March 17-18  North Andes, Imbabura & Cotacachi Real Estate Tour

March 19-20    Cotacachi Shamanic Tour

March 21  Travel Cotacachi to Manta

March 22-23   Manta & Mid Coast Real Estate Tour

March 24 Travel Manta to Cuenca

March 25-26 Cuenca Real Estate Tour

March 27  Travel Cuenca to Salinas

Mar. 28-29   Salinas & South Coast Real Estate Tour

The Ecuador airfare war makes it cheaper to get to Ecuador than ever before… and there is still time to enjoy great Ecuador tour savings.

International Club Three Monthly Payments of $1,190

Our Spring 2010 schedule starts:

Apr. 12-15   Ecuador Export Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Apr. 17-18   Imbabura Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Apr. 20-21  Coastal Mid Coast Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Apr. 23-24  Quito & Mindo Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)

Here is the balance of our 2010 schedule.

May 9-12       Super Thinking + Spanish Course, Cotacachi Ecuador
May  13-14    Ecuador Shamanic Mingo
May  16-17    Imbabura Real Estate Tour
May  19-20    Coastal Real Estate Tour
May  22-23    Quito Real Estate Tour
May  25-26    Cuenca Real Estate Tour

June 24       Quantum Wealth North Carolina
June 25-27    International Investing and Business North Carolina
June 28-29    Ecuador Travel & Andes=
June 30-Jul 1 Imbabura Real Estate Tour
July 3-4      Coastal Real Estate Tour
July 6-7      Quito Real Estate Tour
July 9-10     Cuenca Real Estate Tour

Sept.   3-6   Ecuador Export Tour
Sept.   8-9   Imbabura Real Estate Tour
Sept. 11-12   Coastal Real Estate Tour
Sept. 14-15   Cuenca Real Estate Tour
Sept. 17-18   Ecuador Shamanic Mingo

Oct.    7     Quantum Wealth North Carolina
Oct.   8-10   International Investing & Business North Carolina
Oct.   11-12  Travel to Quito and Andean Tour
Oct.  13-14   Imbabura Real Estate Tour
Oct.  16-17   Coastal Real Estate Tour
Oct.  19-20   Quito Real Estate Tour
Oct. 22-23    Cuenca Real Estate Tour

Nov.    4-7   Super Thinking + Spanish Course Florida
Nov.    8-9   Travel to Quito and Andean Tour
Nov. 10-11    Imbabura Real Estate Tour
Nov. 13-14    Coastal Real Estate Tour
Nov. 16-17    Quito Real Estate
Nov. 19-20    Cuenca Real Estate Tour

Dec.   3-5    Ecuador Shamanic Mingo
Dec.   7-8    Imbabura Real Estate Tour
Dec.  10-11   Coastal Real Estate Tour
Dec. 13-14    Quito Real Estate Tour
Dec. 16-17    Cuenca Real Estate Tour

When choosing a new home, full or part time… the last few miles… even the last few yards and feet can be hugely significant.

A reader sent this comment about the importance of place in Ecuador… or anywhere actually.

Hi Gary, I read your newsletters every day.  Thank you.   Having read your article regarding the FARC in Ecuador it boils my blood to read about people making false judgment about a part of the world they know nothing about.

The same can be said for the trouble in Northern Ireland. Since the early 60’s this was said about the safety of tourists etc visiting the Ireland.   I lived 50 miles south of the border between the Northern Ireland & the Republic south.  There was never any trouble south of that  border.  In fact even for that matter 50 miles inside the border. The problems were  almost (not entirely) centered around the Belfast area.   Living at or south of the border there was never anything to worry about.   That’s not to say there were not incidents, but it never affected daily life or business in anyway.

Just like the Colombian & Ecuadorian border.  One incident makes headlines the whole world thinks the entire area is a bad place to visit.

This far from the truth.  Both places Ecuador and Northern Ireland are beautiful places to visit and  live.  I know this to be true. I’ve done both in both places and I cant wait for the day I retire to live in Ecuador south from Ontario Canada.

This reader is so correct. The reality as far as daily life is concerned… the FARC in Ecuador are a non event. I am reminded of a similar situation in Thailand in the late 1960s and early 1970s… the years I lived and worked all over Asia.  Everyone knew that there was a war going on and that it was not safe around the border because the Viet Cong used to cross it freely. The solution was… we avoided the border.  Heck it took a real effort to get to the border anyway. Forget it!  Life went on… busy… happy…. safe… except the crazy Bangkok traffic created enormous risks.

