In my Money Makers interview series, I interview notable professionals and entrepreneurs. Generally, my interviewees have created a successful business or are leaders in their field. In this article I interviewed Jamie, an affiliate marketing pro. I think that all of us could learn a lot from him on creating multiple sources of income. Without further ado, let’s get into the interview!
For my readers who may not be familiar with you, would you please introduce yourself? Who are you? What do you do?
Hey, I’m Jamie Gardiner. I’m a full time affiliate marketer and coach for a program called SAA (Super Affiliate Accelerator). I hail from a tiny dot on the map in New Zealand, but I have lived in Melbourne, Australia for over 15 years now.
I’ve been in the affiliate marketing industry since 2011 and have been full time online since 2017. It’s been a wild ride to put it mildly.
Is there anything you want people to know about what you do for a living? For example, what sets you apart from others in that industry?
The biggest thing for anyone wanting to get into this industry is: don’t buy into the bullsh*t. One of the problems with this industry is the lure of ‘easy money.’ For anyone that’s been doing it for any length of time will attest, false expectations are easy to sell. That’s why the attrition rate is so high.
People expect to be making fortunes within a short space of time (which can certainly happen), but it’s business. Business takes focus, determination and consistent action in building momentum.
In the 2-ish years since we kicked off SAA, we’ve seen a bunch of programs come and go. There’s usually a lot of hype behind them and a sense of euphoria for a few months until they fizzle out.
When we kicked off, we knew we wanted to offer something that was unique, had amazing support and was based on the fundamental principles of sales, marketing, branding, and course creation.
This continual focus on our students has helped many people make their first commissions online, right through to people leaving their jobs, starting their own coaching and training programs and even using the skills to completely dominate offline markets as well.
It was this focus that helped us hit the Clickfunnels 2 Comma Club Award in February 2021 as well.
How did you get your start? Knowing what you know now, would you have done anything differently?
My Mother was my inspiration for building an online business. She setup an eCommerce store in 1996 and only just sold it this year.
I saw her lifestyle which consisted of around 20-30 minutes of ‘work’ each day, while the rest of her business was highly automated.
By contrast, I was in a career that I loved, but was aware there was going to be a ceiling. Plus, it was working for a derivatives broker, so needless to say with the market fluctuations there were some very stressful times.
It took me around 7-8 years before I had my big breakout in the industry.
If I were to rewind the clock, the advice I would give my younger self would be:
1. Focus on the fundamentals of sales, marketing and offer creation. They’re based on human psychology and won’t change in a hurry.
2. Stick with one pathway only. You literally only need
- One product
- One platform/traffic source
- One method of conversion
In order to make significant income online. You also don’t need all the fancy funnels, software and automation to get started. I have all that stuff now, but it’s because I’ve built my business out in layers.
3. Work on your mindset. This will determine whether you succeed or not.
Is there anyone who has really inspired you – authors, coworkers, or managers?
This might sound a little cliché, both my Mum and Dad are my main inspiration. Mum for the fact she’s been semi-retired since she was around 40 and Dad because he’s worked doing what he’s love for the majority of his life (he delivers yachts).
My mentor Jacob Caris is someone I admire a great deal as well. We’ve since become close friends and business partners.
His work ethic is second to none and he has an innate ability to articulate things to people in a way that makes you sit up and listen. While I’m mentally preparing what to say in one of our coaching calls, he ‘wings it’ and often delivers very compelling content.
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced so far, both in your field and in personal finance?
Cue the small violins here….
In all seriousness, I have faced a few challenges along the way. I don’t believe they have been any easier or harder than anyone else’s pathway. As mentioned, it took me around 7-8 years of making close to nothing before finally having a breakthrough.
I went through relationship breakdowns, bouts of unemployment, dismissed from jobs, a bankruptcy, 2 more years after leaving the workforce and making close to nothing while being supported by my wife, copycats, pirates….The list goes on.
Time for a bit of a loaded question – what is your favorite thing about what you do for a living?
As Mel Gibson’s character in the movie Braveheart once yelled….”FREEEDOOOM!”
I have time and location freedom. My wife no longer works for anyone. It’s fun and exciting to think of new ways to serve my audience. I can spend time with people I care about.
Perhaps in a cliché sense, I love being able to help people.
We’ve got students from 59 different countries.
Hundreds of testimonials of mindset shifts, personal growth, becoming better negotiators, people hitting as much as $50k per month off the back of our training.
Those are brilliant, but I also love the intangible things people tell me about.
“I did my first live today.”
Sounds like a small feat, but I find it compelling to help more people push themselves.
At the end of the day, what is the main thing you hope you achieve?
I would like to scale to a point where I can completely remove myself from my business and use the income to invest in other areas.
I would like to continue impacting people and helping them achieve their goals as well.
What’s the best piece of advice you received growing up? How did it shape you into the person you are today?
There was a poster my Father gave me that hung on my wall for many years. It was a picture of a BMX racer in a race with the words: “No one is ever beaten, unless they give up.”
I found this to be true in my business.
Sure, I’ve had setbacks, I’ve pivoted and changed lanes many times, but I’ve kept going.
I knew as long as I kept going in the affiliate space, I would eventually ‘crack the code’ so to speak.
I don’t think I anticipated it taking quite as long as it did, but I’d do it all again.
Everyone views success differently, what personal metric do you use to define your own success?
Money is up there, but only for the choices it can offer you. I don’t really care for fancy stuff so much.
The true goal is to be content. At this point in my life, that is where I feel I’m at overall.
Sure, some things need improvement, but it’s the journey itself that drives me.
People tend to struggle with finding a good work-life balance, especially these days. How do you manage? In other words, what’s an average weekday like for you?
Oh wow, I’m filled with cliché’s today…
My work is simultaneously the way I wind down.
As in, it’s my passion so I don’t see it as ‘work’ so much these days.
I tend to get a dopamine hit from what I do day in, day out so I probably spend longer than I need to at my desk.
That said, I’m not immune to burnout either.
I think it’s important to find some form of balance along the way. If I feel too highly strung, I’ll find a way to relax. Get some nature, exercise, some good food. The usual stuff really.
What’s something you’re interested in – outside of work?
I love wine and I play basketball. I also love getting creative in the kitchen when the mood strikes.
If you had to give advice to someone who has just joined the job market, what would it be?
Think about how you can give more in order to get more.
That is, I feel like a lot of people jump into the job market with 6-figure expectations and a 60 cent work ethic.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed learning about Jamie and his views on life and affiliate marketing as much as I did! If you like what he had to say and want to see more, be sure to check him out on Twitter, @JamieGonline . Also, if you’re interested in learning more about his program, check out the details on the website. As always, if you have any thoughts you’d like to contribute, add a comment!
