[John Rogers]

UPDATE: I'm extending this for a couple of days for those who got busy with the holidays and didn't get their success stories in on time.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Share Your Warrior Forum Success Story

The Warrior Forum has made significant contributions to the success of countless people. There are a bunch of six figure earners who got their starts here. Hell, there are a number people who earn six figures a year solely from their Warrior Forum generated customers. And I know there are multiple seven figure earners who started here. Probably quite a few more than I would guess.

Here is my challenge that is open to any Warrior who feels they have achieved any level of success as a direct result of their participation here. Success can take many forms, not necessarily financial. Did you form successful JVs here? Did you learn something that got you to the next level? Did you form your first profitable venture as a direct result of being a member here?

Any Warrior who attributes any personal success to the Warrior Forum is invited to participate in this challenge.

Here are the rules:

1. Your story must be your own, it must be factual, and it must indicate how the Warrior Forum contributed to your success.
2. Your story must be a minimum of 500 words of text (no video or audio).
3. No drafts. Post your final edited version only to this thread prior to midnight U.S. Pacific time December 28, 2010. (deadline extended)
4. No advertising disquised as a success story. I will request that a mod remove posts regarded as such from the thread.

The best posts will be compiled into a PDF document. The author of each chosen post will have the opportunity to include a photo and short bio with two live links to accompany their story. I will make the PDF brandable with one link. (something like Presented by {URL}) I will also have at least one ecover professionally designed. The PDF will come with giveaway rights, and a link to download the branding tool will be included within the document. That will ensure maximum distribution and benefit to the included authors (and the Warrior Forum as a whole).

If you want your story included, spend some quality time on this. You have three weeks plus a couple of days. Make your story interesting (while factual). Spelling and grammar do count. I don't mind doing a little editing, but if it looks like the editing requires a lot of work on my part, I'm going to assume you didn't care enough to have your story included.

Allen Says has not put his stamp of approval on this, so the cover will not have a Warrior Forum logo on it, nor will Warrior Forum appear in the title. If Allen gives the thumbs up, I will incorporate the name and/or logo into the design.

[Ken Leatherman]

John,

You know for a young retired dog face you come up with some good ideas. I promise not to tell anyone as I don't want to ruin your reputation.

You should be sure and get Zesus66 and his flying monkey to post their success story.

Ken

The Old Geezer

[Kevin Riley]

OK John, here's mine. Now just need to get those other slackers to hurry up and et theirs in. Leatherman is excused as he's probably asleep.

=======

I credit the Warrior Forum not only for my successes with my Product Creation Labs, but also for getting me going in this direction in the first place. It was my involvement with the Warrior Forum in 2005 that led to me starting the Product Creation Labs. It was the Warrior Forum's WSO section that was a major factor in the successful launch of the Product Creation Labs and the building of a very responsive customer list. It was the Warrior Forum that provided me with the platform to run increasingly successful private workshops.


In late 2005, I was up to my eyeballs in research, notes, and mass writing for my upcoming natural health book. On a whim – after running across a link and a recommendation – I visited the Warrior Forum. After a few days, I found myself in the Off Topic forum, joking around with the likes of Edmund Loh, Ken Strong, and Hey Sal. Basically, it was a great distraction and break from my in-depth work on a number of blood pressure remedies. However, it wasn't long before Rod Cortez was calling me out to contribute to marketing discussions in Main Discussion.


See, I had a long history of entrepreneurship and guerrilla marketing. Rod pulled me into every discussion where he felt my experience would be an asset. Then, a young marketer in Pakistan – Mohsin Rasool – asked me to mentor him. He was so sincere and eager to learn that I decided to work with him. I also decided in 2006 – after completing my book on naturally lowering blood pressure – to pursue the one thing I'd always enjoyed teaching others. In November 2006, thanks to the prodding I was getting on the Warrior Forum – and the need it showed me for step-by-step, detailed instruction – I decided to open the Product Creation Labs.


That's when phase II of the Warrior Forum's factor in my success kicked in. I released my first product in the Warrior Special Offer section. With the fantastic community of the WSO pouring comments into that first WSO, it was a successful first product release. In fact, it was that first WSO that saw my wife Rieko and I enjoying a day of fun at our local Universal Studios Japan and returning to $700 in sales. That was $700 that came in while doing nothing – while goofing off and having fun – and since I was selling digital products, it was $700 in profits.


Fantastic! After decades of businesses with much smaller profit margins, I'd just had my first taste of easy money and near-100% profits. Of course, it's not as easy as it looks – there is a lot of work behind creating and selling info products – but it was still a lot easier than any other business I'd ever run.


Now, the WSO section was a perfect place for me to introduce my Product Creation Lab products, because it put me directly in front of my target market. If you have good products that will help people make money online – be it creating products to sell, crafting compelling sales letters, driving traffic, using social media, or any other aspect of Internet marketing – the Warrior Forum is a perfect place to market your goods or services.


During 2007, I built a good, responsive list of customers – almost exclusively from the Warrior Forum. It was also the year I got to meet many Warriors in person – especially, the Asian Warriors and a few fellow Japan-based Warriors. We Japan Warriors came up on Allen Says' radar and one day he started asking what was going on in Japan – as he was seeing some pretty good products coming from people like James Allen, Craig Desorcey, and myself. Then, came the day when he proposed I do a private workshop on product creation – in the Warrior Forum.


Needless to say, I said “Yes” and hustled my butt to put together a workshop worthy of his confidence in my abilities to teach. It was a hit and we went on to do two more (to date). With well over 500 participants in the last workshop, they've been fantastic displays of the community on the Warrior Forum and the cooperative spirit of Warriors. In each workshop I got to see Warriors working together, cheering each other on, and helping out whenever they could.


In my opinion, the Warrior Forum is a fantastic place for beginner, intermediate, and experienced marketers – and we can all profit from our involvement with this great community. The Warrior Forum offers you opportunities to learn, network, support each other, and even market your wares (just as the forums of old did) and it's up to you to make the most of those opportunities. As for myself, I treasure my membership in the Warrior Forum.

[Superman_]

Hi Everyone,

I've been a lurker here for so long but I am very grateful for this forum and its members. About 10 months ago I knew nothing about IM, especially Adsense. Out of curiosity, I googled "google ads", since I see them everywhere, and discovered Adsense. Fate somehow led me to John Xfactors micro niche thread here on WF. I am now making about $80-$100 daily through his method. I still have much more to learn. Thank you WF!!

