No Need For The Sunday Comics

YTB revealed all sorts of information to their TSOs on their weekly one sided conference call.

1. Effective March 1, 2009, there will be an RTA Stock Option Program (OMG--you mean an opportunity to earn the valuable YTBLA? I wonder what needs to be done to earn the options and exercise them? Guess we will need to wait till the SEC filing to know.)
2. Coach advised everyone that YTB is an anomaly in the travel business. No one can understand how they get 20,000 people to pay to go to their convention when the traditional travel agents pay for their members to attend. (Dammit, my copy of this announcement must have got hung up in my spam folder.)
3. Every meeting the travel industry starts with the words "YTB". (Coach needs to go to a real travel meeting)
4. At these meetings, the main topic of discussion is how YTB was able to put that many brick and mortar agencies out of business.(Good question fantasy. But Scott says they are not competing with brick and mortar. Hmm.)
5. All of the travel companies are laying off people left and right. YTB is going after these people to bring them into our company.(Well, there have been some layoffs, but usually they are the dead wood in an organization--good growth plan there Coach...hire more deadwood.)
6. By 2020, YTB will "own" the travel industry. (Seems like he just pushed a goal back by a decade. How is that "billion in travel sold in 2008" coming along?)
7. YTB had the most successful Red Carpet Day last week with almost a thousand people there. (But later he said that 600 of them were Directors and Coach's Corner Members, so how many potential recruits were actually there? Ask Kim. No wait that will never work, he doesn't know how many RTAs he has.)
8. In 2020, YTB will "own" the distribution system on the Internet. (I imagine it was all he could do to stop from breaking out in him Dr. Evil voice).
9. At the Directors and Coach's Corner meeting they planned to break out in 20 groups of 20 (see the theme here..2020) but because they had so many it was 20 groups of 30 to discuss how these people want to see YTB become the owner of the distribution system in 2020. (Well, first of all, invite the right number of people and learn how to do math. But why are you asking these people? The only thing they know how to do is recruit and point to the website. Some may know how to install stereos as well.)
   
10. YTB's cash position has never been better. We have millions.(We will need to wait and see on that one; but I hope it is at least $125 million.)
11. YTB is growing so fast right now that in the future, YTB will be studied at Harvard Law School. (Oops, now that's a Freudian slip if I ever heard one. And he is probably right.)
12. YTB does not sell travel, cars, and flowers. YTB sells hope and opportunity. The hope for a better day and the opportunity that a business will be there for them, YTB has that. (Till Jerry is done with them. And what about the meat, the clothing, and all the other stuff you sell?)
13. You HAVE to have 7 to 10 friends or relatives that NEED what YTB offers and you need to get recruiting like crazy. (There he goes again, recruit alienate all your friends and relatives so Coach can get his money.)
14. Coach wants to help everyone on the call be one of the 10,000 millionaires he will create but he cannot do it without each of you recruiting 7-10 people that need hope and opportunity. (Let's see, 10,000 people times 7 to 10 people, each at $500 and $50 a month..oops that is not nearly enough to make 10,000 millionaires, but that's OK, math is not the RTA's strong point, they will never figure it out.)
15. YTB can do more for the economy than Barack Obama's Economic Stimulus Bill. (No argument from me there. Most people will not see $104 from the bill; but they do stand a chance to earn that in YTB if they work hard and become one of the top earners. Oh and make sure your payments of $1100 are on time.)
16. When you run across someone that says they cannot afford YTB, how do you think that makes them feel? In this economy, it is the perfect time to join YTB--they need hope and opportunity and you can give it to them. (Coach, here's an idea, why not include a large jar of Vaseline when people sign up to recruit for you. It will make it that much less painful and you can find it in Aisle 19. And, you probably can earn a decent commission on that from your HUGE Aisle 19 downline.)
17. People are looking for hope, opportunity, trust, and something to believe in. YTB is it. (Somehow I think many will disagree with you--Ted Lindauer, Jerry Brown, the BBB, and the members of the Class Action.)
18. YTB's finances are built so solidly for the long run that it will be here for you, your kids, and your kids' kids. (Wow, with that many people involved, just how do you do that on $600K in cash according to your last SEC filing?)
    

