I sit in front of my computer all day – literally. Sometimes I’m researching, sometimes I’m drawing, sometimes I’m building websites and sometimes I have no idea what I’m doing. My kids think I’m playing all day and don’t understand why I won’t let them veg out in front of the other computer for hours on end. Some of my friends assume my schedule is wide open and I can easily drop what I’m doing to go play – I suppose I could, if I didn’t mind the end result of a day under-worked.

I don’t mind the hours although I am trying really hard to contain myself and do more than work all the time. I used to work an average of 16-18 hours a day, now I think I’m down to more around 10-12.

I love what I do!

Kirsty McCubbin, a long time Affiliate Marketer currently based in Australia describes the misconceptions of working as an affiliate perfectly in her article 8 Reasons Why Your “Hard Work” Isn’t Paying Off in Affiliate Marketing. I’ve never met Kirsty but I already like her.

To me the article applies affiliate related or not. It’s all about working online and from home. There seems to be a wide spread misconception that because we work from home for ourselves we can do whatever we want and money will flow in. Those of us putting in the hours and the effort know what it takes and it sure ain’t easy. If it were that easy to start or maintain, heck! I would be making 8 figures by now, at least… oh how I wish.

Sometimes I wonder why I work so much. I can easily be here for 12 hours and not notice the time. Really what it comes down to, I do so many different things, and I love most all of them so much, I don’t want to stop. I really do enjoy what I do. I love the challenge and knowing I have the ability to find a solution – and sometimes a really good solution.Even more satisfying are the days I create something that I can share with others – makes me happy to know I’ve encouraged someone else to do something.

There are days where I look back at the end of the day and wonder what the heck I did all day. Nothing to show for my efforts except maybe a cramp in my leg because I didn’t move my butt from the chair for 5 hours straight. These days I am not able to show any numbers or stats directly related to anything in particular. Yet if I really logged what I did, I probably learned something significant that I am using down the road. I just can’t pinpoint the exact progress of the day.

That’s ok. Part of what we should be doing as entrepreneurs is learning so we can continually improve and grow our businesses. We don’t just set something up and spend out time maintaining the same hum drum every day until we retire in bliss. We adapt and adjust and move forward. We’re trend setters and we’re forward thinkers here on the internet.

I like it.

Note: Yes, the photo is my son around age 3, passed out with a jar of peanut butter. This is a result of his mother mindlessly handing opening the jar and not paying attention because she was working.

Lesson Learned: Working too much is not always a good thing!

Work or Play – what are affiliate marketers doing all day? is a post from: 100 Directions

As all the media coverage piles up over the recent decision by Amazon to terminate all Colorado affiliates, I thought I’d start collecting the news stories and various public comments in one location. All sides of the story seem to be represented in this list. It’s interesting to see the various perspectives and to note what people in the industry say vs the legislators or media writers that are merely speculating. – Note: these are not necessarily in order… I’m posting as I find them.

Articles/posts I’ve written or interviewed for:

• The Colorado internet tax and Amazon – it’s still ugly
  JGoode 100directions.com
• Advertising Tax checklist – ideas to help you in the fight
  JGoode.com
• Things I learned from battling the government
  JGoode.com
• HB1193 is bad for Colorado
  JGoode – Examiner.com
• Quote by the Media about Amazon and the Colorado internet tax
  JGoode 100Directions.com
• Amazon is creating noise for Colorado online business owners
  JGoode – Examiner.com
  
• Interview with Jen Goode on Colorado Internet Sales Tax
  Affiliate Marketing Blog

• Amazon Fires Back at State
  KUNC PublicBroadcasting.net – Radio report

Posts/articles written by others

• Amazon-Colorado Tax Fallout: On-Line Giant Cuts Off Affiliates In State
  Huffington Post
• The Affiliate Ad Taxes: Why You Should Care
  Nickycakes.com
  
• Colorado Ad Tax discussion with Senator Brophy, Representative Pommer
  Caplis & Silverman show on KHOW.com – audio from radio show
  

• Amazon Dumps Colorado Affliates
  Inc.com

• Amazon.com to drop Colorado affiliates in response to tax law
  Denver Business Journal

• Bill Ritter gives Amazon the finger over associates pull-out; Republicans give him one right back
  Westword

• Amazon Cuts Off Colo. Affiliates Because of Tax
  CBS4Denver.com – Video

• Colorado Tax Laws Could Make It Fourth State To Tax Online Retailers
  Huffington Post