[John Rogers]

Okay folks, I've completed mine. I'm calling out everyone who told me that they would submit their own success story. No more excuses. :rolleyes:


June 2004. Groundhog Day.

Pretty much every day was Groundhog Day at Sheikh Muhammad Naser al-Ahmad Naval Base. About thirteen months worth of Groundhog Days for me. Same boring routine day after day after day, month after month after month. Groundhog Day.

About four months into my fun in the 120 degree plus sun, in June 2004, painfully bored of video games and poor quality bootleg DVDs, I discovered the Warrior Forum. Thank God I was fortunate enough to have internet access, otherwise I very well may have done another deployment and still be serving to this day.

I'm a 48 year-old military retiree and full-time internet marketer. I've also worked as a commercial fisherman, helicopter logger, and in numerous other jobs.

You could call me a workaholic I suppose. I can't remember a time since the seventh grade that I didn't have some sort of job. And for most of my adult life I've done something on the side for extra money. In 1996 or 1997 I discovered eBay which was the genesis of where I am now in terms of online business. But my discovery of the Warrior Forum in 2004 marked my true introduction to and the beginning of my education in internet marketing.

Most of the success I've had in internet business can be directly linked to the Warrior Forum. I've had single Warrior Special Offers that generated thousands of dollars in direct sales, and much more on the back end. I created a popular membership site that had over 3,000 members thanks to the knowledge and contacts I gained through the Warrior Forum. (it was later hacked and after several attempts at repairing it, I decided to let it go and move on)

The real key to my success however, even more so than the knowledge and insights I gained, and the income I generated, are the relationships I established in the Warrior Forum. I'm still good online friends with a number of people who purchased my first WSO. One of those early relationships resulted in me joining PPC guru Matt Levenhagen at Xtreme Profits prior to my retirement from my offline career. And another resulted in Michalis "BIG Mike" Kotzakolios asking me to join the Incansoft team when he heard I was retiring from the military and transitioning to full-time internet marketing.

So, my advice to anyone getting started in, or looking to expand their online business is two-fold. First, the Warrior Forum is a pot of gold in terms of an incredible pool of knowledge and insights. But second, and more importantly, the relationships you establish in the forum have the potential to make or break you. Be yourself, be honest, and have integrity. The internet is your oyster!

[flowers4love]

Originally Posted by John Rogers

I'm a 48 year-old military retiree and full-time internet marketer. I've also worked as a commercial fisherman, helicopter logger, and in numerous other jobs.

You could call me a workaholic I suppose. I can't remember a time since the seventh grade that I didn't have some sort of job. And for most of my adult life I've done something on the side for extra money. In 1996 or 1997 I discovered eBay which was the genesis of where I am now in terms of online business. But my discovery of the Warrior Forum in 2004 marked my true introduction to and the beginning of my education in internet marketing.

Thank you, John, for sharing such an interesting piece of your own biography with us here. You have truly inspired me. You have the classic profile of a Warrior – army & business. I believe that the army trained you to think and plan strategically and to fight for your personal victory. It is no secret that the world of business is a battle field and only those who fight will succeed.

[supersonic]

I am sorry but what are the benefits of posting success story here to the author or the story teller?
Thanks

[flowers4love]

Originally Posted by supersonic

I am sorry but what are the benefits of posting success story here to the author or the story teller?
Thanks

First of all it gives Warrior Forum members the opportunity to see the face behind the numbers. Extensive marketing research has proven that buying and selling is for and foremost an emotional issue rather than a cold rational thing. Furthermore, the relationship between buyers and sellers is an emotional relationship. If a buyer has empathy and sympathy with the seller then he'll choose to deal with him even if there are better deals available.

[John Rogers]

Originally Posted by supersonic

I am sorry but what are the benefits of posting success story here to the author or the story teller?
Thanks

Did you read the original post?

The best posts will be compiled into a PDF document. The author of each chosen post will have the opportunity to include a photo and short bio with two live links to accompany their story. I will make the PDF brandable with one link. (something like Presented by {URL}) I will also have at least one ecover professionally designed. The PDF will come with giveaway rights, and a link to download the branding tool will be included within the document. That will ensure maximum distribution and benefit to the included authors (and the Warrior Forum as a whole).

[deannatroupe]

I will go on and share my success story here on the Warrior Forum. Even though I feel like this story is still a work in progress, in the short term, this forum has helped me pay my bills. I've found gigs here on the Warriors wanted section and I sold an ebook through my signature link. I've also gained valuable knowledge that has helped me secure jobs on other forums. This place is simply a gold mine if you are willing to do the work. Also, you should upgrade to the War Room as soon as you can. That investment will pay for itself almost instantly because of all of the information in the private section.

[flowers4love]

Originally Posted by deannatroupe

found gigs here on the Warriors wanted section and I sold an ebook through my signature link.

Congratulations on your eBook. What is it about? Have you offered a copy for sale in the WSO? The best thing about selling a book is the fact that the buyer likes what you write to such an extent that they're willing to pay money for it. Anyway my philosophy is: Make Money not War!

[Tina Golden]

I'm not a guru, nor do I play one on tv. I don't even make big bucks when compared to many of the highly successful people in the Warrior Forum. However, I have worked strictly from home and paid all my bills for over 2.5 years and the biggest reason is due to discovering the Warrior Forum.

I joined the forum in March 2007 but was reading posts here for probably a year prior to officially registering. I'd been making money online since I bought my first computer back in 1999 or so but that was odds and ends money – paid to read emails, paid to click programs, paid surf programs, surveys, paid writing for content mills and places like epinions. I always knew that I could make money but the Warrior Forum is what made me realize that I could build an actual business.

The only real skills that I had when I first found the forum were that I could research and write better than a lot of people I knew. I knew nothing about Adsense, affiliate marketing, putting up a blog or website, SEO...none of the stuff that I really needed to know. However, I knew that I could learn if I put my mind to it.

I read thread after thread after thread. I took notes and printed many threads, too. I grabbed every free ebook or report that came down the pike and read those, as well. As a single mother, raising three kids, I didn't have money to spend on buying tools or systems at first. But I did have determination and the “want to” so I knew that I'd get there eventually.

