Reasons Why Your Affiliate Business Is Doomed To Failure

 Many an online entrepreneur has been in this situation. You keep getting back up because you know there is light at the end of the tunnel. You have tried everything, but sometimes you find it hard opening up your computer and keeping on going. When will all this work pay off? Are my friends and family right after all? Maybe I'm wasting my time and should do something else.

But then it dawns on you what alternatives you have. 9 to 5 working hours, long commutes, annoying coworkers and bosses. The unemployment line and the jobs fairs. Careers days and lack of purpose. Capped wages and job uncertainty. You realise the reasons why you are persevering online, and carry on.

I have found myself in this situation many times. I often ask myself what the best course of action is. But it always comes back to time and financial freedom. I don't want to trade time for money any more. I want something else. I don't want to work for anyone else or trust anyone else with my income level. I don't want to be tied up to a job I have no love for, or with people who don't care for me.

Why Is Your Affiliate Business Doomed

Your affiliate business is never doomed until you are beaten! But for many people they will never achieve the time and financial freedom which they aspire to achieve. Some will give up too easily and blame their business for their shortcomings. Some will try for years only to give up later. But why do so many people struggle when trying to build a profitable online business?

Number 1 - Expectations

One of the top reasons I suspect is our expectations. We see the guru's with their Lamborghini's and expect to have one ourselves soon too. We start our online business fully believing this to be possible but we don't get any results.

For one, it's very easy to 'show your wealth' online. Don't expect every guru to be telling the truth. It's much cheaper to hire a Lamborghini for a day than it is to buy one outright. When it's a business expense you can write it off against expenses. I'm not saying the top online entrepreneurs don't achieve great things, just to keep it in perspective. Also, most people starting an online business aren't interested in Lamborghini's. They want to escape their unhappy jobs and lives. They want something better for themselves.

The second point with expectations is that we can expect something too early to come from a little effort online. When we don't see results we assume our efforts have no effect at all. The truth is that our small actions online will magnify their effect over time. Some take months to get their online business going and some take years. If you can keep positive while also having a firm grounding in reality, it will serve to keep you going for the long haul, rather than spitting out your dummy just because you haven't made huge amounts of money for a tiny little bit of work.

Ask yourself, "Do I really deserve success for the effort I have put in?". Often the answer will be no. Only when you keep going through the difficult times and pursue knowledge as well as profit, will you arrive.

Number 2 - Shiny Object Syndrome

You're doomed to failure online if you believe everything the next 'shiny object' promises you. Jumping from one 'get rich quick' scheme to another is a futile exercise. The problem with the internet is there is too much information. We are overloaded with information. If you start browsing around for programs to teach you how to make money online you will be met with a full email inbox every day.

Information overload leads to inactivity. And this leads to poverty. Just when you are about to take one course of action, another shiny new 'system' arrives which distracts you. Before you can apply the knowledge you have learned, you ditch it for another system which offers an even 'easier' way to do things online!

Number 3 - Distractions

Sticking to your course is difficult online. The shiny distractions, the people in your life and the well meaning friends and family who are trying to persuade you not to pursue the life of your dreams. They will try and distract you, and put you off the idea that you can make money with an internet business. The 'status quo' has a strong pull for people. Going a different route scares people, and they like to be comfortable.

Holding to a regular pattern of work online can present some challenges. Especially if you have a full time job and family commitments. Your employer doesn't want your online business to work either and will undermine you at every chance. They don't want you to be free of your employment if they can't be!

All of these factors will conspire to draw you away from your internet business. No one is interested in your wealth and prosperity - only in maintaining the status quo. So number 3 on my list as to why your affiliate business is doomed to failure are distractions! Avoid distractions and focus wholeheartedly on your internet business whenever you can. Do this regularly and over a long period of time and it will start producing results.

