As outlined in a recent press release, Prosper Inc. is now partnering with Adam Mesh to provide stock coaching. Yes, even in volatile economic times people can leverage the stock market. 

If you’re a fan of network TV, you may have seen Adam on “The Average Joe” a few years ago. After being one of many on that shoe, he was the featured “bachelor” on “The Average Joe: Adam Returns.” But well before his reality TV fame, Adam had already found success with stocks. He had been a partner at two successful trading companies, selling the last one in 2006. His success has been landed him coverage in Fortune, “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno, Trader Monthly, and CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”

Since selling in 2006, Mesh has focused on helping individuals succeed in the stock market, and has found great demand for his coaching. We look forward to partnering with Adam to bring his unique stock techniques to “Average Joes” (and Janes) everywhere. 

I often think about the different pathways people take on their road to business success. For some, success just seems to fall in their lap, and others the road is filled with annoying pot holes of frustration, doubt and despair. Too many people that get into business (online or off) give up too quickly. As a business owner who has had many frustrations along the path to success, I can honestly look back and say it has all been worth it.

One of the biggest tools I feel I have had has been a mentor, a person that has “been there” and “done that.”. It does not mean that I will not make mistakes; it just means that I have access to a seasoned veteran who can show me the ropes when times get tough.

There will be times when you want to throw in the towel. You just have to make sure you are doing it for the right reasons?  Are you wanting a better way of life?  Are you wanting to spend more time with your family?  Do you want financial freedom? Owning your own business is one of the great ways to get the things in life that you want from life.

There will be many doubters along the way that will just try and bring you down. You have to grow a thick skin, ignore them and remember why you are doing it. You are not creating a business to better their life, you are doing it to better your life.

Your success has to come from within. Even working with some of the greatest business mentors like Prosper Learning, it does not guarantee anything if you are not in the right frame of mind and willing to put forward the effort. You have to make the choice and decision to say, “Today is the day I am going to do it, and I am going to take control of my future.” Once you are at this point there will be nothing that will get you down - you will be a success!  I am grateful to Prosper Learning and those mentors who helped me along my path to success and financial freedom.

Mat Siltala

This success story was recently submitted by Beth A., a student in San Mateo, California.

Prior to joining this program, my finances were completely out of control. I had incurred a lot of debt and it would have been worse now if I had not sought professional help. It was difficult to get out of the debt circle on my own. I felt hopeless and stressed out by the condition of my finances all the time. I felt too embarrassed. Frugality was a word I didn’t understand. I was living way beyond my means and helping people even if I couldn’t afford it. I realized that if I wanted to be financially independent, I had to learn to say NO to myself and to others.

I’ve learned many things in the TDIW program. One thing I will value forever is the way that my mindset has changed when it comes to spending. I’m learning to value the money I’m making for me and my future, not for show-off at the moment.

I’ve been tracking all my expenses and trying my hardest to stay within my monthly spending plans. When I go grocery shopping, I try to only get the things I need for the week and get out of the store as fast as possible. I never realized that using coupons could be fun and rewarding. A big adjustment is for me is cooking more and bringing lunches to work rather than eating out everyday. It freed up a lot of cash to add into my accelerator margin.

I’m very excited to share that I have paid off a credit card and my car! And in less than four years, I will be completely out of debt! I can’t wait!

In conclusion, I’m really glad and proud of myself that I signed up for this program. Although it’s hard being frugal now, I’m so willing to do it because I know it will bring me a brighter future. There are so many things I’d rather do with my life than working till I’m 65. There has to be a better purpose in life. I would like to be able to retire in 20-25 years. I would like to travel abroad with family and friends and help plant churches all over the world.

Beth A.
San Mateo, CA

Prosper’s students regularly share their successes with us. Here is a story we recently received from a student in Georgia. To see more financial student success stories, click here.

Personal Finance Student Eliminates $8,000 in Debt

I started this program last November. I had tried other programs and was overly skeptical about this one, but something in this program stood out above all the rest. A little fearful, I enrolled. Who would have thought that I could pay down my debt and start a business? In my mind, I never dreamed that I could be an entrepreneur, much less on my way to being debt free.

I just didn’t have the touch and I sure didn’t have the capital to start a business, or so I thought.

It is now six months later and I have already paid off more than $8,000 worth of my debt, not to even mention starting my own business. I paid off two credit cards and two student loans in less than six month of enrolling into this program. I give thanks not only to God but to my two Prosper coaches.

I had been bound by debt for years, robbing Peter to pay Paul. Living paycheck to paycheck was all I seemed to know. To pay off some of my debts and see the fruit of my hard work and faith in action was a dream come true for me.

Rosa Kelly P.
Decatur, GA

Our first entry set the stage for who we are and what we do. This post provides a little more background on coaching itself.

Learning can be accomplished in a number of ways and settings, from a structured lecture in a large college classroom to one person with a book—or an Internet connection. Which way is best?

If the objective is to accumulate knowledge of facts, figures, theories, and names, each method is probably as good or bad as the next. But, if the objective is to take action and obtain results, there can be no substitute for having a mentor—a coach—who can keep a student on target and focused on goals. Even Tiger Woods has a coach for his golf swing.

It’s one thing to read about purchasing stock option contracts, and quite another to put that knowledge into action when real money is on the line. Having a coach in your corner helps you make the leap from learning to doing. While our programs do involve a written curriculum (the learning), the emphasis is on real-world principles that students are encouraged to immediately apply (the doing).

At a university, the focus is on theory, case studies, and lectures. After four (or more) years of study, the student is awarded a diploma and enters the work force. It’s time to put the theories to work, but if the theories don’t match the real-world, what do you do?

With Prosper, the learning takes weeks, not years. Because the focus is always on action and results, students build their confidence day-by-day. As mentioned before, even when the coaching is concluded, out students have access to additional resources (including people), to help them continue on their path to success.

So who is Prosper and why would you want to know?

This new corporate blog will help explain that. We look forward to informally telling you what we’re all about, what excites us, and where we are going. Your comments to our posts will also help us understand what you want to know about us.

Who We Are

Prosper’s roots go back to Ethan Willis and Randy Garn who met in college and ended up in the same summer job offering products door-to-door around the U.S. They later joined with Aaron Peterson, another associate, and launched Prosper as a way of helping people acquire entrepreneurial skills and coaching.

Prosper is the global leader for one-on-one training in real estate and stock market investing, entrepreneurship, E-commerce, and personal finance. We work closely with several highly recognized experts in these areas, including Donald Trump, Robert Allen, David Bach, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Cooper, and John Cummuta.

Our students are people who pursue the kind of knowledge these experts can provide. With our one-to-one programs, we help students put the knowledge into action, leading to success. We like to think of it as an ROI-based education.

What We Do

Out students have different needs and interests, so we customize the educational experience to deliver the best result. One constant is the dedicated involvement of our coaches. If your objective is to quickly gain knowledge, put it to use, and increase your earning power, there can be no substitute for having a mentor—a coach—who can keep you on target and focused on goals.

On average, our coaching programs involve 12 weeks of one-to-one coaching, which are conducted by telephone. Students are expected to work through the curriculum and apply what they learn. We focus on actions, not theory.

What we are really proud of is that our involvement with the student doesn’t end when the coaching is completed. We’re still available to provide direction and support. Students still have access to human and on-line resources to further enable success.