Mountain Views News          Saturday, February 7, 2015

13

BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS

Mountain Views-News Saturday, February 7, 2015 

FAMILY MATTERS By Marc Garlett


A CHORE NEXT DOOR

While not a very common problem, if you've got it, it can have a terrible impact on your listing: The 
Messy Neighbor. If you live next door to a "neglected" property, you might lose up to 20% of your 
home's market value, particularly with buyers looking for any excuse to reduce their offer.

It's technically not your problem, but ask not for whom the bell tolls. It's well worth your time and 
effort to resolve this situation amicably. Always be respectful, and don't let your emotions get the best 
of you.

Unless you believe your neighbor is "unhinged," you should begin with a visit to their home and a 
positive attitude - no name-calling or finger-pointing. Don't grab everyone on the block and gang up 
on your neighbor - you'll get better results if you go alone or with one other person.

If you find your messy neighbor is unwilling to take care of their maintenance, it may still be in your 
best interest to do the work yourself or with the help of other neighbors. No, it's not fair, but if you 
want a fair sales price, this may be your only option.

As a last resort, you could file a complaint with your property owners association or city government. 
You could be referred to a mediator who will help settle your disagreement cordially.


FIGHTING DOES NOT FEEL GOOD

James Brown recorded 16 number-one singles on 
the Billboard R&B charts including his signature 
song, “I Feel Good.” Unfortunately, no one is 
feeling good about the nearly decade-long battle 
still raging over his estate which began after his 
death on Christmas Day, 2006. 

 The majority of Brown’s estate - estimated 
to be in the tens of millions of dollars - was 
distributed via his will to the I Feel Good Trust. 
Brown set up the trust to provide scholarships 
to underprivileged children in South Carolina 
and Georgia. To date, none of his estate proceeds 
have been distributed, however, due to ongoing 
litigation between Brown’s fourth wife, Tomi Rae 
Hynie, his seven children, and his trust.

 Brown’s estate has devolved into a huge mess for 
his family. He has seven children and during the 
estate battle several more people stepped forward 
claiming they were Brown’s children as well. The 
legality of his marriage to Hynie has been called 
into question. Two sets of trustees have already 
been removed from the case.

 Over the last few years the South Carolina 
Attorney General attempted to broker a deal 
between the parties and the South Carolina 
Supreme Court even got involved. The latest 
twist was a decision in January of 2015 by a South 
Carolina judge granting a journalist’s Freedom 
of Information Act request to gain access to 
emails that include appraisals of Brown’s assets 
and discussions about Hynie’s diary as well as 
how much the estate should pay a local law firm 
involved in the fight over the estate.

As you might imagine, all of this is terribly 
expensive. Brown’s estate has to foot the bill 
along with paying millions to creditors, lawyers 
and other debtors. But not one single dollar has 
been given to the scholarship program Brown 
envisioned.

 While a challenge to Brown’s will may not have 
been avoidable considering the number of relatives 
he left behind, properly transferring his assets to 
the trust before his death may have prevented 
much of the litigation and provided the education 
funds for the children he wanted to help. And 
since a trust is private, unlike a will, it would have 
avoided the public scrutiny over his private affairs.

This is a common error made by estate planning 
lawyers, even those hired by wealthy people like 
James Brown. Unfortunately, whether someone 
has significant financial wealth or not, the impact 
on their family is the same -- if the assets are not 
titled properly in a trust at the time of death, the 
family members left behind will end up in Court. 
That’s guaranteed. 

 If you would like to chat about how an estate 
plan can help protect your family from the time, 
expense, and emotional pain of court, call our 
office today to schedule a time for us to talk. If 
you already have a plan and want to make sure 
it doesn’t have mistakes (such as not titling your 
assets correctly), call us and ask for an estate plan 
review. The next two callers who mention this 
article will receive these services free of charge. 

To you family’s health, wealth, and happiness,

 

 A local attorney, father, and CASA volunteer 
(Court Appointed Special Advocate for Children), 
Marc Garlett is on a mission to help parents protect 
what they love most. His office is located at 49 S. 
Baldwin Ave., Ste. G, Sierra Madre, CA 91024. 
Call 626.355.4000 to schedule an appointment to 
sit down and talk about ensuring a legacy of love 
and financial security for your family or visit www.
GarlettLaw.com for more information.