Number 4 - Lack Of Knowledge

If we all had perfect knowledge we would all be living very different lives. But in reality we don't know everything about everything. Our preconceived ideas come from our education, upbringing, location, the people around us and the people we spend most of our time with. Those people who advise you about your internet business - are they entrepreneurs? Are they successful?

The answer is probably not. Despite this we still look to people around us for advice which they couldn't possibly be qualified to give. The problem is, everyone seems to be a self appointed fountain of knowledge for everything!

Starting out with an online business takes some know-how. Despite the fact that an internet business can change your life, most people would prefer to browse free forums and look at YouTube videos for their information. Would a doctor or a lawyer think about doing this for their career? Number 4 in the reasons of why your internet business is doomed to failure is lack of knowledge. But more than that it is the lack of interest in developing that knowledge and continuing to improve.

The Busy Fool - Number 5

Are you being a busy fool? Are you avoiding the important to do the unnecessary? For a long time I was focused on the wrong activities with my online business. I spent far too long creating shiny websites and adjusting images to make them look better. They didn't even get any traffic, much less make any money. In the early stages I just thought people would randomly find my websites. All I had to do (I thought) was put them up and make them look good!

Several years (years of poverty) later, I realised my mistake. Don't be a busy fool online. An affiliate business is performance related. It's not like a job where you can 'wing it' and still get paid at the end of the month. If you don't make any sales, you don't get paid.

Concentrate your time on doing the vital money producing activities after you have learned what is necessary to build an internet business in the right way.

Number 6 - The Wrong Business Model

You can work really hard on your online business and still make no money. Conversely, you can do all the right things and make money much more easily. The difference is knowledge. Having a business model which works for you for the long term is a huge part of this.
Some affiliate products pay you once for a sale. After that the customer belongs to them. Further sales to the customer are not attributed to you, the affiliate. Think about the lifetime value of a loyal customer for a business. If you choose an affiliate program which rewards you for the lifetime value of a customer, you are gearing your activities to be profitable in the future, even after the initial sale.

Membership products allow affiliates to earn month after month for a single sale. Are you using them? Struggling affiliates are missing a trick with this one. Membership sales can last a lifetime for each customer.

Are you using a built in sales team and up-sells? A built in sales team can dramatically improve your bottom line as an affiliate. This is particularly true of high ticket sales. Use all these aspects in conjunction with each other for maximum effect. Sell single items for minimum commission and you will have a long road ahead of you to make your business viable and to quit your job (if that's one of your goals).

Number 7 - Lack Of Momentum

Top affiliates don't dabble with their business. They know it has the potential to transform their lives massively. They take massive action on a daily basis. If you're dabbling with your business maybe it's time to take stock. Do you have what it takes to make it work or is this just a hobby?

Treat your business like a hobby and it will pay you accordingly. Treat it like a real business and it will respond in kind. Remember why you started an online business in the first place. It wasn't to add to your to 'do list' and keep you busy. Remind yourself why you are bothering with an online business. Set some serious heavy weight goals for your business and take action every day to achieve them.

Momentum comes from working hard in a certain direction. When you see results your motivation increases. You learn what works and work harder in those areas. If you lack focus it can become a habit to wander and dawdle. Focus on what you can do to change your state and do something positive for your business.

Number 8 You Don't Set Goals

Your online business is doomed to failure if you don't set any goals. How can you hit a target if you don't know what it is or where it is? If you work consistently but have no goals it could be you are filling time in to distract yourself or keep busy. Most achievements are accomplished through having specific and time bound goals. Goals should be realistic but also they should highly motivate you too.

Reasons Why You Should Start An Online Business

 Whether you are attracted to an internet business because you hate your current job, want to improve your circumstances, or would like a more flexible lifestyle, the internet offers all these opportunities.

Why An Internet Business?

1- Flexibility

Many people come to find themselves with an internet business through necessity rather than deliberate creation. For me, I needed a flexible job which I could work around contract work. It didn't come in often but when the phone rang, I needed to take the work. This presented all kinds of problems. Normal work didn't pay as well and employers didn't want me taking large chunks of time off when the other work came in!