What was amusing about this call, is that Coach kept referring to himself in the third person. Coach said this and Coach did that. Kind of interesting. I know that some folks will say I am exaggerating the contents of this call. But I encourage everyone to take a listen at one time. They are all essentially the same. Every Saturday at 12 noon Eastern you can call 641-594-7505 and then when prompted, enter 601340# to be connected. They are only a half hour and typically have a bunch of commercials as well, but these calls are almost as amusing as the Sunday comics.

I had an interesting email exchange from a current TSO after the call. He had a very good question. Instead of making 10,000 millionaires; why not make it the goal to make ALL of the people financially self sufficient? Wow, now there is a concept that will never cross their mind! 10,000 millionaires out of their potential base of 305,000 is only 3%. Well, that seems about right. BINGO--YTB only cares about the top 3% of their participants!

And yes, it appears that Doug is still so close to being a Director he can taste it! Personally I think it might be a bad batch of Kool Aid in Aisle 19 that is leaving an aftertaste! But hey, it's only been four years!

It's All In The Crowd You Hang Out With

Well, the image above is looking for criminals, and it seems we have found a doozie in Wood River!

Glenn and Starla Green were awarded the President's Award at the August 2008 YTB Convention in St. Louis. They are Level 2 Directors with YTB and Kim Sorensen, the apparent good judge of character that he is, awarded them the prestigous President's Award.

Fast forward to this week, YTB is promoting and encouraging attendance at the Millionaires Mindset Conference on February 21st in Dallas. If you want more details on this conference, you can visit their site, Millionaire Mindset Conference.

On the surface, this appears to be just another scheme organized by fellow Directors Dave and Marlis Funk to grab $10 a piece from unsuspecting RTAs. (Or maybe it is to pay for the fuel in their rolling YTBmobile.) I am not sure of the intent, but one thing is for sure with YTB. If you scratch the surface a little bit, you will always find the dirt.

Well, it seems that Glenn Green has plenty of it. Back in December of 2006, the Houston Press News did an expose on this Millionaire Mindset Conference. Glenn Green does not come into play until the bottom of page 4 when he threatens the reporter several times. One of the threats was to not investigate him. Well, as any good reporter would do, he investigated. And here's what he found:

Except the ten-year sentence for theft in 1990, according to Harris County Court records. Green was released after one year. According to an affidavit by a Texas Department of Public Safety officer, the theft worked like this: Green gave an accomplice an American Express card in Green's ex-wife's name. The accomplice charged multiple purchases of $49.99 at a Chevron station, when "in fact, no merchandise had been bought." The accomplice then gave the cash to Green. During April and May 1990, the charges exceeded $20,000.

At the time Green was popped for that crime, he was on probation for forgery for two earlier charges out of Brazos County, according to Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokeswoman Michelle Lyons. He was sentenced to ten years for those, which he served concurrently with the Harris County sentencing.

Also falling short of the Glenn Green Investigative Worthiness Standard was the ten years deferred adjudication in 1993 for fraudulent transfer of a motor vehicle. According to the investigating officer's notes, part of the case record in Harris County Court, Green bought and sold over a dozen cars, promising to pay off the leases, when he had no authorization from the lenders.

All but one of the 20 associated charges were dropped. He was also ordered to pay $31,233 in restitution

Harris County court records also show that the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo sued Green and his wife, Starla, in 2002. The suit was for nonpayment of $107,000 Glenn and Starla bid on a champion steer and a grand champion barrow pig named Cowboy in the 1999 Rodeo auction.

"I know that the money spent here goes for a great cause," Green is quoted as saying in the Rodeo's press release.

Then Starla chimes in about the 17-year-old Brownfield Future Farmer of America who spent four hours a day after school tending to Cowboy: "[He's] very deserving. We were prepared to do what it took."

Everything, that is, except actually pay what they bid. A Harris County judge ordered the Greens to pay the full amount, plus legal fees.

