Affiliate Marketing is Sweet!

Like an Upper West Side Gelato on a Sunny September Day. 

So… Let’s talk about referrals. For instance, there is a gelato shop on the Upper West Side of Manhattan that Laura and I absolutely love. It’s called Amorino Gelato, and they also have locations in Midtown and Greenwich Village. But we loved taking the subway to the Upper West Side for pizza and gelato. When you find an experience with that certain uniqueness of “Mayberry meets Manhattan”, it just makes everything taste sweeter.

Earning affiliate income is something that I’m extremely grateful for, especially lately. We have been so busy with life, that I haven’t spent as much time on the business as I like to. But at least I have the flexibility to live life. Having my business set up to operate from a laptop as opposed to an office location is incredibly freeing. I work at my own pace, when I choose and where I choose. So… How did this Arkansas Boy end up eating gelato in New York City? Well, that’s a long story, but let’s just say that my life changed forever when I discovered how to work from a laptop. My wife Laura and I used to never see one another, much less travel together. I worked 12-14hr days and most nights I got home just in time to eat dinner and fall into bed. It was a bit like that movie Groundhog Day… Except I never put a toaster in the bath tub.

When I started my company, I had high hopes that I would be successful. I believe most people who go into business feel that way. Nobody intends to fail. But most people who are a success in business have failed multiple times. As an entrepreneur, I realized that I was working way too hard for much too little. It started with a bad partnership, and suddenly, I had lost my profit margin and I was working alone to prevent default. At the end of the day, after paying licensing fees, utilities, and rent, there was barely anything left over to pay myself.

I found myself in a terrible situation for any business owner. I was over-worked, over-leveraged, and drowning quite slowly. It was by the grace of God that I was able to tread water and avoid bankruptcy. During this time, I devoted myself to learning a new skill set. I learned how to take my business online.
If you would have told me seven years ago that I would be blogging and building websites for a living I would have told you that you were crazy. My career choice was to be a Paramedic, but sometimes plans change. I got injured, and my life changed drastically. That injury was the catalyst for some of the biggest changes and one of the most exciting chapters of my life. As I began to learn Affiliate Marketing.

When starting my company, I intentionally sought out reputable companies with quality products in my desired niche’ so that I could promote them as an affiliate. In the beginning, my focus was too broad. It made it difficult to gain any traction without a clear direction, but I was also learning some incredible skills that would open new possibilities to me that I didn’t even know existed. I had always traded hours for dollars, and I didn’t know that there was another way.

See, even though I have been spending less time on the blog, I am still earning income each month, and this allows me to focus on a better work-life balance. Earning affiliate income allows me to travel and explore with my wife and our dog, and the office is anywhere I am. We have also been able to increase our reach using social media, my websites, and my blog. This allowed us to start working with individuals all over the world.

There’s a good possibility, if you are on this page, it is because you have an interest in affiliate marketing. Perhaps you already have a blog and want to increase your income opportunities. Or maybe you have never even heard of affiliate marketing and didn’t realize that your life is passing you by as you quietly work your day job. Either way, to help you start earning money from your very own blog today, and to help free you from the slavery of corporatism; I’m going to tell you what affiliate marketing is and why you’ll love it every bit as much as I do.

An affiliate is any person or business who promotes (or refers) a product or service offered by other businesses. Affiliates are given special links to use, and those links tell the company that a customer came from your site. This is a unique situation for many business owners because it not only reduces the need for inventory, but also for brick & mortar storefronts. As in the case with me. There are different types of affiliates (online influencers, YouTubers, etc.), but what I’m talking about today specifically is affiliate marketing for bloggers. This is because it is the easiest way to get started and you can earn as you learn.

I got started with an online university called Wealthy Affiliate. It is kind of a one-stop-shop for everything relating to online business. I was able to begin the courses for free and begin earning money online very quickly. I did recognize a major drawback with affiliate marketing on the front-end. The commissions were very small, sometimes only a few dollars. This led me to search for high-ticket offers with excellent products. Why spend time trying to sell a product for a $5 commission when I can sell a product for a $340, $680, $1,020, $1,360, $1,700, or $2,040 commission. I work just as hard either way, but my positioning is different. And yes, those are real affiliate commissions in my payment structure. I get real checks too!

This discovery led me to realize that I really could be successful building a business online by referring products that I love! We all like to refer things every day when you think about it. I refer a good restaurant, or a good massage therapist, but when I make a referral as an affiliate, I get paid for giving my opinion.