Got To Get This Off My Chest!
Got to get this off my chest and blow off some steam!
My Beginning
As most of you know, I joined Wealth Affiliate about two years ago. With not one lick of experience, not really knowing what I was getting myself into, I only knew for sure that I wanted to work online from home, that I needed to find a reputable company to teach me how, and a company that I morally believed in. So I actually spent days and hours investigating different company's and was blessed to have found WA.
I, like many of you, have spend many many hours learning, building relationships, and marketing and promoting our businesses. We all know that internet marketing is not on overnight get rich business. We all know that it takes time and lots and lots of work!
The Loving Support
Have you ever been told by your family that they don't want to hear anything about what you do? They are really not interested! Well I have and it hurts. Let me tell you about my sister!
When I first started with Wealthy Affiliate, Suzanne, yes we are twins, was making candles and gift baskets to sell for extra income. I think out of the 100 she has made she has sold two at a yard sale.
I was very excited about starting this new internet business of mine and was telling her about the training and all the awesomeness of Wealthy Affiliate. I told her it would be fun for her to join and begin her own online business selling her candles and baskets. It would be a journey we could learn and explore together.
Not Willing To Put Forth The Effort
To make a long story short, she wasn't willing to put in the time to learn how to do it and she certainly was not going to put forth any money to begin a business. Her brilliant idea was for me to pay for the premium membership, for me to go through all the training, then go to her house and teach her how to have her own free website selling her products. Needless to say, that didn't happen!
No Support
For almost two years, I have never gotten any kind of support from her with my business. She won't visit and comment on my sites. She won't share or comment on social media. Hell, she flat out told me to my face that she doesn't want to hear anything about my business, Wealthy Affiliate, or anything else I may be doing. It just wasn't anything that interest her so she didn't want to hear about it. So I keep it to myself.
The Brilliant Idea To Help Me Out
I then get a call from her today with another one of her brilliant ideas. This is what she said to me, " I was thinking today, that since you haven't made any money doing what ever it is you do, I thought maybe "we" could find a free website somewhere, I see them advertised on TV all the time, and "we" can start selling my items." "You do know how to make a website right?". "Oh and by the way, you would have to do everything because I don't have internet or even a computer and don't plan on getting one either." "And since you're not making any money doing what ever you do, I will give you a small commission of what ever I sell".
Are You Freakin For Real?
Is it just me or would this piss anyone else off?
Is this just another example of the ignorance people have about internet marketing?
Should I not be looking at this as I do? You do all the work, and I'll give a small commission. Since I assume, (keep in mind, I never talk about my business to her) you have failed at your own business, how about you starting one for me, you do all the work, then I'll give you a little bit of money to help you out.
I told her I would think about it and get back to her because I was so pissed off I couldn't talk.
The Price For Ignorance
So here is my solution. But of course, if my friends and WA family members have a better one, please feel free to share them. I am open to any suggestions.
Because I am an affiliate marketer, (which she has no clue what that means since I am not a loud to talk about what I do) and would have to spend time learning how to setup and work an eCommerce website (because she doesn't want to), it would cost her about $100.00 a month and she could keep the commission she would give me.
Maybe explain to her that the website would be free, since I have the option to do that within Wealthy Affiliate. But she would have to compensate for the time it would take away from my own, presumed, failed business.
My Blood Pressure Is Back To Normal Now
Wow, I feel better now. Thank you for letting me get this off my chest. I am all ears/eyes for any comments you may like to share.
Love to you all,
Suzette
Recent Comments
34
A reminder one can pick one friends but not one's family....
How about this.
You do it for her on condition you get half the money the business pulls in. A flat 50% (maybe more but certainly no less. her stuff and your work = needs both to work.)
Then you monetise her site further with YOUR aff.links and all of that is yours.
?
Personal opinion only, Suzette, and it and a dollar still won't get you a cup of coffee, is you would be better off not to do it.
Here's why. If she wasn't your twin, or even your sister, and you didn't even know her, you could say you would create a website for her products for a flat fee of $___ . That is for the creation of the site only. Then, for an additional $___ per month, you could host and maintain the site for her as well. No commissions are in question. No hurt feelings because she received the website she paid for, and maybe the hosting and maintenance if she wanted it, and you didn't do the work (and a LOT of work at that!) for free, not to mention all the lost time you would have had invested in it.
All is fair in love and twins. Just sayin'......
Cindy
I am will Cindy on this, I think this is a good plan and then if she is not interested in participating then I say stay out of it, don't even start it!!! Concentrate on you and your passion to succeed. Look at this as another distraction that can take you away from what you are doing.....that's my opinion. Bit different if she was more open to hearing your goals instead of just hers, it could be a team effort, but sounds to me like its going to be you putting in all the time and her reaping the rewards!!!...
Hi Suzette,
There are poeple who live in the illusion that things go, somehow, by themselves and that they have just to wait for it to happen or for someone to show up to do it for them.
I was there for a long while, especially regarding websites. But actually nobody comes and does the work for you, which is YOURS. You just have to do it yourself - or continue to compalin about the bad world which leaves you out.
