Hi I’m Nergis Parikh and this is my website for Internet, and more specifically, Affiliate Marketing.
I hope my articles here will be informative and interesting, especially to the real newbies in Internet Marketing. I don’t look at myself as being a great expert in this field, but after struggling to make money online for so many years, and now finally beginning to get it right, I think I might know just a little bit more than the guy or gal who’s just starting out in this today. I will also review and promote tools, software, and other materials in the IM niche that I think can help you or bring value to your business. The products that I promote will give me a small affiliate commission if you purchase them through my link, while making no difference to the price you pay, as the commission given to me is not added to your price but is deducted from the vendor’s earnings. I may or may not buy each of the products that I recommend myself, but I will certainly do my best to make sure that it is one that will be beneficial to you and your business. Any opinions or recommendations mentioned here are of my own and those that I believe to be true to the best of my knowledge.
I started dabbling in internet marketing in 2009. I remember so clearly the very first IM product that I bought. It was called Google Cash by Chris Carpenter. Actually, it was all about making money with PPC. But in those days, I had absolutely no idea what PPC or AdWords or Autoresponder or any of that stuff was. I had opted in for the “Free Google Cash Newsletter” through some email I had received in my inbox from a website called AffiliateJackpot.
After 2 days and 3 follow-up emails, this one caught my immediate attention. It told me to Stop Whatever I was doing to watch how “a 27-year-old guy called Time Houston, (aka “The Shadow”) went from being a broke ‘no-hoper’ with no prospects, to making over $1,150,000 a year from Google, using the Google Cash Method”. I thought ok if this guy could do it, why can’t I try to make even 10% of that! So after 17 more very enticing follow-up emails outlining the wonders of buying Google Cash, the last 2-3 ones warning me that I was being offered a 50% discount for a very limited time after which the offer would disappear for ever, I finally succumbed to the lure and on 25th Feb 2009, I purchased my first IM product for $33.50 . That was equal to Rs 1, 736.33 in my currency, but I thought that’s ok because I was convinced that within one week or one month or some such time, I would be earning 1000s of $$$ a week or a month. I downloaded the various e-books I received as the main product plus as bonuses and resources, I got the whole lot printed and spiral bound into books at my local printer and got ready to become an overnight millionaire! Lol! Was I naïve!
Actually, I was already earning well over a million Rupees annually (my country’s currency). I’m really sorry but I don’t have a story of how I hated my boss or how I was waiting to give up my 9 to 5 job or any such thing. Besides handling my family commitments (in India people generally stay in joint families, especially if the in-laws are in the same city) and pursuing my creative passions like mural art, ceramic painting and Indian classical dancing, I was happily juggling 3 career lines – free-lancing with my basic academic qualification as an FCA (Fellow Chartered Accountant) doing outstation bank audits, running a home based business of Hand Crafted Chocolates and a Web Design & Development Company. I was the boss of all 3 and worked at my time and pace. But the idea of earning in dollars while spending in rupees was just too fascinating and alluring to disregard and I was hooked to this concept of Internet Marketing and the promises of immediate and overnight riches that I would be earning!
Well, Internet Marketing is not magic! It’s a well-oiled machine that works in a scientific and logical manner. And you need to learn the science. It’s so very easy to get distracted by the number of products being launched every day in this space. I know exactly how it is. Starting with Google Cash, I bought product upon product, started going through it and giving up on it for one of 2 main reasons.
First reason: I would happily be devouring a course or a product that I had bought and then I would come across a method that I did not want to use, now I was stuck at this point and would give up on this process. For example, I am still extremely wary of using paid methods of traffic, so if there’s anything to do with one of those, I’d just give up. I’m afraid I’m not a risk taker by nature – no business loans for me, no spending over and above my earnings. I can happily put back, what I earn, into my business , but if you tell me to take debt and run my business, I will freeze. My husband thinks I can never grow with this attitude and maybe it’s short-sighted of me but that’s how I am. Ok now I’m digressing. So getting back to what I was saying, I’d bought this course and I was going along nicely and the next video/module talks about PPC or SoloAds or Facebooks Ads (I got burnt by Facebook Ads the very first time I used them and got my account banned which just went to reinforce my hesitation to used paid methods for traffic) and I am like, ok that’s it, this is not for me!
May 2019 Update : Just want to update you on this. Since one month I have been learning Facebook Ads and Bing Ads and I realise now that very often we have mental blocks that dissuade us from trying new things. Just be sure never to say never!
Second reason, and this happens all too often, I’m sure I will hear knowing sighs from a lot of you guys: Before I can even start going thru one product I bought yesterday, there’s another one launching today that promises me that it will turn my $5 into $100 every time! And the price is increasing every day. And this will disappear after the launch is over, never to come back, only 3 hours left! What should I do. It looks too good to be true. Turn $5 into $100 every time. Really! The calculator in my brain is spinning and the dollar signs are clinking! Let me see… I can easily spend $10 a day, which means income of $200 a day, $6000 a month, $72000 a year. And if I spend $20 or $30 a day, how much is that a month, a year. How much is that in Rupees? Gosh I can’t let this get away. Surely I can buy it – its just $17. I can always go through the videos at my own pace properly later. And guess what! That later never comes. Because my products and courses are just piling up on my pc, gathering dust-bytes. Every day or every other day there is a new wonder product that is the answer to all my problems and that will make me piles of dollars! Gosh! Sounds familiar doesn’t it!
Like I said IM is not a magic pill. It is not just one thing, it is made up of so many elements that need to be woven together in a systematic manner. It is Content Creation and Traffic and List-Building and SEO and Niche Research and Emails and Auto-Responders and Social Media andb and CPA and Product Launches and eCommerce and so much more, not necessarily in that order. Don’t try to become an expert in everything. But do try to learn the basic concepts and the basic process involved in IM and grow from there. I don’t say don’t buy any products at all any more, but I do say don’t buy products mindlessly just because they are for $17 or because the offer expires in 2 hours. More offers will come believe me. Take up one area and master that before you try to go in another direction.
