Beware Thrive Learning Institute Guarantee

So many people are looking for a way to earn money these days. If you are curious about on-line opportunities and do internet research, you may be contacted by Thrive Learning Institute, which offers training to become an internet entrepreneur. Thrive comes on with a high pressure pitch that makes it sound like success is guaranteed for anyone lucky enough to make contact with Thrive Learning Institute. Included in the pitch is a guarantee to earn back the training fees, which are sizable, by the end of one year or get your money back. It is not actually easy or even possible to get Thrive to give the money back. Instead of offering the money back, they offer to give more training until the training fees have been recouped.
There is a major flaw in the offer of further training from Thrive. The problem occurred so far back in the process of creating a business that I would have to go back to the very beginning in order to have a chance of correcting it. In my case, the suppliers available do not offer a wide enough or high enough quality product to base a company on. Thrive did nothing to help assess this situation. They noted that I had completed the steps set out in their process and told me to go forward.
In my instance I was sold a package that trained a person to set up an on line marketplace using drop shippers to fulfill the orders. This means that the new business person does not have to carry an inventory, thus saving large amounts of capital. Thrive instructs the student to research a niche in the internet market where they can begin to earn money. In my case, I located the desk lamp market, showed my research to the Thrive learning Institute coaches. The Thrive coaches supposedly checked my work and gave me the go ahead to begin work in this area. In retrospect I realized that this was the point where I needed to stop and do further work. The desk lamps available for drop shipping were not enough to support a business and no one at Thrive spotted the problem. I am not sure that there really is such a thing as a lucrative drop shipping market at all.
After the Thrive coaches approved my choice, I proceeded to buy a domain name, build the site and market it. The approval of desk lamps as an appropriate niche was a mistake. The Thrive coaches did very little, if anything to verify that I was actually stepping off into a market where I could be successful. The salesman who sold me the training program made it sound like the coaches were dedicated to my success. In reality, I was one of many, probably too many, students that the coaches had to ram through the training program.
Here are the flaws with the desk lamp niche: Even though there were not too many competitors, the competition is made up of very large companies. These companies can offer a very large inventory, their internet sites are obviously professionally constructed, and they have ample advertising budgets. The lamps available for drop shipping cannot compete with the inventory of a large company.
If you are ever approached by Thrive Learning Institute, it would pay to be very skeptical of their claims. Their main goal is to get your training money. Their coaches can lead you through a series of steps, but no one is dedicated to making sure that you succeed.

Consumer Beware

Desk Lamp Daddy was a business that began with a phone call from Thrive Learning Institute of Utah. The call came as I was earnestly searching for a way to earn money from home, to become more entrepreneurial, and to be able to live my dream of eventually living at the Church of Shambhala Vajradhara Maitreya Sangha Monastery. While sure of the goal, I was growing impatient to make it a reality. My plans included a move to Arizona to begin working at the meditation center associated with this monastery, and there were no teaching jobs available for the next year in that area. Some kind of life preserver, like the promises Thrive Learning Institute offered, sounded very inviting.
So my vulnerability to the call from thrive Learning Institute was quite high. The initial phone call from ended up costing me $8,900.00 in training fees to Thrive Learning Institute. I was promised a refund if I did not earn that money back within a year (March 3, 2010). But the salesman assured me that most people earn the initial investment back within 4-6 months. I was to be developing an on-line store front with goods procured from dropshippers.
I eagerly launched into the development of Desk Lamp Daddy under the tutelage of Thrive's coaches. For the next three months I spent every spare minute doing research and using Thrive’s web building program. This amounted to 100’s of hours. I skipped exercise and sleep in a push to get the business under way quickly so that I could begin earning back that $8,900 that was now sitting on my previously empty credit card.
Unfortunately, all the effort and money did not pay off. Nearly one year later, Desk Lamp Daddy has yet to turn a sale. I am in Arizona living my dream of working at the meditation center, paying the bills working for the rather low hourly wages available in the community. And very glad to have a job! Thrive Learning Institute will have a chance come March 3, 2010 to live up to their promise to refund training fees.