One of the most significant influences on my outlook on building a business was Dennis Becker and his “5 Bucks a Day” program. I couldn't even afford the full system at the time so I had the “Jr” version. That product is responsible for showing me that I didn't have to have a million dollar idea or one large income stream. Adding small streams of income on a regular basis – hey, I could do that! If I remember correctly, that was the first WSO I ever actually bought. Before that, I was still thinking of just earning some extra money so this program is what turned me towards actually building a real business.

As time went on, I built a nicely thriving ghostwriting business but I knew that wasn't what I wanted to do forever. At that time, I was still working full-time so my writing income was extra money and of course, my time was limited. I figured on being a year or two away from being able to quit the job and go full-time in my business.

Then in May, 2008, my district manager decided that my job was perfect for a friend of hers so she lied and fired me. Having never been fired from any job in my life, this was quite a blow pyschologically but it also threw me into a panic, at first. Luckily, due to her lies, I was able to get unemployment.

After the initial few days of shock and panic, however, I began to see where perhaps this would be my opportunity to take the plunge. Unemployment replaced about 2/3 of my job income and I knew I was making enough money from my ghostwriting to make up the difference, at the very least. I talked to my housemate and we cut a deal. If I could be making the income I was from the job with my online activities before unemployment ran out, I could stay home.

Since I'm still working from home, you can figure out how that went! For a long time, it was still feast or famine with income but it averaged out better than my pay from the job. As time went on and I've added more income streams, it has smoothed out to the point where it's quite steady and my income has been steadily growing. I'm not where I want to be yet but I can guarantee that 2011 will be my best year thus far.

The Warrior Forum is the most important factor in my ability to start building a real business. Not only from the things I've learned or the many WSOs I've purchased but for the friends I have made. Now, I am proud to be able to call some of the finest Warriors friend. There are many reasons to value the Warrior Forum but the biggest, by far, is the ability to network with some of the finest marketing minds on the planet.

People talk of getting a mentor...I say, why limit yourself? I've had and continue to have many mentors and most don't even know it. Paul Myers continues to be a mentor to me in many ways but especially with my continuing efforts to write half as well as he does. Bev Clements was a mentor to me for quite a while as I built my ghostwriting business. Tiffany Dow was and is a mentor to me, first in the PLR arena and also how she conducts herself in the other areas of her business.

You know, I shouldn't have started naming names because there are so many that I have learned so much from. I have many mentors and many friends from the Warrior Forum – there are far too many for me to list them all. If you are new to the forum or perhaps just haven't realized the significance of the community here, that's the major takeaway I want you to get from my simple story.

The power of the Warrior Forum does not lie within the WSO section. It doesn't lie in the War Room or anywhere in particular. It doesn't lie in how much money you make. The most powerful thing in this forum is the members and the community. That's the real secret of what makes the Warrior Forum the top internet marketing forum and why it's managed to stay alive and even growing for over a decade.

Thank you to Allen for having the vision to create this place and thank you to all the Warriors who make it the living, breathing community that it is.

Tina

[flowers4love]

Originally Posted by TMG Enterprises

I'm not a guru, nor do I play one on tv. I don't even make big bucks when compared to many of the highly successful people in the Warrior Forum. However, I have worked strictly from home and paid all my bills for over 2.5 years and the biggest reason is due to discovering the Warrior Forum.

Thank you, Tina, for sharing your story with us. I think that your biggest success is independence – that you keep soul and body together without having an employer breathing down your neck. The second big plus in your story is that you can work from home and are not tied to an office.

[bareket57]

Originally Posted by John Rogers

Okay folks, I've completed mine. I'm calling out everyone who told me that they would submit their own success story. No more excuses. :rolleyes:

John, your story is very special ... you're definitely and interesting person After reading your story, I've started to follow you on Twitter :p

[Kevin Riley]

Originally Posted by supersonic

I am sorry but what are the benefits of posting success story here to the author or the story teller?
Thanks

Karma? The people I see posting a story here are providing some much-needed motivation and inspiration for new members. You don't always have to just think directly "How is this going to benefit me?" IMO, in the end it does.

[Kevin Riley]

Originally Posted by John Rogers

I've also worked as a commercial fisherman, helicopter logger, and in numerous other jobs.

LOL. Same. No helicopter logging, but numerous adventures, including a stint on a deep sea dragger (toughest job ever and made anything else look easy after that).

[Joshua Rigley]

I'd like to share my own little success story, such as it is.

My IM journey started back in 2008, when I first bought the Rich Jerk ebook. From there, I've studied every IM course I could find, spending thousands of dollars and countless hours studying, studying, studying. It became my whole life. Then, as time went by, I actually started attaining enlightenment. I started to realize that most of the IM stuff I learned was just rehashed over and over again.

When I realized this, somehow, I was able to take action. I was able to launch a small business consulting business. And a few info-products. And a couple of affiliate marketing campaigns.

Not all were successful. Some were. And those that were, I dropped almost immediately, simply because they didn't capture my interest.

I started to realize my heart wasn't in to this whole IM thing. It might have been because I was doing the wrong business models; the whole reason I started trying to make money online was because I was rather successful at buying and selling virtual goods in an online multi-player game.

At any rate, I've come to a conclusion; Internet Marketing is wrong. Not wrong it the sense that it is unethical or can't make money, but in the sense it is wrong for me.

I frequently think of a quote by Napoleon Hill:

"It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed".

Based on this, my belief is that the easiest way to success online is to consistently contribute good quality content or services to the internet community.

Take the following as an example; the WarriorForum, Google, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Yahoo, MSN, and more.

These sites all have something in common; they provide good value to their readers on a constant basis.

You could do something like this too. You could create a website that acted as an aggregator for a certain niche, such as video games. You could host a blog, create a forum, write tutorials, and so on.

The key is to be sincere. Your first thought should be the people who view your content. It may be a numbers game, but people aren't numbers. Remember that. You should create content that you care about. You don't have to be knowledgeable or passionate, but you should have a sincere interest in what you're writing about.

In order to get traffic, you simply need to participate in popular social networking sites such as facebook, twitter, and digg. And by that, I don't mean post a link to your site and call it good. I mean actually going in there and talking with people. Talk about people's interests and concerns, and they'll start to notice your website.

The last think you should think about is monetization, and I'll tell you why. If you get too hung up on things like affiliate marketing and adsense, you'll quickly forget who you're creating the site for and why. By focusing on creating a place where people want to hang out and talk about your niche, or read your thoughts about the subject, you'll be surprised by what results you can achieve. Some people get book deals. Others get opportunities they never thought of before.

