Apr 15

Do You Need To Spend Money To Make Money Online?

How many times have you heard somebody say, “If you need to spend money in order to make money online, it’s a scam!”…? Today I’ll address this myth and show you why it’s utter nonsense.

Usually, this statement is made by those who believe that making money online is too good to be true. They believe that if an online business opportunity is genuine, you shouldn’t have to pay anything to make money with it…

If you can show me one person who has created their own business in the real world without spending any money at all, I’ll be genuinely shocked and surprised. I say that as not only a successful network marketer, but also as a Personal Trainer who created my own business in the high street. If you are not prepared to spend any money on building your business here’s the truth – you’re not looking for a way to become your own boss.

Not seriously, at least. You are looking for a way to get rich quick and that, my friend, is what does not exist.

how to become your own bossAs a network marketer working as an affiliate for whatever brand you choose, you pay a membership fee to that company and unlock your product package as well as the ability to earn commissions for building your business. This rule applies to all network marketing programs dating back to the old-school. Whether you’re using Avon, Mary Kay, Empower Network, Ann Summers, Global Domains International, it doesn’t matter, the principles on how the business works remain the same.

The cost is significantly less online than you could expect if you started your own business in the high street (I know this from first-hand experience), but it is a cost nonetheless. And it is a risk, too. There is, and always will be, an element of risk involved in trying to become your own boss. If there was no risk and everybody was guaranteed success, everyone would be doing it. I’m sure every business owner in the world would be interested in that system…

Yet how many systems do you see online which promise to give you a system which does all the work for you and guarantees your success, and why do they do this? Simple – they’re lying to you. Right to your face, and they are hoping that the ‘what if’ factor in the back of your mind will be enough to get you to try it out. They don’t care if you quit, because they’re already working on the next person. If you want to become your own boss like I did and like countless other real people around the world have then you need to snap out of this BS mentality that you’ll simply stumble across a miracle system. If there was a system which guaranteed the success of every business no matter what niche or what products they were selling, don’t you think that it would be all over the news? It would end the global economic crisis overnight!

If you want a nice little comfortable world where you don’t have any risks and you don’t need to face the responsibilities of building your business here’s the truth – you aren’t cut out to become your own boss, you are looking for a job. A 9-5 where your boss tells you what to do.

The reason so many affiliates in companies like Empower Network fail to succeed is because they are scared to take risks, scared to commit to their business enough to get excellent results. While starting your own online business is certainly cheaper than an offline business, this can work against you in a way, because many people jump into online businesses without thinking things through and without realizing that yes, it may be cheaper but no, it’s not any easier. If you want a walk in the park, put a lead on your dog.

If you want to change your life, get on it now and don’t stop until you have done it.

Russ Howe

empower network

Mar 28

A Review Of The Customer Advantage

The Customer Advantage is a mixed bag of huge potential and an underwhelming sense of achievement. In today’s thorough review, you’ll learn both the good and the bad aspects of this popular home based business and money saving website.

the customer advantageHow Much Does The Customer Advantage Cost?

It’s free. Not just free to join, but free forever. This is one of it’s major attractions.

What does The Customer Advantage Do?

Think Groupon on a local scale. It aims to provide it’s members with an email every day containing a new deal from a company offering goods at a massively reduced price for a very short period of time.

What’s The Difference Between This And Other Daily Deal Providers?

One thing which the owners of TCA deserve praise for is their focus on the ‘little guy’, so to speak. Whereas companies such as Groupon tend to limit their offers only to huge corporations, TCA was created to focus almost entirely on local area businesses. So, for example, the idea is you’d see an offer from a store in your local area and be able to physically walk in an pick up the deal in 20 minutes (or access it online). This focus on ‘the little guy’ was well received by businesses, which couldn’t compete with the big bucks offered by corporations who ended up dominating sites like Groupon and LivingSocial.

And fair play to them. They stuck to their guns on this front, making it free to use for business owners and free to use for TCA members.

While this helps small businesses reach much wider audiences for free, the ‘catch’ for them is that they must offer TCA members (i.e. you or I) a discount of at least 80% on the products they run deals on through TCA. The good thing for them, of course, is that they are able to sell so many more units due to the fact that they’re reached a massively increased audience that offering discounts still turns them a good profit.

That’s a win/win, folks.