I tried juggling several jobs over a number of years but nothing seemed to fit. At around the same time I was attempting to use e-bay to buy and sell for a bit of extra money. It wasn't until later that I discovered affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing, for those who don't know is a kind of referral selling. You point links from your website to other people's goods and services. The link is tracked so that when you make a sale you are rewarded for it with a commission.

Once you know how to do this you can set up links from your online content to other people's products and services. You can also use paid advertising to find people all over the world to sell to. This was perfect for my work because I could take my laptop anywhere with me and as long as I had an internet connection I could work. It didn't interfere with the work when it came up, I had no boss to answer to so it was the perfect solution.

2 - Automation

There's also a number of other reasons why I chose an internet business - and why you should too! The flexibility of the business was my primary concern. I wanted to be able to choose my own hours so I could take work when it came without any complications. But the other reason I chose this particular model was the ability to use technology to 'leverage' my time and income.

Once I had a website and content up and running, it kept going and I was able to make sales and deliver products without being physically present. This is the 'magic' of an online business. The automation involved with an online business means that you can do the work once and let that work keep running in the background. You can make sales and deliver products over and over through the same piece of content or advert, which can run an virtual autopilot 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year.

Each piece of content you create can send people to a landing page and sell a product. By creating many pieces of content and sharing them online you can build multiple sources of income which can all run continually, working as your own 'automated sales team'.

3 - Ability To Scale

Along with this amazing automation is the ability to scale your business. Because there is no human intervention in the 'sales loop', multiple sales can happen instantaneously through the same platforms. Your content and advertising can be grown over time and scaled instantly (in the case of paid advertising). As your content gets more shares and more people flow through your website and content, your sales grow as a result. If you use paid advertising you can also scale a profitable campaign up easily by increasing your daily budget.

The automation of an online business makes it very easy to scale. In the case of a physical business this often means more staff, sales tools, larger office space and a whole lot more expense and hassle. With an online business everything is already in place. You simply need to send more customers through the automated sales systems with content and/or paid advertising methods.

4 - Low Startup Costs

When I started an online business I did it from my own pocket. I didn't need a massive loan and I worked at a level which suited my budget. An internet business is very cost effective and you can start from scratch from pretty much any budget. If you have more to invest you can grow it faster with paid advertising. But, if you are on a budget like I was when I got started, you can get started easily and cheaply.

With a regular 'bricks and mortar' business there are many overheads to consider. Your costs include a business premises, staff, hardware and stock. Then there's advertising and delivery costs. With an online business you just need a laptop and an internet connection - two things many people already have. Your main cost is getting the right education and learning the best strategy to build on.

5 - Simplicity

Technology has made it much easier than was previously possible to set up your own website and learn how to use simple online platforms to connect people to products and services. Advertising and content creation is now available for anyone to use. Websites can be set up with a few clicks and anyone with an email can learn to use the tools and strategies of online marketers.

Whereas previously website building was the domain of the tech savvy programmer, now anyone can use simple user friendly platforms and programs. An online business sounds like something for a technical person, but anyone can now learn the skills needed to build their own online business.

6 - Control

An internet business gives you control over your life. Of course it takes time to build up to a stage where it can replace your current income. But the flexibility of an internet business means you can work it around your existing employment until you can make this happen.
Once your income is beyond that of your employment, you are in a very good position to take charge of your life. You don't have to do the daily commute, or put up with an uncomfortable working situation. If you don't like your job you can quit. Don't like your boss? Fire him/her!
One of the very best things about an internet based business is the control it gives you over your life. You can also build your work around your lifestyle, rather than the other way round. Most people are forced to put work first in everything they do. Family time, holidays and hobbies all tend to depend and evolve around work. An internet business allows you to prioritize the things in your life which mean the most. It can put you back in the driving seat of your life, both in terms of what you earn and how you spend your time.