So, how is this a success story? Because it's a story of personal revelation. It's a story of my own struggles, failures, and successes.

Internet Marketing is as unique as individual people. No single plan will work equally well with any one person. You have to find out what works for you on your own, as no one can find the right path for you.

After 2 years of struggling, I've come to the conclusion that it's still too early for me to try to run an online business. I need to have a job, because frankly, it's easier for me to function with someone telling me what to do.

I love video games. So that's what I'm going to do for a living. Perhaps along the way, I'll start a website to help aspiring video game developers create their first game.

In my opinion, if you aren't doing your passion for your living, you aren't living the dream. You're just getting by on a substandard solution someone else gave you.

Wait, you're still reading this? I'm impressed. Even I have a hard time following what I write sometimes.

Do I consider myself successful? Well, I consider life to be a journey. And as long as I'm moving forward, then I'm successful.

[rr1455]

Kevin you are a true inspiration. You also get back to your customer and sometimes even call them.... What a great person you are and you have two special helpers the hamsters...

Your Friend from Scottsdale,
Roger

[bareket57]

Originally Posted by Joshua Rigley

In my opinion, if you aren't doing your passion for your living, you aren't living the dream. You're just getting by on a substandard solution someone else gave you.

Wait, you're still reading this? I'm impressed. Even I have a hard time following what I write sometimes.

Do I consider myself successful? Well, I consider life to be a journey. And as long as I'm moving forward, then I'm successful.

Thank you for sharing. You are so right … a person has to do what he's passionate about. You don't live for your paycheck but you live to manifest your potential. The money is a resource which helps you pay bills and buy what you need but it's not a goal in itself. Many people measure success in numerical figures but forget the rest. Thank you for making this point … it's an important point to be made.

I too was employed for the most of my life and taking freelance work which I found boring and uninspiring. But then, when my salary was cut, I decided to take the leap and set up my own business marketing gemstones and jewelry. Astrology has been my hobby since I was an undergraduate student and when I set up my online store I decided to use astrology as a promotional tool. Writing, Stars and Crystals (the name of my blog) have been my passion since I remember myself. I started off by doing horoscopes for free to help people and for fun. But then people started offering me payment for doing their horoscopes. For religious ethical reasons I don't take payment for horoscopes, but I give a horoscope as a freebie for clients who purchase crystals from my store. I started considering myself to be a successful astrologer when people started buying crystals only for the sake of getting an astrological consultation. I hope to finish my eBook on birthstones (my personal niche in astrology) within the next month or so. Writing has been my passion all my life and I'm not worried about how many copies I'll sell – I'm focused on the writing itself and I'll consider my book a success if it turns out the way I expect it to be.


Welcome on board our enchanted Canoe ~ ♥ ~
sailing down the Milky Way ~ ♥ ~
and ~ ♥ ~
shining with the Light of Divine Crystals ~ ♥ ~
singing the Music of the Cosmos ~ ♥ ~
with Love to the Creator

♥ ♥ ♥ Love & Light ♥ ♥ ♥

[bareket57]

I'm very good when it comes to writing other people's biographies, but rather tongue tied when it comes to my own. "Success Story" – different people define "success" in different terms. In essence, "success" is reaching the goal you set yourself. In the world of business, goals are usually defined in numerical terms but in the spiritual world goals are defined in karmic terms. I've got one foot in each of these two worlds – my business niche is in the world of stars and crystals. Stars and crystals have always been my passion since I was a very small child. I remember at the age of three gazing at my mother's diamond ring with wonder. When I still was in primary school I saved my pocket money to buy my first tumbled Jade stone. At the age of four, I was travelling with my mother in the train and this elderly lady was sitting on the bench opposite me reading a horoscope. I looked at the diagram of the cosmic wheel with awe and knew at that very moment, that this is what I'm going to do when I grow up. However, I was raised in a society, which deemed lawyers and teachers as respectable people and astrologers as half outlaws, half nutcases. So I grew up, like all school kids in the 1970s graduating from High School and going to University. I signed up for computer science because my highest grades where in mathematics, but after half a semester I decided that this wasn't my place in life. The paradox is that throughout my school years I got the highest grades in mathematics and the natural sciences, but in the arts, especially literature, I was far below average. However, at university I discovered that it was the arts, which I really loved. Therefore, after realizing how deep my aversion was for computer science, I signed up for Linguistics and Medieval Hebrew Philology. I entered the world of astrology when I did coursework on Medieval Hebrew manuscripts in one of the archives. These ancient manuscripts contain a world of astrological information, which was never published. I was mesmerized by those precious gems of timeless wisdom contained in those long forgotten documents. My appetite was aroused and I bought my first text book on astrology at the local bookshop. From then on, I started reading people's horoscopes as a hobby. I never formally studied this ancient art; most of my knowledge is from reading books and Medieval manuscripts, but more than anything else from reading horoscopes. Up until 2005 I was employed as a research assistant at the university. After our salaries were cut, I decided the time had come to be a freelancer. My job at the university was more or less a default solution for paying my bills and over time I got more and more frustrated. Leaving my job felt to me like being released from slavery. In 2005, I opened my online store selling crystals and jewelry. I had no idea how to go about it. At first, the whole venture was frozen; no traffic, no sales … nothing. But then I started to get active on astrological forums and people offered to pay me for reading their charts. For religious and ethical reasons, I don't take payment for reading horoscopes, but I offer horoscopes as a freebie for people who buy from my store. I started to consider myself a successful astrologer when people bought from my store for the sole purpose to have their charts read. In terms of monthly income, my situation would be much better if I offered horoscopes in return for payment. But my karma is more important to me than an expensive car. Today I'm living my life the way I want to … the best thing about my professional life is that I don't have to leave the safe borders of my own home to go to work; my home is both my office and my shop. My husband is a farmer and we don't need cash to buy food. I don't hold a credit card or a checkbook. Locally I do all my business in cash and as an online freelancer I take payment over PayPal.

Bottom line: I earn enough for my physical survival – not more, not less. But I'm free to live the way I want to live – nature's child without expensive restaurants, hotels and malls. Is this a success story? Decide for yourself.


