Forget everything you've ever read about making money online...
Unfortunately, most of the people selling e-books and other info products don't want you to hear this. They want you to think that you can build your own "copy and paste" dot-com empire in just "5 minutes a day".
It's a hell of a lot easier for these marketing gurus to sell hope-in-a-box than it is to sell realistic-expectations-in-a-box.
If you arrived at this site hoping to get rich quick or buy a magic success pill, I have bad news - I'm fresh out. But don't worry... there are thousands of huckster's online who are ready to take your money.
If you're still reading this, I imagine you're more serious about making money online than the guy who just hit the back button. If this is the case, and you understand that success requires time and hard work, the Black Ink Project might just be what you're looking for.
In 2005 I launched a popular affiliate newsletter called "Quit Your Day Job". The purpose of the newsletter was to show people the affiliate techniques and strategies I had used to quit my day job.
I was sending the newsletter out weekly, but my readers wanted more. Some people on my list started requesting that I put all this information into a guide or e-book so they could have a one-stop destination for learning.
But before I put all this content into an e-book, I wanted to know if the methods I had used to succeed could be learned and applied by new affiliates. Plus, I didn't want to launch the book without a few testimonials.
So that summer I decided to do an apprenticeship with five new affiliates. During this time we had weekly training calls where I would teach them the ropes, evaluate their affiliate campaigns, help them set goals, and keep them motivated.
The apprenticeship lasted five weeks. At the end of the project 4 out of the 5 students were making a consistent profit. One year later 3 out of the 5 became Commission Junction Performers (earning $10,000/month).
I had learned a lot from this little experiment... I had proof that my methods could be taught and applied by other people. I also started to understand what skills and characteristics were required for people to succeed.
Armed with this information I proceeded to write my first e-book - "High Performance Affiliate Marketing". I took the same material from my apprenticeship and transferred it into this concise 150 page guide. I sold thousands of copies within the first few months.
In addition to the book, I launched a member support forum so that people could get additional help and insight as needed.
Within a few months some trends started to emerge... People who bought the book and were active in the forum were 10x more likely to succeed than those who simply read the book. This is because people asking questions and lending advice were actively doing what they had learned.
One thing I couldn't understand is that of the 5,000+ people who paid $49.95 for my e-book, only a few hundred became active in the forum... despite the fact that the forum was heralded as one of the primary benefits of the book.
This is the same reason so many diets fail. It's not that the diet doesn't work, but people don't stick to it. They either don't follow it correctly, or quit when they don't see instant results. This is why the dieting category is a multi-billion dollar industry and people are fatter than they've ever been. They keep coming back to buy more hope, but don't put in the required work.
The same thing can be said about the Business Opportunity industry. It's now one of the must lucrative categories online. Everyone seems to be launching a new product or service to help you make money.
Many of these products are good, but most aren't worth the paper they're printed on. More time is invested in the product launch and sales letter than the product itself. The fact is most of these gurus don't care if you succeed, as long as you have enough money on your credit card for the latest product du jour.
This made me re-think my whole business model at Quit Your Day Job. I didn't want to work with people who weren't serious about their commitment or had unrealistic expectations. So in October of 2007 I took my e-book off the market.
I was so disgusted and burned out with the business opportunity industry that I contemplated shutting down QuitYourDayJob.com. I didn't want to be associated with these clowns in any way, shape or form.
But I decided that wouldn't be fair to those students who were willing to put in the time and effort to learn the business. Plus, I couldn't just shut down my message board - people were still using it.
After careful consideration I decided to re-launch my book and make it free. That way people could still benefit from it's content, but I no longer had to deal with the dreamers who expected to make a six figure income by simply buying my book.
I also decided to open up my forums to the public and make Quit Your Day Job a community site, where people could leverage the strength of others experience.
The new site has been getting some good traction, but I wanted to do something special to get people excited and more involved at Quit Your Day Job... So after a lot of thought I came up with an idea that would accomplish that goal - The Black Ink Project.
As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, the Black Ink Project is an affiliate success course designed to help new affiliates bridge the gap between my e-book and making a profit. Some find that the book and forum support is all they need to succeed, but others need a little more hands-on training to connect all the dots.
The project focuses on four key areas:
The course starts May 5, 2008 and will be delivered in four week-long modules. In between modules you'll be given a week to let the material soak-in and apply what you've learned. So even though the course will only take 4 weeks to deliver, it will take 8 weeks for you to complete.
