When I started writing this post the initial title I gave it was “Freedom and affiliate marketing” then I changed it to “How to be your own boss”.

But finally I stuck with “How to make a living with affiliate marketing” because I want to make sure this post reaches as many people as possible. Including those who haven’t started their business yet.

So I’m thinking if they haven’t started yet perhaps they don’t care about practical time and motivation management tips. Since they don’t have an internet business… yet.

“Wait, does that mean if I have website I have a business?!” YES! And start getting used to the idea!

Remember the first step’s always the hardest. And that first step starts from the right mindset. No, I’m not going to give another speech on keeping yourself motivated. No techniques of motivation and productivity made me want to work harder than my first sale. Money motivates me. Anyways, I also use Jerry Seinfeld’s productivity secret.

I bet that the main reason most affiliates fail is because they don’t discipline themselves to follow a work routine as they would if they were employed in a serious corporation.

Affiliate marketing involves a lot of work especially when you are still starting to build your business.

You have to set hours of working everyday. This way you will feel more awake and productive during those hours. There’s so much opportunity out there some people become overwhelmed by all the possibilities.

There are many distractions that can occur at home but you must constantly organize to avoid them. Have the necessary tools on your desk. Computer, printer, post-its, pen and paper for taking notes, music you like, phone.

Set specific goals and write them down somewhere to see them, or in a Notepad file on your desktop. “Get one 2nd tier webmaster to start selling”, “Make 100 posts on the MoreNiche forum to get a MN wallet”, “Write 5 articles every week”, “Make one Aloeride sale with the new video” etc. Group them in short, medium and long-term goals. Be as specific and use as many details as possible.

Most importantly, make yourself feel important. Get a big black comfortable chair. Get a business phone number, print business cards or put a sign with your name on it on your desk if that will push your buttons.

Don’t overdo it. Breaks are also important. Exercise and get enough rest. Most big businesses offer their employees free massage and spa. Offer yourself that luxury, too. Get rid of the stress.

According to a recent small business study by MarketWatch, most owners wouldn’t give up their small business for more money. People love being their own boss.

“When asked whether they would work for someone else if that job promised more money than they currently make, 59% of small-business owners said they’d turn that job down and continue with their own business, according to the monthly survey in June of 1,000 businesses with five or fewer employees.”

When you can do anything, often you end up doing nothing. I bet that’s true. I’m sure you’re puzzled whether to send out link exchange request, buy links, submit to directories, submit to social sites, write new content, start a new website, read a tutorial, spam or blog comment. You’re doing little from everything thus you don’t persist on doing something to see how well it works.

People get so dazzled by dollar signs and freedom from bosses and geography that it’s easy to forget that what you do for money is often more important than how much money you make.

Once you start earning some serious money you can start hiring other people. And then you need to change your attitude again, making way for small business management skills. And new change opportunities will pop up. Be ready to change yourself and your business.

Let’s get one thing straight. There is no such thing as inspiration. There is hard work and passion about your business. Hard work gives your mind focus and tells your mind what you want it to come up with. I’m sure that gets confused a lot with inspiration.

Reinvest your commissions. Perhaps you have some high Google rankings which you got from link exchange, directory submissions and social bookmarking but you have to constantly get better and better backlinks to keep your positions. Consider buying links.

I use webmaster forums to buy backlinks. “But Mircea, everybody says I will get penalized if I buy links.” Actually Google just doesn’t count links from sites which sell links. But Google won’t know. And from what I know, Google only penalized directories which “sold PR”. And Google is not God (or is He?). I get more visitors from relevant sites, than from Google, so I don’t care. One way or another, worst thing that can happen when buying links is… nothing.

Ok, ok, I got a little off-topic with this one. Point is: use your commissions to bring new visitors, advertise in new and innovative ways and start new websites.

Cultivate yourself and your business! And stop driving Sandis crazy!