Archive for My Journey
Where Are You Now?
Posted by: | CommentsWell, time continues to blow raspberries at me as it whizzes past my face and I notice that I haven’t updated my blog in almost 2 months.
How many times have I said that I need to change that?
Well, I’ll stop making promises but it is certainly my intention to post more often to my blog. In fact, I do a bi-weekly newsletter with some solid information that I really should have been putting up here as well.
All just goes to show that I am still learning as I go.
Well, it has been nearly 7 months since I quit my job to become a full-time self employed Internet guy. And if you remember that I quit when I wasn’t earning enough from IM to cover my wages but I felt at the time that it was the right move.
So how have things gone?
I can honestly say, that I have never regretted the decision but unless you have the available finances to cover yourself for several months then perhaps it wouldn’t be the right move for many folks.
And what has really surprised me is the amount of opportunities that come your way when you make the decision to commit to something.
In the last few months I have met some extraordinary folks and have been offered some incredible opportunities that I am continuing to work on.
I have expanded into the local business side of things and have seen some great things start to happen and this is an area that I want to expand on in the future as it is something that any of you can pick up and make a great, full-time living from.
I hope that I will be able to give you a lot more information as well as a workable system that will take you from A to Z as well as give you all the resources you need to make money from day one.
I am currently working on a product that will do this and I am even looking into a way that I can provide leads to you from the very start which would mean that you would have a fully functional business with income from the moment you purchase.
Exciting stuff!
And hopefully I can use my experience of quitting my job with very little money coming in and turning it into a success.
They say that 95% of people fail in IM. Well I took the choice that I would be in the 5% because failure was not an option and I am loving every minute of it.
I am a happier person, doing something I enjoy and I’m my own boss. My confidence is building and I can see only good things for the future whereas before I couldn’t see any real future!
And best of all, I have just spent the last 7 months with my wee lad, seeing him every morning, afternoon and evening and having an absolute blast.
My Danny Boy! 
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I lived in fear of doing this for many years, panicking about money, about reputation, about, well, everything.
Then I reached a point where I couldn’t go on and I had to do it. And it truly has been the best decision I ever made so if this helps just one person who is struggling, to give them hope that things aren’t as bad as they seem.
Then that makes me happier still.
Enjoy these moments. They are all too fleeting!
Till next time.
Andy
My Survey Results
Posted by: | CommentsRecently I conducted a survey for my subscribers and I wanted to run through the results as it may provide some inspiration for your own marketing and give you an idea of what people are looking for.
Although it would always be a good idea to survey your own subscribers regularly in order to ensure that you are providing them with the information that they want from you.
So here goes:
It was interesting to see that the responses are spread very evenly. Apart from the mobile marketing, which is perhaps still too new, the old favourites seem to hold sway. I was very happy to see local business marketing getting a good amount of votes as this is an area that I am concentrating more and more of my time on and will be happy to discuss this more.
For a few months now I have been trying to get the frequency of my emails right. I have been doing a bi-weekly newsletter for a while now and by the looks of it, that is a popular option. Although the weekly newsletter gets the most votes which is something I will need to consider. This would also give me more time between newsletters to provide better content as well as more information.
I have to say that I found this result quite interesting as I expected video to get a better response.
On a personal note I am still a bigger fan of written material apart for “how-to” guides which are easier to watch. So I was glad to see that many others agre with me so this is something that I will need to focus on a bit more and if I am able to do a written review along with a video review then I am satisfying a large portion of my audience.
Well, I was glad to see this result!
The big difference between what I do now and when I followed blindly in the beginning is that now I will ONLY recommend products that I have complete faith in. I need to be using them in my business or feel that it would benefit a lot of people in order to recommend it.
This way I can be happy that if I earn money then no-one is feeling let down by me and this is an important aspect to me as a marketer and as a person. I want to earn money, as we all do, but I will ensure that I do it based on my own values and principles.
Of course, some people do not want to be sold to, full stop. And that’s OK as well.
This was another result that kind of surprised me, but not really.
We are so used to buying products and thinking about how much good it will do us, getting excited by the possibilities and then….nothing. We either can’t install it, get it working right or it just won’t do what we though it was supposed to. And then who do you ask??
So if I am recommending a product and I am using it in my own business then it is only right that I try to help the people who buy it to get the most out of it. I believe that is a fair swap and this is something I hope that I can implement into my business going forward.
And that was all the questions I asked.
It has given me a LOT to think about and to try to find solutions to. I really want to help as many people as I can become full-time as I have and that means giving them what they ask for.
