Our new sign should be ready and installed for the Open House. Gary now has a place in the house, be it is only temporary until we take possession of the whole house. Then we'll have more room for our growing family.

With the Open House just around the corner, we have about 100 different things to do, but four main things:

1. Finish V1 of GATE Village – last week we talked about Drupal so we'll say no more at this time

2. Create V1 of GATE & GATE Village printed collateral; here we have six new single-page brochures on the following topics:

   1. Corporate Information: this is some promotional material on GATE itself and pointers/reminders about the other five topics

   2. The GATE Trust System: this is core to what differentiates GATE Village and we want to ensure people understand how GATE helps to safely extend trust beyond those you know directly

   3. Business Opportunities: GATE is a different way to do business, but make no mistake, GATE is about doing business! This brochure talks about the many ways that GATE helps to bring business opportunities to the Membership.

   4. Member Services: “Member Owned, Member Focused” it isn't just a tagline, it's GATE! Invoking imagery that includes Libraians (people who we all know are dedicated to understanding the needs of the single person they are serving), crossing guards (showing the GATE Way to Success), a gaggle¹ of Justices (GATE Supplies are Lawyer Approved), and village Shamans (trying to provide imagery for “ombudsman” isn't as easy as it sounds :-)), this page does a good job at explaining what's in it for the Membership

   5. Expert Service: This lets potential Trusted Experts & Entrepreneurs understand the types of GATE Supplies and Services they can expect out of GATE Village, as well as how they can make money helping create GATE Supplies. Using Thomas Alba Edison as the quintessential Trusted Expert & Entrepreneur; Albert Eintstein and Beetoven Trusted Experts in their field; a teacher showing students how to fold a parachute as the ultimate Trusted Expert; an interesting old cartoon about bartering with chickens to explain GATE Fair Trade; and a crazy, stylish drawing connected with the benefits that GATE Management bring to the table. This is, we think, very visually attractive and we hope informative.

   6. Trusted Recruitment & Investment Program (GATE TRIP): This explains the referral commision structure and payout of the GATE TRIP as well as the additional share-bonus awarded to the early recruits and their direct recruiters. It really is quite possible for more than a few people to become millionaires through recruitment, this brochure doesn't entirely focus on the financial benefits of TRIP, but it doesn't ignore them either.

   For the diverse set of talent putting these together, none of which will or should admit to being in our comfort zone, we think they look pretty good. You can see them for yourself if you like in PDF format: http://www.gatevillage.com/about-us/open-house/ (they will all be posted by the end of day Monday April 13^th, 2009, many are there now and we would appreciate any feedback you care to provide BEFORE noon Monday April 13^th (it goes to printers at the end of the day).

3. Create V1 of GATE video presentations: it is a video age, those printed brochures look nice and everything (well, that's our opinion at least) but it isn't the way of 2009. GATE is hooked on video, with the aid and equipment of RANT Studios, GATE is producing some medium-quality video productions (we'd of course like them to be “high-quality” but that isn't realistic for GATE's budget just yet), at least we hope they are seen as something more than low-quality, we'll see. The GATE Link this week provides the very first, admitedly something that does not achieve the moniker of even “medium-quality” but we will get better and soon!

   We have four to produce by April 24^th:

   1. Corporate Information / Trust

   2. Member Services / Expert Services

   3. Opportunity Knocks Auction

   4. Trusted Recruitment and Investment Program

   It should prove interesting.

4. Finish V1 of Membership Signup Policies and Procedures – there are, of course, a suite of policies, 'agreements', and procedures that must exist prior to agreeing to take a potential Member's money, even if they are willing to provide it. This is necessary but somewhat tedious work, the thinking required is very structured and for me, at least, is almost painful. Still, it must be done and it is getting done. Next week's GATEPost will outline all this in detail.