Hope, Encouragement, and a Warning
There are a lot of people that want to earn extra money online. Sometimes I think that every single person in the world is an opportunity seeker. One of the major problems that I see with this is that there are so many people promoting overnight wealth, instant wealth, push button wealth, and the like.
I'm going to come right out and say it. If you are looking for FAST CASH well then Wealthy Affiliate is NOT for you! There, I've said it. If you believe that Wealthy Affiliate will make you rich quickly you are sadly mistaken.
If you believe that ANYTHING (legal) can bring you riches overnight or with the push of a button you are either very wrong or delusional. There is NO such thing as instant income. If you are willing to work hard and be patient to achieve your desired status then WA is likely exactly what you need and have been looking for.
How many systems, schemes, guaranteed plans, promises, etc have you tried? I bet that if you added up the time and money that you've spent seeking this holy grail you have probably spent enough to take a good vacation, and CERTAINLY you've sent a few promoters on one!
To achieve true success you need to find something that people want and are willing to pay for, not just one person, but a whole bunch of people. You want them to be repeat buyers of what you are trying to sell. A one hit wonder might be great in music, but not so much in online marketing.
If you can read and write fairly well and you have, or are willing to obtain, knowledge about a given subject you can monetize that knowledge. You don't want to try to sell the other promoters gizmos that are guaranteed NOT to work! You want people to see your name and say, "Hey, this person is on the up and up."
When people see your name and can't wait to see what you are suggesting so that they can buy it, you will have the success that you desire. Not before, not overnight, and not undeserved.
We've all seen these programs with their yachts, cars, airplanes, mansions, and other props. In better than 95% of cases most of these items are just props designed to get you to buy their wares. They often do absolutely nothing for you except to lower your bank balance.
WA is a horse of a different color. Kyle, Carson, Jay, and other WA members are REAL PEOPLE with a real system. You can get started with just the free starter membership, but going to premium and buying your own domains are the ONLY two upsells. No $10,000 or $20,000 courses, private mentoring, or other make believe elite groups.
If you choose the starter membership you will get two free subdomain names, 10 free lessons to help you toward success, and free hosting for those subdomains for as long as you would like. It didn't take me long to decide that I NEEDED to know the rest of what they had to say. Their FREE stuff was better than 99% of the stuff that I had paid good money to get (I really can't say learn because in many cases all that I learned was that I had wasted yet more money and time).
The free lessons took me from not knowing much more than email and Google searches to being able to construct a real working website. THAT gave me a feeling of true accomplishment. I had never had that feeling from other things that I had bought. I didn't really expect to find it here, but I did.
The lessons that I learned at Wealthy Affiliate were really important and the hosting program is second to none, BUT the real treasure here at WA is the community. The people that I have had the pleasure to come to know at WA are some of the most giving, caring, kind people that you could imagine.
There is almost nothing held back from you by most of the members except for what their particular niche is. That I can't blame them for. In today's world many people don't want to do the research (Jaaxy, also included) that will show you whether you have a good chance of success or not. They just want to copy those that are successful and try to steal their customers.
If you are willing to do each lesson and each little task that is assigned in order and at the time that it is assigned you are well on your path to your own successful online business. Don't rush, don't skip lessons, don't try to jump ahead. Those things will all put you behind.
Each of the lessons that are given are designed to let you progress in a steady way with each task relevant to what was just learned. Each little module builds on the last one and before you know it you WILL have a working site!
Your site will soon be indexed by Google (indexing means that Google knows you exist, don't get too happy yet). As you research your keywords and write more content your site will gain more and more readers and "authority" in the eyes of the search engines. As you gain this authority you will then become ranked in Google and other search engines.
When you get ranked the magic begins to happen. It will probably take you 9-12 months to get to this point. You will make some small sales before then through whatever affiliate programs (such as Amazon) that you sign up with. DON'T sign up too early. Many affiliate programs want to see a built out site and some traffic. If you don't have trafffic you shouldn't sign up to affiliate programs. Some, such as Amazon will terminate you if you don't have X number of sales in X number of days. Sure, you can reapply (at least currently), but you want the programs that you sign up with to be several things.
You want them to be something that you are proud to promote, not garbage! You want them to have a good payment history, you want them to be happy to work with you as you form a mutually beneficial partnership. Im such a partnership you will BOTH grow and make money. It isn't a one sided street.
As you get into your business make sure that you have a means to build a mailing list. You want a list so that if you come across a great product you can be the first one to mail your list and hopefully, since they trust you, close the sale and earn the commission.
This business can be run from anyplace that you want to be. The beach, the mountains, a cruise ship, poolside, your backyard, literally anywhere that you have an internet connection. If you decide to sell junk just because it offers a good commission you will lose the trust of your readers. Once you lose trust it is hard, if not impossible, to build back up.
Be known as a person that people can trust. Your recommendation will then mean money in your pocket. A steady income won't happen in a month or two. Figure on spending 12-15 months to get to a point where you have a steady income from your business. Once you have that, THEN you are living a lifestyle that many won't ever know.
A warning to those who are new. Don't pay money to be an affiliate of anyone. You are selling their products. They pay you for that, you don't pay them! If someone promises you quick riches RUN, it's a scam or illegal. Don't try to bypass the steps. They are there for a reason. They are in that order for a reason. The reason? It works! But, for it to work YOU MUST WORK. You must have the self discipine to research and write your content. If you don't (or won't) don't join this program, it won't work for you any better than the last dozens of programs that you joined did.....
