_____ OUR INSIDER'S REPORT OF THE OLYMPICS ______

Note to our subscribers from Heidi and Dave:
You are welcome to use this report in your own newsletters.

              Unsung Olympic Victories

All over the world people have been listening to news about 
the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.  We've heard of 
victories as well as let-downs.  We've even learned of a 
possible scam or two.

My guess is that at some point in time, you were tired of 
hearing about the skating judges scam, the Russians 
threatening to pull out and leave, or the athletes 
disqualified due to doping.  After all, aren't the Olympics 
supposed to be a clean, noble event?

With this in mind, and personally being involved with the 
Olympics, Dave and I wanted to share a thing or two we've 
learned from an insider's point of view.  While the uglier 
parts of the Olympics do exist, the media chooses to dwell on 
them.  In the process another side of the Olympics is 
forgotten and ignored.  It is to this side that we would like 
to address our thoughts...

...the unsung victories.

One cold night some three weeks ago, Dave, the children and 
myself found ourselves standing on the side of the road 
thinking up creative ways to keep ourselves warm for several 
hours.  The torch bearer we had chosen to support would be 
coming around the corner at any moment.  While Coca Cola 
trucks came up and down the road, along with animal rights 
activists and other political groups, they were soon 
forgotten as the runner neared - the crowd focused and 
cheering.

The runner was a woman who had competed in many marathons in 
the past, a well-known runner.  However, the past years had 
stripped those opportunities from her due to an accident 
leaving knee injuries.  Yet, here she came around the corner 
with her lighted torch.  It was an exhilarating moment.  
There are many stories like this one on the Olympic torch 
trail from Greece to Salt Lake City.  Perhaps you have one of 
your own.

In the coming days, this experience returned to my mind.  Why 
is it that this small event had such a great impact on me?  
It occurred to me that I related with our torch bearer as 
well as all the other torch bearers around the world.

As small business owners we are torch bearers.  Often unsung, 
we round the corner with our own private victories in our own 
small part of the world.  And, as we bear our own business 
torches, we help to usher in a healthy economy.  We do, 
indeed, make a difference.

With this in mind, Dave and I want to share one other Olympic 
experience, among many, that has really stood out in our 
minds, a story of how one person can make a huge difference.  
To us, this demonstrates the true spirit of the Olympics, in 
spite of what you see on the news.

A friend of ours working at the athlete's entry to the ice 
arena of a women's hockey venue, learned that standing 
outside in the cold for hours on end comes with its rewards.

It becomes quite obvious that oodles of money are poured into 
the athletes - their training, their competing and even their 
uniforms - mostly from sponsors.  They step out of their 
buses in their very handsome, matching uniforms, some with 
berets and Versace outfits, some colorful, some dignified, 
but all looking quite uniform.

However, there are one or two teams that are unsponsored and 
under-funded.  As the Kazakhstan women's hockey team stepped 
off their bus making their first Olympic appearance, it was 
apparent that they were one of them, reflected in their 
mismatched uniforms, hospital scrubs, sweat pant with holes 
and coats.  Our friend Shannon and other volunteers couldn't 
help but notice.

Shannon took some time to talk to their bus driver about the 
team.  He reported the team had wanted to go shopping for 
souvenirs.  He took them to the local mall, but the players 
had returned empty-handed within minutes saying it was too 
expensive.  He next took them to Wal-Mart.  One or two 
players made purchases, but most said the same thing, "Still 
too expensive."

So, he took them to a dollar store.  Not exactly where you 
would hope Olympians would pick up souvenirs.

Shannon couldn't get her mind off of what the bus driver had 
reported to her and so resolved do something about it.

She went shopping that night in search of souvenirs for the 
team, but soon found there was very little she could afford 
herself for a team of 25 players and coaches.  At the Olympic 
Store at the mall, she happened to run into a neighbor and 
recounted the story to him.  Also touched by the story, he 
pulled out a $100 bill and gave it to her to buy something 
for the team.  That night a neighbor made some phone calls 
and Shannon was overwhelmed by people donating money.

Before she knew it, a bookstore agreed to donate 25 hooded 
sweatshirts worth $750.  Friends raised $400.  The neighbor 
with the $100 arranged for a gift of 25 button-down shirts 
from Utah.

The daughter of one of Shannon's neighbors made Valentine's 
Day cards for each team member.  A city official provided the 
city's Olympic pins, books and magazines with pictures of the 
area.  Other children wrote letters of friendship.

