Many people say they’d like to leave “the rat race” - but what does the term actually mean?
If you do a quick search on Google, you’ll find the following definitions:
“an endless, self-defeating or pointless pursuit.”
“an exhausting routine that leaves no time for relaxation”
“strenuous, wearisome, and usually competitive activity or rush”
The first definition fairly accurately describes many jobs, and all definitions could describe the feelings many workers have about their work: like being on a tread mill with very little gain or hope of future financial freedom.
Financial freedom is out there for those who are prepared to take their life in their own hands, leave the rat race and go out and get it. The power is within you.
Ros Bott
Life coach, writer and home business entrepreneur.
Many people are put off starting an online home business because they believe most of them to be scams. In fact, a very small number of opportunities you will see on the internet are truly fraudulent. However, you will find perfectly legitimate affiliate companies given bad press from time to time. Why? Negative statements are often made about companies because the writer or speaker has had a personal “bad” experience with them. This is often not the fault of the program, but of the member who has not realised that any online business should be treated like a real business, not a “get rich quick” scheme. People who join a legitimate affiliate marketing program expecting to make lots of money for doing nothing get disillusioned quickly, give up and blame the company.
So, if the accusations are not all true, how do you avoid the real internet business scams?
Here are my tips for starting an online business without getting mugged!
1. Take your time in choosing your programs. I know I am guilty of the occasional “knee jerk” reaction to a piece of clever advertising. Your mind is blown by what the advert promises, you feel excited, you HAVE to have it - and suddenly you’ve clicked all the buttons, got your credit card out and hey presto, you are several dollars lighter. If you’re lucky, you might have joined a really good program - but please don’t rely on luck! Shop around - look for the programs that you like, and make a note of them for later.
2. Avoid any program that makes claims that you can get rich quick without spending any money or doing any work. This simply isn’t logical. Whilst you can start up an online business with a very small budget, you will have to spend something - and you will also need to be prepared to give it time and effort.
3. Do some research. You could do a google search for the program you are thinking of joining, but the trouble with this is that you will probably end up on another piece of advertising. Not that there’s anything wrong with advertising - but I do advise you to find a more balanced viewpoint (and don’t read to any hysterical “they’re all scams!” kind of posts either!). No - the best way to do your research is to find some internet marketing forums, join and then ask people in the forum. The reason why this is better than using the search engines is that people in forums are not allowed to openly advertise their own affiliate programs in their posts. Most people who use these forums will give you honest answers. Look at how many posts each individual has made overall, and trust the ones who have been there a long time - they are the eperts, they’ll know what they are talking about.
4. When you’ve met a few people you like on a forum, you might want to have a look at their website. Most people who are experienced in internet marketing have several income streams and will give useful information, reviews and advice on their websites. If you join an affiliate scheme through the website of someone you trust, that person will then be your sponsor, so you are going to be off to a good start.
If you follow these four steps, you should then have a good idea of the programs that are legitimate that you want to join. The thing to do then is to take action. Develop a good relationship with your sponsor and get as much training as you can.
Avoiding internet business scams really is that simple. Good luck, and don’t forget to have fun!
Ros Bott
To find lots of legitimate home based business ideas, go to Financial Freedom Online. Or why not start off with a program that gives you six income streams? The PlugInProfit site gives you excellent training and a great forum.
I am looking for people to share some home based work opportunities who have the following qualities:
Honesty : Someone with integrity who will be straight and honest with potential leads and affiliates.
Prepared to Work: Someone who is prepared to do some work at least every day, whether they are working part time or full time.
Helpfulness: Someone who enjoys being a guide and mentor and can train others.
Patience: Someone who realises that all home businesses take time and is prepared to stay the course.
Determination: Someone who is determined to make their business work.
Positive Attitude: Someone who has a positive attitude towards obstacles and has a vision to succeed.
Sense of Humour : Maybe not completely necessary - but it helps, and I like to work with people I can have a laugh with.
As for skills and experience - you don’t need them. You will learn all of these on the job.
There are thousands of affiliate marketers looking to recruit someone…literally anyone. They are so desperate to just get a few sign ups that they will take on whoever they can get. This means that they will appear to be offering EASY and QUICK ways to earn money: Home Based Work Opportunities for lazy bums. It doesn’t work. I would prefer one honest hard-worker than 100 people who do nothing.
