Affiliate Musketeer

In November of 2008, I wrote a post on this blog about how I wanted to make $690 in 11 days. I threw together a few ideas and actually did release a WordPress Theme but only actually managed to raise $190. A whopping $500 short of my intended target. It’s been almost a year since that initial post and whilst I can’t say I’ve learned a lot in the last year, I can say that my appreciation of focus has certainly developed.

Back in November 08, I was faced with the difficult (but possible) challenge of making $690 in 11 days to clear a credit card debt – I actually used money from other sources to pay the bill but I soooo wanted to do it from online work. Anyway, what I realised was that giving yourself short-term (very short-term) challenges can actually be detrimental. Internet marketing and generally working online is pretty much the same as traditional business/work, you can’t just expect things to happen overnight.

Part of my problem back in November 08 was that I needed money NOW. This was good at giving me some key motivation but the reality of the internet is 11 days is not that long to start from scratch and create a money making scheme. By giving myself such a short deadline, I left myself with very limited options to get that money into my bank account in 11 days. The only way this was possible was to use PayPal or sell something direct and take payment direct.

Basically I just didn’t have the resources to achieve this because 11 days is not so long to create something. I could of perhaps chosen at least one other options:

1. Do freelance work on Elance. I would need to make the $690 in 7 days to give elance 4 days transfer time. At the time I did not consider this option at all because for whatever reason I felt the money would not come quick enough.

The other thing that would have made more sense would have been to spend 11 days promoting one of my other websites that already existed and try and make IT make $690 for the month – but that would certainly not have been an instant in my bank money making plan.

So I guess ultimately the problem was that I wanted to the money too soon and just couldn’t come up with an original enough idea or product (or, forgive me for saying it, scam) that would turn the money round in the time frame necessary.

In my next money making challenge, I think I’ll give myself more time (1 month) and be realistic with my expectations!