Work from home Archives ~ Today Is A Gift ~ That's Why It's Called The Present.

April 30, 2019April 27, 2020

My Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Start Affiliate Marketing in 2019

#1 No need to invest time or money in creating physical product

Having started my online journey selling on Amazon FBA, I know how much work is involved in creating and selling physical products.

With Affiliate Marketing you simply promote other people’s products and services.

You’re the marketer, not the creator. Someone else has already done the hard work in creating the product, so you don’t have to invest the time and effort to create something to sell. You can begin making money as an affiliate as soon as you have a platform to sell products.

#2 All you need is a laptop and an internet connection

The great thing about Affiliate Marketing is that all you need to work is a laptop and an Internet connection. There’s no need for an office, factory, shop or market stall or even an online shop. You don’t even need to make phone calls, so don’t need a phone.

Yes Affiliate Marketing is one of the few business models that can offer you the “Laptop Lifestyle” that everyone these days is searching for.

You can work at home at your kitchen table, at a cafe on the beach or in your garden, it really is up to you. As long as you have an internet connect and a device (you can use a mobile phone, but it will be more challenging), then you can work pretty much anywhere.

#3 You get to be your own boss & be totally in control of your own business & income

You’re in charge of your own destiny now. You answer only to yourself. You get to create and shape your career on your own terms!

Now that is a great feeling isn’t it?

I will never forget the first time I realised I had nobody to answer to. Yes it can be scary, but it’s incredibly empowering at the same time.

You’re also in control of how you promote products and also choose which products to promote. If you want long term success, you should choose only products that you believe in. Work only with brands you respect, promoting products that you personally value. Not only is this the ethical thing to do, but it makes it much more efficient.

#4 You don’t need an expensive website

It is possible to create a simple 2 page landing page, using landing page software (I use and recommend Clickfunnels), but there are other landing page softwares available. Alternatively you can start with a simple WordPress site.

#5 There are virtually no start up costs

You can start Affiliate Marketing on a shoe string, with as little as $100. That will cover the cost of a website and web hosting. You can do it for less, but I don’t recommend it.

There are lots of options for free applications and helpful tools that are free and you can also drive traffic using the free traffic sources available, like Instagram and Facebook, but whatever you do, don’t spam people with your affiliate links or you’ll get banned and you’ll have no friends.

#4 The freedom to work where and when you want

Because Affiliate Marketing is an online business model and it’s truly global, there are no set office hours or shop opening times. You can work anywhere at any time. Affiliate Marketing is one of the few business models that can give you complete time and location freedom.

Say goodbye to your long commute to work and being stuck in traffic or on public transport. Now you get to work from home or from anywhere in the world for that matter! It’s now entirely your choice.

#5 It is a completely scalable business with no limit to how much you can earn

The more effort you put in (and the smarter you work), the more you can earn. It’s as simple as that.

Also whilst it might take a bit of time to get going, growth with an Affiliate Marketing business will not be linear. With consistent daily actions, your business will gather momentum and snowball and your sales will grow and grow and GROW.

#6 Your business doesn’t rely on selling to your friends and family.

The world is now your market place. You don’t have to rely on selling to your friends and family or have to recruit people, so that you can make money. Affiliate Marketing is not to be confused with MLM or Network Marketing.

#7 No employees (or annoying work colleagues)

It is possible to create a million dollar Affiliate Marketing business on your own without any staff. You won’t have the hassle of employing and managing people (although I would suggest you use freelancers, so that you can outsource some of the tasks as you grow your affiliate business).

You also won’t have to put up with working with people you don’t get on with (or find annoying). No more pointless meetings or petty office rules about milk blah. No more silly office politics .

#8 You can start your Affiliate Marketing business as your side hustle in your spare time.

Because there are no set times when you have to work, you can work on your affiliate business at any time of the day or night to suit you and your commitments. If you need to keep your full time job to begin with and have Affiliate Marketing as your side hustle, that ‘s ok. It won’t be long before you can quit your 9-5 and work on your business whenever you like.

#9 There is no Sales involved

As an Affiliate Marketer, you’re not actually doing any of the selling yourself. You are a marketer and your job is to put the creator of the product or service in touch with the buyers. You are effectively the “middle man”.

The creator will do the selling for you; you simply introduce potential buyers.

A word of caution here though, Choose your products carefully as you’ll want to know that the companies you’re promoting offer good products and as importantly, a good after sales service.

#10 You get to help people to solve problems

Being an Affiliate Marketer is an incredibly rewarding job.

When you get to know your market and you can recommend products and services that will truly help your audience, it’s a great feeling.

There is no better job in the world in my opinion, which is why I’m sharing this with you.

December 19, 2018April 27, 2020

Mumpreneur ~ Patronising to some, welcomed by others..

Being called a mumpreneur is patronising

So apparently now, it’s not ok to refer to someone as a “mumpreneur”. It is patronising to some women, because they say it implies that their business is just something they do as a little hobby.

