As most of you know, I have been working as a Business Broker for the last year with CBI Sunbelt in Lowell. CBI (confidential business intermediary) is part of the Sunbelt Business Adviser network & owned by Carl Grimes (my boss). Fifteen years ago, Birnie Harper started the Sunbelt Franchise for Fort Smith. Recently, he announced the desire to move on to be closer to his kids and grandkids. This opened up an incredible opportunity for our company and about 3 weeks ago, Carl asked me to consider joining with him as a partner in the company and moving our family to Fort Smith to take over current operations and provide our services to the greater Ft. Smith region.

At first, Katie and I were hesitant, because that is a big change (and we just finished unpacking all of our boxes from 2 years ago! LOL). We visited Ft. Smith that weekend and saw amazing oportunities to grow our business and to help the growing small business community in the Fort Smith/River Valley area. They are really in need of our services and professionalism! We were inspired after the first trip and every trip since then has been a treat.

Last week, CBI acquired SBA, Ft. Smith and Carl and I finalized our thoughts on the partnership agreement. There are still somethings that need to be signed, but I wanted everyone to know ASAP that we are MOVING!

This is such a blessing for our family. I’ve always wanted to run my own business and own my own company and this partnership with Carl makes that possible. This puts us about five years ahead of where we thought we would be, but there is a lot of hard work left to do!

ALL: If you know of any schools that need a great teacher, please let us know! Katie has applied at every district, but as we have already experienced, much of getting hired is knowing the right people! If there is an opportunity outside of teaching, that is a possibility.

Also, if you need a place to rent for a good deal (2br, 1bth, big fenced in yard), contact me and I will put you in touch with our land lord, Robbie.

To friends in NWA: It is only 45 minutes! We will come visit NWA and any trip you make to LR, please drop by to see us!

To friends in LR: We are 45 min closer than we ever have been! Please come visit! OR, if you need some free room and board during football, basketball, or baseball season, let us know! We’d love to have you!

To Family: Thanks for keeping us in your prayers through out the process, & please continue to pray as we get settled in to a new area!

To Clients in NWA: I am still working for you & doing working in NWA! Don’t worry! This will only increase our exposure and open up all of our current business listings to more and more buyers in other markets!

Please keep these things in your prayers for us:

• Katie’s job: Pray that she will find a good job, with a good principal/boss, at a good school/company.
• Ray’s business: We are rebuilding the company. Pray that we can keep cost down and help the small business owners sell their businesses!
• Housing: Currently, we have no where to live. Where we are going has to be ok with two well trained pups. We are looking for 2-3 bedrooms, 1-2 baths, in an ok area for $400 – $500 ideally. Our thougths are to rent for a few years and then look at buying.
• Church home: we have some ideas about where to go, but we don’t have a church home yet.

Thanks for your prayers and support. We will keep you posted when everything is finalized and will also let you know of a few minor changes in the works (new addresses, new website developments, new business website, more video posting, etc…)

Don’t forget to follow me on twitter! http://www.twitter.com/RayZorback

More to come…

PS: Follow/Friend us

• I’m trying to get Katie to twitter: http://www.twitter.com/katiehellen
• My twitter: http://www.twitter.com/RayZorback
• Her FB: http://www.facebook.com/KatieHEllen
• My FB: http://www.facebook.com/RayZorback

Now, I don’t really give a rip about CO2 emissions. I don’t believe in global warming caused by people. Those of you who do need to do a little more research [70% of CO2 comes from Ocean, 4% from Humans, 17% from Animals - Also, over the last 10 years, the temp has gotten COLDER not warmer & it happens to coincide with the SUN's decrease in violent flare activity... you know that big ball of fire comes up in the morning & we got hotter and goes down at night & we get cooler).

This just proves my theory: They [the government and most liberals] also don’t give a rip about CO2 emissions. They desire increased government control over companies, the market, and YOU!

Am I for a cleaner Earth? Using less foreign oil? Recycling? Reusing? Clean water, Clean Air? Retaining the natural beauty of the Earth? YES!

Am I for the GOVERNMENT FORCING policies upon us and losing my freedom? NO!

If they were REALLY for decreasing CO2 emissions & clean energy, they would go Nuclear Power like the rest of the world.

–

Here is an article about his announcement if you wanted to read the original: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090519/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_autos

Yesterday morning I posted this picture on Twitter with the caption, “Breakfast of Champions:”

It is a cup of coffee in my favorite Razorback mug with a bowl of Cheerios with bananas & black berries. YUM! Great healthy meal right?

WRONG!

I was excited to be eating a breakfast (which was rare) & a healthy breakfast at that (which is even rarer). Then, Obama intervenes and I see this on Drudge: 

No doubt, this proves two things:

1. Obama is following me on twitter.
2. I am a target of this administration.

Here is the information from NWA M&A

For anyone interested in attending a tea party on tax day, here are a few locations around Northwest Arkansas.