Another reader wrote:

Hello Gary, These houses look very interesting, but isn’t Ibarra near the border with Colombia, where there have been a number of violent incidents?

We do not recommend that readers visit as far north as Carchi which is right on the border, but Ibarra is quite far south of Colombia and does not have border risk.  This map shows why. The white line, starting at San Lorenzo, is the Ecuador Colombia border.

Ibarra, as the map above shows is south of  Carchi Province.  The main towns in Carchi Province, Tulcan, Espejo, Mira and Montufar are shown by the arrows.  Warnings to not to go into Carchi Province are already a stretch.  There are really very few problems there, but the US state departments says:

The US State department says: SAFETY AND SECURITY: The U.S. Embassy in Quito advises caution when traveling to the northern border region of Ecuador, to include areas in the provinces of Sucumbios, Orellana and Carchi, northern Esmeraldas, and southern Esmeraldas, south of Atacames.  U.S. government personnel are under limitations with respect to traveling alone and over-nighting in these areas due to the spread of organized crime, drug trafficking, small arms trafficking, and incursions by various Colombian terrorist organizations.

I personally would not feel uncomfortable in Carchi and have been to Esmeraldas many times… but why go to places that might be a bit riskier when there are so many alternatives.

Our world has increased risk, but…

the quiet Ecuador streets like this Cotacachi avenue have never seemed at risk to me.

The young Ecuadorian children who go to school early, alone don’t seem to feel much risk.

Even young children play alone in the Cotacachi Ecuador streets without much risk

Yet we must always take care… anywhere.

Parents in Cotacachi Ecuador do not feel much risk when they let their children play in the parks.

Yet there are places in every town where we should not be… so always be aware.

Mostly, places are not the cause of risk.  The causes of risk  are within,  our awareness, our actions, our  patterns and habits.

Young lovers in Ecuador can meet safely in out of the way places.

Ecuador people are by nature, caring, friendly and warm.

Sometimes I get letters like the one below from readers who have been victims of crime in Ecuador.  This reader lost her computer and camera when she forgot them in the business lounge at the Radisson hotel in Quito.

Dear Gary,  Can you believe, the Quito police, working with the Radisson hotel, found my  briefcase with the computer and other small items and had them sent by Federal Express to me.  I had provided them with the receipts of all the items stolen, for the items they were not able to send me  (camera and cellular phone) I was reimbursed via bank transfer. I still can’t believe it.  This was a good ending and so unexpected.  send you all love, and good thoughts. Laura

Place is important… wherever you are… almost as important… or at least related to fate. So werever you are… I hope its the right time and the right place… for you.

Gary

Join us at our place for our next Quantum Wealth Seminar June 24 to June 27, 2010 in West Jefferson North Carolina See more here

Or Join Merri and me or Ecuador Living’s staff in Ecuador in March 2010.

March 11-14     Super Thinking + Spanish Course, Mt. Dora, Fl.

March 15    Travel to Quito

March 16 Travel Quito Cotacachi

March 17-18  North Andes, Imbabura & Cotacachi Real Estate Tour

March 19-20    Cotacachi Shamanic Tour

March 21  Travel Cotacachi to Manta

March 22-23   Manta & Mid Coast Real Estate Tour

March 24 Travel Manta to Cuenca

March 25-26 Cuenca Real Estate Tour

March 27  Travel Cuenca to Salinas

Mar. 28-29   Salinas & South Coast Real Estate Tour

The Ecuador airfare war makes it cheaper to get to Ecuador than ever before… and there is still time to enjoy great Ecuador tour savings.

International Club Three Monthly Payments of $1,190

Our Spring 2010 schedule starts:

Apr. 12-15   Ecuador Export Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Apr. 17-18   Imbabura Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Apr. 20-21  Coastal Mid Coast Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Apr. 23-24  Quito & Mindo Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Apr. 26-27  Cuenca Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)

The multi tour discounts remain effective for the April tours.

See our weekly review here.

Join us for Super Thinking + Spanish  Mar.  11-14.  (Starts 9am in Mt. Dora Fl.)  $749.    Couple $999.

Our Super Thinking + Spanish courses are Spanish course that goes way beyond Spanish.

There is a way to learn Spanish that enhances health and wealth with Super thinking + Spanish.

Super Thinking + Spanish courses are taught at Cotacachi museum in Ecuador.

Spanish is the second most important language in the world.  Yet the North American educational system does not teach how to communicate with or understand this culture. Nor does it teach how to untap the mind’s unlimited learning potential.  This creates many one language people in a multi lingual world.