When I'm asleep the Stars shine down on me ~ ♥ ~
Sending Rays of light through the Galaxy ~ ♥ ~
And in my Dreams my Crystals sing to me ~ ♥ ~
The cosmic tunes of the Celestial Symphony ~ ♥ ~


♥ ♥ ♥ Love & Light ♥ ♥ ♥

[Ken Leatherman]

Age doesn't matter when it come to success. I say that because I'm older than dirt and I found online success.

Fortunately, I ran across the WF back in 2005 and it was the stepping stone to my success. But more specifically it was because of the personal relationships that I formed here on the WF.

I hooked up with folks such as John Rogers, Big Mike, John Schwartz, Dennis Gaskill, and so many I can't really name them all. Many other warriors were very patient and very willing to help an old fuddy dud like me. Without them there would have been no online success for me. I believe that with all my heart. So thanks Warriors; in fact a thousand thanks.

I followed thread after thread, WSO after WSO. Never sticking with one thing long enough to determine if it worked. In most cases 3 or 4 days at the most and then onto the next shiny bullet. Hundreds of dollars added onto my Credit Cards and still no return.

Then in the later part of 2005 or beginning 2006 I began following one Warrior in particular. Why? Because he stayed focused on what he was doing. And the majority of his post were extremely helpful to almost everyone who read them. Sure he had his disagreements with other Warriors and in some cases feathers were ruffled and sometimes feathers got more than ruffled (think yanked). But he never stopped teaching and sharing here in the WF.

Finally, I got brave enough to approach him with an e-Mail after I had become a member of one of his memberships. I asked him to team up with me (I was faking it until I made it) and he fell off his bar stool laughing . He quickly picked me apart and set me straight with a huge laugh.

Shortly after I started helping to make post in his private forum. It was an IM forum and actually had good content. A lot of times it was just a joke or a smart ass remark, but other times I was dead serious with my questions and with my replies when I knew a little something about an asked question. (Now that last is a lesson in itself. You can make a difference in other peoples lives)

Next thing I knew, he asked me to do some writing for him and he paid me for what I was writing. I was on my way actually making money online. And as our relationship grew it wasn't long before before he took me under his wing

He pulled no punches and knocked me flat on my butt more times than I can count. But I kept coming back. Finally, he told me unless I focused on one thing, stop buying every new silver bullet, I wasn't going to get anywhere.

Next he talked me into doing my first WSO, using my writing skills and Bam! sales were made and my first list was started. Again and Again he told me to focus on my skills and keep learning.

By focusing I went from one membership up to at one time I believe it was 10. So yes, I had some I failed at, but I didn't let that stop me. I picked myself up and went forward. Learned from my mistakes and just kept moving on.

My mentor kept telling me Ken, you have to reinvest in your business. I was like a great many folks here I was spending every dime I made. Finally it sunk in and started reinvesting into my business and man did it pay off. Even now I still put thousands back into my business monthly.

I could drag this story out, but I think you get the point. By reaching out to other people and helping them, you will grow your own business or career. The relationships I formed here, led me to building relationships with my customers, which in turn opened up relationships with people they knew. It is an ongoing chain.

Besides my financial success, I have been blessed with friendships here that will likely last until I pass on into the next world. Every one of us have that spark I found and with patience, persistence and focus you can do it too.

Thanks John for giving us the avenue to share.

Ken Leatherman

The Old Geezer

[AidenChong]

Since English is not my first language (but third), please excuse me with all the spelling and grammar errors occur on this post.

I figured out this success story should be doing its job to:

a) Inspire others
b) Show others how things could be done, right in this post itself.
c) Show the process (a.k.a journey), as opposed to just show the result of my own success, because I think the most important thing in here, is not HOW MUCH I've made, but it's all about HOW I did it.

I am the worst person when it comes to summarizing an article, but I would like to summarize about what this post is about, so those who don't want to read long posts, can skip the long post by just reading the summaries listed below...

1) Got into Get-Rich-Quick (a.k.a GRQ) scheme.
2) Came out fast, failed it fast.
3) Got into some sort of ebook promotion, when I was in the GRQ scheme. Started to dig into what internet marketing is really about.
4) I failed to make money for the first 3 years online… seriously, NOT A SINGLE DIME at all.
5) Information overload… FOR 3 LONG YEARS! How stupid I was, huh? I didn't get out fast, I didn't fail fast enough for this. But there are always pros in the cons, right? To read more about this, you have to continue to read the long post below, sorry folks.
6) Started to take action, made first sale, produced the FIRST EVER result on July 2009.
7) Started to hop around to check out for silver, golden and diamond bullets, for around 8 months, still, not failing fast enough!
8) Started to build relationship with people in WarriorForum! Awesome people I've met with.
9) Got into a quality product creator's inner circle, which later, I respect them and recognized them as my personal mentors.
10) Develop serious relationship and generate good rapport with mentors other quality people in the forum, and joined another paid forum, which get even more focused, and it's a huge playground for serious networking relationship!
11) Create my own product, with the guidance from all of those I got to know, while I was networking around.

Here's the longer version of my success story

Well, I get into the internet marketing world because of a weird situation -- my mum got Bipolar Mood Disorder, back in the year of 2006.

I was a local tourist guide in my small hometown. No other people realized what's happening with mum and how hazardous can it be, to leave a mood swing patient at home, without a lot of care.

So I took the plunge, and I tried to get rid of my guiding job as a career, and I became a stay-at-home-son! I had nothing to do, and I had no income, but I'm pretty good when it comes to personal computer stuff.

I search out some make money online opportunities, and all I know was paid surveys, paid to read emails, etc… because I am staying outside of the U.S. those kind of "opportunities" never worked for me.

Soon, I found out about those rotating-ads-kind-of GRQ program. I fell for those because of 2 reasons.

Number 1, GREED. Number 2, not knowledgable about how things work in the online world. Well, I lost a bit of money, not a big deal, and I came out from those kinda Ponzi Scheme fast.

While I was in those GRQ program, I stumbled upon some online marketing materials. I remember the very first course I studied was Ken Evoy's Affiliate Masters Course. That was where I started to dig deeper into the online world. Study, study more, dig deeper, study again, not taking actions, rinse and repeat… hence I wasn't making a single dime for 3 full years!