Shannon found the players' names on the Internet and 
personalized each card, placing a donated $20 bill in each.  
She then packaged up all the donated items and had a short 
letter translated into Russian telling the team how inspired 
and impressed she and others had been by the obstacles they 
had overcome in order to come to the Olympics.  She and 
friends wanted them to have something to remember their time 
here.  They laid the gifts on each seat of the team bus.

The first woman hockey team player on the bus was the goalie 
Natalya Trunova.  She walked onto the bus exhausted, 
disappointed and feeling defeated after two lopsided losses 
(both 7-0) against Canada and Sweden.  

Natalya found the translated letter along with the gifts and 
began to sob.  She ran back into the arena to tell her other 
teammates.  As they ran to the bus, they were greeted with 
high-fives and a line of volunteers thanking them for coming.

The result, 22 players and 3 coaches drove away with tear-
stained eyes, grateful and touched by the warm welcome and 
the thoughtful gesture of good will.

But, even more importantly was what happened in those few 
days to a small group of people who reached out.  Each became 
someone of great worth, perhaps not to the media, but 
certainly to themselves.

Lessons learned?  Oh, yes.

Now, you and I may have dreams of becoming Olympic 
millionaires in our small business ventures.  But, may I 
suggest that a million dollars is nothing compared to what 
you become in the process of getting there.  You could lose 
the million dollars and still have all the lessons learned 
from your achievement - the strength from overcoming fears; 
learning to manage time, finances, taxes and working with 
people; reaching out to be able to help more people.  The 
journey is the achievement.

As you build your business, concentrate on who you are 
becoming in the process.  Hopefully, you view yourself as a 
torch bearer.

Your unsung victories may not be media-worthy, but they will 
certainly be life-worthy.

------
Note: You have permission to reprint this article in its 
entirety with the author's credits below.

About the Authors: 
Heidi and Dave Perry are successful entrepreneurs and 
founders of HomeBusinessOnline.com and PrettyGreat.com.  
Receive free issues of their popular HomeBizBytes newsletter:
http://www.HomeBusinessOnline.com/nsl.htm?hbb


_____CLASSIFIEDS____________________________

We appreciate our advertisers.  Why not give them a click!

.....
YOU PERSONALLY NEED TO LIKE what you supply your clients and 
customers 1st!  Special, Exclusive Offer @ 911 Forum.
http://www.homebusinessonline.com/community/forum/viewtopic.php?
topic=5&forum=3&0 

.....
* ADVERTISE IN OUR POPULAR CLASSIFIEDS at our website,
  just $12 for a full six months.  Many have received 
  well over 4,000 click-thrus.  80% of our advertisers 
  come back for more.  It works... ask our advertisers!
http://www.HomeBusinessOnline.com/cgi-bin/classifieds/links/
add.cgi


_____KIND THINGS YOU HAVE SAID______________

We pine over these things so your feedback is greatly 
appreciated!....

  "I appreciate your newsletter.  It is very informative and 
  I love the format."

  Kim Weil


_____CONTACT AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION_____

* Please tell us how we're doing!  Send any comments
  or feedback about this ezine to
  mailto:HBB_feedback@HomeBusinessOnline.com

* If you wish to contribute an article or resource to
  the newsletter or site please email
  mailto:Editor@HomeBusinessOnline.com

* Permission to reprint or forward this ezine in its
  entirety is granted, as long as all copyright info
  and credits are included.  If you would like to
  reprint a portion of this ezine, please
  mailto:Editor@HomeBusinessOnline.com .
  We'd love to provide something useful for you and
  your readers!

A heart-felt thank you for subscribing,

Heidi and Dave Perry, Editors
http://www.HomeBusinessOnline.com
Editor@HomeBusinessOnline.com


_____SUBSCRIBER INFORMATION_________________

This newsletter is published weekly and only sent to
actual opt-in subscribers or as a result of someone
forwarding a copy to you.

* If you wish to join, send a blank email to
  mailto:nsl_sub@HomeBusinessOnline.com
  or you may subscribe at
  http://www.HomeBusinessOnline.com/nsl.htm?hbb

* If you have changed your email address, please send
  us your updated address information to
  mailto:HBB_sub_modify@HomeBusinessOnline.com

[Email address info]

* To unsubscribe, please click on this link:
  [unsubscribe email link]

____________________________________________
© Copyright 2002 HomeBusinessOnline.com
- All Rights Reserved

Disclaimer: All advertisements in this Ezine are by
Independent Advertisers, and the views expressed within
are not necessarily the opinions or views of the
publisher of HomeBizBytes.