Lack of interest in Maxwell conferences

[SPHASH]

I got Teri's Mom's Corner today. Main topic was kids fighting. Anyway I was reading the Moms Corner page and this little gem popped out at me: "Although we’ve had interest in conferences for this fall, there hasn’t been enough to schedule a trip yet. Without the bus we need to be more efficient in trip planning therefore, please contact us by June 15th if you’re interested in coordinating a conference.". Oh and for Father's Day you get get a discount on Buying a House debt free.

[sparkles]

Now there's a bit of good news...

[divadivine]

You can't keep peddling the same stuff, Stevehova and expect people to come and see your dog and pony show again and again. You need to let your daughters marry... Put your grand plans into action. Otherwise you're going to be stuck on the compound for good. Something to think about.... :naughty:

[Justme]

If I remember right, last year they only had a handful of weekend conferences booked at the start of their tour. They filled weeknight "shows" along the way. I think they had a couple of times when they had nearly a week off between shows. Another such "tour" could prove to be quite expensive when paying for hotel rooms and eating out.

[Jana814]

I think the lack of interest has been going on for a while. Which is probably why they sold the bus.

[PearlKrabs]

To keep the brand fresh they need new material (obvious, I know).

Here's a freebie, Steve: Getting the daughters married should be priority one. It could generate so many topics! Just off the top of my head:

- Finding a nice Christian family with eligible sons

- What to do when a man approaches you about your daughter

- What the couple does together (and with the family, of course) during a no-touch courtship to get to know one another

- Preparing your daughter for marriage

- Don't let your daughter make her wedding an idol

Include talks on your sons getting married, then some of the married couples can speak on their experiences. Now you've got a whole new marriage conference appealing to the 'older family with adult children' market.

Their brand going stale is entirely their fault.

[nelliebelle1197]

I always thought selling Uriah and not replacing with something smaller. I thought maybe they were winding down on purpose.

Funny thing is, I bet they could do well at those big annual state homeschool conventions. They would be superstars. But I bet Steve does not have the flexibility of mind to just shift gears like that.

[FloraKitty35]

I always thought selling Uriah and not replacing with something smaller. I thought maybe they were winding down on purpose.

Funny thing is, I bet they could do well at those big annual state homeschool conventions. They would be superstars. But I bet Steve does not have the flexibility of mind to just shift gears like that.

Maybe he does. :shrug: After all, he's probably a lurker here. Although, if he does change things up, he won't gives us any credit.

[salex]

I don't think they could be true superstars because most of the homeschool people I know like having their kids in activities like sports or music or outside activities where they take lessons and interact with other kids. I am sure the isolate your kids subset exists, but even the weird inlaws have their kids in a lot of activities. They would give the side eye to anyone who said not to be part of the community in any way.

[anjulibai]

The number of conferences has decreased every year, so this is not too surprising. But it does make me wonder what they are doing for money.

I am surprised they haven't issued a new book by now. No idea what they'd write about at this point, but this is the family that thought a booking about teaching people to converse was a good idea.

[Sundaymorning]

The number of conferences has decreased every year, so this is not too surprising. But it does make me wonder what they are doing for money.

I am surprised they haven't issued a new book by now. No idea what they'd write about at this point, but this is the family that thought a booking about teaching people to converse was a good idea.

The question is how much money do they really need?

On the income side, I think Steve is at an age where he could receive a pension from his former work as an electrical engineer. Plus, they have this Itonramp going, where, according to their website, Steve still takes part. They probably also still make some money from their books and such.

As for their expenses, the house and all the other stuff they have are debt-free (so they claim at least). They live a horribly boring life with basically no fun activities which would cost them any money. No nice clothes or good food either. So I guess, despite of several children still living at home, their expenses are moderate.

I think financially, they will be fine, especially if they have some savings (which I think they have, unless Stevehova lived a double life where he secretely spent part of their income on things that are actually fun).

[treemom]

I always thought selling Uriah and not replacing with something smaller. I thought maybe they were winding down on purpose.

Funny thing is, I bet they could do well at those big annual state homeschool conventions. They would be superstars. But I bet Steve does not have the flexibility of mind to just shift gears like that.

A state homeschool conference isn't something Steve can primarily control

[kpmom]

A state homeschool conference isn't something Steve can primarily control

True, but I think they have done some homeschool conventions in the past. I think they were key note speakers at one (maybe more) and I seem to recall doing a very boring post about bringing their crap in to the convention hall.

Didn't the young woman at his way serves (can't think of her name but she loves exclamation points!!!) meet them at a convention?

[Jana814]

A state homeschool conference isn't something Steve can primarily control

Agree w/ that!! Steve has to be in control when it comes to a conference.

[MamaJunebug]

The number of conferences has decreased every year, so this is not too surprising. But it does make me wonder what they are doing for money.

