The Future

The Answer for America’s Energy Future

January 4, 2019 by Paul and Sarah Edwards Leave a Comment

The United States can solve its own energy problem now that the productivity of American farmers and entrepreneurs has been unchained by legalizing the growing of hemp in the United States with the Farm Bill of 2018 for the first time since the 1930’s.

Hemp is essentially a weed but it is an exceptional plant because it is easy to grow in all states. Every part of the plants is usable. It can be grown in poor soil not suitable for growing food. It leaches toxins, like heavy metals, uranium, and arsenic from the soil and metabolizes them, revitalizing spoiled lands, as where coal has been mined and gas extracted. The Midwest has more than 11 million acres of poor land not being used for crops.

Hemp has a short growing season, which means it can be harvested 3 times a year. Or it can be planted after other crops, requiring no fertilizer, herbicides, or pesticides. It can be used as a rotational crop or planted after other plants are harvested. Because of its deep roots and dense leaves, it chokes out weeds.

Because the hemp plant has so little THC, not enough to get anyone high, the commercial growing of hemp should face fewer regulatory problems from the Food & Drug Administration.

The oil pressed from hemp seed can be converted into biodiesel and fermenting the stalks results in either ethanol or methanol or both. Of all the plant sources of energy that have been tried, hemp is superior to alternatives include algae, Carrizo cane, switchgrass, and food plants like corn, soybeans, olives, peanuts, and rapeseed.

Hemp produces nearly four times as much oil per acre as soybeans, which is currently the only crop grown on a large enough scale for biodiesel in the U.S. and ten times more wood pulp than trees per acre. While hemp has been used and can be used for canvas, rope, and clothing, it can also replace some plastics and its seeds, rich in omega-3 fatty acids vitamin E and minerals like potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, and zinc, can be used as food, its unique properties lend themselves to producing energy.

Farmers need to be made aware of the benefits to them of growing hemp.

A national association, such as the National Hemp Association or Vote Hemp, needs to launch a campaign “Providing America’s Energy Future” to create a favorable climate for farmers to be aware of hemp’s benefit with the assurance they will enjoy long-term markets. The timing is good as the oil and gas industry’s stock prices are down. A recent article is entitled “Bloodbath in Oil & Gas Stocks Could Continue.”

Critical masses of growers can be organized by county, multi-county or state to help them market their hemp, establish standards and provide a knowledge base for obtaining optimum yields.

Hemp can’t be beat as a cash crop. It turns out to be the most cost-efficient and valuable of all the fuel crops we could grow on a scale that will enable America to become energy independent on a sustainable basis.

Do you need a resale license if you sell over the web from your own home?

September 13, 2014 by Paul and Sarah Edwards 5 Comments

“I want to start a resale business out of my house, do I need a resale license? What is this and where do I get one?” Also what about a federal ID number and a business license?

A resale license or permit, which may have a different name depending on your state, enables you to buy products for resale without paying sales tax on them until you resell them to a purchaser, from whom you collect the tax. You may also have suppliers who will sell to you only if you have a resale number, which indicates to them that you are a legitimate merchant. You can find the name of the tax agency in your state responsible for sales taxes on your state’s web site or from sites like www.govengine.com and http://www.lexisone.com/legalresearch/legalguide/states/states_resources_index.htm. From your state’s tax agency site, you can also get the forms you’ll need for reporting your sales. The states are quite interested in collecting all the taxes they can and have compliance officers.

If your sales are going to be on the web, such as on eBay, you’re obligated to collect and pay tax on sales to buyers from your own state. The Supreme Court reversed the Quill decision with the Wayfair decision that enables states to require collecting sales tax to residents of their states. Usually, states provide a threshold before a small seller is required to collect the tax. You need to check this out for your business.

You only need to get a federal employer ’s tax ID number if you have employees, are a partnership, or are incorporated. You do this with Form SS-4, which you can get at www.irs.gov. It’s one of IRS’s most requested documents and reachable from the home page.

Usually, you get your business license from a county office but check with your state’s agency or office that provides assistance to small businesses. Links to such state agencies and offices can be found at http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=99021,00.html.

