Kinda of a bold statement “Affiliate Marketing Isn’t Perfect, It’s Just Better Than Most home based businesses”
Now why do I say this?
If you’re, like hundreds of thousands of people looking at starting a home based business or wanting to make some extra money part-time, what could be better than Affiliate Marketing.
I will admit I’m a little bias here since I have owned a Franchise, Started a Personal Business, did Network Marketing, operated a business at home, and now a successful Affiliate Marketing business.
I’m going to give a quick look at each from a personal experience.
Franchise
Franchises are great business adventures. You take a proven business model, implement what the franchise teaches and you have a great opportunity be successful.
Think McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, Ace Hardware, Dairy Queen, Pizza Hut and the list goes on.
To start you need to invest several hundred thousand dollars even $1 million and up. Even with the franchise there is no guarantee of success. And if you have been searching, I guess you’ve seen that there are many less costly franchises available some good and some just okay.
Franchises come and go and even the franchisor may fail leaving you with no business but out of a lot of money. Google franchises and see how many are in trouble.
As a franchise owner, the initial cost is just the beginning. Each month you must pay a “royalty fee” to the franchisor.
Personally I have owned two franchises. The royalty fee was paid even if there was little money made with the business.
One final thought…A Franchise Is nothing more than buying yourself a job.
Personal Business
I’ve had a personal business in which there was a physical address and building. I operated this business for 22 years and loved every day.
If your the type of person who wants to “go-it-alone” this could be for you. But remember, you need a business plan, marketing plan, money set aside for lean time as well as the overhead expenses.
You are the CEO, Financial Officer, Marketing Manager, Sales Manager, Inventory Manager, Public Relations Manager, Office Manager, and Janitor. Your hours are 10, 12 even 15 hours a day.
You can hire people for all these position but now you are the Payroll Manager and State, Unemployment and Federal Tax Manager. You also become Human Resource Manager with the hiring and firing responsibilities.
Make a wrong decision, and your personal Business could suffer.
As mentioned, I ran my business for 22 years with no sick days, no holidays, no vacations, no time off, long hours, stressful, and if I didn’t open the doors, No Income for that day.
Network Marketing
Right up-front….Network Marketing is a hard business. Network Marketing is also or could be very profitable. The failure rate is very high. Only 1 in 100 people will become successful, the other 99 will either quit or become discouraged and do very little.
The biggest problem with Network Marketing is finding the right person to join your business opportunity and keep them motivated until they see some success.
You have to keep recruiting and teach them how to recruit. This is defiantly a “people” business with a lot of disappointments.
Network Marketing took a “bad” rap years ago with false claims and over jealous recruiting. Thankfully today, Network Marketing has changed and for the right person, this could be the right business for them.
I had 3 Network Marketing business. I failed because the people I recruited failed. The Network Marketing Company didn’t fail…it was me. Also the ability to get a lot of “NO’s” and move on was my biggest issue.
A good friend of mine and successful Network Marketer put it this way, “You need an army of people to keep your business alive.” He has over 10,000 people in his business that took him 12+ years to develop. He will tell you that of the 10,000 maybe 1,500 to 2,000 are actually working the business. It’s enough to provide a good income, but ask him if he would do it all over again, and he will shout NO!
Affiliate Marketing
Once again, “Affiliate Marketing Isn’t Perfect, It’s Just Better Than Most home based businesses”
Here’s what I like about Affiliate Marketing, now remember, I am bias:
- No Recruiting People
- No Meetings
- No Inventory To Buy
- No Cost To Start or Low Cost
- No Overhead
- No Employees
- No Shipping Cost
- No Asking For Money
- No Experience Required
- Work From Home
- Choose Your Product Line
- Market How You Want and when You Want
- Part-Time
- Passive Income
Have I mentioned affiliate marketing as a whole is a billion-dollar industry? In such a wide field, it’s pretty easy to look for products that you can actually use, belief in and in all honesty promote to your audience.
Take Network Marketing for example, how many weight loss or healthcare companies are there? And each one claims to be better than the other.
In one of my business, I had household products. These products were 1 1/2 time more expensive than going to the store. But I was taught to say that the product was developed to use less than store bought products and therefore you use less. Try telling a mom to spend $20 dollars for the product when she can purchase a similar product for $5.00 while shopping at the store.
So with Affiliate Marketing you can choose your own product line, not what the Network Company is offering. Affiliate marketing is where you actually have faith in what you promote has been tested and proven to produce the best results. Want to sell Nike shoes on Amazon….go ahead.
Nike does all the advertising, Amazon does all the shipping and collection of money and even handles returns. You promote and make a commission.
You don’t need to be an affiliate marketing guru to succeed. Not right away. This is a field where practice makes perfect.
You’re free to choose what campaigns to test and what learning method you want to use to become better at your trade.
If you’re a blogger, for example, you can choose to start by writing quality content to attract more people to your blog. The more visitors your blog gains, the higher the chances of getting in touch with the right kind of people.