To solve this problem many Delegates are enjoying a week in the  Andean sun as they learn Spanish in a method so revolutionary that they will be able to communicate…and even dream… in Spanish… in just one week… plus know how to learn much more effectively in a way that even improves their health.

They enjoy a week of direct equatorial sunlight and solve one of the biggest communications problems that faces English speaking civilization.

Super thinking clears the memory plus enables a person to become skilled in Spanish (in just one week).  This course teaches how to unlock the power of the untapped mind and applies this knowledge to speaking Spanish.

There are numerous little known, but scientifically proven, ways to enhance the speed, accuracy and efficiency of the mind, memory, recall, retention and decision making process for greater wealth, health and happiness.

This is not a gimmick or a trick… just advanced education. At least three best selling books, Superlearning, the Mozart Effect and Superlearning 2000 have revealed insights about how to learn and think more powerfully based on systems drawn from the Bulgarian educational master, Dr. Georgi Lozanov.

In 1980 Superlearning sold over two million copies and showed how the Lozanov learning system blended long-tested sciences of raja yoga with contemporary physiology and psychology so people could learn faster and better.

The book exposed this fact and made the system so popular that Dr. Lozanov was allowed to visit the US from Bulgaria to teach this system to just a very few people so they could pass on this vital information on how to learn and think in a more natural, powerful way so we can enjoy life and enhanced memory more.

Merri Scott was among those few who learned and is licensed to teach the Lozanov system. Merri’s modified system teaches how to think and learn more powerfully in just a week plus Spanish.  The learning system expands on Dr. Lozanov’s original work and offers new insights into tapping human potential, drawing from ancient and modern tactics for quick learning such as subliminal memory, music, nutrition, and productivity.

For example, the course evokes the power of the senses thus gaining super-charged memory. Ever hear a song from decades past and in a snap know all the words, the tune and remember with whom and where you heard it years ago? Learn how to use ten cycle music to put this ability to work all the time providing almost super human memory  powers.

Improved memory is just one benefit gained.  The system teaches seven, easy to use learning techniques that help gain any skill, from computers to athletics to conversational languages…  in much less time than traditional learning techniques.

This course changes the way a person thinks and learns forever.

The Super Thinking course shows how to  learn two-to-five times faster, in exciting and innovative ways…but most of all it is a system that is stress free and full of fun.

The techniques help unlock the quantum potential that all people possess. This evolutionary program shows how certain types of music can enhance learning and how even altered nutrition can make anyone a startling 25% smarter, how subliminal messages can increase energy and thinking process, plus much, much more.

This Super Thinking system follows and builds upon what was taught in the Superlearning, the Mozart Effect and Superlearning 2000 plus includes techniques and strategies that Merri has gained in her 37 years of global travel and study with educational masters around the world.

This is a course that shows how to increase mental power for success in a 21st century that is overwhelmed by information. The system is built from old and new sources ranging from raja yoga to contemporary Russian science, and ultimate zone training already used by many Olympic champions.

“Super Thinking + Spanish” presents new ways to use subliminal memory, music and much more to supercharge the mind. Knowledge is provided about smart food and super nutrition that enhances productivity and creativity.

The courses uses unique lessons to provide Spanish fluency in a short time.  Here is one example that gives access to thousands of Spanish words in less than three minutes.

Most words in English that end in ION are almost identical, just pronounced differently. For example action is accion, education-educacion, manipulation- manipulacion, etc.

Anyone who knows this knows literally hundreds and hundreds of Spanish nouns. This is just one of seventeen Spanish lessons in the course.  The next lesson teaches how to pronounce each of the nouns. Then the third lesson teaches almost as many verbs, almost as quickly.

The fourth lesson shows how to avoid conjugating verbs by sticking with the infinitive (far easier than it sounds). This simple lesson leaves a person sounding like a Spanish professor without ever conjugating a verb. Lesson five shows how to sound infinitely polite and yet get almost anything desired in Spanish. Lesson six gives valuable connectors and the seventh lesson triples the Spanish capacity with three words for “yesterday,” “now” and “tomorrow”.

By the end of one week delegates feel comfortable speaking Spanish without stress!

