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New Member here! Introduction and a quick question.

by jonathancarmel
29 replies
Hello everyone,

I'm a new member to the warrior forums and I've been looking around for the last few weeks and it is unbelievable the amount of fantastic information you can find, everyone is so helpful! I never thought I would ever find such a great community for helping each other to learn these particular skills. Thanks to all the great contributors!

Just some quick background, about a year ago I moved out of the US for an amazing job overseas but little did I know the company was actually in its death throes and so a few weeks ago the company notified everyone that it would be close and I found myself in a foreign country without a job and with bills to pay. A friend of mine here had been doing affiliate marketing for the past year or two and highly recommended that I give it a shot before giving up and moving back to the US (since I love it here and dream of being able to travel and work).

Basically my question is this, my friend not only recommended to me to start an affiliate website, but he also said that we would mentor me through the process. We are going to be splitting the cost for a high profile niche domain. However, all other marketing costs for the rest of the websites duration are going to be paid for in full by me and we are going to be splitting the profits 50/50. Does this make sense? Is this worth it?

Also, I'm a very capable writer but I'm not quite sure how to capitalize on this skill to earn a few bucks to pay bills. I went on freelancer and feel like I'm being taken advantage of there (I wrote 60 articles for $30...), do you have any other suggestions?
#introduction #member #question #quick
  • Profile picture of the author adamreilly1997
    You're best bet would be probably be to do the affiliate website with your friend but let me tell you this, you won't make enough money to pay the bills over night. Many of us affiliate marketers enter affiliate marketing thinking that it's possible to make thousands in our first month but then we realize there's so much to learn and it takes a lot of hard work.

    If your friend is an experienced affiliate marketer already making money with affiliate marketing then you'd be better off splitting the profits 50/50 with him than starting out on your own. You could start your own affiliate sites later on when you've made enough money and have enough experience in affiliate marketing.
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    • Profile picture of the author jonathancarmel
      Thanks for the quick reply!

      Yeah, I wasn't expecting to make money in the first few months but I have a little money saved for bills and I have some friends who wouldn't mind me couch surfing for a few weeks either. I know that it will most likely be 6 months before we see any substantial amount of revenue, I'm just worried that there might be better avenues to take in starting my first affiliate website. For example, coaches on the forums seem like they might be very helpful.

      And yeah, the plan is definitely to start my own later down the line once I have the hang of everything. But I'm still finding myself wanting to find a way to earn a little bit of money doing some work outside of the website, and I'm not sure how I can do that.
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  • Profile picture of the author adamreilly1997
    If you learn the right information from the start it would be possible to make money in your first few weeks. Don't get discouraged by what I said about expecting to make thousands per month, it does not mean you can't make money in your first month.

    Here's my top tip for you, build a list from the start. You don't need to spend money on this you could even use a free service. I used listwire a few times which is free.
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    • Profile picture of the author jonathancarmel
      Actually, that was one thing I didn't quite understand from my reads. So you recommend building a mailing list from the start, but I don't quite understand why. Let me see if I have this correct:

      - I build a splash page offering a newsletter in exchange for the visitor's email address.
      - I use Listwire's service which allows me to effectively keep track of emails, as well as blast my list with newsletters/articles whenever I want
      - When my affiliate site is done, I can link my newsletters back to the affiliate website to generate traffic? My friend mentioned that the traffic is pretty awful generally, is that true?

      Basically not sure what lists are meant to do other than generate traffic. Is it possible to directly monetize a list? Also, how often should I be sending content to my list and it should be informative to my niche, correct?
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  • Profile picture of the author ChrisMcDonald
    Welcome to the forum Jonathan!

    My very best advice to you, which I would take into consideration very carefully, is to NOT go into business with your friend (the same goes for a family member). For the most part, it just doesn't work. Personal life and business life can easily mix and the boundaries can blend far too easily and chances are you'll be kicking yourself for a long time to come.

    The above is mostly relevant if things go bad - nobody gets an easy ride 100% of the time, unfortunately, but there are some out there who are very lucky, either through their own actions or it just happens that way.

    If you do decide to enter this venture with your friend, don't overcommit too early by promising the earth to him. You say you're a competent writer, yet you've totally undersold yourself by writing for rates like that on Freelancer - assuming they were at least 500 words each, that means you charged a ridiculously low $.001 per word. Some of the worst writers charge 10 times that at $0.01, with some charging up to $0.05 per word, that I've seen.

