Ok, let me give you the background on how this post came about. Because its going to be hard to understand what exactly happened just from reading this post, and because I write like a fucking moron, but that’s besides the point.
I had this idea called “The India Project” and basically, The India Project is a 100 website network. So my business partner Mark Pringle from Kansas and I, set out to make this 100 website network. We managed to get 77 live websites. Mark’s role in the company was the financial backing and I was the programmer.
To read more about the India Project
So one night I was driving, my wife left me again, yea again… And it was basically the middle of the night and I was driving. Mark, he is a nurse and works the late nights shift, while I was driving to Las Vegas, it turns out Mark’s phone number came up on my phone, so I figured I would call him. What the hell, right? I never was really that mad at Mark per-say, just frustrated at our overall liquidity problems the project had. Mark and I had been struggling financially, and Mark had no more money to add.
So recently, Mark Pringle had been contacting me to do some work for him. Mark Pringle is a super nice guy overall and to be honest, I think if Mark and I shared anything it was we really wanted to make millions of dollars, but then again, who doesn’t right? So Mark and I set out to do this project together and the business relationship fell apart after about 3-4 months into it. Rather than really go into what happen, the bottom line was I just couldn’t see working on the project for free any longer, my time was worth more than that.
So back to Mark contacting me.
Mark had been calling me, bouncing projects off me that he wanted bids for. I had given Mark some feedback, and be honest, I think everyone’s time is worth something. I mean Mark gets paid for being a nurse, and I get paid for consulting people on computers, websites and developing web projects and when is the last time you seen a nurse for free, right?
So I recently I had to draw the line in the sand. I just could no longer do work for free. Being a nice guy, wasn’t working out for me. Nothing to do with Mark, but everyone. But the problem is this, when you do stuff like this and people are use to getting a free ride they get their feeling hurt when you cut them off, and to be honest, I just cant do anything about it. Times are hard for everyone these days and if I don’t stop then people just keep taking from you.
Well today was that day.
Mark’s Pringle’s email to me.
jesus christ Scott… no shit. I have never had a free ride in my life. I never even considered a free ride from you. Same shit… different day with you.
Welcome to business. I’m not required by any law to follow up with you…. and for all you know.. my mom could have died. But.. instead.. you decide to be a prick.. just like before. It’s no wonder your broke and can’t find a job. You called me motherfucker… Remember.
“I didn’t know who else to call.” the night your wife left.
So basically had just gotten sick of taking calls for free. To be honest – I just would had rather jerked-off than talk about the web.
My reply
So don’t call..
I blew my wad and replied this too.
I am going to use this email as motivation to never do or give anyone anything ever again. Thank you! You have given me inspration!
Mark’s Reply
G.R.E.A.T!
You condescending horseshit is nothing more than that. Free… hmmmmm. Seems like the only one who got something for free was you.
How much money did you invest into the India Project? Oh.. it was the world class education I received. Ok Scott… keep telling yourself that.
Understand something…. I will never agree with you…. ever. wanna keep arguing…
I think Mark is 100% correct. But I think he left-out I am also a self absorbed prick, but who’s is keeping track.
I think the email speaks for itself. He also said he will never agree with me, but he did copy me. 
Here is Mark’s website project: www.nakedniche.com
*and just a fun fact, his old website nakedniche forwards to this new domain>>opinionniche.com
Thanks Mark for your email buddy, don’t worry you’ll get better!
To read about the India Project here
Life is content, so let there be content.
My name is Scott R. Asher, I am the owner of this massive network of websites. Let me help you obtain turnkey profitability with your own turn-key internet business similar to you what your reading right now! I bet you know something that someone else would like to read about, and you can make a few bucks on the side!
Reading this post just brought up a flood of bad memories. I was the freelance writer for the stupid India Project which would never go to India and the ridiculous 100 websites in 30 days (what was it supposed to do after 30 days?) I was conned into writing for the project, my payment, shares in the company. (Yes, stupid on my part, I understand as the president of the company (Mark Pringle) never accounted for any of the income that the company earned.) I wrote articles to support the multiple spamming autoblogger sites, wrote press releases, craigslist ads, and suggested many, many domain names to the project–all of this occurring over several months. They even had me pitch an idea to sell shares to Heidi Mains, who by the way, didn’t pay me for writing her ridiculous ebook about fundraising. My reward for the effort? Zippo. You guys can argue all you want about who got a free fucking ride but nobody’s talking about the royal screwing that took place in this stupid venture. Mark called me and wanted a concept for his website Hootrader–in his mind, the next Craigslist–I had to invent what it was. He suffers from a complete lack of imagination, in my opinion. Further, he sought my legal advice on several different matters (although I wasn’t a lawyer and told him so). One thing is for certain, there was never any corporate formalities followed and I’m still a shareholder in that project so I want my fucking 5% of whatever it made. Suck on that, Mark Pringle. By the way, this is all my opinion, except what I could prove by emails…I never delete an email.
