Happy Fourth of July!

"Our greatest happiness does not depend on the condition of life in which chance has placed us, but is always the result of a good conscience, good health, occupation and freedom in all just pursuits."
- Thomas Jefferson

As we celebrate the independence of our nation, I reflect on how fortunate I am to enjoy the freedom and liberty here in the United States that so many citizens in other countries around the world can only envy!  I especially value my freedom to choose my government, where I live, how I worship, and who I do business with. Add to that, opportunities to learn and grow personally, academically, and spiritually. Of course, we owe it to all the men and women in uniform who fought for our freedom, and allow us to live in peace.  Aren't we blessed?

What does freedom mean to you?  Please share your thoughts, if you wish.

Here are some of my favorite inspiring quotes relating to freedom and liberty:

“Freedom is never dear at any price. It is the breath of life. What would a man not pay for living?"
- Mahatma Gandhi

“Liberty, taking the word in its concrete sense, consists in the ability to choose."
- Simone Weil

"On life's journey
Faith is nourishment,
Virtuous deeds are a shelter,
Wisdom is the light by day and
Right mindfulness is the protection by night.
If a man lives a pure life nothing can destroy him;
If he has conquered greed nothing can limit his freedom."
- Buddha

"Freedom is the oxygen of the soul."
- Moshe Dayan

"Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom."
- Albert Einstein

"Those who won our independence believed liberty to be the secret of happiness and courage to be the secret of liberty."
- Louis D. Brandeis

“Life without liberty is like a body without spirit.”
- Kahlil Gibran

"Only our individual faith in freedom can keep us free."
- Dwight D. Eisenhower


Now that we've just passed the half year mark, or the 2nd Quarter, it is a great time to review your financials, and see if your cash flow is where you want it to be.  If not, you can look at ways to either increase sales, or improve on collection of past due accounts. If you consistently have accounts over 60 days (or older) in aging, review if you have resources in-house to follow-up more consistently on these past due accounts.  If not, consider outsourcing your collection efforts to a reputable collection service, one which offers a diplomatic, early intervention option, which will greatly enhance your chance of a higher recovery.  

My clients have in-house tools which allow them to systematically and consistently follow-up on all past due accounts, either in their own business name, or in our name, as their national collection service. If you are not a client yet, and would like to schedule a short exploratory meeting to see how I can help you quickly increase your cash flow (without increasing sales), and reduce your internal workload and costs, call or e-mail me at my contact information below,

If you received this directly from me, it means that somewhere our paths crossed, and I chose to either do business with you, or more importantly, I value my relationship with you.  Thank you for enriching my life! To my clients, as always, I thank you for your business, your referrals, and the opportunity to positively impact your cash flow!

Here's wishing you a Fun and Safe Fourth of July!

Lin Engie
Cash Flow & Delinquency Management Specialist
lin.engie@transworldsystems.com
850.266.7791

Happy Thanksgiving!

As we get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving Day with our family and friends tomorrow and the rest of the weekend, I want to thank you all for your friendship, your business, your referrals, and the opportunity to be of service to you.  And to my family members who cannot be here to share this special event with us, I thank you for your love and caring throughout the year, and look forward to meeting up soon!

We have many blessings to be thankful for - good health, loving family, caring friends, lots of opportunities to grow professionally and personally, lots of opportunities  to give back to the community, improving economy, and the most beautiful white sand beaches anywhere in the world!

I wish you and yours a Blessed Thanksgiving, and may you enjoy a bountiful year of good health, successes in all your endeavors, and interesting travels!

Here are some of my favorite 'Gratitude' and Charlie Brown classic Thanksgiving videos you may enjoy....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jrp5Ri2GZ38&feature=related (the Power of Gratitude)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1_if2VkJFo (Gratitude and Thanksgiving Quotes for Success)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjCTRt_f5sE (The Amazing Joy & Power of Gratitude)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=c2iv7QufAn0&feature=endscreen (Charlie Brown)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Lin Engie
Cash Flow & Delinquency Management Specialist
Transworld Systems on the Gulf Coast
lin.engie@transworldsystems.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/linengie
850.266.7791

Celebrate Our Freedom...Happy 4th of July!

