I never really knew how difficult being the CEO was until I became one. Imagine that!  I’ve always known that its a hard job but I’ve only known that from observation.  I looked at it in the same way one would look at the President or the Pope and think that they must have a hard job.  I looked at it in a very ignorant and detached kind of way.  Once I got in the position, I quickly realized that people were looking at me much the same way I used to look at the CEO’s I worked for.  Gulp.

I used to be one of those guys who was quick to bang on the CEO when he looked like he was blowing it.  I existed in my own little world and thought I knew everything.  Frankly, I was a fool.  When you are the CEO you are forced to be a generalist and you have to trust leaving the details up to the specialists. Sometimes this can get you into trouble because there is simply too much going on for you to be aware of all that’s happening inside the company at any given time. It becomes very easy for the specialist to find fault in what you are doing. The specialists really have no idea of what it takes to formulate and execute an overall strategy.  Most specialists are just a bunch of Monday morning quarterbacks. Its a very convenient place to be when passing judgment on another’s actions.  Personally, I would rather be remembered as a failure of a CEO then a successful purchasing agent, customer service rep, or accountant.  At least I tried.

So to all the CEO’s I have ever worked for, I offer you my apologies.  I was ignorant and arrogant and that hurts to admit.  I had no right to criticize you for the job you were doing.  In fact, most of you did a very good job.  Thanks to Eric Mosteller, Reggie Hughes, Jeremy Hanks, Lana Porter, Jack Blount and John Winterholler for directly and indirectly showing me how its done.  At times it was done very wrong but I will never criticize you for that - it was an excellent learning experience for me.  I respect you a hundred times more than the clock punching Monday morning QB. 

Marty Fahncke introduced me to Dave Taylor at the Affiliate Summit.  What a great guy to talk to.  Dave runs the site AskDaveTaylor.com.  Its a fun place to check out the Q&A on every conceivable question Dave’s 300,000 monthly unique visitors can throw at him. Check it out…

If you are smart and lucky you could be one of the few, the proud, the super affiliate.  What is a super affiliate?  Simply put, a super affiliate is one who works full time selling others products or services online.  If you know what you are doing you can become very successful as an affiliate marketer.  Utah local, Jeremy Palmer claims a seven (yes, more than $1,000,000) figure yearly salary as a super affiliate. I’ve met guys here at the Affiliate Summit who are in the $10k up to $60k monthly incomes as super affiliates.

Rosalind Gardner, author of the super affiliate handbook had a great session this morning.  Apparently, a lot of people have gotten into the affiliate marketing game and many are failing.  She says that the industry has forgotten the basic principles that make affiliate marketers successful.  Here are several points she discussed:

• Have a legitimate looking Web site. Most people can detect sites that look like they’re just out to make a buck and they won’t buy from those sites.
• Have a contact page, about page and privacy policy.  These things make you legit.
• Have a logo and tagline.
• Content is key! No keyword density tactics.
• Brand yourself.  People will trust you and buy from you.
• Collect opt-in email so you can email offers and discounts.  This is how many super affiliates are making their money on the Web.
• Add a forum.
• Do telaseminars.
• Conduct survey’s.
• Put out a monthly newsletter.
• Use video on your site.
• Blog.
• Work directly with merchants to negotiate the best possible commission.

If this seems like common sense stuff to you then maybe you ought to get in the game.  Its a great second income that can become a full time gig if you are good.

The Utah online marketing conference is coming together. I heard today that its on for October 4th. Mark your calendar and plan to attend.

Here’s an interesting note from the Affiliate Summit. 

One of my sales guys ran into the crew from 888.com at an Affiliate Summit mixer.  Most people don’t realize how large and pervasive online gambling has become.  888.com is publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange. They had $271 million in net gaming revenue. They spent $100 million on sales and marketing.  Last year they put $65 million in their pocket and they are just one of hundreds (if not thousands) of online gaming companies.  Those are incredible numbers for any business.  Fortunately, you don’t have to be in the online gaming business to achieve that type of success.  There are other services that are just as profitable and much more ethical to operate.

For the record, 10Speed Media does not work with online gaming companies.

Over the next couple of days I’ll be in Orlando for the Affiliate Summit.  I’ll be blogging the event - keep posted for cool news from Orlando.

Also, Utah’s own affiliate conference has been moved to October and will be much broader than just affiliate programs. Stay tuned for more information.

I’m planning on Friday July 21st for the next Mountainpalooza.  If you don’t know what Mountainpalooza is click here to learn more and click here to read about my awesome June ride. 

If you’d like to join us be at Sundance by 2 pm.  RSVP in the comments or email me at ctknud “at” gmail.com to let me know if you are in. 

I hope to see the guys who were with us in June back out for the July ride.  It was a blast!

I recently heard some news about a former employee that really ticked me off.  I sat down and started to pound out a blog post ripping into the guy.  Last night I realized that just the act of writing the post actually made me feel better.  I didn’t need to publish the post - sitting down and expressing my feelings in wordpress was all it took to get me over it. 

On another occasion I sat down to blog about something I strongly believed in.  After writing out the post I realized that my position was wrong. Delete. 

Sometimes just writing about it does more than publishing it could ever do.  

From the “I could have seen this one coming from a mile away” files, eBay has banned Google Checkout.  If you haven’t noticed eBay, Amazon and Microsoft are conducting the equivalent of WWIII against Google.  Its so fun to watch…