Well if your business is something you do to make some extra money, because you want to focus on being a mum first, then what is the problem.

Let’s face facts here. As a mum of young children (I’m going to use the caveat of kids you still need to pick up from school and feed!), you are not viewed in the same way as your childless counterparts in the workplace. If you are working “flexible” hours around your family commitments, then you are essentially asking to be viewed and treated differently. You can’t really have your cake and eat it here.

When I worked in “corporate land”, I had to negotiate slightly different hours as I needed to get my kids to and from school. They also had to be picked up at 6pm, so I simply wasn’t able to stay any later than 5.30pm. In the recruitment industry, if you leave the office at that time, you’re considered unambitious and a jobsworth. FACT.

The phrase mumpreneuer was coined in the 90’s because it was referring to women who were starting businesses that could fit around their commitments as mums.

I am a mumpreneur and proud. Proud because finding the time most days to run my business and still be present for my kids is tough. If someone wants to give me a title that recognises that, bring it on! Either way, it is my CHOICE. I choose to work for myself, from home, online, because it gives me the flexibility I need and allows me the JOY of being a parent as well.

Am I allowed to refer to myself as a “single working mumpreneur” or is that taking it one step too far?

Be a GREAT parent and GREAT at whatever it is that you do in business and that is how people will regard you. AND if there are some women, who choose to start businesses that fit around family life, i.e actually be a “mumpreneur” then more power to them.

Sharon Marie xx

In the interest of transparency, I want to let you know that I occasionally include affiliate links in my posts. I will only include links to products that I have found interesting and useful in my journey and which I believe will be of interest to you on your journey towards a “passive income” lifestyle. If you purchase an item using my affiliate link, I will receive a commission.

November 1, 2018June 1, 2021

The Top 5 Reasons Why So Many People Try And Fail With Affiliate Marketing.

I think there are lots of people who love the idea of becoming an affiliate marketer because it optimises the whole “laptop lifestyle” that they crave. What’s not to love about working from your laptop, wherever and whenever you want and getting paid to recommend products and services that you already use and love? What could be simpler?

There are countless others who have false (and limiting) beliefs about what being an affiliate marketer is all about, They say things like; I’m not great at writing, I don’t have a blog, I’m not a techie, I don’t want to bug my friends and family, there’s too much competition, I don’t want to spam people, I don’t have the time…

These people won’t even try and probably won’t try anything else for that matter, for the very same reasons (excuses).

There are many reasons why people (if they try at all) fail at affiliate marketing. Here are my top 5 reasons:

Most people don’t have the patience. They’re looking for a “get rich quick” way to make money (which by the way, doesn’t exist!). They start off really well, and then they lose interest when the results (commissions) don’t come rolling in while they sleep. It takes TIME to build credibility and authority in your space.
They are approaching it purely from the perspective of “making money online”. OK, so I get that that’s the objective here, but you’ll never make an penny in any business if you only want to make money from people. You first need to “serve” (and I don’t mean that you should start by getting a job as a waiter). Your approach must be to SERVE others first.
They choose the wrong niche. This point kind of ties in with the previous point. It’s best to choose a niche, where you either have some knowledge now OR you have a genuine interest in the niche. You’ll need to establish some authority and credibility in your niche before people will trust and ultimately, buy on your recommendation.
They choose the wrong products. Product selection is critical to your success. Choose products with reputable companies, with low return rates and great reviews. Do your research and yes that means, you need to purchase and use the products you’re promoting. Again if you’ve chosen a niche that you either know or want to know, product selection is easy.
They don’t do enough work. Being successful as an affiliate marketer requires the same effort, focus and work that is required to be successful in anything, business or otherwise. Sorry, but most people simply don’t do the work that’s required or they don’t do enough (or they don’t even start)

Affiliate marketing can be a great way to earn money online, either full time or part time and it can be truly passive, once you get up and running. As with any business however, it requires, patience, consistency, imagination, determination and a desire to serve others. Nobody said it would be easy, but the rewards (not just financial) can be huge.

Sharon Marie xx

https://www.facebook.com/groups/10kmonthclubcoach

July 30, 2018June 1, 2021

How an Uber driver saved me.

Uber is a great service, period. Yeah I know they’ve been slated in the press for all manner of things, not least for allegedly exploiting their drivers and driving (no pun intended) down fares making it difficult to compete. I’m not here to comment on any of that as I don’t have the facts.

Uber has offered to many of its 2 million drivers (yep, that’s how many there are globally, reportedly) an opportunity to become their own boss and to earn money outside of the conventional 9-5 model. Something you’ll know I’m a big fan of.

Now I am basing the above findings on a very personal experience, a “straw pole” if you like. Let me explain.

In 2016 I had an accident whilst bouldering. I fell and completely ruptured my achilles tendon, making driving impossible and public transport difficult for a good 6 months. During this period I was employed full time as a trainer. The job I was doing didn’t really allow for working at home, so I needed to be in the office every day.