7 - Work From Anywhere

Not only does an internet business offer great flexibility in terms of working hours but it also offers you the choice to work from anywhere globally. This appeals to many people who would otherwise be more trapped by conventional work in a localized workplace.
For me, it was the flexibility of being able to choose my own hours and not have a boss. But for many the ability to travel anywhere globally is the most important factor to owning their own online business.
Take your laptop anywhere with an internet connection and work while abroad and travelling.

8 - Learn Life Skills

The skills I have learned from building my own internet business also make me much more employable. I also worked for an internet based company with the skills I learned from my laptop while sitting at home!

Being able to reach people globally and target specific types of people is a great skill and very desirable in business too. I was also able to use the knowledge I learned online to build one of my other physical businesses much more quickly by using both my website building skills and paid advertising.

The internet is a fantastic opportunity for anyone to be able to improve themselves, learn new skills and build another source of income. Skills learned are yours for life, whether or not you continue down the path of building an online business.

9 - Independence

We might believe ourselves to be independent but many of us are very dependent on our work for income. As such, our employers tell us how much we can earn, how much holiday we can take and what we will be doing while at work. Financial independence is the ultimate freedom.

When we are financially independent we can take a holiday whenever we please and work in our own time and on our own agenda. An online business gives you the automation and independence to live life on your terms, without the agenda of an employer running your life.

10 - Sovereignty

Being an owner gives you sovereignty. The ability to call the shots in your business is what many entrepreneurs aspire to. As a business owner your actions determine whether you make a success of your business or not.

Having a successful online business gives you the kind of freedom which most people will never see in their lifetime. The ability to create your own life on your terms is the reward of having worked hard on your business and on yourself.

How to Start a Business

 So, you want to start a plumbing business. This could be a terrific decision, or, it could be the worst idea ever. Starting a plumbing business, or any business really, involves a certain amount of structured thinking to put everything in place, and making sure that you have thought of everything. By following this strategy planning process, you will have covered all the important aspects of getting your planning and strategy in the right place, and this will make the starting of your own plumbing business some 450% more successful.

The Strategy Required to Start Any Business

Starting a plumbing business, a bakery, or a high-tech company all requires the same basic thinking strategy. To remember it best, use the EASI acronym. In this case, E stands for emotion, A for achieving a win, S for simple and straightforward and I for the implementation.

Everybody wanting to start a business should be aware that it is going to involve plenty of challenges, hardships, stress, worry, and a multitude of other issues. The process of starting a business has often been likened to jumping off a cliff, and building an aeroplane on the way down. It will mean sleepless nights, long working hours and the unwavering support of family and friends around you. This is real, and the reason so many start-up businesses fail.

The first step, therefore, is to examine the reasons that you want to start the business in the first place. This involves an examination of the emotions, or feeling behind the rationale of starting your own plumbing business. Everyone will have their own reasons for wanting to start their business. It may be as a last resort as they are unable to find employment in the field, it may be that they hate having a boss, it may be that they want to become extraordinarily wealthy. Whatever the reason, it is essential that the owners of the business, if there are more than one, are aware of the strength of their emotions regarding the venture. This will determine the power of the motivation, the real forces behind the venture, and, with the aid of a skilled consultant, allow the prospective business owners to determine if their vessel will survive the storms on the ocean, or if there needs to be some additional emotional management included.

The second item speaks to the vision, or goal of the organisation. A prospective plumbing business may have as its goal to be a loss leader and therefore a tax write-off. It may be that achieving a win with the business would be familial survival, or putting children through school. Either way, all the owners need to be able, collaboratively, to understand what the goal is and to have a combined vision of the business that everyone can buy into. Without this shared vision, any subsequent planning and strategizing will ultimately be negated and sporadic, with everyone involved having different goals and aims, instead of pulling together in the right direction.

