Throughout the month of March, members of the Market America Corporate Team and I traveled across the country to deliver a powerful message to UnFranchise owners and their guests. We talked with thousands of amazing individuals, stressing the importance of establishing residual income, and sparking interest in the unique entrepreneurial opportunity that Market America provides. Excitement has grown to a fever pitch, as the light begins to click on for many people. But, after speaking with so many of you, we want to hear back.

Even if you haven’t heard her music, chances are you’ve heard of her. An artist ahead of her time, known as much for her outrageous outfits  and antics as her amazing voice, Lady Gaga has carved out a unique niche with a loyal following of “little monsters.” A rare talent that has exploded on the scene since being signed by Akon, Lady Gaga has emerged as an absolute force in the music industry, with the album sales to prove it. Last week, Gaga’s second studio album, Born This Way, became just the 14th album to ever sell over one million copies in its first week, joining an elite club with members like Usher, Eminem, Taylor Swift, and NSYNC.  With 1.1 million albums sold, Born This Way sold more copies than any other album in its first week since 50 Cent’s The Massacre sold 1.14 million copies in 2005. In a time when album sales have been slumping across the board, selling 1.1 million copies of an album in its first week is a truly remarkable feat, but much like Lady Gaga herself, Born This Way has not been without controversy.

With Father’s Day just around the corner, sons and daughters across the country are beginning to scramble to find the right gift for dear ol’ dad. From hideous ties to tacky coffee mugs, golf clubs to socks, the gifts we typically give our fathers tend to be lighthearted. While gifts like this are great, there are other ways to show your love and appreciation for Daddy dearest. After all, it’s the least we can do for them. From cleaning up in the wake of our seemingly endless destruction as rambunctious toddlers, to providing an on-call shuttle service to and from countless practices and recitals, to placing their life in our shaky hands when they teach us how to drive, our Dads have to put up with a lot. They have guided us through our growth and development with patience and unconditional love, and have enriched our lives in immeasurable ways. So what can we do to make Father’s day special?

After Market America changed the way our URL s appeared, we were asked this question quite often. In the past, when you or your customers visited your web portal (we’ll use Marc Ashley’s for our example), you would see www.marketamerica.com/marc in the address bar. But now, when you visit your web portal, you don’t see the part with your name anymore. Why is that?

The reason is that we have embedded the part of the URL with your name within the site, and have prevented it from being displayed in the address bar. We did this because Google considers these types of URLs to be duplicate content, and as a result it was having a negative impact on Market America’s SEO ranking, which is vital for driving customers to our site. To resolve this we hid the part of the URL with your name, and embedded that information on the blue bar that now appears at the bottom of the page, as well as the space near the top that lists the Shop Consultant. So what does that mean for you?

For many Americans, Memorial Day is an especially significant holiday. A time for remembering those who paid the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that our freedoms would endure, and the beacon of democracy would continue to shine. We honor the memory of our fallen heroes, and remember our forces currently serving in harm’s way across the globe. With the current state of international tension and conflict, the importance of our military is glaringly obvious. Throughout our nation’s history, we have turned to our military in times of need, but when veterans leave the military, where do they turn?

From birth, people seem overly concerned with placing labels on each other. Old, young, skinny, overweight, black, white….the list is seemingly endless. All too often we get caught up in labeling and classifying people, without ever truly considering the talents and potential which lies within the individual. In the realm of business, unfortunately this is no different. People constantly pass judgment on you, taking into consideration factors and traits that you have little or no control over, and ultimately form opinions of you based on trivial social classifications. To be sure, the factors on which society judges you can be utterly ridiculous, but by no means should you be discouraged. Success has nothing to do with the labels society places on you, and everything to do with how you transcend them.

From our revolutionary Cashback program that pays people to shop, to our ability to generate residual income for aspiring entrepreneurs, Market America has always stood out as a truly one of a kind company. But without question, our most important and unique commodity has always been our people. Our ability to connect customers with highly-knowledgeable Shop Consultants has allowed Market America to stand out in the crowd. With a person behind every web portal, Market America provides a personal touch to high-tech shopping. Our Shop Consultants interact with customers online and by phone, providing valuable insight, and ultimately helping them to find the right products and services. They act as personal shopping gurus, pampering our customers and ensuring that Market America delivers an unmatched online shopping experience. Market America has thrived by providing customers with the personal touch of a Shop Consultant, and now it would appear that other companies are beginning to catch on.

As a globally expanding company committed to becoming the leader in Social Shopping, Market America is growing faster than ever before.  But setting out to change the way the world shops is no small task, and requires a team of professionals who have dedicated their lives to the mission of the UnFranchise business opportunity. Professionals who are committed to providing a grass-roots entrepreneurial opportunity that can generate residual income for average people, while delivering life changing products. Professionals who have mastered the business, demonstrate the highest level of integrity, and exhibit a passion for ensuring the success of Market America 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. This level of extreme dedication and commitment is epitomized by the members of Market America’s corporate team.

To a certain extent, I would compare being part of Market America’s corporate team to earning a commission in the Special Forces (Navy Seals, Rangers, Green Berets, etc.).  To be a part of it is an extreme honor, but also an enormous sacrifice. Corporate team members must lead by example, master every aspect of the discipline, and continue to develop their own business while putting the company and other UFO’s first.  In the short term, the financial rewards do not necessarily cover the sacrifice, so why do they do it? They do it because they want to have a hand in molding the future. They do it create financial stability, and a better opportunity for their own business and other UFO’s. They chose the road less traveled, and would rather make history than a quick buck. They chose to change the world.

Social media is quickly emerging as an essential link between customers and the companies and brands they love. Companies are utilizing social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to communicate directly with millions of consumers, staying connected to their current customers, as well as generating new business. From airlines to grocery stores, companies from nearly every industry are interacting with consumers through the unique platform social media provides. But what companies are making the most out of social media?

As mobile technology continues to change the way we shop, the need to deliver cutting edge applications and features becomes ever more crucial. With that in mind, the Market America mobile team has developed some remarkable new apps and updated features designed to enhance your shopping experience. I am pleased to introduce two amazing new features for our mobile application, MA Mobile, as well as an entirely new application for customers in Taiwan, MT Mobile. The MA Mobile app can be found in the Apple App Store, as well as the Android Market, while the MT Mobile app is available in the Apple App Store.