I am surprised they haven't issued a new book by now. No idea what they'd write about at this point, but this is the family that thought a booking about teaching people to converse was a good idea.

The same people who demo their lack of normal conversational skills in their terse responses to friendly blog comments.

The same people who think a subset of good conversation is a grown man approaching unaccompanied children at a county fair with offers of balloons animals, tracts and the news that as it stands now, the children are going to Hell when they die.

I wonder how sales are, on "Making Good Conversationalists." If word of mouth publicity counts (pardon the semi-pun), I'd guess "not well."

[Marian the Librarian]

Face it, Stevie - the sheeple are getting wise to your crazy.

[salex]

Face it, Stevie - the sheeple are getting wise to your crazy.

I would say also that the women with kids who are attending don't find a common ground listening to Terri (who is their Mom's age) or to Steve (see also Dad's age and just another Preacher to them) They are going to want to listen to a younger homeschool mom who is currently going through what they are going through. Maybe the daughter in laws can fill the niche, if the Maxwell Virgins never wed, but the internet means I don't need to see your one family show to buy your stuff and I'll get more bang for my buck going to a larger conference.

[ILoveJellybeans]

Sorry Steve, nobody gives a shit. That's what happens when youre so fundie even the fundies think youre insane. Seriously, the poor kids would be horrified and completely overstimulated at Journey to the Heart.

Also you are a failure by fundie standards, your daughters will never have a full quiver if you keep them at home until they are almost menopausal.

[nokidsmom]

Face it, Stevie - the sheeple are getting wise to your crazy.

With this in mind, I wonder how many attendees go in to these conferences thinking it's going to be as advertised only to experience something different. I get the vibe that many are not attending to hear about extreme sheltering or scheduling and are scratching their heads when they leave. Maybe feedback about the extremeness of it all is coming back to bite them.

Also, good points upthread about homeschooling moms may relate better to someone closer their age and Steve's unwillingness to share the stage due to his need for control, as factors in the drop in conferences.

[IrishCarrie]

Need to sex it all up a tad Stevie-boy! Sex sells, ya know :D

[SPHASH]

Need to sex it all up a tad Stevie-boy! Sex sells, ya know :D

I'd pay money to go to a Maxhell conference just to watch John strip.

[Elegant Mess]

I honestly couldn't speculate on their sources of income, but I'll definitely agree that they need to marry off at least one daughter and shift gears with their road trips in order to keep interest up.

Given the discussion that some of us have had recently on the Moody book thread, could the Maxwells perhaps re-brand their road trips to provide assistance to those doing DIY home improvement projects at stops between conferences? They seem to have sufficient skills in this area that they could expand in that direction. :shrug: :think:

[Sundaymorning]

I honestly couldn't speculate on their sources of income, but I'll definitely agree that they need to marry off at least one daughter and shift gears with their road trips in order to keep interest up.

Given the discussion that some of us have had recently on the Moody book thread, could the Maxwells perhaps re-brand their road trips to provide assistance to those doing DIY home improvement projects at stops between conferences? They seem to have sufficient skills in this area that they could expand in that direction. :shrug: :think:

Well, Steve is an electrical engineer. So he should have the knowledge and skills do to some electrical work. Which is exactly the work "regular" people who do DIY, but don't have professional training in this field, shouldn't be doing, as little faults can end very badly.

So yes, I think that could work for them, if they would find enough followers who would be willing to hire them.

[Hane]

If Steve doesn't have a pension from his days in Evil Corporate America, I'd be willing to bet he does have a 401k or some other type of investment account. You can start drawing on a 401k once you hit age 59.5, and I think he's around that age or a little more. He and Teri qualify for the cheapest rung of Social Security at age 62 as well. With the home-kidults no doubt contributing from whatever money they earn, I'm sure, given their frugality, I'm sure they'll be able to keep body and soul together.

[silverspoons]

Homeschooling has changed in the last 20 years and the Maxwell's have not. I know many homeschoolers, most are because they are religious and don't like the current state of public schools and we have no private school options. 10-15 years ago I saw several with chore packets and using Terri's schedule. Now most do at least part of the homeschool online and are involved in small groups for sports and extra learning. Now that online options are cheap or free and have so many choices , Terri's homeschooling one size fits all is not a fit for most families.

Maybe they need a merger between IonRamp and homeschool. Scary thought to have an online Maxwell homeschool!

They could have expanded on the debt free house book. Look at Dave Ramsey's following. I have noticed that Dave has "trained" individuals in our area that talk about the specifics of our economy, and how to avoid debt while living in an area with certain costs of living that are higher. I'm sure most American's are wanting a debt free house, but the Maxwell book applies to such a limited housing market, forget major metro areas , it wouldn't work in plenty of rural areas. I have a son ready to go off to college soon. I would have no problem if he wanted to live at home after college to save money for a home. I live in a lower cost of living area which is great for me but my son could never find a job that paid well in our economy to justify the free room and board I could give him.