    Look around here some more, at the different sections where people are looking for writers, and take a look at the Warriors for Hire section where writers are plugging themselves - benchmark yourself to them.
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    • Profile picture of the author jonathancarmel
      Thanks Chris! I'll keep all of that in mind over the next few days before I make my final decision.
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  • Profile picture of the author prismkuet
    Welcome to warrior. Yes, it is a great place for sharing ideas and people here are really helpful.
    Regarding your question, you know how much you are investing and what is your friends experience regarding affiliate marketing. Getting support from an experienced one will be much helpful for you. If your friend is really good in affiliate marketing, you can share 50/50. But if not, keep in mind that, it is not an easy job.Don't think that, millions of dollars are waiting for you and you can collect within very short time. Think twice before investing because you are not in your country and you need to return their.
    Internet marketing requires lots of hard work and patience to get the feedback.
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    • Profile picture of the author jonathancarmel
      Originally Posted by prismkuet View Post

      Welcome to warrior. Yes, it is a great place for sharing ideas and people here are really helpful.
      Regarding your question, you know how much you are investing and what is your friends experience regarding affiliate marketing. Getting support from an experienced one will be much helpful for you. If your friend is really good in affiliate marketing, you can share 50/50. But if not, keep in mind that, it is not an easy job.Don't think that, millions of dollars are waiting for you and you can collect within very short time. Think twice before investing because you are not in your country and you need to return their.
      Internet marketing requires lots of hard work and patience to get the feedback.
      Yeah, the investment will most likely be $10,000 for the first 6 months. According to him (although I have no proof), he was making over $1k a day before the penguin update and he's doing a lot of contract SEO/marketing work for other companies so I know he's definitely proficient. To the extent that I would wager $10k on a 50/50 which most likely won't be earning for a few months is the risk...not sure if I'm willing to take it yet since that's everything I have (and more). Thanks for the input!
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      • Profile picture of the author ChrisMcDonald
        Originally Posted by jonathancarmel View Post

        Yeah, the investment will most likely be $10,000 for the first 6 months. According to him (although I have no proof), he was making over $1k a day before the penguin update and he's doing a lot of contract SEO/marketing work for other companies so I know he's definitely proficient. To the extent that I would wager $10k on a 50/50 which most likely won't be earning for a few months is the risk...not sure if I'm willing to take it yet since that's everything I have (and more). Thanks for the input!
        As an Accountant by trade, I strongly advise you to NOT put ALL your money into one basket like this. You'll have nothing if it fails. Besides, it seems like a huge amount to invest...how friendly are you with this guy?
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        • Profile picture of the author jonathancarmel
          Originally Posted by ChrisMcDonald View Post

          As an Accountant by trade, I strongly advise you to NOT put ALL your money into one basket like this. You'll have nothing if it fails. Besides, it seems like a huge amount to invest...how friendly are you with this guy?
          Quite friendly, although not my best friend. But he's definitely trustworthy and he's going to be making an initial investment of $5k which means he's going to be pushing it hard to succeed as well. And well...I don't really have much of a choice at the moment. Also, the main theme of this forum is "Take Action", and that's precisely what I've decided to do. In this case I will be putting myself into a position where I MUST succeed, and I know that's why I will.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rose Anderson
    Jonathan,
    You might consider running an ad for writing services on this forum. It only cost $20 and you can then link to it in your signature. This is a good way to make some cash until your affiliate business starts bringing in money.

    Rose
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    • Profile picture of the author jonathancarmel
      Originally Posted by Rose Anderson View Post

      Jonathan,
      You might consider running an ad for writing services on this forum. It only cost $20 and you can then link to it in your signature. This is a good way to make some cash until your affiliate business starts bringing in money.

      Rose
      Thanks Rose, that's a great idea! I'll give that a shot, although I'm wondering if it might be better for me to spend the money to join the war room in anticipation of my affiliate website or if I should use the money to get started writing...I guess both is an option as well.
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      • Profile picture of the author ChrisMcDonald
        Originally Posted by jonathancarmel View Post

        Thanks Rose, that's a great idea! I'll give that a shot, although I'm wondering if it might be better for me to spend the money to join the war room in anticipation of my affiliate website or if I should use the money to get started writing...I guess both is an option as well.
        If you want to start writing money here right away, it's very easy to do so, just don't undersell yourself mate.

        You sound like you're driven which is a great attitude to have from the start, however the fact that you're asking for advice means you're not entirely sure where to start which makes me question how convinced you are by this friend of yours, that's all.