Why Was Everybody So Hyped Up About This One, Then?

Simple – this one pays you to share it. TCA realized that the best way it could grow a member base would be to pay it’s members a commission. But how do you pay a commission on something which is free, without putting your company into debt? They offer you a 5% commission level on any purchases made in TCA by those who you introduce. That’s right, if you introduced a friend via your link you could actually earn money from it.

Example: Friend sees a television offer inside their TCA, offering a 50″ flat screen tv at their local electronics dealership with the price knocked down from $1000 to $200 for the next 12 hours only, so they decide to pick it up. not only does this local business make far more sales than they usually would due to the fact they’ve reached a huge audience, but your friend just saved themselves a whopping $800 on a tv. Furthermore, you just earned a 5% commission here – 5% of $200 is $10 – so you just picked up $10 for doing nothing. Actually, you picked up a $10 commission for helping someone to save money for free.

When you add in the fact that this is one deal alone, and you are paid on every single deal (ever) by anyone you introduce to TCA as well as the people who they introduce, you can see why many people were excited by this particular concept. Also, the fact that TCA wanted to focus on local businesses and everyday items such as cinema tickets, clothing, kids’ toys, etc, meant that members would be using the service regularly and therefore allowing for a potentially large income to be generated.

Now For The Bad News

The only bad aspect of The Customer Advantage is the fact that it’s been ‘in development’ for quite some time. I have personally been a member of this organization since the very early days of it’s development when a close friend invited me to check out what it was all about. I have seen the member base grow from around 4000 to over 280,000 (thanks in large part to the efforts of myself and those I work with in spreading the word, as we are the most established ‘team’ worldwide in this program). Sadly, three years into it’s development it is still not fully live.

Therefore, while this is indeed a fantastic concept it is also one for the future.

Given that it’s 100% free, if you’d like to get a membership and see how this one develops you can do so by hitting the button below. I’ll post another review when this opportunity moves forward.

The Customer Advantage

Mar 28

Free Amazon Discount Finder Tool

In this post I’m going to share with you an incredibly useful tool which will allow you to find all of the massively reduced sales items on popular site Amazon. Occasionally, the site runs one-off clearance sales on certain items of stock (anything from tv’s to toys) but the hard part is usually most regular online shoppers don’t know how to find this stuff.

Usually these deals are pushed down the search results in the hope that you will purchase a full price item from another of it’s distributors, of course.

However, The Money Saving Expert‘s website recently developed a fantastic free tool that allows you to pull them all up in an instant. That’s right – you can now see all the deals Amazon doesn’t want you to see.

Simply configure what type of item you are looking for along with how much of a discount you would prefer and away you go.

To use the tool simply click on the logo below

Amazon Discount Finder Tool

Mar 25

Are You Ready To Become Your Own Boss?

Four years ago I started on the journey to becoming my own boss. Now that I’ve built a successful five figure income for my young son, I am often contacted by individuals who are looking to do the same thing. If you are seriously considering working from home with Empower Network then I have something you need to see.

This will change your life, and your perception of how to run your own online business. You’re going to watch the entire interview, because not only will it connect with you but it will also kickstart the beast within you which needs to be kickstarted to get that same motivation I had four years ago:

You see, since becoming my own boss I have met countless individuals who claimed they wanted to achieve the same level of success yet, when it came down to it, they lacked the drive and determination to do it. They lacked the cutting edge to learn new marketing techniques or new ways to grow their business. They lacked the same level of self belief it took me to succeed. There were times I felt like quitting on myself and going back to a job which I hated. That’s part and parcel of becoming your own boss.

I don’t tolerate wussies. I don’t have time for time wasters or dreamers. I surround myself with action takers and I have made a living out of proving negative people wrong.

Remember when you said you were serious about making money online? Now’s your chance to prove it.

empower network

Russ

Feb 18

The Empower Network Review – Is Empower Network For You?

Empower Network is probably the most popular home business opportunity at the minute and I am often asked what it’s all about. Today I will run through things and help you to establish whether or not this opportunity is for you.

