Newbies - Follow your Passion - Money will Follow!

[4today]

to get my e-mail list to 500. I would feel accomplished!! Just over 100 now, and I felt great when I went to 100 - can't imagine whyat 500 will feel like.

[newbiz74]

Thank you for reminding me why I started out in the first place.

I wanted time to stay home with my daughter, to relax and be with her. I wonder how I got trapped into this money thing.

So very truly put, followthe heart and money follows.

Thanks for sharing.

[James Martell]

I recently wrote an article about this exact topic entitled; "Use Your Passion To Choose A Topic", which in my case was right under my nose for years. I thought I would share it here.

James

Use Your Passion To Choose A Topic

Have you ever wanted to own a Ferrari F50, or park your own Lamborghini Countach in your garage? Maybe your tastes are more classic American, like a 69 Ford Mustang or a little red Corvette. Whatever your dream car might be, don’t give up on having one.

Despite the slowing economy and the financial struggles of everyday life, there is a path to financial freedom that can afford you the opportunity to make a lifelong dream of owning a spectacular automobile come true. It is also possible for this business opportunity to be focused on your dream car. Let me explain.

One of the biggest challenges faced by many beginning affiliate marketers is choosing a topic for their affiliate site. I have been in affiliate marketing since the late 1990’s. Over that time I have published over 100 websites, but it wasn’t until long after finally owning my own dream car that I started a website about it. You don’t have to wait that long, and the fact of that matter is that your dream car site just might help buy your dream car.

My story is a perfect example of how it can work. I saw my dream car for the first time in 1979. I was out for a walk in Kelowna, BC Canada with my girlfriend Arlene, who is now my wife of 24 years, when I saw it — a Shelby Cobra. I loved that car from the first moment I saw it and knew I wanted one. I had to have one. I became a huge fan of Carroll Shelby and his legendary Shelby Cobra and dreamt of the day I would own one.

Fast forward to the mid-90’s. The dream of owning that classic automobile had all but been forgotten. Life just seems to get in the way of our dreams. I had gotten married, my two sons Adam and Justin had been born, and then my first daughter, named Shelby of course, and then our fourth child, another daughter named Victoria.

I was a carpenter by trade, and for the average carpenter a Cobra is far from reach financially, particularly a carpenter with four children. I started my own construction company, bought my first house, and promptly forgot all about my Cobra. In the early 1990’s I changed careers and started a small telecom company. Deregulation of the telecom industry forced me to look for a new business, and that was when I discovered the internet thanks to a friend who knew we were struggling. That was in 1999, and he was kind enough to introduce me to the world of affiliate marketing.

Earning money online from retailers who would pay me a commission for each customer I referred to them led me to develop my current company, Net Guides Publishing Inc. in 2003. As the owner of publishing company, we had developed over 100 websites -- and yet, not a single one of them was about the Shelby Cobra.

As my business grew I suddenly remembered my desire to own a Cobra. In early 2004, I called my accountant and inquired about my ability to afford one. An original Cobra starts at about $500,000 with most held in private collections or museums. However, many companies produce replicas. The day after I asked him, my accountant called back to say YES! I could afford a replica, but the question was, which one?

I started surfing the Internet to find the right builder of replica Cobras and discovered Peter Jacobsen of Calgary, Alberta. At that time he had built nine replicas. My son Justin and I flew to Calgary to meet with Peter, and we decided to have him hand-build a custom Shelby Cobra replica to my exact specifications — blue with two white stripes, high performance race engine, racing suspension and breaks, and perfectly detailed down to the valve stem covers with a Cobra logo.

My car (see video) was delivered to my garage in mid-January 2005 and she is more fun than I had ever imagined. The financial rewards of my hard work building a successful affiliate marketing business had allowed me to realize my dream of owning this magnificent vehicle. And yet, it wasn’t until I had put over 7000 miles on the car when it dawned on me to build a website about Cobras! The idea was right in front of me for years, and yet I couldn’t see the forest for the trees.

The point is, you don’t have to wait to build a successful affiliate marketing business to create a site about your dream car. You can create a successful business by building a website about your dream car first. You don’t have to let your passion and dream of owning a classic automobile languish in the back of your mind. Instead, take that passion and create a site about Ferrari’s, Porsche’s, Maserati’s or Lotus. Whatever your favorite, create a community for others that have the dreams and passions for the same car.

I am crazy about Cobras. I was just recently watching the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction live from the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas thanks to Speed TV. I attend my favorite events about cars, visit the Shelby American Museum and factory in Las Vegas when in the area, and attend cars shows and cruises.