If you think we can help you, we offer webinars and consulting. mail://paul@elmstreeteconomy

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Adapted from a prior column in BYOB

Take Off the Badge of Exhaustion

August 12, 2014 by Paul and Sarah Edwards 1 Comment

Everything worth doing takes energy. A passionate desire for a better life can keep our dreams alive, but it won’t keep us alive. We’ve got to do that. But we can’t do much of anything for long if we’re exhausted. To live our dreams we need to be good energy managers. We need to pace ourselves so we have the energy we need to do what needs to be done. Yet, exhaustion seems to be a badge of honor these days.

Young women sleeping with her head on a laptop

Author and seminar leader Chellie Campbell does a lot of networking with other professionals and business owners and she’s observed an interesting pattern you also may have noticed. “I went to meetings with colleagues and found that everyone was competing to see who was the most exhausted, overworked and stressed out.” Campbell fell into this routine herself for a while, but quickly realized that the more she talked about how overworked and stressed she was, the more worn out she felt. “What we focus on expands,” she concluded. “If we focus on how tired and exhausted are, we just become all the more tired and exhausted.”

Now when Campbell goes to such meetings and people start trading war stories of how overscheduled and burned out they are she pops in to point out how relaxed and rested she feels. Next thing she knows everyone’s talking about how energized and relaxed they are too.

So, when you hear yourself saying “I’m so tired,” take a moment to think about the things in life that bring you joy and excitement. Unless you’ve really been overdoing, you’ll find a wellspring of energy awaits you and you can tell yourself with confidence “I have plenty of energy.” Should you find you’re so tired that no wellspring awaits, don’t talk about it; take a break and get some sleep, You owe it to yourself … and to your dreams.

Comments and questions on the substance of this blogs are welcome. If you have other questions about this website, please contact me mail://paul@elmstreeteconomy directly for a consulting appointment or book an appointment through Google Helpouts.

If you think we can help you, we offer webinars and consulting.

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Adapted from a prior column in Connection Connection.

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Adapted from a prior column in Connection Connection. http://www.costcoconnection.com/connection/

When Free Means Money

June 5, 2014 by Paul and Sarah Edwards Leave a Comment

“Free!” is one of the most attention-grabbing words in marketing. For local businesses particularly, there can no more compelling way to get someone to try your product or service than to give them a free sample of what you offer. If they like it, they will want more. Well, that’s the theory. In practice, however, that’s only part of the story. Giving away your business can become a financial trap if you don’t draw the line on just what a “free” ends and service begins.

First, be sure to provide a sample, a taste, not the whole thing. Sometimes a “free consultation,” for example, can slip into becoming the whole meal. A free consultation is an opportunity to discover a client’s needs and talk with them about what you can provide. But if you provide it, you’ll have done them favor, not provided a service.

If you do volunteer to provide your actual work product in order to establish a track record, get a foot in the door, generate testimonials and references or get future referrals, be sure those you are working with know you are offering them a special arrangement. Let them know what your regular fee is and how it is special for you to work with them in this way.

Then mean it. A free sample or a volunteer project is a one-time offer. Folks can’t come back for more. But be sure to let them know how they can get more.

If someone loves your samples at a trade show booth. Ask if they’d like to take some home with them. If you’ve given away a free consultation as a door prize at a networking meeting that goes well, don’t wait for them to call you for appointment. Tell them you’d like to keep working with them and ask if they’d like to make an appointment.

Make it easy to take the step from a sample to the real thing. Have a range of services or products so people can choose the level of investment they feel comfortable with. If a client frowns at signing on for a series of ten sessions or a 10 pound order, have an alternative to suggest right away, “how about we schedule one month and see how it goes?” “… Or, I have a five pound starter pack you might like.”

And, of course, follow up later with those who sampled but weren’t ready yet to buy. If you do it right “free” can mean money or time well spent.

Adapted from a prior column in Connection Connection.

Comments and questions on the substance of this blogs are welcome. If you have other questions about this website, please contact me directly for a consulting appointment or book an appointment through Google Helpouts.