Having used his business for some time now, I can tell you there is so much hype surrounding it that it’s difficult to get any honest opinions out there. So today, the gloves are off…

What Is Empower Network?

empower networkIt’s a blogging service with an affiliate program on the side. Members receive an authority blogging platform for $25 per month, with the option to earn an income via it’s affiliate plan if they upgrade to a $44 membership level. While the earnings are potentially lucrative, most people fail to achieve them. That’s because they join purely to make money and have little interest in the actual products. In order to make money selling products, you must first understand what your products actually do…

What Can You Do With An Authority Blog?

When you post content to a blog it is ranked in search engines after a few days and then indexed into the search results you see when you are trying to find something on Google, Bing or Yahoo. There are a few websites which carry authority status within those search engines, meaning they are considered important and therefore ranked higher by default. If you search for ‘watch videos online’ in a search engine you will find that websites such as Youtube and Dailymotion dominate the top end of the search results. That’s because the engines consider them to be the best in this market, they have achieved authority status. Empower Network provides it’s members with a blog which has authority status. This means when you post your content you are able to rank considerably higher for your targeted keywords versus a regular blog.

The cogs of possibility should be turning right now and you’ll probably guess why I use this service. If you’re trying to dominate the search results in a particular home business, or trying to establish yourself within a particular niche online, then having a website which gives you considerably higher search rankings and therefore increases your exposure is excellent.

Is It Legal?

Yes, it’s a legally registered company and a perfectly safe home based business opportunity.

How Does The Affiliate Program Work?

empower network

If you choose to become an affiliate you unlock the sales rights to your own Empower Network business. This means each time you refer a new person to join Empower Network (regardless of whether they join to use the products or join to make money) you earn $25 per month.

That’s a lot more lucrative than most other opportunities, which tend to give you $1-2 per sale in residual income. The system also has what they call a ‘pass up’ system, where your 2nd, 4th and 6th referral is passed up to your sponsor. Before you look at this as a bad thing, let me step in here. This encourages teamwork and basically forces sponsors to help their team to succeed because they stand to gain a little from it financially. Everybody in your business does the same thing to you. So if you work to get 10 referrals, not only would you already be at a $250 per month income level but if you help your members to succeed then you’d also stand to inherit 3 referrals from each of those ten members in your team, potentially increasing your income by another $750.

Why It’s Not For Everyone

No business opportunity is perfect and in my opinion you can easily see a bad sponsor if they try to tell you their business is perfect. Empower Network isn’t for everyone. Some folks prefer opportunities which pay you slightly less per sale and take more time to develop, some people are not attracted to the products one bit (you should never join a business unless you actually enjoy it!) and some people don’t have the dedication to put in the effort to become their own boss (remember, nobody can become your own boss for you!).

If any of the three situations above apply to you then this is not something you should work with.

From my point of view, I have always preferred being able to make money online as quickly and effectively as possible, and I actually use the products. If you are in the same mold as me, then you know what my advice is.

empower network

Feb 16

The Harsh Truth Of Making Money Online

If I had heard these words when I was starting out making money online, I’d have got there a lot quicker! Nothing stops you from becoming your own boss. Usually, people just don’t have anyone who is prepared to sit them down and give them the harsh facts on the reality of the home based business world.

If somebody comes to me asking for advice on a business or wants to join the team I am more than happy to help. But, if they insist on BS’ing around I won’t waste my own time giving them an undeserved 2nd chance.

We’re not here to convince you, hold your hand, or chase you. If that’s what you like, then you need to apply for a J-O-B. This is the BIG BOYS & GIRLS CLUB.

empower networkWhen you make a decision to become your own boss you cannot expect anyone else to do the work for you. If you want the rewards, it’s on you. You have to be able to deal with the responsibility which comes along with it all.

We invest a LOT of money & a LOT of time into what we do so we’re not seeking to associate with average to below average mentality individuals. Yep, I sure did say it. Call me stuck up if you want, but I know what I want in life and I know you don’t get there by allowing yourself to be pulled down by less ambitious individuals.

When you tell us you’re “scared” or “too broke” (etc.) that really just comes off as “Womp womp…I’m wasting your time with my excuses..” If you don’t want it, don’t have it, there is no ‘easy way’. Please, save it for the choir. This may sound harsh but in order to help you I must be harsh. I’ve been broke before and I had a young kid to feed at the time, so it’s not like I don’t know what I’m talking about. I didn’t get out of that situation by moaning and whining that life was too hard, or by trying to look for a sponsor promising to do all of the work for me.

