I still remember the horror, the helplessness, and the hatred I had in my heart. I’d just been fired from a job I hated but felt that I needed to keep. We’d just moved into a new home, with a new mortgage and our six-month-old daughter was asleep upstairs.
My first reaction was panic. I was absolutely terrified. New dad, new house, single income.
Yikes!
My next emotion was helplessness. I literally had no idea what to do. Sure, I hated my job. In fact, just the night before, my wife Tara essentially told me I needed to find a new job…or else.
The stress and chaos was too much for both of us.
Those emotions lasted for weeks, but you wouldn’t have known it from my actions.
Within days, I was interviewing for new jobs.
Within weeks, I was receiving offers.
And within only a few months, I’d built my own business. Within three years, that business had revenues more than three times that of my income in 2011.
Asking For Help
The afternoon I was fired, I began reaching out to my network. My network was warm (here’s how I kept it warm) and ready to help.
I literally sat on the couch, pumping out email after email to people I’d worked with, people I knew, and people that had helped me in the past. For years, I’d invested in them. Now it was time to ask for help.
A New Mindset
Within two months, I transitioned from an “I need a job” mindset to an “I need to build a business” mindset.
As I talked to more and more people about working for them, I realized that I didn’t want to work for just any single company. I wanted to help as many as possible. So, I took on my third and fourth clients (I already had two clients on the side). They were, by far, my two largest.
Tara and I officially had a business that felt real. Not quite paying the bills yet, but definitely a nice start.
Soon, I started my blog and began to do affiliate marketing personally. The rest, as they say, is history.
The Result
That fateful day was more than seven years ago (November 5, 2011…not that I remember it or anything). For the rest of that year, we lived off our savings and the income I had from my two existing clients.
It wasn’t until the following February that we saw our first check from my new clients. It wasn’t much at first, but it was a beginning.
Then, later that year, I made $588 from my first affiliate promotion, Michael Hyatt’s 5 Days To Your Best Year Ever and suddenly my business didn’t just FEEL real, it WAS real!
That first affiliate commission changed everything!
I knew I could make money and create income for myself immediately – by promoting affiliate offers – long before ever making a product of my own!
It was a complete game-changer.
Since then I’ve jumped head first into affiliate marketing, earning hundreds of thousands of dollars in commissions, all while giving my audience access to exceptional products that have changed their lives and their businesses!
That is the power of affiliate marketing!
Within three years we literally paid more in taxes than we made in all of 2011. Our business brought in more than three times what my annual salary would have been for that year.
Three times!
And our business continues to grow year after year.
As I reflected on that amazing turnaround, I found seven things that made that possible.
7 commitments that can turn around your life in 2019
1. Commit to developing and maintaining a powerful and warm network.
Without my network, I don’t know what I would have done the day I was fired. Moped around? Filled out applications on job boards? Perhaps decided to become a daytime television aficionado?
Because I had built and maintained a powerful network, one that was ready to help me when I needed it most, I knew my next action:
Reach out to my network.
And they came through for me in a big way. Both clients…in fact, all of my clients ever…are referrals from people in my network.
This is a big reason why I believe that building your network is such a critical step in turning your life around and making 2019 your best year ever.
In fact, that is exactly why my friends John Corcoran, a former White House staffer, and Mark Sieverkropp hosted a live training a few years ago called Networking with Purpose Live.
It is nearly three hours of jam-packed, actionable tips and information on building and maintaining your network!
We recorded the entire thing, and you can get access to it (worth $199) if you purchase Michael Hyatt’s 5 Days to Your Best Year Ever through my affiliate link.
Enrollment isn’t open yet, but will be in a few days…and if you purchase you’ll get access to $2,927 in bonuses (including Networking with Purpose Live!).
You can read my full review of 5 Days To Your Best Year Ever here.
2. Commit to building a financial cushion.
In other words, you need an emergency fund. Thankfully, when I was fired, there was no immediate fear of going hungry or getting kicked out of our home.
Thanks to our safety net (our emergency fund), it gave us the ability to hold out for the right opportunities and build our business.
Make it a goal this year to build at least a starter emergency fund while paying off debt.
For a lot of people, promoting a few affiliate offers is a great way to generate a little extra income to build your emergency fund (or any other financial goals you have!).
You can see my recommended affiliate programs by clicking here.
3. Commit to building your personal brand.
One of the big reasons that I had such a powerful network and had name recognition in my industry was that I’d invested in building my personal brand.
In other words, I’d advertised myself.
