DING-DONG-BING-DONG!
It's 6:50AM and that's my Bell Tower alarm on my iPhone.
Time for another day of internet marketing.
But not before I hit snooze 4 times and roll over and give the wifey some hugs and love. (Happy wife, happy life right?)
I have to admit it is a rather relaxed way to wake up, but not quite what I was "sold" so many years ago.
Aren't successful internet marketers supposed to wake up when they want, live on the beach and fuck off all day long? ...
All while making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year?
(Truth is, my reality is quite a bit different and probably not what you'd expect.
But there's a very good reason for that. More on that in a minute.)
When Jen gets up about 7:30 to run off to CrossFit or yoga, I grab my iPhone and proceed to check my email.
It's far easier to clear out the un-important ones while slowly getting started for the day.
That way when I roll into the office I can get cracking on the important stuff.
After I clear my email queue, it's time to get ready.
Are you thinking I'm jumping into my board shorts and t-shirt and flip flops?
Hardly.
It's dress slacks, a button down or business golf shirt and dress shoes.
Damn, almost feels like I'm getting ready for a job.
It's about 8a now.
Kids are up and the nanny is here. (We homeschool the kids.)
I get my lunch ready for the day and give lots of hugs and kisses to Brody and Ella while they eat breakfast.
"Can you come home early today daddy?", Ella asks?
As much I as I want to say yes and that I'll be home at noon or even three, I say...
"Sorry sweetie, probably not today. Lots to do, but I love you. Be good and have a great day. Be nice to your brother and make things easy for your mom."
Then I'm off.
I grab my key fob from the key box, open the garage door and think...
"Damn, I love this car."
I open my car door, sink down into the leather seats, insert my fob and punch the start button on my BMW M5.
The 500 horsepower V10 rumbles to life.
Once I back out of the driveway, I'm off to my most "important" part of the day...
Can't really get started unless I stop by my local Starbucks for a latte.
By the time I roll into the office, it's 8:15 to 8:30. Brista, Haley, Anthony and Jared are already there.
Across the hall, Darven, Jessica, Leslie, Bobby, Nick, and Todd are already in.
Ken rolls in about 10.
Gordon works from home in Colorado and our 4 people in the Philippines are already busy.
You see ... from 2007 to 2012 I went for the internet lifestyle.
But in the end I realized I spent 4 years of my life building a business that would give me the flexibility and "lifestyle" I wanted, but one I couldn't sell.
If I would have spent that time building something that I could sell - a REAL business - I'd be sitting on several million dollars.
But you live and learn.
So last year I decided to do things a bit differently.
I decided that I'd treat IM like any other business.
I'd build it like I wanted to sell it.
That way, even if I don't, I have a business that operates without me, throws off crazy amounts of cash, and ultimately gives me the lifestyle I want.
That's why I dress for business, work from an office and employ about 20 people (and growing).
It was a conscious choice.
One I made knowing the sacrifice and reality of what I was committing to.
I'm going for the BIG payoff.
Not just the monthly cash flow, even though that would be far less stress.
Now, YOU don't have to do this at all though.
You can accomplish a great lifestyle and success without ever building a sellable business out of it.
That's your choice.
It comes down to what your ultimate end game is. I'm going for millions, not hundreds of thousands.
Andre wanted me to share what and how I do things for a bit of contrast. Because what I do isn't like most IM peeps.
Most are solo players.
Marketing specialists.
Frank Kern is that way. I asked him why he does consulting instead of building a business.
His answer...
"Too many fucking headaches. Why the hell would I want to do that? It's far easier just consulting."
And he has a great point.
Because my days a far less about marketing, and far more about running a business.
Finances, legal issues, meetings, calls and managing employees.
Worrying about how I pay $90K/mo of overhead across all three businesses instead of just paying my personal bills.
But as I said earlier...
I do it by choice.
I'm going for a big payday.
I can always go back and build a lifestyle business again.
Which is why what actually happens AT work isn't near as luxurious as getting to work.
I wish I could make it sound sexy and exciting.
It's not.
It's work.
It's a job.
5PM is my favorite time.
... because that is the time when all the employees go home and I finally have time to focus on something for more than 10 mins before someone says:
"Hey Steve ... I have a question."
And from 5-5:45PM I probably get more done than I do from 8:30-5PM.
And then I pack up and see if Jen needs anything on my way home.
I hop in my M5 and drive home, thinking about which bottle of wine I'll share with Jen tonight.
Dinner is usually from 6-7PM and then we have some family time until 8PM when the kids go to bed.
Sometimes its 8:30 or 9PM.
Jen and I talk for a bit after the kids go to bed.
Maybe we'll watch a movie.
But by 11 - 11:30M its time for bed.
Because the alarm will be ringing at 6:50AM just like it did today reminding me it's time to get up an do it all over again.
Am I making the right choice?
Would I be better focusing on my lifestyle?
... and just make as much by doing as little as possible?
Who knows .. ask me in a few more years and I'll let you know.
We all have different versions of what ultimate freedom looks like.
Whatever yours looks like, I know investing in TLB can definitely be a part of you getting there.
We've got your back. It easy to start. Click the link:
http://tlb.io/join.php?v=e21 ($49.95/mo for 7-months)
Steve "latte" Gray
P.S.
We often get asked ... why do you teach affiliate marketing instead of product creation?
There's a simple answer.
Affiliate marketing happens to be the path of least resistance to having a presence in any market, ... and doing it at light speed.
Which means minimum risk.
Because it is the fastest way to "test the waters" and validate you can sell to an audience before jumping in, hook, line and sinker.
Creating your offer comes later.
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