Regarding your sister. Family seems to be an institution where some people work for free and others get the gain. (Talking about mothers ....). I think, it is very important to set healthy boundaries and to NOT do what you don't want to do. If it is about business, you need to have a clear contract, like with any other person, of what you do and what you get. Otherwise you can already foresee the conflicts and frustrations which will come up and affect your whole family system. When it happens with other people, you can just leave and never see you again. But family is too precious to destroy it with un-clear agreements. (That is what I think about it)
Oh Suzette - what can I say. Families are meant to be a source of support and comfort but they are everything else unfortunately. I'm lucky in that I have a good family who are behind me in what I am doing but some of them still don't quite 'get it'.
I would simply tell her that you don't work on a commision basis and quote a flat fee per month. If she doesn't like that, then tough, she can do it herself!
All the best my friend :)
Hey Suzette.I hear you.I too know that lots of my family and friends will just 'toss the idea ' of what I am doing at Wealthy Affiliate like its a piece of a crap.
I use the rejection as motivation and the day will come when they ask....'Why is he making so much of money?"
Well, my first thought was "what do YOU want?" Do you even want to manage a small biz site? I mean, forget that she's your sister... but that is a question only you can answer. As for being your sister, yes, that's another factor... Many people ...ahem.. relatives and close friends, seem to think that you have nothing better to do but run their site. So, not only will you be managing someone else's site (assuming you didn't offer such services to begin with), now, it'll be your sister's site. So, again, only you can answer whether 1) you even want to manage it, and 2) can your sister be a royal pain in the proverbial ass and be demanding of your time?
Don't get me wrong, I, too, am helping with a few sites. But, I refuse to write for them - even a static site which is just basically a site about what it is they do. I do help my mom.. true, but no, I will not help write anything for my nephew or a close friend's site. My nephew's site is up as a static site, and my friend's site is not up at all. Yes, they want more.. but, no, I won't do it. You have to be vigilant about your time and YOUR goals.
As for me, I didn't even want to offer management and SEO services, so that's why... which is why you need to ask yourself whether you even want to do it - not because "it's expected of you" or you somehow feel "obligated." You do have the right to say "no" if you choose.
If you do decided to do it,you'd be wise to listen to one of Jay's webinars, I believe it was about small biz.. just can't remember the exact Title, I believe his minimum for such services was somewhere around $400/mo to include SEO. Sorry, I cannot remember all the details. Buy, my point is that I would take "sister" out of the equation and determine what your time and knowledge is worth. What would your price be to any other person? Run that amount per month by her, and then determine whether you really want to work for less if she squawks...
Only you can really answer these questions.. and as mentioned, if the answer is "no," then stick with it, focus on you, and realize your own goals - without guilt.
I'll file this under "been there, done that." Good Luck!
~MMH
Hey there Toni, look at you giving me all this to ponder on. Just kidding my friend. My answer was NO from the very beginning. And trust me, I will stick to that answer.
Yes, my sister would be a pain in the ass, she always is LOL.
My goals are to succeed in my own business. Which by the way, my sister sees as a complete failure. Which baffles me as to why she would want me to start a business for her. And she wants it done for free. In her mind, she would be helping me out SMH.
Trust me, there is no quilt associated with this decision I have made. If she want to start her own online business and go through the process I have gone through for the last two years, I will be more than happy to help her along the way.
But for me to build a business for her for nothing but a small commission of what I would be doing all the work to sell her products, No thank you.
I do thank you for the reference to Jay's webinar. He is such an awesome leader. I am sure it will give me a whole new perspective of outsourcing my knowledge and talents to those who would be willing to pay for my services. My sister would not be one of them!
Hi Suzette, I like your story and that is not new to me, I am telling to my few friends about WA, they are all negative and seems not interested in listening, I just keep quiet because I said to myself, time will come I can shout to them that I am successful and it is very close, I have to wait for the perfect timing. I do believe that hard work always pays off. Anyway, we have the free website, don't tell her of your plan, make it on the free website and show her when it is done. Sometimes you need to have a proof in order for others to listen. Hope you're able to get rid of your feeling towards her.
After saying many times over, "consider the source" and getting my feelings out in the open here, I feel much better. You see, I could talk to my sister about how she made me feel about this until I am blue in the face, and she would not have a clue.
I think I might just tell her that she will have to find someone else who is more successful to help her out so I can spend more time my business that she feels I have failed at. :)
Hahaha... that was hilarious Suzette. And yes I'm sure a lot of members get things like that said to them as I know I do... Family you gotta love em :) I think the only thing people understand is when you say "ok I'll charge you to do that!" they sit up & take notice....
I know, now that I have settled down and have re-read this, it is kind of funny isn't it? The Irony of it is comical. She thinks I have failed with my own business but she want me to start an online business for her, not invest any kind of money or time into it herself, but will give me a percentage of what she sells. Humm...Oh but to give her some credit, I forgot she said she make some flyers and hang them up in our local businesses. SMH
Hey suz, nothing new, that why I don't talk about it to anyone, my son tells me the best way mum is to show them when you start making money. And let them wonder where this money is coming from, but we will get there, don't let anyone spoil your dreams.. You keep plodding alone and don't say anything to anyone... I get the same thing. Now I just say, ah I'm doing an online. Purse, that's shuts them up.. Lol
Thanks for the support my friend. Sounds like you got a smart kid there :). It's funny because my kids are the only family members who support me as well. Must be that special bond between Mother and Child we share.
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My family doesn't want to hear about it either. So I feel for you. They just think it's another one of my crazy ideas that will go nowhere. So I just stopped talking about it. They'll just have to wait and see. Even more incentive for me to prove them all wrong and work harder.