I still buy products, but not blindly like I once did. I try to see if it is a good fit for what I know and whether I can apply it in my business. I urge you too, to look at these products as tools to help you in your business, either as a product you can use or a course where you can learn something new, not as a magic wand to make you rich overnight. Many of the products launched daily may actually be great, but see if they are great for what you are doing or want to do. What’s great for someone else may not necessarily be great for you. A tool that helps you automate Instagram processes might be great for someone who is doing it manually every day but not for you if you are not doing Instagram marketing yet! So be wise in your buying choices.
And most importantly, TAKE ACTION ! I know this is a phrase that used every day by every mentor out there but its so 100% true. Take Action! You will not earn a dime unless you do. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, but learn through your mistakes and try not to make the same mistakes again. More important, find a good mentor who will teach you the ropes. That will save you a huge load of time. Because you are learning from a person who has already gone through the pain that you will go through if you do it on your own and who will give you little insights to stuff that no course can teach you. The only way you will really learn, as in any field, is on the job. Either do it yourself or get a mentor to work for, who will teach it to you. I am not ashamed to say that I only started to make money when I started working for one of the greatest names in IM today!
And whatever you do, Don’t Give Up! Dreams work only when YOU do my friend!
The difference between winning and losing is most often not quitting – Walt Disney
Do you have a story to share about your journey in the IM world? I’d love to hear it. And so would my readers I’m sure. Do share!
Life Besides Internet Marketing
I am passionate about learning and studying new stuff and I cannot remember a time that, along with all the roles we women play as a daughter, wife and mother, I have not also been in the role of a student, whether is has been pure academics like CA, CS, Law & SAP or pursuit of the Arts & Crafts like Indian Classical dance, Ceramic Painting, Glass & Mural Art, Hand Crafted Chocolates and now Internet Marketing.
My Family
Gaurav Parikh
I am happily married to Gaurav, my partner in all crime (and otherwise) who has been my better half in every way. We complement each other because we are so different and at the same time attuned to each other in amazing harmony. He’s the extrovert to my introvert, the risk taker to my safe-sandy, the perpetual optimist to my pragmatist (tho’ he insists I’m a pessimist I prefer to think I’m practical, certainly not a pessimist). We’ve had our share of ups and downs and tho’ he can drive me up the wall at least thrice a week, if not more, I wouldn’t want it any other way! ? Gaurav is the co-founder and managing director of Jeena Scriptech Alpha Advisors Pvt Ltd. He is a consultant on the Indian Equities and Capital Markets and has conducted innumerable training workshops for Corporates and Financial Institutes. What Gaurav doesn’t know about Indian Stocks is probably not worth knowing! In May 2015 he was rated as one of The Top 10 Experts on Economics & Investing in India by an Independent US Observer. Since in January 2015, he has been featured every year by the Outlook Business as one of India’s Top Ten Stock Pickers in their special edition , the latest being in April 2019 when he was honoured to be featured for a record fifth year in a row in the Special Annual Edition of Outlook Business showcasing some of India’s best stock pickers.
He is an avid blogger, never afraid to write it as it is, and if you are interested in getting an insight into Indian Equities, you can look him up at www.gauravblog.com .
I have 2 awesome kids, now 3. Varun, my son, is a budding and passionate Sound Engineer, just setting up his own Music Studio in Mumbai. He is married to the most vibrant, loving and charming girl, Friyana, who teaches English to the ICSE class in J B Petit School. She could pass off as one of the students herself and on Open Day it sometimes takes some convincing to assure the parents that she is the teacher and not one of the students! My daughter, Kunashni, completed her undergrad in Neuro-science at UBC, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Keen on setting up her professional practice in India only, she is now doing her Masters in Neuro Psychology in Mumbai. All three kids have their individual passions and are following their own dreams. They are confident, independent, smart and compassionate. My kids are both are crazy about sports, football in particular (my daughter has played football at every level before she started her masters, and even represented India for the u-16 and u-19 matches), and my daughter in law is a tireless and fabulous dancer, in fact she also teaches Zumba and Pilates.
Just as I am passionate about always learning something new, my family is my passion too and even though I’m sure I drive them crazy with the long hours I keep due to the webinars and courses I’m always on, they indulge in me and always encourage me to drive on. ? That’s the main reason I am able to do all that I do.
June 2020 Update: Varun set up his own Music Studio called Bay Owl Studios in Feb 2020. With barely a month into starting with a bang, the Covid lockdown brought things to a screeching halt, and now that the lockdown is slowing opening up, they are just getting back to bookings now. Kunashni has set up her Online Psychology Sessions, specializing in Sports Psychology and is in talks with a couple of the country’s premier football leagues to join as the resident sports psychologist. She has also collaborated with NGOs and other organisations like Psytara to be on their board of psychology mentors.
What Now
My professional journey from being an FCA (Fellow Chartered Accountant) from ICAI (the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India) to a student of digital Internet Marketing has been very interesting, energetic and an extremely enjoyable one. From FCA to Home Crafted Chocolatier to Web Designer to Internet Marketer, each facet of my journey has taught me new skills and new lessons. There’s always something new to learn everyday and I’ve been lucky to have found good mentors to study under and work for in the field of Internet Marketing. Though I’ve always been more of a designer by nature, I would also love to have learnt a programming language to create and brand my own software programs. Well you never know, as C S Lewis says, “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”
And I say “I’ll know I’m dead the day I stop learning something new!”