Freedom is the oxygen of the soul.
Moshe Dayan


Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all!                                                 By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall.
John Dickinson


Dear valued clients and friends,
As we get ready to commemorate and celebrate our nation's Independence tomorrow, I cannot help but think how blessed we are to be living in the United States, to have the freedom, the safety, and protection of rights that so many in the rest of the world are still fighting for.  We all know, though, that these values and privileges we enjoy, and sometimes take for granted, did not come without passion, planning, thoughts, debates, and lots of sacrifice.  The United States has been our family's chosen 'home' since 1980, and we are always very thankful for the opportunities to live peacefully, to earn a decent and meaningful living, and to contribute.

I want to talk a little about another form of protection.  Transworld Systems, one of the nation's largest Cash Flow and Delinquency Management companies,  takes pride in complying with all Federal, State, and local regulations.  Collections is a highly regulated industry, but unfortunately, we often read about news in trade journals about our competitors cutting corners and sued for violating collections laws, which sometimes result in their customers being sued as well.

Here's where Transworld Systems stands above our competitors:
· We follow the guidelines set forth by the FDCPA (Fair Debt Collections Practices Act)
· We are compliant with the TCPA - Telephone Consumer Protection Act.  One of the laws of the TCPA does not permit cell phones to be dialed by auto-dialers(computers).  Therefore, if the primary phone # you provide us for a debtor is a cell phone, we will manually dial that call and deliver a live message during Accelerator and/or Messenger service, which are normally automated calls when a landline is provided.
· We are compliant with HIPAA - Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
· We are compliant with individual state laws in all 50 states - some of which require separate state licenses or even brick and mortar offices in those states.
· We perform background checks on all collectors.
· Our collectors take compliance tests every 6 months.
· We have "mystery shoppers" at a law firm to randomly test and provoke collectors to make sure they adhere to all laws during phone calls.
· All of our clients' and debtors' information is stored using the highest levels of security.
· We provide our clients with a written "Hold Harmless" agreement in our contracts, i.e., our clients can never be sued for any action we take on their behalf.

Just as our nation, Transworld Systems cannot remain 'best of breed' without constantly tweaking, improving and innovating over the past 41 years in business.  I am proud to be associated with a company that has strong financial backing from NCO, our corporate parent, an ethical and professional company that places client needs, appreciation and support above all else.  At the end, isn't it great to have a company with the highest recovery rate in the industry working hard for you, so you can recover more, save more, and keep more!

So, celebrate your freedom, and enjoy a Happy and Safe 4th of July, with the beautiful music of Ray Charles!
http://vimeo.com/5447738


Lin Engie
Cash Flow & Delinquency Management Specialist
Transworld Systems, Inc.

Turkish Delights

Recently, I went on a fascinating trip to Turkey and thoroughly enjoyed the rich history and the beautiful, varied landscapes. We (my husband, Kean, and friends from California) joined a tour that took us to Istanbul, Ankara, Cappadoccia, down to the Mediterranean Sea, and then back west to the Aegean Sea, and up to Istanbul again. Prior to the trip, I was not aware that we would be travelling through mountain ranges that were still covered in snow, and within the next day, we would be travelling through desert-like landscapes. I was obviously quite ignorant about the country and all it has to offer.  If you love fruits and nuts (and Turkish Delights), Turkey is the place to be.  I had my fill of dried apricots, figs, pomegranates, olives, chickpeas, walnuts, pistachios, and fresh almonds.  Breakfast buffets were fabulous with fresh yogurt, molasses, honey, and tahini.

