Lessons Learned from Jimmy, Pt. 3
Note From Jimmy: I’m out of town this week and my affiliate manager, Nicole Dean is filling in for me. Say “hello” to Nicole. Don’t be afraid. She won’t bite. 
Nicole is a wonderful internet marketer, friend and all around good girl … and she always has something interesting to say, so check in each day. See you next week.
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Hey guys. I’m back. I’m Nicole Dean, and I’m Jimmy’s Affiliate Manager at www.InfoProfitShare.com. I’m also his business partner at www.OutsourceWeekly.com.
This week, I’m here as a guest blogger, sharing a series that I’ve put together called “Lessons Learned Working with Jimmy: The Inside Scoop”. Lots of people ask me what it’s like, and I’m giving you the full story.
If you’re just joining me, you can catch up on the first two posts below:
Not Everyone Will Love You, and That’s ok!
Today, I’m going to share something else that I learned from working with Jimmy.
Lesson 3: Consider your Lifestyle When Making Every Business Decision.
When I first started working with Jimmy, I was really surprised when he told me that he used Clickbank as his payment processor for most of his products. My previous mentors had taught me to use a “meatier” shopping cart and that Clickbank ended up to be quite expensive after you started to sell in large volume.
Well, of course, I wanted to show him how knowledgeable I was so I told him how much better we could do if we switched to a heartier shopping cart.
That conversation didn’t go as I’d planned, but I did learn a lesson that stuck with me to this day, three years later. I can’t find the original emails to share the actual conversation, but it went something like this…
Me: You could do all these great things if we switched to a full-blown shopping cart… blah blah blah (me going on trying to make my point and look smart…)
Him: Why on earth would I do that? They handle everything for me including credit card processing and tax paperwork for affiliates. It frees me up to play more tennis and spend more time with my family.
I stopped as if the world just turned upside down on me.
Inside my head I could hear – “But… but… but… the other cart will do all these other things… but… OH! I get it.”
That lesson has stuck with me since that day. Every single decision that I make in my business now has to pass the “Does this choice fit with my lifestyle goals?” test. It keeps me in line with my long term goals.
But, before you can ask yourself that question, you really need to make sure that you know what success means to you. You’ve got to have goals if you plan to hit them, right?
What is success to you?
Does it mean making a million dollar a month and having a corporate office with a full staff?
Does it mean having vacation homes in 10 countries all over the world?
Does it mean working for yourself and having your house paid off and food on the table and being able to help those less fortunate?
Or does it mean working a few hours each day and enjoying the freedom and security to spend your time as you choose?
Everyone has a different dream of success. I discuss this quite a bit on my Success Online podcast when I interview my guests.
My view of success will be different than yours and that’s ok. What matters, though, is that our actions each day are moving us closer to that dream and not moving us further away.
What this may mean to you…
- Getting an affiliate program up and running to have others doing some of the work for you.
- Being more efficient and getting more done in less time.
- Saying “no” to new projects and focusing on the ones that you have.
- Outsourcing some tasks so you are freed up to do other things.
If you need help with any of the above, here are some resources that I recommend:
If you need help getting your affiliate program making you money, Jimmy has a great course on the topic at www.SalesArmySecrets.com (The free ecourse on the site is worth checking out even if you can’t afford the paid course.)
If you want to work more efficiently, I recommend www.HomepreneurHabits.com as it’s a great guide to getting more organized.
And, of course, if you need help learning how to outsource more aspects of your business, www.OutsourceWeekly.com can help.
Well guys, on that note, I’m going to get my work wrapped up and jump in the pool with my kiddos. I hope you’re enjoying the beautiful summer days, as well.
I’ll be back with more tomorrow.
Warmly,
Nicole Dean
PS. Please share in the comments below what success means to you and what you’re striving to achieve in your business. I’d love to cheer you on!
August 27th, 2009 at 9:48 am
Nicole,
Great topic! I just recently made a decision myself based on this principle…I had some ideas for other online business ventures…and when I finally sat down and realized how it would tie me down and not afford me the freedom I currently have, I decided the ventures weren’t for me.
