Au Revoir My Dear WA Friends . I'll be back!
It is not without a sense of sadness that I write this today, but for me it has come to the crunch.
Hear me out … it gets more positive. Promise!
With the cost of living now biting hard and my yearly renewal looming I simply don’t have the funds available.
So we have to try and cut back even more than we currently are and as such I have decided not to renew my WA premium … well, the decision was kind of made for me.
Our rent has gone up again and disposable income is in negative territory, if I’m being realistic.
I’ve been here before and even though I said to myself I will not hit the credit cards again, that is what is happening. How else do you pay for the unforeseens?
I have learned a great deal in my two and a half years here at WA and it’s been a really enjoyable ride. I want to say thank you to Kyle and Carson for creating this resource. WA is not without its issues but overall this is a great platform, especially for beginners.
The training is decent, if a little outdated. I mean, you can probably learn everything you need to know for free by searching Google but then you need to know what to search for!
For those new to this affiliate marketing game, WA is a gold mine … when you dig in the right seams ;-)
But what makes this place so special is the community. Genuine helpers like Diane Scorpio, Tim McKinlay, Eric Cantu, VitaliyG, CassiOfTroy and many others offer a wealth of experience and the value in being able to ask these people questions is unquantifiable.
But I want to express my profound appreciation for ParthaB …
Partha has been the one person on here who has really taken the time to genuinely help me (and many others) on my journey. He has this knack of laser focussing in on the problem at hand and I have easily learned the most from him … by far!
In fact I’d go so far as to say without Partha’s input during my time here I’m 100% sure I’d not have been a paying member for more than, maybe, a year.
I have a pretty good knowledge of SEO having been dabbling for over two decades now (yes I’m the guy who will be, in my later years, claiming to be the one for whom it took the longest to finally make it big - that’s the USP!) …
… although around a decade of that was spent distancing myself completely from the ‘make money online’ and the affiliate marketing world. I became convinced it was all a scam and my family simply despaired of me.
… and this was after having already proven to myself that generating a life changing income online is totally possible. Because I did it.
Yes, it was as black as black-hat gets short of actually hacking websites to gain backlinks but as I’ve mentioned a few times here at WA, Google burned us all and they burned us big.
I flailed around for a while, sinking a ton of money into every shiny object out there. Maxed out the credit cards. Let my family down big time.
I unsubscribed from a thousand mailing lists and spent the next ten years pretty much only reading Gauher Chaudhry’s newsletter. Just keeping up with the headlines really. He was the only ‘guru’ I ended up trusting.
But there was always this little splinter in the back of my mind and if WA did one thing for me it was to reignite that flame inside me. That desire to break out from the shackles of a regular job and truly be free … financially and spiritually!
When I discovered WA (no idea why it took me so long) I knew this would work. Because I know about SEO. I just never had the impetus to run with it again after the big Google slap.
… it was Panda or Penguin. One or the other. Or both. The old hands here will know what I’m talking about.
Fast forward to today and once again the big G has slapped many 10’s of thousands of bloggers, me being one of them. So naturally it brings all those emotions back … and it’s tough.
Especially because now I cannot warrant investing any more in WA at this time (sorry Jay, you’ll have to replace that commission) so I’m fighting back those feelings of failure that I know so well.
But here I’ve tasted success again and this time I refuse to give up. Even though I have to say au revoir (not goodbye) to WA I have learned enough about doing SEO in 2023 and hopefully 2024 at least. What with AI taking hold, who knows after that!
I will recover my site one way or the other and when I do, I’ll be straight back to WA helping others every day to achieve the same success which awaits me.
I know it’s out there … just have to keep plugging away. But the next stage for me is one of serious cost cutting. I have to put my family first and keep the roof over our heads!
No maxing out all the credit cards this time.
So to wrap this up … thank you WA and all the amazing members who go out of their way to help others. This is a community like no other.