Yet the Spanish ability is just one positive result from this course!    The new learning powers unfold in amazing ways. For example, one attendee one of  the Super Thinking plus Spanish courses wrote:

“Hi Gary & Merri, You two are the BEST!!! Your Seminar was fantastic! I am so excited. I had procrastinated fulfilling my continuing education for my Broker’s License and then just before my surgeries, I realized my expiration date isn’t Nov. 12th – it is Sept 12th. Well, as you can see prior to taking your course I had only completed 3 units of the required 45 units. I thought I would take your course and then complete my remaining 42 units over the next 2 weeks. However, I took one class exam on Saturday night, August 27th. I didn’t even take the cellophane off the required Course manuals until after I saw the two of you today less than 5 hours ago! I used your techniques and completed 39 units of continuing education today. I have now completed all 45 units. All of my test scores were in the 90.6-96% range. My course exam information is listed below. I just wanted to let you know how valuable your course was to me. Thanks again!” Suzy Kurinsky

Delegates are not stuck in a class room all day either.  Each day they tour and use what they have learned.   One day there is a visit to food markets… another to Otavalo the largest native crafts market in in the world.

Another day in Otavalo, South America ’s largest indigenous market. Each lesson prepares delegates for that day’s trip so they can use what has just been learned.

Delegates at Otavalo market see crafts and…

food.

Another day Chachimbiro hot springs is enjoyed .

Delegates stay in the colonial Meson de las Flores Inn next door to the Museum of Cotacachi where the course is conducted.   Here are delegates enjoying a coffee break at Meson.

Each lesson is customized to the daily event so delegates can put what they have learned into immediate action! What is more the hotel stay can be as little as $59 night (per room) and tax (including a magnificent breakfast)!

Another day provides a visit to the leather market of Cotacachi, the village of the weavers.

They also visit shamans.

Delegates at a shamanic ceremony.

Delegates see and hear local musicians and…

see local dancers.

They also enjoy exotic sites and the majestic Andes:

Finally this learning course helps eliminate the suffering of poverty.  Gary and Merri Scott, along with Dr Joe Spano and Joe Cox donated hotel Meson de las Flores to the Land of the Sun Foundation which helps the poor. Here are two of the many homeless that are fed daily at the hotel.

Land of the Sun also provide scolarships to educate Ecuador children like this.

We hope you will join us in Ecuador, the Land of the sun.

All group travel by coach travel to and from Quito plus during the course. Private travel, accommodations and food are not included.

Gary

Ecuador Spanish Courses September 2009

Course for one $799. Order here

Course for two $999. Order here

See our February 21, 2010 weekly review here.

Reduction of stress seems to be an important issue in this day and age.

I was recently checking the weather at www.weather.com and saw this picture and noted that the message below on reducing stress was one of the most read articles at that site.

This type of information can help us spot trends by tapping into the national psyche.

Observing the actions of  those who look at the weather… can provide clues to what a nation is doing… thinking and feeling because the weather affects such a large cross representation of the public.

Numerous messages at www.garyascott.com have noted how a friend inadvertently taught me how best selling book lists can help spot trends from the national psyche.

He recommended a book entitled “How to Survive the Upcoming Crash of 1995″. That book was on the NY Times best seller list and it sacred me to death as it told about how the U.S. economy would melt down in 1995 because U.S. government debt was out of control.

The book offered no solution to this dilemma.

I wrote a marketing piece with a headline “Are we 23 Months to Disaster?” that mentioned the book, outlined this problem and gave readers a way to find solutions by ordering a course on international investing.

Over the next two years this marketing piece worked unbelievably well creating millions in sales and profits.

Yet the data in book was totally wrong! There was no bankruptcy of the US economy in 1995. Instead the greatest economic boom in the history of mankind began.

This taught a valuable and simple lesson on how to see the buying public as a whole…perhaps understanding the public persona better than the public understands itself.  The trick is simply to look at the best selling book lists…especially those of large newspapers.

The profits and sales from my 23 Months to Disaster piece were not because the product or marketing were in tune with economic markets. The disaster marketing piece was a success because it was tuned to how investors felt!

Best selling book lists are windows into a nation’s soul.  Take the current example of…  Stephanie Meyer… the vampire writer.

Previously two very successful authors offer clues about the mood of today’s customers.

J. K Rowling had three Harry Potter books on the best selling lists at one time. No author had every accomplished this before! Then Dan Brown did the same thing starting with the Da Vinci Code.

Then, she even topped her previous record on the NY Times Best Selling List!

What special element unites the Rowling and Brown books? Harry Potter is about magic.

The Da Vinci Code is about hidden codes that lead to the Holy Grail. The common link? Secrets! Both authors write about mysterious, hidden secrets.