Well, I want my 50%, but I don’t think that is going to happen anytime soon.
well guys I want you to know you are not the only ones pregnant. This guy is a classic sociopath, he just screwed us again( we aren’t very smart) we were his landlord. he move out in the middle of the night and left the place a shit hole. I know of several other locals he has done. if he is a nurse he is probably stealing from his patinets. lets help stop MARK PRINGLE from scamming anyone else.
Let’s set the record straight.
First… I would like to address Bruce Livingston. I absolutely did not leave your rental location(s) a “Shit Hole”, and I did not move out in the middle of the night. I submitted in writing, that I needed to move due to personal issues. I also provided you a tenant in my place as to make it a seamless transition for you so you would not lose money.
However, I do remember waiting 3 weeks to have a working refrigerator and having to clean the carpet and kitchen when I moved in. I also remember making several phone calls to your wife for maintenance that was not returned. Furthermore, I spoke to several neighbors who agreed that SHARON LIVINGSTON the actual landlord never returns phone calls and poorly responds to maintenance issues. To insult me, by calling me a “sociopath”, online is completely unprofessional and rude. Secondly, insulting me and my profession by making accusations that I’m probably stealing from my “patinets” (by the ways it’s “patients”), is once again rude. I’ve been on the job for several years without issue. As far as several other local businesses… I assume you are speaking about John Bevan of Best Deal Computers. It is true; John and I did have a business that didn’t work out. I won’t say a bad word about John here… because I actually like John and enjoyed being friends with him. We had a business dispute that we couldn’t recover from. My best guess is that you found this website through John as I believe he still tries following what I’m doing. The truth is exactly how I have typed it above people. Bruce, if you’d like to discuss any issues, I’d be more than happy to meet you somewhere. This false and childish rant…come on…. be a man and speak the truth. I will gladly entertain your response if you choose to make one or answer a phone call from you. You have my number.
Jeff, I have no issue with you and didn’t even know you had one with me. I was not the “President” of the India Project, Scott was. It’s true.. you did write a lot of content for the websites and I did ask advice for some legal and other business ideas. Scott specifically said that you were a smart guy and it might be a good idea to call and bounce some issues off you. I’m sorry if you found it insulting. I thought we were on a friendly basis. I had no idea you were upset by that. We all lost from the India project and I by no means have anything against you. I spent nearly $2000.00 dollars on the project overall, and only received about $400.00 of income. Once again, sorry you’re so upset, I hold no hard feelings toward you.
Scott,
I don’t even know how to begin. I’m glad you’ve got some more content for your website. Good luck to you.
thank you for your comment Mark
you got this one right! Mark and his brother are a bunch of jackoffs!
I have got to say… Mark Pringle must be a VERY popular guy! this stupid post is turning to one of the most popular post on my site.
Mark I did not return your phone calls because you always threaten me about one thing or another. No you did not leave the place spic n span it was very dirty I do not like the fact that you think you can still put me down when you did not pay your last month rent nor did you move out in the manner in which you said you did. As far as other people saying things about me, ‘that is just hear say on your part’.
As I have learned what you say is not always or mostly is not the facts. You seem to always end your dealings with a threat. I dont understand how you can be so perfect living in such an world that is so imperfect. You have to have the last word on everything I have dealt with you on. I will not tell the personal reasons why you had to move in in such a hurry. I did you a favor to let you move in as quick as you did and everything was clean and good. I did not and have not dealt with you in person because of your threatening behavior and fear of what you would do. You in my opinion and dealings with you are not a nice person who seem to have a GOD complex. Write your crap about someone else.
I’m yet another who can chime in and say that Mark is not the sweet-smelling rose that he claims he is.
My experience with Mark as a business partner started back in June 2009, just a few months before Scott had the misfortune to cross paths with him. For a few years before that, I was his service technician for his computers at home, one of which was a laptop I sold him. Anyway, he contacted me that June to ask me if I wanted to get involved with him and another business partner regarding an online business they were trying to put together, a new “local-only” version of CraigsList. He set up a meeting with the three of us at a little hole-in-the-wall barbecue restaurant near where the third partner, a gentleman named Paul, lived. Upon arriving there, it seemed quite obvious that Paul was not fully cognizant of the reason for my being there and that it was dropped on him like a bombshell that I was to be a third partner. (Up to that point, both Mark and Paul had a 50/50 partnership agreement and Mark took it upon himself to whittle both their shares down to one-third so as to make me an equal partner.) At this point, I was being brought into the mix for my local business contacts since I had been operating my computer service for over 20 years by that point and also for my knowledge of technology, which he automatically equated to knowing how to program in PHP and MySQL. Paul was the programmer up to this point but I was to fill in the gaps. So, I started taking a self-taught crash course in both languages as well as JavaScript. Apparently, at some point after the meeting, he and Paul had heated words over the phone in which Paul indicated that he was not pleased by Mark’s unilateral decision and that I would be a contracted assistant rather than a full partner. Well, in reaction, Mark did the same thing virtually that he did to Sharon literally: he left Paul high and dry with the site they had been building and started a new site with me, a site called AdChuckle. I was unaware of this part of the backstory at the time: all I knew was that Paul was being cut out of the loop due to an “agreement” between him and Mark to part ways. All this came out later as Mark told me more and more about the former project.