The only way I could get into my place of work was with Uber (thank you Uber!). I was getting two Ubers a day in and out of work and dropping the kids at school on the way in.

The surprising thing was that I always got a different driver, some were more chatty than others, but they were all great. What was interesting was that they all had a unique “story” and many of their stories were inspiring.

I met quite a few entrepreneurs. One guy who was in the middle of opening his own Indian restaurant, another who was setting up a cyber security business, a student who was funding his travels around the world and quite a lot of dad’s who had been working similarly long hours in various manual jobs, for less money, who now had a great opportunity to become their own boss.

Each day the kids and I would wait for our driver with interest and anticipation. One morning, quite early on in the proceedings, one of the drivers I chatted to was starting his own Amazon FBA business. He was quite surprised when I actually knew what it was. We had a great conversation and I bid him a good day thinking I would never see him again.

He was driving an Uber to get the money together to launch his first private label products on Amazon. Whilst I’d been researching “passive income” I’d been reading about the Amazon FBA opportunity myself and seriously considering it. In fact that evening I was registered to attend a free webinar. I’d seen an advert in my Facebook feed a few days earlier and had signed up.

That evening, inspired by my conversation with my Uber driver (and a few glasses of red wine!) instead of leaving the webinar early, I stayed till the end. Not only that, but I got my credit card out and paid $900 for the training.

I have to tell you that when I woke the next morning I was really worried. I’d made the decision to purchase the training programme on an impulse and I was now wishing I hadn’t. Did I have $900 to spare, no!

My feelings of regret were not helped when I spoke to my friends later that day, who all told me to contact the company in question and get my money back as I’d probably been scammed.

The truth is that attitudes like that come from fear. Fear of the unknown. Don’t get me wrong, I too used to feel like that. The internet is full of people making promises and it’s sometimes difficult to filter the information, block out “the noise” and make the right decisions. Of course you should proceed with caution, but I also think that often, we’re actually looking for a reason to “not take action”, as doing what we know seems like a much safer bet.

I say I acted on impulse that day, but up to that point I’d spent hours if not days reading about the Amazon FBA opportunity. I’d watched a ton of free training videos and webinars, but there always seemed to be a bit missing. The truth is that actually paying for that training forced me out of my comfort zone and meant that I had to actually get started. Partly because I needed to earn the money back and partly because I wanted to prove to myself (and the naysayers) that I hadn’t been a complete idiot and wasted my money.

Looking back now, apart from buying my house, that $900 was THE best money I ever spent. Paying for that training is what kick started me into action and onto a new path; a path I could never have imagined would lead me to where I am today.

If like me you’re still on the fence about taking the leap, choosing the laptop lifestyle you so desire, starting that new venture of yours, committing to something, whatever it is, however impossible a dream it seems, in the words of Nike “just do it”.

Yes it’s scary, yes you will be overwhelmed at times, yes your head will hurt with all the new information you’re taking in, and no, it won’t be easy, but you CAN do it.

Russel Brunson, one of my mentors today, has a great saying; “there comes a time, in every entreprenuers journey, when they have to get their wallet out and buy something”.

As an affiliate marketer these days that’s something I’m now pretty used to, as I only recommend products and services that I’ve used and been really happy with.

Well I’m so thankful that I did spend that money $900 and that I had that inspiring conversation with that Uber driver that day. It’s like everything just lined up to put me on this path and I couldn’t be happier.

If you’ve found my blog because you’re looking for a laptop lifestyle then at some point in your journey to being your own boss, you’ll need to get your wallet out. Investing in training is investing in your brand, YOU. Also having to actually spend money will definitely make you work harder to earn it back. I’ve earned that initial investment back many times since starting selling on Amazon and I’d never have done it without that training.

About 8 weeks after starting the training, I had launched my first private label product on Amazon. I had also wanted to go freelance in my coaching business for a long time and getting involved in the Amazon FBA opportunity gave me the extra confidence I needed to finally go for it and leave my job.

The morning I was going in to hand in my notice, which Uber driver do you think picked me up? Yep, you guessed it. I’m not a particularly superstitious person, but I do believe in Karma and seeing that driver again, who had inspired me that morning gave me the final bit of courage I needed.

Since going self employed there have been scary times, but it’s the best decision I ever made.

If you’re interested in earning an income online and you haven’t read DotComSecrets or heard of Russell Brunson then you absolutely HAVE TO get it. You can get your FREE copy here. DotComSecrets ~ The Underground Playbook For Growing Your Company Online You’ll just need to pay for the shipping.

I cannot stress enough how much this book has helped me. There is so much good stuff in it that will change your whole outlook and approach to your online business journey.

Russell Brunson has built a following of over a million entrepreneurs, sold hundreds of thousands of his books and co-founded a software company called ClickFunnels, which helps tens of thousands of entrepreneurs quickly get their message out to the marketplace.

Sharon Marie xx