Miles Baker took the center stage this week on Wayne Liew Dot Com Entrepreneur Interviews segment. Miles is an affiliate marketer but unlike average ones, he is able to build a business model around affiliate marketing successfully.
Miles caught my attention in an interview that he did with Andrew Wee. With the help of Twitter, again, I am able to connect with him. He is a very kind person and in fact, despite his experience and authority in the field, he is willing to help and share his tips with new affiliates and Internet marketers.
In this interview, Miles Baker provided a lot of golden nuggets on how affiliate marketers like me can take their business to the next level, why you should work prior to becoming your own boss and the mindset required for success in business as well as in your life.
Interview with Affiliate Marketing Expert Miles Baker
Wayne: Hey Miles, thanks for coming on this interview about business and entrepreneurship.
Miles: My pleasure, thanks Wayne.
Wayne: Miles, I got to know you via your interviews with Andrew Wee and Twitter. For the benefits of readers who might not have a clue about who you are, can you briefly introduce yourself and describe the business that you are running?
Miles: Sure. My name is Miles Baker. I work from my home office in beautiful Fort Collins, Colorado USA. I’ve been marketing and making money online for over 10 years and I’ve been doing it full-time for about 7 or 8 years now.
Miles: Currently I have two businesses. One is involved with affiliate marketing and search engine optimization where I develop and market web properties to promote affiliate products. The other company I am involved with does software and product development.
Miles: I’m also author a blog at www.MarketingWithMiles.com which I’ve been doing for about 3 years now which is all about Internet marketing. In addition to that I’m involved with various social marketing projects and other various things on the side.
Wayne: It is always great to hear from another entrepreneur who is in the same industry as I am. Miles, how did you discover affiliate marketing or Internet marketing in general as a business or a way to generate income?
Miles: About 10 years ago I started playing around online trying to figure out how to make money. I tried various programs, MLM schemes, bought many ebooks, etc. Eventually I came across a program with a company named ClickBank. They were an affiliate network and I signed up for one of their programs.
Miles: However I didn’t find any success with it. It wasn’t until a few years later that something I did years prior generated a small check for me and that’s what got me started. The check I received made it real to me, so at that point I started researching and learning more.
Wayne: Interesting. It was a check for less than $10, right?
Miles: Correct, it was for $7 and some change and at first I didn’t even remember who ClickBank was or why I got the check. I did some research and connected the dots that it was for a program I had signed up for a few years before.
Miles: The thing that triggered with me was that I earned that money while I was doing something else, passive income basically. That and the fact it was a real check that cleared the bank made it real and more possible in my mind that I could actually make money online.
Wayne: Prior to running your affiliate marketing business, do you have a 9-to-5 kind of job?
Miles: Yes, prior to affiliate marketing I had all kinds of various jobs. Selling hot tubs, working in a night club, traveling salesman. I also did tech support for a few companies like Apple and HP and although I wasn’t an expert by any means it helped me understand computers and the Internet.
Wayne: Compare your current venture to that, what are some of the significant differences in terms lifestyle, work schedule and dedication required? I mean, is running your own business harder or easier as compared to a 9-to-5?
Miles: It incomparable. Having my own business and working from my home allows me ultimate flexibility and so much more. For example I have a 2 1/2 year old son and I am able to spend so much time with him, last week I spent the entire week with him and worked very little.
Miles: In addition to that I run the show, I make the decisions, and I’m only responsible to myself. I currently have a few employees which allows me even greater freedoms because they stay productive even if I’m busy with something personal.
Miles: The lifestyle isn’t just about the money, it’s about convenience, flexibility, and time. I would have to say it’s the best "job" I could have. I guess that’s why I’ve been doing it for so long. Currently I work about 30 to 40 hours per week. I’m also very dedicated and work extra hours if I have to.
Wayne: 
But I don’t mind working long hours if I am doing what I love. There will be a group of young aspiring entrepreneurs who are still in high school or college like me reading this interview. Of course, I need your advice on this as well. In your opinion, is it necessary for us to work for others before launching our own venture?
Miles: It’s not necessary, however everyone is different so for some it may be beneficial because they haven’t developed the required mindset or motivation to do their own venture. However, I know some young people who have the determination and focus to succeed and they are very successful.
Miles: I think it’s a natural process and if you don’t have the skills, determination, discipline, or focus to start your own venture you’ll end up working for someone else anyway and perhaps you’ll learn those skills eventually and start your own venture later. It obviously never hurts to learn from and work for someone else.
Wayne: I can definitely agree on the fact that having a job can help us in developing the knowledge, skills and mindset needed to start a business. Can you tell us briefly what are the benefits, lessons or knowledge that we can get by working for someone before starting out on our own?
Miles: Skills would be a big one. Anything related to your industry that you can learn about while you’re getting paid is beneficial. For me, being able to do basic tech support for various companies taught me a lot about computers and the Internet which I was able to later utilize in my business. In addition, the sales and people skills I learned help me to this day.
