This is a guest post by Lena Morrish & Dima Nikolayenko. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.
I have been planning starting a business on the Internet for sometime now. It would help me fill in a few extra hours and yet bring in the important extra cash! I needed the money but I was not willing to compromise on my ethics or for that matter my inner happiness or my peace of mind. Tall conditions those.
Everyone told it would be impossible to find something that would meet all my standards and yet help me make money. The bottom-line was if I wanted to make money I would have to make compromises I did not want to. Was I prepared for this?
My Decisions
My patience paid off. I found exactly what I was looking for. I wanted to make money online with affiliate programs with no compromises on my ethics. There are many affiliate programs but not all conformed to my needs. I wanted an affiliate program that was honest in its dealings and I found one.
The whole idea of starting an online business was to become independent. Even as we strive to become independent we look for security to fall back on or for support to guide us through rough patches. This very human need was also taken care of by my affiliate marketing program. I was working independently and yet could associate with my fellow affiliates to garner support or find advice.
Another thing that I was looking for was ethical marketing. It is usual to see people using hyped promotions to further their business propositions. They may not be bothered about the truth of their content, all they want is business. This was one thing that was not going to work for me. My business promotions needed to be based on the truth. The affiliate program I had chosen supported my cause.
I was already proving my detractors wrong and starting out on a business that did not ruin my ethics.
Balancing Work And Life
Work can be distracting and can easily take us away from our families. And expanding business needs a lot of time and it becomes essential to balance work and family. I could not possibly make money at the cost of my family life. I had been planning to launch a website for my affiliate program but was very hesitant about it. Keeping my skill levels in mind I knew I would have to devote considerable time to create a good website. On the other hand if I decided to use professional service it would cost me a bundle something I could ill afford.
A friend came to my rescue and suggested a website designing software. This software would help me to work on the website and have it ready really fast. This meant I could save money and still have plenty of time for my family. The software worked efficiently and in no time my website was ready. The website had turned out just as I had wanted it to without the hassles.
The next thing in line was a website host. I needed a good web host that did not cost a bomb. There are many inexpensive web hosts available but you can not be sure of the services provided. In most cases the website remains inaccessible due to frequent break downs. I was really worried about this until I started using the software for designing my website. The software came as a complete package along with the web host. I was already assured about the quality of the software giving me faith on the web host too.
My website was designed and built to suit my standards. The content was true with no hyped material or facts that I could not verify.
I now was the proud owner of an affiliate marketing business that ran according to my ethics and standards and made money. I had achieved what I had set out for.
About Author :
Lena Morrish & Dima Nikolayenko are the owners of www.internetbusinessbts.com. They are specializing in helping people to start their home based internet business from scratch.
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{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
I totally agree with your point about not compromising on ethics. I want to be seen as trustworthy, so I would never promote a product that I deemed to be unethical or something that I believe does not provide the value that it promises.
Tom@Free Squeeze Pages´s last blog ..The Aweber Code….And Why You Need To Promote It!
If you want to start an online business then you should be ready to put a work on it. Treat as though it is your hobby and you will see that in time you will be harvesting thefruite of your labor.
Paul@Diabetis´s last blog ..No Diabetes?
Hi Paul
Cannot agree more with you.
This (as any other) business involves so much hard work, so what can be better than “treat as though it is your hobby”? This way one will enjoy one’s business!
L&D
No offense, but your story doesn’t sound realistic. It sounds like you made up a story about starting an online business, especially since you actually have a website about helping people start internet businesses. You purposely left out details such as the chosen niche & affiliate program or the chosen web host & software.
I thought the same, breifly.
Giving the benefit of the doubt, this is a guest post. Perhaps they didn’t want to, or allowed to post so many links within the article.
Dennis Edell´s last blog ..WANTED – Keyword Research Expert(s)
Yeah. Even so, it would have been helpful to hear some of the ethical “forks in the road” that he encountered on the way to building the online business. Why were some products not up to snuff? What should one look for in an affiliate marketer? A website design software? A hosting company? Why did he decide to go one route, but not another.
Still, glad to see that he’s engaging in the guest posting process, and glad to see that this blog encourages guest posts. Its most certainly a step in the right direction, and the post was an easy read.
Nice story about starting an affiliate business. I surely can learn something from it will be better if this article more detail.
