What an insanely chaotic day it has been for Affiliate Venture Group in light of the recent Top 10 Network from Perform Insider announcement where we happen to make it to #3 this year (up from #10 last year). While I thought we would do well, I did not envision making it to #3. The amount of out pour of well wishes and virtual taps on the back we have received from our supporters and those that came across the news has been astonishing to say the least.
Frankly, we are a success because our partners are successful.
I am truly humbled just to be a member of the ECPM group with all the major C-level execs who deal in the millions and millions every month but when you add this top 3 placing – well I am just left speechless. There are obviously many that did not make the list that deserved to be on there – but my guess is they were busy making money while we were reaching out to our publisher base.
While I consider this to be a step in the right direction to truly become successful, it is certainly not the be all end all.
It did however get me to thinking what success is and what it means to me and after deliberating a whole evening while watching Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks get a miracle win over the Green Bay Packers – it dawned on me and said best by Early Nightingale, “It is the steady advancement towards a worthy goal”. The beauty of this definition is that it is valid and holds true for majority of the individuals. Sure the goals may be different for us all, but it is the actual process that will determine the outcome.
Needless to say there will be doubters and those who will question our success and they have every right to do so. As long as I can put a roof over the heads of my family and those that work with me – then I consider myself successful.
However, I did want to see what success meant to others so I reached out to 5 of my respected dear friends in the industry and no doubt verifiably more successful than myself/AVG, to truly gauge and see what success meant to them and more importantly – what their blueprint was to achieve it.
1) Jennine Rexon – Rex Direct Net
A) What does Success mean to you?
Looking back on life and never saying “I should have….”
B) What has been your blueprint for success?
Working hard and doing what I love.
A) What does Success mean to you?
Three key factors: 1. a constant, consistent and growing business based on “zero advertising dollars spent” and based purely on referral and word of mouth. Word of mouth for doing a great job and having a great reputation is still the best form of marketing. 2. An influential spheres of influence, friends, colleagues and business associates who only speak good things about your company when the discussion comes up. 3. Friends, colleagues and partners that are always willing to help you and reciprocate kindness and generosity because they have received it from you first.
B) What has been your blueprint for success?
Effective number crunching, thrifty financial management and efficient operations of course are always important to run a growing organization, but to me the primary blueprint for success has been three essential words; Relationships, relationships and relationships. Our business and in particular our industry must more than ever be based on solid and trusting relationships – both giving and receiving. Ultimately what others say about your business is ultimately your measure of success.
3) Kevin De Vincenzi – XY7 Elite
A) What does Success mean to you?
Success means achieving the result you set out for at the beginning of a project.
B) What has been your blueprint for success?
The words I live by are successful people do what unsuccessful people are unwilling to do and that holds true daily in my life the more someone tells me it can’t be done the more I am determined to prove it can!
Work hard and remember more money is made on a “no” than a yes
A) What does Success mean to you?
Whether or not you support the Obama’s, there’s no denying that Michelle gave one of the best quotes I’ve heard regarding success during her speech at the DNC. She said, “Success isn’t about how much money you make, it’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.” I feel I live by this quote every day. Wealth is a great thing but that’s really all it is. You have to know how to leverage wealth (money, power, resources) so you can affect people’s lives in a positive way. Otherwise, you’re just a wealthy failure.
One of the most rewarding and “successful” things that PeerFly and a lot of companies in this industry do is give opportunities to people in poor countries, who don’t have a lot, the ability to make a decent living as long as they have an internet connection and a drive. PeerFly has affiliates in over 160 different countries that are all on an equal playing ground. We’re giving the opportunity to someone in India, for example, the ability to make just as much as someone here in the US has. That’s success.
B) What is your blueprint for success?
I believe there are many, many variables that go into my blueprint for success. However, the biggest thing I can attribute to where I am now as a business owner is all my previous mistakes and failures. Without failing and making countless mistakes, I would have not learned to overcome them. Every time you fail, there is always an alternate route. Eventually, you will know all of your detours. The key is to keep trying.
5) Evan Lovett – Flex Marketing Group
A) What does success mean to you?
Success is happiness and fulfillment on many levels; healthy family, meaningful interpersonal relationships, professional achievement, making people smile and being comfortable in my own skin. It’s being able to look at my wife and be proud of what I accomplished in a given day yet still have the motivation to strive further each morning. Success is also being able to balance personal and professional goals, and being able to both learn & teach from people that assist in that quest. To me, success is knowing that I am maximizing my skills, talents and knowledge to the best of my ability.
B) What is your blueprint for success?
It’s taken me nearly a decade of trial & error. . .and more error. . .and then a few more errors. . .to figure out a ‘blueprint.’ Frankly, that blueprint is a living, breathing, eternally evolving concept, because situations are always changing. The necessity of adaptation has been hastened by the immediacy of the internet as a whole, but the ability to foresee potential challenges and preact – as opposed to react – has always been a hallmark of my ethos. Appreciating success is another cornerstone for me as well; it’s important to recognize that a strong work ethic is paramount, fueled by a relentless energy. Thusly, I try to share any insight I may have, the same way my forbearers & mentors shared with me, taking nuggets of wisdom from each unique situation. One other very important facet of my blueprint is to wake up each day and know why I’m involved in each pursuit, and what it means on a grander scale. Motivation has to come from within, and it has to be accompanied by genuine passion.
To a tee, ALL the above esteemed successful people define it as a certain goal or achievement and do not have to be financially driven.
Someone said it best, “Success is not the key to happiness BUT Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”
What do you think, is this true? Talk about it below.
