Start an Online Business

Kellie Fowler Recently Caught Up with Martell Student Willie Bonifacio to Discuss How He Has Used James’ 8-step Training to Start His Own Online Business!

May 6, 2007

How did you first hear about affiliate marketing?

I was contemplating the start of an online business and subscribed to a few of the Internet marketing newsletters. It was through these newsletters that I first heard of affiliate marketing. In fact, the very first “products” I became familiar with were digital products from ClickBank.

Then, I eventually heard of a software product called Secret Money Generator, which creates web pages using product data feeds from merchants of primarily physical products. The software tool showed me that it is possible to sell physical products for a merchant who handles product fulfillment and financial transactions for me, while I earn a commission in the process.

What made you choose the 8-step training?

My first serious attempt at building my own websites was after I purchased a training course (more expensive than the Online BootCamp), which taught me how to build pages using data feeds. The other content that the course taught me to use was articles extracted from the article directories, so no originality whatsoever.

The positive thing about this experience was that I learned the basics of putting up websites. For example, I learned and actually used XSitePro. And, even though my sites generated very little traffic, I actually made some sales of relatively expensive physical products, prompting me to believe that if I could get enough people to visit my sites, it would be possible to earn more money.

However, there was a negative side to this expensive training. The mentor claimed that with this method she spends eight hours building and promoting each website and then leaves them alone. Using this method, she claimed that her websites then average earned $10 of revenue every day.

Of course my experience proved otherwise. So, I wasn’t surprised to learn that none of the other people who purchased this training have ever testified that they made any money using these methods, at least not as far as I know.

Unfortunately, I spent a lot of time implementing a strategy that were based on unrealistic expectations and encouraged the attitude that you can build lots of sites very quickly and earn from them with little work afterward.

In retrospect, after participating in James’ training and reviewing from other SEO Experts, I realized that the first course offered very little information on how to get targeted traffic to a website, but instead very rudimentary keyword analysis, no targeting of secondary keywords, nothing on the importance of anchor text, nothing on the importance of back-links, and nothing on the importance of unique content.

Considering both the good and bad, I started to investigate other methods of building/promoting websites. Quite a few of them I thought were far better than the original course that I took. Some of them were much more expensive, but none that could find provided the same level of detail that James's course and step-by-step instructions delivers.

Additionally, I noticed right away that James’ course addressed most of the negative lessons that I previously learned. I also thought that it started at the right level for me in terms of difficulty. For example, some other courses emphasized building your own e-commerce store, which is very complicated and even more so for someone living outside of the US like me. (Willie lives down under in Australia).

I originally bought only the manual, and then I recommended it to my friends Mike and Beth Kelley, whom I met online as we all three went through the training I originally purchased. They actually took the extra step of calling James and had a long conversation with him. They came away very enthused and thought that James was a real person who knew what he was doing. They signed up for the BootCamp (earning me a bit of commission) and ended up convincing me that I should do the same. I followed their lead and spoke to James and immediately signed-up.

One of the most important differences between James's approach and the first course I took is that James emphasizes the importance of focusing on one and only one site until it becomes successful - a stark contrast from the previous training I participated in.

Even before attending the BootCamp, I started forming the opinion that this singular focused approach is the correct approach and James, with his experience, validated this for me.

Here's the resulting site; www.curio-cabinets-corner.com. ;)

How do you feel the 8-step training has helped you most?

The step-by-step approach helps a lot and having an actual example site to reference when I need more information is a huge bonus. (If anything can be improved about the site, I might suggest that it be a real campaign of James’, with full content and promotion - though I could also see quite a few problems that need to be handled if James did that).

For me, the main advantage of joining the Online BootCamp is being able to interact with James, Arlene and the other students, which makes it more "real", not just some pipedream I'm reading about in a book. So it works more in the area of motivation.

Of course, being in the BootCamp also gives us the chance to hear James give up-to-the-minute information. For example, recently he gave us a more detailed method of checking back-links than what's in the manual. After this particular lesson, I came away convinced that the #1 position in Google for my niche is nowhere near as formidable as I had thought.

James also reveals what are the really tough-to-get keywords that he is ranking for (for years now), and then explains how very simply he goes about the task of keeping them ranked. That's a great boost to the confidence.

Are you working another full-time job while your affiliate business?

I am doing it fulltime. I used to be employed (for a long time) in the IT Industry, but I was not exactly happy working in a corporate environment.

How much time do you spend each week working at your affiliate business?

I am online anywhere between 40-80 hours a week, depending on family commitments.

I should say here that being busy and being effective are, of course, two very different things. Admittedly, I spend a lot of time learning and investigating, but I'm trying to shift the balance towards spending much more time and money on activities that directly benefit my website, such as link building.

This is another one of the many benefits of being in the Online BootCamp. After each weekly online class, I am encouraged to do more work on my site.

Also, James puts a heavy emphasis on the basics, including organizing your time, so that's a great help too.

What are your goals for your affiliate business?

My current goal is to earn US$20,000 a month, which is what I put on my Internet start page - another simple but highly effective concept from James, by the way.