April 15th, 2009

• Bella Vista: Sugar Creek Center – 12pm [email]
• Springdale: Downtown S’dale – 12pm – 2pm [facebook] [email]
• Fayetteville: Square – 4pm – 7pm [facebook] [email]
• Rogers: Frisco Stage – 5:30pm – 7:30pm [email]
• Bentonville: Bentonville Square – 5pm – 7pm

Please remember, these are NOT partisan rallies. These are about the GOVERNMENT taking more money from you than ever before and spending it like CRAZY! It has to STOP! Please do NOT have Bush/Obama/Repub/Dem bashing/hate signs & no VULGARITIES! Thanks!

RELATED:

Texas Gov. Press Release

Sources:

Visit TaxDayTeaParty.com to find a location near you!
Val’s Bien: NW Arkansas Tea Party, Fayetteville

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Furl | Newsvine

Hey everyone! I’m so excited to announce that Dave Ramsey is hosting a FREE LIVE Event April 23, 2009. It is called Town Hall for Hope. Fellowship Bible Church of NWA is going to host the event! I’ll post those details when I know more!

Click here to sign up and go to Fellowship. If they are full, click here to sign up & find other locations.

As most of you know, Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University program has played a huge part in changing our lives!

Hopefully I will see you there!

visit: www.townhallforhope.com for more information.

Just a little FYI:

I will pay you the real thing; $1,000 to $5,000 for any referral of a business owner who uses me to sell a business! I’m not kidding!  Contact me for details! As always, any sensitive information is kept 100% confidential.

Talk to you soon!

Here is my work contact info:

• Sunbelt Business Advisors
• Email: Ray.Ellen@SunbeltNetwork.com
• Cell: (479) 422-2279
• Office: (479) 770-8989
• Fax: (479) 770-0990

“We help people Sell and Buy Businesses”

#1. Don’t doubt Dan Skoff. Dan is one of the better weather guys in our area about about 2 days before all this started, he said something like, “With all these variables this could become a pretty bad ice storm. We’re talking 100 year ice storm here!” I looked at Katie and said, “There’s no way. We’ve already been in one of those.”

#2. If you have trees buy a chainsaw, BEFORE winter… Every store ran out for days. We don’t have trees so this wasn’t a big deal for us. If all else fails, you can use an axe.

#3. Get some really, really good sleeping bags. That was our survival – 20 degree, down sleeping bags that we usually use camping. Also remember, the fewer clothes you weare in the down mummy bags, the more heat you will generate.

#4. Take the items from the fridge and keep them in your freezer (try not to open it very often). Take the items from your freezer and keep them outside as long as it stays in the 20’s and 30’s.

#5. Stock up on Oreos. After the roads got a little better, Katie and I got the munchies and went to pick up some cookies, only to find that ALL of the Oreos were gone! Unbelievable. Oh yea, some other things that the stores ran out of: Flashlights, Candles, Bread (even fancy breads), Milk, Cheese, Electric heaters.

#6. Descide if you need a generator in the summer & try to buy one then. Generators are not on sale in the middle of winter… during an icestorm… when all the power is out. But there will be a shortage of those too!

#7. Get a data plan. Katie and I didn’t have a data plan at the time so when the power went out… We were in the DARK… With everything! We didn’t even know if it was going to snow again? Were we the only ones without power? When would it be restored?

#8. If you don’t get a data plan, get a battery operated weather radio.

#9. And probably the most important thing you should know, have freinds who live all over NWA. Luckily, we were able to warm up by visiting some friends around the city who still had power.

Welp, that is about it for us. Any other suggestions?

Thank You to EVERYONE that helped support our trip! We loaded over 650 lbs of school supplies into suit cases Sunday and we are ALMOST ready to hop on the plane!

There are some slight changes in plans that we got notice of Sunday: we WILL be staying in Guatemala for 3 weeks!!!! When I first posted about the trip, that was the option we were all hoping for, but it just didn’t work out. There were some logistics in meeting up with the second team that just were not working out. Well, Sunday, we got word that it was once again possible!!

I can’t wait. We will be working in Guatemala City, spending some time in Antigua Guatemala, and then meeting up with the second team in Santa Cruz Guatemala to work with a village in the Cloud Forest!

Katie and I are just amazed at how all of this is working out. We feel so blessed to be able to make this trip!

I’ve got to get back to work, but I will post more before we leave!

Bye for now,

Ray

If you missed the game, you’ve got to catch the clips on ESPN, Youtube, and where ever you can. Then, read the stories of the players and the decisions that the coach made this year. What a story. What a win.

I loved Larry Bird. He was my first exposure to the Celtics. Then, I LOVED Jordan. Who didn’t. When Jordan retired, so did my love for the NBA. Now, I’ve been reintroduced to the TEAM that started it all for me. No heroes. A team of brothers. Celtic basketball is different. Way to go, Celtics.