I’ve Made A Huge Decision!
Well, I've finally been able to do it, at just 25 years old I am walking away from my well paid 'day job' which I have a degree in, to pursue my career in affiliate marketing. I'm sure you're thinking I must be crazy!
This is something I have wanted to do for a long while now and I have spent the last 12 months seriously building up to it, I have put in 40 hours plus each week into my online venture along side my 40 hour a week 'day job'. But why am I walking away from a guaranteed, well paid income for this? There are several reasons:
- I love making money, I always have and I always will.
- I love being my own boss.
- I love being able to take holidays when I choose to take holidays.
- I love having a performance based income, the harder I work and the more effort I put in then the better I am rewarded.
- I'm good at it and most importantly I enjoy it!
It's Not An Easy Decision to Make
Making this decision has not come lightly for me and I have spent the last 12 months thinking it through, looking at contingencies and ensuring it's financially viable enough to work. But one thing which has been a major influence for me, and this isn't through logic or reason, is that it feels right. There will come a point when you are working online and you get to a point when it begins to take over your life and this is exactly what it has done for me. I have come to a point in my online career where I either pursue it or I walk away from it...for good...forever! And this was not something I wanted, you may hear people talk about tipping points, well that was mine. I neither want to, nor am I able to, pursue two careers side by side successfully and overall internet marketing won.
Making Preparations
There are several things I am currently doing to get ready for my new job, I categorise the main things into fun ones and boring ones. The fun ones involve getting my office setup, buying a new chair and a better desk along with a few other must have gadgets...I mean accessories :). Of course there are then the boring things such as sorting out a better bank account, re-organising my workload and priorities.
My Advice to You
I know that there are a lot of people out there who want to work full time online but may think it's out of their reach but it's not. If you are working online for some of your time at the moment then before considering going full time there are a few things you need to do or think about (which I have done) to move things forward.
- Ensure you have reserve financial backing for a few months should things not go as expected and you have to try and find a new job.
- Working online and building an online business is not easy, it isn't the 3 hours a day job that people say it is...well not initially anyway. I am under no misapprehension that I am going to have to work hard at this to get where I want to be but that's hard work I am more than willing to put in.
- Be prepared for social isolation. This is one area where I am going to struggle, I love socialising and I love working with people. This will be the first time in my life where I will potentially go all day without speaking to a sole. The ways I plan to overcome this are by keeping my evenings free (currently taken up by my soon to be new full time job) and take breaks in the day to go out.
- Be prepared to get fat and unfit. I don't think so, I'm a very active person and I usually cycle around 10 miles a day (to and from work) which will obviously stop so to combat this I now have a new bike and I will cycle every day before I come back to start work in my office.
The last thing I would say to you is that anything is achievable, if you want something enough you will make it happen. Don't tell yourself "I'd like to have a sports car like that", tell yourself "I will have a sports car like that". Dreams do come true.
Good for you Ben. I was almost there. Then had ten sites deindexed in one day :( Obviously, I’ll be waiting a while. Good luck with your new found freedom. I’ll be following you soon; hopefully.
@TzuVelli -
Thank you for your kind wishes. That’s not good at all, were they BANS sites?
You certainly will, I believe anyone can do it if they believe in themselves enough.
Ben
Congrats Ben – the right move if you’re ready which it sounds like you are.
I’d studied law at University – had a job set up at a top law firm in London – all my qualifications complete – and I jumped ship into the internet before starting in London back in 2004.
Lived off just 8 grand the first year!
It was a fine line at the time – but no regrets here.
A thanks also for your review of N1way – which is what I originally came here to say.
Best and good luck,
Kelvin
Good for you. I got into affiliate marketing in 2005. 2 years later I was let go in a downsizing move by the company I worked for. I sweated it out for a month looking for another job, then it dawned on me, I have a part-time income with my websites, why don’t I streamline it, develop some more sites and go at it full time. Well, it’s paid off and it’s been working. Last year I made 3x what I did at the job I got laid off from, so it was a blessing in disguise. Wish I had the ability to walk away from that job rather than getting forced out, but getting forced out really let a fire under my ass and I love working for myself. While I don’t have a site like you do or others (shoemoney, mark h, etc) – I enjoy everybody’s readings. Gotta have balls to be a risk taker and succeed you will.