I am only looking for quality people.
Is this you?
Apply HERE where you will find plenty of opportunities with me as your mentor and guide. I promise I won’t let you down.
No matter what people say about affiliate marketing, my belief is that it will become the global marketing system of the future.
While some people might throw up their hands in horror at this thought, I know that many of my colleagues and fellow affiliate marketers will nod their heads sagely, knowing that it makes sense.
Let’s just for a moment deal with the issues that put people off:
Hype. Yes, at present there is still a lot of “hype” marketing with overblown promises and exaggerated facts. Personally, I am not a huge fan of any advertising that lacks integrity, and I think, in the long run, it damages the industry. However, I do believe that if you are intelligent enough keep an open mind and see beyond the hyperbole you will reconise the basic business model of affiliate marketing is very clever indeed.
Scams. For various reasons (and partly, I think, due to erroneous assocations in the public mind with pyramid schemes) the industry suffers from some people’s fear of being scammed. In fact, I have read a comment about affiliate marketing where someone said “all of these programs are scams”. For some reason, the industry has received bad press in the past because of one or two companies that have achieved public notoriety, which has coloured the whole industry. It always seems strange to me that this doesn’t seem to happen in any other industry. I mean, if we read in the newspaper that a certain telephone company has been involved in some shady deals, does that mean that we stop using all telephone companies and never use the phone again? No. All industries contain fraudulent members - but that is an unfortunate fact of life and should not have an effect on all other companies in that industry. Like any other industry, the vast majority of affiliate marketing companies are legitimate, honest and interested in the success of their members. Besides, most scams require the “scammee” paying out vast sums of money. Very few affiliate marketing companies require large joining fees or subscriptions. A $10 per month fee is hardly the robbery of the century.
Failure Rate. If you do any research on affiliate marketing you will sooner or later come across this statistic: that 95% of affiliate marketers fail. I admit, it does look like a depressing figure. However, as most intelligent people realise, statistics can be extremely misleading. One of the reasons why this figure is so high is because of the vast number of people who enter into this business without any commitment. This is partly due to the fact that it is a very easy business to join - the outlay is small and all you need is a computer. This has lead a great many people to believe that making the money is easy too, so they join, pay their fee, sit back and wait for something to happen. These are the people who “fail”. I believe that if those statistics took only serious affiliate marketers into consideration - those who are prepared to treat their business like a business, work hard with passion and determination - those figures would show a completely different story.
So, having got those out of the way, why is affiliate marketing one of the best global marketing systems?
Well, once we’ve peeled away all the nonsense that surrounds the industry (as I have detailed above), we are really left with two things:
1. It’s a very basic and effective way of marketing. When we really like a product or a service, don’t we like to tell our friends about it? If we are excited about a system that really works, don’t we want to tell the world? In the “normal” world, we might do this and not get paid for it. Affiliate marketing takes the most natural and effective form of marketing in the world, word of mouth, and pays the people who spread the word. To me this is just common sense!
2. It’s about helping others. Unlike most marketing systems, which is all about helping the company and those people right at the top, affiliate marketing is about helping all those who join. The more you help your own affiliates to succeed, the more successful you are. Being a life coach (which is all about helping people), I just love this part of affiliate marketing. And it seems to be the fairest way of marketing of all.
I truly hope that in the future the suspicions and fear surrounding this industry will fall away and affiliate marketing will be acknowledged as the most sensible business model of the future.
In fact, large companies are already recognising the power of affiliate marketing. Amazon, Ancestry.com and many other large internet-based companies have affiliate schemes that pay their enthusiastic members.
This is good news for the industry. If companies now look at potential global marketing systems, affiliate marketing is going to be top of the list. It can only grow from here.
One of the best things about starting an affiliate marketing business is that there is a huge range of choice available. Anyone looking for an online business program can find something that suits their interests or beliefs. Pick and choose amongst what’s on offer to produce your own, personalised business that expresses your personality.
Rather than your first priority being whether it pays out well, you will find far better success if your first thought is whether the program suits you. After all, if you are prepared to work at it, most legitimate affiliate programs will pay you well - and you will be far more successful if you can sell something that you passionately believe in.
