I’m Natalie Clare, 26 years old. Originally from the Philippines but raised and residing in Dubai. I’m a bit of a rebel… I don’t like being told what to do and I hate being stuck in places where I don’t like to be. As a teenager with typical Asian parenting, I ran away from home numerous times. This experience has taught me how to live independently. I managed to buy my first car while I was still living away from home and that was when I won my parents’ blessing to make my own decisions.
What is your entrepreneur story? How did you come about building your business?
I was raised in Dubai, the city of opportunity. Whilst everyone was trying to get a job, I managed to escape my lucrative job… and I did it cold turkey! It all happened so fast.. It started when I got myself an interview for a Social Media Manager role at a company that I liked the look of (I was interested in their culture). However, I did not have any experience in Social Media. I managed to land the job but I knew nothing about it! So I crammed on YouTube to learn all about Social Media management. Then I started to come across suggested videos of millennials my age who were making a living doing similar things with their online business. I was intrigued so I wanted to start my own online business. I tried to do it as a side hustle but it was very difficult. Working 9 hours a day at my job and then coming home to work more hours on my laptop was physically impossible for me. On top of that, I had anxiety because I desperately wanted to make my business work, but all my time was going towards this job that I no longer cared about. So 2 months after being hired, I decided to give up the monthly paycheck in exchange for my time and energy to work on my new business.
What is your business model?
Affiliate Marketing is earning commissions by promoting other people’s products/services. The company provides you with an affiliate link to promote their products/services and when people click the link to buy, it gets tracked to you and you get a commission. Most of the big establishments you know have an affiliate program and some of them have “sticky cookies” which means if somebody clicks your link and closes the page, and 6 months later decides to buy, as long as you were the last one to promote to them, then your name will still be traced, and you will still get the commission. There are many different kinds of affiliate programs (low ticket, high ticket, and recurring commissions). I help burnt-out employees start their Affiliate Marketing business online.
How were you able to grow so fast?
Here’s a cheesy answer but it’s the truth. I was able to grow without thinking about money. Many people obsess about whether their business is making money or not, and they start to worry if it’s not. When you focus on the money, it never comes. When you love the process and focus on helping your audience by giving them ridiculous amounts of value, somehow money magically rolls in. I do this by posting educational and inspirational content on social media as opposed to spamming people with ads and discount codes.
Can you give me an overview of who you are, what is your educational or overall background? What are some of your achievements?
I started my career at the age of 17 straight out of High School. I worked my way up from a Receptionist role to an Operations Manager > Account Manager > Brand Manager and Social Media Manager. 9 years of being in the rat race, only to find out that the 9 to 5 was not for me! Today I show people the possibility of quitting their 9 to 5’s by teaching them how to start their online business through Affiliate Marketing.
What have you learned through your experiences as an entrepreneur that can be used by aspiring business individuals?
The most important lesson is “Do not wait to start your business until you are ready” because you will never be ready. If you are truly business-minded, you’d have already understood the fact that business comes with a whole load of risk and failure. It’s being able to stand up from the failure that will make you stand out and become successful. In the beginning, I felt the need to watch every course there is and read every best-selling book there was. It was not until I took action when I started to see results. People get stuck in the paralysis analysis phase but never realize that the best lessons you can ever learn are from the mistakes you make and that is because these are experiences you will never forget.
What makes your business so unique and successful?
The best thing about Affiliate Marketing is it’s one of the most passive income businesses today, which means you do the hard work upfront (build the machine) and later the business continues to generate money even while you sleep! Apart from that, you do not need to create a product, deal with any business operations i.e. customer service, inventory, order bulk from suppliers, etc. You won’t be limited to getting paid by the hour like any other service-based business out there. Plus it does not require a high capital or investment to start! Affiliate Marketing when done right can give you Time-freedom, Location-freedom, and Financial-freedom.
What have you learned through your journey as an entrepreneur?
I learned that being comfortable is dangerous and being on the edge is actually a great opportunity to grow. Whenever I am comfortable, it means that there is a problem- the problem is I am remaining stagnant and I am not growing. I find that my best results come from those times when I forced myself to make that video even when I wasn’t in the mood. Therefore I create challenges for myself such as the “21-day YouTube challenge” where I post 1 video a day for 21 days. I’m happy to face challenges because they push me to take action and action builds momentum in your business.
What skills and attributes make you as successful as you are?
I am naturally stubborn so I believe that is what gives me a strong mentality. I’ve got a lot of passion and perseverance in me. I’m the type of person who “when I want something, I will do anything in my power to get it.” A lot of people give up on their businesses because they victimize themselves and settle for “it wasn’t meant to be.” The truth is, everything works… but it is entirely up to you to figure it out and make it work.
Why is online business, marketing, etc important?
We are now in the digital age where the internet is the future. Television and Advertising are slowly dying- Podcast is the new radio, YouTube is the new TV. Billboards and magazines are being replaced by Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter, and Supermarkets are now delivering your groceries with the tap of a button. The internet is already taking over everything we once knew, and how can you do all of this effectively? Through Marketing. To me, marketing is NOT about selling, promoting or pitching. Rather, it is bringing awareness to the solutions of people’s problems. Marketing CANNOT CREATE a desire for a product/service. It can only take the hopes, dreams, and fears that ALREADY EXIST in the hearts of people and focus them onto a particular product/service. It is not about CREATING a desire, it is about channeling and directing it.
What is your giveaway idea through this interview?
For burnt-out employees, get your FREE Affiliate Marketing training at www.BreakFreeAndProsper.com
For entrepreneurs, grab your FREE Marketing books at www.BreakFreeAndProsper.com
Our biggest motivator is not the riches and pleasures in life, but rather the pain we would have to face if we didn’t make it work. I would be willing to do whatever it takes so that my family would never have to starve, but I’ll be fine without a Lamborghini
