Ever since reading the Tim Ferris 4 Hour Work Week book I became obsessed with it! The trouble was there was no clear path to making it a reality. At the time I was juggling a number of jobs and kidding myself that I had a laid back lifestyle. The truth was I was broke and struggling to make ends meet. Although I was out of work a lot, it didn’t translate to enjoyment because I was so worried about money all the time!
I thought I’d found the perfect job as a stuntman and in my early 20’s I got my first gig on a film called Enduring Love.
But the work never lasted and before I knew it I was back driving taxis, working on building sites or whatever casual work I could get my hands on. Months (and years) would go by without any sign of stunt work and all the time I was falling behind financially.
Tim Ferris 4 Hour Work Week
It was before this I had read Tim Ferris’s 4 Hour Work Week. But the book stuck in my mind and probably had a part in my pursuing the stuntman lifestyle. Unfortunately the lifestyle was precarious at best!
I didn’t get enough work and for years I juggled other part time and casual jobs alongside the stunt work. In my late 30’s I was still in this trap and I realised I needed to do something else.
I looked to the internet as a means to earn an income. After trying Forex marketing, buying and selling on eBay, and a few other such strategies, I eventually found a business model called affiliate marketing. See what is affiliate marketing.
With affiliate marketing you can promote other people’s products and services online and make a commission based on sales you make. I knew this was the way to attain the four hour work week! The automation of digital sales online seemed like the perfect automated income. So I bought a few training courses and started building websites.
Tim Ferris 4 Hour Work Week & Affiliate Marketing
As a newbie affiliate I was naive. I thought I could throw up a website and would suddenly be inundated with sales. I even wrote a couple of my own ebooks and tried to sell them but with no joy. But I knew the automation of online sales would give me the time and freedom I wanted. In his book Tim Ferris talked a lot about planning your time, and escaping the office to live more on your own terms. But it didn’t offer a step by step means to do it! This is what I needed!
So I bought several online courses which claimed to teach me. You can read about some of them in my article digital profit course review.
Despite many set backs I was determined to learn how to become a successful affiliate. I eventually found a community where I could get access to coaches and mentors who had already achieved financial independence through building an online business. Access a free video series here to learn more.
Affiliate Business Models
I had been struggling for a couple of years when I found this community. The SFM Mentors offered a training program and digital business system which included a ready made sales funnel I could promote straight away. Since I had struggled already, I immediately saw the value in coaches and mentors who could help me.
The business model was different to what I had tried before. Before I was promoting low value physical products from eBay and Amazon. I made peanuts when I sold anything. I was taught to promote high ticket affiliate products and made commissions on recurring income affiliate programs too.
This made all the difference and I was able to generate a regular income fairly quickly because of this switch. See also affiliate marketing business models for more on this.
The 4 Hour Work Week
The 4 hour work week does exist. But while I was building my affiliate business I was certainly working much more than this. I think this is true for all successful affiliates. But once your business is up and running, it can be largely automated.
With high value commissions and recurring income products it’s much easier to use paid marketing methods which means you can build a business fairly quickly. Alternatively you can use cheaper marketing strategies and take a bit longer over it if you’re on a tight budget.
Access a free video series here to learn more. If you’re ready to get started you can also access the step by step modules which will help you get up and running with a range of products and your own website and landing pages. You’ll also be able to access ongoing training and mentoring through the community. Start here.