Have you ever tried to get someone interested in something that you’re not interested in yourself? It’s an uphill struggle, has no integrity and will get you nowhere! However, if you’ve ever been so excited about something that you can’t wait to tell others, isn’t that so much easier?
If you are interested in health, the environment, travel, shopping, books, personal development or even Christianity, you have a huge amount of choice. Here are a few from each of these categories you could have a look at (I have starred those I belong to myself. These are completely trustworthy. The others you might want to do some research on first - the best place to do your research is in a forum such as Conquer Your Niche or the Warrior Forum )
NB - Not all of these programs are available in all countries - where this is the case you will be directed to another program.
These are just a very small selection of the types of affiliate programs that are available. There are many more niche areas to look at, such as Work at Home Moms, paid surveys etc. In this business the world really is your oyster.
Building your own niche area is fun and inspirational. If you are promoting something you like you will find it easy and enjoyable.
Have fun choosing your online business program and building your personalised business. After all, having fun and enjoying what you do is why we work at home instead of working in a job!
Sitting at home at your computer may be far better than working in a job, but it can get lonely at times. Especially if your business is not going as well as you would like. As a person who has been five years self-employed I know exactly how difficult it is to think up ideas to get things moving when there’s only one of you. If you need help with mlm, here’s my next affiliate marketing tip.
Join a forum.
In my experience, getting involved with forums has been the most useful thing I have ever done for my business. In fact, it’s questionable whether I would still be here if I hadn’t.
Here are some of the benefits of joining a forum and being an active member:
1. When you add your url to your signature, this counts as a backlink. The more you post, the more backlinks you will have to your site, which increases your search engine rankings. However, most forums (quite rightly) will not tolerate posts that are purely written for this purpose - you must provide relevant, useful content.
2. There will be experienced members in the forum who will be able to reply to any questions you have about your business.
3. You can research potential programs or tools before you spend your money.
4. You can bounce ideas off people.
5. You can get help if something goes wrong (e.g. a technical problem)
6. You could set up a focus group for a particular issue or program you want to work on (I did this recently and some great ideas have come out of it that just wouldn’t have been possible on my own).
7. You will get lots of motivation and inspiration that will keep you going.
The whole point of mlm forums is that you do not have to be doing this alone.
In my opinion one of the best forums for the industry is the one that is attached to the PlugInProfit program. This is a section of the Warrior Forum for PIPs members only, and it truly rocks! Not only that, but there is a forum within the forum where you can get expert mentoring and get your business really moving.
Joining both these forums was the best thing I ever did for my business.
If you are already a member of PIPS and haven’t used the forum yet - then head down there fast!
If you’re not a member of PIPS, you can join here (you will get a lot of help from me, and I will personally direct you to where you can find the forums):
Well, I’m going to be honest. If there really was a sure fire fast way to make money we’d all be doing it. Of course, it happens. If you came across a first edition of the first Harry Potter book, you could sell it on Ebay for thousands. But that needs a certain amount of luck - a bit like winning the lottery. Guaranteed ideas to make money fast are a little more difficult to come by.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for a way of making money, without having to spend much to start with then an online home business could be the answer.
Most businesses need some capital to start with, and without the guarantee of success, this can put off many a potential entrepreneur. But with multi-level marketing you can set up for a very small outlay and with a bit of hard work and patience you could be earning a full time income within two years - even less than that if you can work on it full time.
How much time it takes to make money online is a very personal thing. With passion and drive, anything is possible. I have heard stories of people making big money very fast indeed - I believe Johnnie Wimbrey of Success University made a fortune within a few months. However, this kind of success story is the exception rather than the rule and takes an extraordinary amount of commitment and drive. If you think you have what it takes then jump in with both feet!
However, too many people join online multi-level marketing programs in the belief that they have to do very little to earn a lot. This is simply not true. The online marketing business is hard work.
That hard work, though, brings many rewards. I work all day at this business, but I enjoy it, and I love the fact that I am at home, without a daily commute - and I actually look forward to Monday mornings! It gives me the flexibility to take time off when I need to, knowing that I can make money even when I am not at my computer!
