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

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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.

We also got a chance to stay with Adam & Kasie – who we love! Kasie took such great care of us, fed us, gave us a place to stay in her BEAUTIFUL home… We are sooo grateful! She inspired us to FINISH a few of our furniture/decor projects. She and Adam also introduced us to “i heart yogurt” – yum!

A few days we got to spend with Allison, shopping and tooling around town. I really enjoyed the time. Alli has really grown up! Katie said, “That was so much fun.” As a male, I can’t say “shopping is fun,” but I did enjoy spending time with Katie and Allison while they “girled” around the outlets. I even got some work clothes for a GREAT price. I am excited about that.

I’ll post some pix soon. (Still looking for a cheap, simi-private, photo sharing site that Ican intigrate into the blog…)

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”

Some of you went through FPU with us a few years ago when we were drowning and didn’t know it. Well, we are happy to report that we are paying off another debt today in full! We have about 2 more debts left until we are DEBT FREE! If slow and steady wins the race, we will win the Gold! Sometimes it is frustrating when it feels like we are not making progress and we aren’t living on much, but a day like today is worth all of it!  Dave Ramsey shared a story about a BILLIONAIRE he was visiting with (hoping to gather some secrets of what he should do next). Finally, in the conversation, Dave asked him how he could get from where he is to where to billionaire was. He said, “2 Things. I hear you always give books away on your radio show. Don’t ever stop that. Keep giving and giving. Second, there is this book…” (Dave said he was starting to get really excited). “I even read this book to my grandchildren.” (Dave said, “well I always knew it was simple… this is going to be good.”) The billionaire continues: “Have you ever read, The Tortoise and the Hare? Every time I read it, that turtle wins.”

Katie and I are definitely moving at the turtle’s pace. Trust me, Katie and I are ready to be in the next stages. We are ready for our assets to be making more for us that we are making for us. We are ready for FREEDOM.

As far as work goes, I’m still at the business brokerage. Things are going well. There are a TON of buyers out there who have been dispalced by the corporate world. There are a TON of people who don’t want to get fired or “laid off” any more. Owning a well run small business is the best job security in the world. Now, my job is to find good businesses to sell!

Katie is teaching. She is an incredible teacher! She loves those kids and those kids love her. I’m so proud of the job she does everyday. She has another intern right now and is working really hard with her to develop her teaching skills.

That is about it. We will be going to many baseball games this season and we are looking forward to spring break. We will probably spend most of it in Texas with our new niece: Skyler. We are really excited to see her come into this world in just a few weeks!!

Hope this post finds you well. Thanks for reading.

Also, I’m looking for a good way to share videos & photos online: FREE. Any ideas? Flickr and many other photo sharing websites reserve the right to use your photos if you upload them. We don’t really like that. We are both on facebook, but I can’t link them back to the blog. Anyway, leave me a comment with your thoughts and let us know if you have baseball tickets!

GO HOGS!