Turks are hardworking and industrious people. One interesting thing we learned from our Tour Guide was that farms in Turkey are operated almost as co-ops.  Individually-owned family farms are clustered together, with central villages where the farm families in that area reside together.  Farmers in each area share large equipment to save costs, and help one another throughout the growing and harvesting seasons.  The Turkish government fixes pricing, and handles the sale of farm produce, so farmers can focus on cultivating and harvesting the best produce. As long as they have a harvest, they are guaranteed a sale of their produce at a fixed price to the government. The government then sells the produce on the market to factories or exports them.

Seems like an elegant and efficient way to handle farm operations; farmers can focus on what they do best, without any worry on the business side of operating the farm.  Streamlining this farming process allows Turkey to be one of the world leaders in the production of agriculture.  According to Wikipedia, as of March 2007, Turkey is the world's largest producer of hazelnut, cherry, fig, apricot, quince and pomegranate; the second largest producer of watermelon, cucumber and chickpea; the third largest producer of tomato, eggplant, green pepper, lentil (they make the most delicious lentil soups) and pistachio; and the fourth largest producer of onion and olive.  Other major products are tea, apple, cotton, and almonds.  Turkey has been self-sufficient in food production since the 1980s. Did you know that Turkey is a major exporter of textiles, automotive, steel, iron, and pharmaceuticals?  How about Turkey being a major shipbuilding country?

Many studies show that you can be more productive by focusing on your core skills, and outsource the secondary tasks to other experts.  If you operate a business and you extend credit to your clients, or if you are a medical doctor or dentist, it is often more cost-effective to outsource some of your back office operations to specialized companies who can do them more efficiently, more effectively, and at a lower cost. One such function is managing cash flow and delinquent accounts.  Are you and your staff stressed about following up with slow-paying and non-paying clients or patients?  Do you know that there is an alternative to a high percentage collection agency - one that offers a diplomatic approach, so you can retain your client or patient relationship?

Transworld Systems is a national cash flow and delinquency management company that has been helping businesses of all sizes effectively collect for over 41 years.  Our innovative in-house tools allow you to professionally and diplomatically collect without alienating your clients or patients.  You maintain control and keep 100% of what is collected. If you are tired of clients or patients ignoring your monthly statements, let's chat and see if you qualify for our services. Give me a call @ 850.266.7791, send me an e-mail, or message me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TransworldSystemsOnTheGulfCoast.

Where have you traveled to recently?  What exciting travel plans do you have this summer?  I would love to hear from you.

May you have a fabulous summer!

Lin Engie
Cash Flow and Delinquency Management Specialist
Transworld Systems on the Gulf Coast
850.266.7791

May the Luck of the Irish be Yours Today!

May your blessings outnumber

The shamrocks that grow,
And may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go.
~Irish Blessing


While we celebrate and associate St. Patrick's Day with parades, pub crawls, green beer, shamrock, and donning everything green, I thought it might be interesting to note that most of these traditions were invented in the United States by Irish-Americans, according to this article in the National Geographic Daily News, St. Patrick's Day 2012: Facts, Myths, and Traditions. In Ireland, March 17th was a minor religious holiday to commemorate its patron saint's birthday. St. Patrick devoted the latter part of his life converting Irish native pagans to Christianity.  However, it is now celebrated in full force with parades, lots of beer drinking, and revelry in Ireland, and really, everywhere around the world.  How are you celebrating St. Patrick's Day?  I would love to hear about your family traditions.


Now, if you are running a business, don't just rely on this one day of Irish luck to grow your cash flow.  Follow these few easy tips to ensure that your cash keeps flowing into your own Pot of Gold:

1. Have a written credit policy
2. Make sure your staff and clients/patients are aware of this policy
3. Train your staff to consistently enforce your established credit policy - be polite but firm
4. It's often better to negotiate and agree on a payment plan instead of agreeing to delay payments past 30 days.
5. Intervene early and frequently with professional billing reminders (every 10 to 14 days)
6. When your internal efforts are no longer effective, outsource it to a professional and reputable collection service.  Consider a low fixed fee service that allows you to keep 100% of your collected revenue, such as Transworld Systems.  If you have a need, I can help.

May you live as long as you want and never want as long as you live. - Irish saying