I am in Costa Rica right now putting the final touches on my next Round Table featuring Zig Ziglar live and in-person. The event will be held October 8^th, 9^th, and 10^th. Registration details will be available soon.   I can’t help but be so grateful for the amazing friends I have. I arrived in San Jose and was picked up by my buddy Carlos Avendano, who graciously brought me to where I needed to be (about 3 hours away).  

Carlos has been a family friend for many years and used to work as a technician at my cleaning company and eventually went on to open his own in Costa Rica. He is doing an OUTSTANDING job building his business! Great job Carlos!!!  My friend David Frey, who is an AMAZING marketer arranged a rental house for me right next to his (he took the summer off with his family and took them to Costa Rica). His family has treated me like a king and we have been on ATVs, Horseback Riding and the whole bit. At night he pours out his marketing wisdom to me.  

I have learned so MUCH about marketing. But more than that, I am reminded of how great it is to have great friends.  By the way, Dave will be speaking at my next Round Table. If you want to learn how to get all the referrals you can handle, be there.  

Dave’s website is www.MarketingBestPractices.com  Check out my Costa Rica Videos at http://www.viddler.com/explore/HowardPartridge/videos 

Hello from Paradise!  I am in Destin (again!) with my wife Denise and my son Christian. While down here on the beach, I have been doing my Referral Marketing from my desktop using “The Greatest Marketing Tool EVER Created!”  

What is that tool?  

Send Out Cards 

From the Send Out Cards website and choose from over 13,000 cards and they will PRINT the card and MAIL it for you! (this is NOT an e-mail card). Imagine being able to send a personalized greeting card for less than a dollar! When you go to the store, you wait in line to pay 3 bucks.  

Personalized, heart felt greeting cards are a wonderful way to stay in touch with friends, family, clients, and prospects.  

Send Out Cards has several hand writing fonts that look real. Plus, you can even upload your own hand writing!  

Use your OWN picture…  

You can upload ANY picture from your computer and put it inside the card. Not only that, you can even make your own card from your picture!  

How ‘bout a Starbucks Card?  You can even insert a gift card…

Choose from American Express, Starbucks, Home Depot, Restaurants and more.

Now you can send a personalized greeting card and a gift card for a birthday or occasion.  

If that isn’t enough, you can include chocolates, brownies, cookies, even books with your order!  

Imagine sending one of your important clients a personalized greeting card and some brownies right from your computer!  Post Cards too.

Want to test some post cards without investing in printing the “minimum” quantity? No problem. For as low as 31 cents plus postage, you can send a full color post card. Just one if you like.  

It gets even better…  You can upload an entire list of contacts, and you can do “funnels” or “campaigns”. Say you want each of your new clients to get a sequence of pre-planned cards – maybe a Thank You Card first, then a Referral Card, then a Mini-Newsletter.  Just drop a contact in that Campaign and the system will do the rest!  

Here’s the best part… Send Out Cards can be a powerful way to generate another stream of income. When others use Send Out Cards because of you, you make MONEY!  

Your referral contacts and business associates will LOVE Send Out Cards!  Try Send Out Cards for FREE! I have set aside a few Gift Accounts for those who read my Blog.

To send a couple of cards for FREE, follow this link:  www.SendOutCards.com/7162  

The Spring 2008 Howard Partridge Round Table is Now Over and YOU MISSED IT! Get the Event Package for ONLY $74.75 Per Month and Help World Famous Zig Ziglar Encourage Our Troops!

121 carpet cleaners from as far away as New Zealand and Canada assembled in Houston, Texas and experienced 3 days of the most advanced, cutting edge business building information for carpet cleaners ever offered. The speakers were amazing and everyone there was completely blown away with how much valuable information they got.

*** Order the Round Table Package and Get an Entire Year in the Ziglar Vault and You Will Sponsor 15 Military Personnel! ***

Zig Ziglar is the world’s TOP sales trainer and “motivational” speaker. He commands a staggering $100,000.00 for a single speech! I met Zig Ziglar a few years ago, but never pursued the relationship further. A few weeks ago, I decided to pay him a visit. Zig was all set to show up at my Round Table, but had an urgent medical procedure that took precedence. So we decided to do a video interview instead. I showed the video at the Round Table last week which was VERY emotional. I will have that video on my site soon, so stay tuned! Click Here to Learn All About the Best Round Table Event EVER! >> http://www.howardpartridgeroundtable.com

*** Zig’s Passion ***

Zig is 82 and still “has it”. He was witty, funny, and most importantly, his message touched the heart and inspired the crowd to “pursue a life of goodness and success”. While visiting Zig Ziglar, I discovered that he has a passion for helping our troops - and he has created a way to do that. Last night, you and I slept safe and sound. Why? Because our soldiers are putting their lives on the line. It doesn’t matter what your view of the war is, we need to encourage our military.

