What is the perfect business to start up?
I often get asked this question by customers or audience members at conferences I speak at. Every time my answer is the same, but this time the question was coming from a good friend of mine. I knew my usual answer would not be good enough because I was stuck on a boat in the middle of a lake with him for the next two hours.
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Dave: No I want to start up my own business, not work for someone else. I do that now.
Me:You are starting up your own business when you join an affiliate program. When you join one of these programs you are selling products and services for other people but you get compensated for everything you bring in, be it a sale or a new customer.
Dave: Selling for other people is the perfect business to start up? I just don’t understand.
Dave failed to see past the definition of the term affiliate program; selling products and services for other businesses. But really there is only upside to this type of business.
For one you don’t have to deal with any of the problems most other businesses have. By being an affiliate you leave all the headaches and expenses to the owner of the affiliate program!
You don’t have to find and pay for office space like the affiliate program owner does. Let me be the first to tell you commercial real estate is not cheap. It’s more expensive than residential real estate and harder to get rid of when you want to sell it. And you can’t have an office space with nothing in it! Of course not, you have to fill it with desks, chairs, and computers. All this equipment costs mucho dinero and requires money up front. If you join an affiliate program you don’t need an office. You just need your laptop. Heck you can work from your bed! Personally I prefer the kitchen table. Either way your costs are zero.
Another headache for most business owners is providing customer support. Companies either hire other companies to do this for them or hire people to work for them to handle it for them. Either option costs thousands a month. When you are an affiliate you don’t have to listen to a single customer complaint, or answer any of their annoying questions. The customer service is always h
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When you join an affiliate program you are selling a product that has already proven itself in the market place. The company will have already tested the product for defects and marketability, saving you those steps. They have also already put up the cash to print copies of the product and figured out the fastest and cheapest delivery method so you don’t have to worry about any of that.
When you join an affiliate program the hard parts are already figured out, you just get to focus on banking the money in your account. All of those things are taken care of by the affiliate program owner. There is no management of inventory levels or always making sure you have enough product to fill the orders. You don’t have to store any inventory at your house or office. The shipping is taken care of by the program owner as well. And you don’t have to find new products to promote. When you want to sell a new product, you just join a new affiliate program. There is no limit to how many you can join and become a part of. All of those headaches that traditional business owners have are removed from this type of business.
Plus you don’t have to deal with merchant companies. Merchant companies are the ones that allow you to take credit cards. These companies are a pain in the butt I assure you. They will take away your ability to accept credit cards at the drop of the hat. They operate like banks but even shadier. They demand a cut of every transaction and still charge you a monthly fee. They are sharks. Thankfully the affiliate program owner has to deal with this problem, not you. You don’t take the orders. When you are an affiliate you essentially redirect your website to the affiliate owner’s order form. You still get notified of the sale so you know how many sales you’ve made though and can keep track of how much money you are bringing in.
Essentially what’s great about becoming an affiliate partner is all of what you don’t have to deal with. All of the headaches and downside to being a business owner is eliminated in this type of business.
Are you interested in becoming an affiliate partner? I’ve written an in depth report that will explain the ins and outs of affiliate programs and marketing. This report will teach you everything you should know about affiliate programs before you rush off and join any, old one. Read carefully and thoroughly and enjoy!
