P1: OTA/XYZ P2: ABC
FM JWBT144/Gordon September 25, 2009 17:38 Printer Name: Courier Westford, Westford, MA
Introduction
Buckle Up for Your
Fantastic Voyage
W
orld stock markets lost 50 percent of market value from their
2007 peak to mid-2009—the staggering sum of $19 trillion (that’s
$19,000,000,000,000! ). To put this in perspective, it is an amount equal to
the combined gross domestic products of the United States and China.
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Indi-
viduals, businesses, governments, states, cities, universities, and organizations
of all kinds are poorer for this decline, many to the point of bankruptcy.
Youngsters and oldsters alike are feeling the financial pain. And the economic
misery will surely last for years until employment levels, housing prices, credit
flow, and consumer spending recover. While this situation is sad to the ex-
treme, this is not something you should dwell on. Instead, focus on the bigger
picture:
TODAY’S CHAOS IS THE OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME
FOR THE PREPARED ENTREPRENEUR!
Opportunities abound in the turbulence created by change and economic
dislocation. Businesses are for sale. Asset prices are unbelievably cheap. People
and businesses are changing their buying patterns. Governments are printing
and spending money to stimulate their depressed economies. The world is
awash with bargains and change! By honing your entrepreneurial skills and
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