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Is the right to a “jury of one’s peers” still meaningful to most people?

May 16, 2014 by Paul and Sarah Edwards Leave a Comment

Is the right to a “jury of one’s peers” still meaningful to most people? When citizens cannot afford the cost of a trial or the court cannot find enough people able and willing to serve on a jury, I question whether the right to a jury of one’s peers has lost its significance. A right that is only theoretical becomes empty.

In California, it takes five years for a case to come to trial, assuming the litigants can afford the cost of a trial. If judges are so swamped, they cannot give timely and proper review of matters like restraining orders, we need to reform the administration of justice. A right that is only theoretical becomes empty.

While corporations and people of means can afford to hire private judges, the rest of the population is effectively denied justice. France and Italy have professional jurors, who take the place of judges.

What I am suggesting retains the advocacy system and our judges. The professional jurors would take the role that juries have traditionally played. I believe a minimum number – perhaps five or seven – to assure a diversity of opinion. It’s also conceivable that litigants might choose between a jury of professional jurors or a citizen panel. What’s clear is our justice system needs reform.

Comments on the substance of the blogs are welcome. If you have other questions, please contact me directly. Paul offers consulting through Google Helpouts and as a SBDC consultant.

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If justice delayed is justice denied – what can we do about it?

May 12, 2014 by Paul and Sarah Edwards Leave a Comment

The headline yesterday in the Los Angeles Times was “Cutbacks in California court system produce long lines, short tempers. The statement that “justice delayed is justice denied” has its origin that traces back to Biblical times. Martin Luther King, Jr., stated it “justice too long delayed is justice denied.” This applies both to civil and criminal law.

Many people have been sharing their frustration with Sarah recently about not being able to get legal matters through the court system. For example, if a person is being harassed by a stalker or an ex-spouse tries, we expect them to get a restraining order. According to the law of California, restraininig orders must be ruled on within 24 hours. But in too many cases, they are not because the judge hasn’t seen the order.

What are people going to do when they’re unable to get timely responses to even simple but pressing issues like retraining orders, legal separations or custody resolutions? If people become too desperate, might they protect themselves by hurting or even killing the stalker. For working poor and middle class people the legal system is not working. They face demoralizing and sometimes scary long waits and delays for resolution of legal matters.

What I have in mind is a new profession of professional jurors or adjudicators. What gave me the idea for this at the time of the runaway verdict when O.J. Simpson was acquitted of murdering his wife. I envision a program for training such experts in legal process and impaneling them as small juries. I trust the cumbersome and costly process of impaneling juries will be simplified, but the main benefit would be the availability of justice rendered at much faster pace . Governor Brown has been quoted as saying courts need to reinvented or restructured. If can have justice and save money in the process , concepts like this need to be tested in one or more places. If we are to have a civil society, we need to restructure our processes.

Remodeling as a Sustainable Livelihood in 2014

March 23, 2014 by Paul and Sarah Edwards 2 Comments

Eighty-nine percent of Americans want to stay as long as possible in their current houses. Chances are you are seeing remodeling projects going on in your neighborhood. Most people need help with the remodeling and so if you have the skills to do work on these projects, either as a handyman or a contractor. Depending on the size of your market, you

might specialize in a particular type of remodeling.

According to the National Association of Home Builders, here are the most popular types of remodeling:

Bathroom remodeling – 72%
Finishing basements – 72%
Kitchen remodeling – 70%
Window and door replacement – 40%
Whole house remodeling – 39%
Room additions – 35% (such as a bedroom or sunroom)
Repairing property damage – 29%
Handyman services – 27%
Decks – 25%
Siding – 22%

Contractors can specialize in particular types of residential remodeling, such as restoring homes damaged by fire or suffering from other insurable losses, condo/apartment remodeling, renovating historic residences, or they might specialize by architectural style. Another way to specialize is by what areas of a residence you remodel.