Dana @ Blogging Update´s last blog ..How do I Use Google Buzz?
No compromise..I hate the way some of internet marketers promote the products. They even know nothing about the products but they eager to sell it. So how can people trust them…Sigh~
Starting an online is easy but the main problem is surviving here. Everybody come here,get success and suddenly they gone.
shuvo´s last blog ..EUSE Scholarship Programme 2010/2011
Hi Lena and Dima,
I can see that you did the legwork before starting an online business.
Some make the mistake of chasing flashy ads and neglect to conduct the vital due diligence portion of their campaign. You can’t possiby know what to expect without having prepared yourself.
This is why a rigorous fact-finding mission should be the first objective of any online entrepreneur.
Thanks for sharing your insight.
Ryan´s last blog ..What Does A Cash Gifting Club Offer You?
i only use one affiliate product and i rarely promote it, i using wp themes affiliate and i only put it on my sidebar, and when ask my opinion how to get good themes, so i promote it to them.
i think the best way to promote is when you promote to person that need it.
izzat aziz´s last blog ..How ‘debate’ could help your blog
Starting a online business can be quite overwhelming when first starting out. I suggest doing some research, but don’t join any programs or buy any ebooks just yet. Do some “Googling” and spending some time on forums and blogs.
Brainstorm some ideas on things you have a passion for and have the knowledge/resources to create a online business with.
Experiment a little on your own with the things you learn and then decide on the type of website or blog would be best.
Either hire someone to make a site for you (expensive) or find “website creation software”, or buy one already made. Wordpress is simple for everyone to get started with, changing your theme/template is simple and can be done with a few clicks. You don’t need to be a designer to have a professional looking site and changing just about anything on it is a cinch.
Now it’s time to put the content on your site or blog, work on SEO, and getting exposure, once you’re ready for people to come to your new site.
Very achievable to have a online business by just starting out part time and spending just a few hrs on it everyday. Once you gain enough skills and knowledge, you will have the confidence to do it Full Time, if you choose to.
Mathew Day´s last blog ..The Yahoo and Microsoft Search Alliance – It’s Coming!
Agree with Mathew, do not jump into doing online business in Full Time straight away unless you are making lots of buck starting from Day 1 business.
Some nice thought really. From my 1 and half year of blogging experience I feel that it is not so easy to success on online business. The main point is the continuity of our work, if we can not continue of our work then it is hard more for fulfill our target.
chandan@work at home jobs´s last blog ..Advice and tips on work at home
Always refreshing to see others with the same mindset as myself. very well written.
Dennis Edell´s last blog ..WANTED – Keyword Research Expert(s)
Thanks for sharing your story. Its inspiring.
Agent Deepak´s last blog ..My 4 Golden Tips for Google Buzz
Great article. I agree that finding the balance between work and family commitments can be hard when you work from home online. Many people seem to think we spend our time “messing around online” rather than actually making a living
Richard@How To Make Money Online´s last blog ..Split Testing With Wordpress
in order to start making money online, we should think that all income made will be balancing work and life or not. That is the main point. Sometimes, we try to do it but the benefit is less than our efforts. one day we will quit it.
vutha´s last blog ..Blog comments are effective ways to promote your blog
Thanks for sharing about your decisions and your experience with starting an internet business. Been highly thinking about doing myself but have been a bit weary and skeptical, and trying to get as much info about it. So, thanks!
Kelly´s last blog ..Top 5 Posing and Directing Photography Tips
You are right. Before starting an online business everybody should have some knowledge about these.
Hasan´s last blog ..UK : PhD and MRes Studentships From The University Of Ulster
Hi all
Thanks so much for your comments, we are very glad that the article has been helpful and has created such an interesting discussion.
We wish you all the best in your businesses!
Lena & Dima
Good for you. I Love it when people set out to achieve something and actually do.
It makes life sweeter.
Thanks for sharing your experience in setting up your online business. I hate the hype that accompanies a lot of Internet Marketing, and I’m proud of you for sticking to your ethics.
“Another thing that I was looking for was ethical marketing.”
Great choice Lee. Making a clean living will have it’s rewards down the road, the least of which is a good night’s sleep.
Colleen@Kennewick Real Estate´s last blog ..1st Annual Painted Chairs in Kennewick to Benefit Second Harvest Tri Cities