It took me a few months to realize that if I hadn’t reached success yet, it’s because I hadn’t earned it yet. Do not take the free ride in your own life and do not, under any circumstances, waste your time.

If you’re not ready to make at least 5 figures, RIGHT AWAY, please..by all means..stay the hell out of our way. We KNOW what we’re doing and we KNOW where we are going.

SUCCESSFUL entrepreneurs simply don’t allow their time to be disrespected.

P.S. There is a difference between someone who wants to be a successful internet marketer but needs guidance and someone who is just dreaming of the end result but lacks to determination to put in the effort for themselves. I don’t deal with tire-kickers because life is TOO short & time is too precious.

That’s how I do it in GDI, that’s how I do it in Empower Network too. Judging by your own personal reaction to today’s post, you’ll have just discovered whether you are my type of person.

Have a good month

Russ

If you’re serious about changing your life and working from home, you can join the Empower Network team here.

Oct 08

We Will Build Your Downline In Global Domains International

Today I’m going to eliminate the most popular problem in GDI. I’ve used Global Domains International for 5 years now and one of the most common adverts is from poor sponsors telling potential referrals that they will build your downline for you if you join their team.

Is there really a miracle system that can do that? Can they really guarantee to give you 5 referrals within 4 weeks? Can they actually provide 10 signups per month like the say? Stop. It is nonsense and I am going to show you exactly why.

I’ve known people get stuck in this cycle for literally years. You get hooked going from one system to the next. All the claims look vaguely familiar but you cling on to the hope that the next one is different and you will finally be able to build that online income without any effort. False hope.

The truth is there’s nothing stopping you from building that online income. Heck, in the same time I’ve seen others switching programs time and time again I’ve actually gone out and built a $20,000 income for my kid. So don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t do it, okay?

However, you will not do it until you ditch the nonsense mentality that is holding you back.

Why Downline Building Systems Do Not Work

I’m sure you have seen these systems in every home business but today we’ll focus on Global Domains International. Usually, these systems say things like “If you join my team I will place 5 referrals underneath you within 4 weeks!”

Time to get real with your business. In order to do that they’d need to initially get 5 referrals for you (if you were their only member), which is great. But what do you think they’re telling those five members? The exact same line, of course.

So next month they need to go get them five referrals each, which is 25 in total. The following month they need 125 referrals and the month after that they need 625 (something which nobody has ever done in GDI history, by the way, proving that none of these system has ever got far in the past).

So why do they do it?

To reel you in. If you are naive enough to believe somebody is going to literally make you rich without any effort, you will find thousands of people on the internet who are prepared to take your money and cash in on that.

They know that the lure of the “what if…” factor will be too hard to resist for those who like the concept of becoming their own boss but aren’t prepared to put the hard work in to get there.

Why do they always promise to get you a certain number of referrals within 4 weeks? Why not one week? Because this means you have to upgrade your account, ensuring they hit a commission. They aren’t too bothered about the $1 per referral GDI commission, of course, but the $100 bonus for luring in five new people that week is a big incentive. So basically, they don’t care if you wake up and cancel next month, they’ve already cashed in on you.

The solution

We have seen systems like this a number of times in the four-and-a-half years we’ve spent using Global Domains International. We have yet to see one of them work. That should tell you all you need to know. People email me all the time asking, “Hey Russ, if I join your team does your system automatically put people under me?” and my reply is always that the person should not be joining a home business because they are basically looking to be lied to, and not everybody will be as open and honest as I am. I am so open about it because I was in their situation once, and I didn’t build that five figure income until I snapped out of it.

In order to get serious results from your GDI business (or any other home business) you need to get serious about yourself.

Nobody can become your own boss for you.

Russ

Oct 08

Why You Can’t Build Your Business With A Traffic Exchange Website

Somebody recently asked me what the best traffic exchange website was, my answer: None! Today I’ll show you why these websites do nothing to build your business and why, despite the big promises of ‘easy traffic’ on their site, you’ll often get absolutely nowhere with them.

Before you submit yourself to hour-after-hour of clicking on ads, watch today’s video guide. You’ll be glad that you did.

Why They Don’t Work

The websites often make it sound brilliant. Get your ad seen by a ton of people who are already interested in working from home. It’s free and easy, right? Wrong.