Here is an overview of the schedule:
| Session | Day | Date/Time | Description |
| Week 1 - Module 1: Planning and Preparation | |||
| Finding Your Niche | 1 | 05/05/2008 |
Discover the hottest niches by learning how to analyze opportunities, prospects, and the competition. |
| Getting Your Business in Order | 2 | 05/06/2008 3:00 PM PST |
Legal, financial, and tax considerations for an affiliate business. Avoid costly mistakes and legal problems by ensuring your business is setup the right way. *Note this session is intended mostly for US-based affiliates. |
| Developing a Rock Solid Business Plan | 3 | 05/07/2008 3:00 PM PST |
Tomorrow's success depends on today's plan. Learn how to develop a long lasting business that can withstand market disruptions. Develop your site's unique selling proposition (USP). |
| Getting to Know Your Audience | 4 | 05/08/2008 3:00 PM PST |
Get inside the mind of your target customer. Attract the right prospects by learning their browsing, searching and buying habits. |
| Setting Up Shop | 5 | 05/09/2008 3:00 PM PST |
Find out how to get the most out of your limited time and budget. This session will focus on essential time management, work habits, and tools of the trade. |
| Week 2 - Module 2: Designing and Building | |||
| Architect a Bulletproof Site | 6 | 05/19/2008 3:00 PM PST |
Every good site starts with a detailed blueprint. This session covers everything from content planning and design to building a wireframe. Learn how to build a site that is both user and search engine friendly. |
| Designing a Visually Appealing Site | 7 | 05/20/2008 3:00 PM PST |
First impressions are lasting impressions. Discover how to design a visually appealing site that's easy on the eyes and leads customers down the conversion path. |
| Concept to Construction | 8 | 05/21/2008 3:00 PM PST |
Learn how to convert your beautiful design into a fully-functional site. |
| Making Your Site Dynamic and Fresh | 9 | 05/22/2008 3:00 PM PST |
Learn how to build a "smart site" that creates a personalized experience for each visitor. Discover how to use scripts, code snippets, and datafeeds to make a site that is never dull or faded. |
| Landing Page Design | 10 | 05/23/2008 3:00 PM PST |
Your landing page is your site's sales rep. In this session you'll learn how to build a landing page that persuades customers and closes the sale. |
| Week 3 - Module 3: Marketing and Traffic Generation | |||
| Pay Per Click Mastery | 11 | 06/02/2008 3:00 PM PST |
Generate instant and laser-targeted traffic to your site with PPC. Learn how to get the best return on your investment and efforts with paid search. |
| Link Build Your Way to the Top | 12 | 06/03/2008 3:00 PM PST |
Link building is key to getting free traffic from the search engines. Find out how to get quality inbound links from contextually relevant sites. |
| Making Your Site Sticky | 13 | 06/04/2008 3:00 PM PST |
Keep your customers coming back for more. Discover ways to increase the lifetime value of your customers. |
| List Building and E-mail Marketing | 14 | 06/05/2008 3:00 PM PST |
Learn how to craft e-mails your customers will want to read. Find out how to create an auto-responder and newsletter that will keep you at the top of the customer's mind. |
| Social Media and Web 2.0 Traffic Techniques | 15 | 06/06/2008 3:00 PM PST |
Learn how to use social networking to build trust, credibility, and value for your business. |
| Week 4 - Module 4: Testing, Optimizing, and Growing | |||
| Measuring and Analyzing Your Traffic | 16 | 06/16/2008 3:00 PM PST |
What gets measured gets managed. Learn how to setup and use web analytics tools to measure and improve the profitability of your site. |
| Using Split Testing to Get Results | 17 | 06/17/2008 3:00 PM PST |
Stop guessing and start knowing what works. Find out how to use split testing to improve your bottom line. |
| Outsourcing - The Key to Growth and Sustainability | 18 | 06/18/2008 3:00 PM PST |
Run your business without limitations. Learn how to find professional help to accomplish any task. |
| Getting to the Next Level | 19 | 06/19/2008 3:00 PM PST |
This session is all about scaling your business. Learn what it takes to go from being profitable to quitting your job and beyond. |
| Black Ink Checklist and Recap | 20 | 06/20/2008 3:00 PM PST |
A complete review and summary of the Black Ink Project. Where to go from here. |
The modules will be delivered (when scheduled) Monday-Friday at 3:00 PM PST (GMT -8:00). Each session within the module will last approximately one hour, with 30 minutes at the end for live question and answer (Q&A).
All of the sessions will be recorded and available on-demand within 24 hours of the live session. So if you can't make a live session don't worry - we've got you covered.
The primary benefit of the live session is the question and answer at the end. If you're present you can participate in the discussion.
If you want to participate in the course I expect you to keep up with the schedule. Don't fall behind or you'll risk dropping out and losing focus. I'm also giving you an extra week between sessions to get caught up if needed. I understand that "life happens".
It's free. No strings, no catch.
I'm really glad you asked this question, because it's the key to your success. If you sign-up for the course I expect the following - no compromises:
If you cannot commit to these five things, please do not fill out the form below. I don't want you to waste your time or mine. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I may never offer again.
Many of my colleagues think I should charge a few thousand dollars for this course, however, I decided to go the free route. But that doesn't mean the course is worth any less and that you can take your commitment lightly.
If you answered yes to the five questions above, have realistic expectations, and want to be the 1 out of 10 affiliates who succeeds please complete the form below:
All the best,
Jeremy