Good decision Ben and good luck with it. I already make more money than when I had a 9-5 and life is good :) As for socialising, don’t fall into the instant messenger trap. I used to chat to folk all day on MSN/Yahoo and had to work long hours to catch up. Lesson learned.:)
@Kelvin –
Thanks a lot, I am truly looking forward to it, I know if I don’t do it now I never will. It sounds like you were in a similar situation to me in some ways and its worked out very well for you which is great.
I read through the entire guide all at once and loved it, I am in the process of going through it again though, there are lots of things in there that have made me think somewhat differently in my approach.
Good luck with the guide & the new business,
Ben
Well done, Ben!
There is nothing quite like the freedom of working for yourself. Putting in 10+ hours a day on your own business is a walk in the park compared to 8 hours of drudgery working for someone else.
Mazel tov!
Olivia
Congradulations. You are my hereo. This is a win-win thing for all of us.
Ben –
Good day my friend and congrats on making the choice to do something you WANT versus have to do! You have all of my best wishes for success, but I KNOW you will do well, based on what I see fropm you in all areas of your online efforts!
Oh – and you 4 things in the list… #3 – yup! You can get rather isolated. #4 – Absolutely! I have an elliptical machine right next to me as I write this… at least 20 minutes every day!
Best wishes Ben!!
Mark
Thank you all so much for your kind wishes, I honestly can’t wait to get started, I am quite restricted at the moment for time so it will be great to be able to get my teeth into it so to speak.
@kev – Yes I have been thinking about this, BBC iPlayer will be going on my banned list of sites otherwise I may sit watching that all day :).
@Oliva – I agree completely, I will work as many hours as I need to for myself because essentially it’s performance based, working for someone else is just not the same.
@Mark – Thank you for that, I appreciate it. I know you put a lot of work into your own online ventures and it’s always people like yourself who have inspired me to be able to finally say I am able to work for myself.
Got the new bike yesterday so plenty of exercise should stop me from seizing up :)
Thanks everyone,
Ben
Good for you my friend. This is my dream as well. But with a wife and kids I have to wait and make sure my online ventures get to the point where they are consistent month after month.
With ebay continuing to change their rules, I have to watch that closely before making any moves. But I know I will get there as it’s something I love doing.
Enjoy yourself because even though you may work harder at this than your day job, I wouldn’t even consider it work if you love it.
@Jay =
Thanks a lot for that mate, I have less commitments and it makes the decision a lot easier to make, but as you say your time will come soon enough I’m certain.
Ben
Make sure your business model is not based on one script or one product. I use BANS I use PHPBay I have affiliated with many advertising networks and even do adsense, Clickbank I could go on and on … don’t settle on just one script, one product, one site or one merchant! You will be very glad in the long run if all your eggs are not in one basket that way if a search engine takes favor against one of your scripts or types of sites it will not effect all of them!
Congratulations Ben. I wish you all the best. I think that many people are starting to realize that their day jobs are not as secure as they thought. I believe if you work smart and persevere you can make a good living online. Again, congratulations.
Congratulation Ben you are an inspiration to all of us
Hey Ben,
Just read your post. Very inspiring, and well done for making the leap!
Although I’m still working for “The Man”, I do work fulltime at home, and echo what you say about isolation etc. The first year that I worked from home, coincided with a relationship failing. I just didn’t want to go out, I could feel social skills declining, I literally became a hermit. Luckily you have support of a lot of people around you. Just make sure you get out and see daylight too. I had a period where I didn’t need to leave the house, so I wouldn’t … literally for up to a week at a time!
These days it much better, out on school run twice a day. Have a great partner and son. Gym three times a week. Plus a fairly active social life with lots of friends and family.
But anyway I’m rambling … good luck with the new venture!
Cheers
Tom
No the sites were not BANS they were phpBay / WP sites. I built them hastily. And then promptly forgotten about. But, they made good money. I just did not get back around to them in time. They were definitely not quality sites. Tey hit to the top of their niche and sat for six months or so. I was lazy and they were bound to get hit at some point.
My own fault really.
Beau
good luck.
hows the BANS guide? is it worth it for someone making $1k/month from it?
Ben,
Congrats. I’ve been earning a living primarily from affiliate marketing for almost 2 years now for pretty much the same reasons you stated above – especially numbers 2 thru 4. I can’t really imagine working a regular job again after doing what I’m doing now. Good luck and I hope it works out well for you.