Over the next several months, despite the summer being the busiest time for my shop, I was working with Mark several hours each night developing ad campaigns (specifically handbills) to distribute around town, installing the basic software package for the new site and modifying it to our needs, developing new features for the site, contacting outside sources for programming additional features beyond the scope of my capabilities and to design our logo and other graphics, and more. Mark spent most of his time daydreaming about how successful he wanted it to be rather than actually putting forth as much effort as I did.
As time went on, he started pushing more of the expenses for the business on me, saying that he would “even things out later.” This was supposed to be a 50/50 arrangement, as it was supposed to have been with Paul. However, as time went on, it became much more slanted: I ended up with about two-thirds of the cash outlay and started mentioning this to Mark. He made various excuses about short paychecks, lawyers taking all his money (due to his ongoing bankruptcy in regard to another business that he ran into the ground), and so forth. So, as I could not afford to keep bankrolling this on my own, I quit paying for everything. Further, while I still worked on the site as I could, I was not spending five to six hours a night on it any longer. I had my real business to take care of, after all. Instead, I was working on the site about 10-15 hours a week, about half the time that I was spending previously.
In December, about a month after I put my foot down financially and cut back my unappreciated hours, he told me that he had hired someone through GetAFreelancer to help me with putting together some of the features. I thought, “Finally he is getting with the program and starting to get serious about an equal partnership again.” He asked me for the instructions about how to get into the site’s back end and how to access it via FTP, both being appropriate for someone who wishes to work on a site, so I gave him the requested information and instructions. A couple days later, I tried to access the back end myself to do some work and found that the password had been changed. I contacted Mark about this and he said that I was “no longer a partner” and that this new programmer was his new partner since I was not willing to put forth the time or money to make it successful. This ended up in a legal battle. At first, I tried to deal with him directly but it soon became apparent that he was unwilling to be honest or honorable, so I contacted my attorneys.
The lead attorney wrote a series of demand letters, each time threatening legal action if he did not work with us directly. The only time that Mark replied was when my attorney gave him the options of paying me in full for the expenses that I had put into the business up to that time so that he would have outright full ownership or surrender his share of the business and all rights to said business to me in lieu of repayment of my expenses. He refused to accept either option because he tried to claim that I was never a partner (despite the file of paperwork totalling about 100 pages that indicated otherwise). He also said that he welcomed the legal challenge because of his bankruptcy and that even if we did prevail, we wouldn’t see a penny. My attorneys advised me that was essentially correct and that to take this to court with legal representation (as opposed to small claims court), it would cost more than the case would probably be worth. At that point, I dropped it…and incurred further expense to pay for the time of the attorneys up to that impasse.
During all this time, Mark also made various threats against me, insults toward my girlfriend, and disparaging remarks about my business, none of which I acknowledged as I figured that he was not really worth the time or effort.
Mark is marginally correct in the comment he made above in one way: I did look into “The India Project” at one point because I noticed that he claimed at one point that he was making money hand over fist (claiming as much as $50,000 being earned in one particular posting) and, if that had truly been the case, then I would have contacted my attorneys once more to proceed with the case after all. However, when it became apparent that it was nothing more than a bogus claim, I forgot about Mark and didn’t think another thing about him.
Several months back now (I don’t remember when exactly), Mark actually sent me an email asking if we could re-establish our friendship and let bygones be bygones, the past be the past. I thought that was very bold of him after all the malarkey that he pulled. I thought about sending him a reply but, instead, chose not to give him any reply whatsoever and, instead, just continued to ignore him as I had done for the past two years or so.
Coming across this site, it seems that Mark continued the same type of “50/50 partner” scheme with Scott that he did with both Paul and me in the past. From these three past events with Mark, it seems that he has a very definite pattern: (1) he entices a “partner” with the promise of a 50/50 partnership, (2) gets the partner to pony up most of the expenses and effort, (3) seeks a new person to be a new partner when the current partner starts to rebel against the inequality of the arrangement, (4) dumps the former partner in favor of the new partner without any forewarning, and (5) neglects to make good on his agreements and debts with the former business partner. If he wishes to be successful in the business world, he really needs some help in figuring out how to be honest and honorable.
I thought about responding to you both (Sharon and John), in extreme detail. But, after serious consideration, I decided it was a waste of time. Not because what you say is accurate, but because it would not get me anywhere. If you decide to keep posting more “BS” about how things really went down, I will reconsider. I wish you both well.