Here are the skills and knowledge do you need to have:

You need to have an understanding of the industry, some background knowledge in engineering, architecture, interior decoration, or the like.
You need to have hands-on capability to do the work unless you compensate with other skills such as business management, computer operation, or interior design and contract out hands-on work.
Even if you are not hands on, you need enough knowledge to handle scheduling and ordering and to oversee quality.
If you broker or outsource components of the work, you need to be effective at coordinating, scheduling, and supervising other people.

These organizations are sources of more information about the industry:

For an initial free consultation to explore this or another sustainable livelihood that bests suits your personality and your community, contact me. directly for a consulting appointment. I offer coaching through Google Helpouts and as a SBDC consultant, For an initial free consultation to explore this or another sustainable livelihood that bests suits your personality and your community,

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Comments on the substance of the blogs are welcome. If you have other questions, please contact me directly for a consulting appointment.

We’ll Gain More Through Shared Interests Than Turning on Each Other

January 18, 2014 by Paul and Sarah Edwards Leave a Comment

I spend a lot of time reading, both because I like to do it – not surprising from someone who had a dream as a young boy to write a book – and because I need to do it in order to give my consulting clients and what I write and talk about to be current.

In growing up, we learned to respect and care for our elders. In contrast, I experience anger from many younger people, sometimes directed against the boomer generation. You see this in comment sections of blogs and articles as well as sometimes experiencing verbally. Other times younger people, facing difficult life situations themselves, express their anger, living off their parents. This anger is not an accident. First, we’re experiencing a change of generations as boomers retire and Millenials are coming of age. Both groups are experiencing significant problems.

This change of generations has historically produced tensions. Think of how the boomer generations dissented from the prevailing cultural norms of their parents – hippies, the demonstrations at the 1968 Demonstration Convention in Chicago. Generations have different personalities – some generations are more activist like boomers and today’s Millenials. But both have common interests, though it’s sometimes hard to think of this when this generational change is complicated by additional forces, such as:

The rapid change in technology and trade that is affecting every sector of the economy and life: interconnectedness from smart phones to all kinds of devices, changes in health care, robots replacing workers, food supply and energy. Changes in retailing are apt to result in the closing of stores that have been household names for generations.
Big-money backed foundations have been stoking anger at social security for years, setting for the idea that it won’t be around for the Millenials. Millenials blame the boomers for too many wars, overusing the nation’s resources and having a Congress that 9 in 10 people do not respect. A dangerous situation for a nation based on consent of the governed.
Expressions of anger can be felt and seen in flash mobs, the Occupy Wall Street and Tea Party movements. the actions of individuals like Edward Snowden,

Generational anger has happened before. The noted authors of Generations and other titles, William Strauss andNeil Howe, after analyzing 500 years of American history and the histories of a number of other nations, find patterns repeating themselves. This is expressed in ideas, attitudes, dress, music, wars, and in every facet of our lives.

The fact of the matter is that the deep interests of Millenials and Boomers are not different – if we eliminate the blaming game. It’s not in anyone’s interest to allow the problems we face together are simply a matter of the young versus the old. After all the overwhelming majority boomers have had no or little role in the problems this nation now faces. While Millenials are burdened by student debt, older people are being pushed out of jobs and careers as businesses change the technology of work. According to the National Academy of Social Insurance , only one in five seniors have incomes more than $58,000 a year. The other 80% rely on Social Security as their primary income source.

The upshot is we’re all in this together. As Richard Eskow wrote in a recent article, “The generational war is a hoax.” Bridges need building that will foster cooperation, not competition among generations. People of all ages have common cause in finding solutions that will enable a new era in this nation’s journey.

Comments and questions on the substance of this blogs are welcome. If you have other questions about this website, please contact me directly for a consulting appointment.

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If you think we can help you, we offer webinars and consulting.

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Help Yourself Keep Away From the Economic Brink

January 11, 2014 by Paul and Sarah Edwards Leave a Comment

Unkind understates the impact of the economic changes a

ffecting the middle class of the United States and Europe. While the stock market is “up” from 2008 ninety-five (95%) of the economy’s growth has gone to the wealthiest 1% of Americans. 2 out of 3 Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. Many are not only are they not catching up, including the students saddled with college debt to seniors.