The success of these books can help us understand that the masses are seeking magical secrets. The public feel deceived. The average person feels that life has become too complex with too much pressure…not enough satisfaction and fun. Yet this same overstressed underpaid public see a few people getting richer…and having great lifestyles. This leads the majority to believe in hidden secrets to a better life. They want to know these secrets!

Fortunately there are many national psyches flowing in a stream of humanity all the time. If we spot a theme that many are jumping on… like vampires… but have no desire ourselves… we can understand but choose ignore it.   There are plenty of national psyches we can enjoy.

One way to spot these moods is at the weather websites. Watch what types of articles are popular at those sites.

In this way, the fact that beating stress is big business… revealed itself with that most read article above.

I stumbled across it about the time an article at money.cnn entitled “Low Stress jobs” captured my attention.

This article suggested that the lowest stress job was  a job in education or as a training consultant

Other low stress jobs included: Physical Therapist, College Professor, Software Developer, Technical Writer, Telecommunications Network Engineer and Speech-Language Pathologist.

Interesting how each of these stress less careers is somehow related to education or communication.

See how you can create your won low stress job in the field of communication at International Publishing Made EZ

The article outlined that the most important quality in a job was not money.  Job satisfaction came first. Good pay and benefits, flexible hours and growth opportunities came next in importance.

There is a link below to read that entire article, but… since our goal as investors and business people is to spot trends… these facts about what people are seeking are important to know.

When looking for investing or business opportunity keep the fact in mind… that a lot of people will be paying big bucks to… learn and to reduce stress.

Gary

Join Merri and me or Ecuador Living’s staff in Ecuador in March 2010.

March 11-14     Super Thinking + Spanish Course, Mt. Dora, Fl.

March 15    Travel to Quito

March 16 Travel Quito Cotacachi

March 17-18  North Andes, Imbabura & Cotacachi Real Estate Tour

March 19-20    Cotacachi Shamanic Tour

March 21  Travel Cotacachi to Manta

March 22-23   Manta & Mid Coast Real Estate Tour

March 24 Travel Manta to Cuenca

March 25-26 Cuenca Real Estate Tour

March 27  Travel Cuenca to Salinas

Mar. 28-29   Salinas & South Coast Real Estate Tour

The Ecuador airfare war makes it cheaper to get to Ecuador than ever before… and there is still time to enjoy great Ecuador tour savings.

International Club Three Monthly Payments of $1,190

Our Spring 2010 schedule starts:

Apr. 12-15   Ecuador Export Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Apr. 17-18   Imbabura Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Apr. 20-21  Coastal Mid Coast Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Apr. 23-24  Quito & Mindo Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Apr. 26-27  Cuenca Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)

The multi tour discounts remain effective for the April tours.

Read the entire article  Low Stress Jobs

Here is a paid advertisement for an Ecuador penthouse in one of the top condo projects in Quito.

Penthouse Apartment for Sale—Quito Tenis

Fully Furnished
US $350,000

View from Great Room of Quito and Cotopaxi Volcano

The Building

The building was constructed in 2005 in the popular, quiet and secure Quito Tenis neighborhood on Quito’s northwest side.  It consists of 6 floors—the 6th being a penthouse apartment—plus a rooftop terrace with garden, approximately 80% of which is private, belonging to the penthouse.

The Quito Penthouse Apartment

The apartment is approximately 258 square meters (2,777 square feet) + a rooftop terrace of 150 square meters (approximately 1,614 square feet) + a full-length balcony off the great room + a small balcony off the master bath.

Living Room Seating

Dining Area

The social area of the apartment has a contemporary, open, “American style” great room including the kitchen, dining area and living room.  Three of the walls of the large room are glass, with the east wall overlooking the city of Quito and the snow-capped volcanoes to the north, south and east.  The views are striking both by day and by night.  An ample balcony runs the entire length of the room.  An attractive wood-burning fireplace is on the west wall.

View of Quito from Great Room

View from Great Room at Night

Kitchen

Hallway

Master Bedroom

Master Bathroom

Master Bathroom

The apartment was purchased by the current owner and remodeled in mid-to-late 2008.  Originally consisting of 4 bedrooms, each with private bath, one bathroom was eliminated and a hallway created between the two former bedrooms—one now being used as a den (with three-quarters bath) and the other, an office.  The remaining designed bedrooms are the master, with private three-quarters bathroom and a second bedroom, with private three-quarters bath.  For a buyer needing more permanent bedrooms the office and den can be quickly and easily re-converted.

Bedroom

Den

Den

There is also a visitors’ half bathroom as well as a three-quarters service bathroom.  There are 2 (owned) parking spaces in the garage as well as a storage room.  There is a multi-line telephone system with currently 2 (owned) lines.  The parking spaces, storage room and telephone system with 2 active lines are all included in the sales prices.