• Online tax issue needs federal fix
  Denver Post
• Littwin: Amazon’s use of human shields evil
  Denver Post
• Amazon.com debate heats up at Colorado Capitol
  Denver Post
• Amazon.com drops Colorado retailers after tax law enacted
  Denver Post
• Eliminate some of state’s tax exemptions
  Denver Post

• Publicizing Amazon’s affect on Colorado affiliates
  The Write Spot
• Update on Amazon firing its Colorado affiliates and What local legislators are doing about HB-1193
  The Write Spot
• Colorado HB-1193 Update: Amazon pulls its affiliate program out of Colorado
  The Write Spot
• Getting the word out about colorado HB-1193
  The Write Spot
• Time to celebrate! The Colorado HB-1193 advertising tax has failed
  The Write Spot
• We made a difference in Colorado HB-1193!
  The Write Spot
• The Denver Post Says NO to Colorado HB-1193
  The Write Spot
• Majority Leader Paul Weissmann says that HB-1193 defeats “corporate welfare”
  The Write Spot
• More on why affiliate taxes don’t work
  The Write Spot

• Colorado Advertising Tax is Dead
  Performance Marketing Alliance
• Colorado Advertising Tax passes out of Senate Committee
  Performance Marketing Alliance

• Colorado Affiliates please send letters to your merchants
  Colorado Online Marketing Association
• Amazon drops Colorado Affiliates
  Colorado Online Marketing Association

If there is one I’ve missed or that you’ve written and would like included, please let me know.

Penguin note: yes, please feel free to post the No Ad Tax penguin on your own site or blog, however please do not alter it.

Perspectives on HB 1193 the Colorado internet ad tax – a resource of information is a post from: 100 Directions

As ad tax laws are passed, affecting thousands of affiliate marketing businesses across the country, it’s important to know who you can work with. Your affiliate business doesn’t have to disappear – you don’t have to work with just out-of-state retailers. Do your homework, dig through and research, or hop on over to Nexus Aware to find merchants located in your state… easily!

I think this is a fantastic service to help determine which merchants you can and can no or should and should not work with, especially if you are in a state with ad tax law road blocks.

Nexus Aware services include:

• Affiliates can seek merchant programs that already claim nexus in their state of residence or are already collecting sales tax on purchases made to customers within their state.
• Merchants should publicize their nexus status so that those affiliates who reside in the merchant’s state(s) of nexus are encouraged to join the program, increasing their pool of local affiliates.

I love this service – and not just because it’s a GTO Management project (some of my favorite good people) but because in a time when time truly is money and money situations are changing so rapidly for so many people… Nexus Aware gives us a little extra leverage to work smart… quickly.

An answer to finding merchants in your state – Nexus Aware is a post from: 100 Directions

I rarely get involved in any kind of public speaking, and even more rare is my involvement in anything related to politics. However, this advertising/internet aka Amazon tax issue in Colorado is something I feel very strongly about. So of course, if someone want’s to ask questions I am happy to answer. Yesterday I got a request from the house reporter to talk a bit about my view on what happened with Amazon.

I appreciate the opportunity to share my view.

However, when comments are taken out of context or narrated in addition to statements, the messages can become skewed or disoriented. I feel like I need to address this.

I made a statement that I feel like it’s the legislation that is a big portion of the problem with the current advertising tax issues. It’s not the legislators. I realize our state’s lawmakers are trying to do what they feel is best and they did work with the affiliate community a great deal to make the changes they made. I feel like the problem is the actual bill itself, not the people behind it. There is a lot going on behind the scenes when creating a bill and theres a lot to juggle. It just so happens, in this outcome, I don’t think the bill was a good one, changes or not – but I think for the situation and climate it was created in, it turned out better than it started.

In a perfect world, there would be a federal solution only because having the laws different makes it more difficult for each merchant to manage.. and the affiliate channel of marketing is so small, sometimes it’s a better business decision to dissolve the affiliate marketing facet than to work through all the various jumbled laws.

Listen to me on the radio news report about Amazon and the Colorado Internet tax

I also feel like Amazon is working on a much bigger agenda that really doesnt have anything to do with affiliates or even Colorado specifically. This is all only my own speculation, but it seems to me, if I were in the middle of a battle (Amazon in NY) and smaller little battles kept popping up.. the best move would be to push forward with a single goal and clear perspective of purpose. Vering from that to make an exception would be sending mixed signals.