        I earned a few hundred dollars in my first month by writing and you could do too, easily! Why don't you:
        • Grab yourself a domain and hosting.
        • Put some samples on your site with writing offers.
        • Create a Warriors for Hire post with a promotional offer, directing them to your new site - by registering their details, you're also developing a list (as long as they agree to opt-in).
        • Put your website in your sig with something catchy.
        • Hey presto
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        • Profile picture of the author jonathancarmel
          Originally Posted by ChrisMcDonald View Post

          If you want to start writing money here right away, it's very easy to do so, just don't undersell yourself mate.

          You sound like you're driven which is a great attitude to have from the start, however the fact that you're asking for advice means you're not entirely sure where to start which makes me question how convinced you are by this friend of yours, that's all.

          I earned a few hundred dollars in my first month by writing and you could do too, easily! Why don't you:
          • Grab yourself a domain and hosting.
          • Put some samples on your site with writing offers.
          • Create a Warriors for Hire post with a promotional offer, directing them to your new site - by registering their details, you're also developing a list (as long as they agree to opt-in).
          • Put your website in your sig with something catchy.
          • Hey presto
          Actually that's a really great idea. I was so entrenched in the idea that I should be promoting a product on my website, that I didn't realize I could create one to promote myself as well. Thanks!
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          • Profile picture of the author ChrisMcDonald
            Originally Posted by jonathancarmel View Post

            Actually that's a really great idea. I was so entrenched in the idea that I should be promoting a product on my website, that I didn't realize I could create one to promote myself as well. Thanks!
            No problem - you can do it all yourself, just be sure to set yourself some realistic goals that help you along the way!
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  • Profile picture of the author bizoppmaster
    I would suggest you start small and easy. Begin with email submits (CPA offers), driving traffic to your affiliate links via youtube, craigslist and facebook. You don't even need a website and you will get paid weekly!
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    • Profile picture of the author lite0009
      I am new to the affiliate marketing. I am wondering if it is a good idea to start with free website, something like Jimdo. I can build a free website very quickly but office course I find that there are a lot of limits I can do with free website. Can anyone give advice about this topic? Thanks.
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      • Profile picture of the author The Real Deal
        Let me first say that you seem to have a great "can do" attitude and if you friend was making $30k per month before Penguin he probably knows a fair bit about SEO, which is great!

        The thing that has me the most worried, (apart from the solid advice by Chris about it usually not being a good idea to go into business with friends, which I don't always follow myself btw!) is this part:

        Originally Posted by jonathancarmel View Post

        We are going to be splitting the cost for a high profile niche domain. However, all other marketing costs for the rest of the websites duration are going to be paid for in full by me and we are going to be splitting the profits 50/50. Does this make sense? Is this worth it?
        Originally Posted by jonathancarmel View Post

        Well he's going to be putting down another $5000 himself. This is so we can acquire a top tier domain for our niche and start earning as quickly as possible, does that sound like an exorbitant amount for 6 months? I mean we are spending $5-6k on a domain name and then like $1-2k per month on marketing.
        Do I understand it correctly that he is helping you guys acquire a top tier domain name for $5k and paying for that, and you then pay for the rest?

        This might be completely legit but you should realize that domain prices can vary a lot depending on where and when you buy/sell the domain name...

        I wrote a story the other day that you can read here about a guy who sold a domain name for $1,400 and then the same domain was re-sold a few weeks later for $151,000. Now, this is an unusual story to say the least, the opposite is much more common!

        What I am getting at is that, are you really sure that:

        a) You need a $5,000 domain name to launch the type of site you are building. (Although if you can afford it and its a long-term project a great domain is so worth it in 5 years from now...)

        b) That the price you have been quoted for the domain is real and correct, and that the domain name is actually worth that much!?

        Here is a good tool that you can use to search for previous domain sales for any keyword you want, (but if you are not used to pricing domains you may not be able to interpret the results too well...just as an example there is a huge price difference between a top level .com and .net)

        DN Sale Price

        I own about 2500 domain names myself so I have bought and sold a few over the years . If you want to get an independent opinion you can shoot me a PM with your domain and I can tell you what I think its worth. It wouldn't give you a market value, but at least make sure that you are not completely overpaying...

        Alternatively you can head over to somewhere like DNForum and get a valuation from the members there, (they have a special section for that in the forum).

        One of the most important aspects to making money online is targeted traffic and if your friend is truly knowledgeable about SEO it could well be worth your investments just for getting mentored by him. I have made millions online from SEO traffic so I know what that knowledge is worth...but on the other hand if this is the last money you have and it will determine if you can live your dream or not, you need to be careful with how you spend it!

        In any case, good luck!
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      • Profile picture of the author cjreynolds
        I'm not a seasoned marketer myself, but some things just jump out at me when I read your posts.

