Wisdom Grows Slowly
Hi, I’m Mark Mountan. I am a living, breathing illustration of everything wrong with being an IM “generalist.” I know a ton about internet marketing, but I don’t know the first thing about doing it for myself. My knowledge is a mile wide and an inch deep.
There is absolutely no reason why I shouldn’t have achieved massive financial independence by now.
I have over 15 years of experience in web design, data application development, writing/editing, strategic planning and business development. I know WordPress setup and development through-and-through, I've written loads of very successful SEO copy and maintained PPC campaigns.
For 8 years I successfully worked as a marketing and communications consultant in a variety of industries. I even started and sold a successful dot-com.
But when the economy tanked in late 2008, so did my consulting gigs. I had made the painful and foolish choice not to invest my time developing a recurring and passive revenue stream for myself (I was doing it for everyone else). It also didn't help that I never took the time to get fabulously good at any aspect of IM. I was left with no choice but to go back to work for The Man, which I did in November 2009.
I presently work as a Business Analyst for the global leader in loyalty marketing programs. If you have a frequent-flyer card or you belong to a points-based rewards program offered by your bank or credit card, the company I work for maintains those programs. My company makes nearly all of its money (I’m talking hundreds of millions of dollars every year) in incremental revenue; pennies per transaction. It’s nothing more than one huge and really sophisticated affiliate program for massive banks and credit card issuers.
Recognizing my job for what it is (helping to maintain a fat-cash affiliate program) only strengthens my resolve to do what I should have done a long time ago for my sake and the sake of my family – build my own fat-cash source of incremental and recurring revenue.
My decision to join WA was the final step in a painful, yet eye-opening process of owning up to the negative reality and circumstances that I have created for myself over the last 8 years. It is also the starting point in creating a new reality going forward. My goal is to replace my current income within 12 months and double it within 24.
Recent Comments
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I love how the internet has shifted from people doing business with businesses to people doing business with each other. You're seeing more and more freelancers making a living online than ever before.
What's awesome about that is you don't have the loss of value you do when you work for someone else.
As an employee, you produce $1 of value, but you can't possibly get paid $1 for the value you produce or the business won't make a profit.
But now you can produce $1 of value and get paid $1 for that value from another person.
And the great thing about creating really useful content is the leverage. You can produce $1 of value and get paid $1 by 50 people for it.
It's an exciting time to be a part of internet marketing!