Club Asteria members and new members already know about the latest resource from Club Asteria, it’s our fully interactive, Internet Magazine called Empower Now.

The e-Magazine is housed online, so it’s easy to access via laptop, tablet or mobile phone – and the latest one is ready for you to view and read. And best of all, share with all of your online friends, family and business associates!

The June issue contains a variety of feature articles and monthly highlights that every Club Asteria member will want to read and remember. Plus this month we unveil our 12 Steps to Success winners!

When you click on this link, here are some of the articles you’ll immediately access:

• *  8 Easy to Understand Training Videos
• *  Be the Change You Wish to See In the World
• *  Over 150 Resources
• *  Club Asteria’s Philanthropic Programs
• *  Coming in to Your Wisdom Time
• *  Your Monthly Success Tip

All of these articles, and more, are written by thought leaders from around the world, who are willing to share their insights, knowledge and experience with Club Asteria members.

If you’ve never accessed the e-Magazine before, a quick tip about the icons at the top of the page – they’re designed to make your reading experience easier! Starting from the left side of the page, here is an explanation of the icons.

• *  Thumbs – allows you to view smaller images of each page; click each page and you’ll go directly to it!
• *  Contents – displays a full list of stories in each issue.
• *  Single Page – so you can read the issue a page at a time.
• *  Full Screen – each page occupies your entire screen.
• *  Arrow Buttons – clicking either one side or the other moves you forward or backward from the page you are currently viewing.
• *  Zoom – increases the size of the page for easier reading.
• *  Search – type in a keyword and you’ll see where it’s been mentioned in Empower Now!
• *  Share – click this icon to share the e-Magazine’s link through a variety of social media platforms!
• *  Question Mark – contains a full description of each icon button in the toolbar!
• *  Pens – print out a page, make notes, or save the document in Portable Document Format (PDF), which is smaller and easier to email or save on your computer.
• *  Gears – control settings such as turning sound on or off.

Remember the e-Magazine can be shared with all of the members in your social and business networks! Simply click the Share icon (two heads) at the top of the page and you’ll be given several options for sending out the link to your friends.

“Heaven never helps the man who will not act”

The quote is from an ancient philosopher, Sophocles, but it still has meaning and impact in today’s world – and also in regard to Club Asteria.

We’ve experienced monumental growth over the last year, and as we’ve gone through this positive experience, we’ve learned valuable lessons. In addition, we’ve also been able to increase our offerings, gain access to new resources and improve the lives of our members, their families and friends.

One of the changes that we wanted to talk about is the Network Director status. Over time, this position has become incredibly powerful and much sought after by Club Asteria members.

To begin, we have announced that starting on August 1, no one will be able to purchase Asterios. Instead, members will earn these, which in turn enhances the opportunity for everyone to achieve the position of Network Director and start to earn additional revenue.

The elimination of being able to purchase Asterios elevates the Network Director position, and guarantees that the leaders in our organization earned their spot through hard work, dedication, and the willingness to help others, not just themselves.

Please note that existing Network Directors will continue to enjoy their honored position with enhanced value of their Asterios and additional income opportunities as well as discounted purchasing opportunities available only to Network Directors.

There are other changes coming in the next several weeks and months – for starters Club Asteria members will have new opportunities to purchase products and services that we’ll be offering, including technology-related items like tablets and computers.

Besides purchasing these items, you’ll also be able to sell them online and in the traditional retail sense, which will open up an entirely new income stream – and a world of opportunity!

Club Asteria is committed to raising the world’s standard of living through entrepreneurship, and raising everyone’s vision to recognize others in need and helping people all over the world that are in dire circumstances.

Stay tuned and continue to keep checking the Club Asteria website and when you sign in, be sure to read the latest News stories that have been posted.

As always, be sure to spread the word to your family, friends and business associates about the many benefits of our organization – that way you’ll be helping yourself, and all of the members of our community!

Here in the Western world, we have a different idea of what a retail store is like. Ask somebody in a big city like New York, Chicago, or Toronto how much it would take to open up even a small retail store, and you will get a figure quoted to you in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. It’s an entrepreneurial door that is closed to the poor in developed nations.

