Sherlock Holmes: Or, Does WA Really Work?
If there is one question that seems to come up again and again from brand new members it's, "Does Wealthy Affiliate really work?" And the answer is an unequivocal YES! The proof is in the pudding...
My post is PAGE ONE, POSITION ONE :-)
Did it take time. Of course. Did it take as much time as I thought it would. Not really. And how do I account for that? Good old-fasioned "detective" work. Following the exact process taught in training, I researched a keyword, checked out the competion, and wrote a kick a** article (if I do say so myself. lol)
But here's the thing. ANYONE can do this. I am not special. All I did was follow Kyle's advice, step-by-step and, more importantly, I didn't give up.
Yes, this business can seem overwhelming at times. And when you are new, it can totally feel like you're writing to a ghost town. And you will make mistakes. Nothing is ever perfect. As it shouldn't be; we learn best from our mistakes. There is no such thing as failure, there is only feedback.
Remember, successful people literally fail their way to the top. If you hang in there and follow the system, stay positive, and never, ever, quit, you WILL be successful... It's only a matter of time.
Leave a comment below and share your successes, and even your "failures", if you like.
Recent Comments
39
Love your posts AJ,
Had a discussion with an acquaintance not too long ago; his recommendation was, I quote, "quit while I was ahead because it wouldn't work"...
As a business consultant, I loved to question and he & I really went out of our way to further discuss WA; my beef was trying to get him to realize that since he didn't know what he was talking about, why should I listen?
Many of his responses where about him knowing someone who knew someone who knew another that tried something like it...
I left our discussion with the promise of letting him know where I was in 1 years time...successful!
Marc
Absolutely, Marc. If I am going to take advice from someone, they better be where I want to be someday... there's a reason I don't get stock tips from my unemployed brother. lol
I agree, it does work but you have to put in the effort to make it work. A mistake is just another lesson learnt and a stepping stone towards success.
Thanks for sharing. I just read a quote that is appropriate, I think...
I goes something like - "You can try and fail but don't fail to try"... Author Unknown.
Ray
Thanks for the blog. This kind of posts gives me motivation and yes I have failed plenty times in many things but especially in online business but when I see the community here in WA. It gives me a ray of hope to succeed someday. Best wishes to everyone and @AJTrimble1 nice blog post; thanks once again.
You know, it is kinda nice that it takes a while to get people to our site, because it gives us a lot of time to learn, make mistakes, and then correct them again.
Absolutely. We all make mistakes. The real question is did we learn something in the process? :-)
Isn't that what mistakes are for -- to teach us something? I guess there are enough times when we keep repeating the same mistake because we didn't learn the first time. However, making mistakes does give us the opportunity to improve our knowledge.
AJ, nice share and a much-needed reminder. Many folks join with the aspiration to make money. Since the 20th-century mindset is "make money as quick and as fast as possible" and many join with the money aspect highlighted -their expectations are that within a few months they would be making some bucks. Your article help reset the expectations one has to have i.e. one has to expect to do the necessary work, training, etc. laid out before this money tree is going to bear fruit. Some will make money faster since they may have the required skills already developed in their life. Others will have to work at honing these skills before they can get a return. At the end of the day, WA has all the elements required to succeed. The question that one should ask is "Will I do what is required to succeed at WA?"
I like what Arthur Ashe said - " Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. "
Excellent, Bosco... I love this!
I couldn't have said it better myself. Thanks for your response : -)
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Hi AJ.
"My post is PAGE ONE, POSITION ONE"
First off, congratulations and well done! It is *not* easy to be first and having fought off fierce competition is always an imprimatur of hard work and due diligence. That said, did we really sign up to WA to get our pages into page one and position one, or did we sign up to make a viable online business?
For me—and this may surprise you—it is the former, but for many here in WA, it is the latter. What I'd like to know is, how many members who are erecting websites extolling the virtues of WA are actually *making a living, or even just some money* from affiliate marketing?
What do you think?
Regards,
I hear you. I think what a lot of people in the latter group don't get is that it's the former than makes that happen. Too many people get so caught up in chasing the dollar that they get a bit of the get-rich-quick mentality and fail the acknowledge just how much work it truly requires. That, in part, is what lead to me writing my last post (8 Things...)
I remember a conversation I had with someone recently who hadn't even signed up for the free membership, much less premium, and his first question was, "So... when do I start making money." I went through explaining the process of finding a niche, researching keywords, writing killer content, building traffic, etc. His response? "Yeah, that all sounds cool... but when do I start making money?" I suggested that this might not be for him and he should look elsewhere. lol
As far as others making sites promoting WA, depending on HOW they are doing it I personally don't find anything wrong with it.
Now, if they are brand new, have no business or internet experience, have never earned a dime, yet are passing themselves off as some kind of "guru", then that is misleading. However, I don't worry about them... they will expose themselves sooner or later anyway when someone asks a real question that they can't answer.
On the other hand, you can do what I do.
I have a business background and business degree. I also have a degree in writing. I earned a living as a freelance copywriter creating ads and sales letters for small businesses and non-profits throughout the 90s and 2000s. I have also ghostwritten for other people several books which are still available on Amazon. And I am currently working on my first novel. So, on business and writing things, I think that I can speak with a bit of authority.
That said, there are plenty of things with regards to affiliate marketing that I'm not an expert on. Thus, I don't pretend to be. If I know the answer of course I will share it. But if you read some of my posts, you will see that a lot of time I start with something like, "The other day I was thinking about XYZ, so I did a little research and here's what I found." In other words, not only am I not an expert, I'm not even really writing an "article"; all I'm doing is documenting my own journey and sharing. The difference is subtle, but it's important.
As far as me, personally, have I made money? Yep. Have I made good money? Well, that depends on what your definition of "good" is, I suppose, but in my opinion, yes. At least my wife enjoys it. But have I made sit on a beach and drink margaritas for the rest of my life Bill Gates meets Donald Trump type money? Not even close. But I know I'll get there one day, and I will have documented my journey along the way for others to follow :-)
Take care.
.
Fabulous response, AJ! For reasons I won't go into here, I'm really glad that you have responded in such a calm, reasoned fashion.
(Every day, my red pill instincts are being reinforced, and that's all I'm going to say. 😉)
On some issues we'll have to agree to disagree, but that's expected of grown ups anyway. On other matters—"researching keywords, writing killer content, building traffic"—we have complete synchronicity.
Hail, and well met, fellow traveller!
PS. You should shoot the breeze with Twack!, if you haven't already. Methinks you would find great affinity together. 😊
Hahahaha... Thanks. For what it's worth, I think you and I have an affinity as well. I foresee some wonderfully vibrant discussions in our future. And feel free to disagree with me any time; it's what makes life worth livin' :-)
As far as Twack, I believe he and I do follow one another -- or at least I know I follow him -- but I have not had the pleasure of conversing one-on-one. Perhaps I'll reach out and introduce myself.
P.S. speaking of "experts", I noticed your background, so don't be surprised if I seek your wisdom when I accidentally format my hard drive. lol
"accidentally format my hard drive"
Er, gulp, okay. 🤦 😉
"I foresee some wonderfully vibrant discussions in our future"
Absolutely, can't wait! 😊
(Twack!) "not had the pleasure of conversing one-on-one"
Oh yes, he's as much as wordsmith as are you. Two peas in a pod, I'd wager.
Have a great day...
Hahaha... I thought the hard drive line would get your attention :-)
You have a great day, too, sir.