Here’s hoping!
Belated Welcome To Dave Nicholson Students
Posted by: | CommentsAs I feel that it is important to continue to move forward in this business of IM I wanted to continue to have a coach or a mentor, someone to whom I can look upon and to emulate and learn from.
And also to help me take my business to the next level.
But additionally I did not want to take myself down a different path that was already taught to me by my previous coach – Alex Jeffreys.
Here’s a random picture of me and Alex in Bristol
My Coach, Alex Jeffreys
My Attempts At Getting Organised!
Posted by: | CommentsThis week I had to pay to keep the domain name
http://www.andy-michaels for one more year.
This means that I have now had my blog up and running
for one whole year. Personally I find it incredible that
I have managed to keep that going.
Admittedly there always seems to be large gaps between
posts and I have said many times that I intend to post
more often but have always failed to do so.
But, wow. What a year I have had.
I Quit…..
Posted by: | CommentsThat’s right. I did.
That is what I told my boss recently as I have just had enough of working for, well, let’s face it, idiots!
The only idiot I am responsible to now is myself. (Wouldn’t get away with calling the wife an idiot!)
And because I still hadn’t put a video on my blog I decided to make a quick vid and stick it on here before I changed my mind.
I haven’t edited it or added anything, I just rolled the camera, blurted some stuff out and put it up here. Just to get me over that mental block I had about posting video of myself.
So here it is. Go easy on me!
Speak Soon!
Bristol Visit Changes Life! How Many Folks Will Ever Say That?
Posted by: | CommentsWow! Where do I start?
This has been a truly excellent week for me and I wanted to share my experiences with my regular readers.
Several weeks ago I was chatting to Tony Shepherd on Skype, who mentioned to me that the LFM Workshop in Bristol was taking place in May. I decided right then that I would be doing my best to attend this event, especially when Tony told me of the marketers who would be attending.
And due to the continuing uncertainty caused by the volcanic ash cloud I decided that my best course of action would be to drive to Bristol. Now I knew that it was an 8 hour drive but even if it had been 20 hours it wouldn’t have stopped me.
And boy, am I glad that I went!
By the Thursday evening I knew that the whole journey and initial expense had been worth it.
I got a chance to meet up with my online buddies James Howard and Sean Beardmore, great to meet you guys!
I had an excellent chat with Cindy Battye of Affiliate Silver Bullet and Clickbank Pirate fame. (sorry about the quality of some of the photos)
Cindy Battye of CBPirate and Affiliate Silver Bullet
I also briefly chatted to JP Schoeffel (SiteProfitBot amongst many others) and the promoters Robert Puddy and Donna Fox .
But perhaps, most importantly for me, I met and chatted to Phil Henderson of StupidlySimpleSEO.com. The information that he had for me could be the difference between hundreds a month and thousands a month. I will pass this info on to you all in due course once I have tested it out a bit more.
And other than Phil, the one guy who certainly knows how to make an impression is the unbelievably entertaining Jonny Andrews. He spent a bit of time telling me about his adventures in Aberdeen as a student. By the end of it the whole bar had gone quiet as Jonny was so loud. I was in stitches with it, and the story was just as funny on Saturday night as well.
Jonny Andrews -10/10 For Entertainment!
And that was just Thursday night!!
I want to share with you some of the info that I learnt from the speakers including Omar Martin, Sterling Valentine, Simon Leung, Martin Avis, Jani G amongst others as well as tell you about the good friends that I have met and made including Tony Newton of Blogflipz fame and David Chamberlain (Remember that name) as well as some of the main players like John Thornhill, Dave Nicholson, Alex Jeffreys, Matt Garrett, Soren Jordensen….the list goes on.
And let me tell you. These guys can drink!!
I will share more over the next couple of days as well as a personal revelation (or revolution) for me. There is just so much to tell from an incredible 4 days.
Stay Tuned!
Launches Are Like Buses. Wait Ages For a Good One Then Two Come At Once!
Posted by: | CommentsYou wouldn’t think that it would be the most difficult thing in the world to do.
Just make a blog post every few days, documenting whats been going on in your business. Well I have failed again! LOL.
Its amazing how time flies by in this business.
Now it just so happened that as soon as I had made the pledge to cut down on my emails that I had 2 consecutive launches that I wanted to be involved with.
The first was Alex Jeffreys Coaching Program 3.0.
As you can imagine I felt very well placed to promote this product as it is due to joining Alex’s 2.0 program that I am here today. I’m certainly not going to go into what Alex can do for you and whats in his course again but all I will say is that if anyone was considering it but it turned out to be too expensive then he is now offering a payment plan.