More than one in four adults (27%) say they’re going deeper into the hole, according to a survey of 8100 adults by Peter Novelli Styles. Only 20% of seniors do not rely on Social Security as their primary income source, according to the National Academy of Social Insurance.

Keeping afloat in this ongoing Jetstream of economic trouble, stemming from companies closing entire divisions or adopting new technology from software to robots that make existing jobs skills obsolete, requires being resourceful to keep afloat and even get ahead.

Developing a sideline or full-time business makes sense as people of all ages are learning. Nearly one in four new businesses (23%) are started by people aged 55 to 64, according to a Kaufmann Foundation report.

To make a living that will sustain you means finding something you can do that taps into a passion of yours and that hits that sweet spot of making a business of it so that people will gladly pay you for what you enjoy doing. Of course, not every mission or passion we have can turn into a business. If what you do is provide a direct service locally, then your local market must be one that has a demand for what you do.

In most ways, it’s costs less and is more feasible to start a business than it ever has been. The trick is taking a start-up through the hurdles of getting a business underway. It’s like riding a bicycle – you have to pump and pump – until you get enough momentum that the business takes on a life of its own.

Other blogs on this site provide profiles of livelihoods you can pursue – from repairing items to robots.

Comments and questions on the substance of this blogs are welcome. If you have other questions about this website, please contact me directly for a consulting appointment.

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If you think we can help you, we offer webinars and consulting. mailto:elmstreeteconomy.com

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The Robot Revolution Eliminates Many Jobs while Creating New Opportunities

November 23, 2013 by Paul and Sarah Edwards Leave a Comment

Within the next decade, robots will be everyday appliances in homes, the workforce of factories, the means by which a substantial portion of medical care will be delivered, and a new basis for wealth for those who benefit.

One example is that Foxcomm, the company that manufactures Apple iPhones and iPads is replacing 1.2 million workers with one million industrial robots. The cost of operating an industrial robot is about 30 cents/hour! Robot’s don’t take vacations, require health insurance and sick leave, make complaints, and will work long hours seven days a week.

In medical facilities, you often will be looking at a five-foot tall robot with a screen for a face that allows your doctor to see you and you to see your doctor. Medical robots will take your blood pressure, have the ability to look into your ears, and an ultrasound imaging system, among other capabilities.

With over 300,000 hospitals worldwide – only one of the uses of robots, we are apt to see a population of robots larger than that many nations, which already number over 20 million. Manufacturing factories, which in the US alone number 336,000 are populated with robots working tirelessly and will increasingly so.

Robots will carry out tasks and do things that are unsafe for people, do work that is impossible for people, and do things that it is uneconomical to employ humans to do. You can imagine robots doing such things as defusing bombs, being used in agriculture doing back-breaking work, and helping the aged function independently.

How does your future and your livelihood relate to this? First, you can become a robot technician, repairing and maintaining robots. While many robots can be expected to repair of themselves and other robots, we can expect humans to be needed. On sites like careerbuilder.com, you can find listings of jobs now available.

Robots will make our lives easier – as long as we find a way to earn a sustainable livelihood. For example. the more robots there are, there will be more technicians to maintain them. Robot repair technicians install, service, troubleshoot, maintain, and repair robots and automated production systems. The number of engineers who specialize in robots will grow. Following is an excerpt from the Robot Report:

More than 14,000 jobs were advertised online requiring knowledge or use of robotics in the U.S., according to WANTED Analytics™, a source of real-time business intelligence.

… The most commonly advertised job titles requiring use or knowledge of robotics: Maintenance Technician, Controls Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, Manufacturing Engineer, Senior Mechanical Engineer, Physician Urology, Registered Nurse, Electrical Engineer, Software Engineer and Urologist.

Robots are only one sector of the economy that will grow explosively in the next two decades. Other blogs in this series describe other livelihoods we anticipate being viable for creating a sustainable livelihood.

For an initial free consultation to explore this or another sustainable livelihood that bests suits your personality and your community, contact us.

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Comments on the substance of the blogs are welcome. If you have other questions, please contact me directly for a consulting appointment.