I always use food analogies, so if this seems off, I apologize ahead of time.

If you were trying to prove a point that you believe sugar is bad for you and you won’t tolerate sugar in your diet, you don’t make an exception because your neighbor just made you cookies for Christmas. You can politely decline and explain your reasoning, it doesn’t make yu any less grateful for the gift and it shows you stand behind your beliefs.

Sugar is bad.

Now, obviously sales tax is no where near the same as sugar, and Colorado is not Amazon’s neighbor… although I have ordered some really good cookies through Amazon. (normally I would put an affiliate link to Amazon right here, but now I can’t so it’s a link Gourmet Cookie Bouquets.com)

The point is, I stand behind my beliefs and respect those that do as well. Business is business and It doesn’t mean I agree of even like their beliefs. I also did not bad mouth my state legislators in my interview yesterday, but listening to the clip today, it felt to me like some might think otherwise.

I don’t agree with Amazon did, but I can understand why. I don’t agree with the legislators and I don’t like the bill, but I’m not about to claim I can do a better job.

Overall I think the radio interview was a good look at a few views on the topic. I think Representative Pommer needs to learn more about the industry and how it works before he continues to go on about “Amazon firing” their affiliates. It doesn’t work like that sir, which is why this is a bigger issue than most non-performance marketing professionals realize. It’s information for another post.

I feel like a broken record now. Maybe someday sooner than later the information will “click” for someone new. pun completely intended.

Now I’m heading down to the capital building for a press conference being held at 3pm. I have no big loss of money story to share, but I do want to show my support. Maybe I’ll see you there?

Related writings:

• The Colorado internet tax and Amazon – it’s still ugly
• Advertising Tax checklist – ideas to help you in the fight
• Things I learned from battling the government
• HB1193 is bad for Colorado

Quote by the Media about Amazon and the Colorado internet tax is a post from: 100 Directions

I woke up this morning to find a few emails and a couple tweets stating that Amazon had gone ahead and terminated relationships with all Colorado Affiliates. i didn’t believe it. I didn’t see any emails or notices in my inbox from Amazon, so of course I figured it wasn’t EVERYONE. I logged into my Amazon account and this is what I found:

That’s not pretty!

My knee-jerk reaction was to be REALLY MAD at the ridiculous action on Amazon’s part. Seriously, their action isn’t doing anything except severing ties with their advertisers. The bill will continue to stand. Amazon will still be responsible for their part in whatever the bill states they should do based on sales to Colorado residents.

Then I read a post at Affiliate Advocacy about Amazon Removes Colorado Affiliates and Why and I started to see the big picture a little more clearly.

Amazon isn’t trying to punish affiliates to prove a point. They are sticking to their guns. They made a stand and they are sticking by it. Amazon has clearly stated their stand on any bills regarding internet tax of nexus. If they make an exceptions for Colorado because affiliates are not longer involved directly, where is the line draw for further exceptions?

It’s business.

That is one of the most frustrating statements to hear when there are emotions involved. Yet the fact of the matter is.. it’s business. And in my mind, although the legislation and the resulting actions infuriate me, I respect the integrity being displayed – when you say you’re going to do something, do it. Let’s just hope the something to do is a good thing that doesn’t hurt other people unnecessarily.

This action by Amazon is irritating and at first glance seemingly pointless. Colorado residents are still going to have to pay a Use tax OR Amazon is still going to have to voluntarily pay sales tax. But this battle now seems to be able principles… Amazon is standing by theirs and affiliates are stuck in the cross fire.

I fear more merchants will follow Amazon’s lead and many will do so ignorantly. This isn’t a game between legislators and performance marketing merchants. This is about businesses and real families being affected by decision makers battling out how to or not to make more money instead of cutting costs. I won’t continue does my political train of thought. However, there is still room for proactive involvement.

What can you do to help?

• Educate yourself and then educate others – if you understand the legislation and how it impacts you, make sure to help spread that knowledge to others.
• Write your merchants and let them know that this bill does not determine nexus and affiliates are not involved.
• Keep in contact with your state legislators to help keep them informed about the impact their legislation has

More information and resources are available at the Colorado Online Marketing Association website

The Colorado internet tax and Amazon – it's still ugly is a post from: 100 Directions