You see, the easiest way to figure out why all those hours of clicking on adverts never got you anywhere with your last online business is to look at how you were surfing for those credits. You probably opened up a bunch of different traffic exchanges and watched the timer on one run down, then clicked to the next tab and did the same, right? So you weren’t actually looking at any of the actual ads.

If that’s how you use it, take a moment to ask yourself why you think everyone else isn’t doing the exact same thing to you.

Because they are. All those credits you sat their toiling away to earn for all those wasted hours, the chances are the overwhelming majority of ‘views’ your ad received were submitted to the exact same type of ‘view’ you were giving other people’s ads while you were earning your own credits.

Yes, everyone on a traffic exchange is interested in working from home, online business or affiliate marketing, But they aren’t interested in your business. They are already involved in a business and they’re only using that service as a means to promote their own thing, just like you.

If you wanted to join a new business, you would not visit that service to find it, right? No, you’d head off to Google or Youtube to get some info and go from there.

I have known some marketers get stuck into this way of thinking, they depend entirely on traffic exchanges and complain that their capture page or website has had ’10,000 visitors’ but nobody has signed up. Common sense will tell you why, guys and girls.

To become your own boss you need to think the same way you would out in the real world had you opened up a business in your local community. This post will help you to get the right mindset for results.

Russ

Oct 07

You Aren’t Serious Enough To Become Your Own Boss!

Do you know why so many people fail to make money online? They just aren’t serious enough about their business. When people ask me how I built a good income for my family I love revealing the simple truth that I just work on my business long-term.

It can’t be that easy, right? Because that’s surely what they’ve done, too…. Or is it?

Because once you get past all the hype and bullshit surrounding online business and making money online in general, it was that easy. The only thing that separates the successful from the unsuccessful is that successful people are prepared to really push themselves to put the work in.

Success isn’t given out, it’s earned. If you haven’t reached it yet it’s because you haven’t earned it yet.

The home business industry is already overflowing with self-appointed experts telling people they will teach them how to build great incomes effortlessly and it’s easy to get yourself lost in that mix. The truth is there is no ‘secret’. Treat your business the same way you’d treat it if you opened up a company in the real world.

Whatever online program you’re in whether it’s Empower Network, Global Domains International or any other. Every single day is an opportunity to change your future for the better. And if you don’t work at your business, your business will not work for you.

Russ

Sep 20

Why You’re Not Where You Want To Be

Today’s post is a life changer. You know, one of those moments where you just sit up and realize where you have been going wrong all this damn time? I’m not going to lie to you, I will pull absolutely no punches with this.

I’m going to tell you

* Exactly where you have been going wrong…

* Exactly why your business isn’t as successful as you had hoped it would be…

* Exactly what you need to do to change it.

And you might not be ready to accept the solution. But the net result is that this will help you.

This is not my usual blog post where I pack business building techniques into an article to teach you a new strategy or two. Watch the video with today’s post. This could change everything about where you are in your chosen business right now.

 

If your business isn’t getting off the ground or you have been dreaming of making an online income that simply hasn’t happened, the one thing which has stopped you from being as successful as you want all this time is…

Avoidance

As human beings we love to do this, it’s in our nature even though we know we are doing it we often act like we don’t know, just so you can carry on the charade and keep fooling yourself.. When you have a bad result you look to blame those around you rather than yourself. You do this because you don’t like the negative feeling that comes from knowing you failed, it’s a simple defence mechanism designed to protect your own pride. We all do it at one stage or another. The difference is successful people learn how to use this as an asset rather than a huge negative.

They say the majority of people who want to make money online fail. Around 80% in fact. Well let me tell you that this problem is the single most common reason the majority of those 80% failed to get anywhere. And for what?

Because they couldn’t face their problems? They couldn’t deal with the fact that nobody else was to blame? They couldn’t accept the responsibility of being their own boss or the accountability that if they fail they do so on their own terms.

We have all experienced this. Even me.

You join a business full of hope and then 2 weeks in, when you haven’t got anywhere yet and you hear others talking about the ‘next big thing’ your hope turns to doubt. The worst kind of doubt, too….. Self doubt.You start saying to yourself, “I’m not getting any further forward”, “I might as well just quit”, “It just doesn’t work no matter what I do.” As soon as you start with that nonsense you have already quit. I know you will have experienced this exact train of thought before if you’ve been involved in any home business in the past.