Keep Things Simple and Straightforward

It does not take any real skill to make things more complex. The real genius in any situation is to make things more simple. This line of thinking is propagated by all the top entrepreneurs such as Richard Branson, Bill Gates, and Elon Musk. Albert Einstein often used to say that if you couldn't explain a thing to a six-year-old, you didn't understand it yourself. In light of this strategic thinking, the next piece of advice is to keep all your plans and strategies simple and straightforward. Set a goal that everyone involved, all the stakeholders, can buy into. See where you currently are, and plan a way to get to that goal that all concerned can understand, appreciate, and take ownership of.

The final step in setting up a new plumbing business is to implement the strategy. Without a rigorous implementation strategy and plan, all the goal-setting and personal examination of business vision and motivation will just become a distant wish. Implementation plans fall into five basic categories; overall business strategy, financial planning, human resources and communications, sales and marketing, and project management. All businesses must be able to conduct planning with respect to these five regions of business expertise in order to be successful.

Implementing Your Plumbing Business Strategy

The first step in initiating the plan within all the five sectors that need examination is to complete a real, practical, and genuine business plan. Having gone through the initial strategic thinking process as outlined above, compiling an overall business plan should be relatively easy. Nevertheless, failing to spend sufficient time aligning a business plan to the strategy will mean that the business is also likely to fail, because one of the well-known factors in determining business success is that more than 80% of successful businesses have determined their overall strategy in detail, aligned the business plan, gone into each aspect of the business plan in detail, and repeat this strategic thinking process regularly amongst all the stakeholders.

Once the business plan has been compiled in detail, with all the necessary inputs being not only realistic but pragmatic as well, then the detailed considerations in each of the five business aspects can begin. This should dovetail with the business plan, but expand on the details simply stated in the plan to some extent. In the case of a plumbing business as we are considering here, some of the parameters in these five aspects of the business will be examined. Not in an attempt to intimidate any prospective plumbing entrepreneurs, but rather in an attempt to illustrate the importance of this strategic thinking process, and the reasons why it should be conducted in detail, and why utilising effective and experienced business consultants will not only increase the chances of success, but probably save substantial money in the medium to long term.

Five Business Areas to Conduct Planning

These five business areas, as related to a plumbing business, are strategy, financial, sales and marketing, human resources and communications, and projects. Overall strategy has been discussed in some detail, and following the above instructions will guarantee success in this regard.

The financial planning aspect when starting a plumbing business is of crucial importance. A detailed understanding of potential income, and expenditures related to the running of the business need to be examined. Whereas these are obviously tied in the overall strategy, the practical aspects of a plumbing business will need to be added by the stakeholders, using their experience and knowledge of the field. Office premises, the maintenance of stock and supplies, transport, and the ability to survive until the income exceeds the costs needs to be determined. All potential financial considerations, such as stakeholder input, the possibility of generating loans and financial support and receiving up-front payments all need to be planned in great detail.

Income of a plumbing business is directly related to the amount of work undertaken and the charges levied on this work. In an overall sense, the amount of income must exceed the costs of the business, and the aim of any sales and marketing plan is to ensure that this is, in fact, the case. With the advent of social media and the internet, the avenues available to market a business have increased exponentially. The starting point for any plumbing business, like any service related business, is to determine in as much detail as possible who exactly the people are that would be providing the business with revenue. These people, as a whole, are called the buying persona of the business. A plumbing business may, for instance, decide to stay small and provide after-hours services to family and friends, or it may target large corporate projects and tenders. Or anything in between. The better any prospective plumbing organisation understands exactly the behaviour, like, needs, wants, and aims of their prospective market the better they will fare. The example here is that a plumber who caters to the lower end of the economic market would use more print media and posters to advertise the business, while a plumber catering to an upper market segment may elect to use social media more since richer people have smartphones and will be reachable using digital platforms.