How They Came Up With Their Original Business Idea:

“I knew I had to come up with something original that other people weren’t covering. So I broke down the different areas of online marketing: e.g., niche research, traffic, SEO, content, blogging, etc., and analyzed which ones had the most potential. I saw that practically no one was focusing on showing people how to find profitable niches—let alone actually revealing profitable niches. So I went ahead and did just that.” – Stuart Walker

“At first, I knew there was a way to make money with the Internet; I just had to figure it out. After trying a few different methods and failing, I started making a few websites of my own. The first “real” dollar I made online was actually from designing graphic banners for site owners in the AOL Web Diner chat room. This was way before online payment systems like PayPal were around, so I would actually get physical dollar bills in the mail.” – Zac Johnson

How They Finally Broke Through To Become Successful:

“I was lucky enough to find somebody that I was able to do multiple projects with, have a great working relationship, and in the very beginning it’s a great way to catapult your success. It’s important that they have the same work ethic as you do.” – Debbie Drum

“It may sound stupid, but the first major breakthrough I had was after I lost all of my money and was faced with about 30 days’ worth of money in my bank account. Desperation struck, and I was faced with the real possibility of having to go back to w*ork (gasp!) if I didn’t figure it out.” – Buck Flogging

How Long It Took To Become Financially Independent:

“It took 3 years of daily promotion and saying yes to every opportunity that came my way. I spoke at conferences for free, gave away workshops, started a podcast, participated in online communities, and posted on social media daily.” – Lisette Sutherland

“I had already quit working when I came online and was living on my savings. I replaced the income I had earned as a teacher and in real estate within about 18 months of coming online. It wasn’t easy, but I learned the importance of perseverance, discipline, persistence, and goal setting in my life.” – Connie Ragen Green

The Biggest Mistake They Made Along The Way:

“I think my biggest failure was putting all of my eggs in one basket. When I worked with one client for six months, I stopped networking and putting myself out there to get more clients. When that client left, I was in trouble.” – Christina Nicholson

“I’ve made huge mistakes. I tried to start a paid podcasting platform that pretty much bombed (you know, because people are sick of getting their podcasts for free!), tried my hand at network marketing and published a book that got 2.1 stars, paid $20,000 for a website and a bunch of SEO ninja shenanigans that produced more or less $0, blogged for two years before I realized you could put images in posts…” – Buck Flogging

The Single-Most Effective Tactic They Discovered:

“Focus. I’m a big, big believer in taking as few steps as possible to get the result. Probably the biggest barrier that people cannot move past is a lack of focus. Rather than dabbling in dozens of different options for creating products, generating traffic, building lists and so forth, it’s better to master a few strategies.” – Jimmy D. Brown

“Find a way to set yourself apart from others with similar offerings and then develop your business or personal name into a brand that people believe is different, better, more trustworthy and of higher value than competitive alternatives. People—whether they’re selecting people, businesses, products or services—have a huge range of choices. They narrow the possibilities only to those they consider safe bets. Usually that means a name—a brand—they know of and respect or, if the name is new to them, a first impression, in person or online, that stops them and makes them think, “this is what I’m looking for.” – Barbara Findlay

Their Best Advice To Those Looking To Achieve Similar Success:

“Don’t be afraid to fail. You can just pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and learn from your mistakes. As I say often: Failure is your friend.” – Dennis Becker

“The first thing is to ask better questions. Your goal is to identify and name the problem that is holding you back so that you can find a solution” – Quinton Hamp

If you like this kind of personal insight then I’ve got great news for you. All of this comes from a new book called Affiliate Marketing Secrets that’s hot off the presses.

Click here now and grab your free copy

If you guys want to learn about some of my early failures and how I eventually became successful online – and you want to hear about how 100 others have as well – ranging from successful podcasters, YouTubers, authors, social media moguls, coaches, consultants, and many more – then check this out.