You know what you’re doing? Shielding yourself from the simple fact that your business failed because you didn’t want it enough.

Day after day, week after week, I hear people tell me about how they want to ‘change their lives’ and I can usually tell within five minutes which type of person they are going to be. Whether they’ll be the type who pushes themselves on to achieve a four figure, five figure or six figure online income or whether they’ll be the type who talks a big game and starts with a lot of excitement then gradually just fizzles out, putting in minimal effort and expecting maximum results.

 

I’ve watched world leading sponsors in popular businesses like Global Domains International literally grow from scratch. People like Lester Diaz, who is now one of the most well known names in GDI. Lester succeeded, like me, because of his sheer determination to reach the top in his business no matter how long it took him.This quality is common among everybody who becomes successful at anything in life. There is no ‘secret’ or skill which you cannot master. No trickery which others have access to and you do not. When I first got involved in online business I heard folks talking about how it was impossible for ‘real people’ to get anywhere because it cost a fortune in advertising. As a full time dad and gym instructor that talk scared me and made me think I was never going to get very far. You know what I did though? I went out there and built a four figure monthly income without spending a single penny on advertising. And those folks, who I hadn’t spoken to since the beginning, were still making excuses and blaming outside aspects for their own situation. Don’t become one of those people, the type who complain every day about hating their job but don’t do anything to change it, and when presented with an opportunity they pick out any possible fault. They don’t want change, they want an easy way out. That’s not how I did it. That’s not how Lester did it. And we are just two of many examples.

 

How about Monna Ellithorpe, who had not made a dime online after six years of trying then came to work with the team and now makes a living for herself. And there are plenty of others. In fact one look at the Global Domains International world leaderboard and you will see around 60% of the top 20 affiliates use our team’s GDI system. So success is possible for anybody. But for every determined person who works hard and pushes themselves there are people who are the direct opposite.

This is not a ‘freebie’ world, despite what many online businesses and Guru’s will tell you when they’re trying to make everything sound like it’s “100% automatic”, it’s not. Not by a damn long shot. You have to work for everything. If you ask anybody who has become their own boss in the real world they’ll agree.

Success isn’t given away, it’s earned.

If you haven’t reached it yet it’s because you haven’t earned it yet.

The number one reason I’m successful at what I do is not a ‘secret’. It’s because I’m still here. I said I wanted to change my son’s life and I worked hard until I had done it. The laws of life say if you work consistently at anything, you can go all the way.

Now there were many others who I met at the start who also said they wanted to change their lives for similar reasons to me, but they quit. They quit because they decided it wasn’t worth the effort on their part, but if you ask them, you’ll undoubtedly get a different answer. They quit because “their system wasn’t effective”, “they couldn’t find the time” or “their sponsor didn’t email them back.”

All this shielding, all this avoidance of the actual problem in front of us to make ourselves feel better. And for what? Nothing!!

What is the worst that could happen if you just FACED whatever problem it was that was holding you back?

I’ll tell you what. You’d become a much better person and realize that anything is possible for you. This is what separates the successful from the unsuccessful.Everybody reaches that crossroads and where some see a target others see an obstacle. Which one are you?

Any successful person will tell you that success is a mindset. You must change the way you think in order to change the way you live.

When I said I was going to show you exactly how to change this simple problem which has been holding you back, I imagine many readers would be expecting a line like “Come join this wonderful, easy business which will change everything”.. Not going to happen.Whatever business you are currently with can work for you if it’s a good fit for your personality and you are prepared to work at it. Face your problems today. It’s okay that you might feel like you aren’t getting anywhere. That’s normal. Ask anyone who has ever become their own boss and they’ll tell you it gets lonely at times. There’s nothing ‘wrong’ with that at all. You don’t need to make excuses, you don’t need to run away.

Start living your life with this ‘No Excuse Mentality’. You’ve got something to do? Do it. You’ll get far superior results in everything you do. You’ll start understanding why I’m successful in my online business and also my fitness career. You will notice many more doors opening all around you as you become the most powerful version of yourself you have ever been to date.

As my motto goes, “If you want something badly enough, you will find a way. If you don’t, you will find an excuse..”

 

Face it. Start now, and never look back.

Russ

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