All of this is used to gather content for the site I finally began to build in July, 2007. My KitCarConnection.com website, about kit cars and replicas, is bringing together a community of car lovers, and needless to say I have had a lot of fun organizing and building it. I have even had the honor of meeting Carroll Shelby himself through my travels.

Most of us dream of financial independence. A lot of us even dream of owning an exotic car. Now you have an opportunity to turn your passion for a car into a business that could eventually lead to you being able to afford this dream automobile.

Don’t let the current economic conditions keep you from dreaming of having the lifestyle you deserve and the special car you desire. Instead, use this time as an opportunity to create your own economic prosperity by turning your passion into a business. You might be surprised at your own success, and before you know it you might just be able to walk out to your garage and find that your dream has become a reality. But you will never see it in your garage if you don’t act. Do something now. Give it a shot and don’t give up on those dreams.

[newbiz74]

I am so thrilled to meet you online. I was introduced to the term affiliate marketing from you. I mean your book.
I am impressed by your article. I have visited kitcarconnection and it is very nice.
Like the wordpress blog layout and your car looks very nice.

Thanks for sharing.

Latha from India.

[ussearch]

Thanks for sharing that James, it's very inspiring. And it hits on the fact that the internet allows us to do so many things that before were not possible. I think it's great to start living out your dream, even if vicariously, instead of waiting around until that dream comes true.

I've been doing the same for myself. My passion is psychology, and I want to help others...but I'm years away from getting my proper credentials...so I thought, well I'll write about what I know, and use the internet to share that. That way I don't have to wait around until I finish graduate school to do what I want to do.

[Jimmy0713]

Originally Posted by Linda Buquet

Good points all!

I just read a REALLY good thread about something related.

If you can't think of a niche you KNOW about and are passionate about,
what about something you are passionate about LEARNING more about.
For instance you've always been curious about geneology or rock climbing or
speaking Spanish and want to learn how to do it. You could research it,
learn about it, write about what you discover and monetize the info with affiliate links.

If you find it interesting and something you've always wanted to
learn about anyway you can find some joy in researching and
earn as you learn - or learn as you earn!

The other idea in the article is to leverage off a topic that one of your friends or family knows lots about or is passionate about. Use their enthusiasm for the topic, hobby or whatever to gather ideas for things to write about, interview them and/or get them to write articles for you.

Great point Linda, just when I'm struggling to find the area that I'm passionate about. I think it will be so lucky if someone's job is actually what he or she is passionate about. I wish I can find it in my life soon.

Thanks Linda. This is definitely another ah-huh moment for me.

[emessore]

Great post!
I agree, you have to have passion for what you are doing… It makes a world of difference and in turn you will be more successful.

[KenDoIt]

When I read this Linda:

As I read this I thought about a couple new affiliates in my forum that have such high hopes for their affiliate businesses and are desperate to get out of their J.O.B. to do this full time. They want to go full-time in this business so bad they can taste it & have that almost spiritual drive that Alister talks about. I can't wait to share this with them and I hope it helps them find their way

OMG thats ME! I live it, eat it, dream about it and it almost overwhelms me with an obsessive nature!

Thanks for the post it was great!

[James Martell]

I find the great things about working on a topic that I really enjoy is that it is way more fun. I have a couple of writers that blog on my kit car website, but I get to add the photos.

I find myself out scouring the Internet for interesting topics I want them to write about, and I am also the one who ads the photos for the various cars. Lot's of fun.

I am in the process of launching a new forum for the website. I am finding that very interesting as well and look forward to chatting with other car guys as it grows.

I just launched my newsletter for the website (using the aWeber Blog Broadcast feature which makes it very easy) and like working on that as well.

In fact, I sent out my first edition a couple weeks ago, and received an email back from a subscriber inviting me to a local automotive shop for an "open house" they're having to show off their recently completed Shelby Daytona Coupe and a couple of GT40s.

Needless to say, I'll be spending the afternoon their tomorrow with my video and digital camera gathering content for the website. I am hoping to arrange a podcast for the website as well.

Ford GT40 Replica



Shelby Daytona Coupe Replica



There really is a lot of merit to working on your passion. I just wish it didn't take me 7 years to figure that out. If you have a minute and want to see the GT40 in action, check out this YouTube video.

Way too much fun!

[mavericksaroza]

Yes I agree with your opinion...money will follow with your passion..and also patience