But most of all … thank you times 10 to ParthaB :-) I’ve saved all your posts for reference! Maybe our paths will cross again and who knows, maybe one day we will work together …I’ll tempt you with the ultimate black-hat strategy and you won’t be able to resist 🙂
Have a good one everyone … I’ll be back!
Rohan ...
Recent Comments
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Hi there, Wealthy Affiliate Rohan.
I know it took a lot of guts to write this heart felt swan song. However, this is so well-articulated and humorous, that I voted this the best blog of the week, my friend.
We all have to do what's best. Family always comes first. I also love how brutally honest you are. Between you and me, I have a hunch that you will be back with a vengeance to succeed big time.
All continued success to you and your family.
The truth will always set us free, my friend.
Let's keep rolling anyways!
Rachele🛼🛼
Hey Rachele,
Thank you for taking the time to comment on my post. It is indeed heart felt and more difficult to write than I thought it would be!
I'm honoured you have voted it best blog of the week :-) WA has made me realise I actually really enjoy writing. I think I get it from my Mum.
I will be back and success will be sweet!
Thanks again Rachele, your positive words are very much appreciated.
Hi there, Rohan.
You are a gifted writer and I look forward to reading your books.
I get very attached to good people and I hate to see them step away. That's just me.
Even if my neighbor moves away, I shed tears, That's just me. Knowing that you will return, makes a big difference with the amount of tissues (lol). I'm ok now.🌞
Let's keep rolling!
Rachele🛼🛼
Ha ha!
Thank you Rachele :-)
I'm stepping away but it is a hiatus ... I fully intend to return as soon as I can afford it. If only for the community and positive people like you to bounce off.
Rolling on into a new chapter!
Have a great day :-)
Hey Rohan,
A little bit heartbroken and still trying to take this in, so don't really know what to say.
But, I understand your current personal situation and therefore also understand your decision.
I take it you're still here for a few days, right?
I'll PM you, I'll put something together for you that I've been doing (Not really "Blackhat", more "Grey", but I've seen some success with it, plus, I've shown another WA member this too, and although they're not making the commissions that I am, they did manage to get near 10,000 website visitors in their first 30 days of trying this... and NO, it won't impact your website in any way, may just get you banned off another platform, LOL).
Let me know whether you're still here for at least a few more days, and I'll put it all together for you and send you a PM.
I wish you the best of luck mate, and I look forward to seeing you back soon.
Partha
Hey Partha,
I'm so glad you saw my post and thank you for your heartfelt comment. I actually got a bit choked up when I first read it!
Until I made the decision, I honestly didn't realise quite how attached I am to this community and certain people within it. It's an emotional wrench I wasn't expecting.
Yes ... I'm here for a week or thereabouts and I'd love to know what you've been doing lately ... goes without saying :-) A parting gift from the man who has given me so much actionable advice already!
I shall wait and watch my inbox with bated breath.
Cheers Partha ... I don't want to overdo it but I really can't thank you enough :-)
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Good morning Rohan,
I'm really sorry that you are leaving us as it really sounds like you know your stuff and have been making a good effort.
I really hope that you can find a way to continue your subscription. I feel that many of us are sitting on a potential goldmine and it's just a matter of time before things happen. If you were not active on the platform, it would be different, but you are. I personally think you need to try and keep investing in Wealthy Affiliate, it's actually a low price for what we get.
I do appreciate that the above may be easier said than done. But of course, we do have the black Friday offer. The boffins say the best thing we can do is invest in ourselves, being a member of Wealthy Affiliate is just doing exactly that!
All the best to you.
Roy
Morning Roy and thanks so much for your comment ...
One thing is for sure. If I quit now then I will definitely fail ... so that's not an option. I've reduced my outgoings down to bare bones now while keeping my website online.
As you say ... only a matter of time as long as I keep working on it every day.
Believe me I weighed up the options for a good few weeks before taking the decision. I'm already on the black Friday special so it's pretty good value but yeah, that's how tight things are atm.