It's a common disease where most of the newbies would be infected with -- Information overload! It has haunted me for 3 full years, not making a single dime! I kid you not…

However, I did gain a lot of experience by reading various kind of stuff. I download every free report, free course, free ebook available out there, study all of them, and basically, I know pretty much what everyone else is talking about, just because I get to know about those *theories*, about how Adsense works, how PPC works, what's the tools to make it works faster, how a person can increase CTR, how and what works well with direct marketing, how to write and tweak good copy, etc…

Generally, whatever seems to be interesting, I will study about it. That makes me a living IM encyclopedia which never make use of any of the knowledge I have. Needless to say, those information which I've studied, could have been outdated and not viable anymore at this moment.

I remember reading one particular free report written by Dennis Becker (a.k.a The 5 Bucks Guy), it's called "Just Write It! How to Win Forum Friends and Influence People!" – Its title was being adopted from Dale Carnegie's original title, I guess.

That was the report that changed my mindset about the way I wanted to present my online presence.

So, that is to say, even though I was still in the state of "information overload", and not making money at all, I did get around and help out people, make friends with people, basically doing things that is not going to make me any money – just like doing charity work.

Occasionally, I would buy some WSOs and write a detailed review for the WSO owners.

I didn't know what's the difference of a quality product VS a crappy product, but the point was, I was getting friends! I was networking, without even me knowing about what I was doing was called "networking". I've always doing things in a "loss leader" mode. Some people take advantages on that, some people really appreciate what I've done for them.

Little did I know that, what I was doing, the mindset which I was having, would actually led me to some "goldmines". The "goldmines" I was talking about, it's not directly related to money. You'll get to know why later on.

On July 2009, after 3 years of lurking around in the forum, buying WSOs here and there without taking any action, procrastinating, etc… I've finally decided to take action for once! Because of the knowledge I had, I've experience joyful moments right after I tried for the first ever time!

A day or two after taking the massive action, I had my first success, I got my first sale on Clickbank! After making the first dollar online, everything seems to be easier than ever, solely because of my mindset, I believed everything would work no matter what!


However, this kind of "I-believe-everything-is-going-to-work" kind of mindset has gotten me into yet another state of confusion, which is often known as "chasing the shiny stuff" disease in the online world. I was literally buying all kind of short-lifespan kind of products, and learn all those stuff and trying to implement them. This make no sense, thinking back to it, because I WASN'T really building up a sustainable business! One-hit kind of business is not my cup of tea.

This awful situation lasted for around 8 months, before I really changed my mindset and went forward with a much more solid business plan in hand. During the 8 months of confusion, I met with some awesome quality people in WarriorForum, who later became my mentors. SMS (a.k.a Oz) is one of the best mentors I've ever met with. One of his products resonate with my mind, and I have literally set up my mind to follow his path ever since. He talks a lot about creating and owning quality products. I was intrigued of the quality of information that he had produced, the feedback he has got, and the networking opportunities that he had created by only focusing on creating quality products.

I started to network extensively with Oz, Andy Fletcher, Daniel Tan, David Eisner, Millard Grubb, and so many other names that I could list and it would take pages to list them all in here! I love them because I could really learn quality stuff from each of them. Add some twists on what I've learned, and it would become my own methods! How powerful was that?

That's where it started to take off, I made my mind clear that I will only create quality products, especially when I'm creating products to serve the IM community. Never in my life I would have thought that I could create my own product! Never in my life that I would have thought that I would received THANKS from higher stature warriors. That's important because it shows that I'm contributing to the community, and people were eyeing on what I have contributed on the forum itself. It generally boosted my level of confidence, it gave me strength to move forward.

Even before launching my own stuff, I managed to build a little list that I could use to generate extra relationship with. I could use that list to get feedbacks prior to my product launch, asking for tips, asking for some constructive criticism, whatever it is, as long as I am not spamming, and as long as I respect my subscribers as of how I would like to be treated.

I understand the power of networking, and constantly wanted to expand my network, and that resulting me joining Dennis Beckers' private & paid forum. I have also learned some words of wisdom, one that I love so much was: "give, and you shall receive it right back". I made good use of what I've experienced, and I give as much as possible, as a newbie in the private forum. That led me to develop a "system" to create my own high quality content.

This is what I would do, if I wanted to create quality content. I would go on and hunt for questions that people asked, I would answer then, in a super lengthy mode. The answer would be super detailed, and I tried to cover as many areas related to the questions as possible. The results were astonishing! I was able to create 3,000 – 5,000 words good report within just a few short hours! This has never happened to me before! So it's a major achievement for me!

Doing this alone, I was able to create 6 Wins:

1) I am helping people

2) People get to know about me! Name establishing, and exposure.

3) I am actually WRITING my own CONTENT! After maybe around 10 posts, COMPILE all of those information! Copy the questions asked, and that became my own report, automatically!

4) Type it out in a bit lengthy, people will learn more from me, and they will FOLLOW me, and I will be some sort of decent and over-delivering guy.

5) I am going to be able to give the report away for FREE or sell it CHEAP to get some lists built.

6) I'm going to be able to have my OWN PRODUCT and I can market it internally to my list, initially, and I can roll it big from that point onwards.


Since then, I've got multiple reports with around 20,000 words done, I've got a few future JV partners, I've got a few other networking partners gathered on hand. All because of me taking the action to join WarriorForum initially! So, I have to thank Allen and all the other supportive warriors for this reason. Without you guys, I'm still a person who is broke in monetary wise and also in broke in terms of mindset.

With the support from various WarriorForum mentors, I've slowly build up my confidence in launching my very first product soon, somewhere on the new year of 2011! That, is another breakthrough for myself!

I'm also serving my local area's offline businesses with my online knowledge plus some powerful marketing strategies that I've learned from my coach, Millard Grubb. This is also another huge breakthrough because I've never ever talk to any business owners face to face. This is one of the most successful breakthrough that I've got from WarriorForum. If it wasn't for WarriorForum, I won't even meet with my coach, and I won't even get to learn so much about business development strategies from him.

I just have to stress about this, one more time: WarriorForum (or any other forums) is a great networking ground. It's not just a place to sell our own product, it's not just a way to get ourselves exposed, it's not just a place to test drive our half-baked products, etc.

It's a people-powered place! Learn how to give out generously, and we will receive it right back. It's all about WIIFT, rather than WIIFM. Taking action is another huge thing that I've learned in the WarriorForum. Also, sometimes it's not the monetary reward that makes a person feel ecstatic, it's our gratitude towards the person. For example, I buy a product from a fellow warrior, I take action, to read/implement it and I get my result. I then go back to give detailed feedback, that's the sort of thing people wanted, other than just money.