Miles: Basically, working for someone else is good if you’re always learning something. In addition, if you can find successful people to work for and model then that’s a big help because you’ll be able to take on some of their good and successful habits.
Wayne: I don’t know whether it is because of all the flashy looking work at home opportunity ads or something else but people seem to think that working from home or making money online is easy. Do you think that it is easy to run an affiliate marketing business?
Miles: It’s easy because I love it, but it requires a lot of work. I don’t try to create obstacles for myself by labeling anything as hard, some things just requires a lot of time and effort. Affiliate marketing requires a lot of time and effort so you must be committed. Unfortunately people get the idea it should be easy because so many ads make it sound like it will be. However, it’s not that "hard" really, it just requires persistence and commitment as well as some common business sense.
Wayne: There are a lot of folks who are dipping their toes into the world of Internet marketing and affiliate marketing but not many are really successful. What are the major factors that are pulling these people back? By not being persistent enough?
Miles: Focus, belief, mindset. I would say many people have limiting beliefs about what they’re capable of. People will quit too soon because they have too much doubt. People also just don’t see themselves as successful. "You’ll never rise above the level of your vision." is one of my favorite quotes. Other than that, bad habits such as laziness or distractions can hold you back. You have to be focused, committed, and believe it’s possible.
Wayne: Definitely some good advice there. Some affiliate look at their commissions as side income or extra pocket money while affiliate marketing is a business for you. What is the main difference between running an affiliate marketing business and doing affiliate marketing as a hobby?
Miles: I guess it just depends on what you want to get out of it. My goal was to start my own online business, that was always my intended outcome. I worked a job and did affiliate marketing on the side, however having my own business on the Internet was the main direction I wanted to head in.
Miles: Some people love their jobs and just want to supplement their income with affiliate marketing which I think is great too. I think it all just depends on what kind of lifestyle you want and want you want to do for a living. So I would say the main difference really is just your commitment level and what you really want to get out of it.
Wayne: If a complete newbie comes to you for advice on how to get the ball rolling with affiliate marketing, what will be your Top 3 suggestions? You can always recommend some resources if you want to. 
Miles: First, I would have that person take a look at themselves. Analyze their strengths and weaknesses. Are they disciplined? Are they truly committed? Are they being at all realistic in actually following through? Then truly figure out what qualities of themselves they should focus on improving as well as create some goals for themselves. Create a goal that is achievable that motivates them and excites them that they can move towards. That would be my first suggestion.
Miles: Secondly, I would recommend they start reading and learning as much as they can. In addition, start reaching out and connecting with people in the industry, either through forums, Twitter, blogs, and if you can attend industry events. Connecting and meeting people really helps a lot and will give you lots of options and resources.
Miles: Thirdly, after you’ve learned a bit in general I would try to focus on only ONE main method of affiliate marketing, whether it be Pay Per Click, CPA Advertising, SEO, creating a blog in a niche, creating a product and being a vendor. Focus on one area and try to become an expert in that area.
Wayne: Great! For me, I prefer SEO and building affiliate sites rather than doing PPC. Like what you’ve said, it is always good to just focus on a few rather than spreading ourselves all over the place. Miles, I am sure that people will benefit a lot from the tips and advice that you gave throughout this interview, especially on the mindset required for success. Before we end this, any last words that you would like to say to my blog readers?
Miles: Well, take the example of Wayne, he’s a hardworking young man, who is committed and I can tell is finding great success online. It doesn’t matter so much as your skill, age, or background, as much as your willingness to learn, stay committed, and put in the required work to find success online.
Miles: If anyone wants to reach out and connect with me they can contact me through my website at MarketingWithMiles.com I hope you enjoyed the interview. Thanks!
Wayne: Thanks for the complements. I’m sure that they can get in touch via Twitter as well, right?
Miles: Yes, @MilesBaker.
Wayne: There you have it folks. Miles Baker, affiliate marketer and Internet entrepreneur. Thanks again for doing this interview with me.
Miles: Sure, thanks for having me.
Afterthoughts on Miles Baker Interview
As an affiliate marketer myself, I really enjoyed doing this interview with Miles Baker. I have always wanted to grow my current affiliate marketing business and throughout this interview, apart from the tips, Miles had definitely reinforced my belief that mindset is an important factor for success.
Whether you are running a business that involves inventory management like Steve Chou and Jason O’Neill or an Internet business like Miles, Michael Dunlop and Desmond Ong, you need to have the proper mindset.
Know what you want to achieve and be persistent about achieving it.
What Are Your Thoughts on the Interview?
What are some of the tips that you have learned from the interview with Miles Baker above? Do you have any extra advice on how a person can grow their business and the proper mindset they should have to run a better business?
Kindly share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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