Visitors’ Bathroom

Stairway to Rooftop Terrace & Garden

View from Terrace towards Southeast

View from Terrace towards Southwest

Furnishings

The apartment is being offered fully-furnished (excluding artwork and few personal items).  With few exceptions all of the furniture was custom made in Ecuador in October/November of 2008.  Having no small children or pets, the furniture remains in excellent condition.  Most of the furnishings can be seen in the photos.  The major additions are: GE refrigerator and Electrolux stacking washer/dryer.

Location

The location is convenient to most popular areas of Quito.  The El Bosque Shopping Center is 5 minutes by car, 15 on foot.  The Quicentro and El Jardin Shopping Centers are 10 minutes by car.  The World Heritage Centro Historico is 15 minutes by car.  Many excellent restaurants are with 10-15 minutes drive.  [Google Map with pin in address]
Contact

Please contact the owner:
K. Michael Million
Tel. (593) 02-331-8658
Cel. (593) 09-042-9771
Mail. kmmillion@seanet.com
Skype. Million1000

Join Merri and me  in March 2010

March 11-14     Super Thinking + Spanish Course, Mt. Dora, Fl.

March 15    Travel to Quito

March 16 Travel Quito Cotacachi

March 17-18  North Andes, Imbabura & Cotacachi Real Estate Tour

March 19-20    Cotacachi Shamanic Tour

March 21  Travel Cotacachi to Manta

March 22-23   Manta & Mid Coast Real Estate Tour

March 24 Travel Manta to Cuenca

March 25-26 Cuenca Real Estate Tour

March 27  Travel Cuenca to Salinas

Mar. 28-29   Salinas & South Coast Real Estate Tour

The Ecuador airfare war makes it cheaper to get to Ecuador than ever before… and there is still time to enjoy great Ecuador tour savings.

International Club Three Monthly Payments of $1,190

Our Spring 2010 schedule starts:

Apr. 12-15   Ecuador Export Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Apr. 17-18   Imbabura Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Apr. 20-21  Coastal Mid Coast Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Apr. 23-24  Quito & Mindo Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Apr. 26-27  Cuenca Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)

The multi tour discounts remain effective for the April tours.

The excerpt below is from a recent password protected multi currency message that shares ideas about Ecuador investments.

Beginning of excerpt.

A reader asked:  Gary—Does the fact that Ecuador real estate is also dollar based have anything to do with your current sales of your Ecuador real estate?

And what would be the prospects or recommendations for an individual to buy Ecuador real estate in the future if their portfolio is already “heavy” in
USA real estate?

Reply.

My taking profits on Ecuador real estate has nothing to do with the fact that Ecuador real estate is denominated in US dollars.

I view real estate as a currency and look beyond the currency. I expect real estate to  strengthen against any currency with inflation… so the denomination of the currency is not all that important.

There are times when a currency’s purchasing power drops so fast that real estate does not keep up. This is rare… and during the lag, there is a really good time to buy real estate.

An example was the melt down of Ecuador’s currency in 2000. The sucre fell from 12,000 sucre per US dollar to 25,000 in just a couple of weeks.  Real estate prices did not double anywhere as fast.

I was buying Ecuador real estate heavily then, which is one reason I am selling now as you will see below.

Normally real estate to me is just a view of another currency.

I am heavily weighted in real estate in Ecuador, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina right now for three reasons.

First, I see real estate as a better bet than most currencies at this time. The economic downturn of 2007 and 2008 lowered real estate prices… creating good value.  The stock market recovered and has not been such a good value… though it may be correcting now.   The real estate market has not recovered to such an extent.

An excerpt from the January 23 article in the Economist entitled  “Still in the Cellar Small signs of recovery cannot shift the general gloom” confirms this fact when it says:

WHEN American house prices finally started rising in June last year, ending a three-year decline, homeowners and economists rejoiced. The steep plunge in values, about 33% nationally from peak to trough, caused widespread damage in the American economy and abroad. The stabilisation of prices turned out to be a precursor to broader economic recovery.

Since bottoming out between May and June, prices have ticked upwards every month, while sales have risen from their recession lows. And yet gloom persists. The pace of foreclosures has not abated, and there has been no improvement in employment in residential construction.