Success for me really isn’t based on a certain amount of money. Being a wife and mom are going to be my first priorities. God has blessed my family and I tremendously and we’ve been able to completely pay off our home. What more could I ask for than healthy children, a hard-working husband and a roof over my head! lol
August 27th, 2009 at 10:12 am
“Does this choice fit with my lifestyle goals?” is something you rarely see discussed in internet marketing, yet it’s probably the most important question to ask, in order to stop yourself taking distracting detours.
Ah well. One thing about learning what doesn’t work, the hard way - it helps you define your goals even more clearly. Though it sure doesn’t hurt to have yourself headed off at the wrong pass with a nice clear set of instructions (a.k.a. your post here) pinned on the gate.
Thanks for the reminder, Nicole - and the 3 great links.
August 27th, 2009 at 10:12 am
To me, success is being able to pursue the most important thing in my life - my family and my faith - without having to be tied down handling “credit card processing and tax paperwork for affiliates”. Love the fact that a ‘guru’ uses Clickbank for the same reasons I do. : )
August 28th, 2009 at 8:49 am
Thanks Nicole for a great post and an even greater series. Success for me allows me to make some decent money to pay my rent, bills, food and so forth but at my own pace. If I want to take a week off to putz around the house, I can! If I want to drop by a friends house and hangout drinking tea and chatting, I can! Since “retiring” at the age of 32, almost 17 years ago, I have enjoyed my time on my own terms. I love being my own “boss” and not being dependent on the traditional 9-5 daily grind where I come home drained and lethargic only to go to bed to start the same thing all over again the next day. I guess what I’m trying to say is that Success to me means freedom. The freedom to be ME!…I’m about to break into a song…:) Thanks again ND and take care.
Lyle
August 28th, 2009 at 9:04 am
Love it! As Lynn Terry always says when faced with a business related decision: ‘Does this take me closer to my goal, or further away from it’.
For me, I have to have everything written down - to keep my ‘ADD-rabbit-trail-shiny-object-syndrome’ brain on track.
August 28th, 2009 at 9:49 am
Success to me means helping others in their weight loss journey BUT success also means that I’m able to donate time and money to others, travel and help family. As for the $ part, I just want to live comfortably and have all debt paid off. I honestly don’t want the big expensive car, jewelry, big home but I do want to travel all over the world while I work!
Once again, a great lesson to keep in the forefront of your mind.
August 28th, 2009 at 10:43 am
[...] Lessons Learned from Jimmy, Pt. 3 [...]
August 28th, 2009 at 11:19 am
GREAT post Nicole! I have to say that in the beginning what I thought was success wasn’t the right decision for me. Now, 4 years later - WOW what a difference.
For me? There are different levels of success but over the last year I have to say that my ultimate success goal is to live a less stressful life that means not working myself to death. I love my work, but my sanity is more important for myself, my family and my customers!
August 28th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Thanks for the terrific series Nicole. It ihas been vital for me to be able to get a break from the noise out there. I don’t believe that humans were made to be immersed in all of that stress, overload and confusion. It so commonplace to br stuck in a place where business activity does not compliment lifestyle. Maybe, in some cases for workaholics, but not ehre balance is part of our goal.
It is a gift to have both you and Jimmy D. Brown as mentors.
September 17th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
[...] love the post Nicole Dean published on Jimmy Brown’s blog about considering your lifestyle when making every business decision. (no family relation with Nicole by the way). SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Internet Marketing [...]
September 18th, 2009 at 11:38 am
Your article on Lifestyle choices brings up a topic that hinders almost every marketer I know. That is DISTRACTIONS! Instant information is addictive. Every blog post, article, newsletter and video can be a distraction from your goals. Your advice to remember your goals, what kind of lifestyle you are working for is a great question to ask yourself in order to make the right choices.
That is one of the reasons that I like to stay on the lists of certain marketers, like your self, Jimmy Brown and Terry Dean whose article on his blog today led me back to your article today.
I find myself clicking on the bottom link of newsletters more often as I ask myself the same question, “How is this going to help me reach my goals?” You are right on, Nicole!