What aspect of affiliate marketing do you like best (working from home, working for yourself, the great travel opportunities, the revenue you generate, etc.)?

Not having to work for a boss is a great motivator for me. I can see this as a vehicle that can possibly take me to financial independence, so that I don't have to work if I don't want to. My wife and I do not aspire for a lot more material rewards. The ability to re-claim our own time so that we can pursue what we really want to do is the main reason I am doing this.

Are you looking to supplement your income or grow your online business to a full-time income?

Of course, I would like it to become a full time income.

Where do you see yourself and your online business in 1 year, in 2 years, and in 5 years?

In a year's time I would like to be able to achieve my first goal of a pre-set income level.

In two years, I would like to have stabilized it to the point where I am earning enough and have become good enough at it so that I can outsource and manage most of the building and promotion tasks, so it becomes more of an organized business.

In five years time, I would like to have earned enough from the business to have a nest egg for myself and my wife, while having put in place automated processes and resources so that we can continue to earn the same level of income or more, while working on a part-time basis.

The ultimate goal for us is to be able to devote our time to our spiritual journey.

Would you recommend James’s training to others? Why? Why not?

Definitely, yes. I wish now that I had done it before I even went through the other course, which ultimately was not a happy experience. The step-by-step instructions will suit the beginner, and just as important is the credibility that James brings to the table. You just know that not only does he talk the talk; he really walks the walk.

James is always up-front and honest, freely discusses any false steps he might have taken in the past so that lessons can be learned from them, and he has the knack to bring things down to earth so that you realize that the steps are actually much easier than you might have initially perceived. His method does not play any games with the search engines, so that your websites and income have a greater chance of having a lasting life.

What advice do you have for other affiliate marketers just getting started?

From my experience, the most important is to choose the right mentor.

What have you found to be the biggest obstacle to date?

To be truly honest, it's probably my own belief system that I need to work on the most. I can always point to the bad experience of having chosen the wrong mentor initially (and wasting a lot of time and money in the process), but I believe that ultimately we create our own reality whether we are conscious of it or not. I started off being very confident and perhaps too trusting, and then took a beating in that department after my initial experience - and now I am trying to build again brick-by-brick. The main thing is that I am still doing it.

What is your favorite aspect of affiliate marketing?

The income, when it finally comes :-). Actually, I am a bit more technically inclined and I tend to enjoy solving technical problems. So I am consciously trying to teach myself to enjoy the business aspects, such as promoting my website and being able to find and work with people who can help me accomplish some of the tasks that are required - for example, writing articles and finding links.

Are you a member of Martell’s forum?

Yes, I am. It's still quite new and maybe having some teething problems. For example, I find that most of the time the pages load very slowly for me. But I'm sure that James will make it a success.

Do you network with other Martell students?

My main Internet buddies are Mike and Beth Kelley, as I have mentioned. They are also in the Online BootCamp and just the knowledge that somebody else is going through the same is a big plus. I have also gotten in touch with a couple of other students and I hope to continue communicating with them so that we can help each other.

Do you use Martell’s recommended resources (such as those from Coffee Talks, etc.)?

Yes, I do. To me the most important ones are the two interviews with Bronwyn Bamber. I highly recommend these to everyone. Bronwyn's experience makes it all so real for me and gives me a lot of hope that it can really work.

Is there anything else you would like to share, Willie?

I would like to explain a bit more why I think, based on my experience, that the choice of a proven, reputable mentor is very important.

After the initial course I took, the "mentor" offered an exclusive apprenticeship program. This was before I and the other students realized that the methods we learned from the course were not as effective as claimed. The apprenticeship program promised intensive personal tutoring with weekly coaching calls, without any secrets withheld (the secret methods that the main course supposedly did not have).

As we eventually realized, the "secret" methods turned out to be “spammy,” using automation to create hundreds/thousands of blogs. Additionally, the course delivery was often on stop-start basis and during the course of several months, there were very many delays and excuses on why it was going very, very slowly.

After all this time spent giving us one little piece of the puzzle at a time, always with the promise that the "real secrets" were "coming very soon", she decided that they were not going to work and that we were to throw away all that we have worked on for all those months and were going to start all over again. That's when it dawned on me that she probably did not really know what she was doing.

This was an extremely expensive course (which I paid for upfront) and an extremely expensive mistake for me, but ultimately it got me on the right track. I hope the information I share in this interview can spare others the expense, frustration and delays I endured during that time.

Thanks to James and his open, honest approach and 8-step training, I am on the road to achieving online success, one step at a time. My site is doing well and I am in the process of working to create PAD articles and launching a comprehensive back-linking program.

See how Willie has put James’ 8-step training to work, by going viewing his corner curio cabinets and Pulaski curio cabinets product pages.

About The Author

Kellie Fowler is an award-winning freelance writer who spends her winters in the U.S. and her summers in Canada, where she enjoys her 6 rescue pets, kayaking, fly-fishing, reading and writing. She is the owner of Write Solutions, a full-service writing company. Kellie currently freelances for several international groups and Fortune 500 companies, as well as well-known national magazines and newspapers.