I live in an expensive part of the UK (just West of London) and rents are high here. Hopefully, before long, things will improve on the cost of living front as well as my online endeavours growing to a point where WA will be an insignificant investment.
Because I know it's well worth it.
Thank you again Roy and have a productive day :-)
It's a pleasure, Rohan, I really don't like to see people leaving the platform when they are using it and making it work.
I'm guessing that you have your website hosted somewhere else. As the hosting is quite a good bonus. I can believe you have looked at your options, I really hope that you can be back soon.
I didn't know you were in the UK, Rohan; I'm also in the UK; we are on the Essex/Suffolk border. I appreciate that this may not be possible, but have you ever looked at moving somewhere cheaper? I appreciate that this may not be possible as you may have family and jobs etc, locally.
I hope you can keep moving your business forward and that you may find a sudden solution to the issue. You can still be a free member, I believe.
I hope to see you back very soon.
Roy
Hi Roy,
I'd like nothing more than to move somewhere cheaper. Way too busy round here for a country boy like me ;-)
But our daughter is in a crucial school year and we have family commitments ... just the usual 'normal life' stuff.
So we have a little while longer before we retreat for the hills :-)
I will be back soon and hopefully I can keep checking in under the free account ... but I thought I'd seen someone say that it's not possible to go back to the free level?
Could be wrong ...
Hello Rohan,
I understand where you're coming from! It's even harder if you're a country lad, as I am too! I love the countryside and although I don't mind a day out in the big smoke now and then, I'm always pleased to get back to the East Anglian cornfields!
It's important that you look after your children, especially if it's a crucial school year. I do hope that you can get back to the countryside as soon as possible or sooner than you expected.
I always thought that you could revert back to a free account, Rohan, but I could be wrong. Maybe you could ask the question, I'm sure someone will give you the correct answer.
I hope you're back sooner on the platform than you expected. I really like the idea of being surrounded by like-minded people. When I first started out with Internet marketing, I had no one to reach out to! The Wealthy Affiliate platform changes all that.
I wish you all the best Rohan and hope that you will be back very very soon.
Roy
Thanks Roy ... yeah I grew up in a remote part of West Wales after my parents 'dropped out' of the rat race in the late 60's. Our nearest neighbour was a mile away ... bliss :-)
They always disagree when I refer to them as hippies but they certainly did what many other 'alternative' types did back then when they realised the delusion they'd been existing under was just that.
So my upbringing was one of pure freedom. Me and my mate would go off all weekend sometimes into the nearby pine forests building dens and booby traps for imaginary foes, staying the night in our stone walled hut with a moss thatched roof!
I am so grateful my childhood was completely innocent. No social media polluting our perception. I compare this to my daughter's upbringing and sometimes feel guilty I am unable to give her a similar experience.
Of course she hates the idea and would happily move closer to London. She thinks where we live now is backward :-)
Anyway ... your kind words are appreciated Roy and I will certainly be looking up all the amazing people again on WA when I return.
Have a great day :-)
It's a pleasure, Rohan! There are some great and interesting people on this platform.
Good for your parents for stepping out and doing something different from the rat race which many of us are drawn into! I have never liked the boring nine-to-five type of job, hence why I have been self-employed for 98% of my working life!
Yes, being brought up in the countryside is so different to living in a large town or city. We were so privileged to have that type of freedom that many younger people will never see, sadly.
It's hard to imagine life with no social media or computer technology! We weren't even allowed to turn the television on if it was a Sunday! Having said that, I don't watch television now. I understand where you're coming from regarding your daughter, but it's obviously important that you protect her.
Many people love the idea of being in London, but many also eventually see the light! I know people who have been brought up in the village where I live, but some of them eventually return! Although the real locals have mainly disappeared or passed on. I'm one of the few people who live in the village who have been here for several generations.
I really hope you can come back quicker than expected.
All the best.
Roy