To those of you that become a success, CONGRATULATIONS! You made it. Now what? I would encourage you to read business books and self motivational books to keep your mind on the path that it needs to be on. There is a computer saying of GIGO, that stands for garbage in, garbage out. To stay at the top of your field you wnt to read books that will help you stay there. Some of my favorite authors are Jim Rohn, Zig Ziglar, W. Clement Stone, Rabbi Daniel Lapin, Bob Burg (The Go Giver original version really explains what we do and is one of my favorites, I read it at least once a year), George S. Clason (The Richest Man in Babylon, another of my favorites read yearly), Mike Michalowicz (Pay Yourself First, and others), and many more. I have several hundred books in my library. They each bring me one or more of the following: Knowledge, insight, encouragement, clarity, some with a touch of humor to make it easier to read.
Never quit, don't settle for second best, reach for the brass ring. Your life REALLY is in your hands. If you quit this program, in a year where will you be? Right where you are now. Seeking a better way. I submit to you for your consideration, that this IS the better way that you have been looking for. Work it for all that you are worth. In a year you will be much closer to achieving your goals than you ever have been. BUT, again that is ONLY if YOU work it. Nobody can do it for you.
If you have questions ask the amazing community here at WA. Most members are friendly and I haven't heard of anyone getting bit yet! My best wishes to you, now go make it happen!
Bryan
Recent Comments
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Great advice, Bryan. You're right about the community probably being the biggest advantage WA has. Nowhere else have I seen so many people willing to help total strangers get their businesses off the ground. It's really something else.
The longer that I am here the more amazed I become by the community. I've never been a part of such a community. I've been a part of different job related communities, but none came anywhere near what WA is.
In the time that I've been here I've become one of the biggest cheerleaders of this place that there is. I have benefited myself from the advice of many members, I've been drawn halfway out of my introverted shell, even my family notices a difference in me!
As long as I have the privilege of being able to breathe and function somewhat independently I'll be here. I love this place!
Thanks for that very comprehensive and accurate article.
Nothing to add, nothing to contradict :-)
Derek, WOW! Now that I'm impressed with! I usually manage to get somebody mad or offended. What's the old saying, "Even a blind hog finds an acorn once in a while?"
BTW if you haven't chosen a niche yet I'd sure look into the old instrument restoration. You might could find a professional that will split profits with you on a full restoration..... Not just woodwind, but others as well. You could also sell new instruments, sheet music, amps, mics, digital music, lessons through courses, and more
I'd like to truly wish you success in life and in your online journey!
Bryan
I can tell you that I am tired of waiting for others, such as politicians, to put us all in a position to succeed or even to enjoy life.
They are too busy enjoying their own lives, much of it on our dime. From now on I will use what abilities I have to fulfill my own dreams of what the best life is.
I don't need fancy things in my life. I'm a plain old country boy that can enjoy a hamburger just as much as a steak. WA has helped to break me out of my introverted shell and I want to be able to get out and talk to other people, especially other WA'ers.
If any of you are in South Carolina or surrounding states and would like to meet please let me know. This is a huge step for me as I have spent 100% of my life as an introvert.
It will prove interesting I'm sure. In the long run it will probably make me a better person, in the short run it might make me seek counseling ;-) but I'd surely like to see what I've been missing in life.
Bryan
I'm glad that I could be an inspiration to you! I think each of us has something of value to say to others.
Best of luck to you in your pursuit of success.
Bryan
Thanks for sharing this well thought-out article Bryan. It offers some encouragement, hope and warning- I have signed up to Amazon a few months now but no sales as yet. I hope I don't get my account with them terminated though.
Anyways, I am motivated to move even further in WA as I learn, by your article. Also, I will be writing and publishing more content.
Thanks again for the encouragement. Keep up the good work.
Nickoy
Nickoy, Thank you for the kind words. I'm glad that this has helped to motivate you.
Your success here really is up to you. Write some great content after researching your keywords and draw more visitors to your site.
Amazon gives you 180 days to make the required sales, so you still have some time. As I stated, you could always reapply, but if it comes to that wait until you have more traffic to do so.
Best wishes,
Bryan
I'm glad that you found value in it. I hope to see you at the top of the success ladder!
Bryan
Bryan, my Friend, this is a very well written and thought out article.
Thank you for sharing it with us and also for your insight into the online world of Get Rich Quick Scams, Schemes and Guru BS Experts.
I also absolutely love your library collection and favorite authors, they are in my collection of books that I have read as well.
Keep sharing & caring Bryan,
Tony
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This is phenomenal advice! I've been earning a full-time income through affiliate marketing since 2011, and I find myself constantly telling people that growing an online BUSINESS takes time, just like any other business. Fortunately, an online business typically doesn't require the capital and risk that other businesses require, but that doesn't mean this is some simple get-rich-quick strategy either. I usually tell people at the very minimum, 6 months, but probably more like 12 months or even more.
Great seeing honestly being put out there. This is gold, people!
Thanks for the kind words! This place sure beats that big truck, doesn't it? After 2 million miles I have learned a thing or two about life and hope to put it to use here.
Best of luck to you in all that you do!
Bryan