Rodeo Vice President Leroy Shafer says the Greens never paid the money -- the largest debt of any one entity in the show's history. He says it was the first time in the Rodeo's history that a grand champion was involved in a bad purchase, and the first bad purchase of two champions in one year. (The highest bidder's money goes to whoever shows the animal, any charities the bidder earmarked money for, and the Rodeo's scholarship fund. Shafer says the Rodeo was able to pay the $25,000 promised to Cowboy's exhibitor, as well as the approximately $1,000 Green had earmarked for the Houston Women's Shelter.)

Green now works for a multilevel-marketing travel package company called Your Travel Biz.

Wow, Coach and Kim really take that Yale to Jail thing seriously. Penn State to State Penn. First there was Chris Paraldi, then Phil Piccolo and now this. This man has it all. I mean what more could YTB want in a Director. Someone whom they promote and encourage others to emulate. I wonder if all of the non-profit associations YTB is supposedly managing are aware that one of their directors stiffed a non-profit for over $100,000? Maybe in the interest of being transparent, they will add this to their "Facts" About YTB website!

Just to recap, here is the rap sheet on Glenn Green:

• Theft
• Forgery
• Fraudulent Transfer of Motor Vehicles
• Breach of Contract with a Non-Profit where he failed to pay then $107,000

NOTE: To all the Directors and Coach's Corner Members (and esteemed guests) currently in Wood River for the "Best Director's Meeting Ever"--watch your wallets!

'Twas the Night before Christmas

'Twas the Night before Christmas

(YTB version by Steve Mencik)

(with apologies to Clement Clarke Moore)

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the land,
The YTB minions were happy, all was just grand,
Their websites were posted, their blogs filled with air,
In hopes that many travelers would soon visit there.

The RTAs and the REPs were all snug in their beds,
While visions of dollar signs danced in their heads.
The Coach and his son and their jolly elf Kim,
Would make sure that the money would simply rush in.

Then some REPs misbehaved at trade shows and FAM trips,
TTAs and suppliers said they acted like Dips.
John started a blog to discuss all this stuff,
The YTB crowd dismissed it as fluff.

He noted the fact that the average RTA,
Received next to nothing in annual pay.
The crowd said that those facts were real hazy,
You only would fail if you were very lazy.

The Coach and his cronies bought an abandoned K-Mart,
From there their empire would get a great start.
The loan for the land came from a sweetheart bank,
Run by a YTB director, and soon that bank sank.

Another director had a plane on sale for a while,
So the YTB three bought it, to travel in style.
While the company was growing, they raked in the money,
But they needed to stash it before things got funny.

They threw a big bash in the town of St. Louis,
With trimmings and trappings that were all superfluous.
The biggest attraction was a statue of foam,
That made all the environmentalists grimace and groan.

A Grumpy Old Agent started a long Card Mill list,
YTB was on it, I'm sure they were pissed.
RCL took notice and Perillo did too,
Soon even IATA said, "YTB you're through!"

But Coach said, "Who needs them, we'll be okay"
"We've got an ARC number, we're here to stay."
The California AG looked hard, yes he did,
And finally decided YTB's a pyramid.

Some former RTAs thought that they had been swindled,
They filed their lawsuits, YTBs numbers they dwindled.
While the SEC filings showed ever large losses,
The YTB minions cheered on their bosses.

Things aren't so bad, but the stock it would sink,
The stock could only be listed on sheets that are pink.
The DSA says we're great, why give us that ink?
How could it be bad, YTB's featured in Inc.?

But the losses were mounting, the effects they were telling,
YTB started to shed assets they were selling.
First an office they'd bought only one year before,
With office equipment included and more.

Then they sold off the jet to a company unknown,
But wait, the deal's off, they couldn't get a loan.
So they found another firm, but that deal wouldn't stay,
So Coach and his son figured out another way.

So the YTB three read on up on Robert Irsay,
And said to themselves maybe it's better this way.
We'll take our trucks to the K-Mart loading docks,
And empty the place and change all the locks.

We'll fill up the jet and to Rio we'll go,
We'll be out of the country and have all of our dough!
The three laughed as they left and soared out of sight,
"Sorry suckers!", they said, "have a pleasant good night."