Worse still, the momentum now seems to be ebbing.  Mortgage applications for purchases fell sharply in November, to their lowest level since 1997. Confidence among home-builders declined in November for a second consecutive month. And figures released on January 20th showed that new housing construction, which recovered from the record lows of early 2009 to plateau late last year, fell by 4% between November and December. The fear is that prices will soon start to fall again, touching off another round of pain for homeowners, workers and banks.

Read the entire article at The Housing Market

Second,  Merri and I have a lot of experience in buying and fixing up real estate and use this experience and our imagination to enhance the value of what we buy.   We truly enjoy that process and often don’t enjoy holding, using and/or renting.

I have written about our buying and selling on numerous occasions.  See more about this at Ecuador Real Estate & Imagination.

I buy and sell real estate in areas that enhance our lifestyle and where we see a bargain. We are continually churning our real estate portfolio.  Three years ago I sold seven condos I bought in Cotacachi while I was buying other condos on the Ecuador beach.

That did not mean I did not like the condos in Cotacachi or did not like Cotacachi any more.  In fact the next year and I bought an office building in Cotacachi and converted that to condos.

We do not keep real estate that we are not using for long.  We buy special properties with a problem… fix the problem… keep the property long enough to have a capital gain instead of income and take a profit.

In 2005, while I was buying real estate in Ecuador I was also buying condos in Naples, Florida.  We lived in the condos part time and sold them in early 2007 (luckily at the top of the market)…  and as the Florida market tumbled we began waiting and watching for more Florida bargains.

Third, this last year we have had special reasons (our grandson and the Florida RE crash being two of them) to focus on real estate in Florida… but we remain well diversified at the same time.   We are especially putting extensive capital into building our Ecuadorian publishing and tour organization.  We doubled the number of tours we conducted in 2009 and this year we have doubled them again.

Two years ago we did 12 Ecuador tours. This year we’ll do nearly 50.

Now Merri is researching Oregon coastal real estate… looking for bargains… not because the Oregon Coast is better than Florida, North Carolina or Ecuador… but because our next two grandchildren are three and one years old.   Thoughts of spending time with them in a few years is enough to draw our attention there now.  Also, my sister and her husband have craved a property on the Oregon coast and it looks as if we will have to find it for them.

Diversifying currencies is important and being concerned about the fate of the US dollar vital… but there is more than to a bottom line than percentage points and statistics.

End of Multi Currency excerpt.

You can read this entire article with a multi currency subscription.

Sadly at this time when American investors need more multi currency investments and a better global view, overseas banks are increasingly restricted from helping US investors.  This increase in regulations has created so many more regulations on banks that numbers of overseas banks who have the ability to help honest Americans have stopped accepting all US investors.

Yet at this crucial time when the US dollar has great fundamental weakness, US banks have little experience in helping any of us invest in other currencies.

This means there will be an increase in the number of Americans who develop multi currency portfolios and global businesses.

Jyske Bank has stayed with us Yanks and formed Jyske Global Asset Management. They spent millions creating a system that can give US investors a full currency and global investment service in the US, Ecuador or wherever they live.  This is why I will  be speaking at Jyske Global Asset Managers forex seminar in Laguna Beach this April . See details here.

Real estate, if you like investing in it, can be one of your hard currencies along with your own business and gold.  Real estate is a commodity always needed that will fight inflation and can add other forms of richness to our lives as well.

Gary

Join Merri and me or our Ecuador Living staff in March 2010

March 11-14     Super Thinking + Spanish Course, Mt. Dora, Fl.

March 15    Travel to Quito

March 16 Travel Quito Cotacachi

March 17-18  North Andes, Imbabura & Cotacachi Real Estate Tour

March 19-20    Cotacachi Shamanic Tour

March 21  Travel Cotacachi to Manta

March 22-23   Manta & Mid Coast Real Estate Tour

March 24 Travel Manta to Cuenca

March 25-26 Cuenca Real Estate Tour

March 27  Travel Cuenca to Salinas

Mar. 28-29   Salinas & South Coast Real Estate Tour

The Ecuador airfare war makes it cheaper to get to Ecuador than ever before… and there is still time to enjoy great Ecuador tour savings.

Yesterday’s message Multi Currency Risk explains why the US dollar’s downside is one reason to be in Ecuador.

An excerpt  New York Times article “Huge Deficits May Alter U.S. Politics and Global Power” by David  E. Sanger explains why:

In a federal budget filled with mind-boggling statistics, two numbers stand out as particularly stunning, for the way they may change American politics and American power.

The first is the projected deficit in the coming year, nearly 11 percent of the country’s entire economic output. That is not unprecedented: During the Civil War, World War I and World War II, the United States ran soaring deficits, but usually with the expectation that they would come back down once peace was restored and war spending abated.