Click Here to See What Attendees Had to Say About the Round Table >> http://www.howardpartridgeroundtable.com

*** Here’s how you can help Zig help our troops… ***

When you subscribe to the Ziglar Vault, you get to download any one of Ziglar’s video or audio that you like each and every month. The vault contains almost everything Zig has done in his lifetime! For EVERY SINGLE person who subscribes, they DONATE 15 Ziglar Vault Subscriptions to active military personnel! You will personally sponsor 15 of our soldiers!!

Here’s how it works: The Ziglar Corporation is actively reaching out to military personnel to let them know about this program. So, if you know someone personally who is in the military, you will be able to refer them directly to Ziglar! Otherwise, you simply open 15 new slots with your subscription!

Imagine this: You get 12 downloads, and 15 military personnel get 12 downloads too! Talk about a bunch of motivated people! Get an ENTIRE YEAR in the Ziglar Vault When You Get the Round Table Package! $179.00 Value FREE! (and YOU support 15 U.S. Soldiers!)

NOTICE: This offer EXPIRES at 5:00pm CENTRAL on Friday May 30th! After that, the package will cost more and may not be available at all, so HURRY!

Ellen Rohr who led a service company much like yours from zero to OVER $40 MILLION · Mike Guasch, ex-carpet cleaner who built Stone Tech Pro® and sold it for MILLIONS! · Owner and Manager of the LARGEST independent carpet cleaning company in U.S. · Chuck Coonradt, author of the Game of Work –get your employees to PLAY the GAME! · Dave DeBlander from 1 low priced, struggling truck to over $58k PER MONTH! · John Braun reveals the secrets of writing advertising copy that MAKES YOU MONEY! · The Knights of the Round Table reveal how they added over $100k per year to their businesses! · Jerry Wiles, human development expert and host of worldwide syndicated radio show · Doyle Bloss, Bridgepoint Systems – strategies to take your business to the NEXT LEVEL!

Your employees can you be your greatest asset or your biggest nightmare and it mostly depends on the skill you have as a manager and leader. And it also depends on the “management system” you have set up.

Unfortunately, most small business owners fail miserably in this area. Failure is usually NOT because of the common misconception that you can’t find “good people”. Given them the right game to play and they will approach work with the same enthusiasm as they do sports.

Check out this interview with Chuck Coonradt , author of Game of Work.

Chuck will be speaking LIVE at my next Round Table set for April 24^th – 26^th in Houston. For more details, visit www.HowardPartridgeRoundTable.com

To view the video of Chuck, click http://www.podtech.net/home/3903/the-game-of-work

I just got back from speaking at SURFACES which is the largest floor covering show in the World. I have been to Surfaces many times, but this is the first time I actually presented. The presentation got very high marks (of course!).

I enjoyed visiting with a number of floor covering professionals, and I got to see a lot of old friends in the carpet cleaning industry, including spending time with some of my Knights Members. Pictured from left to right: Annette and Bart Gines (who used my system to DOUBLE their business in 30 days and they have maintained that level for 4 months through the “slow” (I mean “opportunity” season). Ralph Greco who added over $100k to his business with my system in just one year. I also ran into my good friend “Dusty” Stephen Roberts, creator of the RugBadger. Dusty was in my very FIRST seminar way back in 1999.

Although I am not a fan of “sin” city and I fall asleep at “shows”, it is always great to see industry friends.

Looking forward to seeing everyone at the next Howard Partridge Round Table and Knights Mastermind.

I’m sure that “freedom” means different things to different people, just like “success” does.

Yet, as Americans, we open our eyes each day with a FREEDOM that no other country enjoys.

Yet most Americans are SLAVES.