        You say your friend was bringing in 1K/day before the penguin update? Are you saying that his entire business was killed by the penguin? If that's the case, your friend didn't have an internet business, he had a strategy. You should be learning from someone with a business.

        $15k to start an internet business is not unheard of, and there are plenty of people selling perfectly workable programs/business opportunities for that kind of money. However, there are TONS of ways to make money online, and most don't cost near that much to get started. What country are you in now? What's the cost of living like? Can you get by for several months on 10K where you're at? That might be a better use for your money right now... Something to tide you over until you find a business that works for you.

        Your friend may be as trustworthy as he can be, but that won't help if he doesn't know what he's doing. And there are a LOT of marketers out there that think they know what their doing (just read a few threads here for proof of that :p). You could both go into this with the best of intentions, and still end up with nothing to show for your $10K.

        How bout this - hang around the WF for awhile and learn a bit. After you have a little more of a feel for the business, then re-evaluate your friend's proposition. Maybe by then you'll have some ideas as to how to do some stuff cheaper, and you can go into this with two experienced minds instead of one.

        joe
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      • Profile picture of the author Bill Hugall
        Wow if I had 10k when I started out I would be in a whole heap of debt. I have a friend who spends twice that now just on advertising(true story). Look if you are serious about this and willing to put some serious money into it then I would. Find a mentor and get to it.

        Call it a coach or whatever. Tristan Bull is member here and he has never lead me a stray. You will need to know exactly what to do and how to do it right away to make yourself a quick success. This business doesn't require that type of start up. I don't where your friend has been or who he is, but I would want to see all his records.

        He must show me a profit!!!!!!! This is your future... You can make 25k in your first month with that money. If your friend is that good at this he could set the whole thing up for 1k and make profit the first month. With 80% of that going to good solid paid advertising. Wow you are in quite the pickle. I say do it yourself. With that kind of money and the "right" teacher you would be up and running fast. Good luck and welcome to the warrior forum.
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  • Profile picture of the author adamreilly1997
    Woah, $10,000 just to create a site with another affiliate and you'll only be getting 50% of the profits? I think you'd be crazy to do that, and with 10,000 dollars you could easily learn affiliate marketing yourself, make your own site and make money with it.
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    • Profile picture of the author jonathancarmel
      Originally Posted by adamreilly1997 View Post

      Woah, $10,000 just to create a site with another affiliate and you'll only be getting 50% of the profits? I think you'd be crazy to do that, and with 10,000 dollars you could easily learn affiliate marketing yourself, make your own site and make money with it.
      Well he's going to be putting down another $5000 himself. This is so we can acquire a top tier domain for our niche and start earning as quickly as possible, does that sound like an exorbitant amount for 6 months? I mean we are spending $5-6k on a domain name and then like $1-2k per month on marketing.
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  • Profile picture of the author Aliasjackjones
    Welcome to WF its a really great community, you'll find everything you need to get started here. I suggest if you need some quick cash you could start with CPA the industry.
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    • Profile picture of the author jonathancarmel
      Originally Posted by Aliasjackjones View Post

      Welcome to WF its a really great community, you'll find everything you need to get started here. I suggest if you need some quick cash you could start with CPA the industry.
      I'm sorry, but would you mind expanding on what you mean by "CPA the industry"?
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  • Profile picture of the author webmonopoly
    Your going to have to have a really tight plan and work together like glue if your expecting to be pulling in profit within a few months. And i hope that you guys are together during the purchase of this domain so that you can actually see what hes paying for it. Think twice before going 50/50 on a project because there's no going back, and if its a great idea and it takes off you will be kicking yourself later for not doing it all yourself. I'm currently 50/50 with my brother right now on a site and im trying to buy him out LOL.
    Sounds like a really cool idea tho, who's designing/coding the site?
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  • Profile picture of the author Techno3
    New Member Here Love from Pakistan.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kragsig
    Originally Posted by jonathancarmel View Post

    However, all other marketing costs for the rest of the websites duration are going to be paid for in full by me and we are going to be splitting the profits 50/50. Does this make sense? Is this worth it?
    Welcome Jonathan!

    I think it's a great deal you have with your friend if he is experienced. Then you can learn from him. No way you can get a better offer...

    Having a mentor is alpha and omega and cut your learning curve significally!

    Just ensure you learn the things you find difficult now. Everything if getting easier when you repeat it!

    Like other says affiliate marketing can be a little bit weird. Somedays you earn okay and other days you earn nothing..

    If you have great writing skills you could try kindle out or maybe start a thread in warriors for hire section. If your skills are great and you gain a nice reputation you can earn lots of money..
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