@Mark – Never do, Mark. I have many income streams and although ePN plays a significant part it’s not the only method of monetization.
@Kevin – Thanks a lot for that, I’m looking forward to it. I currently work in the NHS which is pretty secure so for me this will be a big move.
@Mart – Thanks Mart, appreciate that.
@Tom – The social isolation was something I thought of speaking to you actually, Tom. I will be making a concertive effort to ensure I don’t become isolated. With my new bike I’ll be getting plenty of exercise and hopefully will have the evenings free to socialize.
@Beau – That’s a shame but hopefully you’ll get them back up and performing.
@Living – If your already making 1K a month then it may not be for you but how many sites is that from? If it’s from a couple of sites then I would say you are obviously doing something right but if it’s from 100 sites then the guide may be for you.
Ben
@Kindle 2 – It’s so nice to hear of people doing well from it, there is a lot of skepticism surrounding affiliate marketing and I can understand why but sometimes it’s just nice to heard from people who have made the move and it’s improved their lives.
Ben
Way to go, Ben! Reading this is very encouraging! I look forward to the day when I can quit my day job and write a similar post on my blog.
Keep doing what you are doing, and don’t forget to save for the proverbial rainy day ; )
Rochelle
@Rochelle –
Thank you for your kind wishes, Rochelle. I’m sure it won’t be too far around the corner for you, I know you’ve had a fair few set backs this last year but hopefully things are much improved.
Oh yes that rainy day, I always try and forget about those :).
Ben
Hey there Ben. I came across a comment that you posted over on Suzanne’s blog. Congrats on your leap of faith. Good luck to you.
Respectfully,
Tony
Ben,
You’re lucky in that you have a head start being set up already. I started from scratch without having a job and staying at home with the kids. I was only earning about $200 per month but stuck with it and finally found ways to earn enough to more than make up for the job I used to have. My advice to all the readers hear is to not give up and keep at it. Also, don’t fall for all the sales letters for programs that promise !,000′s of dollars per day. The best thing you can do is follow the advice of people like Ben and others like him – and the best part is that his advice is free.
@ Tony –
Thank you for your kind wishes.
@ Kindle 2 –
I completely agree, I have the circumstances to be able to do this and if my situation were different then going full time may be something I would delay but certainly not abandon.
Your right, it’s so important not to give up, there was a point in my IM career where I did give up and did nothing for around 6 months but boy did I miss it!
It’s nice that so many people like yourself have been successful against the odds in many cases.
Ben
I love working at home and have been doing so since 2001. The only thing for me was that I quit my day job way too soon but for me the working conditions were beyond my control and I couldn’t take it any longer.
I probably should have taken another job but I was to the point that I refused to work for anyone else again.
My goal was to be earning more than I was making before quitting but things at work went south really fast when my bosses, who were married to each other, were going through a divorce and couldn’t keep it out of the work place. It was a nightmare as they were both close friends.
Fortunately for me I was a web designer and already had a few clients. I think I would have gone hungry for a while learning about online marketing.
One definitely wants to keep their day job until they are earning more than at their day job and consitently.
Wow, go for i,t Ben!
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
@James – That was exactly my aim, I wanted to equal what I earned at work which I did and then exceeded it. It hasn’t been an easy or quick decision, I’ve had to give it a lot of thought to ensure I cover every eventuality but essentially I am ready.
@Mandy – Thanks Mandy, I’m looking forward to it.
Ben
Congratts Ben on achieving what most of us would like to achieve: complete indepance. I am sure you will succeed in this, just don’t forget the old affiliate marketing saying: never put all your eggs in one basket. I am looking forward to the next update of your niche store experiment!
Mate, that is a very very big decision but for some reason I know that you will be just fine. And from reading through this post, it looks like something you have been realistic about and thought out very well. All the best and have FUN!!
@Daisy -
Thank you for that, I know it’s going to be hard work but I’ll enjoy the challenge that’s for sure.
@Gerri -
Thanks a lot for that Gerri, I do appreciate it. I’m going to give it my best shot, a lot of thought has gone into it so we’ll see where it takes me. I have high hopes but only time will tell.
Ben
Congratulations Ben, It’s great to see the hard work pay off for you. Your accomplishment can help inspire the rest of us that are still trying to get to the level you are at!
Best of Luck
Gerry
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