TIMING YOUR EMAIL CAMPAIGNS

When deciding on the best time to send an email 
campaign, consider 2 things:

1. Studies show the majority of emails are read 
within the first 4 hours after sent: Even though 
someone can save your email and open it later, 
most people don’t. It’s important to consider the 
time and day you send your emails. For example, 
if you market to Moms, avoid sending emails 
between 6am and 9am, Monday – Friday. Most 
Moms are busy taking kids to school, making 
lunches, etc. and don’t have time to look at your 
email. Get to know your audience and play around 
with timing. You might do a split test and divide 
your email list in thirds and test different days 
and times to find your sweet spot. You can also 
use social media and listen to your audience to 
find out what’s important to them and take note of 
when they are most active.

2. Is there a current event or holiday you can 
leverage: I like to follow the big boys and see how 
they leverage holidays and current events. For 
example, I think Papa Johns does a great job with 
their promotions. If the Lakers are playing, the will 
send out an email announcing the game and start 
time with a coupon for 50% off game day. What 
current events can you take advantage of that fit 
with the flavor of your brand? Think outside of the 
box. We know a fun restaurant downtown that 
runs a promotion on Elvis’ birthday. Is there a 
quarky holiday you can play with?

About MJ: MJ and her brother David own HUTdogs, 
a creative services business that specializes in 
Internet Marketing strategies and Social Media. 
They offer social media management services and 
help their clients build a strong on-line presence. 
“Like” them on Facebook for trending news in 
social media, internet marketing and other helpful 
tips, www.facebook.com/hutdogs.

Sign up for their upcoming classes, webinars and 
presentations at: www.hutdogs.com/workshops/
schedule 


BUSINESS TODAY

The latest on Business News, Trends and Techniques


By La Quetta M. Shamblee,MBA

MIND YOUR BUSINESS

Establishing and maintaining a successful business begins and ends with an entrepreneur’s state of 
mind. “The Little Engine That Could” is one of the most famous children’s stories, extolling the 
benefits of what is possible when someone simply dares to believe they can accomplish something 
that may seem out of reach. 

 Everyone who has any inkling of entrepreneurial aspiration must seize the moment at some point 
and take action in order to create the product or business they envision. The mind is defined as the 
part of a person that can think, reason, feel and remember. It is commonly thought of as the activity 
of the brain, which is an appropriate springboard to emphasize that activity or action aligned with 
aspiration is what distinguishes doers from mere dreamers.

 Mind your business is used here as an expression to emphasize the importance of how entrepreneurs 
can use their own thought process to forge ahead toward achieving goals. The following mnemonic 
can be used as a guide to move forward and keep going in the direction of your business interests.

Make Up Your Mind

The first step is to get clarity about your vision, your dream to start a business. Do you want to earn 
extra income or build your idea into your primary livelihood? Do you want a small, easy-to-manage 
business or are you thinking of building a thriving enterprise? Either one will need to generate 
revenue and be profitable. It is important to determine the income goal as a certain amount per 
month, year or other timeframe. Finally, it is imperative to commit to a date by which you expect 
certain goals to be attained.

Invest Your Time & Resources

Everyone on the planet is granted with 24 hours in a day, and those who have relished in the success 
of building a profitable understand that time is a commodity more valuable than money. Both should 
be used wisely, but unlike money, time wasted can never be recaptured. Take time to layout the 
gameplan, the roadmap as you understand it, to reach your goal.

Never Give Up 

Follow the example of The Little Engine That Could and press forward, even when going uphill makes 
it a little more difficult.

Distinguish Yourself With Discipline

Executing your plan will build the bridge between your goal and your vision. Consistency fosters 
discipline, which results in a mastery of knowledge and skills that fuels the type of confidence that can 
help an entrepreneur to keep going when times get challenging.

Move beyond thinking about starting a business, or if you’re already in business, move beyond simply 
thinking about what you can do to expand and move to the next phase you envision. Make up our 
mind to have the level of success you desire as a business owner and go for it.

“The mind is everything. What you think you become.” - Buddha

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