You’re free to work in a flexible schedule and environment of your own choosing.
You don’t even have to worry about any after-sales customer concerns. You just conveniently pass it on to the merchant’s own customer support team.
Vendors and merchants most of the time provide you with any and all marketing materials you’ll ever need. No need to come up with any other promotional materials.
Studying Affiliate Marketing
I’m currently reading several book from: Noah Gray, Robert Glazer, Mark Smith and Chandler Wright.
Before beginning my Affiliate Marketing Business, I asked many of my past acquaintance, friends and business professionals “What do you think would be the “Perfect Home Business”?
Here is a Perfect Home Business List that they responded to:
What People Would Like:
- No Boss
- No Commute
- No Alarm Clock
- No Employees
- No Politics
- No Compromises
- No Discrimination
- No Educational Requirements
- No limit on Income
The Next Comments Were More Positive:
- Great Products or Services
- Unlimited Income
- Residual Income
- Enjoy The People You Associate With
- Time Freedom
- Something Meaningful
- Personal Growth
- Lots Of Perks
- International
- Contribution To Worthy Causes
- Low Risk
- Low Start-up Costs
- Economy-proof
- Tax Benefits
- FUN!
This wasn’t all…you might add some attributes of your own.
Does Affiliate Marketing full fill the above list?
In my opinion…YES. Why yes? Because in my Affiliate Business, each bullet item has been met
Let’s Examine
- Unlimited Income…a JOB has limited income in a pay check. Affiliate Marketing…you can make as much money as you want.
- Residual Income…a JOB will pay what the jog requires. Affiliate Marketing…residual income will pay you over and over again.
- Time Freedom…a JOB requires to you be at your job specific times. Affiliate Marketing…you make your own time. Time to build your business, time to relax and time to do what you what when you want.
- Personal Growth…a JOB allow you to grow within the job. Affiliate Marketing…you grow both personally as well as financially.
- Something Meaningful…A JOB you do your assigned work. Affiliate Marketing…you have the ability to help people.
- Lots Of Perks…in a JOB your perks is just to keep your job. Affiliate Marketing…perks can mean passive income for life…recognized for your efforts.
- Low Risk…today a JOB is risky. It may be there today but gone tomorrow. Starting your own business requires time, commitment, and risk. Affiliate Marketing…requires little risk. It does require you to treat your affiliate marketing business as a “business” and not a hobby. In there lies the risks.
- Low Start-up Costs…taking a JOB does not cost you out-of-pocket but does cost you many of the above “What People Would Like”. A typical business will require hundreds or thousands of Start-up Cost. Franchises can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and risk. Affiliate Marketing is a No Cost start-up business. It does, however require some knowledge. There are good affiliate training programs available with little cost involved.
- Tax Benefits…a JOB does not allow for tax benefits. While having your Home Base Business in Affiliate Marketing will allow for may benefits not enjoyed by a JOB.
- FUN!...a JOB can be fun until you loose it, other work mates, Bosses. Affiliate Marketing is made up of YOU. Your willingness to work hard, a different outlook on life and work for a better life. Therefore many affiliate marketers enjoy what they do and what they want to accomplish and have FUN doing it.
While I could go on about the many differences between Affiliate Marketing, a JOB, franchise, network marketing or a typical business, but it would be just words. You need to experience the differences for yourself. If you are an Affiliate Marketing Professional you already know how much the business has to offer over a JOB or typical business.
If you’re new or looking at what I think is the Perfect Business, then Affiliate just maybe your road to a successful career.
I know from experience in business that having employees present many problems. The lack of freedom is a long term issue. Playing Politics was not my way of success. And owning a business take many hours away from your personal time and family. Talk to any business owner and they will tell you about the time commitment it take to operate a typical business.
Conclusion
This article is written, as I said with some bias toward Affiliate marketing. Is Affiliate Marketing the Perfect Business? NO, but when I compared it to a Franchise, a JOB, Store Front, Network Marketing, Affiliate was several steps ahead.
You may disagree, and that’s fine. Not everyone looks at something the same, and have or starting a business is no different.
I know Network Marketers who are successful…Franchise owners who are successful…Store Front Business that are successful…and Affiliate Marketers that are successful.
My point is, you can be successful in any adventure if you are confident, focused, willing to work and have a positive outlook.
For me, I failed in Network Marketing because of ME and not the Network Marketing Company. I sold my Franchised because I didn’t like the restrictions that was placed on me or what I call “buying a JOB.” My personal business was highly successful because I use my experience and passion to make it successful, but would I do it again??
No Alarm Clock
Having to get up a defined time and going to bed at a defined time limited my time. I always looked forward to Saturday so that my time was my own. I can do what I want when I want.
Today, the clock is just a decoration on the wall or by the bed. And I feel better about the future.
Yes You Can Enjoy Life Without An Alarm Clock
Here’s to your success