If you are seriously looking for ideas to make money fast please don’t fall into the trap of thinking that a home business will make you rich overnight for very little effort. Many people become disillusioned because they are not making a profit within a few weeks. However, if you want a serious business that will give you financial freedom within a couple of years, then you are definitely looking in the right place!
Ros Bott
For ideas for starting a home business, go to my website below:
In years to come, the early 21st century may well be described as the internet age.In the last ten years, internet use has increased by ten times.There are now approximately 1407 million people using the internet compared to 147 million in 1998.That makes for a very steep line graph!
What does that mean for the self employed? Is financial freedom online a possibility for our future?
If you thought affiliate marketing was all about greed and scams, think again. At the heart of this growing industry is the necessity of helping others to succeed. While most affiliate marketing tips will be about how to get sales, leads and sign-ups, I also want to say that if you are concentrating on how it benefits you alone, then you are missing the point.
Affiliate marketing, or multi-level marketing, relies on an active downline. The success you feel when you get your first sign-up is great - but it is not, and should never be, the end of that particular achievement. You now need to build a relationship: one of trust and helpfulness. The way this industry works is by helping others to succeed - that’s why I like it so much.
Personally, I love it when I get an email from one of my affiliates - or from someone who has not yet signed up and is looking for some advice. I enjoy being helpful, and I get a real buzz from the gratitude I receive when I have tried to help someone honestly.
Here are a few tips for dealing with questions from potential sign-ups or affiliates:
1. Most importantly, be honest. If someone asks you how long it takes to make money (as many of them will), don’t pretend that it can happen overnight just to try and get a sale. This will only lead to disillion and distrust when they are still struggling after a few months, and they are more likely to give up at that point. I would rather have five affiliates who are prepared to work hard and give it time, than 100 affiliates who don’t think they need to do anything!
2. Be considerate. It’s insensitive to try and get someone to buy into your really expensive program if you know they have very little money. Instead, guide them into a free program or a free trial, and give them as much help as you can in free marketing. You may not gain financially from them at first, but once they get going they could turn into a high earning affiliate.
3. Be friendly. Offer yourself as a friend and mentor. People who are completely new to the business may feel lost at first, and knowing that there is someone they can turn to for honest advice will make them feel secure and that they are not alone.
4. Be patient. People can ask odd questions sometimes - and sometimes they don’t always understand your words or the system. Remember that people who don’t have English as a first language often find it very difficult. Try to answer questions with clarity and be happy for them to ask as much as they need.
5. Be Yourself. A personal email is so much better than a pre-printed standard letter. Of course you will use these at times, but when dealing with an individual, always take the time to write and apply yourself to their particular issues. Allow your personality to come through the email so that people feel they are dealing with a real human being.
6. Offer more than they ask. Think hard about how you can help someone. You may know of something that they hadn’t even thought of. For example, I sometimes suggest to people who want to upgrade but can’t afford to that they do some paid surveys, which can help them earn the money they need. Always try to give back more than they have asked for - they will thank you for it.
Most of the people I know in this industry are helpful and honest. Not only that, but some of the programs are built around helping others: for example, Success University.
One of the most rewarding things in life is being able to make a contribution to other people. If you are someone who wants to benefit others, then an online home business could be just the thing.
I am a career life coach and writer and I live in the UK, close to the historic town of Stratford-upon-Avon.
I have found that affiliate marketing and the personal development industry are extremely strongly linked, which is why I have added a motivational flavour to my website (www.wealth-city.com) and the way I run my business.
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I have been interested in personal development for many years and I am passionate about the power of positive thought and the law of attraction. I know, through experience, that we create whatever we believe in.
I started in network marketing towards the end of 2007, and I love the amount of support and motivational material there is available for people in this business, if they are prepared to look. I am so eager to help people in this business, I also offer a motivational newsletter to anyone who signs up as an affiliate under me!
My main interest is history - particularly family history, and I write novels that usually have a historical twist.
I am a career life coach and writer and I live in the UK, close to the historic town of Stratford-upon-Avon.
I have found that affiliate marketing and the personal development industry are extremely strongly linked, which is why I have added a motivational flavour to my website 