Slaves to work, slaves to debt, slaves to lust, slaves of our own negative thoughts, slaves to dysfunctional relationships.
We live in a PRISON of our own making.
Why do we do that? In a place where we can wake up and be whoever we want to be, and do whatever we want to do, we put ourselves in these incredible prisons and we feel like there is no way out.
But the fact is that we are already FREE.

One of the elders of my church spoke about his late father who was a prisoner in a Nazi camp. One morning they woke up to find that all of the guards were gone and the gates were wide open. They were free. But what did they do? They sat down. “Is it a trick?” they thought? “Will the townspeople ambush us?”

Because of the FEAR of the unknown, they just sat there until the U.S. rescued them.
What about you? Are you accepting your freedom? Are you taking action, or are you waiting for someone familiar to rescue you? Are you afraid of the unknown?
On July 4^th, I walked outside to the beach. I spent the entire week re-reading Napolean Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich” word for word.  (Just for the record, I think the steps in that book are powerful – except some of the later chapters that get a little weird).
On that day, July 4^th – “Independence Day” – “Freedom Day”, I opened the book and to my surprise, there was a story about that day and how the Declaration of Independence came about.
The chapter was on DECISION. In that chapter, Hill told the amazing and inspirational story of a DECISION that two men made. John Hancock and Samuel Adams (if I recall correctly) made a DECISION to form a MASTERMIND with the colonies. Specifically to discuss the treatment of the colonies by the British.
It was because of that DECISION that 2 men made that paved the way for the FREEDOM you enjoy TODAY. The DECISION those two men made that day changed the history of the entire world.
Will you DECIDE for FREEDOM today?
You are FREE. Accept it.
Sure, everyone has problems and challenges, but that is what makes us grow. It gives up “perseverance” and “proven character” and “hope”. And “hope” doesn’t disappoint.
Perhaps you have some real challenges. My friend Ray Davis who died of MS this year, laid in a bed for years. Every time I went to see him, instead of complaining, he lifted me up. He wanted to know about my life. He encouraged everyone around him.
I have a picture in my study of an American slave that I took out of LIFE magazine. Judging by the picture, the man was about 80, and was most likely snatched out of his everyday life in Africa. Put on a slave ship and separated from his family. Sold to the highest bidder.
And do you know, that no matter what happened to him, that there were two places in him that NO ONE could touch… His heart and his mind. They belong to him and God alone.
So, I have that picture to remind me of two things: One, no one can get to my heart or mind without my permission. And second, no matter how I may be tempted to view my life, I will most likely never experience anything as horrible as some.
We should all be grateful for what we have. We should be grateful for the sacrifice that our armed forces are making at this very moment.
I work with lots of small business owners and the challenges that they face put them in an imaginary prison. So each day, you have a choice:
“Will I live in a PRISON?” or “Will I DECIDE that I AM already FREE?”
Every day when I wake up, I don’t feel too good until I get a little Starbuck’s in me. So, I’m thinking about the things I need to do, the things I don’t want to do, and so on. Of course there are those times when something amazing just happened or is about to happen and you spring out of bed full of inspiration, but most often it is a CHOICE. It is a DECISION.

So, I remind myself of the FREEDOM I have.
I remind myself that life is about L.I.F.E. (Living In Freedom Everyday) and every moment. So, I DECIDE that I will set my MIND on things above – things that are pure, things that are lovely, things that are holy. I will focus on the POSSIBILITIES instead of the PROBLEMS.
Sure, problems have to be solved, but it is a choice to THINK about the solution rather than just wallow in the problem.
So wake up Living In Freedom Every day

Bring LIFE to everyone you meet
And you will find that you can Live In Freedom Everyday
Yes, bad things happen. But good things happen too. You cannot live your life by CIRCUMSTANCE. If you do, your life will be a roller coaster , and depending on how you look at things, you may be “down” more than you are “up”.
So, take on the FREEDOM that you have and don’t turn that FREEDOM into a PRISON of your own making.
Live LIFE by making a DECISION
Special Note: I am a believer in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. I don’t believe that you can live in TOTAL freedom without the Holy Spirit guiding you each day and every moment. I am not here to preach, but just for the record, so you know where my inspiration comes from. So, just another suggestion: If you don’t know Christ, He is ready to unlock the gates of the Spiritual Prison.
We can have the Freedom we have as Americans, but there is only one way to Spiritual Freedom. Jesus said “I AM the Truth, I AM the Way, and I AM the LIFE”.
Are you I AM?