Affiliate Marketer
Mark Mc Garry is a 38-year-old entrepreneur marketer from Ireland. He relies on organic Facebook marketing strategies for high ticket sales while working for a large video game company.
Business model: Affiliate marketing
No. of employees: 1
Location independence: Not yet!
How much time spent working: 2hr/day
Revenue: 1.2k/month
Based on passion: Yes, based on organic facebook marketing without spending money on advertising
My name is Mark Mc Garry, I am 38 years of age, I live in a small town in the south of Ireland called Monkstown which is located in Cork.
I currently work online in affiliate marketing which I work around my job as back-office support for a large video games company.
I focus mainly on organic Facebook marketing, mainly on high ticket sales, and a couple of lower price points to suit for different income levels.
I worked in the bar trade since I was a teenager, and while it’s a great way to make an income, as you get older, you really lose the energy required for that type of work, and of course, the nature of the trade means you don’t really have a lot of holidays as regular people do. I was a bit of a partier back in the day so it suited me in that regard!
I then was caught in a bit of a limbo as not having a college degree meant I really didn’t have many options, around the same time i got introduced to Network Marketing, and even though I was making a profit, and had a small team, the fact i was bringing in stock, going to hotel meetings, monthly seminars and everything else that goes into that type of business, meant that I was really just breaking even.
Also due to the fact that I’m a massive introvert, and I was being taught the old model of making a list of 100 family and friends, the 3-foot rule (everyone within 3 feet is a prospect !) handing out flyers and all that stuff (anyone who was in that world will know what I mean), after a couple if years i just reached burn out, and in the NFL (No Friends Left) club.
One thing I am grateful for though is that it taught me how to handle rejection REALLY good and that people who you think are your friends can really show who they are.
It was then that I found on Facebook a woman in the affiliate marketing world. She was involved in high ticket affiliate marketing, and after talking to her I saw the potential involved and made my first sale in the first 2 days- it was only $1 but it was a really special feeling- I then went onto have $300, $600 days, and after a couple of months was making $1,000 high ticket sales, 90% through Facebook.
However I had to shelve the business for a couple of years as my dog had his spine severely shattered after being hit by a car- and I had to rehab him back form paraplegic to walking and running again, which took a little over 2 years, and was a real fulltime job in itself- and I’m just recently back to the business after he’s ok now. I just wanted to mention that not as a pity party or sob story but that its ok if life gets in the way, we all get hurdles thrown at us, as long as we bounce back is what matters, life and business are not straight lines, so give yourself permission to step back if you need to – the internet will be here when you get back!
Really, as cliche as it sounds, and as boring even, there’s no real difference than most online businesses. That may not be the sexy answer, but if you try and reinvent the wheel, then you’re not gonna get off the ground.
I would say this- make sure that you put your own spin on your marketing- people buy from people they know, like and trust, so if you try and be someone else, that’s gonna create a disconnect, and also, as hard as they try, people just can’t keep up an image forever.
The big trend I am seeing at the moment, which is a worrying trend too, is that there is a growing number of people using social media unethically- they have learned certain skillsets so they can trigger emotions. There is a difference between using these skillsets for good vs just trying to make a quick buck.
So just always be honest and transparent- people will appreciate that much more anyway, and come from a place of helping rather than making a sale, and good things will follow!
If i was to say I have something unique, maybe it’s that being Irish I have a certain sarcastic dry humor which I like to use in my content so maybe people find that refreshing!
In the next 5 -10 years? Great question!
As I said earlier, I had to take a couple of years out, and so things are slowly starting to click again, and momentum is starting to pick up the pace. Ideally, I have always wanted to move to Italy, on the Amalfi Coast. That’s my dream location.
Of course to be free from the day job, and to be working online fully and coaching others to do the same- kind of mixing mindset coaching/ consulting with the affiliate marketing side as the mindset is such a huge factor in everything we do in life.
My biggest pastime is triathlon- mainly ironman distance- so travel the world racing ironman is the end-goal for me. A lot of people want fancy Lambos and mansions- just give me a couple of nice carbon fiber race bikes and a suitcase and I’m golden!