Most retail activity however, in countries like India and the Philippines, is informal, very small, and neighborhood-oriented. More often than not, these small retail stores are operated by family members, and usually are set up in a “shop house,” or a type of modest dwelling where the residents live in the back, and have a small store in front. Such a thing isn’t possible in most Western cities, where zoning regulations would forbid it, but it’s very common in many Asian cities.

These small shops are low-budget operations. They’re not fancy, with brand new, glistening shelves and huge refrigeration sections that cost tens of thousands of dollars to install. If there is any refrigeration at all, it’s in the form of an old, used refrigerator or two. In the Philippines, they call this a “sari-sari” store, which is the Tagalog word for “variety”. When you’re walking around Manila you’ll see this on nearly every block. No, they’re not big franchises—we’re not talking about your neighborhood 7-11 here. I’ve shopped at sari-sari stores all over Manila, and it’s a great experience. They’re very local, very informal, and always friendly. Once you see how it operates, you realize that it wouldn’t take much money to stock one of these stores, and it wouldn’t take much to set it up, either. All someone needs to do is transform a back room of their house into a shop, put up an awning, and install a few home-made shelves, and they’re good to go.

What I’ve always found fascinating about the friendly neighborhood sari-sari is that it automatically becomes a hangout. The proprietor will usually put out a few cheap plastic tables and chairs in front, and people come, buy their drinks and snacks, and sit and talk for a while.

Thirty-two year old Jesusa wanted to supplement her family income. Her hard-working husband is a farmer, but his income is inconsistent, and she needed to be able to stay at home to take care of their two-year old child, Rafael. She saw an opportunity right away, after realizing that the nearest sari-sari was four blocks away. Their simple home didn’t need that many modifications, and her husband and brother were able to transform the back of the home into a sari-sari in just a couple weekends, with some basic building materials. But now came the hard part—Jesusa had to find enough money to stock up the store with goods people in the neighborhood would want to buy, purchase a few tables and chairs, and put up a sign. All totaled, she figured she would have to spend about $750, a small fortune to a family that lives a day at a time.

When her microloan came through, she was in business within a week, and within a month, her little sari-sari had already become the most popular spot in the neighborhood! Now there’s never any worries about what to do when the farming income isn’t coming in—Jesusa’s income has transformed the young family’s lives.

Club Asteria is actively pursuing microfinance opportunities the world over, and we’re very interested in providing funds to people like Jesusa. Join us today, and start making a difference in the world!

That’s an odd headline, but after you read this blog you’ll understand it.

If you own a business you need to have a website. When you build your site, it helps if you’re building the right kind of mousetrap. (That’s where the cheese comes in!)

Think of your website as a mousetrap – it has to look appetizing and interesting to the people – and buyers – you’re trying to catch. The objects that give it appeal include color, images, words, and videos. These parts are the cheese that attracts potential clients.

These pieces need to be arranged in an appetizing manner so several events happen:

• Clients notice your site.
• They stick around to see what you have to say.
• The message they receive is positive and attractive.
• Before they leave, they’re asked to do something.

It’s a simple mission, but achieving it requires time and dedication. Thanks to the advances made in regard to websites and the Internet, you don’t need to have design skills or programming smarts.

Color

Your website needs to use color correctly – the right balance between too much and too little is crucial. Use open space, known as white space, to highlight the colored areas. Most importantly – choose three colors and stick with them!

Images

A proven fact: people love to look at pictures! You can take them yourself with a digital camera and upload them, or use stock photos. With graphics, more is less. Using three or four photos per page is better than 10 or 15. They have more impact and are easier for the eye to decipher – plus it helps your site load faster.

Content

The right words are crucial for success – and less is more! Use one idea per paragraph, and bulleted lists make for easy scanning. Subheads that employ action words add to your site’s appeal. If you have access to a professional writer, and the budget, inquire about search engine optimization – using specific words and phrases multiple times to help your site’s search engine ranking.

At Club Asteria, we provide our members with access to resources and programs that help build websites that incorporate all of the things we mentioned above – and you can do it in record time.

The resources are open to Club Members, and if you haven’t already joined up – take a moment to complete your FREE registration!