But the second number, buried deeper in the budget’s projections, is the one that really commands attention: By President Obama’s own optimistic projections, American deficits will not return to what are widely considered sustainable levels over the next 10 years. In fact, in 2019 and 2020 — years after Mr. Obama has left the political scene, even if he serves two terms — they start rising again sharply, to more than 5 percent of gross domestic product. His budget draws a picture of a nation that like many American homeowners simply cannot get above water.

For Mr. Obama and his successors, the effect of those projections is clear: Unless miraculous growth, or miraculous political compromises, creates some unforeseen change over the next decade, there is virtually no room for new domestic initiatives for Mr. Obama or his successors. Beyond that lies the possibility that the United States could begin to suffer the same disease that has afflicted Japan over the past decade. As debt grew more rapidly than income, that country’s influence around the world eroded.

Yesterday’s message Multi Currency Risk shows how government spending everywhere threatens the financial system.

In the past the spending power from US… the biggest economy in the world… has been the engine that pulled global expansion along.

This may change.  Americans spent too much on the wrong things and… worst of all… taught the rest of the world to do so as well.

Overwhelming government debt worldwide puts the global currency system at risk. This suggests that America may stop being such a contributing factor to the social and economic evolution as we have known it.

The shifts in lifestyle that come from this shift lead many Americans to move abroad to simpler places… with lower cost lifestyles… like Ecuador.

One can look at all the bad possibilities that could develop in Latin America.  Yet there are plenty of potential bad scenarios for North America as well.

Whichever choice you make… to remain where you live… or head south… or east… west or north (don’t forget that Bobby Fisher chose Iceland)  expect change… inflation… a falling US dollar and global currency instability.

The charts from finance.yahoo.com show the currency instability graphically.

Here is the US dollar rising once again versus the euro.

The charts for the other euro currencies, including the Swiss franc show the same trend.

This pattern is illogical if one looks at the long term fundamentals, but the investment community has used the government induced liquidity to leverage investments. Now as worries return in the market those who are short the US dollar are selling other currencies to cover positions. This is pushing the dollar up.

We see the same short term move in Latin America with the dollar rising versus the Brazilian real and…

in Asia where the dollar is up against the Singapore dollar as well.

The dollar currencies, Canada (chart below) Australia and New Zealand have also lost ground to the greenback.

The only currency with strength versus the US dollar remains the Japanese yen.

This who have borrowed yen are hurt the most.

Dollar borrowers  (me included) have lost short term and the most profitable loans in the short term have been in the Swiss franc and euro.

This global volatility rewrites the old rules. In the last world, I would keep my US dollar loan and ride though these up and downs staying short of the buck and stick to just a long term view.

No more!

As mentioned yesterday I set a stop loss and when it was reached took my loss. My leverage loan is in euro now.

The altered state of global currencies forces us to trade short term… at least a bit.

Sadly at this time when American investors need more multi currency investments and a better global view, overseas banks are increasingly restricted from helping US investors.  Increased regulations have created so many regulations on banks that increasing numbers of overseas banks who have the ability to help honest Americans have stopped accepting all US investors.

Yet at this crucial time when the US dollar has great fundamental weakness, US banks have little experience in helping its clients invest in other currencies.

This means there will be an increase in the number of American who develop multi currency portfolios and global businesses.

Jyske Bank has stayed with us yanks and formed Jyske Global Asset Management. They spent millions creating a system that can give US investors a full currency and global investment service in the US, Ecuador or wherever they live.  This is why I will  be speaking at Jyske Global Asset Managers forex seminar in Laguna Beach this April . See details here.

Gary

Or Join Merri and me or Ecuador Living’s staff in Ecuador in March 2010.

March 11-14     Super Thinking + Spanish Course, Mt. Dora, Fl.

March 15    Travel to Quito

March 16 Travel Quito Cotacachi

March 17-18  North Andes, Imbabura & Cotacachi Real Estate Tour

March 19-20    Cotacachi Shamanic Tour

March 21  Travel Cotacachi to Manta

March 22-23   Manta & Mid Coast Real Estate Tour

March 24 Travel Manta to Cuenca

March 25-26 Cuenca Real Estate Tour

March 27  Travel Cuenca to Salinas

Mar. 28-29   Salinas & South Coast Real Estate Tour

The Ecuador airfare war makes it cheaper to get to Ecuador than ever before… and there is still time to enjoy great Ecuador tour savings.