I’m not suggesting you don’t do a good job for your company if you are employed. Far from it. But I am suggesting that you need to make a name for yourself either in your industry or in other ways.
Become known for something that will benefit you later. Here are some ideas to help you build your personal brand:
- Write for trade magazines
- Start a blog
- Share interesting articles on LinkedIn
- Start a podcast
- Write for the local newspaper
- Comment on blogs and forums
- Most importantly, lead where you are, serve others well, and develop a solid reputation
I’d done all of those before we started our business or this blog. So when I started them, I not only had credibility, but an existing audience which made the launch so much easier.
4. Commit to surrounding yourself with others who can help you.
Two of the biggest steps I took in the past two years were getting a mentor and joining two mastermind groups.
In other words, I surrounded myself with others who are helping me.
I started meeting with a spiritual mentor in 2013. He is a big reason why I was able to work through some issues this year (such as forgiving my father) that freed me up personally.
Over the years, I’ve also joined several awesome mastermind groups which have helped me grow our business tremendously.
I cannot stress the power of masterminds enough. If you cannot find one, start one. That’s exactly what I did…I started one with three other awesome guys.
Then a funny thing happened…other people started reaching out to me to join their masterminds. As a result, I joined a second amazing mastermind.
See how that works?
Then recently, I joined a high-end mastermind as well (more on that below).
Speaking of starting masterminds, I just opened up a few spots in my Beginner Online Marketing Mastermind…this mastermind is ONLY for those who are just starting out in online business.
If you are interested in applying for this mastermind, you can apply by clicking here
5. Commit to setting big goals…and hitting them!
If you want 2019 to be your best year ever, you’ve got to set big goals and then hit them.
That’s why I recommend Michael Hyatt’s 5 Days to Your Best Year Ever. I know of no better person to teach you the art and science of goal-setting.
I cannot recommend this course enough, so go check out my review of the course and find out how to get $2,927 worth of exclusive bonuses (including my Networking With Purpose Live event I mentioned earlier) for free.
6. Commit to investing in yourself.
I am a HUGE believer in investing in yourself.
Just last month I invested over $22,000 to join a high-end mastermind to help me take my business to the next level.
But it doesn’t take $22,000 to invest in yourself.
Long before investing tens of thousands of dollars in a mastermind, I invested in a premium WordPress theme.
And I invested in Facebook ads, a decent podcast microphone, and good lighting for my videos.
I also invested in better hosting for my website. Today, we’ll spend more than $4,000 on hosting. But when I first started, it was $3.95/month. When I was at the $3,95 level, I felt like a $3,95 a month blogger. I knew I needed something a little faster, so I made the leap to $19.95/month and my blog was a lot faster.
That was a small, but important step in my journey.
I’ve also invested in books, courses, conferences, and much more.
Investing in yourself is less about the amount you invest and more about the mindset of being willing to invest in yourself.
Start where you are and invest in yourself – even if it’s just one book.
7. Commit to involving the most important person in your life more.
The number one mistake I made when we started our business was not involving my wife, Tara. Since most of the day-to-day work of the business falls on me, I often just “did my thing” and left her out.
I’ll share more of that story in the future, but for now, know that the biggest breakthroughs for us came when I started involving her more. The quality of my work improved and it’s a lot more fun doing it together!
And to drive the point home, recently Tara joined me on a Facebook Live and numerous people commented that they wanted to see MORE of Tara in our videos.
Just goes to show…involving the most important person in my life has been a REALLY good idea!
You can watch the Facebook Live with Tara by clicking here. (You can also click here to be notified of my upcoming Facebook Lives…just type “Facebook Live” in the chat window that opens!)
If you aren’t married, identify the most important person in your life and involve them in your personal growth.
“Personal” growth doesn’t mean you have to do it alone.
Make these 7 commitments and 2019 is sure to be your best year ever.
What are you committed to in 2019?
Questions?
Text me anytime at (260) 217-4619.
Or…check out some of my free reports to help you get on the right track:
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Thoroughly enjoyed the podcast. Have been a fan of Jeff Brown for a couple years now. Major take away from the podcast was that you use the same focus music when you read. I am easily distracted and can lose my focus if it takes more than 7 secs for a page to load. Over the past couple weeks I have been utilizing deep focus music (with no words) to help me be more locked in when I have a list of task that need to be accomplished and of course I really dont want to do them. Now I have to figure out how to stop pacing around the building when ideas start rapidly forming in my head. Keep up the good work!
Totally relate! I ALWAYS use focus music when I read now (I have a playlist on Spotify that really helps).