I hope that my IM journey is going to somewhat help out those who are still in a situation like I did. People should stop hopping around, stop searching for shinny objects that work with a one-click button solution, start to take action on what they have learned, stop procrastinating on everything, start to build and expand their network in WarriorForum or any other forums that they are currently participating in, start to contribute valuable information as often as they could, and start to help out people as much as they could.

Aiden

[Lisa Gergets]

My story started a few years ago. To be quite honest, I needed a way to pay the heat bill during the winter as we were living in a 100+ year old two-flat in Chicago. None of the windows were square anymore and the heat bills the prior winter were in the $350-$400 a month range. Since I was/am the sole provider for my family (my husband is an attorney turned stay at home dad to our two kids), I needed a creative way to come up with the needed funds.

I did a bit of research and came up with the idea of selling fingerless gloves on Etsy. Not just any fingerless gloves though...I needed to hit a lot of different markets so I recycled them from old wool sweaters that I found at thrift stores. I'd spend $2 on a sweater, and could usually get two pairs of gloves out of that sweater at around $20-25 each. Not a bad return.

Well, they took off....I was so busy I couldn't keep them in stock, and actually had my husband sewing buttons on the things. LOL I was using different websites to advertise them on, and was also doing a lot of social media marketing, though back then, I didn't really know what that was. Needless to say, we made the heating bills, plus some!

In March 2009, I found an online course in affiliate marketing. I have no idea HOW I found it or WHY I decided to jump in, but I did. I knew nothing about IM, didn't know a plugin from an HTML, and certainly didn't have any advantages over anyone else! Around that same time, I discovered the Warrior Forum. Knowing how easily I get info overload, the Warrior Forum kind of scared the bejesus out of me. Instantly, I became overwhelmed with all the info I found in WF and didn't look at IM again for two solid months.

In May 2009, my curiosity got the best of me and I looked at the online course again...but I did NOT come back to WF for a good long while. I knew I just needed to stay the course with what I was doing and not let anything distract me. Once I began to make my first few AdSense dollars, I allowed myself to get involved with the Warrior Forum.

Warrior Forum is directly responsible for my success today because without the Warrior Forum I would not have met Michael Oksa. Let me explain...

Several months after I started posting here and there on WF, Michael made a post that he was looking for a few people to review his newest WSO. I climbed way out on a limb and emailed him, saying that I was a great proofreader and that if he still needed people to look over his WSO, I'd be happy to do that. That started a relationship that to this day is one of the most treasured online relationships that I have. We went on to do our annual Holiday Hot List PLR which was a huge success!

After I'd been talking online with Michael for awhile, he asked me if I'd like to be a part of a Skype mastermind group that he belonged to. He dropped some names and I was utterly overwhelmed. I was literally SHAKING.

All of a sudden, I was actually TALKING to people that I had really only admired from afar...Ken Leatherman, Chris Sutton, John Rogers, Elmer Hurlstone and Jeremy Kelsall to name a few. I mean, these guys were the real deal and they wanted ME to be a part of their group! Holy wah!

So, on Jeremy's urging, in December 2009 I came out with my first info product - the No-Brainer Niche Blog System. He whipped my ass into shape on that one and made me completely accountable for getting it done and out there, and I did and then THAT was a success too!

After the success of the NBNBS, my husband was finally able to see how what I had been working so hard on could actually make money! That was a major turning point for me and my family.

Fast forward many months, to around March/April of 2010. I had many successes and several failures in that time, but even the failures were successes because I was constantly learning what works and what doesn't. Around March or April, I began actually losing money by keeping my full-time job (I had been doing IM part time until then). So we started banking money like crazy with the intention of me quitting my job in the near future.

I quit my full time job on April 30th. I said goodbye to a $55K+ yearly salary, bonuses, insurance, and security. I also said goodbye to nearly two hours of daily commute in broken-down trains, a six-block walk to the train station in all kinds of nasty Chicago weather, and awful corporate bureaucracy.

July turned out to be an incredibly successful month for me, so we decided to take an impromptu vacation up to Wisconsin so I could show my family where I grew up. We spent nearly two weeks traveling the State, all the while making money because I had set up my pipeline correctly. It was as we were traveling that we realized that I could do what I do ANYWHERE. It was an epiphany.

The first week of September, we moved from Chicago and all it's crime, traffic, and hurry to a 180-acre farm in west central Wisconsin. Right now we rent, but when our two-year lease is up, we intend on buying the parcel we live on and building a log cabin. In the spring, we'll be getting horses and goats and starting an organic garden.

I recently (on my husband's urging, as I was scared to death to pursue it) began working with a developer and created my first piece of software - a WordPress plugin called WP Amaz-One. What I did was easy, really...I found a hole in the market that needed to be filled and I filled it. With gross revenues of over $30K, the plugin blew away my expectations and has enabled us as a family to slow down a bit and concentrate on the next chapter of my IM career, whatever that might be.

Every evening we look out into the most beautiful sunsets on this planet. I have to make my kids come inside even in the coldest weather because they love it so much here. Sometimes we look around and can't BELIEVE this is our life.

I would have NONE of this had it not been for Warrior Forum and the relationships I've been able to foster here. I've found business partners, JV partners, software developers and last but not least, true friends, albeit online.

THANKS WF!

[John Rogers]

I know people got caught up in the holidays and may have let this slip by, so I'm going to leave it open for a few more days. Thanks to everyone who has contributed!

John

[AidenChong]

Originally Posted by John Rogers

I know people got caught up in the holidays and may have let this slip by, so I'm going to leave it open for a few more days. Thanks to everyone who has contributed!

John

I've been directly pointing some people into this thread, but it seems like they don't know the value/potential of what this thread can do.

Just because this thread doesn't offer a free product to be given to members, it doesn't mean that they couldn't get something away from this!

They are missing out big time, or maybe they just don't need to "give before receive"... I'm puzzled

Anyway, John, thanks for providing a space for us to show our utmost gratitude to those who have helped us out!

Aiden

[bareket57]

Originally Posted by AidenChong

I've been directly pointing some people into this thread, but it seems like they don't know the value/potential of what this thread can do.

Just because this thread doesn't offer a free product to be given to members, it doesn't mean that they couldn't get something away from this!