It is about to close so if you’re interested then you’d best go now!
The other launch was from another AJ student.
I remember Matt Wolfe when the AJ program started. He was a very knowledgable guy, very helpful to all of us on the forum but he actually wasn’t making much money online. He was just like the rest of us in that sense.
But he really has had amazing success in those 7 or 8 months. He now earns 5 figures a month and shows no sign of slowing up.
But more importantly, over the whole process he documented each step he took and decision he made.
So if you have ever wanted an opportunity to see the Alex Jeffreys method in action accompanied by a workable step by step plan of how Matt made his money (and how you could too. You just need to COPY him. ) then here it is.
Matt’s product is called Autopilot Cash Formula and launches on Thursday 15th April and I have a bonus package for it available here => Autopilot Cash Formula Bonus Package
But that’s it for launches from me for a few weeks. There has just been too many recently.
It’s important that if you do buy one of these products that you learn from it AND TAKE ACTION!
That’s the only way that success will follow.
Best Regards
Andy
Every Day’s A School Day!
Posted by: | CommentsBlimey O Reilly. Its the 23nd February and I haven’t posted here since the 8th January. That is very naughty of me. So that’s what, 6 weeks of stuff to tell you about!!
Ha ha, I won’t do that but I will try to fill you in on how things are going for me and what I have learnt in those 6 weeks.
I did think that I should start to put more informative posts on my blog. You know the kind. How to fix z problem, How to get y traffic, How to put x on your blog. But actually. That’s really not me.
I find it easier just to talk about what has been going on with my business. The thing is I know that most people aren’t interested in me personally but if they can see that I can go from zero to where I am now and pick up some useful tips or incentive then that’s good enough for me.
So whats happened in the last 6 weeks?
Sticking to my IM business alone and not the fact that my 2 month old son has absolutely blown me away and made me feel more content that at any time before then things have been going well.
For the first month ever I am actually in credit. I received my first Clickbank payout of $572.46 as well as a few Paypal payments to add up to over $600 in commissions. And I’m due another $300 plus already. This is a monumental achievement for me and has given me the confidence that I absolutely WILL be successful at this.
I have continued to grow my list which now stands at over 2,500 and I have just launched my 2nd product to giveaway which is called “On The Double” Product Creation. Here’s a look at the ecover.
"On The Double Product Creation
If you want to learn how to create products in double quick time then please just add your name and email address to the form below the picture and I’ll get it straight over to you.
I’ve also learnt to think more like a marketer than a customer. Its a strange feeling to be more involved on the inside looking out than on the outside desperate to get in.
Most importantly I have learned that anyone can succeed in this business if they are prepared to follow the tried and tested methods, stick at it and persevere, even when things are looking bleak.
I’m going to become a full-time IM’er (well 10 hours a week but no other job) and I’d like to help as many people as I can do it as well. If you sign up to my newsletter via any of the opt-in forms that you see on the blog, and just reply to one of my emails then if there is any way that I can help you at all I’d be very pleased to do so. (ahem, within reason people!)
I keep saying it but this is just the end of the beginning. The good times are still to come!
And Oh yes, I’ve learned today that you shouldn’t suck too many max strength sore throat relief tablets unless you want your whole mouth to go numb!
Have A Good Day!
Holiday Greetings, The Hard Work Starts Here!
Posted by: | CommentsYou’ve got to love the business of Internet Marketing! As you will have seen from my previous post I was stuck in limbo land waiting for the arrival of my wee guy. Well, shortly after I posted that we started to see the first signs that he would be making his appearance.
Anyway, after another 3 days and very little sleep Danny finally made his way into the world and obviously as the proud father I am I’ll stick up a wee piccy of him here
Thatsa ma boy!
But I’ll make that the last I speak of this saga for a little while. The point I wanted to make was that through all of this time i.e approx 3 weeks, I did very little work on my online business yet in that time it continued to grow. I now have a list of 1300 peeps and it continues to grow daily. If you are one of my subscribers I’d like to say a very big thank you to you for listening to me and reading my emails.
I feel that I have now completed the first stage of my journey to independence. The hard part is getting started but once you have the ball rolling one day you will wake up and it will have become an unstoppable force.
So on a final note I’d like to wish everyone a very enjoyable holiday period and have a great new year. I’ll certainly be enjoying my first xmas with my wee boy and I will come back with a renewed vigour to make 2010 the year that I, and whoever wishes my help, reach our online goals.
Many Thanks
Andy