Yes, the best thing about affiliate marketing is that you can truly work from anywhere as long as you have a laptop, or cellphone and internet connection.
I have to tell you it is an awesome feeling when you’re away from home, and you get a notification that you’ve made money, for something you spent a bit of time a few months previously setting up which makes you money repeatedly.
The big problem people face when they get started online is 1. Mindset, and 2. The reactions of so-called well-meaning friends and family and workmates. And ironically, it’s your mindset that will overcome number 2.
Also, a big challenge is overwhelming- there’s so much info out there- and systems are thrown at you, it’s hard to see the wood for the trees sometimes- and people end up with “shiny object syndrome” as it’s called. It’s almost like an induction phase you need to go through!
So the advice I would give is to dive into personal development and mindset work- and do not listen to friends and family opinions as it is almost always negative- and that’s ok- they’re just on a different path to you.
One last thing- I would highly advise getting a mentor-someone who has been through what you are embarking on- the chances you will succeed are immeasurable if you do. And start with high ticket sales- with high ticket the percentages are much higher and you get access to a better quality of training and community.
As i said, I’m really introverted- so when I was involved with Network Marketing, each day I would be completely drained- now of course you still have strategy calls and sales calls but it’s just a lot better as its a huge timesaver also.
However, it’s definitely not easy. A reason why there is such a big failure rate is when people come in and they might see youtube videos, or take a “guru’s” course and are promised riches overnight, that’s just not the reality.
Like everything in life, nothing that’s with it is easy, no matter what so-called “guru’s” will tell you. There will be really high moments, and really really low moments, but as long as you stay the course you will start to see results- remember at the start when I said it’s not a straight line, we all face challenges and life throws you curveballs.
So I’m doing about 2 hours per day- that’s purely doing the essential day to day methods in the business, if you were to include things like mindset, reading, catching training videos in the opportunities i promote you could add another couple onto it.
Stay in your lane- a lot of “leaders” will say not to go out and buy multiple courses, not to get “shiny object syndrome”, and while there’s truth to that, a lot of the time they just want you to buy only their thing so there can be an agenda there- plus they have been guilty of exactly that if they’re promoting multiple things!
So as long as you can see the investment- just be smart about it. There have been times I have bought a course and found 1 or 2 things I can implement and it’s made a difference.
Get your mindset down-it all comes down to mindset. It really can be the determining factor between giving up and succeeding. After all, we are what we think about all day long.
Also if you’re getting crap off family and friends, I’m sorry to say, but you may have to re-evaluate who you’re hanging out with. Jim Rohn famously said that you are the average of the 5 people you hang around with most. Of course, I’m not saying ditch your family – that’s kind of impossible- just try and limit what you let them tell you about your new venture.
After all your family will become your biggest cheerleaders in the end.
A big one too- stop listening to the news and radio and social media- all it is good for is breeding toxic negativity.
I let a lot of what people around me were saying get to me, and it was hard to separate that from my approach, which kept me is a constant stop/ start routine and being an introvert, I have a habit of going into myself and procrastinating and before I knew it, 1 month, 2 months had passed. So that’s been a big hurdle to overcome, and it still happens from time to time- we are not robots after all.
Going back to the story with my dog at the start, I had (stupidly looking back) went back into the workforce just to get some cash flow, and that set me back a lot timewise, as time is really the most important thing we have.
But hindsight is 20/20 after all. So those two would be the main ones I guess.
What is your biggest takeaway from starting the business?
That doing something that will truly make a difference in your life and others’ lives is not easy- if it was everyone would be doing it!
It’s like the famous Iceberg picture- all people see is the peak or the surface, but under the water is where most of the iceberg is- it takes time, effort, frustration. But it can be the most fulfilling thing in the world if you’re willing to hang on for the ride
Things we have talked about above, or recommended by interviewee.
I like to listen to a variety of podcasts as well as read books. I like to go through about a book per month. Audible is also a really good resource if you’re not a reader.
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