They are missing out big time, or maybe they just don't need to "give before receive"... I'm puzzled

Anyway, John, thanks for providing a space for us to show our utmost gratitude to those who have helped us out!

Aiden

I completely agree. This is one of my favorite threads because it inspires people to write about themselves and that is the most important part of PR and marketing – showing your potential clients who you are. The basis for any business relationship is trust and empathy. A client will only buy from someone whom they feel comfortable with.

[BelindaMooney]

I know the WF has been critical to my own personal "work growth" Although I have not have anyone take me under their wing personally I have had many mentors through the WF just by the things they share. Tiffany Dow and Michael of the Amazon WSO are two that have encouraged me to grow through their offerings.

I have been a writer for several years and own several websites - one is a cooking for kids website that is extremely successful but totally by accident. I also had done article spinning for several clients as well as ghost writing but still hesitated to saym "yes I am good at that." The WF gave me the confidence to do that. ABout a month ago I posted my first warrior for hire ad here, I almost didn't do it, but another Warrior, Sydney, really encouraged in that area - and I was off and running. Now I have steady repeat clients.

Like many of us here I am trying to create several streams of income and the WF has taught me so much and sparked more ideas than I can handle. I am not one of those making 6 figures either - honestly I am simply helping pay the bills but my income has grown enough I can afford things like piano lessons for my girls. For this I am thankful for all of you at the WF!

I am eagerly looking forward to being even more successful in 2011 and I know the WF is going to play a real part in that.

Belinda

[dorothydot]

I thought that the cutoff date was 12/24 - so I wasn't going to post.

But since others have been able to, well - here's mine!

How Warriors Has Helped Me Succeed

This forum has given and given to me, over and over.

Now that I am confident of my copywriting skills and have been writing for clients of my own for a number of years, I come here to help out and give back – to people who honestly seek to learn.

Learning to harness my power of storytelling, of vivid scenarios that dominate the readers' minds has been key to my success.



Selling is what copywriting is all about, not just creating images. That said, one of the most potent technique of gaining my readers' trust is to present believable, realistic situations that the readers easily picture themselves in as the main character. This establishes me as an authority who (of course!) understands the problem deeply – and so can address the solution with equal authority.

After all, who doesn't like a good storyline?

I started my selling career accidentally, by helping harp builders sell their harps at Celtic festivals. The ability to bring the magic my harp has given me into other people's worlds was intoxicatingly rewarding!

So I came here as a Warrior to learn from the best. And learn I did! (Still am, for that matter.) The friends I've made and their encouragement have carried me over several humps.



The advice given here in response to all kinds of internet marketing questions has been pretty much on the mark. I value it a great deal, even when I didn't know I had the problem!

Being able to network with other internet marketers and copywriters that actually know what I'm talking about when I mention things like Google AdWords or SEO or even how to identify keywords – that has been priceless.
Just try doing that with your next-door neighbor and you'll see what I mean.


I look forward to more years here on Warriors, always learning and helping others learn.

Dot

[Jurrie]

It is great to seee that people from all over the globe are posting success stories, and it's quite motivational for someone trying to learn it all
i don't have a real success story yet, but i'm pretty confident that day will come , and i will be happy to share it with you all

regards and merry Xmas

[tjmiller]

Here is my success story:

PRODUCT OWNERSHIP BY WSO (Not what you think.)


The Warrior Forum has contributed to my online success in a number of ways, but probably the most significant (and perhaps the most unusual) to date has been the way it helped me to become an infoproduct owner for the first time (without creating a product.)


Anyone who has been on the Warrior Forum for any length of time knows about the Warrior Special Offers (WSO) subforum. That's where warriors are able to create a product to sell to other members of the forum. What you may NOT know is that it is a fairly common practice for those WSO sellers to then turn around and sell the rights to their product to someone else. They look at the WSO section as a means to a quick buck, and create product after product for the initial buzz and the instant cash.


Often, after selling several copies of the product to other warriors, and therefore generating proof of income, they build a sales page for the product and "flip” the package on Flippa.com, the web property auction site. The product then becomes the sole property of the highest bidder.


My product was one of those.


I actually became interested in the product as a warrior forum member, and WSO customer. I bought the WSO (Book Flips) from the original owner and the concept interested me on a number of levels. I was interested in both of the business models that were addressed within it, and the idea of pairing the two intrigued me.


A few weeks after I bought the course as a customer, I was browsing on Flippa.com and noticed that the site and product were for sale. My heart literally sped up. I told myself that I was going to buy that property! And so I did. I won’t torture you with the bidding details, but suffice it to say, I went WAY outside my comfort zone with the purchase. I had to, though, because I just knew that it was a good product, and that I could make it an even better one.


That's how I became a product owner, but that was only the beginning of my REAL internet career. Of course I had to improve and expand upon what I had purchased, because that was part of my plan from the beginning. But in doing so, I also learned a lot about product creation and ownership, so buying the course actually made it easier for me to be able to later create a product of my own.



Not only that, but when you own a product, you have a little more appeal as a marketer. A lot of doors open up to you that are hidden from the typical person struggling to make money on the internet.


I have been interviewed for another marketer’s product, and am on track to be interviewed for still another. I have been involved in three different licensing/jv/partnership deals. I have met people I would have never met otherwise, and I have created a real relationship with my customers. At this point most everybody thinks of the course as my own, and not the original product creator’s.


None of this would have happened if I hadn’t been “hanging out” on the Warrior Forum.

[John Rogers]

Thank you to everyone who took the time to post a success story. I'll be contacting you soon for your bio.

John

[prosell]

How long did it take to make six figures.

[KatieN]

Inspiring thread. Thanks everyone for sharing.

[Mattasdan]

It's indeed an inspiring thread. Many thanks to everyone for all of your valuable contributions to the thread.

[Maryerh]

Great Story Ken,
You are a great inspiration. We all need to hear those success story. It gets frustrating on the path.
Thanks for sharing this.
Mary

[Maryerh]

It makes them real to those who are aiming for success. It gives the background to fellow IMs. It is what they would refer to as good PR. Public Relations is a BIG part of the business world.
Not sure what you are asking but it is beneficial for both the reader and the contributor.
We all like to hear the rags to riches true stories.
Thank you to all who share their stories.
Mary

[6minutessuccessbonus]

Hi friends i am bob from NYC ........... I am very happy to join in this forum.