Desk Lamp Daddy Chooses Outreach Project

Desk Lamp Daddy, seller of innovative and classic desk lamps, happily announces the decision to dedicate 75% of our profits to support the Church of Shambhala Vajradhara Maitreya Sangha Monastery in Lake County, California. This project stands out in several important ways.
The entire complex of seven interconnected structures will have a zero carbon footprint. Six of the structures are monlithic domes known for their durability, energy efficiency and fire proof walls. The seventh and central building is a 51* pyramid with super insulated walls. Even during construction there are four operational wind turbines, with plans for solar energy collection. Electric vehicles will service the site.
Aside from the buildings themselves, the site will be used for important activities such as Soul Therapy retreats (a registered trademark). Soul therapy is currently available at sites across the country and around the world, but the opportunity to come for sessions in the monastery will be truly significant for those taking part. Soul therapy was originated by His Holiness Buddha Maitreya, recognized by many Tibetan Buddhist lineages as the reincarnation of important Buddhist saints. The blessings flowing through his tools and Soul therapy sessions are very important for individuals and humanity as a whole. The monastery will also house a group of nuns and monks.
Please allow DeskLampDaddy to help fill your desk lighting needs and support the completion of this magnificent project. http://www.buddhamaitreya.org/projects/monastic_residence

Full Spectrum Lighting and Color

In the world of art it is well known that in order to see color accurately, full spectrum lighting is essential. Museums insist on using full spectrum in their exhibit areas and restoration work. While most of us are not working in art museums, many of us can benefit from the increased accuracy in color perception that full spectrum lighting provides. Tasks where color matters are myriad. They include sewing, make-up, interior design, and reading from a computer screen.

The even distribution of wave lenghths in full spectrum bulbs avoids the high concentration of some wave lengths combined with the absence of others found in conventional lighting sources. Where wave lenghths are missing, the eye cannot perceive the associated colors.

Full spectrum lighting is now available on the market at reasonable prices. Check www.desklampdaddy.com for a sale on these lights through September.

Evaluating Full Spectrum Products

Full spectrum lighting products are readily available on the market these days. Many are expensive when compared to conventional lighting sources, making it important to know how to evaluate full spectrum products. It is not necessary to pay much more than for full spectrum lighting that delivers a light balanced across the visible spectrum than conventional lighting with peaks and troughs at various points in the spectrum. Full spectrum products should score above 70 on a Spectral Power Distribution test (SPD) or 2.0 on a Full spectrum Index (FSI). These measures determine that a light source remains even across the spectrum. Full spectrum lighting will be on sale at http://www.desklampdaddy.com/ through September.

Vintage Lamps Made With Mica

The technique of layering sheets of mica with shellac was pioneered in 1910 by Dirk Van Erp, who immigrated from Holland to the US, settling in San Franscico. By trial and error Van Erp created a process of applying shellac to sheets of mica, making what became known as isinglass. The shellac used at that time dried to an amber color, which gives the mica a warm glow when the lamps are in use. There is something very Old world about the amber glow of these lamps. Sherlock Holmes might have enjoyed having one on Baker St. to add to the air of mystery in his space.
Van Erp's desk lamps are highly priced in the antique market, currently selling for as much as $159,000. Welcome one of these classic desk lamps to your desk. Meyda Tiffany takes pride in using the same time honored techniques to produce these Van Erp style lamps, complete with new wiring and switches, giving you the best of both worlds.

You can find these lamps at Desk Lamp Daddy .

The Prairie School of Design

Chicago was the epicenter of a major American design movement in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Called the Prairie School, this architectural movement was inspired by the wide open horizons of the American Midwest. In reaction to the Greek Revival structures erected for the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, the Prairie School wanted to create from the American experience.

Frank Lloyd Wright was the most famous member of the group which included many young architects working with Wright and Louis Sullivan . They used hip roofs with wide overhangs and horizontal rows of windows. They preferred high quality craftsmanship and wanted the structures to appear as if they grew from their surroundings.

To harmonize with their buildings, furniture and lamps were created to mirror the structure of the house. The Prairie Corn Oblong desk lamp seen above is a perfect example, as the oblong shade perfectly mirrors the long low roof lines of many Prairie School buildings. This lamp made by Meyda Tiffany can be found at Desk Lamp Daddy